The Tube, Inglorious Basterds, HMS Belfast

RIVER THAMES, LONDON, UK -- Well hello there everyone. I suppose I was having blog-overload, hence the lack of an update yesterday, but in any case all is swell in London-town. Friday night ended up being a fun adventure. Finally got myself an Oyster card and took the Tube. The closest station to here is about a 5-10 minute walk away, which isn't so bad I suppose. From there I hopped on the "Jubilee Line" to Westminister, which is right under Parliament (V for Vendetta style), and where I had to transfer onto another line. The station was incredible, and I wish I had my camera for pictures. If I need to go to that station again, I will certainly bring it. The station is about 5 stories underground, and it looks like a futuristic erecter-set with all kinds of hidden cameras and sound-proof technology and grey super-fast escalators. It was really wild. Anyway took the district line out to South Kensington, which just so happens to be the second-to-last station in zone 1 (the Tube works in zones to determine the fare you pay... I was entirely within zone 1, so I paid the cheapest rate), which was awesome. From there I got slightly lost trying to find the theater, but in doing so found a Ferrari and Lamborghini dealership and eventually found my way, about a 10-15 minute walk from the station. The Cinema (not theatre) was pretty interesting - it was multiple stories, had several bars and lounges within it, and then obviously the multiple screens. The movie itself, "Inglorious Basterds," by Quentin Terantino was brilliant. It is a fantasy story of what "should" have happened to the Nazis in WWII... a group of Jewish-American soldiers exact their incredibly cruel and bloody revenge, to say the least. Beyond the violence though the film is very well-written, and the cinematography is stunning. But yes, the violence is of the kind where if blood and guts make you squirm, you simply will not be able to make it through - if you think you handle it, then by all means enjoy.

The movie was also quite long, so by the time it ended Hadil (yes, my Jordanian friend suggested we go see the Jews-killing-Nazis movie) and I walked back to the Tube station and headed home. Honestly I was excited just to have to transfer again at the Westminister station. Oh and I got some good news - it is the district line that goes out to Wimbledon, so come June/July that knowledge will come in handy.

Yesterday the weather turned out to be much nicer than it was during my series of adventures on Friday. I ran across the River and grabbed my Saturday Dominos (since it was so delicious last time), and then headed down the Thames Riverwalk past the Globe, Southwark Cathedral, and London Bridge to the HMS Belfast, a British destroyer used throughout WWII and the Korean War. The ship is truly massive - it is impossible to see the whole thing without spending well over an hour, and that's assuming you spend all of 5 seconds looking into any given room. The anchor for the ship is about 5 times the size of me, and weighs several tons. The ship is now moored on the river and open for public admission. I wasn't a fan of the 8 pound student discount rate, but sometimes you need to pay to get in, especially since this is one of the few "main" London cultural attractions that I haven't been to. It was a little strange feeling like a tourist again carrying around my camera after not doing that in a couple of weeks, but so be it - part of the benefit of living here is that it is so easy to do that at will. Then, crazily, as I was leaving the deck of the HMS Belfast, the Tower Bridge opened up, and a joint UK-Brazilian military ship came through into central London and docked right next to the Belfast. Why, I'm not entirely sure, but it was a sight to see, with all of the sailors standing at attention along the rails of the entire ship. People gathered along the river and were cheering them, it was quite a scene! On my way back from the ship, I topped up my O2 mobile phone, and then realized they didn't give me my bonus minutes, so I'm quite sad about that. Ohhh well I guess. More minutes coming October 29th, I just need to remember to top up another 15 pounds before then to get the maximum rate.

Today I am just trying to take it easy and catch up on sleep. Maybe cleaning up the room a bit, but that's about all. The weather isn't so nice anyway, and back to class tomorrow! Sports update: really disappointed at the Badgers for blowing their golden opportunity yesterday. You have twice the yards, three times the first downs, and hold the ball for 42 minutes and find a way to lose 31-13. Well done boys. At least the Hawks exacted some revenge last night and won 4-3 in the shootout, even if it did take NINE ROUNDS! Crazy! But hey, two points are two points, and I'll gladly take them. What is the sports news over here? The United States clinching the World Cup after their 3-2 win over Honduras. I get the feeling more people will read about that here than at home. England lost to Ukraine 1-0 yesterday after the Ukrainian fans threw a bunch of flares onto the field and whatnot, but it doesn't really matter, since they've already clinched anyway. That's all for now - have a great Sunday!