England and Scotland for fun
Day 2 - Sunday, April 24 -
England
Today, Francesca took me to "The Eye" -- the giant
ferris-wheel-type observatory British Airways built for the millennium
celebration. I wasn't familiar with it, so it was truly bizarre
to be riding at the top of a double decker bus, rounding the corner
with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in front of us to the right,
and then to have a giant ferris wheel appear in the sky behind it to
the left. Francesca said it was only intended to be there
temporarily, but it was such a huge hit (the admissions paid for its
cost within a couple of months), they've kept it up. She's
terrified of heights and endured it once all ready, so I went it alone
(but not before stopping off at the London Aquarium gift shop to SMASH
SOME PENCES! A London Aquarium one, to commemorate the first
place in England that I found a penny smashing machine, and an Eye one,
because I was going to ride it.)
It really is quite amazing. It has a bunch of
"pods" on it that allows a dozen or so people to sit or stand in it and
look over the city as it s-l-o-w-l-y rises and loops around -- so
slowly, it doesn't stop when you step on. As it rounds to the
platform, the doors automatically open, the previous riders calmly walk
out, two security people walk and circle the top and bottom with some
anti-terror sticks (I thought bomb sniffers, but they may have just
been mirrors to see if anything's been left attached) and walk off, the
next group walks on, and the doors close as it continues up. The
view, of course, is stunning, as it's way taller than Big Ben, and you
get to look down into the Houses of Parliament and see courtyard areas
in other huge governmental buildings, plus way far out over the horizon.
The rest of the day was very casual walking down the
Thames River from the Eye, having tea in the Modern Tate (the new Tate
museum where they now keep the modern art), taking the bus back to
Francesca's flat, then having her friend Susanni (who just got back
from Singapore and was very sleepy) over for a fabulous salmon dinner
Francesca made, chatting awhile (trying to keep Susanni up so she can
get back on London time after a week home - and part-business trip -
and 13-hour flight). The chatting was very interesting - Susanni
is a lawyer (the first British one I've met - she said she's actually a
solicitor, and explained that barristers are the trial attorneys they
bring in if the case gets that far), and her father used to be a
diplomat, so when she finished law school in Singapore and came to
London to live with her family (and get started on her career), she
attended the one annual royal ball, the November Ball, that children of
diplomats - actually "unmarried daughters of diplomats" - were invited
to as well, and she, dressed in a full ball gown, went to Buckingham
Palace, where met the Queen, Prince Phillip (whom she DESPISES, mostly
unimpressed with him), Prince Charles and Princess Diana (who greeted
her with "Unmarried daughter of diplomat").
Tomorrow I plan to go to the Tower...
England and
Scotland for fun
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