In 1605, a man named Guido Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament with 36 barrels of gun powder. He was hired by the Catholics who hoped to start a revolution and bring Catholicism back to England. Before Fawkes could finish the deed, he was caught, tortured, hung, drawn and quartered.
The Brits have been celebrating this event ever since. Around the anniversary date, Nov. 5, all of England sets off fireworks and burns the “poor bloke” in effigy in great festivals.
Click “read more” to see photos of my Saturday night.
I’d been hearing fireworks for about three weeks now, but on Friday night, they got really intense. You could hear booms all over London!
On Saturday night, Nancy invited me to a house party and a bonfire.
Kids were running all over the place with sparklers. If I had to give an American holiday equivalent, I’d say Guy Fawkes is a cross between July 4 and Halloween.
Here’s Nancy and Alasdair with their half pints of wine by the bonfire.
Me and my fave housemate ever in front of the bonfire that hasn’t been lit yet
Nancy and crew
Putting a Guy Fawkes replica, complete with top hat, in his honorary seat: a wicker chair atop the scrap wood. There he will burn in effigy. (It’s really quite gruesome if you think about it.)
I had to leave before they lit the fire because my Medill advisor was in town, and dinner was on Uncle Joe Medill at the Oxo Tower Brasserie.
After watching them sprinkle a few more stuffed dummy figures on the wood, I headed to the Oxo Tower. I got lost for 10 minutes near Waterloo Station, so I was fashionably late. Nice, considering I made the reservation.
Representing Medill in London!
Dinner was wonderful. Think: Beautiful view of the Thames and London skyline, fireworks, pricey food and live jazz.
Then we strolled down the Thames Path, stopping for beer and coffee.
She paid him for this pic
I didn’t. (But usually I do, honest!)
Where’s the train station?

(You’d think I’d know since I came from there at the beginning of the evening, but I had forgotten which way I walked. Haha.)
Jon loves his Nat’l Geographic maps. A French dude was telling us which way to walk, but I think the guys wanted to listen to the map. ;)
So Kris and I stopped to take photos.
The end!
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