London

We have done a lot of interviewing in London and we have found the people, for the most part, to be intelligent, witty, and not afraid to share an opinion with us. While there are many complaints about current U.S foreign policy, there also seems to be a general admiration for America and fondness for it’s people. London is a true cosmopolitan city, with a noticeably diverse population. You are more likely to encounter a French or Spanish accent in speaking with restaurant or hotel staff than you are an English one. We’ve done a lot of work in pubs (seriously) for the first few days. We decided to change our venue today and go out into the streets. This was done to get a fresh perspective but mainly to give our livers a rest.

Speakers Corner in Hyde Park is the place where anyone can get up on a soapbox and spout their opinion, loud and long. I didn’t actually see any soap boxes (whatever they are) but you get the idea. The interesting speakers usually rant on and draw a crowd until another “orator” moves into the area and siphons the crowd away. The uninteresting ones sort of drone on to a handful of people until they all lapse into a coma. It’s hard to say what attracts listeners the most but it seems to be somehow related to the volume of the speaker’s voice and just how mentally ill he or she appears to be. The crazier the better, of course. The topics on this day were mainly religious rants except for one fellow who did his best to incite every woman in the crowd with his silly, sexist remarks. He had the perfect target in a group of 5 or 6 American college girls who reacted with proper indignation at every turn. He made a big show of stopping his “act” when we approached with our camera and claiming that we came there to film him because he was famous. Needless, to say, this pinhead will not be in the movie.

This afternoon we visited the heart of the London tourist area where Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey are located. The newest attraction, built to celebrate the millennium, is a huge ferries wheel called the London Eye. Joel and Dominic did an excellent job of schmoozing the media relations guy to the point where we were soon ushered into our own private cab on the wheel with best wishes for a successful photo shoot. By the way, they let us ride for free! I kinda dig this pretend journalist adventure I’m on.

Filed under Journals, Bob Roeglin, UK.

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