I was also struck by his different phases, not just by how much he changed over time, but how much he didn’t change… there were pieces from the 80s that very obviously and directly referenced his work in the 60s. I really loved the look into his process… seeing the original comic books he based his early work on, seeing notes and pencil sketches, and even a list of his favorite words. (naturally, “Neato!” was in there). Tried to snap a cell-phone photo of the list, but got the security guard smackdown. Closing time came quickly, so we had to leave without a visit to the gift shop. I’d have to return.

Wow, it’s big. And beautiful. And yes, there’s an arse-load of ancient stuff inside. I was especially into the Japanese art display they had going on, as I’ve got a bit of a far eastern fixation, especially when it comes to Samurai-centric stuff. Lucky me, they had a full suit of armour, a shining sword, and a sparkling saddle and stirrups. Could have wandered that part of the museum all day. I mixed in peeks at the Greek and Roman artifacts, along with the extensive money exhibit as well. Great stuff, but I had to cut my visit short because …

It was time to meet Jo & Shaun over at the London Bridge tube station, where they took me to the whoa-inducing Borough Market. Overwhelmed by the blend of aromas, and how just plain huge the place is, spread out underneath the southern end of the bridge. Super-fresh vegetables, cheeses, meats, all kinds of food. Some veggies I’d never even seen before. Nuts, candies, dried fruits, rich, aromatic coffee beans (which you could have scooped, ground, and filtered straight into a cup in front of you… I had the best Costa Rican dark roast of my life, hands down). The market was so easy to get to… if I lived here, I’d be at the Borough every weekend stocking up and getting caffeinated.

After picking up some real chunks of English chocolate for Amie (including some chili-chocolate… just to see the expression on her face when the burn kicks in), we wandered towards the riverside for a walk along the Thames. Down Clink street (so named for the location of the definitive London Prison in old times) to the river, past the relocated Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, by the museums and theatres, towards the massive London Eye.

This skyline-defying ferris wheel was built for the millenium celebration, and has been given longer life through popularity (i.e. the amount of cash it must bring in). On our way over I ducked back into the Hayward Gallery to pick up some Lichtenstein cards, but we had to rush to make our 5:00 “flight” (as they call ’em) aboard the Eye. The long lines moved quickly, and before we know it, we’re taking in the bird’s eye view of London. Freakin’ gorgeous. Yet another perspective on the city that I’ll never forget.

After the Eye, and a quick international call to Amie, we caught a red double-decker bus back across the river and up into Soho for drinks and dinner. Our destination was the Angel, a really comfortable, relaxing pub where we remained for most of the night. Many drinks and tasty bar snacks were had before we ventured over to Fopp for some cheap DVD/CD action (for Jo, not for me… curse you, evil exchange rate!), then down into the Leicester Square underground for a quick trip back to my hotel.

Jo and Shaun had generously invited me to stay over at their flat in South London, giving me a much-needed break from my hotel-life, so we caught the train over to Brockley station. We were entertained on our walk from the tube stop by some cringe-inducing karaoke drifting from a pub. I swear, the local dogs may have been joining in… it was so horrifyingly bad that we almost couldn’t walk away… a siren-from-hell surely sang inside. We made it safely to their place, though, and after a bit of requisite email-checking, we dove into a perfectly nostalgic Housemartins TV documentary I’d never seen. I’d been dying to check it out since Jo told me of it earlier that day… I swear, that band was truly one of pop’s best.

Next thing you know, it’s Sunday morning. After a fitfull sleep I was treated to some near-perfect scrambled eggs courtesy of Shaun’s cooking skills and yesterday’s visit to the Borough Market. MmmmMMmm good, from my head down to my legs. Before long it was time to get touristy with it, so we hopped another bus to Lewisham where we boarded the D.L.R. That’s the “Docklands Light Railway“, and there’s nobody at the controls, kids. Fully automated, totally computerized, passengers jockey for that prime spot at the front of the train for an unobstructed view of the rails ahead. Not an engineer in sight, and it’s quite a novelty.

The trip was over quickly as we got off at the Island Gardens stop on the Isle of Dogs. From there we headed down into a foot tunnel that leads underneath the river Thames into Greenwich, namesake of Greenwich Mean Time, and home to the Meridian Line.

Past the Cutty Sark, through the Old Royal Naval College, straight into a riverside pub to escape the ever-increasing rain. After soaking in some atmosphere and a couple pints, it was onwards to check out the Meridian Line. It was still raining like hell, so rather than trek across the park to the Royal Observatory and the official exhibit, we decided to be underwhelmed by one of the “markers” that designated zero longitude. Oboy.

Time to get undercover again, so off to the sheltered Greenwich Market we go. Thanks to the asstacular exchange rate, I mastered the art of browse-but-not-buy… at least until I got to a stall with dozens upon dozens of little animal figurines made out of pistachio nutshells. I was on the hunt for a tchotchke (first time I’ve ever written that word) for Amie, and these cute little suckers would fit the bill. I picked out a few I thought she’d like, and we continued on.

After a bit of thought, and despite the weather, we decided to book passage on a riverboat and take in yet another perspective on the city. We timed it just right and jumped aboard at the Greenwich docks for the hour-long cruise upriver to Westminster. We toughed it out above deck, in the chilly wind & rain, for as long as we could. Got slightly soaked as we snapped a few under-bridge photos, and took breaks downstairs behind glass, looking towards the riverbanks. A great little ride, and very worth just 6 pounds… if and when I return to London, I’ll do this again on a nicer day for sure.

We disembarked at the Westminster docks, right next to Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. My first time seeing them up close, and as engrained as their image is in our brains, it’s still striking to take it in.

Past a statue of Churchill to the bus stop, we grabbed another bus to Soho, then a quick walk over to Wardor Street. Jo led us to a place called Wetherspoons for cheap lunch and a little less atmosphere. Still, even the “Denny’s of London” has more accented dark wood moulding and antique furniture than your average U.S. eatery. Post-meal pints were had over at the Spice of Life pub, until we were frightened off by the imminent arrival of karaoke action (plus, we were kinda knackered). The time had come to call it a night, but not before we almost lost Jo in a foolhardy attempt to play hide and seek. (sorry, jo!)

After a long weekend of wandering London town, my gracious hosts and I parted ways at the Leicester Square tube stop, so it was back to the hotel for me. A bit of ironing and an early evening was in order, as my second week of UK-based work was looming …

(last London update coming soon. go here for jo’s words on the weekend, too.)