As you may have noticed, the blog may look a bit different since the last time you checked in. I figured since I had a specific layout for freshman year in the dorms, and then a new one from living in my apt. sophomore year, that what the heck--London deserves something special too. So although I liked the layout I had previously, I just made a few minor changes. Mainly the blue. I also added a link to my photobucket on the right. For some it may just be easier to have the link here, so all they have to do is come to one site, and click their little hearts away from there. I'm still going to post some pictures here in occassional blogs, but when I have just way too many from major trips (ie: Spring Break) the vast majority will remain there, leaving the fun details via text to fill up the space here.

So what's new since last time?

Well, yesterday I rode the 'tube' (London Underground) for the first time. Everyone was telling me I should just get an Oyster Card. For starters, I had no idea what was coming out of people's mouths. Seriously, some of these accents are thick. Secondly, once I thought I was definitely hearing the word 'oyster' I was really confused. Ends up, and Oyster card is like a little card that you can put cash on to use continuously on the tube system without having to buy a ticket each time, and ends up being much faster and cheaper per ride.

So you get this little thing:


and just swipe it through the mini toll booths each time you enter and exit the stations. I ended up putting £17 on mine (there was a £3 fee, so spent £20 total, about $35) which apparently was a little overzealous. When I came back, everyone else had put down £5 to £10. But hopefully mine will last me the whole semester, and I wont have to top it off again, haha.

So the most amazing part of this story....I got on the tube for the first time...AND! I didn't get lost! Woohoo!

Well, that's not completely true. Abby and I followed the signs of where we thought we were supposed to go, rather than the group of people, which made us think we were lost, but ended up being a good thing, cause it was really the group of stupid people who went to the wrong platform. So after we found out we really weren't lost we got to celebrate for somewhat knowing what we were doing.

After all that, we met our tour guide for the Jack the Ripper walk, which ended up being quite good. It was pretty dark, and I didn't want to keep killing this guy with my flash, so I didn't take many pics, but here are a few:

This is Adam (tour guide)in front of the great wall that used to separate "London" from "Greater London", it was an area heavily bombed in WW2.


The wall also separated the lower and upper classes, and there were two different police forces for each side, so that's why our story began here. The funny thing about this wall is that, on the left and right of it, are two extremely modern hotels, that just built right next to and up and over the top if it. So it was kinda weird visiting these historic sites, with so much of today splashed into it.


This is infront of 'The Prostitutes Church' where back in the 'Rippers day, it was illegal to stand still on this busy street, so the prostitutes would just walk in a circle 'round the church all day, hence it became known as the Prostitutes Church. Not to sure what the Church of England thinks of that moniker though...


The Ten Bells Pub, which actually existed in this very spot back in the 1880s. I don't remember it's exact part in the story, but it was also very close to the 3rd and 4th murders, and the wall where the infamous message "the Jues are the men who will not be blamed for nothing" was written by the Ripper and then erased by a policeman, ruining any clue it may have provided (hmmm, suspect?).


I think the best part of the tour was that Adam had a nice scottish accent, and these killer side-burns (you can't tell from the pics, but they're awesome), so it really helped set the 'Ripper-like' mood ;)

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