Exploring London, Day II

Our second full day in London was another busy one. We met Pavel at 9:30 and took the tube to the Waterloo area on the south bank of the Thames. There we took a ride on the London Eye. Even those with a fear of heights found the views over the city to be breathtaking. We then broke for lunch in the Tottenham Court area before proceeding to the British Museum. We spent several hours wandering among the endless collections of artifacts of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and many other civilizations. It was a truly humbling experience to look upon a giant bust of Rameses III, or a painted Greek vase depicting Herakles' defeat of the Nemean Lion, to imagine that these treasures were created by human hands thousands of years ago. After absorbing as much history as we could handle, we returned to the hostel for some much needed rest. After a short rest a small group took a trip to the Tate Modern gallery. The countless modern pieces stood in stark contrast with the classical works of art seen earlier in the day, and provided a unique link between the past and present documentation of the human experience.
    Tonight's Euro Cup matchup has been a thriller between Croatia and Turkey, with the favourite side Croatia sneaking in a goal with less than two minutes left in the second period of extra time, only to have Turkey notch the equalizer seconds later.  In convincing fashion, Turkey completes the upset with a 3-1 edge in penalties.  

One small group that chose to explore the London nightlife set off to Piccadilly Circus in search of a good time.  We were delighted to find that a fairly large Turkish contingency had gathered in the square.  They were singing, chanting and waving flags in celebration of their country's victory.  Seeing that kind of pride and passion was truly inspiring.  After the bobbies had cleared the mob, our group walked south to Covent Garden where we went to a club called the Roadhouse.  It was a happening place with lots of people and a great atmosphere.  The most interesting part of the club scene was the music, american pop/hip-hop that was just a few years past its prime, which was played by a DJ as well as a cover band called Everyday People.  Upon leaving the club, we discovered that finding transport after the tube closes is more difficult that imagined, as it took about twenty minutes to hail a cab. Never the less day two was a great success and we look forward to day three.