Remember, remember the fifth of November.
I'm certain I won't soon be forgetting this night. What an event! What an adventure! What a sight.
After a long day (8 hours) of class (*snore*), we all got together and headed to Battersea park for the Guy Fawkes Day celebration. Battersea is supposed to have the best fireworks show in London, so we were all very excited. Around 6 o'clock, a group of about 20 of us crowded onto the 170 to Clapham, where we changed then changed busses to Battersea park. There were food stalls (complete with mile long queues), a giant bon fire, and an impressive fireworks show.
I lost my mind temporarily, and ended up standing in one of these mile-long queues for a burger. Luckily, I had good company to help pass the time. Thanks boys! And, a surprise bonus, just as we were reaching the end of the line, a very cute boy offered £10 for us to let him in front. Jolly good! I split the 10 quid with Nicola, and we both got free chips and a drink. Peachy! Also, while standing in the line, they lit the bonfire which was nearest us. It provided a nice warmth and yellow/orange glow to complete the atmosphere. The flames were huge and quite spectacular. Unfortunately, my iPhone couldn't quite focus with the smoke all around, so the pictures don't do it justice.
The fireworks show was quite impressive. Set to music, which was nice, it reminded me of the christmas tree lights that dance during "Zoo Lights" back home. It wasn't the longest of shows, about 40 minutes, but they did use a lot of fireworks. I took some HD videos with my iPhone. I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the quality. Well done, Apple.
Here are a few shots from the night's events (most are mine snapped from the iPhone, some are stolen from friends).
After all of the bus riding, queue waiting, and OOO-and-Ahhing, we decided to walk home. The masses of people all leaving the park at the same time reminded me of the chaos that used to unfold after ASU football games, or concerts back home. While frantically walking through the park towards any possible exit, I had a very typically graceful moment when I my shin met a very nice, very low railing. Just a little dirt and a bruise/welt to remember it, then a nice laugh to shake it off. Tripping is becoming part of my normal routine. This is something I need to work on.
Everyone was going to be waiting for the busses, so we decided to walk to Clapham. It was a short and pleasant walk back with Pepijn and Philipp. Again, thanks boys for the company. We took the 170 back to Green Man, and walked from there back home. It was a (relatively) warm night, so the walk was pleasant. After such a long day and so much excitement, I am more exhausted then I've been in a long time. Next year, if I'm still here for this event, I think I'll stay and watch the fireworks happening all around the city from the football pitch behind Whitelands. This seems like a much more convenient, though perhaps less exciting, way to spend the evening.
In short, I had a great night celebrating one man's failure to destroy the English government. I think I'll always remember this fifth of November.
