London Scrapbook

Day 1

Upon arriving at Heathrow, I met up with Chris and Mike without too much hassle. This was aided by the convenient “meeting point” just past the baggage claim. Wow, what a great idea. At that point, I couldn’t understand why my ancestors had left.
So what was just about the first thing I did when I got to London? Go shopping of course. I mean, I have to pick up some souvenirs right? No, not that kind of shopping. We went to buy Odie a new pair of shoes, because the sneakers he brought were four years old and not cut out for miles of walking. Here he is trying on a pair of Nikes. Odie had them on at the cashier when he decided they really didn’t fit well enough. So the quest continued.

Here’s Odie putting on the shoes that he ended up buying. They’re made by the company Pods. I’ve never heard of them either. Really the funniest thing about this situation is that he didn’t try them on before paying for them. And it turned out that they didn’t have the snuggest fit. But Odie, ever the trooper, decided he liked his Pods, and apparently he’s received many compliments since returning to the States. I suppose at this point I should also point out that Odie’s problems finding the correct size shoes might have to do with the UK sizing system. It doesn’t seem that they have an appropriate equivalence for an 11.5 US sized shoe. It’s like they go from 10.5 to 11 to 12. I don’t think British feet are as large as US feet. That’s what living on an island will do for you.

I’m not quite sure why there are so many places known as “circuses” in London, but it seems like a poor way to instill confidence in the public, especially the skeptical tourist. Anyway, the shoe mission was accomplished, for better or worse, at Picadilly Circus, seen here.

From Picadilly Circus, we walked to Trafalgar Square. I’m sure this is a place steeped in history and tradition, but the most I can tell you is that I read that REM played one of the best live shows of all time there in 2001. Alas, I was three years too late.

This is 80% of our party at this point in the trip. Notice Odie showing off his new shoes. They haven’t caused his feet irreparable harm yet, hence the jovial expression. I’m wearing my Twins 2003 AL Central Champs hat to proclaim my American-ness to anyone that couldn’t tell from the Cal sweatshirt. Mike and Chris are there keeping our respectability somewhere above zero. Jack is taking the photo, so you can’t hear him heckling Odie’s shoes. Big Ben is in the background for those of you into seeing clocks from great distances.

This was my first experience with the London Underground, better known as the tube. It’s incredibly old, and thus seems quite dangerous, but they do sell flake chocolate down there, so it’s worth the risk I guess. If you were going to make a case that Odie is a hipster doofus, I think this photo would be exhibit A.

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