London Leftovers

Here's some photos from my trip to London that I wasn't able to publish, thanks to a slow Internet connection and the desire to stay in my flat for as little as possible and actually explore.

These are from Bath.

Book Review: Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

If you're a Neil Gaiman fan, you know that the man can do no wrong.

And if you're not a Neil Gaiman fan, well, it's high time you've begun reading him.



This book is not written by Neil Gaiman.

Instead, this was written by Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry. This is the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.

If you've read the novel, you'll love this. And even if you haven't read the novel, you'll still love this anyway.

To summarize quickly, it's the story of London nobody who helps a mysterious young woman on the street, and then discovers another world beneath the city, called London Below. Nothing is ever the same. It's a story about becoming more than ever thought you could be and also about the city of London itself.

Fabry's artwork makes the action pop from the pages. The action and detail is beautiful. London Below is alive, dancing in front of your eyes as you read. You can hear the Beast roar and the soft, ominous footfalls of Croup and Vandemar following behind you.

Carey's adaptation is flawless. It loses none of Gaiman's storytelling, voice, or power. Sure, it's different from the original. As it should be. The graphic novel is a new experience and shouldn't be missed by anyone.

If you've been waiting for another big screen adaptation of Gaiman's work, check this book out. It's better than a movie, and you won't be disappointed.

7 out of 7.

Bookshop Day

England is so old; it's crazy. Hung out in a glorious, five story bookshop called Hatchard's that's been in business for almost as long as the United States has been in existence.

It's been awhile since I curled up in the corner of a shop and read books that I have no intention of buying. Well, no that's not true, I do want to buy, just not at that second.

I tried finding Katy Perry's album, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Since "I Kissed A Girl" is huge, one would think most stores would have it.

Yes, as you can judge from this post, today was really exciting.

Who needs Paris

When there's so much to do in London?

Last class was Thursday, August 7 (which was another reason to celebrate the day, the first commemorating the 50 years of AWESOME!!!, otherwise known as Bruce Dickinson's birthday). My grades aren't finalized yet, so I'll say what I thought about Temple's study abroad program at a later time.

Yesterday, I attended the Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court. Now, me being the fantasy/sci-fi/anime lover that I am, have attended many a convention in my day.

Not as great as this one. 10 pounds to taste over 450 beers from around the world? Lovely. Don't remember much about it, though.

And today...



I wish my fellow Americans wouldn't shrug off soccer/football as "Oh, the one where they kick?" Because the West Ham United vs. Villareal game ruled! Didn't see as many fights as I expected (or none at all). My friend who lives around there says I needed to see the Hammers back in the 80s when fights broke out all the time.

And now, just relaxing and enjoying the silence; everyone in the dorm either went to Paris or some other European destination. Grant it, I don't have a problem with anyone here, but a floor with 30 college girls can wear my nerves after awhile.

Guerrilla Gardening

So, friends (and mysterious readers) that reside in the Philadelphia area, please check out this website which is the homepage for guerrilla gardening

Or if you're too lazy, I'll briefly explain it: guerrilla gardening is cultivating neglected land that does not belong to you, basically making small parts of the city beautiful. It started in London with a man named Richard Reynolds (who spoke to our class today). He planted flowers and other plants on public land in the middle of the night and continues to care of it. He planted seeds with his own money, on his own time. The movement has grown from there, all local people who want to make and keep their residence beautiful.

It's attracted some media attention:
like this article in the NY Times

And I think it's a lovely idea. That's all I'm going to say for now, but I think the Philly area could use something like this. So, just keep that in mind when I head back to the States.



A guerrilla lavender garden found in the London borough of Lamberth.

Tube Art Tour

For our class trip today, we had a scintillating tour of Tube art. Where we rode the Tube. For an hour. To look at artwork. That was impossible to find. And some of the pieces weren't even in existence anymore. And one piece was displayed outside. Where it was pouring.

But I suppose things could be worse. I could be camping outside of Parliament like these guys in the pouring English rain:



They've camped here since England entered the Iraq War in protest (at least, I think). Now, that's dedication!

Screw Abbey Road!

Now, off to find Acacia Avenue!



Me, rocking the Invisible Orange Pose on stage at THE RUSKIN ARMS!!! The very same rock club where Maiden used to play. I almost kissed the floor, but I restrained myself.

Did a bit of an Iron Maiden tour in east London with a friend I met on Bruce Air last night. Rocked the stage at the Cart and Horses (another rock club Maiden,at least Steve Harris and the less important early members, used to frequent) karaoke night. The English were never graced with the awesome-ness that is Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

So, me being the pseudo goth I've always been, took a walk through Highgate Cemetery today. Weird England spoke of vampires and horror movie settings, so that's what I went looking for. Karl Marx is also buried here, but he's not nearly as cool as vampires.





And I wonder who this post-modernist is:

Canals and Flowers

Originally, I wanted to head to Primrose Hill to see if I could spot any celebrities milling about. Instead, I got distracted by this delightful canal, called the Reagent's Canal. It's 8 1/2 miles long. I only walked two (well, four if you count there and back again) between Camden Lock and Little Venice.





These are house boats. There's at least 50 of them.

The roses were in Ireland and the sunflower came from somewhere near Tate Modern in London. No particular reason to post them, other than the fact that I like them.






Headed off the Bath and Stonehenge tomorrow as part of a class trip. Speaking of the class, everyone else has gone off to a night of Dionysian abandon around London. Me? I'm also having a wild night of tea, Kaki King albums, and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah, I know. I'm buck wild.

London Street Art

Our street art tour was the most interesting and useful thing my class has done so far. And that's all I'll say about that.











This girl with the Samurai sword is everywhere. The top photo was taken near South Bank, and the bottom was in the East End.





This skate park is smack in the center of the tourist trap South Bank (which rests on the River Thames, home of the London Eye, the aquarium, the Dali museum, across from Parliament, etc.)





Some Banksy. I found the top image in the East End and the bottom near South Bank.







England seems to really love Obama here.



Not everyone appreciates the street art.

Museum Displays, yay.

Still recovering from the train ride to Hadrian's Wall, so did nothing except school work. On Tuesday, we took a field trip to THE British Museum. It was nifty seeing objects that I studied in Art History I at DCCC, but after awhile, all the pots and sculptures look the same.



The Soundbox of Lyre (Hell yeah, I still remember the name. Thanks, Bertha Gutman.) It's Sumerian.



Some Buddha. And being the wonderful Asian I am, I can't tell you squat about it.

In other news, across the street from THE British Museum is a comic book store called Gosh! (they put the exclamation point there, not me). Purchased Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet and Coraline the Graphic Novel. Haven't read Hamlet, but Coraline is delightfully frightening.



The one and only picture I took during the Hadrian's Wall adventure. Newcastle, UK.

British hot dogs...

...are not very tasty. Nor is British mustard and British ketchup. British hamburgers aren't very good either.

But eating a not very tasty British hot dog in front of Big Ben is pretty darn nifty!



Me after eating said not very delicious British hot dog.



The London Eye. Not sure if it's worth the money, but I'll probably go in it eventually.



This is not the London Bridge that is falling down, my fair ladies. But it sure does look like it. (It's Tower Bridge.)



A raven at the Tower of London.

And in other news, I have finally decided that I like the new Weezer. Really like the new Weezer. It's like "My Name is Jonas" good. And I'm not ashamed to admit it, either.

London Theatre is Cheap! So, See Shows!

SHOWS I'VE SEEN SO FAR ON THE WEST END:

The Lord of the Rings.
Coming into this show, I knew there would be no middle ground: it was either going to be AWESOME! or painful like a nail covered bat to the face horror.
Luckily, it was AWESOOOOOOME!!!!!!
The orcs hopped on pogo shoes! Galadriel (played by Abbie Osmon) and her Elves hung suspended from the ceiling, spinning and flipping. AND they sung. The giant Balrog puppet spewed confetti all over the audience. The hobbits stepped on audience members' heads, trying to catch fireflies.
And Gollum (played by Michael Therriault) climbed down from the ceiling face-first!!
AMAZING!
See this show, if you can. But it is closing soon, so hurry!

Stomp
This was part of the my study-abroad program. No dialogue, no singing. Just people creating music with brooms, their bodies, straws, pipes, plastic bags, etc. It got a little old towards the end. Plus, no intermission makes it hard, too.

Avenue Q
First time seeing the show. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and I thought it was funny, but not THAT funny. Though, the puppet sex was much more offensive than Team America's was. Quite delightful, all around. Just not as funny as people are making it out to be.

So, if you're ever in London, go see some plays. It's totally worth it.

Walking Tours

The Tower of London. This part has been in existence longer than the United States has been a country.



Me, standing in front of the Peter Pan statue with my kick ass, obnoxious tourist umbrella.



The Calvary marching towards Buckingham Palace. They're wearing coats because it's pouring.



Westminster Abbey. (Duh.)



Kensington Palace, where Princess Di used to live. And a few hundred meters from where I currently live.



The garden at Kensington Palace.



A mounted guard. I can't remember which regiment he's in; it tells you somewhere on his hat.



These delightful buses are everywhere.



The water fowl are quite large at the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. Disappointingly, they don't quack in accents.