I'm off to Hogwarts!

Within the first couple of days of getting to London, I sat down and created a list of all the things I wanted to see and do. I successfully put a huge checkmark through so many this weekend and absolutely had a blast doing it. It was so warm and sunny all weekend—I just wore a light jacket out both days—so I hit up some outdoor activities.

Saturday Pam and I trekked up to Camden Market. I was there the week before with Pete, but I actually did some shopping this time…too much, unfortunately. I picked up a couple of gifts for people, a great pashamina scarf (the cashmere is so soft!) and a cute little dress for me. I even haggled my way down the price on that one by like £5/$10. I was pretty proud of myself for that one. The one thing I set out to get was wellies, and of course, that was the one thing I didn’t get. Oh well. If the weather holds out like it has been, I won’t need them.

On a weird note, Camden had a huge fire Saturday night. It started in one of the market stalls, but its origin is unknown. So weird….


Here's Camden pre-fire. Look at all the crazy store fronts!


Camden is located on a lock canal that boats actually go through. It's actually a cute little area.

On the way back, our tube stopped at King’s Cross, so naturally, Pam and I had to look for Platform 9 ¾. Those of you who read Harry Potter know the significance of this. Some people want to skydive before they die or maybe go on a Mediterranean Cruise, but no, all I wanted was to take my picture at Platform 9 ¾. Now if I could only figure out to go through the wall….


Screw London; I'm off to Hogwarts!


The famed King's Cross Station seen in the movies.

We took the tube to Portobello Road, another market, just to scope out the scene. It was a lot different than Camden. More antiques and food, less punk and alternative. It was such an awesome vibe though. I’m planning on going back next weekend to pick up some fresh fruit and peruse the area further. While there, Pam and I spotted something we’ve both been on the lookout for—a genuine Banksy piece of art. Banksy is one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world, and it’s pretty rare running across one. Pam and I were beyond excited, and of course, entered tourist-mode and took some pictures. Check them out, as well as this website: http://www.banksy.co.uk/




A view of some colorful flats lining Portobello Road. It is the markets of all street markets, in my opinion.

Chinese New Year has been in full-swing since Wednesday, but Sunday was the big parade and festival. Pam and my flatmates, Alex and Grace, and I got up early for the parade and followed it into Chinatown for some dim sum, which I regard as Asian tapas/appetizers. They are absolutely delicious and a cheap meal if you split them between friends. We walked around a bit afterwards before heading home. It was so cool feeling a part of this cultural event. That’s one of the perks about being in a huge city like London—you’re exposed to all these diverse cultures and experiences. I doubt I’ll ever be in a place as culturally diverse ever again. I hope to keep taking advantage of the opportunities as they come.


Chinatown was decorated the entire week. I loved the lanterns.


Here's the bearded dragon candy, the 'Candy of the Emperors' that I sampled. I was not really impressed, but at least I siezed the moment and had the experience.


The start of the parade.







Every night this weekend has been pretty low-key, which is nice after the extremely busy days I’ve had. Also, I’ve been doing some tight budgeting to save up for my trips this semester, so if I can keep the clubs to a minimum, I should be in good shape for Paris and Rome for spring break in a couple of weeks, and later on Vienna/Munich, Cork Ireland and Spain after that. A lot of travels. But airfare is fairly cheap, so now’s the time to capitalize on it.

Last thing before I sign off. Pete is nice and settled in Pamplona. He had to stay in a hostel for the first couple of nights, but found a great apartment with a spectacular view over the city. And it has free WiFi, so he and I have set up Skype so we can talk over the Internet and not burn up our cell phone minutes. It sounds like he’s having a good time. He’s met people in his program from all corners of the earth—Australia to France to Colombia. It also sounds like he’s going to have one of his apartment mate’s girlfriends help him with his conversational Spanish if he in return helps her learn English. If you want to keep updated with him and see some absolutely stunning pictures of the Spanish coast and countryside, you should keep up with his blog at: www.pamplonaprose.blogspot.com. He's a great writer, so it makes a good read.

Before I go, here are a few more pretty pictures from this past week:


Anne Hathaway's (William Shakespeare's wife) adorable country cottage.


Looking down at the Warwick Castle grounds.


Gorgeous green countryside. It's more breathtaking in person.


Pete and I in my flat.


In busy Piccadilly Circus.

To check out more photos of my weekend click
here.

Enjoy!