London was a really interesting place. I wasn't prepared for how expensive the city was. Even a taxi ride would cost up to 20 pounds and sometimes more! It was still very fun to be in London because I met up with Samantha and Kristen who are on their Europe trip as well and we went to a few really fun shows and some amazing attractions. The best show for me was at a really small venue called Corsica Studios. This place had amazing bass, was really small, and featured a handful of artists that were very exciting to see. My favorite of the night was Silkie. It was a producer named Mala's birthday so he played a special birthday set as well. This is Silkie in the middle and Mala:
The next night we went back to Fabric and saw a bunch of cool DJs, one particularly famous one named Goldie. He was pretty good and has been around for years. Fabric was really a tiring evening, and we didn't get back until really late but was totally worth it. The next night we went to this interesting bar / nightclub called The Legion. Here is where I finally got to see one of my favorite producers right now named Joker. He was really good to see live, but I wish the sound system had been a little better. This is Joker in purple. On his right is El-B one of the original UK garage producers.
We spent a lot of time going around London enjoying the sights and visiting all sorts of different tourist attractions. We visited Big Ben and Parliament, the Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Tower, Green park, and others. It was fun hanging out with Sam and Kristen.
We also went on the London Eye which was really cool. You could see the whole city of London and the beautiful sunset that (we caught it at the best time possible). This is a picture of London from the top of The Eye:
This is a picture of me with Parliament and Big Ben taken on The Eye:
London was really nice. A little too crowded and busy for my taste, but it was definitely a great place to have visited. The hotel Sam and Kristen stayed in was really strict and not very hospitable so that was kind of a downer. But all the hostels I have stayed in so far have been pretty good. The only thing that I haven't enjoyed is really old men snorers and really young chatty girls keeping me up, but thats just part of the experience. I am in Berlin right now getting ready to leave to Italy really soon. I'm TOO excited for Italy! I miss everyone tons! Hope all is well in Cali..
Love,
Alan
We miss you tooooo. London is crazy and fast paced but it almost feels like you are in a dream walking around the big sights like Big Ben and Parliament. Every street corner made me feel like I was in a movie. I don't know if you are heading back to London in September, but you can get tours through Parliament in the summer. The building is gorgeous inside and out, some amazing ceilings to check out. Also, the Science and Natural History museums are fun and interesting. The Science museum has the best gift shop I have ever been to, you'll spend hours playing with trinkets. If you havent already, the galleries are great too. Check out some Vermeer so you can come back to UCSC and brag to Brucey! I didnt appreciate art and history until I was walking around in it. We are sending Thomas off tonight with a BBQ in Sunnyvale... The whole euro gang is almost complete. Again, I miss you, keep on enjoying Berlin and safe travels to Italy!!! :)
ReplyDeleteIm going to be seeing you in less then 24 hours!! Yay! Love you! Im enjoying reading your blog too!
ReplyDeleteWow, it's so fun to hear you all talk about the travels and what turns you on: from music to art and famous sites to more music....Everyone is fine here, it's Simba's 3rd birthday today. Last night we went to the independent in S.F. for some Austin Texas country rock. It was fun. One song I can really relate to: "Keep it down, I was out kind of late last night." by Cross Canadian Ragweed.
ReplyDeleteWe miss you and are so happy to hear about the trip, keep writing! <3 mom and chris
How exciting!! Glad you're having tons of fun and new experiences :)
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