Pete’s visit was the most amazing five days of my London stay so far. Which I guess isn’t too surprising. Being able to share the city with someone you really care about can’t be matched by practically anything. I’ll catch you up on what the past couple days have entailed. There are quite a few pictures, but I’m just going to give you the direct link to my photo album right here:
Pete arrived really early Friday morning at Gatwick Airport. I took a train up there to meet him and take him back to my flat so he could drop off his stuff and get settled before taking on the city on my beast of a scavenger hunt. I actually arrived to Gatwick a little late because there was a delay on the tube. So he actually had been waiting for me. When I arrived at his terminal, I was all frazzled, staring up at the screen and trying to figure out where I could meet him. All of a sudden, I felt someone standing uncomfortably close behind me. I turned around and nearly jumped back, having to do a double-take because I couldn’t believe it was him. It was very much a Pete greeting. So funny and cute. We commuted back to my flat and let’s just say both of us were ecstatic and cheesin’ pretty hard. I had to leave him to go to work, but he met up with Alex and me for lunch at Hummus Bros (best hummus EVER) and a little pastry at Café Valerie. My boss was incredible and upon finding out he was in town, let me off work after an afternoon meeting. She even let him come in and chill for a bit while I was in the meeting, just so we could jet off and spend time together.
Friday evening was pretty mild, especially since Pete was exhausted from the plane and jetlag. We did a little grocery shopping at Sainsbury’s and later hit up the cute little Wine Bar down the road. It’s so cozy and quintessential European (or at least what I can tell from my experiences so far)—it was a perfect romantic evening.
Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. Pete brought the good weather with him from Atlanta. Well, I guess it was still cold, but at least the sun puts a bright spin on things. We made some pasta and walked up to Kensington Gardens for a picnic at Round Pond. I showed him all the routes I take around the city, and probably exhausted him even further. Oops.
I decided to hit up an area of town I hadn’t been to yet on Saturday night. That’s what I love about Pete. He’s fun to explore new areas and things with. We went up to Camdentown after hearing a suggestion for good live music at a pub called the Dublin Castle. Camden is definitely alternative. We had to have seen about 50 mohawks getting off the tube with us alone. It was totally edgy and out of my element, but a lot of fun. There are amazing markets there on the weekends, so we caught the tail end of them when we arrived. There’s so much cute, cheap stuff that I’m definitely making a trip back this weekend. I am in some serious need for wellies, which are pretty cheap there.
Sorry, I digress. After checking out the markets, we found this AMAZING tapas bar called Jamon Jamon. I know Pete’s going to eat tapas like every day in Spain, but we’re both a big fan, so it hit the spot. It was definitely run by Spaniards so the taste was authentic and wonderful. The jug of sangria we split was also wonderful. Sangria is one of our favorite drinks, so I guess you could say we had to order it for sentimental reasons...and because we didn’t want to pay too much at the bar at the concert. Dublin Castle ended up being pretty cool. It has a great local vibe and the bands that played were really good. I honestly forgot their names, and it really ended up being only two by the time the night got rolling. I was just happy to check out some live music since so many great bands have rolled out of London.
Sunday was kind of a lazy day. We got going a little later in the afternoon and walked around Piccadilly Circus for a bit and then explored the National Gallery. This was my third time here, and I still am not finished seeing all the paintings. I guess I dawdle more than the average person. I made sure Pete saw the DaVinci’s and one of my favorite painting called “The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein. Google it sometime. It’s pretty cool. We also moved into the 1750-1900 years, so I was psyched to see some beautiful Monets and Van Goghs, among many others.
Sunday night was the Superbowl, which we watched at the Imperial College union. It was definitely mostly Americans there, but oh well. You've got to have your American football, too. Sadly, Pete and I had to watch the Patriots lose. Yes, I know they’ve won so many others, but honestly, they are such an amazingly talented and dynamic team. Even when Brady’s down, the rest of the team performs incredibly well….at least up until this game. Pete was highly bummed about it. He’s big into the NE sports teams. Hopefully they can pull a big streak again next year. Something tells me it could happen.
Once again, my boss was incredible and let me off work a little early both Monday and Tuesday. Pete and I sampled some delicious local Indian food (I’m not a fan of British food too much, but London is renowned for all its Indian places…so good!) and on Monday night, took an amazing walk down the Thames River in central London. I heard that the Waterloo Bridge promised a gorgeous view at night with St. Paul’s lit up in the east and all of Westminster with Big Ben and Houses of Parliament to the west. And it was absolutely true. We had an incredible hour or two walk down the bank of the Thames, taking pictures and goofing around as we walked. I am perpetually amazed by the amount of fun Pete and I are able to have together. There is never a dull moment, and we enjoy each other’s company so much that it’s impossible not to enjoy anything we do together. Taking that moonlit walk was probably my favorite part of London so far. All the beauty and incredible sights around you are enhanced when you’re there with someone you care about so much.
Overall, it was a wonderful couple of days. We hung out with my flatmates a bit, and they really seemed to like Pete a lot. Again, not surprising for anyone who’s met him. He’s a charmer.
He left this morning, and though it was hard seeing him go, knowing that he was en route to Pamplona to start his semester in Spain made it much easier to handle. He’s arrived and I think is doing well. A little overwhelmed, I think, but I have no doubt that he’ll have conquered the country by the time he’s done. He’ll probably be fluent in Spanish after a couple of weeks too, which I know he’s excited for. He’s been looking forward to this experience since he was 17, so I’m ecstatic that he’s finally seeing it happen. He’s so passionate about Spain and the Spanish culture that there’s no way that he won’t have an absolutely amazing experience.
I have more to add about the class trip I went on today, but it’s a bit late here for me, so I’ll give you updates and pictures tomorrow.
Love you all. Cheers!
1 comment:
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