Woo hoo! Four-day weekend!

Thanks to the lovely British Government's Bank Holiday system, I got both Friday and today off from work. I wish I would have known that sooner though, as I could have planned a trip to Liverpool and/or Manchester, but I might go up there next weekend, even though I'll probably have to spend quite a bit on train fares. I might take the bus depending on their fares.

This long weekend allowed me to explore a few places I hadn't been before. On Friday, I went up to Hampstead Heath and Highgate Cemetery, where the likes of Karl Marx and George Eliot are buried. They actually charged admission to the cemetery because it's run by a private charity. Oh well, Karl's grave was looking quite clean and well-kept; there must be a dedicated bunch of rich Commies willing to shell out to make sure his grave looks nice.

Hampstead Heath is a very beautiful park. Unlike most other parks in the city, this one has less defined walkways, has more hills, and has more naturally growing vegetation in the park. It's a really great way to get out of the city, and I felt really refreshed after walking through some of the park. From Parliament Hill, you can get a spectacular panoramic view of the city, and there was even a fair happening nearby. I wonder if carnies are the same over here.

That night I watched the Passion of Manchester with a friend from work and a few others. It told the Passion story of Christ but in a modern setting with music from Manchester bands, including Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division and New Order. Most of the people I was watching it with knew the music better than the story, while I was the other way around. I think most enjoyed it up until they played (and then replayed) the song 'Angels' by Robbie Williams, particularly because he's not really from Manchester (he's from Stoke-on-Trent) and he's an untalented pop star (hope I didn't offend any Robbie Williams fans out there, but there doesn't seem to be many).

Saturday I went to the Portobello Road Markets in Notting Hill, another big street market, though this one specialized in antiques. It was funny to watch everyone walking in the street towards the market - it was almost like a bunch of zombies searching for food.

I also made it to the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Museum of London, situated in the center of the original 'City' of London. Because this part of the city is considered the financial district, it was really interesting to see the streets almost empty because it wasn't a business day. The art gallery, though small, was nice and it also contained remnants of a Roman ampitheatre built in London. The Museum of London went through the history of the city up until 1914 or so, and it also included a fun exhibit on the history of satire in London. I didn't get to see everything because the museum closed at about 6 pm, but I did come the next day after attending Easter service at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Easter at St. Paul's was nice. I got there about 1 minute after service started, but they still had plenty of seating. The service ran quite similar to the Lutheran service. Going up for communion was a little breath-taking, just because I stood in line (or queue) right under the huge dome and could see all the great artworks in the building and just behold the church's magnificence. It was also the first time I drank straight from the communion cup. I wasn't quite sure if I could dip the bread, and most people either drank from the cup or skipped it altogether.

After that I made it back to the Museum of London, and was surprised to find most of the museums in this city stay open even on Easter. From what I've noticed, Easter here seems to be recognized more for the fact that most get a few days off rather than as a religious holiday. Britian itself is quite secular, and I think I read a statistic that only 14% of people regularly go to church. In this city, there's also quite a mix of Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Jews, and a few people I talked to say they're 'spiritual but not religious.'