London: the first morning of my UK trip... The photographic evidence.

[fajrdrako]

I arrived, already somewhat exhausted, at Heathrow airport at 6:30 a.m. on July 29. I took the train into London, checked my luggage at Euston Station, and went for a walk.

1. I sat in Euston Station for a bit, enjoying the crowd.
   


2. Consulting my map in Euston Station, I realized I was close to Gower Street, where I'd spent so much time as a post-graduate student at University College, University of London. So I went for a walk to see the place.
   


3. The Senate House is the seat of administration of the university, and the library. I was interested to see that the building was put up in the 1930s by a man named Charles Holden.
   


4. One of my favourite places to work was the Institute of Historical Research, on the ground floor underneath the Senate House.
   


5. A window at the Institute for Historical Research: just imagine me studying at that desk.
   


6. Gates at the British Museum, which had just opened for the morning.
   


7. The garden in front of the British Museum.
   


8. The interior of the British Museum: nothing like it used to be, but still fascinating. They had a statue of Amenhotep IV and a base of a column from Perselopis. This was enough to excite me at 9 in the morning.
   


9. At the back of the University College buildings, I used to study paleography and historiography in a tiny room in a Victorian house, accessed through a narrow back lane and up a set of stairs. Gone now. Instead I foundnd this new building - well-lit, new, easier to find, better for the students, I'm sure - but I felt a pang of disappointment. I liked my old classroom better.