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.