Incoming! Mind the Gap as you step into the car.
My favorite thing about London was the metro, which they lovingly call The Tube. It’s a huge network of underground subway tunnels and stations. I was shocked to learn that it has been around since 1863. In one station, Covent Garden, you can only get between floors via elevator or a 193-step spiral staircase. We took the stairs and laughed thinking about women in gowns from the 1800′s going up and down without falling.
Notting Hill Tube Station
The Tube is packed with musicians…really good musicians. As in, if they dimmed the lights and served pints down there, I’d sit and listen for a while. We heard everything from crazy polka music to rockers on electric guitars, but my favorite were the folk rock singers. All the musicians were licensed to be there and had special locations where they could stand (as Thomas demonstrates below). I’m not sure what it takes to get licensed, but it would be a fun job to audition them.
Thomas plays Air Guitar
Other than hanging out underground, we also went to three shows: Cirque de Soleil’s Varekai, Avenue Q, and Chicago. All were wonderful! We checked out the main sights, including the extremely crowded changing of the guard, and the museums. I couldn’t believe that the museums were all free…and they were packed with families. It was great! Anyway, it was a wonderful break away, and with being only an hour and a half train ride there, we will definately visit again.
Cool mosaic in Tottenham Court Road station
We didn’t make to much of an effort with photos since it rained the entire weekend, but if you’d like to see them, they’re posted on PicasaWeb:
- Weekend in London (20 photos)
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so glad you enjoyed London above and below ground! the weather does look pretty miserable, but the classic London shots like the “Look Right” and the phone booth are priceless. every good expat needs to do that. and remember how good it is to hear folks speak english and stay in queues!
.-= Reid´s last blog ..Den Haag (The Hague) =-.
we were there in the summer- it can get warm and muggy down in the Tube :)
Looks like you had a fantastic time. We just popped up to the UK ourselves and saw Avenue Q. Hooray for English-language musicals. Thanks to your tip, we’ve booked tickets Cirque in Cologne.
.-= Lydia´s last blog ..Book Blogger Holiday Swap =-.