Bonfire Night!

(photos: assorted fireworks...i took many videos and i am not sure i can upload those here; the inside of alexandra palace; the indiana jones ride i really wanted to go on; laura and i with our makeshift hot dogs; me with my free strawberry yogurt; the jazz band)

Saturday: Still not Guy Fawkes Day, but it is the main day for fireworks celebrations. I suppose you can't light them all the same day so they have to split them up. After a slight bit of research, i found out some information on the fireworks at Alexandra Palace, or Ally Pally as it is known to the Brits; we decided to go there. There was however no mention of a bonfire, and we did not get to see one there. Oh well, next time.

We waited a bit for the free bus ride to Ally Pally, along with a huge number of people, since we did not know how to walk there. By the time the third bus came, we happened to be in the spot where the side doors opened, so Laura, her friend Caitlin, and I crammed ourselves into this sardine tin. I legitimately thought the bus was going to break at one point, but we made it out alive. We then followed the one person in front with good faith that they knew where they were going. Alongside us was a very angry Cockney woman who complained a lot and fought with her equally angry cockney friend. So we quickened the pace, despite the gimpy ankle. As we began down the path, we heard a lady yelling "FREE STRAWBERRY YOGHURT!" What? i say. What? This lady holds up a bag of what looks live 6 enormous strawberries, so of course i take a bag. They are actually little plastic containers of yoghurt that you squeeze into your mouth. Portable and delicious! I had 5 that night.

So after downing some yoghurt whilst walking along to the loud radio station playing "Feeling Hot Hot Hot," we made our way up the hill to the castle. There were many many people. Apparently this is the "biggest fireworks display in London".... and so it seemed. We managed to get a spot on the hill outside the palace, though you could really see at any spot on the lawn. During the build up to the Ally Pally fireworks, we could see all of the other fireworks going on all around the city, which was lovely. They played some strange song choices along with some fantastic tunes. I loved the fireworks display that coincided with the song Fix You by Coldplay, it meshed very well, and it was mesmerizing.

My favourite part of the evening was at one particularly nice part of the fireworks and this woman behind us just yelled out " OH THAT'S NICE!" This reminded me much of this sketch from A Bit of Fry and Laurie, which made me laugh even harder.

After the fireworks, we went into Ally Pally, which was this huge palace that looked like something out of a movie set. They apparently have an ice skating rink in there for the winter but i did not see it. We did however, see the big room with the funfair, including the indiana jones ride, which not only had a rather disproportionate portrait of harrison ford, but felt the need to have a more than lifesize portrait of a nazi that resembled Mao.

We walked through the funfair and into the big hall with the jazz band and the food. After some deliberation i would decide to part with 2.50 (pounds that is) to buy a myself a hot dog, seeing as i had not had a hot dog in two months. So Laura and i then took part in what is possibly the worst system of food vending i have ever encountered.

There were two lines: one for paying, one for getting food. You paid first, recieved no receipt, then moved onto the next line and simply stated what you had ordered. It was very much based on the honour system. Therefore many people got food for free. Those rapscallions. As i was about two people away from the delicious hot dogs, i notice the boss lady scurrying over telling her minions that they have run out of hot dog rolls. What? No rolls!? What is one to do? Well the only solution is apparently to lie blatantly and say there are no more hot dogs; despite the tray full of about 20 hot dogs. The problem we have here, is not one of hot dogs, but of hot dog rolls. You have hot dogs to spare. Apparently the British are not the most innovative when it comes to problems like this. They just about freaked out. When i walked up and was told that they have no hot dogs, would i like a hamburger? i said "no thanks, can i just have a hot dog with a hamburger roll?" He looked shocked and appalled, and just stared at me blankly for a while.

I tried to reassure him that it would be alright, and that i would simply but the long hot dog in half, cut the hamburger roll in half, and use it like a hot dog bun. I thought the man was going to cry. He slowly asked " Are you sure about this?..." as if I just told him i was going to make the suicidal run across no man's land in order to steal the enemy flag. I said " yes dont worry, it will be alright." He then made sure he looked at everyone very skeptically as if to say ' i have nothing to do with this. i am doing this against my will. please don't judge me.' Laura did the same appalling hot dog/hamburger bun combination. As we walked away, the security guard near the table yelled out in a mocking manner: ENJOY YOUR HOT DOGS!

And we did. Has no one ever encountered this problem before? I thought it was fairly common... apparently i could not have been more wrong. I may be deported soon because of this incident. We hung out for a while reminscing about the old times back at Nutswamp and Thompson, and then we made our way back to the bus and tubes.

During the evening i found out that i like the band Scissor Sisters (though it took me a week to find out the name of the band). I also wound up adapting the song "You Spin Me Round" to apply to Guy Fawkes. It was semi- ridiculous and we almost filmed us singing it. I should have. You would have enjoyed it.