The complete blackness ended around 5:00 when the power in the camp came back on. About 15-20 minutes later, we saw a flashlight outside our tent and someone outside whispered "Hello? Hello?" It was our Samburu wakeup call for the dawn drive.
After getting dressed and monkey proofing our tent (they have a tendency of breaking in and destroying your stuff if you don't tie down the zippers) we headed out for coffee, tea, and biscuits. As the sun rose about 6:30 our caravan of five safari vans ventured out into the reserve. Antelope where everywhere along with the occasional dik-dik (think of a dik-dik as a Antelope clone, perfect in every way, only one-fifth the size).
We managed to spot a vulture in a tree and later found a group of monkeys (not too cheeky). Along the river, we spotted a flock of maribu cranes. On the far end of the sandbar, just sunning himself in the sun, was a small crocodile. We eventually ran into another croc on the other side of the river.
On the way back to the camp, we saw a group of elephants on the move, single file, in the distance. We continued on and came across a baboon sitting by himself near a tree. We moved across to the far side and found a whole group of baboons. One mother was clutching and nursing a baby. When one of the others saw us taking pictures of the mother and little baby, he came over to stand between us and the nursing mother.
The dawn drive turned out to be kind of a bust. We didn't even get to see any elephants up close (a real disappointment after the scenes we saw just driving to the camp the night before). But this is what sets Samburu apart from Crescent Island. You never know what you'll find on any given trip.
We came back to a nice breakfast, enjoyed the pool, had lunch, and saddled up for our dusk safari around 4:00. The dusk safari turned out to be better than the dawn safari.
Again, we started off seeing plenty of antelope they're everywhere in Samburu. It wasn't too long before we found a herd of elephants along the side of the road. The family included a few babies flapping their ears to stay cool.
We eventually had to leave the elephants behind, but it wasn't long until we saw some giraffes in the distance. The giraffes in Samburu are called reticulated giraffes and they have slightly darker coloring than the giraffes we've seen elsewhere. The thing I love about giraffes is that they're almost as curious about us as we are of them. They'll stand there and just stare at you for the longest time.
We left this herd of giraffes behind and headed back to the river. Across the way we could see two male lions still sleeping off the heat of the afternoon. A little further up the river we saw a larger crocodile laying on the muddy bank in the setting sun.
Again, in the distance we could see a herd of giraffes. Getting to this herd wasn't easy. They were on the far side of a dry creek bed that you couldn't cross just anywhere. We eventually found a crossing point and made our way back to the giraffes only to find that the giraffe herd was joined by a herd of elephants. We parked along the road and turned off the engine and just let both herds overtake us. Everywhere we turned there were either giraffes or elephants. Several giraffes crossed the road about 30 yards in front of our van and then an elephant crossed the road about 10-20 yards behind our van.
We moved along the road into more giraffes and found two fighting. Giraffes fight by whipping their heads around on those long necks and slamming them into the sternum or side of the other. The two went at it the entire time we were there.
As the sun set, we headed back. The evening safari, obviously, was much more successful than the morning safari and we still had one more dawn drive to go.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Beach Trip Quick Report
Don't have time to post a lot but we just returned from our beach vacation looking very tan.
We stayed at the Baobab Beach Resort. The resort was fabulous! The pool was great, the Indian Ocean was unbelievable (although the snorkeling was rough) the food was good and the drinks were plentiful.
We dined one night at Ali Barbour's Cave restaurant which is actually built in a cave that opens to the night sky. The food there was amazing.
Our schedule for the last four days went something like this:
Breakfast
Ocean/Pool
Lunch
Pool
Ocean
Dinner
Dancing.
Going back to class yesterday was hard. Hopefully we will get pictures up before we leave for Egypt next week. Life is hard.
We stayed at the Baobab Beach Resort. The resort was fabulous! The pool was great, the Indian Ocean was unbelievable (although the snorkeling was rough) the food was good and the drinks were plentiful.
We dined one night at Ali Barbour's Cave restaurant which is actually built in a cave that opens to the night sky. The food there was amazing.
Our schedule for the last four days went something like this:
Breakfast
Ocean/Pool
Lunch
Pool
Ocean
Dinner
Dancing.
Going back to class yesterday was hard. Hopefully we will get pictures up before we leave for Egypt next week. Life is hard.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Samburu Day 1
We’re getting way behind on posting. This last weekend, we went to a beach resort on the Indian Ocean and just relaxed and had a great time. However, we still haven’t posted about our trip to Samburu.
We were supposed to leave our apartment complex here in
Lunch was actually a lot of fun. The restaurant resembled a tree house. Below the wooden platforms were tanks of cold water where the restaurant raised its own trout. Naturally, we both ordered the trout and it was excellent.
After leaving the restaurant, we stopped at two more curio stops. Our van had had enough by the last stop and we asked our driver, who went by Karaoke (perhaps in part due to the study stream of soft rock classics streaming from his radio), if we could leave before the others. He agreed and we were the first to make it to Isiolo. The others, however, caught up when we stopped for gas and air in the tires.
A police checkpoint was setup just outside Isiolo. Normally, security waves us through these checkpoints. This time, a large group of villagers surrounding the checkpoint started shouting and pointing at our van. Instead of driving through, Karaoke got out to speak with the officer. The crowd surrounded us trying to sell various trinkets that they “had made themselves just this morning.” This was nothing new. Any time our van stopped in any village of any size, locals would surround the bus trying to sell us something, but this crowd seemed particularly pushy. One Muslim woman kept trying to get change for a $10 bill. The bill was folded in fourths so you could only see a small part of it and we all assumed it was fake. When no one would give her change, she began yelling at us for being afraid of them and buying from the curio stops instead of them. We tried to explain that none of us bought anything from the curio shops either. I’m not sure if that made it better or worse. Eventually, Karaoke got back in the van and we left.
The next stretch of road was unlike anything we’ve experienced in the states. The road was unpaved and filled with large potholes and washboards. And we were doing about 50mph down this long stretch of dirt road. Samburu is north of
We managed to reach the reserve without incident. After everyone arrived, our guides paid our entry fees and we started the trip to our resort. The vans were spaced out a bit and we couldn’t see the van ahead of us for a few minutes. Finally, as we came around a turn, we noticed one of our vans stopped next a jeep heading in the opposite direction. There was no room to pass the van, so Karaoke stopped the van and got out to see what was going on. We popped the top in our safari van so we could all see it. One of the guys who was in the van got out and told us their driver tried to turn away from the jeep at the last minute, but his tire hit some sand and the van glanced off the jeep on the front driver’s side.
The damage all looked superficial, although the jeep had a good sized dent. We waited while the drivers figured out to handle the situations and they eventually reached some sort of agreement and we were on our way.
By this time, it was getting close to 6:30. The sun was going down and everything was cooling off. That meant the animals were starting to come out (it also meant we had to get to our resort quickly because there is not supposed to be any movement in the park after 6:30). We stopped briefly when we came across a herd of elephants sitting and playing along the side of the road. Our driver pulled over so we could grab some pictures, but light was getting scarce and most of the pictures didn’t turn out well.
Shortly after leaving the elephants, Hers happened to glance behind us and noticed a male lion, mane and all, walking across the road directly behind the vehicle. Unfortunately, we were moving at a pretty good pace and the driver didn’t have time to stop for pictures, but it was an amazing sight we probably wouldn’t have seen had it not been for the accident.
We finally arrived at Intrepids Lodge a little after 6:30. The lodge was amazing. Like the restaurant, the lodge was built into the trees about three or four feet off the ground. A large, muddy river flowed next to the lodge. Our accommodations were actually tents, but they were not what I think of when I think of a tent. These were large, luxury tents. Each tent had a four poster bed, a large desk, and a smaller vanity in the main room. At the far end of the tent was the bathroom, which was separated from the rest of the tent by a wall with a door. The bathroom had plumbing and a nice shower along with a couple of sinks. It made me feel as if I was some wealthy Brit on safari during colonial days.
Dinner was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time and after dinner, we headed for our tent to get a good night’s sleep. Our five hour drive turned into about ten hours and everyone was ready to get some shuteye.
Pictures for Day 1 are already up on Picasa. Day 2 should hopefully be up soon along with another post.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Back again
We spent the weekend at Samburu National Park looking at Giraffes fighting, lions, elephants, and all sorts of other animals. We are in the process of uploading our 800+ pictures (and a few videos). The place we stayed was amazing, it was luxury a luxury tent hotel built into the trees. The food was amazing, the pool was warm and the game drives were unbelievable. The only down side was the 8 hour drive to and from. I will NEVER EVER complain about the condition of the roads in the US again.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Pictures
As I mentioned before, it's not easy posting pictures on the blog. We'll still try to post some of our favorites here, but we've found it's easier just to upload pictures to an online photo album. Anyone interested in seeing more pictures than you'll know what to do with you should check out our online album.
Climbing Mt. Longonot
After a restful night at the country club, we headed out for Mount Longonot, an extinct volcano that had been looming over us for the past day. Our driver, Jethro (who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, dressed in a pressed white collard shirt, a pair of pants, and loafers), greeted us with an enthusiastic "GOOD MORNING!" He also shared his life philosophy as we left the Country Club "Life is hard, but you're living so BE HAPPY!"
We had hoped they vans would take us at least halfway up the mountain. We were disappointed when the van stopped permanently at the entrance located at the bottom of the mountain. After some administrative delays at the gate, we were introduced to our guide who indicated that the rim of the volcano was reachable in forty minutes, but you could reach it in 120 minutes going at a leisurely pace. Jethro, who initially indicated he would not make the climb, set out with us.
The foot of the mountain was easy going and we were all amazed at the view after just a short, relatively easy climb. The trial, however, eventually got much harder as it became steeper. Dirt and dust gave us poor footing on the trial as we tried to climb. The steeper climb, however, gave us more dramatic views.
We came to a small clearing after two steep climbs. As we rested, we saw the several others in our group climbing up a very steep trial to the rim (they were so far, you could just see the bright colors of their T-shirts) and a short time later we heard shouts as the first of our group made the rim. The rim, however, was not the end. On the far side of the massive crater was the mountain peak, which was about another hour or so from the rim.
We set out to the rim with Professor Gathii, who is heading the program this year. As the students grasped for air and contemplated turning back, Professor Gathii talked easily and barely seemed winded at all. This was his third climb of the mountain and it was evident he was only straggling to make sure the last group of students made it to the rim OK.
Before we knew it, we were on the steep climb to the rim. By this time, the only thing that was keeping me going was the fact that the rim was just a little way off and eventually the steep climb did gave way to a level strip of ground about 10-feet wide. On one side, you could see the Kenyan countryside including Crescent Island (which is actually more of a peninsula than an island). On the other side was a sheer drop into the green crater of the volcano.
At the rim, I learned Jethro had shot up the mountain with the first group leaving most of us poor, out-of-shape, American law students in his wake.
I walked around the rim for awhile taking pictures as I went. The peak of the mountain was covered by clouds and it was already about 1:30 in the afternoon (I took longer than the 120 minute leisurely pace to reach the rim). Rather than go for the peak, which would've required me to climb up and down at least a couple of smaller peaks), I decided to head down to the base with another group and get some lunch. While the climb up was harder on our lungs, the climb down was hard on our legs. We kicked up dust and dirt with each step and were covered in dirt by the time we reached the bottom. However, we did manage to see a giraffe on our way down. We all stood there for a time checking him out while he watched us with interest. In some ways, the sighting was even better than the one on Crescent Island because giraffes are known to be on the island and if you go there, you will see them. This giraffe was completely random and unexpected.
The picnic lunch that the Country Club had packed for us was one of the best meals I've had in Kenya (but that's probably just because I was so hungry by the time I got down). We waited for the others, who made it the peak, to return. Jethro, of course, made the peak easily and somehow managed to avoid the dust on the climb down. Jethro's white shirt was as white as when he had set out. And, yes, he had made the whole climb in loafers and without any water.
Sorry no pictures as of yet. The wireless is really slow at our apartment, so it's easier to get up text than pictures. I'll try to get a few of our favorites posted soon.
We had hoped they vans would take us at least halfway up the mountain. We were disappointed when the van stopped permanently at the entrance located at the bottom of the mountain. After some administrative delays at the gate, we were introduced to our guide who indicated that the rim of the volcano was reachable in forty minutes, but you could reach it in 120 minutes going at a leisurely pace. Jethro, who initially indicated he would not make the climb, set out with us.
The foot of the mountain was easy going and we were all amazed at the view after just a short, relatively easy climb. The trial, however, eventually got much harder as it became steeper. Dirt and dust gave us poor footing on the trial as we tried to climb. The steeper climb, however, gave us more dramatic views.
We came to a small clearing after two steep climbs. As we rested, we saw the several others in our group climbing up a very steep trial to the rim (they were so far, you could just see the bright colors of their T-shirts) and a short time later we heard shouts as the first of our group made the rim. The rim, however, was not the end. On the far side of the massive crater was the mountain peak, which was about another hour or so from the rim.
We set out to the rim with Professor Gathii, who is heading the program this year. As the students grasped for air and contemplated turning back, Professor Gathii talked easily and barely seemed winded at all. This was his third climb of the mountain and it was evident he was only straggling to make sure the last group of students made it to the rim OK.
Before we knew it, we were on the steep climb to the rim. By this time, the only thing that was keeping me going was the fact that the rim was just a little way off and eventually the steep climb did gave way to a level strip of ground about 10-feet wide. On one side, you could see the Kenyan countryside including Crescent Island (which is actually more of a peninsula than an island). On the other side was a sheer drop into the green crater of the volcano.
At the rim, I learned Jethro had shot up the mountain with the first group leaving most of us poor, out-of-shape, American law students in his wake.
I walked around the rim for awhile taking pictures as I went. The peak of the mountain was covered by clouds and it was already about 1:30 in the afternoon (I took longer than the 120 minute leisurely pace to reach the rim). Rather than go for the peak, which would've required me to climb up and down at least a couple of smaller peaks), I decided to head down to the base with another group and get some lunch. While the climb up was harder on our lungs, the climb down was hard on our legs. We kicked up dust and dirt with each step and were covered in dirt by the time we reached the bottom. However, we did manage to see a giraffe on our way down. We all stood there for a time checking him out while he watched us with interest. In some ways, the sighting was even better than the one on Crescent Island because giraffes are known to be on the island and if you go there, you will see them. This giraffe was completely random and unexpected.
The picnic lunch that the Country Club had packed for us was one of the best meals I've had in Kenya (but that's probably just because I was so hungry by the time I got down). We waited for the others, who made it the peak, to return. Jethro, of course, made the peak easily and somehow managed to avoid the dust on the climb down. Jethro's white shirt was as white as when he had set out. And, yes, he had made the whole climb in loafers and without any water.
Sorry no pictures as of yet. The wireless is really slow at our apartment, so it's easier to get up text than pictures. I'll try to get a few of our favorites posted soon.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Nairobi Bomb
For those who haven't heard, there was a suicide bombing this morning in Nairobi. It was relatively small. So far, local reports haven't mentioned any deaths. We were no where near the scene.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
We are back from our first safari!
Pictures will be posted sometime, but I wanted to fill you in on our first safari experience.
We loaded up in a bus and two vans and headed on down the road to Lake Naivasha. The roads in Kenya certainly make your appreciate what we have in the States. There are no set lanes, people and animals are everywhere and this is in the city. When you get outside the city you are not really sure sometimes where the road ends and where it begins. Plus there are more people, animals and things in the road.
Coming out of Nairobi we drove based some "settlements" which basically means tin slums. It really, really made me feel bad for complaining about our apartment; we really are living in luxury here. As we continued further out of the city there were villages that had children who would all wave at us. We felt kind of like circus freaks with everybody staring and waiving at us but the little kids were so cute and had the brightest smiles. We got to see more of them up close on the way back when our van had a flat tire and we had to stop by a village for a little bit.
Eventually we got to the Lake Naivasha Country Club which is where we were staying after a brief stop for souvenirs at an amazing overlook of the Great Rift Valley.
The accommodations were amazing. We felt like we were in the middle of Colonial Britain. The grounds were manicured immaculately and there were monkeys strolling around like squirrels. We took a good sized boat (this is becomes important later) across Lake Naivasha to Crescent island.
It is also important to note that Lake Naivasha is known for its hippo population and hippos are very very mean. His and I were sitting on the front of the boat while it was tied up to the dock when two hippos maybe 20 feet away (probably more) started growling (or whatever Hippos do). I have never gotten up so quickly in my life. After a really long boat ride we finally reached Crescent Island.
Crescent Island was where "Out of Africa" was filmed. It is, not surprisingly, a crescent shaped Island. For the movie all manner of non-predatory African wildlife was introduced to the island and left there. Since there were no predators (lions, cheetahs, etc) we were allowed to walk all around the island. Our guide, Moses, was quite the character. He told us about the time he had met Angelina Jolie (and how he turned down her proposition) and told us all about the wildlife on the island.
We got to walk right up to giraffes, zeebras, ganus, dik dik, gazelles, etc. We seriously walked right up to them. It was absolutely amazing.
When we finished our time on the island we were looking for the good sized boat to take us back across the lake. That was not to be. There were two small boats, not much bigger than the Sea King (a reference that few of you will get) to take us across Hippo infested water. We sat so far down that the water was almost coming over the sides. I was terrified and everybody laughed at me. We made it alive with no Hippo encounters. I had to explain over dinner why hippos were so dangerous, some of our group should have watched "When Hippos Attack". A few people went Hippo hunting in the morning and lived to tell the tail, but not me.
Today (Sunday) we went and hiked Mt. Longonaut but I will let His fill you in about that one because his stories are better.
We loaded up in a bus and two vans and headed on down the road to Lake Naivasha. The roads in Kenya certainly make your appreciate what we have in the States. There are no set lanes, people and animals are everywhere and this is in the city. When you get outside the city you are not really sure sometimes where the road ends and where it begins. Plus there are more people, animals and things in the road.
Coming out of Nairobi we drove based some "settlements" which basically means tin slums. It really, really made me feel bad for complaining about our apartment; we really are living in luxury here. As we continued further out of the city there were villages that had children who would all wave at us. We felt kind of like circus freaks with everybody staring and waiving at us but the little kids were so cute and had the brightest smiles. We got to see more of them up close on the way back when our van had a flat tire and we had to stop by a village for a little bit.
Eventually we got to the Lake Naivasha Country Club which is where we were staying after a brief stop for souvenirs at an amazing overlook of the Great Rift Valley.
The accommodations were amazing. We felt like we were in the middle of Colonial Britain. The grounds were manicured immaculately and there were monkeys strolling around like squirrels. We took a good sized boat (this is becomes important later) across Lake Naivasha to Crescent island.
It is also important to note that Lake Naivasha is known for its hippo population and hippos are very very mean. His and I were sitting on the front of the boat while it was tied up to the dock when two hippos maybe 20 feet away (probably more) started growling (or whatever Hippos do). I have never gotten up so quickly in my life. After a really long boat ride we finally reached Crescent Island.
Crescent Island was where "Out of Africa" was filmed. It is, not surprisingly, a crescent shaped Island. For the movie all manner of non-predatory African wildlife was introduced to the island and left there. Since there were no predators (lions, cheetahs, etc) we were allowed to walk all around the island. Our guide, Moses, was quite the character. He told us about the time he had met Angelina Jolie (and how he turned down her proposition) and told us all about the wildlife on the island.
We got to walk right up to giraffes, zeebras, ganus, dik dik, gazelles, etc. We seriously walked right up to them. It was absolutely amazing.
When we finished our time on the island we were looking for the good sized boat to take us back across the lake. That was not to be. There were two small boats, not much bigger than the Sea King (a reference that few of you will get) to take us across Hippo infested water. We sat so far down that the water was almost coming over the sides. I was terrified and everybody laughed at me. We made it alive with no Hippo encounters. I had to explain over dinner why hippos were so dangerous, some of our group should have watched "When Hippos Attack". A few people went Hippo hunting in the morning and lived to tell the tail, but not me.
Today (Sunday) we went and hiked Mt. Longonaut but I will let His fill you in about that one because his stories are better.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
We're off on Safari!
We leave in an hour for our first safari! We are going to Lake Naivashia and then Mt. Longonaut and then we star our first day of class on Monday. We will get the pictures up as soon as possible but, shock of shocks, our internet connection is SLOW!
Friday, June 08, 2007
After Outrunning The Cheetah . . .
Riding on a bus of 20 law students who all want to do something different is not exactly a whole lot of fun. But in between changing plans and bumpy roads, we had a great time. We started off at the Giraffe Center feeding and petting giraffes. Some of them can be quite affectionate, especially when you're holding a food pellet next to your cheek.
Across from the Giraffe Center is a nature hike where Jock, the big male Giraffe is housed. We spotted him next to the road.
Afterwards, we headed to Mamba Village. Mamba is Swahili for Croc. There were plenty huge crocodiles here including the ones behind me.
A cage full of cheetahs just looked like too much fun. We hopped in and outran the cheetahs for a while. After they tired out, they let us pet them (OK, the reality is that the guards let us and were kind enough to take our pictures with the cheetahs; it wasn't until afterwards that we learned how close it was to feeding time).
Across from the Giraffe Center is a nature hike where Jock, the big male Giraffe is housed. We spotted him next to the road.
Afterwards, we headed to Mamba Village. Mamba is Swahili for Croc. There were plenty huge crocodiles here including the ones behind me.
A cage full of cheetahs just looked like too much fun. We hopped in and outran the cheetahs for a while. After they tired out, they let us pet them (OK, the reality is that the guards let us and were kind enough to take our pictures with the cheetahs; it wasn't until afterwards that we learned how close it was to feeding time).
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Good Morning from Africa!
His and I have arrived to Nairobi in one piece. We are in the process of shopping for groceries, unpacking and saying "Um, we're in AFRICA!"
Our last few days in London were fun. We spent 5 hours in the British museum and were just completely overwhelmed. The museum itself was amazing and set up really well but there was just more stuff than you could imagine. Its good to be an empire.
The next day we watched the changing of the guard and at the Horse Guard. Its similar to the one at Buckingham Palace but on horses and not as crowded. Then we went to St. James Park and idled away the afternoon reading, people watching, and eating ice cream. We also watched military bands go up and down the mall, our cab drive told us he thought they were practicing for the Queens birthday. Then it was time to leave for Nairobi.
My final thoughts on London:
My first initial thoughts on Africa.
Our last few days in London were fun. We spent 5 hours in the British museum and were just completely overwhelmed. The museum itself was amazing and set up really well but there was just more stuff than you could imagine. Its good to be an empire.
The next day we watched the changing of the guard and at the Horse Guard. Its similar to the one at Buckingham Palace but on horses and not as crowded. Then we went to St. James Park and idled away the afternoon reading, people watching, and eating ice cream. We also watched military bands go up and down the mall, our cab drive told us he thought they were practicing for the Queens birthday. Then it was time to leave for Nairobi.
My final thoughts on London:
- Atkins would never work here: bangers and mash, cornish pasties, pies, fish and chips, etc.
- Cask drawn ales are wonderful (and we sampled enough of them to know that this is not a statistical anomaly)
- Charles should change his name to Edward so that when he ascends to the thrown they don't have to change the billions of ER signs.
- I overestimated my ability to figure out which way to look when driving is done on the left.
My first initial thoughts on Africa.
- Crap, they drive on the left and they don't have the nice markings telling you which way to look. I should have figured this out in London but we spent too much time in the parks.
- I'm glad I'm not here in the summer
- And finally a conversion rate of 70 to 1 is going to tax what little math ability I possess.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Quicky
Sorry, no fancy pictures like Hers. We didn't plan to post like did last time, so there's no pictures ready to go and I only have 10 minutes left at the Internet Cafe.
Hers and I are still having a great time. We've worn ourselves out a bit and have actually spent a lot of time just sitting in a park and reading (both reading books centered on London). We did go to part of the British Museum today, which was amazing. The British Empire extended so far that you can find artifcats from all over the world. I thought the Egyptian artificats would be amazing, but it turns out I was most taken with the collection in the Enlightment exhibit. The books they had on display there were incredible to say nothing of the artificats. Being in that room was one of the most amazing experiences I've had so far.
Yesterday's highlight was Windsor. There's just something about old castles that are impressive. And yes, the Queen was in residence (as is her habit on the weekends) while we were there (you can tell by the Royal Standard flying about the Round Tower). We walked through the State Apartments, which were absolutely incredible. Kings since Charles I (17th Centrury) had used the castle as a residence as does the current Queen. The State Apartments are where important visitors are received and state dinners are held.
The town itself was also fun. A little too touristy, but it was a fun walk. We ended the night by watching Othello at the Globe. It was incredible to see like Shaekspear at the Globe, even if we did get the cheap tickets that required us to stand for four hours. I was also disappointed that the only beer they had was Bud. After some of the fine English Ales we've been sampling, it was a real disappointment. Still, how can you not have a Beer standing at the floor of the Globe?
We have plenty of pictures and we'll probably post them once we're in Africa. We leave tomorrow evening and should be in Wednesday morning (late, late Tuesday night for those of you in the States).
Hers and I are still having a great time. We've worn ourselves out a bit and have actually spent a lot of time just sitting in a park and reading (both reading books centered on London). We did go to part of the British Museum today, which was amazing. The British Empire extended so far that you can find artifcats from all over the world. I thought the Egyptian artificats would be amazing, but it turns out I was most taken with the collection in the Enlightment exhibit. The books they had on display there were incredible to say nothing of the artificats. Being in that room was one of the most amazing experiences I've had so far.
Yesterday's highlight was Windsor. There's just something about old castles that are impressive. And yes, the Queen was in residence (as is her habit on the weekends) while we were there (you can tell by the Royal Standard flying about the Round Tower). We walked through the State Apartments, which were absolutely incredible. Kings since Charles I (17th Centrury) had used the castle as a residence as does the current Queen. The State Apartments are where important visitors are received and state dinners are held.
The town itself was also fun. A little too touristy, but it was a fun walk. We ended the night by watching Othello at the Globe. It was incredible to see like Shaekspear at the Globe, even if we did get the cheap tickets that required us to stand for four hours. I was also disappointed that the only beer they had was Bud. After some of the fine English Ales we've been sampling, it was a real disappointment. Still, how can you not have a Beer standing at the floor of the Globe?
We have plenty of pictures and we'll probably post them once we're in Africa. We leave tomorrow evening and should be in Wednesday morning (late, late Tuesday night for those of you in the States).
Saturday, June 02, 2007
London Days 1-3
Sorry about the formatting but my internet time is running out and I needed to get this posted.
Day 1
Big Ben, Parliament
Big Ben, Parliament
We must have took a hundred pictures of Big Ben and parliament but when you think of London this is what you think of. It really is an awesome building.
This is the tour bus we rode
We spent our first day, despite the rain, on top of one of these buses riding around the city fighting off jet lag.
The London Eye
This really is a HUGE Ferris wheel. It takes 30 minutes for a complete rotation. The views are suppose to be amazing, but it’s a little to pricey for us
One of 100 pictures we have of the Tower Bridge.
We rode under it and over it (twice), and we might even try climbing the stairs to the top of it.
Day 2
Our Yeoman Warder that took us on a tour of the tower of London.
The first thing we did when we got to the Tower of London was to go see the crown jewels, sorry mom no cameras allowed. Then we took a tour with our Yeoman warder, or Beefeater. This was highly informative and entertaining.
White Tower, where lots of monarchs lived and lots of guns were kept.
Iconic Double Decker Buses in front of St. Pauls.
Parliament, which was closed for the day =(
The Cloisters at Westminster Abbey
This was the only place we could take pictures of in Westminster.
A view of the Eye across the lake at St. James Park
St. James Park use to be the hunting ground of King Henry VIII, then it was turned into more of a garden. But they would not plant flowers here out of respect for the dead. That’s because the park use to be a mass burial site for plague and leprosy victims. Oh, and its haunted by a monk.
Buckingham Palace
The Texas Embassy!
A haunted alleyway with a pub.
This was part of our aspirations, alleyways and ales tour. The ale part was good, the alleyways were cool, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the ghost stories.
Day 3
The Imperial War Museum
There is more stuff here than can be explored in a lifetime. We gave it a quick (3 hour) walk through, but had to move on. The exhibits are really well done and we would both like to go back.
More from the imperial war museum
London at night.
Last night we watched a football match, England v. Brazil. It was looking good up until the 89th minute when Brazil scored to clinch a tie. Oh well, the beer was still good.
Then we walked down across the Thames and enjoyed some great views of the city.
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