Do you want chips with that?

Let's get this thing about chips and french fries straightened out before we go any further. (Or as the British would say, let's get it "sorted" -- not "sorted out" just "sorted.")

As I was soon to learn, it's not quite as simple as "french fries" in the U.S. being the same thing as "chips" in England.

British chips are actually more like what we refer to in the U.S. as "steak fries," though maybe not quite that wide and thick. As my friend and fellow graduating pal Steve explained, British french fries are different than British chips because British french fries are skinny -- and skinny french fries are not "chips." French fries in England are more like McDonald's fries in the U.S.

The British actually do have what we think of as "chips" (as in potato chips), but they're called "crisps."

But anyway...

Meeting Steve
I was so excited to meet Steve because we had begun our organizational psychology master's program at the same time way back in 2007 -- and were actually in the same conferencing group of newbie first-years. After years of conferencing, emailing and commiserating before exams, we were finally going to meet in person -- and we did -- around noon in front of Big Ben on the Sunday before Tuesday's graduation ceremony last March at the Barbican Center.

Steve is British by birth, but he lives with his wife and young daughter in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is an IT specialist with the World Trade Organization. The goal was never stated, but it was as though he was determined to prove that the word "hospitality" belongs right behind the word "British."

Not only did he set aside Sunday afternoon and Monday to help me get acquainted with London, he insisted on treating me to a traditional British lunch in a British pub.

Peas? Yes, please
Which brings us to the chips, the fish and an unexpected side dish -- peas.

Yes, peas. They are standard fare on the plate with fish and chips in London, sometimes on their own and without seasoning, but other times mashed, well-seasoned and delicious. And, oh my goodness, the fish is absoutely the best.

After lunch, we walked over to Buckingham Palace. The crowds were milling, and the clouds had dissipated to reveal a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon in London. But wasn't London always supposed to be rainy?

Guess not.

Above: The Victoria Memorial, located in the Queen's Gardens, in front of Buckingham Palace. Below: My friend and fellow graduating student Steve in front of the gates to Buckingham Palace. This was the staging area for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jublibee celebration last month.

Below: The columns at upper right frame the balcony

where the royals stand when they appear before the public.

Below: Wasn't the right time for the changing-of-the-guard ceremony. Taken through a space

 in the gate, this was the the closest shot I could get of the only guards I saw.

Below: Hyde Park at dusk. After Steve caught the train back to Woking, where he was

staying at his sister's, I decided to see if I could find Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park.

 Had to head back, though, because it was getting too dark.

Below: This is the entrance to my room at the (not-that) Four Seasons, a boutique hotel with no elevator. Check-in was actually on the other side of the street. More about the accommodations later. So many of the buildings have the same white-stone-block facade, and you never know what's behind unless you find a sign. Might be a hotel, might be a restaurant, might even be a Pilates studio.