I just got back last night from LONDON! Though comparisons are difficult, I would say that it was definitely in the top two trips of the semester (tied with Galicia). Though the weather was chilly, the accommodations meager, and the food...well, British, we passed with flying colours.
I got in to Stansted at midnight on Wednesday, and proceeded to navigate the transportation systems all by myself - thankfully I had enough money (and my wits about me) to make it to Marc's flat, on the Queen Mary campus in the East End. After a very late night, we began our sightseeing the next day - Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the London Bridge, etc. My favorite part of the Tower of London was the crown jewel display - soooo manyyyy sparklyyyy objects! The British monarchy isn't ostentatious at all, clearly. We saw Milennium Bridge, which had a very special significance to Marc/the rest of the Harry Potter world - apparently they shot the big auror fight scene in HP5 on this bridge. As this had very little pertinence to my life, I proceeded to roll my eyes and nonchalantly stroll across. From there, we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus, where we found superbly cheap tickets to go see Avenue Q that evening! The show was amazing, despite the Brits' fake NY American accents (HA), and we both left the theatre feeling very cultured indeed. :0) That night we ate out at an Italian restaurant in a valiant attempt to avoid British cuisine. It was divine.
That day, I had one Very British Moment - coming out of the Tube (the London Underground), the sounds of a street performer playing "Imagine" wafted amongst multiple banners proclaiming "Happy Christmas!" It really hit me that I was in London!
Friday we woke up a bit earlier to go see the Globe, which was definitely a higlight of the trip for Marc and myself - between his active participation in multiple Shakespeare productions and my perpetual dorkiness, Shakespeare ranks high on our list of life priorities. We had a fabulous tour by a nice Scottish lady named Margaret, took a million pictures, and visited the gift shop, of course. After the Globe, we saw Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the Eye, Westminster Abbey (and St. Margaret's Cathedral, which we decided was the TGIFriday's of churches due to the numerous 'pieces of flair' adorning the walls), and finally, the Tate Art Museum. We returned to the flat after an exhausting day/evening (because in London, the sun begins setting at about 2 pm, no joke) to prepare dinner. I made a Spanish tortilla and Spanish-style eggplant for us, which came out excellent as per Rocio's training. Yes, I beat those eggs adequately!
Saturday was Shopping Day, but in the morning we hit up Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park. The park had a little winter carnival, which was superbly cute, and it cost us mucho trabajo to pass up the hot chocolate and roasted nut stand. We proceeded onward to Oxford Street, Harrod's, and Bond Street, which are, of course, the main shopping zones of London. Harrod's was incredible - the holiday collection was Wizard of Oz themed, and each designer had designed their own pair of ruby slippers, which were on display in bejeweled cases. It was so ostentatious that it made me want to barf - in addition to a champagne bar, 30 'eateries,' and it's own gift shop (Harrod's label for poor people), it was just overflowing with labels and tags and ribbons and bows and plush carpeting. So after being reminded time and time again of the inadequacy of our socio-economic status, we left in search of more modest stores.
Apparently we picked the right day to shop - December 5 is the 'black friday' of London, and the streets were absolutely packed with shoppers and Christmas cheer. We made a pit stop at an outdoor Christmas market before proceeding onward to my personal London favorites - the Top Shop and River Island. We had to take a break in a cafe, taking refuge in some hot chocolate and apple pie, and when the rain began, we headed home to the flat for some chicken tikka (an Indian classic) and a pub night. At the pub I had a cider black - apple cider with black currant syrup. Sooooooooo delicious! We hung out with the flatmates, one of whom was from Wales and another from Rugby, England, and chatted it up before returning home.
Sunday we went to the Brick Lane market, which was one of the more distinct markets I've been to - in addition to its world cuisine (literally), it boasted indie-boho-antique jewelry, hats, and clothing. I had quite the shopping success, though I won't say for whom!!! :0) Hilarious anecdote - I was talking with one of the artesans at her booth, and she asked me if I was American. I said yes, and she said, "I like your accent! It's a lot less jarring than most Americans!!" HAHAHAHHAHAA
It was so tough to leave - I loved being with friends from NU, and the city was a blast. On the downside, it's rawther expensive (frickin pound!), a little chilly, and all the stylish Londoners make me feel bad about my dress. But here I am, back in Sevilla and on the downhill run. I leave two weeks from today, and I have four exams to begin studying for...let's be honest, that's absolutely the LAST thing that I want to be doing when I have so little time left. I'll make the most of it - tomorrow is the festival of the inmaculada, aka celebrating the divine conception, so I'll probably head to the cathedral for some very Catholic goings-on.
Much love!x
(because apparently the Brits all sign their messages with an x at the end)
I got in to Stansted at midnight on Wednesday, and proceeded to navigate the transportation systems all by myself - thankfully I had enough money (and my wits about me) to make it to Marc's flat, on the Queen Mary campus in the East End. After a very late night, we began our sightseeing the next day - Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the London Bridge, etc. My favorite part of the Tower of London was the crown jewel display - soooo manyyyy sparklyyyy objects! The British monarchy isn't ostentatious at all, clearly. We saw Milennium Bridge, which had a very special significance to Marc/the rest of the Harry Potter world - apparently they shot the big auror fight scene in HP5 on this bridge. As this had very little pertinence to my life, I proceeded to roll my eyes and nonchalantly stroll across. From there, we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus, where we found superbly cheap tickets to go see Avenue Q that evening! The show was amazing, despite the Brits' fake NY American accents (HA), and we both left the theatre feeling very cultured indeed. :0) That night we ate out at an Italian restaurant in a valiant attempt to avoid British cuisine. It was divine.
That day, I had one Very British Moment - coming out of the Tube (the London Underground), the sounds of a street performer playing "Imagine" wafted amongst multiple banners proclaiming "Happy Christmas!" It really hit me that I was in London!
Friday we woke up a bit earlier to go see the Globe, which was definitely a higlight of the trip for Marc and myself - between his active participation in multiple Shakespeare productions and my perpetual dorkiness, Shakespeare ranks high on our list of life priorities. We had a fabulous tour by a nice Scottish lady named Margaret, took a million pictures, and visited the gift shop, of course. After the Globe, we saw Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the Eye, Westminster Abbey (and St. Margaret's Cathedral, which we decided was the TGIFriday's of churches due to the numerous 'pieces of flair' adorning the walls), and finally, the Tate Art Museum. We returned to the flat after an exhausting day/evening (because in London, the sun begins setting at about 2 pm, no joke) to prepare dinner. I made a Spanish tortilla and Spanish-style eggplant for us, which came out excellent as per Rocio's training. Yes, I beat those eggs adequately!
Saturday was Shopping Day, but in the morning we hit up Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park. The park had a little winter carnival, which was superbly cute, and it cost us mucho trabajo to pass up the hot chocolate and roasted nut stand. We proceeded onward to Oxford Street, Harrod's, and Bond Street, which are, of course, the main shopping zones of London. Harrod's was incredible - the holiday collection was Wizard of Oz themed, and each designer had designed their own pair of ruby slippers, which were on display in bejeweled cases. It was so ostentatious that it made me want to barf - in addition to a champagne bar, 30 'eateries,' and it's own gift shop (Harrod's label for poor people), it was just overflowing with labels and tags and ribbons and bows and plush carpeting. So after being reminded time and time again of the inadequacy of our socio-economic status, we left in search of more modest stores.
Apparently we picked the right day to shop - December 5 is the 'black friday' of London, and the streets were absolutely packed with shoppers and Christmas cheer. We made a pit stop at an outdoor Christmas market before proceeding onward to my personal London favorites - the Top Shop and River Island. We had to take a break in a cafe, taking refuge in some hot chocolate and apple pie, and when the rain began, we headed home to the flat for some chicken tikka (an Indian classic) and a pub night. At the pub I had a cider black - apple cider with black currant syrup. Sooooooooo delicious! We hung out with the flatmates, one of whom was from Wales and another from Rugby, England, and chatted it up before returning home.
Sunday we went to the Brick Lane market, which was one of the more distinct markets I've been to - in addition to its world cuisine (literally), it boasted indie-boho-antique jewelry, hats, and clothing. I had quite the shopping success, though I won't say for whom!!! :0) Hilarious anecdote - I was talking with one of the artesans at her booth, and she asked me if I was American. I said yes, and she said, "I like your accent! It's a lot less jarring than most Americans!!" HAHAHAHHAHAA
It was so tough to leave - I loved being with friends from NU, and the city was a blast. On the downside, it's rawther expensive (frickin pound!), a little chilly, and all the stylish Londoners make me feel bad about my dress. But here I am, back in Sevilla and on the downhill run. I leave two weeks from today, and I have four exams to begin studying for...let's be honest, that's absolutely the LAST thing that I want to be doing when I have so little time left. I'll make the most of it - tomorrow is the festival of the inmaculada, aka celebrating the divine conception, so I'll probably head to the cathedral for some very Catholic goings-on.
Much love!x
(because apparently the Brits all sign their messages with an x at the end)
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