Tally Art: Back From London

Ahhh, back from England!! Spent 20 hours in transit yesterday, and then 12 hours face down in a pillow. Bliss.

There were many good times had. ...All of my money is gone. I have about 80% of my Christmas presents. And I want this with a fiery passion, but even their online store is out of my size. :,( Mary, Molly, and I left the flat every day somewhere between 1 and 3, took the Tube somewhere busy, and walked around/shopped/took pictures until everything closed (at 5! At 5! What kind of city closes at 5?!). On the very first day, we saw Leicester Sq., Trafalgar Sq., Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and garden, etc. It was really funny. We just followed the crowds and were like, "Umm, is that Big Ben up there...?" Best accidental tour ever. 8 days of that, and still I'm pretty sure we saw a tiny fraction of London. It was awesome--I definitely recommend visiting if you can! It's ancient and cutting-edge at the same time, absolutely flooded with people, and has variety unlike anywhere I've ever been. The tap water's terrible, though.

Oh! Oh! And we were in Leicester Sq. on October 29th for the Quantum of Solace premier. There was a huge display in the square, gigantic band and live singers for the movie's themes. We waited around for a couple of hours, but left before the stars arrived. It was surreal to be leaning on the fence next to the red carpet at all. Here's what it looked like while we were there, and here's what we could have seen if we'd stuck it out in the cold. Daniel is, tastefully, wearing a poppy on his jacket--something that confused us all week (more people on the street were wearing them than not). It's apparently a pin you can buy to support families of troops, and show respect for victims of WW1.

So yes. Amazing trip. Totally worth the money, stress, and missed school. And I actually drew while I was there! Observe: