Day 2 in London

Today was a big day! Pat and I explored Westminster, rode the London Eye, went to the Tate Modern, and enjoyed a night on the town. I'm currently riding a train to Edinburgh, Scotland, and racing my laptop's battery to get this blog posted (I don't have the right adapter to plug it in. Here are today's highlights.

Person:

This is my stellar friend Pat. Not only is he letting me crash on his couch, he's taken the week off of work to be a tourist with me, and arranged the first class train tickets I'm currently enjoying. It's been fantastic to get to spend some time with him. This is a goofy picture we took while riding the London Eye, which is a huge observation wheel that provides some of the best views in the city.Place:

Today's place was the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, two museums combined into one in Westminster. Westminster is where the head of British government is located, and a common tourist destination. These two museums documented the life of Britain's most famous prime minister, Winston Churchill, and the time he spent underground during World War II when there was a threat of Germany bombing London. It was amazing to see the very well-preserved offices of the orchestrators of the British war strategy, but the highlight was Churchill's own bedroom, whose walls were plastered in maps. I imagined him during his few moments of rest, still devoting most of his thought to how he would lead his country out of the dark times it faced. Also, apparently he was a map nerd like me. :-) Sorry the image quality isn't too great; I was dealing with very difficult lighting.

Food:

Pat and I ate a fantastic dinner at a fine dining restaurant with a casual atmosphere called Fifteen. It was begun by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as part of a charity effort to help disadvantaged youth get involved in the culinary professions. We got a four-course prix fixe menu. I had a crab salad with rocket and a top-notch lemon vinaigrette, a very good risotto with truffle oil, charred trout with broccoli and delicious creamy parsnip puree, and two cheeses with dates, chutney, and walnut bread for dessert (well, cheese course really). Well worth the expense.