Winning London!

Before our adventures could begin, we first needed to get from Scotland to England. The cheapest way was by overnight bus so without question, we booked it. Because it was the cheapest I still don't regret the decision, but I'm not sure if my friends would agree. This was QUITE the trip. We were able to sleep for the first hour, but then the bus got PACKED! It was originally freezing on the bus, and then with all the people it got super warm. Then they put the air on, and it once again got freezing. We were convinced that most of the bus had the plague because they were hacking up their lungs left and right. Our bus driver also almost had us killed a few times as well. I'm not sure if he was new on the job or what, but we had to do quite a bit of reversing and reattempting turns through out the night. We arrived an hour late, but HEY! we were in London..I couldn't really complain. Overall, it was not fun. I had been on a 17 hour bus ride to New Orleans, so for me...this bus was not the worst, but it was def not enjoyable.

Now to the good stuff...

#43 - Wednesday, October 4th: We were in LONDON! After the bus, all we really wanted was a shower and a new change of clothes. Instead of sightseeing first, we headed straight over the places we were staying to relax a bit...afterall, it was only 7 in the morning...so we couldn't do much anyway. Cait and I stayed with her Elon friends in this adorable little posh neighborhood, and the other girls split up amongst their friends studying abroad in England too. Caits friends were great! They were all so nice and I am so happy we got to stay with them. Not only were they fun, but it was FREE!

After we got cleaned up, Darien, one of Caitlins friends, showed us around. He is like a walking history book, so we got a FULL tour of the city. He explained the different roles of royalty and all aspects that were related to them, as well as what specific details went along with each buliding we saw. We took the Tube all over and managed to cover the main 'downtown' of the city in only a few hours. We started in Hyde Park and walked along The Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Walk and then turned down by Buckingham Palace and took the Mall all the way down to around Big Ben.

Buckingham Palace. The Queen was not in, but we did see Prince Charles arriving!

The Horse's Guards Parade Square. This is where the Queen celebrates her birthday!

After a quick bite to eat, we headed over to the Tower of London to see the Royal Jewels. Although it was one of the more expensive tours, it was SO worth it. The Tower of London has so much history and unless you pay for the full tour, you really miss out. Our tour guide, dressed in Beefeater attire, showed us around the estate and was the best guide we had had thus far. He cracked the typical American jokes with us and you could tell he really enjoyed his job.

Inside we saw all of the old armour, the royal jewels, and the touture chambers and then headed over to the Tower Bridge for a few pictures as well. The jewels were amazing and we all wished we could be Kate after we saw them.

That night we took it easy and got the sleep we had been lacking.

Thursday, October 5th: Off to see the changing of the guards. We made it there bright'n early to make sure we had good seats. We were right up against the fence and got to see the whole ceremony up close. It was a little long, but very cool to see. Thankfully, Darien was there with us again to inform us all about what the guards were doing and why.

After our tour, we were hungry. Rumor had it that here was a Chipotle in London...therefore, I was on a mission. We figured we would have fish and chips for dinner so Chipotle was a must for lunch. After a few wrong turns we made and I was like a little kid in a candy store! The burritos were normally made with brown rice instead of white rice and a few different ingredients, but we mentioned we were Americans and they said they would make it to "our" standard. It was amazing :) Craving cured!

Next stop..Platform 9 & 3/4. When in London, you have to do the Harry Potter thing...plus I knew Morgan would be mad if I didn't go. We were disappointed to learn that the platform was not really in Kings Cross Station, but actually outside. Kinda disappointing, but still cool. I tried realll hard to get to Hogwarts....but it didn't happen....

 

Next up, Camden Market. This side of town is not always on the normal tour hit lists, because it is a little out of the ordinary, but I loved it. Its a mix of Indian men trying to bargain with you for cheap tourist gifts, gothic clothing and accessory stores, as well quite a few interesting ethnic little shops. It is a very well known area for cheap shopping, but also druggies and pick pocketers. Needless to say, we were careful, but I am glad we went. It was an experience and it reminded me of Wicker Park, but with a darker edge. Any reminder of Chicago is a welcome one :)

After Camden Market, we headed to Westminister Abbey! We hoped to get inside; however, it was like 15 Euros and it was closed for the rest of the day to the public. Then we learned one of our favorite study abroad tips....if you can't pay to go see the church, go to mass instead! It is free, you get optimal time to sit and enjoy the architecture while getting some quality time in with the man upstairs. Brilliant! We sat in on the traditional Evening Song at Westminister Abbey and couldn't be happier afterward. It was beautiful! Not to mention we got to daydream about Will and Kate...it made the life of royality so much more realistic. :)

That night we went out with all of the Elon kids and experience the nightlife in London. So much fun, and for once we didn't have to buy all our own drinks! Winning!

Friday, October 6: On our last day in England we made sure to finish up our sight seeing, but also take a break from the hustle to just enjoy the world around us. We went for a stroll through the very posh area of Notting Hill, and then through the very famous Portabello Market. I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the day. The markets in England are just so interesting and there is so much to see. The markets helped us see the more normal side of England and the true aspects of culture outside of the big and bold tourist attractions. These markets are directed at tourists, but if you really take the time to observe what goes on at the markets, one can see a little bit more of the natural British culture. 

Cait and I then decided that we could not leave London without seeing the Peter Pan Statue. We believed the statue was a very well known part of the city, but it actually is not as popular in London as we imagined. We had to do quite a bit of asking around until we found which park it was in. Mary Kate and Ashley gave us a misconstruced view of London...how is that possible? ;) We spent the afternoon strolling through the park until we eventually found Peter. He was not nearly as exciting as our journey to find him was. He was not placed in the most elegant of places and this park was not like Hyde Park. It was a little more natural. We learned as well, that parks are one of the best attractions to see in London. They are beautiful and just so elegant. A must see in London if you ask me.

After Peter, we were off to Harrods. Wow, talk about clothes...expensive clothes. We wandered through all the floors and after about 2 hours I had to basically pull Caitlin out of the store. Harrods is so fascinating and the whole point of the store is to get lost. We were in fashion heaven...but also fashion hell. So many beautiful dresses and clothes we which we could buy, but being study abroad college students, that was NOT  happening. We did however grab a  few sweets from the amazing bakery downstairs. You have to buy something in Harrods when in London.

Our last stop of the day was Piccadilly Circus. This is the new up and coming part of town , really well known for the Fine Arts. It reminded me alot of Chicago, which is perhaps why I loved it. Both Cait and I love people watching so I enjoyed my chocolate covered-red sprinkle-covered-raspberry filled donut and she enjoyed her brownie (I think?) on a bench while we took it all in. We were actually in LONDON, and in only a few short hours we would have to leave the fantasy world we were living and head back to Germany to actually start classes. 

We grabbed some dinner and than headed back to the apartment to gather our things. Becca and Lauren went out that night, but Cait, Hannah and myself were more concerned about getting home safely and cheaply so we took a late night bus to London Stansted airport. That evening is a blog instelf, so I guess I will end here. 

Overall, London was amazing! I got to meet all of Cait and Hannahs Elon friends, as well as experience one of the cities I have always dreamed of visiting. We survived a week of backpacking through the UK on our own and the feeling of independence was overwhelming as we headed off to the airport and discussed all we did during that week. Unbelievable. Simply Unbelieveable.