Fireworks and Champagne for all

Parthenon sculptures in the British Musuem
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I should probably take a moment to say that the whole time we were in London, we depended a lot on the Tube, London's underground transportation system. And it is by far the easiest system I have ever used. Dont get me wrong - I love NYC, but London takes the prize for best subway ever. A child could use it. I even bought myself a t-shirt with the Tube map on it, because without the Tube, you simply cant get anywhere in London - everybody uses it. Rent a car? Forget it - traffic is awful, not to mention having to get used to the whole left side of the road, steering wheel on the right side of the car deal. Train? Sure, but only if you wanna get way out of the city. Walking? Absolutely - but only short distances, or else you wear yourself out.

Fireworks
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Anyway, on our third day, we went to visit the British Museum. It is a huge building, comparable to NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art in size and quality. Lots of exhibits to choose from, all very impressive. The main attraction is the one and only Parthenon sculptures, really a site to see. Unfortunately we couldn't spend too much time there, because we were going to go on a walking tour of all things London. We used London Walks, London's best and oldest touring company which I highly recommend. Their tour guides are very educated and passionate about their topics, so you won't be disappointed. Along the way we got to see St. Paul's Cathedral, the River Thames with all the beautiful buildings on it, Temple Bar, Paternoster Square, etc. It was "wicked/ brilliant/lovely" (all which the Brits like to say.) Of course, that night was New Year's Eve, which I'll never forget. It was a bittersweet evening, to put it lightly. We ventured out to Waterloo bridge, where we had a perfect view of the London Eye, which was where the fireworks were being held. We got there pretty early, but a huge sweaty drunk crowd quickly formed, and we befriended other travelers from all around the world - Israel, Spain, Amsterdam, you name it. Everything was great, until it was time to go. I really have no words to explain what happened next - just pure mayhem. Reader beware: unless you have a sure-fire way to get out of the crowd, do NOT go see the fireworks outside the comfort of your home television set. I seriously thought we were going to die from suffocation trying to squeeze through a crowd of thousands to get to the Tube. Which, by the way, the police barricaded making it only worse. People were screaming, crying, some sadistically laughing at the rest of us; it was a God-awful night. After about an hour of panicking, we found a side street and desperately called a cab, not to mention emptying our wallets to pay for it. I dont regret it, but I'll never do it again. Amen.