A Farewell to London

I wanted to wait and post this week's blog now, instead of last Sunday, so I could include all of the happenings from my final week in London. 

After my parents left last Tuesday, which now feels like weeks ago, I was busy finishing papers and studying for finals so I could enjoy my last weekend. We all were. We finished everything and were so releaved to be done and relax. We started off our weekend on Thursday and tried to go to The Roxy one last time BUT there was a huge line when we arrived. It was unbelievable, we were baffled that our little Thursday night spot had been invaded by hundreds of people. I waited in line for at least twenty minutes and reluctantly had to give up and go home (I had to pee so badly) I literally ran home, which didn't help the situation at all!! 

Pure Happiness 

On Friday I didn't have work because of the bank holiday/Easter so we kicked off our day at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Yes, this exists even though the scenes in Harry Potter weren't even filmed there so... I'm confused. This has been something Perri and Helen have been talking about doing the entire time we have been here so they HAD TO GO!! And they dragged me along to be the photographer. Great fun! We got out of the station and had to ask where the platform was. After the tube station man laughed at Helen he pointed us in the right direction. When we walked over there was a huge production in front of it. "Conductors" were taking professional photos and mingling with the people in line chatting about the movies, books and secret Harry Potter gangs that meet and practice their wizardry (I'm assuming). Anyways we walk up and there is a huge line wrapped around to go up and take a picture with the trolley that has been pushed halfway through the wall already. Magic!! The girls got in line and I found a seat and got some tea. About 45 minutes later it was finally their turn so I positioned myself in the perfect spot to take pictures of them. Now I have never been to a professional photo shoot before but I imagine it was something like this. Perri and Helen, no where near the youngest waiting in line, which is weird but I won't comment further. Everyone has their thing right? proceeded to have a full on photo shoot for a solid 15 minutes as the crowd cheered them on. First individuals and then group photos of them casting spells on each other. The crowd was loving it. I'm not sure if they were laughing at them or with them, maybe both but they didn't care. Thankfully they finally finished up and I had over a hundred photos proving just how much they love Harry Potter. 

Oh Helen your wizardry

After that we met up with Rena and Anna, a friend of hers visiting from Scotland, and went to Brick Lane. This is where they have traditional Indian restaurants... But of course I will get to the food in a minute. FIRST the vintage shops! Wow thank God we didn't make it here earlier or I would have had to buy another suitcase to take home. It was a street lined with vintage stores. More clothes than you could sift through in a lifetime. We went to one shop first and I bought a scarf/ headband thing (yes, mom another one). But Rena knew of a cool underground place so we went there before it closed. It was an underground vintage market. So many little stalls set up with different people's treasures it was a lot to take in. But.. I found this one man who was selling Levi high waisted jeans, 20 quid!! I was like OKAY! I tried on a bunch of pairs in this small dark corner that was the "dressing room" all by myself. I had lost the other girls and was going in blind, making a major fashion decision without consulting my friends first. Oh no! (It wasn't as dramatic as I'm making it seem I was calm, cool and collected so the guy would give me a good deal. I bought high waited jeans and black shorts and a tshirt all for 35 pounds! What a steal. I love getting a deal. The stores were closing so I ran around trying to find the girls, high on life after the purchase I made. They loved them! (Hugh sigh of relief) the jeans were a little 'mommy' but I got all crafty with them when I got home and with the guidance of Helen and Perri distressed them, and bam, they were perfect. I couldn't have lucked out more. 

After shopping we went to dinner with Ravina and one of her friends that was visiting too. Ravina and Rena had been before so they knew the best restaurant to chose. All along the street men from the restaurants stand out front and bargain with people on the street to chose them for a place to eat. One place offered us four bottles of wine and 25 percent off. I tried to be funny and said why don't you just give it to us for free but no one heard me... I laughed to myself anyways. So we picked a place and sat down. We got our free bottle of fine Italian wine (at an Indian restaurant none the less) and our free papadum. I had pakora and saag masala with rice and Perri and I split naan (garlic naan, Perri insisted). Yummy!! It was delicious and the perfect amount of food. Good job Rena and Ravina. 

It was the perfect day until... Helen lost her license and Oyster Card. I'm honestly surprised her or Perri haven't lost something important yet just based on the way their sides of the room look. No one's perfect, me included. Maybe I'm just slightly more organized. Anyways, I helped her look. We retraced our steps because we hadn't gone far but no luck. It was gone. It was also sad. She surprisingly handled it very well (unlike I did the one time freshman year I thought I lost my phone and ID. I'm sure those of you who remember this are laughing or shaking your head in disgrace at how I acted) I got my stuff back but Helen's has yet to turn up. Good thing we only had a few days left. 

On Saturday Helen and I went to Regents Park and sat and people watched for a while. It was nice to go one last time and just sit in the sun relaxing. I'm going to miss that park. That night we all attempted The Roxy ONE MORE TIME!! But when we got there, the cover charge had mysteriously (hmmm) gone up to 8 pounds and we only brought the 5 pounds it was supposed to be so we went home. Well, we did some questionable eating first and then went home. But we were alright with it, we have had some amazing memories at The Roxy and I will remember it fondly. We all will. 

Sunday was our last full day at Free State. We ate all of our favorite foods and drank a lot of coffee and tea while we finished a few little things that needed to be done and I studied for my Econ final, which was the next day. I won't bore you with details but the final was alright. I did the best I could with what I could retain. Fingers crossed my professor liked me enough not to grade me too harsh. But if you need to know anything about the Japanese or Chinese economies, I'm your girl.

This past week seemed to fly by with my last few days of work and taking exams. All of the exams were fine and we are all officially done with CAPA!! Hurray! Thank god. What an eye opening experience that place was. I love you so much Clark!! 

My last day of work was Wednesday and my team was so sweet. I misjudged the situation and, to my defense, I think the British work culture had a little to do with it but they actually really liked me and appreciated all the work I did. The team took me to lunch and gave me a nice card and a gift certificate to an accessories store, which I went to after work and bought a ton of rings. My favorite. It was really sweet and I was sad to say goodbye to them. I really have learned so much there and I wouldn't have wanted to trade my internship for anything. Whizz-Kidz you have been good to me! 

So, as of today, Friday, we are all officially done with everything and pretty much all packed up and ready to go. This is our last full day in London and tomorrow we leave for Scotland to see Tara!! 

It's bittersweet leaving London. We are glad classes and work are over but saying goodbye to this city is hard. I have really fallen in love with this place with all of the food, shopping, museums and landmarks that make up this intricate and diverse city. I couldn't have picked a better place to study abroad or had a better experience. Although I didn't have the typical, 'made so many friends from everywhere' experience (we had a strict no new friend policy) (jokingly but it kind of didn't happen) (we blame CAPA). But the people from Clark who I wasn't really friends with before coming here have become some of my closest friends. You all know who you are and I will fake a text message every time I walk by you back at school. That's how much I love you guys! 

Some of my favorites:

Market- Portobello for shopping and Borough for food
Club- Toss up between The Roxy and O'Neils
Pub- Princess
Coffee Shop- Free State
Restaurant- Amico Bio
Monument- Big Old Ben
Park- Regents Park
Sweet Treat- Portobello Market Crepe
Tube Line- Circle Line
Tube Line Name- Hammersmith and City Line
Tube Station- Picadilly Circus
Tube Station Name- Cockfosters
Mush- Rice with refried beans, salsa, a little cheese and when I was lucky, avocado
London Saying- Cheers! Bye yea (in an upward inflection)
London Memory- When Perri and Helen jumped on an old desk chair in front of our flat one night and instead of sailing down the street, like intended, crashed down hard on the pavement. They woke up the next morning with bruises on their body and it took a couple of hours for us to realize what they were from.
BigBed Moment- Getting hit by Helen in my sleep and waking up holding her hand
Picture Taken-

No caption needed 

For those tearing up thinking this is my last post, don't fear. It is not. I had to give Kyle my computer yesterday to take back home with him since I am traveling so I wrote this on my phone. Impressive right? I think so. My fingers are cramping up but I will continue to document our travels as we go. The posts will be sporadic but I will fill you in after each country we visit. We are off to Scotland this weekend and then Amsterdam and Prague. I will be heading home after that but Perri and Helen will continue their journeys without me. I will see you on May 10th America and I can't wait!  

XX. 

Mom and Dad in London

Madison's Cafe 

I am exhausted, have blisters on my feet and papers to write but I could not have had a more perfect weekend with my parents. I knew I missed my family a lot being away but after seeing my mom and dad these past five days I realized just how mush I miss them, SO MUCH. We have done a lot these past few days but I would say they got to see the best of London from their personal tour guide, me.

They got here on Thursday morning while I was at class but took a long nap, to help with the jet-lag, and by the afternoon they were ready to go. We walked to Regents Park to see all of the beautiful flowers and sat on a bench in the warm sun. They were so excited it was actually warm and that the flowers were already in full bloom, unlike back at home. We walked around my area a little more that afternoon and went to a few furniture stores (my mom was ready to ship a lot of stuff back home but restrained herself). That night we went to Princess, the pub Helen and Perri and I always go to, before dinner. My dad loved it and we went back a few more times while they were here. If he lived here it would be his hangout for sure. For dinner we went to a Greek restaurant down the street from me that I have been wanting to go to. It was delicious. I was definitely spoiled getting to go to all of the places I have had my eye on but never got the chance to get to.

Regents Park 

On Friday we got a jump start on the day and took the tube down to Westminster to see the London Eye, Big Ben and walk along the River Thames. I must say I was a little hesitant with how they would do on the tube since they are not the best city people but boy was I impressed. They did great! I showed them once how to swipe in and out and they picked it up so quickly. By the end they were pros.

I feel like they fell in love with London as much as I have in just the few days they were here and I could tell, despite all of the people and the faster pace, they didn't seem overwhelmed at all. They are already planning to come back again just the two of them. You really gotta love this city. It can make the most unlikely people want to keep coming back.

So back to Friday... they saw what I would say are some of the essential London tourist spots and really liked them. We almost went up in the London Eye but the line was really long so instead we just walked along the river and ended up at Borough Market. I forgot that although there is a lot of meat there, it also has amazing desserts and produce. They loved it! We got a bunch of different things to share and they couldn't get over the fact that there are markets like that set up all the time. We walked around some more that afternoon and ended up in Victoria, so they got to see where I have been working. We had a late lunch in the area and then went to Buckingham Palace, which is literally two streets over from my office. Who knew? I realized a lot of things were a lot closer and that places even existed after walking around more with my mom and dad. Very eye-opening. We took a tour of the Mews at Buckingham and then walked through Green Park and took the bus back to my area.

This guy got oysters at Borough Market 

That night we went out with Perri and Helen to Princess, again, for drinks and then to a pub in Brixton. It turns out that despite the great pictures and reviews on the website the pub was less than average. We left not long after getting there but I knew of a Mexican restaurant in Victoria, which was not too far from where we were and we went there instead. It was delicious. We got pitchers of margaritas and a ton of food, we were all so full after. We took a cab home because my dad really wanted to get the "full London experience" which was nice. It was great to be able to have Perri and Helen there with us as well. (I was having separation anxiety from not seeing them the past few days... well not really... but maybe a little)

In the Mews of Buckingham Palace 

On Saturday it was my mom's birthday so we made the day extra special. We went to Portobello Market with Perri and Helen and spent the morning and early afternoon walking around and shopping. We bought a lot of cool things and my parents, again, loved it. There were a lot of antiques and vintage things which was right up their alley. We also discovered that the market goes past this restaurant Helen, Perri and I always go to. We were amazed and there were so many more great shops we had never been to before. We had lunch a great pub and my parents tried the crepes I am always raving about. They liked it too. Later that night we went to this all vegetarian and organic restaurant for my mom's birthday dinner. It was so amazing and wonderful not to have limits on what we could order since everything was vegetarian. I think my mom had a really great birthday and I am so glad we got to spend it together.

On Sunday my mom and I went to Camden Market in the morning, my dad unfortunately, had food poisoning (from the vegetarian restaurant, yes, I know seems ridiculous but the poor guy was down for the count). We let him rest while my mom and I walked around the market. I had only been one other time, at the very beginning of the program, and I have to say I don't remember it being as awful as it was on Sunday. It was a lot of cheap touristy junk but it was still fun walking around and letting my mom see another area of London. We had lunch at the market and then sat in the park in the afternoon. My dad was able to join us too. We went to Freestate that afternoon too which was another highlight for my parents, getting to see the place I spend so much of my time. My mom and I went out to a great Italian restaurant that night and got pizza, my first actual pizza since being away and yumm did it taste good!!

Today I had to go to class in the morning but my mom and dad took the tube, all by themselves, to Kensington and walked around Hyde Park and the Kensington Palace. We met for lunch and then went to Harrods, the big department store, which I actually hadn't been to yet. It was impressive but all high end designer clothes and accessories which got old pretty fast. At least we can say we have been though. In the afternoon they took me grocery shopping, the nicest thing ever. We have enough food to last us till the end of the program and it is really great stuff. We are so excited!

Tonight we went to Madison's Cafe, the rooftop bar overlooking the city for dinner. I have only ever been for drinks so actually sitting and eating was nice. Huge shoutout to Scott for telling us about that in the first place, it really was a great and classy place to go for a relaxing night out.

We were so busy the whole weekend but I think they were really able to see the best parts of the city. I could not have had a better time with them here and I am so glad they were able to come. They really are the best. I loved hanging out with them and getting to show them around. It was tough saying goodbye but I know it will be a quick month and then I will be back home again.

Only two more weeks left in London and then 2 weeks of traveling and I am home. Where has the time gone? I have a lot of work and finals to study for in these next two weeks but we are determined to go out with a bang and have an amazing last weekend and week coming up. My parents took all of my clothes home with them so the only clothes I have left are the couple of things I am traveling with after the program. It will be a challenge to see how it goes wearing the same things over and over again, but it will be good for me to rough it a few weeks.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

XX.

The Day We Saw the House that Shakespeare's Cousin's Best Friend Lived In

Oh what a week. We have been so busy and I feel like I haven't slept at all. What rockstars we are. On Thursday night we went to O'Neill's, which we had gone to when we first got to London but with a 10 pound cover charge we weren't quick to go back. Thursday night was free though and we like free!   It was a lot of fun and nice to be back out after being hermits for the past two weeks. We were dancing like our crazy selves and people were either laughing and admiring our skills or really shocked and convinced we were on something. (We weren't I promise you!) It was a really great night and Perri even danced with a 40 something year old woman. Priceless!!

Saatchi Gallery

 On Friday I had work in the morning, which is   going well. The London Marathon is next weekend so I have been working on stuff for that and I get to go to the expo on Wednesday and help hand out the Whizz-Kidz race packs. I will get the opportunity to meet a lot of the runners I have been interviewing these past few weeks which is exciting and I won't have to sit in the office all day. 

In the afternoon I met Helen at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. It was amazing and all of the art was modern and interesting. I loved it. The area the gallery is in is very upscale and very wealthy. We were looking around for celebs but sadly didn't see any. 

Shakespeare walked by this house once 

On Saturday we were up early and went to Stratford Upon Avon and Kenilworth Castle. It was a tour through CAPA which means we had a tour guide. She was so annoying. I usually really appreciate tour guides and all the knowledge and fun facts they share but she just kept repeating herself and barely stopped talking the entire two hours we were on the bus driving there. Stratford 'Upon the River', Shakespeare's birth and death place, was a pretty town but very touristy. We decided that if you were a Shakespeare enthusiast, like a real die-hard fan, then this is the perfect town for you. Most of the home's Shakespeare and his family lived in have been torn down and rebuilt, which made walking around looking at his daughter's replicated home a little tiresome. We joked, hence the title of this post, that we saw everything that was in some roundabout way related to Shakespeare. But don't get me wrong, no disrespect to the man, the town was great. We got lunch at this cute cafe and walked around a little before we had to get back on the bus to head to Kenilworth Castle. 

The castle was the highlight of the day. It was so big and beautiful and we were able to explore in all the little rooms and climb to the top. The views were breathtaking. I took so many pictures and Perri ran around exploring in her expedition shirt. Thank god she was wearing it yesterday. 

Frolic Young One 

Last night the three of us, Rena and Margo, who was visiting this weekend from Siena, went to Bubbledogs, a champaign and hotdog restaurant. Don't get too excited (Scott) I didn't eat an actual hotdog. Perri and I got veggie dogs which were actually pretty good. I got the Mac Attack which was macaroni and cheese and onions. WOW so great. Everyone loved theirs and it was a really cool concept for a restaurant, one we could even bring back to Worcester with us?? 

We are down to our last couple weeks which is just so sad. We definitely have a mix of emotions about leaving but we have such an amazing adventure ahead of us too. Spending so much time together can be challenging but I wouldn't have picked better friends to share this experience with. When else am I going to get to fall asleep in big bed listening to Helen and Perri take a Harry Potter quiz for a solid 45 minutes. 

COUNTDOWN 4 days till my parents come!! 

I will leave you with this quote Helen heard from a drunk man outside our flat at 2am on Wednesday. Although a little ridiculous there is some truth to it: 

"Get in there and headbutt somebody, shag somebody, have a glass of wine, go and live your life and don't be a coward."

XX.