It has been nice not having to travel. We have been in London the last 2 weekends, which has been awesome. There is so much to do in London and not enough time! We have been attempting to use our time wisely over the past few weeks. Even without traveling very far, we have managed to keep our schedules packed with sightseeing, homework, day trips, and going out. Since Barcelona, here is all we have done:
Monday Sara and I went to see Stomp. What a cool show! It is amazing how the do it… I couldn’t believe the talent! There was not a word spoken and no music, but it was such an entertaining show!
Tuesday we went to the Tate Modern Museum, which was really cool. Lots of good art, but the collection is small considering the size of the massive building! Regardless, it was still really good to see. St. Martin in the Fields Church was next. The inside was BEAUTFIUL. The ornament and detail was amazing. It was a smaller church, and not made of stone like most of the churches we see. The inside was elaborately carved in wood. Also, the crypt was really cool- it had an amazing stone ceiling made up of all these arches. Highly recommend walking into this church. And, the best part was that it was free!
On Wednesday, Caroline and Emily’s moms came in town to visit. I was so jealous, and I wished my mom would have been able to come over and visit too! We went to see Parliament, which was awesome. Such a beautiful building with so much history! After the tour, Sara and I went to Westminster Abbey.
Friday was Kate’s birthday so we went out Thursday night to celebrate. Then Friday during the day we went to Kensington Palace and Gardens as well as Buckingham Palace. Kensington Palace had the Royal Dress collection, which was cool to see. Especially all of Diana’s dresses! Buckingham Palace was absolutely amazing. The Queen is on holiday in Scotland, so we got the “full” tour. Each room was more beautiful than the next! I want to live in a palace…
Then Friday night we went to this yummy Italian place for Kate’s birthday dinner. Then we went out to this bar/club called the Zoo for some drinks and dancing. It was a really fun night, and I think Kate had a good 21st birthday.
Saturday, we took a day trip to Wales, which turned out to be VERY interesting! Basically, we were on a bus for 9 hours, and only out in Wales for 2. We drove 4 hours there, had a half hour bus tour of the capital, Cardiff, and then we had one hour to get out, eat, and be back on the bus. Then we went to Caerphilly Castle, which was really just a ruin of a castle. It was really pretty, but I am not sure it was worth the drive! We got a short tour, and then we had to be back on the bus again to come back to London! Kind of a waste…I wish we had more time to explore!
Sunday we went to NottingHill Carnival, which was nothing like a carnival at all. In fact, it was basically just an excuse to drink. It was a GIANT, Caribbean themed block party where everyone was just dancing, drinking, and eating. It was fun, but, not my idea of a “carnival”. We had really good Jamaican food though!
Monday we didn’t have class because it was the Late Summer Bank Holiday. So, Sara and I took a day trip to Brighton, hoping it would be better than the Wales trip! Brighton is just south of London on the coast. The weather was kind of cloudy in the morning, but we walked around the cute town, went out of the pier, and got a tour of the Royal Pavilion. Then the sun came out, so we headed to the beach to read and relax for a few hours, get lunch, and then head home. It was beautiful, and a MUCH better day trip than the previous one!
Wednesday we had double class because we didn’t have class on Monday. It is kind of a weird concept that they make us make up the class that we got off on a holiday. Oh well. We got to go to the Serpentine Gallery for the second half of class. The exhibition was by an artist/sculptor, Jeff Koons, who does really cool stuff. He makes sculptures that look IDENTICAL to large blow up toys or balloons, but they are really made out of aluminum. Check out his stuff if you can.
Thursday we took a day trip to Windsor Castle, where the Queen spends most weekends. Again, she was on holiday in Scotland, so we got the “full” tour. The Castle was beautiful, peaceful, and SO HUGE! It went on and on… The town was really cute. There were all sorts of antique and vintage shops to go in.
Thursday night Sara and I went to see Lion King. What a spectacular performance! The set and costumes were just so amazing. The music and dancing was breathtaking! After the show we met the rest of the girls out for a couple drinks.
Friday we went on a day trip to Oxford and Oxfordshire. We saw Blenheim Castle, where the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough live. It is also the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Then we walked around Oxford, which is a cute college town. We saw Christ Church, where some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed.
Saturday we went to Portobello Market in the morning. Then we met Emily at Edinboro Castle, a cute pub that has an outdoor barbeque. We got burgers and beer and then went back home to change for the football game. We went to Wembly Park to see the England vs Slovenia game. England won 2-0. It was a really cool experience. The stadium was awesome, and HUGE! After the game we went out for a drink, and then called it a night. We were all exhausted!
This week will be consumed with lots of homework! It is getting close to the end of the term, so we are preparing for finals. Ugh!
We are off to Greece at 4am on Thursday morning, so we have to work hard this week to get everything finished before we leave!
I am so excited for Greece, for the beach, for warm weather, and the sun! It has been COLD here- like 45 degrees! I feel like its fall already, and I am not ready for that!
Off to bed! Next Post... GREECE! So excited...
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