So whilst in London I stay with my friend Kevin. Kevin lives just a few minutes from Arsenal Football Stadium (you can see it from his kitchen window!) - soccer for you 'mericans....
After watching Les Miserables I went walking around. This is London's 'Times Square', called Picadilly Circus (I only learned this after seeing Oxford and Picadilly Circuses in London - I guess Circus just means 'circle'/ring), no lions or bears, but ton o' people!
It is odd how you feel more 'alive' at night with lights all around and tons of people around...odd, but cool feeling...
The Trocadero - never really been in, but still part of Picadilly Circus...
People, mostly tourists hanging out by the fountain....
These were new from my last trip to London - VERY public urinals. Kind of weird, but after seeing 'running pools' of urine coming from all corners/alleyways/walls/etc., I guess maybe it's a good thing....
St. Martins in the Fields on Trafalgar Square - my crazee camera, I, myself, did NOT see this...but my camera did...I think it looks nice...
After I watched Phantom of the Opera, I went to a Moroccan restaurant nearby, just to give it a try. The food was good, but the SMELLS of the food were AMAZING! It was like...smelling the food was better than the taste! I don't know if that is good or bad, but it's true and I liked it. I would recommend Moroccan food to all those reading if they want to try it...
And to end, with the GREAT ODDITY! Right next to the Palladium Theater where I watched 'Sound of Music' was a sign (they have these all over Europe - they tell you 'Famous So and So lived/worked/died here') that said WASHINGTON IRVING LIVED HERE! Firstly, I thought 'cool', but then I was like 'what?!' When I learned about Washington Irving in...I don't know....Middle School, we were taught that it was VERY important for Washington Irving and I guess Daniel Webster and others, that an AMERICAN culture/literature/'language'-spelling/etc. be founded. HENCE, apparently Washington Irving really encouraged other American writers (Poe, etc.).......
....if he was SO 'American', what was he doing living in London for SO LONG?! (according to Wikipedia, he didn't live in London as long as they say here...), but still...just a bit odd....
And then as I read more about him in Wikipedia, I was MORE amazed! Guess what everybody....(now Irving IS buried in Sleepy Hollow, New York, but...) WHERE was 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle' published? WHERE? LONDON!! Just very odd to find out that a guy who was SO into establishing an 'American' literature, spent A LOT of time in London and published his 'VERY' American stories there....hmm.....
I mean, I don't think I'm judging him for it - whatever, right? It was just odd to find out 'the truth'....
