And I thought college visits were for high schoolers

So I think I might transfer...providing Oxford accepts me, that is. This morning, Steph, Chrissy and I decided to go on a day trip to Oxford in search of the perfect university sweatshirt. And to see the third oldest University in the world.

We started with lunch at the news café, a cute little café that was painted blue on the outside and inside had magazines and newspapers to read with pictures of people reading the newspaper all around. Then we set off exploring through the beautiful buildings. We quickly found a bookstore to buy our hoodies. And later we found the University press, where they have Oxford dictionaries…yes this is where they come from, amazing I know. We definitely had our geeky moments looking through the bookstore.

But the buildings were beautiful and around every corner we were gasping and wondering why it is we live in Indiana when places like this exist. It’s just crazy to think how long this place has been a University and even some of the shops said things like, “established 1736” – before our country even existed. I know this shouldn’t be new to me because this is how a lot of England and Europe is, but it just hit me again today.

The London Reality Show that is my life

Friday night or "Britain's Got Talent" - class is over and our last full London weekend has begun. Caitlin, Danielle and I get ready and head to barfly in Camden, where we are on the "short list" aka the cover is cheaper, for Danielle's co-worker's boyfriend's band MOK.

Inside, the 7 p.m. World Cup game is ending and the bar is filled, so we walk through the side door and tell the bouncer our names (I have to admit - I felt kind of cool getting my name checked off the list.) and then head upstairs. A opener band was already playing. Then during the break, I noticed a man in a crazy sweater - turns out to the boyfriend of Danielle's co-worker Dolcie who found Danielle and explained the band - an indie band, but the lead singer is a rapper....interesting.

And when they started that was the best way to explain the band...interesting. We ended up leaving and going downstairs for a drink followed by fantastic tasting falafel at a stand down the street.

Saturday or "Jersey Shore, the British version" - last journalism school excursion to Brighton. The town is how I imagine the Jersey shore to be. But of course, classy because it's British.

The Brighton pier is great and filled with food, games and rides. We walked up and down and admired it all. I ended up eating crepes with ham and cheese and ice cream on the pier (not together of course) And then we made Sean ride the mechanical bull...which was great fun.

Danielle and I also did some shopping and walked around the Royal Pavilion. It was unlike any other royal housing place/castle I had seen. The pavilion was "oriental" style, by Englishmen in the 1700s who had never been to Asia. But it was beautiful and filled with bamboo and elaborate chandeliers. And it was so cool to see some of the original wallpaper and other things.

Later we laid out on the beach that wasn't sand but all stones. It was surprisingly comfortable and it was nice to remember that it is almost July and summer. I actually got a little tan too!

Then it was off to a pub to watch the US and Ghana game.

I. am. exhausted.

After the epic day at Wimbledon, today was a sleepy one. And even though all I want to do is sleep, I'm trying to get as much as I can done for work and class so that I don't have to spend my last days in London in the flat working.
I can't believe next week is our last week in London - two weeks from today I will be home in Indiana, half a world away. Crazy. And there is still so much to do. However, I am excited to have the extra few days for fun and to show mom around this city that I know so well now.

After work today, I went to the Bank of England museum to get information for my article for work and it was really cool and interesting.

Fun fact of the day - the exchange rate was created when several countries adopted the gold standard. Then, the rate was based on the amount of gold in your 1 unit coin. So for example, there was 486% more gold in 1 pound than in 1 dollar so the exchange rate was 1 pound = $4.86.

Then I was leaving and what did I see? More of the Play Me, I'm Yours pianos! I really want to have time next week to write a scene piece about them, because I'm kinda obsessed.(as you can tell by the additional picture)

Then later it was time for birthday shakes for Megan's birthday at Tinsletown with the group, where I got a Mint Aero shake (yum!)

Love Wimbledon

I officially completed a life goal. Never, ever did I think I would make it to Wimbledon, let alone have seats in the eighth row of Court #2. I was just hoping to go see the grounds during this trip, but Wednesday was so much better than that.

Biz and I left the flats around 4:40 a.m. to see our bus pulling away, without us on it. So we started walking to the tube and Biz hailed us a cab and we made it to Waterloo Station in time for the first train at 5 a.m. From the Wimbledon station, it was about a 30 minute walk until we found the queue and got our queue cards around 6:15 a.m.…numbers 1366 and 1367.

Then came the magic moment, the Wimbledon steward (who helped people queue) told the people in the queue behind us that the first 500 people in line got centre court tickets, the next 500 got court #1 and we got court #2! I was going to be on a show court at Wimbledon! I couldn’t believe it.

So we stood in the queue until around 8 a.m. when they gave us our wristbands for Court #2. Then it was more line waiting in the Wimbledon golf court, until we could buy our tickets and go in. After looking at the order of play, we went to the shop and then waited for the grounds to open at 10:30 a.m.

When the courts opened, we wandered through the open courts to where a few players were warming up. And who was there warming up? Oh Andy Roddick. Not a big deal at all!

After freaking out and taking tons of pictures, we wandered through the courts and grounds more, keeping our eyes open for a court that might have Venus or Roger Federer on it warming up. But we didn’t see them so it was off to court #2 to find our seats.
The seats were amazing. We were 8th row, on the side of the court. First up was Justine Henin! She won with ease. And although the tennis was great, so was all around it. there were ball boys or girls in blue Ralph Lauren polos on each of the 4 corners of the court and 2 at the net. Then there were 5 line judges on each side of the net. The judges were all dressed in cream pants (or long skirts for women) and blue button down shirts with cream hats and as each point started they would put their hands on their thighs and bend to watch the lines.

After Justine, we watched Gael Monfils and Karol Beck. It was a long match, but so good. And Monfils is such a good player! During the next match, we decided to go exploring and get the classic Wimbledon strawberries and cream with PIMMS to drink. But on our way to the food, we passed Serena and Venus’s mom coming out of centre court! She was inches from us!

We then explored centre court and to my surprise, when we asked if we could sneak in to take a quick picture, the guard let us! He even told us to go down the steps and he took a picture of us. So then we asked to see Court #1 and we couldn’t stay long, but we did see Federer on a change over!

Back at Court #2, there was a men’s singles match that we watched the end of and then it was #4 Jelena Jankovic against #60 Aleksandra Wozniak. It was actually a close match, but Jelena ended up winning. But during that match, they would show the scores of other matches on the scoreboard and that’s when we saw it….the longest tennis match ever. They were in the 5th set and had to win by 2. They ended up stopping because it was too dark at 59 games all….10 hours in. They finished the match on Thursday with a total of 11 hours of play. Crazy! And we saw them walk off court.

We went home tired, hungry and sunburned. But it was totally worth it to see the Wimbledon tournament!

“I’m yours” – Sounds like a Jason Mraz song to me

After work on Tuesday, I went to the Tate Modern because I hadn’t been back since we went in the beginning of the trip and it was still on my to-do list. Although I’m not much for modern art, it was still really cool to walk around for an hour or two. The pop art displays were my favorite. I really liked the propaganda posters and the Andy Warhol displays. But the best part was walking out and seeing this piano, just chilling at the end of Millennium bridge. It was part of the city of London festival and had the words, “Play Me…I’m Yours” painted on it. I watched as one group would go up and play around and then another group would stand nearby ready to pounce and take their turn. I finally got my turn and snapped a few pictures.

Amazing Race, Ireland style.

It began Saturday morning at 9 a.m. We met in Biz and Kamilla’s flat and walked to the Chancery Lane tube stop because our tube stop was closed. When we got to Baker Street we boarded our Easy Bus and talked to our Bangladeshi driver all the way there. Here’s what I learned:

- He was horrified when I told him that I didn’t want to leave London and go back to the U.S. and that I had never been to New York.
- He asked how close Indiana was to Hollywood and even though we explained it was far away, he wanted to know if we saw movie stars all the time.
- He thought all American roads are two lanes.
- If you compliment the city bus driver, he will let you off at a light or not a stop if you ask nicely.
Then it was off to Ryanair, which you board by going up the stairs a la important politicans on TV. When we got to Dublin, we wanted a cab but the cabbie quoted us nearly double what we were told it would cost, so we opted for the bus.

It dropped us off near the hostel and here’s what we did from there:

Day 1
-Check into hostel and almost score free tour because we are staying 3 nights, then realize we are only staying two, but decide to sign up for the tour anyway
-Walk into our 12 person room to find an American flag draped across the bunk beds and sorority letters in the bathroom.
-Go exploring to the famous Temple Bar area where we find a pub with the most amazing brazed beef stew. (It was cooked with Guinness.) We also drink our first Guinness in Ireland and watch Galic hurling on TV. (We were expecting the World Cup.)
-Continue to wander in and out of pubs to find that the Irish in the touristy areas really like to sing Sweet Home Alabama. Also we eat amazing Bailey’s cheesecake and text Lesa to hang out with us. (She never responds.)
-Go to explore Trinty College, only to be locked in and then led out by some nice Irish girl named Laura and her swipe card to the gates.
-Finish at the hostel only to have our hostel mates come in around 3 a.m., screaming “Look! The newbies are here!” Also, learn from there conversations that they wanted to smother Stephen when he snored.

Day 2
-Continue to overhear the hostel mates to find out they are from UGA, fratastic and leaving that day.
-Get on a bus with our tour guide Helen, who is Irish but lived in Texas for a while.
-Go to Glendaloch and explore the 6th century monistary. And then climb a mountain, see two lakes and a waterfall. Not a big deal. Oh and we played in the lake.
-Take the bus on an extremely bumpy road so Biz and I are jumping out of our seats
-Eat at the hostel BBQ and have burgers with American burger sauce aka Big Mac sauce.
-Go to the Jameson distillery, learn how whiskey is made, have a Jameson and cranberry juice and then watch Anna & Kamilla drink Irish coffees
-Then go explore Dublin including St. Patrick’s cathedral and more pubs. We find Lesa, her parents and Allen in a pub called “the hairy lemon.”
-Finish the night at an American style diner and then go back to the hostel and meet our roommates

Day 3
-wake up and go to full Irish breakfast with the brotrip a.k.a the four guys that replaced our UGA roommates. They were super cool and had just graduated from UCLA and were on a month tour of Europe.
-take the brotrip with us the Guinness Factory where we learned to pour the perfect pint (it’s official – I have a certificate that said I succeeded!)
-Leave the brotrip a half an hour late, luck out and take a taxi to the hostel and airport.
-Land in London to find a huge line for customs, but we are given a pass and we arrive at our bus with 6 minutes to spare
-go straight to the Globe to watch Henry VIII and eat ice cream
Race Complete.

Check, check and check

Today, my to-do list loved me. My stomach however, did not.
It all began with a traditional English breakfast, item #1 checked off my oh-my-god-I-only-have-two-weeks-left list. Danielle, Biz and I went to a little cafe across from the print shop and asked for the traditional breakfast. We got toast, hash browns, bacon (aka fried ham), baked beans, sausage and a fried egg - all covered in a layer of grease. I ate almost all of it and walking to class, my stomach felt like it was one of those oil spill covered birds minus the feathers. So much grease!

During class we watched a documentary about secret CIA prison flights and the producer came in to talk with us about investigative journalism. She was great and talked about really going after the story - never take no for an answer and to "squeeze every opportunity like a lemon"

Class got out early so we could watch the US game for the world cup. A bunch of us went to a nearby pub ad watched the game. We had fun cheering with the British people next to us who were also cheering for the US. And the game was actually kind of exciting - which is saying a lot since I normally think soccer/football is boring.

Next we went to the London Eye. Although it was raining, we had a lot of fun and London is so pretty. I took so many pictures of Parliament and Big Ben because it's beautiful! Check - item #2

Danielle and I then took the tube to Victoria & Albert museum. Another amazing museum. We started off in the Grace Kelly exhibit and walked through to see all her dresses. Then it was the rest of the fashion display - including shoes! ekk! And the architecture display, which had models of things that we saw in Rome. Plus there was the nest of books. It was a staircase that turned, so like a spiral staircase with platforms, and all around it was books - 6,000 to be exact. We were in awe and the man who was in charge of the display knew it. Are you two avid readers? uh-huh we nodded.
so there was item #3 - check.

Now by this point it was close to 10 p.m. and I hadn't ate since breakfast. And when we got back to Farringdon and to the pub to meet Tom's girlfriend who is in town, we ordered drinks. Which wouldn't be bad - but I was starving and the kitchen was closed. So it was a trip to Farringdon grill for food and then off to pack for Dublin!

So get on a train and go somewhere

So I have this secret (sometimes not so secret) obsession with trains. I sort of love them. So when I found out there was a transportation museum in London, I’ve wanted to go for the last…oh 5 and ½ weeks or so. And today, I went.

It was the coolest museum, possibly ever. First you start off in a lift aka elevator aka time machine! We got in and above the doors was the year and then as we went up to the second floor, the years rolled back to 1800 and when the doors opened, we could hear the clip-clop of horses and there were stage coaches (as I type that, I realize that’s probably the American version, but that’s what they looked like – the British called them “horse omnibuses.” But they were complete with horses and fake people riding and driving them. And this continued – with the Victorian trains and the tube from the 1970’s complete with passengers in bellbottoms and ads for platform shoes. It went all the way up to the current tube that we take almost every day. And there weren’t just trains, but double-decker buses too!

And another reason I wanted to go was for the amazing “tube art” or train posters. In one room was the coolest art display ever. It was a slideshow on a projector, but it started on the floor and raced up to the screen and was filled with art, photos and even typeface. I think I stood there for a solid 20 minutes. Brilliant!

Heaven is the 4th floor of New Look Department Store

After work today, I came home to meet Chrissy and we ventured to Oxford Circus for some intense shopping. Oxford Circus is the Michigan Avenue of London, except better because there are so many more stores where I would actually buy things. Plus the British department stores are huge. They all have like 4 levels and sometimes a place to eat. New Look had a Starbucks in it and Topshop had an EAT. How Brilliant! Also, New Look may be the smartest store of all time. The entire 4th floor was shoes and purses. (I was in love) And there were giant high heel shaped chairs to sit in to try the shoes on.

Naturally, I bought a pair of shoes. I’m actually surprised I’ve gone this long without buying shoes. Plus….they’re only size 8 thanks to UK sizes.

Later, floor 5 and Stephen went for dinner with Lesa and Allen. We went to a Japanese Restaurant at St. Katherine’s Docks by the Tower of London. It was so good and so much food! My favorite was this duck mango and rice roll (it had a real name but I have no idea what that is) and the dessert – banana and chocolate rolls with blueberry ice cream. Kamilla and Caitlin order this “flowering” tea. It was literally a flower bud that when hot water was poured on it, it opened up and the water turned to tea.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Oh, and Tuesday too…

Saturday was Leeds Castle and Canterbury. We got to the castle before it opened and took our time walking through the grounds up to the castle. There were birds everywhere. There were beautiful peacocks including a beautiful albino one. It was beautiful, but it kept shaking because it was angry at the pigeons nearby. (Another reason I loved it, we both hate pigeons). Inside the castle were the rooms of the royals who lived there and upstairs was decorated how it was in the 1950s when a different woman lived there. Then it was off to Canterbury. The town is known for its cathedral and the pilgrims who came there. Now, it’s lots of little shops. We ate lunch at a little pub and then Steph, Danielle and I went to the animated Canterbury Tales. It was cheesy with the people that popped up out of nowhere, but the tales were fun and it was Canterbury.

Afterward, we went back to London and watched the USA v. England Football game at a Pub. When we first walked in, all the tables were booked, but we managed to snag the couches right in front of the screen. So although it wasn’t super rowdy, we had a great view of the game. We went back to the flat and hung out, then we decided to go to Lesa and sing to her in her flat.

On Sunday, we slept in and then I decided I wanted to go to the grocery store because I was almost out of food. So Maggie and I walked to the big Sainsbury’s Grocery store, only to find out it doesn’t open until 11a.m. But we did find the Chapel street market and bought strawberries and nectarines instead. And on the way home, we bought meringue.

Then we went Spitalfields market, which might be my favorite market so far. There were so many aisles of clothes, jewelry and food. It was wonderful. We walked through most of the market and then decided to take a break and go to Brick Lane, which is known for its curry. Two of the best curry places were right next to each other and they fought to give us a good deal. We ended up getting drinks, a starter and curry with rice for £6.95. We were the only ones in the restaurant, but it was so good. Afterward, we went back to the market, finished it and made our purchases.

Later, we decided to go to mass at Westminster Cathedral. It was literally between office buildings and was brick. It kind of reminded me of a train station. But the mass was quick and we were able to look around a bit before we left.

On Monday, we had our visit to the Telegraph. I. AM. IN. LOVE. The newsroom was beautiful and arranged so perfectly. And once again the speaker was great and encouraging. Then we went to Westminster Abbey. It was one of the most beautiful places ever. I saw the tombs of kings and queens, Handel, Isaac Newton, and Jane Austen. So a-mazing. Plus we saw the coronation chair where kings and queens have been crowned since the 1000s.

Next was dinner at a Portuguese place for Steph’s birthday, followed by Les Mis. It was beautiful, but very sad and depressing. I do want to read the book now. And finally, today was work again and after work, Chrissy and I went shopping to all the different secondhand and antique bookstores. And later, a few of us met Alex Farris who has been in Spain for the last semester for drinks at a pub on Fleet Street. The street is known for journalism, so we thought it was appropriate.

Ok, so I’m finally caught up now.

Spanish dancing in London

I knew the minute I didn't blog everyday (aka when I went to Rome because I didn't have internet) I would have a hard time blogging everyday again. And as my posts show...I was right. So here's a recap of the last few days.
Thursday - Work and then more work. Since our projects were due for class on Friday. Our flat (along with every other flat it seemed)stayed in and worked. We worked until we went crazy singing Disney songs, eating oreos and drinking wine.
Friday - after all the presentations and the exhaustion we have put our feet through in the last 6 weeks, not to mention just in Rome alone, Danielle and I decided we would get pedicures because your feet deserved it. So after class, we set out on a trek to find the London Beauty College and its 13 pound pedicures. And we did - only about 45 minutes after it closed. So we went back to the flats on our poor feet.
But Friday night - we were ready to celebrate Caitlin's birthday. So after getting ready in the flats in true girly style - hair straighteners, heels, borrowing clothes and purses, music blasting - flats 9 & 10 (plus Megan and Steph) were ready. We started at the Salisbury, were Caitlin's "husband" was. And when we left, she was on cloud 9 because he had spoke to her. And then as we wandered around we found this great Spanish place with dancing and no cover. We had so much fun dancing, but sadly had to leave before lots of people got there. But last stop was Tinsletown for milkshakes. I got snickers and it was wonderous. We even ran into Flat 5 who was also there.

“I get by with a little help from my friends”

It was an exhausting weekend. We didn’t get back from Rome until after 1 a.m. and work was the next day at 9 a.m. So needless to say, I didn’t have much time to upload all my pictures and blog. And if Tuesday would have been my day to catch up, but yesterday was not just any Tuesday.

It was Brian & Caitlin’s birthday.

So how does EPS celebrate? By dressing up and going out to an Italian dinner followed by £2 Tiramisu, £1 Chocolate cake, fudge, champagne and wine while singing everything from the Beatles and Cher to the Backstreet Boys, of course. We all crammed into flat 9 (including Lesa) and spent the night singing our hearts out and catching up with everyone from the weekend apart. (And maybe we were putting off our group projects too)
But of course, that didn’t help how tired I was. So today, after work I took a nap before heading to Farringdon grill to pick up dinner and updating my blog and working on that project.

How can I put this city into words? More importantly…without writing a novel-length post.

3:30 a.m. Saturday. I wake up to Amanda asking when I was going to get up. Thank god I had packed & showered before bed because I had slept through my alarm and had just enough time to get ready and run out the door as Danielle was waiting anxiously because the taxi had called her to say it was here already…twice.

So after a successful taxi ride to the airport and flight to Rome, we got to tourist information, who told us to take a bus to the city. But it left before we got to it so we took a taxi. A taxi that:

1) Drove on the right side of the road and I didn’t notice until like 10 minutes into the ride.
2) The windows were down all the way – the whole time – at like 90 miles an hour
3) And the driver, oh yeah, he talked on his headset phone in Italian the whole time.

But we got to the city and after some mass confusion found the hostel and Lindsey, who had taken the train from Florence to meet us and may have gotten off at the wrong station. But we found her and went to the hostel. It had the biggest doors I’ve ever seen and the woman was so excited to hear Lindsey spoke Italian…and then sad to hear she was only there for the day.

Then it was on the metro train to the Vatican museum. Inside was filled with statue after statue of muses and roman gods and the most beautiful ceilings I had ever seen. And then, at the end, was the Sistine Chapel. We couldn’t take pictures so I bought a few postcards. It was so beautiful and intricate and I just wanted to stand and stare forever.

Next, was Old Bridge gelato, which is some of the best gelato in Rome according to Lindsey’s friends. Not only did we order in Italian, but it’s common to get 2 flavors in one cone…brilliant right? So I ordered chocolate chip and mint (and when we went again on Sunday, I got chocolate and rum cream yum!)

Then it was the Trevi Fountain, which may be the prettiest place in the entire world. I threw in two coins, which means I will return to Rome and find a new romance so I threw one with a British coin and one American coin to diversify my options. I also made sure we say this everyday we were there.

We took Lindsey to the Colosseum so she could see it before she left and it is literally right outside the train station. That’s how the whole city is. We were just walking along and it was “hello Roman ruins” or “Hello giant monument.” We ate dinner across the street on a 2nd floor terrace that overlooked the Colosseum. Not a big deal.
We were exhausted, so we ended the night with cannoli and 44 cent liters of water. (Such a good idea – why don’t we have that in the States?) And went back to our summer camp hostel with the tiniest showers ever.

Day 2 – Sunday and St. Peter’s Basilica. Mass in the Basilica in Italian. Tombs of the popes including John Paul II and St. Peter. And over 300 steps to the top of the copula. And they weren’t just steps. It was spiral staircases and slanted staircases with slanted hallways that if they were any more slanted I wouldn’t of fit. But the view was all of Rome.

Dinner was in a piazza with a beautiful fountain and delicious food. At the restaurant, they gave us lemon liquor that is an after dinner drink. It was like drinking pure lemon sugar water. Then, we went exploring and found a bar to have drinks where the bartenders were crazy and danced all around us.

Day 3 – The Colosseum was amazing and all around it was the Roman ruins including several temples, arches and the Roman Forum. It was crazy to walk through all of the ancient ruins. So we went shopping and then took the train the airport. The train had little glass rooms a la Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express.

Three days was really the perfect amount to see everything we wanted to see and not be rushed. And I still can’t believe I was really in Rome.

British Treasures

Fridays mean class. But today, our teacher Keith wasn't there so we had a guest speaker and watched a movie.
The speaker was Tom Felton who is the cutest old man journalist ever. He was a foreign correspondent for almost 50 years and has been everywhere from the Middle East to France to Russia.He was really cool to hear from and made me wish I could have been a part of the old-school journalism days.
Then it was off to the British Museum. How overwhelming! It was filled with artifacts from all throughout history including mummies from Egypt and the Rosetta Stone. But my favorite part was actually outside the museum. It was a garden that was filled South African plants. Super Pretty!
Then it was off to Covent Gardens to buy last minute things for our trip to Rome! Which I leave for in about, oh four hours. Which also means that I can't blog until Monday.
So I'm off to Rome - land of the Romans & the Vatican!

Some days you're famous

So today, I went home to my flat and was sitting online reading my e-mail, when a message from Danielle pops up: Your face is in a newspaper in our flat. Yep, that's right. Turns our Biz is a journalism superstar and she ended up writing the story and paper also used her photos about curry fest. Including the one of me being a cheese ball. Lovely. Speaking of lovely, we had dinner with Lesa tonight and it was wonderous.

I only worked half a day at work today. So I spent the afternoon in the courtyard of St. Paul's reading and eating my lunch, watching the tourists go by. Then I became a tourist and went on a tour about the blitz. Although it was really long, it was pretty interesting, especially the churches that were bombed and now the foundations are gardens. That was my favorite. Also a sign I found, "12 disciples wanted to start congregation" What?

And speaking of...Rome in less than 48 hours!

Walks through London

I love the randomness of the city. The way I seem to just become swept up in it. The sun was so bright and shinning so after dinner I couldn't help it and we decided to go for a walk, which turned into a walk, then a trip to the grocery store followed by singing.
What I love about London is how the old is mixed with the new. The buildings can be brand new or from the 1800s and right next to each other. So cool.

After work today, I was walking home and was stopped by a man who was leaving the tube station and he asked if I knew where St. Bart's Hospital was. I didn't and I told him sorry but no. (Imagine his surprise when he heard my American accent!) But the best part was just the fact that I was stopped on the street because looked like a true Londoner. It's a sign that I do fit in.

The Rain in London

Today was a rainy day in London. It was the kind of day that I was expecting in London. But it was perfect because it only rained when I was inside and not when I was walking to or from work. But once I got back, it started raining harder. So I put in Love Actually and ate some biscuits (aka cookies) as the rain came down outside.

Later, we booked our tickets for the Vatican Museum so that we don’t have to wait in the long lines before seeing the museum and the Sistine Chapel. But, sad day – The Pope will be in Cyprus when we are in Rome. But that won’t stop me from going to mass at the Vatican!

Epic in the East End

So on bank holidays in the US, pretty much the only thing that closes are well, the banks. But in London, everything closes. Even the newspapers are closed. The free commuter ones too! But of course that didn’t stop Biz and I for exploring and adventuring.

We started off by trying to go to the ATM. Silly, me it was out of service for the holiday. But that was ok because we were on our way to the free curry fest in the east end where Biz works. So we hopped on the tube, but not before we saw two random police officers riding horses down the street. (The horses here are huge – think Clydesdale but not)

The east end of London is mainly Bengali. And the tub station comes right out into a street market selling everything from food and candy to clothes and shoes. It was really fun to walk through the street and see a culture so different from my own. There were several shops filled with Middle Eastern dress and scarves I would have loved to go in. But the interesting thing was, that as different as the east end is from Indiana, I never felt uncomfortable or as if I was being stared at for being there. I think that really speaks to their culture.

As we walked, Biz played tour guide and showed me the highlights of the area – the Royal London Hospital (with the best trauma center in the city), The East London Mosque (the largest Mosque in the city – and it has separate doors for men and women) and the store from the 1500s where the Liberty bell was made. We finally found Curry Fest in a courtyard of some pubs and were able to try several types of curry. The first one was really hot but my favorite was the last one that had peanuts in it. There was also a dance performance (see photo) were I practiced my journalism photo skills and Biz did both photos and video for her project.

Although the curry was delicious, we were still hungry and stopped at Tesco for the sandwich, crisps (aka potato chips) and a drink for £2 meal. But here was the catch – the crisps were interesting to say the least. Mine (smoky bacon) tasted how I would imagine bacon dog treats to taste and I am fully convinced could be used as a bacon substitute, they tasted that much like bacon. Biz bought German Bratwurst Sausage crisps and they were more interesting. Every once in a while it would taste like sausage, but mostly it tasted like the smell of cold Easter sausage from Javorski’s. But it was crispy. Interesting. But Biz and I are ready to keep trying the World Cup flavors that the German crisps were a part of (This includes American Cheeseburger, English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding and Brazil Salsa) and even try mixing them all together a la Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.

Our final adventure of the day was the Jack the Ripper walking tour of the East End. Biz and I decided that when we move to London to work we will moonlight as walking tour guides. It will be brilliant! Our tour guide told us she has had 14 people faint on the tours because of the gruesome murder details and as she was describing the 3rd murder – she got #15 from this middle school Spanish girl. But the tour was really cool and she led us through the alleyways and by the buildings that were in the east end during the murders in 1888. (see photo) We even saw two of the murder sites. Also, she told us that the case is still open, and about 70 people continue to work on it today.

From Anne Boleyn to the Beatles

Today we did London. And by did London, I mean we saw it all. It was defiantly a great way to get in as much as possible for Lindsey and Larry before they left. We started off at the Tower of London. As I gazed around at the tower, it was so hard to believe that this was a real tower that once had a moat around it and was filled with kings and queens. It seemed fake. But it was as real as it gets. The Tower is also where the crown jewels are kept, including the world’s largest cut diamond. As I watched the video of the Queen’s coronation, it was crazy to see all the jewels she had piled on her. They were so big and glamorous.

After the tower, we had lunch at a pub (fish’n’chips, of course) and then went to Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing St and Buckingham Palace to take pictures and explore. Then it was back on the tube for Abbey Rd. We got off a stop too early, but thank god there was a Beatles Store that we went in and they told us where to go. Plus, we were able to stop by the Sherlock Holmes’ house. We were tired and almost didn’t go the extra stop to Abbey Road, but we decided we were so close that we should go.

The road is actually kind of busy, so all these poor cars had to stop as people walked back and forth, trying to re-create the Beatles photo. We were successful in achieving that photo thanks to asking a pair of brothers (one in a Beatles t-shirt) to take our photo. We then signed our names on the wall and I added” Let it be” to my name with the year.

Then it was off to the pub quiz! We hadn’t been to one since stumbling across the first one and I was anxious to see how we would do. Well, this quiz was considerably bigger with 77 people playing. And it was for sure harder. One of the hardest parts was trying to name all the British TV jingles. We ended up doing the best at the current event section. And so with a total of 34.5 points (the 2nd to last team was 54 points) we left the pub for the night. But it was still lots of fun. Plus, fun fact of the night: Q: Which US president kissed the Queen Mother on the lips? A: Jimmy Carter
Back at the flat, we planned a bit of our trip to Rome next weekend and what we are doing tomorrow. Then Larry and Lindsey began their adventure to the airport – at 2 a.m.

A day at the market

Portobello Market is one of the best markets I have ever been to. We started our day there and although it was raining and I was freezing, the market was amazing. Not only was it giant, it was filed with the coolest stuff. We wandered all the way to the end where we found a cafe to have lunch and then decided what to buy. I bought a few scarves, "MJ" in old printing press letters and a compass. All so cool. We had a lot of fun and we were also able to buy dessert for cheap before the stalls closed. Plus the market was in Notting Hill so it was cool to say we were there and we even saw George Orwell's house!
Also, we found a Poundland aka the British dollar store so we went in to see what we could find and came out with a few things.
Afterward, Biz and I took Lindsey to Platform 9 3/4 and we took a few pictures and even walked around the station to see where they filmed the movie.
Afterward, we hung out at the flat for a bit and made dinner of salad, pasta and bread with wine for the four of us. It was a great dinner and we sat in flat 9 eating with our view of the London eye and watching the Harry Potter movie. Next we took Larry and Lindsey to all the pubs near the flat and played silly games at each stop. Biz and I even found a pub we think might be good to watch the World Cup. Then we took them to Tinsletown for shakes before calling it a night.

Reunited

So today started out as still last night when I woke up from the flat 9 couch to the sound of the buzzer to the flats ringing at 3 a.m.. Larry and Lindsey had finally made it from Florence to see us! Amazingly they had navigated their way here from the airport by train and bus since they didn't land until after midnight. We had been so worried because we hadn't heard from them and all we knew was that they landed. So once we all freaked out for a while, it was off to bed. We had class again today so we brought them with us and send them off in the direction of a tube station with plans of meeting in Trafalgar Square at 5:15 p.m.

Class was interesting to say the least and really showed me that the truth we strive for all the time is actually really hard to find. And there are lots of people out there who will try to convince you they are right.

After class we were about to get on a tube to the square when a woman overheard us and told us that the square was just around the corner. Well, not quite. So after a ride on a double decker bus, we finally met Larry and Lindsey in Trafalgar Square. They were so smug sitting by the lions about how they didn't get lost and beat us there. - But in our defense, the woman told us the wrong way!

We went for dinner at an Irish pub and I had salmon fishcakes! yum! We took the Florence duo to the theater and we walked back, stopping at TopShop. What a bad idea. The jewelry was adorable and I wanted it all. But I decided to wait. Especially since I have street markets and Rome to look forward to!

Carrie Bradshaw. The London Version.

Sometimes, being a writer is powerful. And sometimes, it means you have really pretty shoes.

Example number one. The story I wrote at work yesterday had more 75,000 page views in one day. It was the second most viewed story on the site, on not a slow news day. I was so excited, plus even the news editor noticed and said something to me. It’s just crazy to think that 75,000 people saw the words I wrote.

Then I met Maggie and Amanda in Leicester Square for the premiere of Sex and the City 2. Although we got there late, we were able to push our way up to the second row and catch a glimpse of Mr. Big, Samantha, Charlotte and Standford’s boyfriend. It was mostly holding our cameras up in the air to snap pictures and then looking at the review. It was really cool to be at my first movie premiere, but I was surprised at how chill it was. The music wasn’t really loud and there wasn’t lots of screaming. It was mostly just when someone got out of one of the cars and as the guests became lesser known, the screaming was less and less subdued. But the shoes were amazing. But of course, it is a movie about Carrie Bradshaw.

Lois Lane!

So this afternoon, I thought I was going to blog about the weather. And although I both love and hate the London weather, so much more happened today that it will have to wait for another day, a boring day, if that’s even possible in London.

After work, I decided to venture to somewhere that had free wifi and work for a bit. Costa didn’t have free wifi and Pret a Manger had free wifi but didn’t look like somewhere I could just sit and hang out. So I walked down to the tea shop nearby. It was adorable and when I walked in the woman asked me what type of tea I wanted. I must have started blankly when I said, I’m still deciding, because she offered to help and soon I was smelling different teas and tasting an extra sugary iced mocha.
I finally picked one (I have no idea what kind it was) and sat down to work on my computer. Drinking tea. From my teapot. In London.

Later on, Danielle and I went to find Lion King tickets without success. However, we did find where they were setting up for the premiere of Sex and the City 2 tomorrow. But we did go to this amazing little bookstore where the whole basement was filled with books for one pound each. Needless to say, I bought three books.

After dinner, we decided to head out to the Salisbury so Caitlin could see her bartender she was so in love with. Although he wasn’t there, we did make friends with a group from Argentina who were sitting at the table next to us. The English they knew was really good, but Melissa still ended up doing some translating. They were so excited to hear her speak Spanish!

When we explained to them we were journalism students, the one man started to click a fake camera and said over and over “Lois Lane!” and then pretended to be superman. We had lots of fun talking and chanting with them. On the walk home, we stopped at Farrington Grill for fries. They were so good. I forgot how much I missed salt! This could be dangerous to have fires like that so close….and I thought I would lose weight on this trip!

Like a movie scene

So I decided to bring my lunch to work today because it’s cheaper that way and I’ve been packing lunch a lot here and it’s sort of fun. I know it will get old fast at home, but I like to think that I will continue to pack lunches for the IDS in the fall. Anyway, during my lunch, I walked the 5 minutes up the hill to St. Paul’s Cathedral where I sat on the steps to eat. It was so nice to sit among the tourists and school groups and groups of business people as we all ate lunch or talked or just sat. There was something peaceful about it and it almost felt like it was straight from a movie.

But it was while I was sitting there that I realized how much more relaxed everything is here. I’m used to the constant work at the IDS, that having a lunch break is a luxury to me. And when I went back, I was told to take a longer break next time.
Although it’s a little strange to me, I’m going to try to embrace this lunch break thing. Maybe even read a book. After all, it is summer vacation too.

I have been changed for good

The BBC is literally a village. The sign said so when we got off the tube at White City station. And walking up to the BBC, there were flags flying among the multiple buildings including a Starbucks and hairdresser. The whole BBC village is where the old White City track used to be and where the 4-minute mile was first ran.

Inside the BBC, we got official name tags and met Amanda, who is in charge of all the Olympic 2012 coverage (how cool of a job, right?) Plus, she told us journalism is basically writing the first draft of history. I think that is a great way to think about it and it was so cool to hear that form a professional. It's so interesting that the BBC is basically this huge news service that is paid for by all Brits. So they will always have funding. Not many news services can say that.

We also had a tour of the newsroom. Talk about impressive! I thought the newsroom was huge and then we got to the middle and there was a staircase that lead to a whole second floor. I really love the energy of the newsroom, so many people and so many stories.

Before the BBC, we are lunch in the park near Birkbeck College where our class is. I love eating outside in the city and watching all the people walk by.
Now is time for my geeky journalism moment of the day, but between the war museum from yesterday and class today, I have just been so enthralled with the power of the media to frame events. Angle is everything and so is news judgment. I think my greatest fear (journalism wise) is missing something and not telling the true story, on accident. Journalists have to work really hard to know as much as they can about the stories they report.

After the BBC, we headed toward the theater and went to Pizza Express. It was not the greasy IU version, but the classy British version. (Everything in England is truly classier.)

And then was what everyone had been talking about for weeks and singing all weekend - Wicked! It was just as beautiful as the first time I saw it. The songs were amazing. I still love Popular by Gaa - lenda. There were some songs I didn’t remember and now I really want to read the book.

In the trenches

So while her flatmates were being tourists at the Tower of London, Biz and I decided to be geeks and visit the Imperial War museum. As we walked through the main floor of submarines and tanks, we realized we were the only girls our age among the adult war buffs and families. Oh well.

Our first display was all about submarines and how they were first used in the American War for Independence. (a.k.a the revolution) But then we went upstairs to the displays about the World Wars, which was the reason we really came.

Besides my usual fascination with the World Wars, it was a really interesting to see the displays from the British perspective. The uniforms were mostly British, not the American ones were used to seeing in displays. Plus it wasn’t until almost the end of each display that it would say, “America enters the war.” There is so much of the World Wars that happened before we became a part of it. And I didn’t realize that there was such a big evacuation of children from London to the countryside and to the U.S. to keep them safe.

But the best part was the two experience displays. First was the trench experience from WWI. Walking into the trench, it smelt horrible and it was tight and crammed. As we went through it, we heard people yelling and lights flashing as the bombs went off. There were all kinds of tunnels extensions with model soldiers inside that were writing or being medics.

When we walked out the two us were so dazed, it took a while to get over it. But then we were more prepared for the WWII blitz experience. We started out with a group in a bomb shelter and then ventured out into the destroyed city. Afterward, we went to the Holocaust display before leaving to explore the area nearby.
We found an Iceland store (a.k.a Five Star) and then went to the tube station were we got off at King’s Cross to walk back to Farringdon, we thought it was a good idea until Danielle called and invited us to meet them for burgers at the Pub. So we walked a little faster.

J-school Day Trip 1

After sitting a on a coach bus for several hours, we traveled out of the city into the English countryside. And there in the middle of beautiful rolling hills of green and gold, was Stonehenge. It was sort of surreal as we walked around the rocks. This is something I've seen in school for years and here I was there. The myths were really interesting - one theory was that the devil took the rocks from a old woman's garden and flew them to Stonehenge. And another theory is that King Arthur's father is buried there and Merlin had something to do with their creation.

Around the rocks were the most beautiful rolling hills and sheep! It seemed to be straight out of P.S. I love you.

And then it was off to Bath, the city was beautiful and runs a close second to Cambridge. But it was way more tourist -y. We ate lunch at Sarah Lunn's which is famous for their bread buns and is the oldest building in bath. I drank my first cup of tea It was the house blend and turned out to be better tasting then I thought. And then we browsed a few shops and went to the Roman baths.

The museum was interesting and I never realized just how historical this trip would be. It is so crazy to walk on streets that were built by the Romans. And it was so pretty. It only made me more excited for Rome.

Both hemispheres at the same time

Think hard back to the days of elementary school when we learned about longitude and latitude. Remember the Prime Meridian in Greenwich? I was there. I have officially stood in two hemispheres at once! Which I have to say, is way cooler than my daily time travel at home.

However, to get there we had to take more than the tube, we also had to take the DLR. On the way there, it was fine. We got there no problem. But on the way home, we may have lost Caitlin. We were standing on the Platform waiting for the doors to the train to open, when we realized we had to press the button to open the doors. So by time we did that, Caitlin was able to get on, but the rest of us didn’t make it. However, Caitlin had a really nice group of older people who were very concerned for her and she got off at the next stop and waited for us. And then on the tube back, we accidently got on the right tube – just going the wrong way. But we were able to get off and then get right tube home.

But in Greenwich, we explored and found the queen’s home and the royal navy academy, which were both beautiful. And this morning Danielle and I went shopping in Camden. It’s this huge market that’s open, 5 or 6 days a week. The clothes were really cute and they shops were great too. After a while the booths became repetitive but Danielle and I were able to score some good deals. We split a deal on posters and postcards and bought skeleton key necklaces-something I’ve wanted for a while. I also found my first market scarf for 5 pounds. I was so excited!

The market also had some great lunch deals. First I had my favorite: peach ice tea and then for 4 pounds we could get as much Japanese/Thai food we could fit in this container. It was so good.

Singing in London

It's the weekend! Well sort of, it's Thursday, which means although I have homework for class on Monday, it's time to go adventuring through this beautiful city again.
After work today, I went to Tesco (read: CVS of the UK) and bought a few random things including the fruit candy that Lee told me to buy. They were tasty - like gum drops but not quite. I liked them except for the grape ones. Then Danielle and I went to happy hour at the pub by the tube station. It was nice and chill and Steph stopped by when she saw us sitting there.
Tonight we also went adventuring through London, just walking around and singing and stopping at a few pubs.

Just around the Riverbend

Today I was determined to have an adventure. So after work I decided to see John Smith. As in John Smith from Pocahontas. I found the church he went to which was really cool. So not only was the church from the 1600s, but it also survived the Great Fire of London and the fires during WWII.

I’ve seen old churches before and as cool as they are, I was never so in love with them. But for some reason this church was extra cool. I think it was because it has been around so long and survived all those fires.

Which brings me to my next point, the British are obsessed with fire prevention. I haven’t had this much fire education since elementary school. When we first got here, they gave us a speech about fire safety in the flats. And then Melissa’s boss gave her three escape routes in case of fire. And then today again, I saw a fire truck outside the building. It’s a little excessive.

I also kept walking today and found St. Paul’s churchyard and a cute little café nearby. That will be a much cooler place to eat at lunch then the tiny churchyard where I ate today.

sweet potatos and the washerdryer

Today I went to work and at lunch my boss was leaving to go home so I walked out with him. I had packed my lunch but he recommended a place called Leon for lunch so I had to try it. I had a sweet potato falafel wrap. It was delicious! Not to mention, the inside of the restaurant was adorable. There was a long booth seat against the back wall with little tables and the seats across the table were 5 gallon (or would it be liters here?) buckets with fabric seats. It was perfect to sit and eat and read my copy of the Economist. (which I fell in love with at the perfect time - it's British!)

After work, I wandered through the market near our flats. The shops were great and I am already planning to go back to buy a few things. Then I decided to have an adventure with the flat washerdryer who I named Ophelia. First of all, its just one machine - both a washer and a dryer - and its in the counter under the microwave like a dishwasher should be. I loaded it, but couldn't figure out the buttons. Then Kamilla came over and I thought she would know, but apparently there are multiple types of washerdryers because Flat 9 has a different machine. So I just pushed a button and hoped for the best. Currently, I'm sitting in Flat 9....so I should see how my laundry turned out later.

Global City

Today was the most time I’ve spent in the flats since we got here. And by far the most expensive. After a trip to the bank and to top-up my oyster card for the tube (aka like the Chicago metro card), I spent the afternoon in flat 9 planning and booking my side trips. I am officially going to Dublin and Rome. I am so excited. It is so crazy that I was lucky enough to be here in London. But that I also get do go on the day trips and to Paris with Mom later. Plus Dublin and Rome. How exciting!

Dinner was the sushi conveyor belt at yo sushi before going to Oliver. Although this was another one were most of my knowledge came from Wishbone, I really loved it. The children were adorable and we wanted to take one home and keep him in our flat. (We’d return him at the end of the trip, of course.) Also, it’s set in London and I recognized St. Paul Cathedral in the skyline. It was so cool to already recognize things! Plus when I turned to tell Danielle that changed our conversation to – what are we going to wear to mass with the Pope? Will we see the pope-mobile? I can’t wait! But the thing I love about theater and musicals is that as cheesy as it sounds, I always have goosebumps at the end of the performance. It’s so crazy and wonderful. After the theater we went out for Danielle’s birthday, although we came back early because we all have to work tomorrow and the pubs close earlier on Mondays.

Um...excuse me...This is beatuiful. Is it real?

Cambridge is the most beautiful place in the world. The churches are old and wonderous. And the colleges are beautiful. And the lawns rival Dunn Meadow. Ok, they beat Dunn Meadow – sorry IU.

The whole beautiful day just seemed to fall into our laps. We took the train to Cambridge this morning, which was exciting its self because I love trains. And once we were there, we walked for a bit and found two beautiful churches. We stopped at one and ate the lunches we packed in the courtyard. Some boys even stopped to ask us directions! (We fit in Cambridge so quickly.) The other was huge and beautiful – I feel in love with it. And that was before we saw it had a Polish mass, where I then fell even more in love with it.

We then walked farther and saw all the colleges, which is actually like junior and senior year of high school for the British. We were stopped by a girl selling punt boat rides (like the boats that go through the streets of Venice) And so we went on one of the rides were we made friends with the punter. He told us the pub that all the punters go to after work so we ended going there later. It was beautiful and had a great view of a field with some random cows, but no punters. But before went, we stopped at this beautiful park were people were sitting out in the sun and playing football (a.k.a soccer), cricket and tennis.

On the way home we were really tired and we get off our train and stumble upon Platform 9 ¾! It seemed to just appear magically! So naturally we stopped for a photo shoot.

Becoming a Brit

Today began my transformation into a Brit. Danielle and I went shopping and I bought a black jacket. It seems like everyone here wears a black fitted jacket or trench. So my boxy American safari jacket had to go. Although we have H&M in the States, it was the only place that fit my budget and I bought a few more things too. Today also lead to a grocery shopping trip so I could by more food since I was down to half a loaf of bread, a little peanut butter and a carton of frozen juice. (It was frozen because our 2nd fridge was too cold) also worked on my list of places to go on this trip. It’s nice to kind of know the area now so when I make the list it makes sense to me. Plus I’m becoming a master of the tube.
Then was a trip to the pub for Pimm’s. It’s so weird because on Thursday, after working three days, I couldn’t imagine taking a day off from work. Now I feel like I haven’t worked in years. We still have 2 more whole days off before work on Tuesday.

I'm in a postcard

We are finally in London. It hit again today when we decided to walk to the Tate Modern museum. We walked to the River Thames and it was beautiful. The sun was setting with the pink sky. We could see the London Eye and and the London Bridge. It was beautiful and a postcard.
Earlier in the day, we went to Trafalgar Square. It was beautiful and had a great view of Big Ben.
This morning we went with Prof. Boeyink to his favorite coffee shop and then went to class. Our professor seems really cool and although the class will be intense, it should be a great time. Plus we talked about all the media in Britian so now I know what to buy on my way to or from work.

I'm sensing a theme...

I've discovered a theme to my trip. It's called, "Nice British people help flustered American MJ."
Evidence:
Monday: My heel was bleeding inside my flats. Nice British girl stops me on the street and asks me if I want a band-aid.

Tuesday: I google-mapped my job. I was looking for Old Fleet Road. It doesn't exist. So what did I do? I asked a British policeman in a fun hat who just told me how to get to m building.

Wednesday: I go to lunch. I eat lunch. I go to pay for lunch and they only take cash - and only have American money and my credit card. British deli man takes pity on me and takes an American $10.

Thursday: I go to lunch with pounds. But I drop a shiny silver coin. And it blends into the floor. British man eating lunch helps me until I find it.

Yep, it's a theme.

Fleet Street

Walking to work was so much less stressful today. Mainly because I knew how to get there. But the streets here still confuse me so much. I’m so glad it tells you on the roads what way to look (like literally on the street it says, look right or look left) because I would get hit by a car otherwise. Except I was surprised when today I was crossing the street with a walk light and a car was trying to turn. In Chicago or some other U.S. city, the car would still turn and the people would just have to wait. But here the car stopped for me! I was shocked.

At work today I learned a bit more and even posted a report I wrote to the web which was exciting! For lunch I went to this café and ate there but then when I went to pay, the man told me that they don’t accept cards. I didn’t know what to do – all I had was my card and some US cash. Thank god that he finally just took an American $10.
So after work I went straight to the bank to exchange some money. The first bank didn’t do exchanges, but they sent me to a bank down the road that did. So I now have pounds. Thank God. But I’m glad I went to the other bank because I was able to explore a little and see all the pubs and shops by my work. There’s even a bookstore that I think I will check out soon.

Later we went to David Boeyink’s favorite pub and where I had chips (aka pub French fries) and apple cider. Yum. I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday already but I’m ready to do some exploring this weekend.

Internship Day 1

Today was my first day at my internship. I almost got lost. The thing about the streets here is that 1) the cars come from the other way so you have to look the other way to cross the street and 2) The street signs are on the buildings NOT the streets so that makes it a little harder. But I was able to find my way there with the help of a policeman.
The internship went really great. I think it will be a good summer. After work, I stopped at the grocery store to buy food for dinner because I just wanted to eat something warm. It is still so cold here. But after everyone came into my flat to chat after work - we decided to go to the store which then turned into just going to a pub for dinner instead.
At dinner we played a pub trivia game and we were very proud to say we didn't get last! It was a lot of fun though and we were happy to get the "American" questions right.

First official day in London.

I finally got to enjoy walking through London this morning after being able to sleep. We went for coffee this morning and I learned my first English phrase: it’s not to-go: it’s take-away.

Then was the city tour of London where it finally sank in that I’m in London. The city is so beautiful – the buildings are so ornate and beautiful. All this history mixed in with the new modern buildings. And besides the crazy drivers that come from the opposite side of the road – it’s pretty easy to walk through.

We saw all the major sights including the classic tourist picture with the guard and changing of the guard. And there are elephant statues everywhere – apparently they are to raise awareness about the Indian elephants. They are all different and remind me of the cows that used to be all over Chicago. Danielle and I started a list of places to go including St. Paul’s Cathedral (which you have to pay for) and multiple museums (which are free). Then at lunch we bought hairdryers for 5 pounds each.

But I do think I will have to change some money over tomorrow because it will be fun to have some pounds. Plus I got some weird looks today trying to use my credit card – which apparently is missing some “chip” all the British cards have.

After orientation at Anglo, we bought oyster cards for the tube – which totally reminds me of the train in Boston and went to the theater. Before, we discovered this great sushi place though. The dishes come by your seat at a bar on a conveyer belt – and each one is 2.2 pounds every Monday. We are defiantly going back next Monday.
The show was Phantom of the Opera – which I have to admit, I didn’t know much about before today. But it was really great and the set was awesome. Our seats were great- first balcony at Her Majesty’s Theater.

I'm here

Our plane in Charlotte was delayed until 8 p.m. and it was actually close to 9 p.m. when we finally left. The flight was so long and since I have a travel deviation (a.k.a I'm staying an extra week) I wasn't sitting with the group. But somehow I managed to sleep a bit.
Once we got to England it was a maze through the airport to our luggage, which thank God all made it here. We then hopped on a coach to head for the flats. At first, England seemed like it could be anywhere in the U.S. - just the cars were on the opposite side of the road. The first things we saw outside of the airport were McDonalds and BP. But then it was the beautiful English hills dotted with sheep and horses. But I was so tired, I fell asleep.
I woke up to Caitlin yelling, "It's Big Ben!" and it was just like Brubeck said it would be - exciting yet I was so tired it didn't really register. Same goes for the London Eye other buildings.
But our flats are so wonderful - we are on the top floor complete with skylights, and it's just two apartments of us on the whole floor. Of course the rooms are small and there weren't enough hangers, but there never are. And the washerdryer is hidden in a cupboard under the sink.
We went adventuring for phones and when we found them, most of us bought the same phone and immediately set them up - right there in the store. then it was off to the supermarket -which became the most stressful experience of my life. It was so crowded and the brands were so unfamiliar. What I've seen is wonderful. The old buildings and the shops and places to eat. It's all surreal. I don't quite feel as if I'm really here - almost like it's a fake London.

Airport Sitting

This is it. I finally packed - with a little help from Erica and by narrowing my shoes down from 13 pairs to 7 pairs (the same number I took to Florida for a week thankyouverymuch). Also, I ended up checking two bags.

And now I'm here - in the Indy airport, finishing up some work and waiting for my flight to Charlotte. After Charlotte is our flight to London which apparently had been delayed already. So that's fun.

I can't believe it's really here. I'm going to London. For 8 whole weeks.

I'm a little nervous. I hope I can just sleep on the plane. That way I will be ready to go when we land with very little jet lag. And I have to decide what to do first - in all honesty, it will probably be buy a hair drier.

It's a good nervous, an excited nervous. And I'm going to embrace it.

Packing. Well, trying to.

I can't believe how soon I leave for London. It's finally real. And I have so much to do tomorrow before I leave the country for 8 weeks! And I should be packing right now...

But I'd rather write about the adventures I'm about to have. I'm so excited to explore the city and make it my own. This is the trip of a lifetime and I can't wait for everything that will come up along the way. Not only am I hoping to grow as a journalist while I'm there, but also as a person. I want to do so much adventuring and exploring and just do and think about things I never have before. I still have to make a to-do list. Because I don't want to miss anything.