This past week and a half has literally
been mad. I have been going from here to
there to everywhere in London. It’s
crazy how much of London I actually haven’t seen yet, and I’ve already been
here for about three months. Ever since
getting back from Madrid, I have been working on homework or hanging out with
my many visitors! My friend Kenzie came
from her study abroad program in Scarborough as well as my friend Kayla from
good ol Wisconsin. Kenzie came on
Thursday and Kayla arrived on Saturday, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t stopped
since they arrived. Even though I feel
like I’m going crazy as the days go by, it’s SO nice having my best friends in
London town with me. Here is what I’ve
been showing them, what I’ve been exploring for the first time, and some fun
memories the past week has brought.
Before
my friends came, I decided to do a little bit of exploring by myself. A few of my friends from my program went out
for sushi, and it was delicious! I
hadn’t had sushi since being home, so it was a great treat. The first day Kenzie was in town, I
unfortunately was studying and doing school work. I went to my favorite local coffee shop and
got caught up on some reading! After, I
happened to walk by the local Anthropologie.
Bad decision. I ended up trying
on dresses I didn’t need and thankfully walked out without breaking the
bank. The rest of the day Kenzie and I
treated ourselves to macarons from a bakery nearby, and we celebrated National
Macaron Day the right way. Why it’s not
a universal holiday is a mystery to me.
On
Saturday, Kayla arrived! I brought the
girls to one of the most well known markets I had yet to go to: Borough.
For the past month or so I kept on seeing these donuts from that market,
and I finally had the chance to sink my teeth into that delicious item. Thank you Bake Well. Thank you.
In between Kayla geeking out over all of the sights in London, we walked
around the market, bought German sausages, visited Covent Garden, and just had
fun. Having the chance to show my
friends around my favorite city, which happens to be my home, was one of the
best feelings in the world. I love
having favorite markets, favorite restaurants, and favorite spots.
Sunday was such a fun day. I visited not one, not two, but three markets
I had never been to. We headed off to
Shoreditch, which is basically like the hipster central of London. There is street art everywhere, smells of
authentic and exotic food, and A LOT of people.
First we started off at Brick Lane Market where we walked around and
finally caved and bought food. I had
freshly made falafel with a salad, and it was delicious. The next market on the list was a local
flower market. It was insane. There were men yelling, “two for a fiver,”
and I could barely walk through the street.
I ended up buying the most beautiful yellow and pink tulips, and I may
or may not have bought them to match my jacket of the day. The rest of the day was spent walking
aimlessly around Spittafields Market, but by that time we were all so
tired. We ended the night with a feast
of cookies, brownies, donuts, ice cream, flap jacks, and the quality movie of
Passport to Paris.
Just when I thought the days
couldn’t get busier, Monday arrived. We
took the tube to Westminster, and the busy day began there. Walking up from the tube station, Big Ben
awaited us, and I still took a ton of pictures even though I’ve seen it plenty
of times before. I’m just trying to soak
it all in before I have to go back home.
After that we walked along the Thames, passed the London Eye, and found
ourselves in need of food. I took Kayla
and Kenzie to my favorite pizza place in the city, and it was devoured. After lunch we walked around the National
Gallery where I saw the origin of the flower crown movement and a painting of
Kirk from Gilmore Girls. The rest of the
night consisted of attending a service at Westminster Abbey and finally going
into the London Eye. If you ever go to
London, you have to go up in the London Eye.
It was well worth the wait and going up at night is so much better than
during the day. Even though my feet felt
like they were going to fall off at the end of the day, it was worth it. Also, day by day I’m pretty sure I’m finding
my calling as a tour guide in London.
Tuesday was spent in class and
planning Paris. The girls occupied
themselves by going to the Victoria and Albert Museum, but thankfully I was
able to meet them later on in the day.
The day ended by eating in Chinatown, and enjoying time with my friends.
On Wednesday, the day began at Buckingham Palace. I almost froze to death, but it’s all worth
it to see a band play. Right? It was actually more fun watching the videos
I took after, but that’s beside the point.
The real fun part about Wednesday was nonchalantly seeing the
queen. THAT’S RIGHT. I SAW THE QUEEN. She drove by in a carriage, and now my bucket
list for London in complete. After
freaking out, I went to Harrods and found the best place on earth: shoe
heaven. Yes, that’s a thing. Although it would be more of a heaven if it
was a bunch of designer shoes that were free.
The rest of the day consisted of walking around Hyde Park, shopping in
Soho, and packing for Paris!
This past week has been insane, but
I would do it again in a heartbeat. It
has been so much fun showing my friends around the city and having an excuse to
visit all of my favorite spots over again.
I love having people around who understand my sarcasm, and respond with
even more sarcastic comments. Sharing my
twin bed, living in cramped quarters, and dealing with a mess of a room has
created some of the best memories, and I can’t imagine having a more wonderful
time. This weekend I’m heading to Paris,
and I seriously can’t wait! After
visiting this past summer, it will be so much fun to spend more time and enjoy
the city of lights even more. My next
post will be filled with pictures of croissants, macarons, escargot, and sights
of Paris so stay tuned! Au revoir!
