Lord Mayor Fireworks

Any who... yesterday was Armastice/Remembrance day and then the Lord Mayor was inaugurated today, check out the pictures!

West Minster Abbey.  The Poppy's and crosses were for Armistice/Remembrance Day (11/11/11).  

There was a parade today for the Lord Mayor so there were quite a few policemen around.

 They had tanks and Gallic bagpipers.  The whole procession was about an hour long so there were actually a lot of other groups but I figured I'd only show a few.

There were lots of horses and this carriage on the right is the Lord Mayor's.  He is the Mayor of the City of London (not the Mayor of London) so he doesn't really have much power these days although historically he did.

Then Brendan and I walked around and had some lunch and then went back to the Thames to get a good seat!

 Look at all the people!  We snagged a good spot on top of a memorial to mariners.

Our feet were dangling over the water. :)

Waited for the sun to set (the show started at 5pm--the sun sets so early!).  Our friend Sam came along too just in time.

The fireworks were amazing!!!

Some of them are a little blurry and crooked but I was a little distracted... haha

 The barge was right in front of us!  You can see the London Eye and Big Ben in the background.

I can't wait for New Year's Eve!  London is awesome.

Just A Few Photos

Not more pictures of Parliament Squareeee...... yup.

I think the lights might be Christmas lights but the London Eye is always lit up blue. 

This week's wanker of the match: Holly.  We won 15-0 wooohoooo.

The park that I'm in on the photo on the right is my favorite spot in London!

That's a view from the same park in the photo on the left.  In the photo on the right you might notice all the policemen in yellow and the lack of traffic.  There was a protest today where students started at UCL (it was a national thing) to protest the tuition increases.

Lastly, I thought I'd just give you a little taste of the Christmas lights on Oxford Street.  I passed them on a bus ride home on the 73.  I plan on putting up a post of better pictures of them, preferably not from a bus.  :)

Guy Fawkes Night

I recently found out that some people don't know about Guy Fawkes day (yes, I believe they live under a rock... ahem... Krista).  If you are one of these people, then here's the story you've missed out on all these years:

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion.  When their hopes were dashed, 13 men decided to blow up the Houses of Parliament--a plan called the Gunpowder Plot.  In doing so, they would kill the King among many others who were making life difficult for the Catholics.  Their plans were foiled when a conspirator attempted to warn one of his friends in Parliament (not all of the Members of Parliament were against the Catholics).  Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellar below with 36 barrels of gun powder on the morning of November 5th, 1605.  That night, when the King would have otherwise died, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King hence the name "Bonfire Night."

I hope that info is right, I got it from: http://www.bonfirenight.net :)

I took these pictures on my run around the block tonight.  I could hear fireworks going off in many directions but these fireworks were set off from a balcony by a family.  I could see two children and their grandparents and I think the parents as well.  How adorable!

 A beautiful autumn night.  No snow on the ground!  :)

You might notice how the sky isn't exactly black.  When I had my match the other night out in zone four (referring to the zones of the tube map, basically, not in central London) you could clearly see the pink hew of the sky guiding you towards the center of the city and if you turned around you'd find a lot less light pollution.

Lastly, if you haven't seen V for Vendetta (which is about a comic book hero whose character is based on Guy Fawkes) then I suggest you see it.   Happy Bonfire Night!

P.S. According to my British friends, Natalie Portman has a really bad English accent in this film.  However, in Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downy Jr. does a phenomenal job!  ...just in case anyone was curious.