London, England
Dateline:
London, England - Saturday, March 15, 2008
Got up late, missed breakfast. Spent a couple of hours at an Internet café checking emails and updating online sites.
Went to town in the afternoon, after some lunch. Caught tube to Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament and other central government offices are located. Walked across Westminster Bridge to the south bank of the Thames. Took lots of photos and video clips. Walked along south bank where the former Greater London Council offices used to be. Now the building houses various tourist attractions such the London Aquarium, Movieum, the London Eye, the Salvadore Dali exhibition, a McDonald’s with seating for over 250 people, and who knows what else.
I saw a man holding a placard calling for the end to the war in Iraq, and I suddenly remembered that it was the 5th anniversary of the start of Gulf War II. I asked him if there was a demo going on somewhere, and he said that in fact, a demo was taking place right at that moment in Trafalgar Square. I couldn’t believe it. Of course, there would have been a rally on this day, in London especially. And I’d been playing the tourist, like a country bumpkin.
I made my way slowly along the south bank, photographing and filming, and then crossed back over the Thames River via the Golden Jubilee Bridges. I walked back up to Trafalgar Square, but the demo was over and I went to have a coffee in the National Gallery. I also had a curry, which members of the Hare Krishna’s were giving away for donations.
Went and saw Neil Young for the second time at the Hammersmith Apollo. This time I saw Pegi Young’s full set, and while I enjoyed it, I was not blown away by her music. She writes mostly in the country music genre, and for me it was not quite biting enough.
Neil Young again took to the stage solo for his first set. Tonight he was much more focussed, at least for the first few songs, but he was just as good as he was the previous night. However, the second set was a barnstormer. It was the last of 51 gigs, and he had no need to conserve his energy for performances on subsequent nights, so he didn’t hold back. Tonight he really rocked the way I expected he always would. I would have loved to see him do Like a Hurricane, or Pocahontas. But it was not to be. The audience where a lot more vocal and into the performance as well, and I got the sense that he was feeding off the energy of the audience during his performance.
Internet café 1.50
Lunch 4.05
Coffee 2.20
Subway 6inch 3.50
Hare Krishna 1.00
Donations to buskers 3.00
Total spending today: GBP: 15.25 ($32.95) Note: Again this does not include the cost of Neil Young tickets, as these had been purchased several months ago.
London, England - Saturday, March 15, 2008
Got up late, missed breakfast. Spent a couple of hours at an Internet café checking emails and updating online sites.
Went to town in the afternoon, after some lunch. Caught tube to Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament and other central government offices are located. Walked across Westminster Bridge to the south bank of the Thames. Took lots of photos and video clips. Walked along south bank where the former Greater London Council offices used to be. Now the building houses various tourist attractions such the London Aquarium, Movieum, the London Eye, the Salvadore Dali exhibition, a McDonald’s with seating for over 250 people, and who knows what else.
I saw a man holding a placard calling for the end to the war in Iraq, and I suddenly remembered that it was the 5th anniversary of the start of Gulf War II. I asked him if there was a demo going on somewhere, and he said that in fact, a demo was taking place right at that moment in Trafalgar Square. I couldn’t believe it. Of course, there would have been a rally on this day, in London especially. And I’d been playing the tourist, like a country bumpkin.
I made my way slowly along the south bank, photographing and filming, and then crossed back over the Thames River via the Golden Jubilee Bridges. I walked back up to Trafalgar Square, but the demo was over and I went to have a coffee in the National Gallery. I also had a curry, which members of the Hare Krishna’s were giving away for donations.
Went and saw Neil Young for the second time at the Hammersmith Apollo. This time I saw Pegi Young’s full set, and while I enjoyed it, I was not blown away by her music. She writes mostly in the country music genre, and for me it was not quite biting enough.
Neil Young again took to the stage solo for his first set. Tonight he was much more focussed, at least for the first few songs, but he was just as good as he was the previous night. However, the second set was a barnstormer. It was the last of 51 gigs, and he had no need to conserve his energy for performances on subsequent nights, so he didn’t hold back. Tonight he really rocked the way I expected he always would. I would have loved to see him do Like a Hurricane, or Pocahontas. But it was not to be. The audience where a lot more vocal and into the performance as well, and I got the sense that he was feeding off the energy of the audience during his performance.
Internet café 1.50
Lunch 4.05
Coffee 2.20
Subway 6inch 3.50
Hare Krishna 1.00
Donations to buskers 3.00
Total spending today: GBP: 15.25 ($32.95) Note: Again this does not include the cost of Neil Young tickets, as these had been purchased several months ago.
posted by Jim Lesses at
8:06 AM
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