Let the Frolicking Begin!: London Day 2

     Day 2 in London began bright and early.  Although a struggle for many in the group, it was not a problem for me, as I am quite accustomed to early mornings due to the long commute I have each day to Copenhagen.  Our hotel was called the Thistle City Barbican and was very comfortable.  They served an amazing breakfast, which included everything you could possibly imagine.  Enjoying good food with friends was the perfect way to start the day. 

      Our first stop was Magnum Photos, which is an international photographic cooperative owned and administered by its photographer-members.  The company was established to allow photographers the ability to retain all copyrights to their own work, rather than allowing the magazines that publish the work.  This ability allows photographers the means to work on projects that inspire them even with out an assignment.  Everything they produce is considered photojournalism.  Magnum Photos also has offices in New York, Tokyo, and Paris.

     We had time for lunch afterward our tour, and this is very important because London has STARBUCKS!  Since living in Europe, my visits to any coffee houses have been few and far between.  Of course it isn’t as good as my favorite New Orleans coffee, but I do love me some mocha frappachinos! 

     Adequately caffeinated, our next academic visit was to Bloomberg Europe. It is a television station that is comprised of a 24-hour global network dedicated to providing viewers with business and financial news.  It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. In addition to London, it is also headquartered in New York City  and Hong Kong.

Bloomberg from the outside. I wasn't able to take pictures inside. :(

    For our free time, several of the girls and I hopped on a double-decker bus (!!!) and went to London Bridge and Tower Bridge.  The bus was quite an exciting experience and luckily we had the entire top level to ourselves.  Sitting at the front of the bus gave us the feeling of being on a roller coaster.

Double-decker bus: Ultimate way to travel.

     Then we went in search of the London Eye, which is essentially a giant ferris wheel.  The structure is 443 feet tall and is located on the banks of the River Thames.  The best thing about it is that it provides the most amazing view of London.  Luckily for us, it was yet another beautiful and sunny day.  It took us a while to find the location of this well-known attraction.  One would think it would be easy, given its sheer size and height.  After asking three Brits ranging from the very young to the very old, we finally reached our destination.  We were walking toward the line when Hang, one of the girls in my group, decided to run to the restroom.  She gave us her ticket and said she would meet us in line.  Little did we know that you had to present your ticket BEFORE getting in the actual line.  So, we waited and waited, hoping she would arrive soon.  After what seemed an eternity, we asked one of the ticket collectors if he would give Hang the ticket when she arrived.  We realized that this plan was hopeless and got out of line.  I finally spotted her and yelled, “Run, Hang, run!”  The ticket man then asked us to follow him…. The girls and I looked at each other questioningly, but did as he said.  Taking pity on our pathetic little group, he escorted us directly to the fast lane! We were able to pass everyone and jump to the front of the line.  We were like giddy school girls as we practically sprinted to the front.  Wow!  It was completely worth the hassle.  London is awfully beautiful from the street, but it is unbelievably amazing from the sky.

     Our evening plans with the rest of the class included dinner at an Italian restaurant and then a musical!  The theater production we saw was the “Million Dollar Quartet”, which was an excellent choice on the part of our coordinator.  It was about the night Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis all met at Sun Records and had the ultimate jam session.  I knew every song, and couldn’t help but dance in my seat.