London, Day 1

Woke up to a kind of dreary day, but everything was (and still is) too exciting for me to notice it much. Started the day's activities with an incredible tour of Parliament - saw the Queen's throne in the House of Lords which is basically made out of solid gold. If the Brits ever get in a pinch they definitely have a few things lying around that might be worth a few bucks. Our guide looked like his face should be on a bottle of whisky, and he seemed to know just about everything there was to know about the British Parliament. As an American, it's always so strange and difficult for me to really take it all in when I'm standing in a room that bore a revolution or witnessed the executions of some of the world's greatest leaders. In the final room, Westminster Hall (I think), I had finally gotten myself in the proper mindset and found it easier to envision William Wallace's head held up on a spike over the elegant doorway in the light of the stained glass. England's greatness is astounding to me.

Afterwards, grabbed a bite and went to the Churchill museum museum, which included the Cabinet War Rooms exhibit and was located in the same underground shelter Churchill used for strategic planning during the War. It was cramped and narrow with harsh lighting and a lack of color - apparently, no fun was had by anyone during the War. But, no matter how dismal and hopeless things seemed, Churchill never lost his bastardly wit. While planning his own funeral (basically from his death bed) he called the whole thing Operation Hope Not.

The group is getting more acquainted and comfortable now - still overly and awkwardly polite, but maybe that's just how things are going to be from here out. Many people in the group have been all over the world. Between OtherMatt and Riley I think just about all of the bases are covered. It's been really cool to hear about these other places and know that they actually do exist.

After a bit of running around a few of us got back to Parliament and got to sit in on a meeting of the House of Commons. They were trudging through the thick of a finance bill and there wasn't much screaming, name-calling, or violence, but it was interesting all the same to see the process in action. The ceremonial golden mace had to be in place for the meeting to be considered official, and speakers had to remain behind the red line on the floor around their seats (2 sword lengths to separate the rival sides). It all seems kind of absurd today, but it added even more to the genuine historical feel of it all.

Sarah and I had pizza, and, determined to avoid drinking away hundreds of our dollars, abstained from going to the University Pub (which is part of the student union - awesome.)

The area is fabulous - museums are everywhere and I feel so academic no matter where I go. And I've been putting my camera to good use, so what now seems like a blur may become a little more concrete later on.