Saturday was our first gorgeous day of sunshine since I've been in London. We took full advantage of it.
I started my day with a brisk walk around the Earl's Court and Old Brompton Rd area, just a couple of blocks around me. It was nice to just have some alone time to think and scout out other pubs and stores I hadn't discovered yet. This was definitely a good way to start my day. What made it better was that upon my return, our repair man came to fix all that was broken in our flat--our refrigerator, microwave, toaster, HEAT, HOT WATER and TV. Despite the fact that I'd already braved an ice cold shower, I was relieved that there would be hot ones to come.
We all got a relaxed, late start to our day. Pam and I wanted new boots. They're quite the fashion statement in London, plus they keep your feet much warmer and dryer than flats during the frequent rainy days. We hit up some great stores on Knightsbridge and walked from there to Hyde Park to enjoy spectacular scenery and a little lunch. It amazes me how green and gorgeous the parks are now. I don't think I'll ever leave them when spring comes around.
We then strolled from Hyde Park toward Trafalgar Square, taking pictures of everything along the way. We stopped at Buckingham again for pictures and we got spectacular views of Westminster in the distace. At Trafalgar, Pam and I hopped in the National Gallery for an hour. This art museum is amazing--there are so many gorgeous oil paintings from the world's most famous artists. You experience history almost more than the art. We only hit up the 1250-1500 AD paintings, but today we're going back for a longer stay. Plus, there's the Russian festival out in front of the Gallery, which is said to be the largest festival of this kind outside of Russia. It should be fun.
We're in the process of planning a trip to Wales this weekend. We found some great bus rates, a wonderful hostel and a castle to tour and dine at for a traditional Olde Welsh supper. All of this is at a great price! This will be a great first vacation while on vacation. It will get me used to the whole hostel experience but not be so far away, pricey or overwhelming. I'll keep you posted on the details as this plan develops.
Sad news: I once again had camera troubles, and all my pictures from yesterday were lost. Yes, during the only sunny day so far. But I'll steal a few from my roommates and get those posted very soon.
I'm thinking about you all back home and hope all is well! Stay tuned for more...
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Pictures...finally!
Finally, here are some pictures! I took many more today, but those take a bit to upload. I will get to them soon! In the meantime, enjoy!
One of the first things you must do in London is pay a visit to the royal family...or at least their house.
We got to Buckingham Palace just in time to watch the changing of the guard. It's quite a good parade.
Apparently Prince William and Prince Harry are in this regiment. I could have sworn I saw both (though it looked like Harry, or his look-alike, was asleep). Then again, I could be seeing what I want to see.
The statue of Victory stands proudly in front of Buckingham. It is gorgeous on sunny days (I'll post a picture of that later).
I've loved St. Paul's Cathedral ever since I the first time I watched Mary Poppins. I want to feed the birds on the front steps at some point.
A lovely view of St. Paul's. It is in an incredible building. I can't wait to actually see the inside.
Queen Victoria commissioned this gorgeous gold-plated statue of her husband, Albert, after he died. It's only about a 15 minute walk from my flat.
Some pretty homes in Kensington. The photo does not do it justice at all. Kensington is the most gorgeous, WEALTHY and safe neighborhood in all of London.
Here is our adorable flat on Hogarth Rd. Pictures from the inside to come.
Here's some food for thought: This is the "American food" section at our local supermarket. We've got fried chicken, nachos and sour cream, potato skins, BBQ ribs... I thought it was pretty funny.
One of the first things you must do in London is pay a visit to the royal family...or at least their house.
We got to Buckingham Palace just in time to watch the changing of the guard. It's quite a good parade.
Apparently Prince William and Prince Harry are in this regiment. I could have sworn I saw both (though it looked like Harry, or his look-alike, was asleep). Then again, I could be seeing what I want to see.
The statue of Victory stands proudly in front of Buckingham. It is gorgeous on sunny days (I'll post a picture of that later).
I've loved St. Paul's Cathedral ever since I the first time I watched Mary Poppins. I want to feed the birds on the front steps at some point.
A lovely view of St. Paul's. It is in an incredible building. I can't wait to actually see the inside.
Queen Victoria commissioned this gorgeous gold-plated statue of her husband, Albert, after he died. It's only about a 15 minute walk from my flat.
Some pretty homes in Kensington. The photo does not do it justice at all. Kensington is the most gorgeous, WEALTHY and safe neighborhood in all of London.
Here is our adorable flat on Hogarth Rd. Pictures from the inside to come.
Here's some food for thought: This is the "American food" section at our local supermarket. We've got fried chicken, nachos and sour cream, potato skins, BBQ ribs... I thought it was pretty funny.
Friday, 11 January 2008
Learning Londontown
I apologize that I have not uploaded any photos yet. My computer is having issues, so I'm trying to investigate ways to finally get them up there. Don't worry. It will eventually happen.
My second day in London was wonderful. We started out early with a guided bus tour. Our guide, Debra, was extremely witty and full of interesting historical and cultural information about the city. We saw so many sights, from the museums right down the street to St. Paul's Cathedral to the hot shopping districts. We also got to see some of the changing of the guard, though I want to get a closer look next time. It's definitely a huge tourist attraction, but I figure that I'll allow myself a week or two to be a tourist before I truly try to assimilate into London culture.
After the tour we got dropped off at Piccadilly Circus with the instructions to find our own way home. My roommates and I walked around for a bit, exploring the shops and nearby Chinatown before we rode the tube back to Kensington. In Leiscester Square, near Piccadilly, they were just having the Sweeney Todd premier. People were already lined up over seven hours early to camp out and wait for the stars, namely Johnny Depp. Though I was EXTREMELY tempted to join the crowd, the long, cold wait didn't really appeal to me. It was cool though knowing that we have our own little Hollywood just a couple of tube stops away.
Once again, our organized pub crawl was postponed until tonight. A group of us set out on Earl's Court Road, a minute away from us to try our own crawl. It ended up being a fun evening. I got to know a couple of people from my program and sampled the local ales and lagers. I'm glad that I've learned to like beer because it's the cheap way go, especially in a town as expensive as London.
Today has been less sightseeing, more class orientation. It is another gloomy, rainy, chilly day, so I suppose it's a good day to be stuck indoors as opposed to out in the shopping districts or parks. I can't wait for spring though. We're near to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, and they look gorgeous even in the dead of winter. I can't even fathom the beauty the warm weather will bring.
I am heading out to buy a cell phone soon. Hooray! My phone is like my fifth appendage, so I've been hurting without it. I know it's sad and pathetic. My mom is shaking her head and "tsk, tsk"-ing me as she reads this, I'm sure. But it will be nice to have a few minutes to talk to my family and Pete. Nothing really beats hearing an actual human voice when you're this far apart.
Again, I'll work on those pictures for you. And I'll take some new ones, hopefully with some sunshine in a few. If you ever travel to London, bring your umbrella and wellies (boots). You will need them.
Cheers for now!
My second day in London was wonderful. We started out early with a guided bus tour. Our guide, Debra, was extremely witty and full of interesting historical and cultural information about the city. We saw so many sights, from the museums right down the street to St. Paul's Cathedral to the hot shopping districts. We also got to see some of the changing of the guard, though I want to get a closer look next time. It's definitely a huge tourist attraction, but I figure that I'll allow myself a week or two to be a tourist before I truly try to assimilate into London culture.
After the tour we got dropped off at Piccadilly Circus with the instructions to find our own way home. My roommates and I walked around for a bit, exploring the shops and nearby Chinatown before we rode the tube back to Kensington. In Leiscester Square, near Piccadilly, they were just having the Sweeney Todd premier. People were already lined up over seven hours early to camp out and wait for the stars, namely Johnny Depp. Though I was EXTREMELY tempted to join the crowd, the long, cold wait didn't really appeal to me. It was cool though knowing that we have our own little Hollywood just a couple of tube stops away.
Once again, our organized pub crawl was postponed until tonight. A group of us set out on Earl's Court Road, a minute away from us to try our own crawl. It ended up being a fun evening. I got to know a couple of people from my program and sampled the local ales and lagers. I'm glad that I've learned to like beer because it's the cheap way go, especially in a town as expensive as London.
Today has been less sightseeing, more class orientation. It is another gloomy, rainy, chilly day, so I suppose it's a good day to be stuck indoors as opposed to out in the shopping districts or parks. I can't wait for spring though. We're near to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, and they look gorgeous even in the dead of winter. I can't even fathom the beauty the warm weather will bring.
I am heading out to buy a cell phone soon. Hooray! My phone is like my fifth appendage, so I've been hurting without it. I know it's sad and pathetic. My mom is shaking her head and "tsk, tsk"-ing me as she reads this, I'm sure. But it will be nice to have a few minutes to talk to my family and Pete. Nothing really beats hearing an actual human voice when you're this far apart.
Again, I'll work on those pictures for you. And I'll take some new ones, hopefully with some sunshine in a few. If you ever travel to London, bring your umbrella and wellies (boots). You will need them.
Cheers for now!
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Excitement and exhaustion
I have arrived. I've talked about studying abroad in London for months, well years actually, but physically being here still caught me off guard. I think it may be a week or two before I come to terms that I am to be a Londoner for the next few months. Crazy.
Regardless of my disbelief, I'm so excited about what's ahead. My roommates and I are planning a few theater excursions for the upcoming weekends (I finally get to see Wicked! Yesss!) and am looking forward to exploring some of the quirkier shopping areas in Covent Garden and Camden. And of course, I'm pumped to do the tourist stuff like watching the changing of the guard, seeing St. Paul's and hitting up all the amazing museums Londontown has to offer. I'm already staking out fun places and pubs to hit up with Pete when he visits in February.
Thus far as a Londoner, I've learned how to look right-left-right when crossing the road, that one should change out currency at the post office (high service charges otherwise!) and that Long John Silvers outshines the pubs that boast of having the world's best fish n' chips. I've also learned the physical toll of sleep deprivation. After waking up at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning in KC and catching my domestic flight, I spent a good 8 hours in O'Hare Airport, lugging around my mammoth suitcases (I thought I packed lightly, but it didn't feel that way!) and intently monitoring them. I met with some of my study abroad peers, and we flew Air India to London Tuesday night. During the six or seven hour flight, I only managed about a rough hour or two of sleep. Once we landed at Heathrow, we were jetted off to our flats (Mine is ADORABLE! My roommates and flatmates are wonderful!) and then taken on a whirlwind walking tour of our South Kensington borough. Needless to say, this schedule of activities was meant to deter us from afternoon naps which would worsen the jetlag. Despite the long and grueling past 35 hours, I'm doing farely well. I'm a little dizzy and my eyelids each feel about 10 pounds. I know crashing on my bed tonight will feel great.
Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow this will be more real and fabulous than it was today. We're getting a busride tour of the cities major boroughs and attractions and then being set loose in Picadilly Circus after which we are to navigate our way back to the flats--our first true test of using the Tube. I'm not worried about it. Then tomorrow night, we are having a rescheduled pub crawl. Everyone was too exhausted by the end of the day today to attempt the crawl tonight. It's a strange day when college students choose sleep over alcohol.
Stay tuned for more updates and pictures. I'm bringing out the camera tomorrow!
Regardless of my disbelief, I'm so excited about what's ahead. My roommates and I are planning a few theater excursions for the upcoming weekends (I finally get to see Wicked! Yesss!) and am looking forward to exploring some of the quirkier shopping areas in Covent Garden and Camden. And of course, I'm pumped to do the tourist stuff like watching the changing of the guard, seeing St. Paul's and hitting up all the amazing museums Londontown has to offer. I'm already staking out fun places and pubs to hit up with Pete when he visits in February.
Thus far as a Londoner, I've learned how to look right-left-right when crossing the road, that one should change out currency at the post office (high service charges otherwise!) and that Long John Silvers outshines the pubs that boast of having the world's best fish n' chips. I've also learned the physical toll of sleep deprivation. After waking up at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning in KC and catching my domestic flight, I spent a good 8 hours in O'Hare Airport, lugging around my mammoth suitcases (I thought I packed lightly, but it didn't feel that way!) and intently monitoring them. I met with some of my study abroad peers, and we flew Air India to London Tuesday night. During the six or seven hour flight, I only managed about a rough hour or two of sleep. Once we landed at Heathrow, we were jetted off to our flats (Mine is ADORABLE! My roommates and flatmates are wonderful!) and then taken on a whirlwind walking tour of our South Kensington borough. Needless to say, this schedule of activities was meant to deter us from afternoon naps which would worsen the jetlag. Despite the long and grueling past 35 hours, I'm doing farely well. I'm a little dizzy and my eyelids each feel about 10 pounds. I know crashing on my bed tonight will feel great.
Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow this will be more real and fabulous than it was today. We're getting a busride tour of the cities major boroughs and attractions and then being set loose in Picadilly Circus after which we are to navigate our way back to the flats--our first true test of using the Tube. I'm not worried about it. Then tomorrow night, we are having a rescheduled pub crawl. Everyone was too exhausted by the end of the day today to attempt the crawl tonight. It's a strange day when college students choose sleep over alcohol.
Stay tuned for more updates and pictures. I'm bringing out the camera tomorrow!
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