Farewell my friend

Well, as most of you no doubt know already, my travelling compadre is gone, back to the "real world" with all the bullshit that that phrase implys. Well, buddy, it was a good ride while it lasted. We gave 'em shit while we could, thats for sure.
The last few days before Jer's departure were fantastic. How could they not be, we were in London, one of the great cities of the world. A lot of people like to compare it to New York, but London is a glittering gem compared to NY's paltry glass, cut to look like treasure.
With only 2 days to really sink his teeth into the hulking mass of humanity, we had a busy schedule. We took in s many sights as we could, it was like a whirlwind. As this was my second time to Lndon, I had done may of them before, but they are so extraordinary that one does not mind repeating a few. The British museum is likely the greatest collection of artifacts from the ancient world you could find anywhere. Of course, as they collected this relics ove the last 300 years, many of the modern nations where they seized items from are up in arms over the "theft" of their heritage...go cry elsewhere. As the debacle in Iraq proved, many of these nations are incapable of safe guarding their own heritage...looting on the scale that occured in Iraq would never happen here, and so the heritage of the globe is preserved by a nation that is up to the task...I take comfort in that. Also, since 1773, the British museum has been free to the public, which any fan of history will appreciate.
We spent most of the 1st day wandering about its extensive halls, basking in the glow of the ages...ironically, we had already been to many of the actual sites where many of the items on display had originally come from (the marble lions from the roof of the Mausoleum, for instance). Finally, despite the fact that we had to miss large sections of it, we had to leave, get some street meat, and wander the streets until we arrived at Nelson's column in the middle of Trafalgar square. Nelson, for those who do not know, is Britains most celebrated hero, the vice admiral who was responsible for the annihilation of Napoleon's navy, at battles like the Nile, and Trafalgar. He ws slain at the moment of his greatest triumph (Trafalgar), and has had more monuments erected than any other figure (there is even one for him in Montreal). We then pushed on to see Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey (which was closed at 3:45, so we missed it by 10 min.). Rather than be dissuaded, we hoofed it over to Buckingham Palace (home of the most unworthy family in the world to be given the title "head of state" - don't get me going on the subject of royalty!) Yes, yes yes, very nice, now lets move on! We then walked over to Hyde park, and took in the many scenes along the way - the Canada Gate, the Commonwealth war monument (for India, the Carribbean, and Africa), as well as the Wellington Gate (Wellington was the army equivalent of Nelson, who was navy, and defeated the French at Waterloo, destroying Napoleon for well and good).
Our hostel was crap...it was tough to take after the country hostels, but in the city they don't care about quality, they will always be full. We were in an 8 bed dorm, and 3 of the bastards snored all night long, without respite. I got a kick out of Jer talking out loud to himself at 3 am, plotting the murder of one of them! Good times.
The next day, we walked back down to Westminster right away, and took in the Abbey. Every Britain of note is buried there (except many military heroes who are interred in St. Pauls Cathedral), ans many who do not matter one whit. Most are monarchs, and other nobles, most of whom I could not car a toss about, but once again, strolling through the section called poets corner was my personal fav. As I noted last time, it is a sign of a societies sophistication if they glorify their artists as well as their generals. So many literary giants lie beneath the floor of the Abbey, it is staggering. I did not recite Tennysson's "Ullysses" out loud this time, but rather just stood there with my hat in my hand and said a silent tribute to the men (and women) who have moved my soul with nothing other than their words.
We then walked to the Thames, and took a boat to Greenwich, the headquarters of the British Navy. As we made our way down the river, the old gent who worked on the boat gave an impromtu tour of the sights...wow, what history. The warehouses, pubs, courts, police stations, etc., just seeping with history. My personal favourite was the story of the judge of Whomping, who delivered the "Mercy of Whomping" to pirates who preyed upon the shipping on the Thames. This judge would have pirates staked out on the tidal flat (the river rises over 20 feet between low and high tide), and would let them stay there for 3 full tides, before announcing them as dead. Charming, but no doubt effective! All of the wharfs, once filled by tea clippers and such, bringing goods from all over the globe, are gone, having been converted into luxury apartments. At one time the city got grittier and more dangerous as you went east. Now it gets more posh and trendy. Very odd how that goes.
The village of Grenwich itself is a World Heritage site, and no wonder. The British navy was the pinnacle of global power for hundreds of years, helping to change the shape of the world for ever, and as such, deserves to be recognised for its role in history. Today the naval college is owned by the University of Greenwich, and the Trinity Musical college, and no longer turns out men who would control the power of the nation, but the buildings are stunning all the same. The Naval museum, also free, is worth some time, and we did not have enough, as we had to climb the hill to the Royal Observatory, where the British used star maps and intricate technologies I do not comprehend to discover the lines of Longitude, a discovery that greatly changed the face of global navigation. Indeed, right there on the ground in the court yard there run the Prime Meridian, the line that seperates the world into Eastern and Western halves...you can stand with a foot in both, straddling the line, existing in both hemispheres...of course, the line is a creation of man, but it is still an awesome feeling.
After a dinner of Indian food at a buffet, we packed up, rady to part ways in the morning.
Saying goodbye to my bro, who has been my constant companion for 3 months, day in, day out, was hard. I waited until I could no longer see him on the platform where he went to catch his train to the airport. Then I turned and walked off, pack strapped on, feet set on their path. Another stage had come to a close, but I still had things to do, so I was off to Paddington station, where a train of my own would carry me forward, to a different sunset than Jeremy would be seeing, for the first time in a long time. Cheers buddy.