London Calling, 2000

At first, London just seemed like New York with a British accent. After being there for a few days though, I started to notice a distinct style, especially among the club kids, which was descended from the punks and the mods and filtered down through the decades. The Americans imported it, and made something of their own, but London is where it all started. The music scene, and the availability of esoteric sounds in London is excellent- much better than San Francisco even. Pity the CDs are all between twelve and twenty quid. Myself, Magnus, Swedish Tobias, and Håvard were there for almost a week, and we managed to get in a football match, and a few museums (the British Museum, the Tate Modern, an Oscar Wilde exhibit and an exhibit on the evolution of advertising since the late 1800s). We also saw the HMS Belfast and a play called the "Blue Room" in the theatre district, and had a couple of nights out clubbing. The food was great, the music was great and the culture was everywhere. I'm looking forward to going back again, but next time I'll bring more money. Ahh, the Grenville House bed & breakfast where Magnus and I stayed. Run by Bedouins, apparently, it was cheaper than a youth hostel would have been. I don't advise anyone going to London until the Pound Sterling drops a little more- the exchange rate is murder. View from the room at the Grenville. King's Cross, London, under a grey sky. Looks like a scene from a Dickens book. Walking through Chinatown in Soho with Magnus, Tobias, and other Swedish friends. Here you can find the best Chinese restaurants outside of San Francisco (or China, I suppose). Of course there are lots of places to get really pissed as well. Second Century AD Buddha from Gandhara, in the British Museum. It doesn't come out in the photograph, but the expression of serenity on the statue's face stopped me in my tracks. Amenophris III at the British Museum. While in town, we caught the British Museum, the V&A, and the Tate Modern, as well as going to a football match, catching a play, and spending the rest of our time pubbing and clubbing. London rocks. Three ankhs from 500 to 600 BC. Makes me want to watch "The Hunger" again... I'd have had more museum shots, but a junkie was kind enough to pickpocket my camera while I was in a post-drunk Chinese buffet at three in the morning (cheers). Worse than the camera was losing the roll of film inside which was almost finished. Back to the index page