I'M HOME.
Right- yesterday morning I got up at 3am, packed a few last things (toothbrush, pjs, etc), checked out of my room, got in the cab I ordered, and wound up at Heathrow airport. I met some very kind Canadians while in line, and chatted with them a bit. I hate airports, it's all waiting and waiting and waiting. I did a lot of waiting yesterday. I finally got on the plane and the plane itself got delayed two hours. Meaning that I was going to miss my connecting flight in Chicago, because I only had an hour and a half layover. Great. After 8 1/2 of flight, I landed in Chicago and they got me on a three o'clock flight and I was home by 4:30, just three hours late.
I stayed up and watched the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian (omg so funny, we about died). So after 26 hours of no sleep, I fell alseep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. And woke up at 6am this morning, because my body actually thought it was noon. So I am watching "Calamity Jane."
I have spent the day packing and the last week saying goodbye to my favorite places, and quickly going from horribly depressed at the thought of leaving and extreme elation at the thought of being home. So I have nothing new to blog about, but thought I should perhaps sum up everything I've learned while abroad.
-do not smile in public
-on the Tube, move down to the edges of the platform- they're usually less crowded
-tuck your camara up you sleeve so it's less noticable
-find a coat or jacket, and let it become your armor
-wear sensible shoes, but not bright white sneakers. Go for brown or black; flats also work quite well
-keep your purse under your arm. Hold the zipper if you feel you have to
-don't count your money or flash your valuables (passport, camara, iPod). Duh
-if you don't feel comfortable in a situation, leave
-check Tube closings (planned or unplanned) before you leave, and always have a plan B (for bus)
-don't smile in public
-don't go in to an American chain (McDonalds, Starbucks, Claires, etc)
-wander, get lost
-when you are sufficiantly lost, don't be obvious with your map. pop into a shop and scope out where you are in there. or ask where the nearest Tube stop is.
-your umbrella will get turned inside out. Deal with it.
-chocolate is poisonous to all mammels but it takes two pounds to kill a human
-look both ways when crossing the street. Trust me on this.
-don't do a city tour through a company. Explore on your own.
-get lots of scarfs in a variety of colors. You will instantly feel more European.
-all the good museums will be free in the UK. Some may charge you to see a traveling exhibit or collection on loan. If you're charged more than five pounds, it's probably not worth it.
-Indian food? Brick Lane. Walk down until someone shouts the best deal.
-tea? Literally anywhere
-pub food? See above (this also includes fish n' chips)
-don't smile in pulic
-use the public transport or walk. I can count on one hand the times I've been in a cab, and it was only because there were giant suitcases involved.
-don't try out your "British accent." Or your Scottish one. Or your Welsh or even Irish. You know what? No fake accents at all.
-I'm stronger and wiser than I look.
I think that's about it. I'll edit as I see fit. But do you want to know something weird? I don't here the accent very much anymore, and can distinguish between all four that I listed above. How bizzare is that?
See you tomorrow. Or possibly sometime this weekend!
And Katies (pl), I'll be at work, Monday 8-1. Just so you know.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
busy - What I'm Hearing:Streetlights ~Ludo
Well, let's see. I've continued my games of Walkabout. Monday, I went to Regent's Park, which is GORGEOUS. The weather was perfect, the sun was out and there was a nice breeze. I laid in the grass under a tree and listened as some kids played nearby. It was lovely! Who said it rained all the time here? Love it.
Tuesday, however, it was cold and windy. I went to Canary Wharf, which is a business/banking area of town. But with an underground mall, strangely enough. So I wandered around there for a bit. Tuesday night, I caught a bug. Not a nasty one, but one where I didn't really want to go out on Wednesday. I did anyway, and went to Oxford Street, but ended up going home. By that evening I was feeling much better, but a bit guilty for having wasted most of the day in my room. C'est la vie.
THURSDAY, the weather was perfect again, and I felt great, so I went to ABBEY ROAD. There is no photographic evidence of me crossing the street (oh well), but there were A LOT of tourists there. I felt slightly ashamed of myself, but mostly elation, because Abbey Road is my favorite Beatles album of all freaking time. Just saying. I was in a neighborhood called either St John's Wood or Marlyborough, so I explored around there, and ended up at Baker Street. It was getting a bit late, so I hopped on the Tube and came home.
Friday was back at Borough Market. My friend Sarah took a bunch of pictures that she's going to send me; those aren't up yet, when they are, this sentence will be editted. But I tried venison (Dad's recipe is better), and then I found the beer my Dad drinks. We then walked down to the Globe (a replica of Shakespeare's theatre, the real one burned down in the great fire in 1666), and then across the Milennium Bridge to St Paul's Cathedral, where we got on the Tube and came home.
Mostly this weekend I've been exploring the markets. I don't have much money, but I did find a really cute skirt for three pounds. It's now on my bed, I'll probably wear it tomorrow. I found an awesome, trendy market on Brick Lane, it's called "Sunday (Up) Market." Brick Lane is of course famous for their delicious Indian food, but today I found a vendor selling Mexican food. Typical. I was out of money and not even hungry, but they're only open Sundays.
Pictures are here. Miss you all, and I will be home in 5 days! [Scary thought- I'm not looking forward to a a half day of traveling]
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
sleepy - What I'm Hearing:Pretend That You're Alone ~Keane
The weather is warm and sunny and lovely. Miss you.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
contemplative - What I'm Hearing:Back to the Ground ~Jamie Cullum
Sorry I've been a bit out of touch. I had my last final, and since then I've just been wandering around, taking pictures, and getting lost. As much as you can get lost in this city, seeing as there's a landmark or a tube stop every few blocks.
Wednesday I bummed around Victoria Embankment for a while, then made my way up to Fleet Street. I saw St Paul's again, but didn't take pictures (I've been there several times), and got all sorts of turned around. I found Twinings, which is world famous for their tea, and the Royal Courts of Justice which are fantastically beautiful, and I stumbled across a free lunchtime classical music concert. That was lovely.
Yesterday, I went to the other side of the Thames, to London Bridge. I walked along the river until I got to Tower Bridge, then looped back away from the river, and ended up at Borough Market. It's basically a food market that's been running since 1756. That's pretty fabulous, I think. It smelled delicious with the breads, the fuit and veg, and venison! Yes! They had venison! I was sorely tempted, but a sausage was four pounds and I only had three pounds in my pocket. So... that was a no.
All in all, they were brilliant days that were well spent. I'm going out with my friend Sarah tonight, and this weekend, my number one priority is laundry. The tube will be a mess anyway, as it usually is on weekends, so my adventures will be on hold until Monday. That's how that goes. I hope you all have a lovely memorial day weekend!
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
hungry - What I'm Hearing:The Rover ~Led Zeppelin
Hey, remember when I saw P!NK?
Yesterday I had tea at the Orangery, and then I got lost in SoHo. Good times. Today I'm studying. Tomorrow I have a final. After that, I'm going to the Victoria and Albert museum to look at pretty things for a while.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: busy
- What I'm Hearing:Don't Stop Running ~the Fireman
I'm sitting at my desk, pretending for no one's benefit but my own that I'm studying, with only 20 days left in London. I remember when I was still 20 days into this adventure. I was sick that week, I had an awful lingering cold. I went to Madame Trussand's Wax Museum, and Obama was being inagurated. My roommates threw a big party that I slept through because I was so sick. Physically, as well as really homesick. I moved everything off my desk, curled up on it with the blanket that I brought from home, stared out the window and wondered what in God's name I was doing in London.
The thing is, I still don't really have an answer.
But I fell for the city; its pace, its freedom, its rudeness, its anonymity... I even love the weather. Including the freak "blizzard" that shut everything down. On the second day I went to the Tate Britain and found one of my favorite paintings. It's a bit lonely, which some days I like and some days I hate. I like the simplicity of my life here. Wake up, study, go see something, make dinner, talk to Mom and Dad, go to sleep. Although if I'm being completely honest, I miss work- I'm not kidding; I like my job at St Kate's.
I wish I could tell you what this experience has meant to me, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. It's been... enlightening, both educationally and spritually/emotionally/mentally/whatever.
Anyway, I'll be overjoyed to see you all, really I will. I've been dreaming of home lately, and I rarely (if ever) remember my dreams. But don't be surprised if I get homesick for London.
I really have to go study now.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: contemplative
- What I'm Hearing:If I Fall ~Aqualung
And so, I woke up Saturday morning, and Mom, Aunt Charlie and I walked to the train station. They lingered until they had to leave (because there were flying home from Paris), and then I went through customs and waited for my train. And read my book. It was SO EXCITING, let me tell you. When I got on the train, I was sitting next to the most obnoxious man ever, he had not one, but TWO cell phones, and talked on them continuously until we were literally under the English Channel and he lost connection.
And funnily enough, due to the fact that they do engineering work on the Tube on the weekends, the farthest I could get on the Tube was Liverpool Street- two stops away from where I live. Awesome. So I found a bus and finally made it home and started blogging and studying. I'm all caught up now, on the blog at least, and the studying is coming slowly but surely. I'm afraid I don't plan to leave campus until my last final on Tuesday, and after that, I'll probably be going to all the places I haven't been to yet (I have a list), and then saying goodbye to all my favorite places. Woe is me.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: studious
- What I'm Hearing:Save the Day ~Train
Friday, 8 May was our last real day in Paris, but we were splitting up for the day. M and Aunt Charlie wanted to go to Giverny, which was Monet's home that he made famous through his many many paintings. Now, I enjoy a good garden, but Amy had the day free of classes, so I opted to meet up with her.
We met up at the fountain at Saint-Michel (which is near to Notre Dame), and mostly we spent the day wandering around the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is traditionally the area where Universites are, named as such because in not so recent history, the entire academic world spoke/wrote in/studied Latin. Thank goodness that nonsense was put a stop to!
Anyway, Amy took me to the Musee de Cluny, which is a museum of medieval things, including the tapastry "The Lady and the Unicorn" is. We didn't go inside, but that's okay. Then we went to the Pantheon which used to be a Christian church, but now it's just a REALLY IMPORTANT BUILDING (the Curie's are buried there, along with other important French people), and Amy and I sat on the steps and chatted for ages. Then on down the street, pausing at St Genevieve's, which is a beautiful cathedral to the Patron Saint of Paris. Then on down the street past an orginal Parisian Wall (because most medieval cities were walled to protect them from invaders and the like). At the bottom of the street we turned right, and landed right smack dab in the middle of where the Lost Generation spent their time. We found Hemingway's flat!! Pictures were taken, and we ordered coffee and hot chocolate and soaked up the feeling that you can only get from travel and playfully arguing about Heminway vs. Fitzgerald, and whether Amy had found Paris to be her home-town, like Gertrude Stein before her. After this, Amy took me to my new favorite bookstore, "Shakespeare and Company." It carries English books of the most acclectic kind. We completely lost ourselves there for a better part of an hour. It's a really creeky old building, all narrow and musty and random furnishings, but the books! Oh, you know me. I could lose myself for days in a bookstore if they were open 24 hours. Heaven.
After this, we met up with two of Amy's friends, Chloe and Nina, and we had fabulous crepes and cidar, and then went out for a drink together. It was all good fun. Chloe is coming to London, and so we made plans to meet up for tea in Kensington Gardens.
After this, I returned to the hotel to rendezvous with Mom and Charlie and pack to leave for London the next day....
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: accomplished
- What I'm Hearing:Two of Us ~the Beatles
Thursday 7 May:
This was the day we went to the Lourve. Well then. What can I say about the Lourve? It used to be a royal palace. It's filled with art. Lots of art. Lots of good art. And the Mona Lisa. The architecture is equally amazing. There are no words to be said, it's something you have to see to believe. We probably could have spent all week there and still not have seen everything. I mean really.
However, it must be said~ the Japanese tourists were extremely pushy and rude and just took pictures of everthing. They didn't look. I stopped moving for them after the second time they asked me. I know you need your bloody picture, but I paid the admission price too. URGH. Sorry. But c'mon.
Anyway, the Lourve was lovely and I probably bought too many postcards, but hey, at least there aren't any Japanese tourist in the photos- thus, pricesless. I can't wait to show them to you guys. Cupid and Psyche by Canova almost made me cry. The Venus de Milo wasn't bad either. Seriously, statues bewilder me- how do you do it??!! How do the sculptors know how to make it? I don't even know. There were lots of statues of Diana, the goddess of the hunt; those were all really cool. And the religious works that we stumbled on were lovely and heartbreaking in places, too. We also did the apartments of Napoleon III; and uhhhh... those were a bit unreal as well. I mean, I couldn't imagine living there. It's all... awesomely baroque. I can't even properly describe it, but it was fantastic. And expensive. Really expensive.
Go to the Lourve! Seriously.
We went back to the hotel, and a hot bath and a few phone calls later, I was under the Eiffel Tower meeting up with Amy and her friend Maren. And oh, what a good time we had! We came to share some wine and treats and watch the Tower light up and glitter. But we couldn't get the cork out of the first bottle. Some guys from Canada came over to help us, and then the bottle opener broke too!! Too much testosterone, I guess. By this point, neither Amy nor I could speak from laughing too hard. We gave up on the first bottle, and borrowing a corkscrew from some other merrymakers, preceded to try to crack the second bottle. That didn't exactly go as planned either; we ended up just pushing the cork down into the wine. Finally! Oh, but it was so funny. The Eiffel Tower lit up, we shared the some stories and made plans for Friday.
o0O0o
Yesterday was my Medieval Women final. Myself and about 300 other students were herded into a giant gymnasium, we all had assigned seats, and given two hours to complete our exams. I only had to answer two essay questions (I could have answered all eight, I was that comfortable), and finished 45 minutes early. I still got it! But now I have to take the scary exam next week.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
amused - What I'm Hearing:Crystal Ball ~Keane
Wednesday, 6 May
We woke up kind of early and caught the metro to Saint-Michel, which is the stop for Notre Dame. I have been to Notre Dame but was eagar to return. I love Notre Dame- it's the very definition of a gothic cathedral. It was built during the middle ages and is remarkably still standing. It's dark and smokey, it smells like incense, the central nave is crooked, and there are lots of little corners to hide in. All the little altars around the nave are also dark, with elaborate stain-glassed windows that don't let in much light. Don't even try to take pictures in there, because they will not turn out. I can't put my finger on why I like Notre Dame so much... only that it makes sense that Victor Hugo would have set such a novel in this location. Actually the book, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, saved the cathedral, which was falling into disrepair. But Notre Dame was rescued by Paris and has become a literary and religious landmark in its own right.
After exploring the cathedral to our hearts' content, we strolled around the island that it lives on- the islands were the original city of Paris, protected as it was by the Seine. We wondered the rambling streets, had a lovely lunch at Esmerelda's, and did a little shopping. We found an ice cream parlor called Armorino, and we had the most amazing gelato. It tasted delicious and the cones! We each got two flavors, and the man who served them created literally roses out of our ice cream! We were all suitably impressed by this. I took pictures of my chocolate and rasberry confection.
After this, we hopped back on the metro and went to see the Eiffel Tower. What can I say about it that hasn't already been said? I like the Eiffel Tower; not everyone did when it was first built for the World's Fair in 1899. In fact, a lot of people thought it should have been torn down! But ironically, it has become the symbol of Paris, and perhaps the symbol of France. It's a great tower, the metal work is actually quite lovely on closer inspection. The view from the top is great. Of course you go to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Of course.
And it was there, after we had gone back down, that I finally met up with Amy!! After a reunion hug and introductions were made, she took us to see some sights that we might not have been to by ourselves. The first was a short copy of the Statue of Liberty (actually designed by the same man as the Eiffel Tower: Gustav Eiffel). The second was the Champs Elysees, which is infamous for shopping. It was nice just seeing her, but she had to leave soon; she had dinner with her host family, but I made plans to see her Thursday.
We momentarily got lost in the metro, but I figured out where we were going and a good route to get back to our hotel. I am the queen of underground transport. Or something. I should get a crown! And you, dear reader, should leave a comment.
My first final is today~ I'm
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
anxious - What I'm Hearing:London Skies ~Jamie Cullum
Tuesday, 5 May
So M's guide book told us not to go to Versailles on a Tuesday, but we foolishly did anyway. OH WELL. There were loads of people pushing and crowding. Ick.
The Chateau de Versailles was a residence to the French Royal Family after Louis XIV added on to the hunting lodge, as living in Paris made him uneasy. The palace has been home to him, of course, Louis XV (and his famous companions Madame du Pompadour and Madame du Barry) and Louis XVI and Marie Antionette (before they lost their heads, obviously), and a whole host of nobles and other people.
Basically, with it's over-the-top splendor and ceremony, it is an altar of French meglomania. Everything in that palace is to remind you that the French King (especially Louis XIV, the "Sun King") is ruling by divine right and is God's representitive on earth, and that he's pretty much the best thing to happen to France. Honestly. Everything is guilded and reminicent of Greek/Roman gods and goddesses, everything is crazy expensive, the libraries are stuffed with rare books and expensive knick-knacks... and those are just the rooms open to the public. Maybe a slice of everything there is to see is on display. We did the tour that everyone does, and then paid extra (it was worth it) for the guided tour. The guided tour took us into the private apartments of the kings; the regular tour only sees the public rooms. Not that that's a bad thing, either! That's where you see the Hall of Mirrors!!!! It was impressive, let me tell you (and so much history happened right there- hurray!), but it would have been more impressive if the mirrors had been clean. I'm just saying, France. You should clean the mirrors in there.
Mostly, it was completely overwhelming that Versailles is a place where people lived. With so much beauty and intricate details around them, I can only see two senarios: when you first arrive you are dazzled and trying to look at everything, or you're so used to it that you hardly notice. Absolutely nuts.
We went out into the gardens to get a preliminary glance, but ultimately did not persue them; they are pretty ridiculous in and of themselves. I mean, really. But even the parts we did see were awesome. I have been to the gardens before; when I came on my Europe trip when I was in high school, we attempted Versailles. The palace itself was closed due to a strike (the French do love a good strike), but we were allowed in the gardens. It rained. Perhaps not my favorite day on that trip. So imagine my delight to FINALLY be able to see Versialles. So exciting. I didn't really take pictures- I bought postcards in the shop; there is too much there for my camara to catch, I'll leave it to the professionals in cases like these. I guess you'll have to wait until I come home. In 25 days. Not that I'm counting.
I have a final tomorrow. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, light a candle... you know the drill. ;)
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: calm
- What I'm Hearing:The Battle of Evermore ~Led Zeppelin
Monday, 4 May
We woke up reasonably early, I had spent the night at the hotel so we could all leave for Paris together (as it takes me a half hour to get from Mile End to Marble Arch). This made more sense. Mom checked out, and the doorman hailed us a cab. We piled in and ten minutes later we were at King's Cross/St Pancras to get on the Eurostar to Paris. This is a train that goes under the English Channel and pops up again in France to take you directly to Paris. Well hurray! It turned out that I was in a different carriage than Mom and Charlie, which I thought was strange, since Mom booked all the tickets at the same time. Anyway, just two and a half hours later, we found ourselves in Paris. We wondered around for a while, looking for our hotel. It took us a bit to find it- Paris twists and turns more than London, which is swell. But eventually we stumbled upon it: the Champagne de Nord on the Rue de Chambrol. It was nice, clean, if a bit small. It was the early afternoon and we were tired and hungry. We wondered up and down our new streets, had some dinner, and came back to our hotel. The tv in the hotel room, as you might imagine, was entirely in French, but channel 8 was the BBC World News. So we watched the same dozen news stories over and over again, Mom and Charlie journaled and I took a bath. Yay, Paris! Tuesday was more exciting... stay tuned!
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: accomplished
- What I'm Hearing:Can't Stop Now ~Keane
[Note- I'm playing catch-up with my blog, there will be one entry per day for the next week or so to catch up on the week in Paris, because it's too much to do all at once and I'll need study breaks this coming week anyway]
Sunday 3 May:
This was the last full day for Mom and Aunt Charlie here in London, and since the weather was supposed to be nice, we decided to go to the Royal Botanical Gardens, known as the Kew Gardens. One of the gardens' earliers and most illustrious patron was the Princess of Wales (no, not that one!), Princess Augusta in the mid 1700s. Since then, Kew has collected specimens from all over the world and work on preserving plantlife on earth. Yay! And made famous by a (very long) Alfred Noyes poem.
The gardens themselves are about 300 acres, so needless to say we saw a small sliver of them; we saw the famous greenhouse, the hothouse with the orchids, the Chinese pagoda, the lilacs, we had tea... they are absolutely lovely on a spring day and were a good note to end Mom and Charlie's London adventure on. I'm glad I went with them; it's not necessarily something I would have done on my own.
Pictures from Brighton and Kew Gardens can be found behind this link.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: calm
- What I'm Hearing:You Don't See Me ~Keane
Friday: one of my roommates is leaving on Tuesday (this Tuesday, actually), so of course we had to give her a send off. It was so bittersweet; she's the first of our numbers to break rank and leave us. Sad times.
Today: was a day trip with my program to Brighton. It was super fun- think weekend at party pier! Though I only got to spend a few hours there. Some postcards were purchased, Guitar Hero was played, the ocean was admired, a parade was viewed, and fish n' chips were eaten, followed by a 99 (and ice cream treat). All in all, a lovely day to the coast.
TOMORROW: the weather is supposed to be fine, so I'll be meeting up with M and Charlie to go to Kew Gardens. I will not be coming back to my dorm, as we leave Monday morning for Paris. Chances are high that I will not be blogging from Paris; which means no pictures and no word. I'm sorry about this, but I promise that Saturday (when I come back) I shall slave for you and put things up. And then I will watch Robin Hood. The pictures from Brighton will also be put up next Saturday.
Stay cool, cats.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
giggly - What I'm Hearing:Everrest ~the Aviettes
So T-Moble has a series of commericals here about Londoners party-ing in their own backyards. And last night they filmed the next one in Trafalgar Square~ more or less where our concert was.
It was a great party with lots of karaoke: "Hit Me Baby (One More Time)," "Summer Lovin'," "Build Me Up, Buttercup," "Total Eclipse of the Heart," when P!NK turned up to sing along! It was so awesome!!!!!!!! We sang "Peice of my Heart," P!nk's "So What," and rounded it all out with an endless chorus of "Hey Jude!" It was so amazing!! And so much fun, even if I was just watching from a distance. The party broke up, they snuck out P!nk during Hey Jude and people were starting to disperse at 7:15, which is good because the Handel/Mozart candlelight concert started at 7:30. That was lovely too, some of the pieces I know, most of them I didn't, but that was fine by me. I like classical music.
But I'm still laughing. Only in London can I see an impromtu Pink concert and then a classical music recital.
- Location:London
- What I'm Hearing:So What? ~P!NK
Wednesday (yesterday), we took the bus to Cambridge:
Just a bit of background: Cambridge is a very old (800 year old) University town. It's pretty small, and it's architecture is dominated by the beautiful college campuses (there are many colleges that together make the University). It is a beautiful town, with pleasant, quaint little shops to pop into, and sweet little bridges crossing the River Cam. The sun was shining, it was warm, the birds were singing, and the poor students of Cambridge University were sitting their exams. Because of this, we were not allowed inside any of the buildings, so as not to distract any of the students. The city was so tiny and many of the roads were for pedestrians. Others were one-way, because of how narrow the medieval streeets were. Thus, everyone had a bicycle, many with baskets on the front. I can not get over how beautiful the town was. I took a lot of pictures, but like many things here, I think you need to see it for yourself.
Regardless, pictures starting from M and Charlie's arrival are here.
Anyway, they're going to spend most of the day shopping today, but I can't spend all day looking for lace and buttons, so I am catching up on some reading, as well as doing some blogging for you guys. We're going to meet up for dinner and out Handel/Mozart concert tonight.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
enthralled - What I'm Hearing:3x5 ~John Mayer
But you should probably still leave a comment.
Just saying.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling:
cold - What I'm Hearing:whirring of the laptop
After that, we marched through the puddles under Admiralty Arch, to Buckingham Palace, and then down the street to Wellington Arch. After that we jumped on the tube again and came out at Westminster Palace for the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, as well as Westminster Cathedral and St Margaret's Church (Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragorn there, and more recently, Winston Churchill married his Clemintine). Dinner was a delicious selection of pub fare (M and I had the chicken roast and Charlie a hamburger and chips). Yum. And then we popped over to Westminster Cathedral for a quick visit before they kindly booted us out and we went back to the hotel and I soaked in the bathtub for the first tim in over two months. Ahhhhh...
I haven't been taking very many pictures because this is mostly stuff I've done before, and you can't take pictures in churches anyway. I've gotten a few good ones of M and C that I will post when I get home earlier than 11:00pm and have to get up early the next day.
It looks like it's going to rain tomorrow, so we might do the tower, and maybe St Paul's. We'll see. For sure we're sleeping in a little bit. 'Til tomorrow!! Sleep is good.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: accomplished
- What I'm Hearing:A Certain Girl ~the Yardbirds
Saturday (yesterday), we wondered around Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace (cool exhibits) and tea at the Orangry. Lovely.
Today we attempted to go to mass at the Brompton Oratory, but were late. Oops. It was beautiful all the same. After that (before high latin mass) we left for the V&A (if you're remember, this is my FAVORITE musuem). We spent ages in there, and then walked to Harrods. Dinner was fish and chips at a nearby pub. Then, growing tired, I left M and C in the hotel room and came back home to prioritize: M wants me to blog and look up her new favorite stores (that she hasn't even been to yet), and Ariel needs me to watch the newest episode of Robin Hood.
Oh, and I should be studying for those pesky finals.
- Location:QMUL
- What I'm Feeling: sleepy
- What I'm Hearing:Robin Hood
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