Lords Cricket Grounds

From left to right: David, Zack, Maddie, Brooke, Kyle, and Keith

 This was our tour guide at Wimbledon. His name was Graham. He told us that the Lords Cricket Ground is visited by people from all over the world and that they come with reverence.

 This was inside the Lord's Cricket Grounds. This little kid and his dad were practicing. It was cute, so I took a picture.

 Maddie and Brooke wanted a picture jumping. So I took one. Then we got scolded, and told to remember where we were, The Lords Cricket Ground! Reverence! It took all my strength not to say, "I didn't know Jesus liked Cricket!" I did laugh... quietly of course.

 Here's the field-game in progress. Apparently the field here is slanted. It's completely unique to Lords. They built it over a duck pond, then didn't let it set long enough or something, so it slanted.

 This is were the really wealthy people sit. They have the best view of the field, obviously.

 I thought this was funny.

Pictures of Cricket.

Underground

This is how I pictured, in my Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia filled brain, that a tube station would look like. I was so relieved when I finally found one that met the standards of my imagination. Ha! Not an easy task. Let's be honest.

One thing all the tubes have in common is the wall of hot sticky humidity that hits you as soon as you make it down to the trains. Blah! Even if it's cold outside, a couple of minutes underground and you'll be all hot and sticky in two minutes flat. Sometimes less than that.

Buildings With Nicknames?

Locals call this building the Gourd, because it looks like one. I don't know what it is really called.  I thought it kind of looked like a rocket ship... One of my roommate's dads calls it the pickle.

This building hasn't been completed yet. They still have some work to do at the top of it. Locals call it the Shard because it looks like a shard of glass.

Wall Art - 1

There is awesome street art all over London. Check this one out. It covers the entire side of the building. Plus it has a theme. Can you see it? It's pretty nifty.

Insert Star Wars theme music here.

Red and Gray

It's a double-decker! And it just got married!

Couldn't resist getting a picture of a telephone booth. You have to admit they're cool.

Hyde Park- Part 2

Hyde Park, as with most of the parks in London, has signs, and maps all over so that it's really easy to find what you are looking for. Speakers Corner happens to be really close to Marble Arch.

 Yes! Love it. Although, he doesn't seem to be too popular with the crowds. I took my picture really quickly and tried not to make eye contact.

 I vaguely recall a story about President Hinckley soap boxing it in Regent Park, (and when I say vaguely, I mean totally.)  He could've even been wearing a hat like the one this guy has on! Still, it seems a little less glamorous when you know you could walk thirty yards and be ordering a big mac and fries from McDonalds... I'm just saying.

 This guy is the obvious winner. Look at his crowd. Go him! The real question is whether his gospel was well liked or just controversial? Perhaps both?

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that the missionaries weren't there, and trust me, I looked for them.

 I took this picture of the crowd around the soap boxers as I was walking into the park. You can see that there were quite a lot of people there. It's still a really popular method for die-hards.

I just thought this was a cool picture. Ha! Enjoy.

Hyde Park - Part 1

The bodiless horse. Yup, that's right--he's bronzed. The real question is why...?

 I'm not sure who is having a worse hair day: the horse or the rider. I think the above question applies here as well. 

Both of these statues are on the Oxford St. side of Hyde Park. They are only about a seven minute walk from my apartment. So I can see them daily if I want!

 This is Marble Arch. It too is on the Oxford St. side of Hyde Park. As a matter of fact, this picture was taken from the park, and you can see Oxford Street behind it running parallel with the arch. 

Marble Arch used to be the royal entrance for Buckingham Palace, which is, by the way, no where near here. When we were first told this, we couldn't understand why the entrance would be all the way out here. Then they told us that it had been relocated. Yeah, I'm American. We don't have royal arches! What!? 

It's actually illegal for anyone but the royal family to walk through it. As you can see by the guy walking through, no one pays any attention to that law. But, you could still be arrested for it.

 No day in the park would be complete with out a little red ice cream cart. Yum! And it's cute.

 It's a strange sort of juxtaposition walking into any park in London. One minute there are buildings and traffic and people everywhere, then the next--quite, empty, beautiful... Looking around nervously. "Am I gonna be murdered? Where are all the people!?" Kind of reminds me of Central Park.

 This is a police station in the park, and boy was I ever relieved to see it, and people. But I must say this is a really nice station. Even their lamp is nice, and it says police on it! I don't know why I thought that was so exciting, but I totally do.

They even have pretty flowers! As opposed to the ugly flowers at the police station in that other park.