Hello Everybody!
So I am back from a FANTASTIC weekend in London. After a weekend in this spectacular city I can understand why it is considered one of the greatest cities in the world. Rae and I would be meeting all of the other kids from U of I that were studying abroad in the UK (except for the lame ones that didn't want to come) for a 'London Weekend' of sightseeing that was all paid for in our program fees...that's my kind of weekend! My weekend started off with Rae and I catching out 11:28 train to London with no problem and getting into St. Pancras International station in London.
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| On the train all ready to go! |
Now let me tell you, this train station puts Ogilvie to shame. Not only does it basically have an entire shopping mall inside it, it is also home to the EuroStar so there are people there going to other fabulous places like Paris and Brussels. Rae and I knew the tube (that's British for subway) stop that we needed to get off at to get to our hotel but didn't know how to get to our hotel from that stop so we decided it would probably be a safer bet to just take a cab. We made it to the hotel without any trouble, checked into our rooms and then met the rest of the U of I kids. Now let me tell you, after being surrounded by people for the last month that don't know what Kam's is or even know where Champaign-Urbana is in Illinois (or where Illinois is for some!) it was was SO nice to be around people that knew what I was talking about but actually a bit of an adjustment. I caught myself a couple of times beginning to explain a "U of I" thing before realizing that they would know exactly what I was talking about...it was lovely!
For dinner that night our fantastic program planners Emily and Emma took us to this place called Darbucka. It was Lebanese. Now, I haven't had Lebanese food or really any middle eastern food in, well...ever so it was an experience. Of course, being me I took pictures of every single thing that I ate. It was dark in the restaurant so looking back at the pictures that the flash went off on I'm wondering exactly what I was eating...maybe it's better to just not know! After dinner (and baklava for dessert...OMG (that means oh my gosh for those of you that didn't know) it may be my new favor it thing ever. I mean what's not to like about pastry baked with butter and sugar and nuts...NOTHING!) we headed to see a show on a theater on Tottingham Court Road. It was called Pricilla Queen of the Desert and if I had to describe it in a word...strange. Long story (2.5 hours long to be exact) short the main character was a drag queen but had a son and was going to see him for the first time and was traveling in a pink bus. Oh, and it was in Australia so the Australian-English hybrid accent was a bit difficult to decipher at times! I'm all for new experiences this semester but let's just say I will not be going back to see Pricilla for an encore viewing when mom and I take on London in April!
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| Pricilla was definitely like nothing I have ever seen before! |
Saturday was the day that I finally had the opportunity to embrace my inner tourist and take pictures (I believe I took over 250 this weekend but don't worry, I didn't post them all!) of anything and everything London. he day started off kind of funny actually. The hotel had a full English Breakfast service so I went down to eat and there was a line so I waited. Then when it was my turn I told them I just needed a table for one. They took me to my table which was basically in the corner of the room and I was thus shunned from the rest of the dining room! We had a private coach tour all for us with our faithful tour guide named Suze. Now if I were British by birth (I'm still holding out for British by marriage, don't you worry!) I would want to grow up and be just like Suze. She said cute things like blimey and rubbish like I would say cool or like! She has been a certified tour guide of London for 42 years and you can tell that she loves every second of it. Except when she has to give tours to groups of French people...she told us she doesn't like them very much!
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| Suze! After I took this she said "Now love, I am not having a very good hair day!" |
The day started off rainy so it was hard to get pictures from the bus as we were touring but we stopped at a lot of places and got to take pictures. I saw the London Bridge, London Tower, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and a LOT of red telephone booths (I waited about 2 seconds after I got home to make me in one of them my new facebook profile picture!). The sight seeing and tour around the city (fun fact: the city of London covers over 600 square miles and has 36 different boroughs) was a lot of fun but we did not really go in too many places so now I know where everything is for my next trip to the city! Sad news...the guards were not outside Buckingham Palace. Apparently when it is rainy in the winter they don't stand outside...doesn't seem like they are very good guards to me!
After our tour we had some free time for lunch. I went off with my new friend Jeri and we got some jacket potatoes (I know, I can never escape the potato!). Jacket potatoes for those of you that don't know (I didn't before I got here so don't feel bad!) are just baked potatoes with things inside. I had tuna and cheese in mine which was actually quite tasty ( and the one thing that I ate that I forgot to take a picture of..sad day!). After lunch and some tea (and a chocolate muffin that had frosting inside of it...maybe my new favorite thing after baklava) we met up with most of the group again for a scavenger hunt of the city. Now this was not just any old scavenger hunt because the winning team would win 10 pounds for each person on the team. That's a pretty nice chunk of change so Jeri and I teamed up with 3 other kids (Greg, Natalie, and Akash) and formed team Kick Ass (sorry for the name choice...the boys came up with it and since it was the only decision we were going to let them make all day we decided to just go with it!). We had 2.5 hours and a big list of things we had to figure out, take pictures with, or go and then we had to be back at the restaurant we were going to dinner at. We raced off with a determination to win. I felt like it was training for the Amazing Race (I WILL be on that show some day) and I just kept telling myself that we had to make it to the pit stop! We raced all over London and had to do some cool things like take a picture in front of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum (yes, I did pose like and Egyptian in that picture!) and talk to someone about their favorite football (soccer) team and get pictures in at least 5 red phone booths. We made it to the Albany (where we were eating dinner) just in the nick of time, handed in our sheet and pictures and waited and waited and waited for them to announce the winners. In the mean time we got our food (pictures are posted...it was SO good) and just had a really good time getting to know kids in other programs in the UK from U of I and sharing experiences and stuff. When it came time to announce the winners they said that team Kick Ass won!!! We basically all stood up and started screaming and pumping our fists in a very un-British fashion but it didn't matter because we were 10 pounds richer and had bragging rights!
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| Winner winner chicken dinner! (It's a Burns phrase!) |
Sunday we headed to London Tower and got to explore on our own. It was SO cool. My favorite part were the coronation jewels that they have on display. Crowns from kings and queens past, the ball thing that the king/queen holds during the coronation, the largest diamond in the world, the second largest diamond in the world and all of these cool things were on display for you to see. You couldn't take pictures which was sad but if you are ever in London go there! I can't even imagine the weight that a king or queen must feel on there shoulders (and not just physical weight!) during the coronation ceremony as they don the golden robes (we saw the ones that Elizabeth II wore!) and the GIGANTIC crown that is so bedazzled it looks fake. Needless to say, I was impressed and and the history of the place made me really feel that I am doing the right thing by studying history and education because I just want to share it all with everyone! After the Tower of London, Rae and I headed back to the train station via the tube to catch our trains. We were on different trains and I got into Nottingham after her so I tried to find a bus that was running so I wouldn't have to pay a taxi to bring me back to school. Now, in Nottingham, for some reason they don't think that people travel after 5 pm on a Sunday so most of the buses don't work. I spotted a bus that I recognized from campus and asked a girl in line if it would take me to school. She said "yes, that's where I'm going" so I hopped in line with her. When I went to pay the driver I gave him my money like I always do and he just looked at me... Hmm...what do I do now? Then he asked where I was going to and I said, I don't know! and just looked for the girl that had helped me out! Luckily she hadn't gone far so she told him and he gruffly gave me my ticket. I don't know what that was all about! Then as we were riding the bus I got all nervous that I missed my stop so I basically stalked the girl that helped me and watched to make sure she hadn't left! I finally got so nervous that I went up to her and said, I should still be on the bus, right? She said yes but the next stop was ours. We got of the bus and chatted. Turns out we were on the same train and stayed in the same hotel all weekend...how weird is that?!
So I made it home safe and sound and had a fantastic time! I'm sure I will think of more stories of the weekend as the day goes on but I wouldn't want to write about everything in my blog because then what would I tell you when I get home (3 months from today...crazy!)! I don't know if I will be doing any traveling until my break in April but I'm sure that I will have things to report from around Nottingham. Thanks to everyone that has been sending me packages, letters, e-mails, and facebook messages! I love having a little bit of home to treat myself to at the end of a long (and usually rainy) day over here across the pond. This past month has flown by and when I think that I have 4 weeks of class, then a month off, then a few weeks of finals and I'll be home it just blows my mind! I'm working on embracing every opportunity that presents itself to me and to reach out of my comfort zone. Can't wait to see you all soonish.
Love from London (for real! and I can't wait to go back!),
Stacey
