Friends, if you have been keeping up with me, then you know that I have been posting daily recaps. I will be changing it up a little now that I am in the countryside. You see, I spend some days on tourist-friendly adventures, and other days on farms. I’m going to try to do posts that group similar things.
Today, I would like to tell you a bit about Devon, where I was from June 11th-17th.
Devon is in South West England and is one of the biggest counties. It is the only county with two coastlines. It is also stunning.
There is an expression here in Devon: “Devon is heaven.” It is so very true (DISCLAIMER: I have described many things on this trip as ‘heavenly.’ While P. Lee, my journalism professor, would be less than impressed with my overuse of ‘heaven’ and lack of real description, I would like to defend myself by saying that this entire country really is heavenly ;) ).
Devon has rolling hills with high peaks and low valleys. It is green and lush. The country lanes are small, and the hedges are large. I could see myself living here happily.
Whilst in Devon, I stayed with Gemma and Jonathan in Crediton. They have a flat called “Kingsbury” which is cozy and well- decorated(shout out to Gemma, the decorator!).
Gemma is the Sports and Social Rep for Devon and did not grow up on a farm, although she does have a love for animals. She has one brother and works for a farming company.
Jonathan is a beef and sheep farmer. His farm is AMAZING. It’s actually listed in the Doomsday book. That folks, is one historical farm. He has two brothers and the most lovely parents, Jim and Karen.
They took me on some wonderful Devon adventures. I look forward to sharing them with you!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Transition to Travel
This morning was a sad morning- it was my last in London.
It was also an exciting morning- the first morning on the Garfield Weston Exchange!
My hour long train to Coventry was quick and painless. The countryside that I passed through was beautiful, of course. Arriving in Coventry, I jumped into a black cab and headed to my hotel, the Quality Inn
The hotel was nice; not a five star joint by any means, but it had everything I needed and the staff was friendly and helpful.
My room was cozy, but it had everything I needed
I met Emily from Young Farmers at about 2pm. She organized this entire exchange for myself and the other exchangees. She’s pretty fantastic. We had tea- the first of my most British adventures. Shortly after, Margaret (another YFC staff member), David (YFC again) and the two other Canadians arrived.
The other girls are Jennifer and Meredith. Jennifer is the youngest and is from Manitoba. She comes from a bee-keeping background and works with horses. Meredith is the same age as me and is from a beef farm in Quebec. She is friends with the dear Gillian, a 4-H YAC friend.
L to R: Jennifer, Meredith and I
We had sandwiches whilst being prepped for the coming weeks. The challenge: 4 weeks in rural Britain.
After a few hours of relaxation (aka Youtube) it was dinner time. I cannot explain to you how delicious the food was. I wish I had photos.
First of all, we had the entire dining room to ourselves. Private dinner party? Sure, why not!
Also, we were having a hard time deciding so the waitress had the chef come out to chat with us. Um, star treatment much?
We shared some potato skins as a starter, followed by our mains. I had the most delicious spinach and ricotta pasta.
Dessert, or ‘pudding’ as the Brits call it, was a rhubarb tart. It was scrumptious.
We went for a walk into Coventry to work off our dinner ;) and then headed off to bed as we had an early morning.
You see, I woke up at 6am. That folks, is not natural. But alas, I had a train to catch and there were adventures waiting for me.
Before I go, I should let you all know that here in Coventry , they have ‘Ladies Parking.’ Yes, ladies, we get our own- how charming!
It was also an exciting morning- the first morning on the Garfield Weston Exchange!
My hour long train to Coventry was quick and painless. The countryside that I passed through was beautiful, of course. Arriving in Coventry, I jumped into a black cab and headed to my hotel, the Quality Inn
The hotel was nice; not a five star joint by any means, but it had everything I needed and the staff was friendly and helpful.
My room was cozy, but it had everything I needed
I met Emily from Young Farmers at about 2pm. She organized this entire exchange for myself and the other exchangees. She’s pretty fantastic. We had tea- the first of my most British adventures. Shortly after, Margaret (another YFC staff member), David (YFC again) and the two other Canadians arrived.
The other girls are Jennifer and Meredith. Jennifer is the youngest and is from Manitoba. She comes from a bee-keeping background and works with horses. Meredith is the same age as me and is from a beef farm in Quebec. She is friends with the dear Gillian, a 4-H YAC friend.
L to R: Jennifer, Meredith and I
We had sandwiches whilst being prepped for the coming weeks. The challenge: 4 weeks in rural Britain.
After a few hours of relaxation (aka Youtube) it was dinner time. I cannot explain to you how delicious the food was. I wish I had photos.
First of all, we had the entire dining room to ourselves. Private dinner party? Sure, why not!
Also, we were having a hard time deciding so the waitress had the chef come out to chat with us. Um, star treatment much?
We shared some potato skins as a starter, followed by our mains. I had the most delicious spinach and ricotta pasta.
Dessert, or ‘pudding’ as the Brits call it, was a rhubarb tart. It was scrumptious.
We went for a walk into Coventry to work off our dinner ;) and then headed off to bed as we had an early morning.
You see, I woke up at 6am. That folks, is not natural. But alas, I had a train to catch and there were adventures waiting for me.
Before I go, I should let you all know that here in Coventry , they have ‘Ladies Parking.’ Yes, ladies, we get our own- how charming!
Farewell to London
Today was my final day in London. I can honestly say that I look forward to returning. Perhaps for a year or so in the future? It could be a fun adventure!
I thought that it would only be fitting to end London with a little list. A list of some things that I learned during my city-living.
-Lucky Buggers- There are no mosquitoes or June bugs in England
-Dapper Lads- The men are always in suits. I need to move here asap.
-Underdressed- I am constantly underdressed. The women are fashionable and dressed to the nines all day every day.
-Driving is an art- not a controlled and deliberate art like Davinci, though; it’s more of an uncontrolled Van Gogh. For them, lines are suggestions- I’ll be surprised if I make it home in one piece ;)
-Crossing the road is the equivalent to a death wish. You have been warned.
-Bartering is essential- Master it and you will save ridiculous amounts of money
-Shop around- when in areas like Camden, don’t just buy the first thing you see. Most of the shops have the same items and chances are that you will find what you want cheaper down the way. Prime example: I bought underwear for 2.99 whereas the first guy wanted 6.99!!
-Clubbing- go big or go home. I went home ;)
-Toilets- expect a pay-per-pee fee in many toilets
These were just a few things I learned in London, but there are many more!
I will leave you with this :)
I thought that it would only be fitting to end London with a little list. A list of some things that I learned during my city-living.
-Lucky Buggers- There are no mosquitoes or June bugs in England
-Dapper Lads- The men are always in suits. I need to move here asap.
-Underdressed- I am constantly underdressed. The women are fashionable and dressed to the nines all day every day.
-Driving is an art- not a controlled and deliberate art like Davinci, though; it’s more of an uncontrolled Van Gogh. For them, lines are suggestions- I’ll be surprised if I make it home in one piece ;)
-Crossing the road is the equivalent to a death wish. You have been warned.
-Bartering is essential- Master it and you will save ridiculous amounts of money
-Shop around- when in areas like Camden, don’t just buy the first thing you see. Most of the shops have the same items and chances are that you will find what you want cheaper down the way. Prime example: I bought underwear for 2.99 whereas the first guy wanted 6.99!!
-Clubbing- go big or go home. I went home ;)
-Toilets- expect a pay-per-pee fee in many toilets
These were just a few things I learned in London, but there are many more!
I will leave you with this :)
Friday, June 15, 2012
London, Day 6
Another (well needed) lazy morning. After the relaxation, Melissa and I headed into Camden to do some shopping.
Camden is a really hip area of London. Fun fact: Amy Winehouse lived there before she passed away. The shopping was awesome! It really reminded me of Canal Street in NYC. So much hustle and bustle with bartering (my fave).
I ended up getting a little gift for all the famjam, but finding clothing for me was really hard. Everything is one size! (One size that I am not haha). I did find a Union Jack tee though!
In addition to the NYC-esque tourist shops, there were quite a few one-of-a-kind shops. The clothing was stunning! People over here are all about lace and crochet right now- I need to live here.
We also hit up the Camden Market. I could’ve spent the entire day here. It’s a maze of crafts, clothing, shops, etc. Our final stop in Camden was Cyber Dog. It was a store dedicated to the clubbing scene in London. Full of neon, futuristic, platforms, and even S&M costumes- let’s just say that Nanny (or even Mom haha) would not have been impressed!). M and I, however, had a good laugh over all of it. It was an experience of a lifetime :)
Before bed we watched the Graham Norton show- he was super funny and I will be looking for him online!
Camden is a really hip area of London. Fun fact: Amy Winehouse lived there before she passed away. The shopping was awesome! It really reminded me of Canal Street in NYC. So much hustle and bustle with bartering (my fave).
I ended up getting a little gift for all the famjam, but finding clothing for me was really hard. Everything is one size! (One size that I am not haha). I did find a Union Jack tee though!
In addition to the NYC-esque tourist shops, there were quite a few one-of-a-kind shops. The clothing was stunning! People over here are all about lace and crochet right now- I need to live here.
We also hit up the Camden Market. I could’ve spent the entire day here. It’s a maze of crafts, clothing, shops, etc. Our final stop in Camden was Cyber Dog. It was a store dedicated to the clubbing scene in London. Full of neon, futuristic, platforms, and even S&M costumes- let’s just say that Nanny (or even Mom haha) would not have been impressed!). M and I, however, had a good laugh over all of it. It was an experience of a lifetime :)
Before bed we watched the Graham Norton show- he was super funny and I will be looking for him online!
London, Day 5
Today was nice and relaxing- a change of pace my new lively London life ;) We slept in and Melissa made yummy American pancakes. 2 things about English pancakes:
-They are imposters; English pancakes are a crepe, NOT a pancake
- You can’t really buy boxed mixes; it’s all from scratch
We, in the Shaw household, stood strong against the British Pancake atrocities and made big fluffy American/Canadian pancakes. From scratch. We even had genuine maple syrup (all the way from Elgin, NB- Thanks to Uncle Wayne and Aunt Tanya) and fresh fruit- amazeballs.
After puttering around for most of the day, Melissa and Sam treated me to a night out! We headed to Hampstead- which is a rather posh area of London- for dinner and a night out.
Friends, we must take a moment and appreciate that my NB life has not given me must chance to expand into many foreign cuisines. I stick to basics. Imagine my skepticism when M and S told me that we were going to have mixed Asian food for supper- dim sum to be exact. However, being the versatile gal that I am, I decided to embrace it!
We ate at Dim T and just ordered for the whole table. It was a mixture of: Spicy Edamine, prawn chips, ginger and beef stir fry, chicken pad thai, salad and 3 kinds of dim sum (dim YUM). It was delicious. I tried everything (even the wasabi!) and I fell in love. A great love for Asian cuisine, particularly with dim sum and pad thai. Oh yes, and I ate the entire meal with chopsticks. Applause will be accepted ;) I am becoming oh-so-cultured.
After dinner, we headed to the Hampstead Theatre to watch ‘The Complaint’.
The set
It was good! Short and sweet. I didn’t quite ‘get it’ at first, but it was essentially (or at least, according to Sam’s interpretation) a commentary about how regimes (like Syria or Egypt) thrive off of issues and of getting people caught up in the bureaucracy/ the system. If they have no complaints to tend to, nor any people to oppress, then there is no regime. The very people that opposing the regime are the ones that are building it up. It definitely made you think!
The show was followed by bed. My bed, by the way, is fabulous. It is a futon, but it is like super futon. The mattress? Heaven. The pillows? Heaven. The duvet? Heaven. Let’s just say that I sleep like a baby!
-They are imposters; English pancakes are a crepe, NOT a pancake
- You can’t really buy boxed mixes; it’s all from scratch
We, in the Shaw household, stood strong against the British Pancake atrocities and made big fluffy American/Canadian pancakes. From scratch. We even had genuine maple syrup (all the way from Elgin, NB- Thanks to Uncle Wayne and Aunt Tanya) and fresh fruit- amazeballs.
After puttering around for most of the day, Melissa and Sam treated me to a night out! We headed to Hampstead- which is a rather posh area of London- for dinner and a night out.
Friends, we must take a moment and appreciate that my NB life has not given me must chance to expand into many foreign cuisines. I stick to basics. Imagine my skepticism when M and S told me that we were going to have mixed Asian food for supper- dim sum to be exact. However, being the versatile gal that I am, I decided to embrace it!
We ate at Dim T and just ordered for the whole table. It was a mixture of: Spicy Edamine, prawn chips, ginger and beef stir fry, chicken pad thai, salad and 3 kinds of dim sum (dim YUM). It was delicious. I tried everything (even the wasabi!) and I fell in love. A great love for Asian cuisine, particularly with dim sum and pad thai. Oh yes, and I ate the entire meal with chopsticks. Applause will be accepted ;) I am becoming oh-so-cultured.
After dinner, we headed to the Hampstead Theatre to watch ‘The Complaint’.
The set
It was good! Short and sweet. I didn’t quite ‘get it’ at first, but it was essentially (or at least, according to Sam’s interpretation) a commentary about how regimes (like Syria or Egypt) thrive off of issues and of getting people caught up in the bureaucracy/ the system. If they have no complaints to tend to, nor any people to oppress, then there is no regime. The very people that opposing the regime are the ones that are building it up. It definitely made you think!
The show was followed by bed. My bed, by the way, is fabulous. It is a futon, but it is like super futon. The mattress? Heaven. The pillows? Heaven. The duvet? Heaven. Let’s just say that I sleep like a baby!
London, Day 4
Today was another jammed packed day! I decided to head in early to catch a walking tour to the changing of the guard. It was so cool!
I had to be in to the main tour office by 10:30 am. So. Early. Ok, I’m being dramatic. Although, That meant that I had to be on the UG by 9:40am. That IS getting pretty early ;) Early morning aside, we headed out to watch the changing of the guard.
Now friends, I have a sad story for you. Buckingham Palace is closed. You see, with the Jubilee concert just a couple days ago, there was still a huge stage left in front of the Palace. It took them 3 weeks to build it and they are attempting to take it down in 3 days. I think they are being ambitious, but then again, the Brits seem to be rather efficient. But I digress- point of all of this: I couldn’t get close to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.
But there is a bright side to the story! You may remember St. James’ Palace. Well, that was our first stop. We listened to a band play as the guards were inspected. We then followed them down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace (BP), but made our way back up to St. James’ rather quickly.
You see, they don’t JUST change the guard at BP. When the Queen is in residence (which she was today!!), there are also guards at Clarence house annnnd- St. James’ Palace! We went up and took the obligatory photos with the guards:
We were there for quite a while, but then it happened: the changing of the guard! It was neat, but not exactly as I pictured. The new guards marched in, shuffled up beside the ‘old’ guard, and then a man read them something (I suspect it was ‘Guarding the Royal Family 101’) and then the ‘old’ guards marched away.
My plan was then to head to Covent Garden to pick some goodies up at Lush, but I was distracted by pure beauty. No, not by Prince Harry, but by the National Gallery-I am in love.
I wish I had more time there, but I had places to be. The nice thing about galleries here is that they are all free! I took a very quick stroll through and treated myself to some Van Gogh, Vouillard, Degas, and Monet.
The Monet is one of my favorite paintings ever. I have a print in my room, but seeing it in person is a whole new ball game. If you love art, you know how amazing it is to see it in person- the strokes seem more deliberate, you can see every color vividly, you can see every stroke of the brush. It is a whole new experience. I highly suggest you folks check out a gallery and fall in love with art.
After I tore myself away from the Gallery, I headed down to Westminster Abbey (in the pouring rain). Obviously I got distracted again (oh look, something shiny) at the Horse Guards. I walked into the grounds where the ‘Trooping of the Color’ takes place(Queenie’s birthday bash). It will also be the site of the Olympic beach volleyball!
I tried (again) to get to the Abbey. I failed. I walked by the Supreme Court and they were having an open house so I stopped in. I like courts (so long as I’m not being tried). The security guards were hilarious but this post is getting terribly long so I’ll save the story for another day :)
FINALLY I made it to the Abbey! One word can describe this building- WOW. Honestly, it is stunning. I almost started crying when I was in there. All I could think about when I was in there was how much Dad would have loved it. It was huge and adorned, but the atmosphere really did make you feel like you were worshiping God.
Once an hour, they stop everything in the Abbey for a minute of silence/prayer. It was brilliant. Everyone, regardless of faith or lack thereof, stopped for that minute. It was amazing.
PS: Evan and Sarah- I saw the door that you folks snapped a picture of (the oldest door in England). I wanted to snap one, but I was too scared. You guys are such rebels.
After the Abbey, I met Melissa, Jaquetta, and Jane on Oxford St. We had hot drinks at Mamas and Papas before Jane (J’s cousin’s girlfriend) and I made our way to Primark. Primark = love. I found a cute jean jacket and some goodies for other people as well!
After a quick Pinkberry (yummy)- we headed home to watch the procession and relax.
I had to be in to the main tour office by 10:30 am. So. Early. Ok, I’m being dramatic. Although, That meant that I had to be on the UG by 9:40am. That IS getting pretty early ;) Early morning aside, we headed out to watch the changing of the guard.
Now friends, I have a sad story for you. Buckingham Palace is closed. You see, with the Jubilee concert just a couple days ago, there was still a huge stage left in front of the Palace. It took them 3 weeks to build it and they are attempting to take it down in 3 days. I think they are being ambitious, but then again, the Brits seem to be rather efficient. But I digress- point of all of this: I couldn’t get close to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.
But there is a bright side to the story! You may remember St. James’ Palace. Well, that was our first stop. We listened to a band play as the guards were inspected. We then followed them down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace (BP), but made our way back up to St. James’ rather quickly.
You see, they don’t JUST change the guard at BP. When the Queen is in residence (which she was today!!), there are also guards at Clarence house annnnd- St. James’ Palace! We went up and took the obligatory photos with the guards:
We were there for quite a while, but then it happened: the changing of the guard! It was neat, but not exactly as I pictured. The new guards marched in, shuffled up beside the ‘old’ guard, and then a man read them something (I suspect it was ‘Guarding the Royal Family 101’) and then the ‘old’ guards marched away.
My plan was then to head to Covent Garden to pick some goodies up at Lush, but I was distracted by pure beauty. No, not by Prince Harry, but by the National Gallery-I am in love.
I wish I had more time there, but I had places to be. The nice thing about galleries here is that they are all free! I took a very quick stroll through and treated myself to some Van Gogh, Vouillard, Degas, and Monet.
The Monet is one of my favorite paintings ever. I have a print in my room, but seeing it in person is a whole new ball game. If you love art, you know how amazing it is to see it in person- the strokes seem more deliberate, you can see every color vividly, you can see every stroke of the brush. It is a whole new experience. I highly suggest you folks check out a gallery and fall in love with art.
After I tore myself away from the Gallery, I headed down to Westminster Abbey (in the pouring rain). Obviously I got distracted again (oh look, something shiny) at the Horse Guards. I walked into the grounds where the ‘Trooping of the Color’ takes place(Queenie’s birthday bash). It will also be the site of the Olympic beach volleyball!
I tried (again) to get to the Abbey. I failed. I walked by the Supreme Court and they were having an open house so I stopped in. I like courts (so long as I’m not being tried). The security guards were hilarious but this post is getting terribly long so I’ll save the story for another day :)
FINALLY I made it to the Abbey! One word can describe this building- WOW. Honestly, it is stunning. I almost started crying when I was in there. All I could think about when I was in there was how much Dad would have loved it. It was huge and adorned, but the atmosphere really did make you feel like you were worshiping God.
Once an hour, they stop everything in the Abbey for a minute of silence/prayer. It was brilliant. Everyone, regardless of faith or lack thereof, stopped for that minute. It was amazing.
PS: Evan and Sarah- I saw the door that you folks snapped a picture of (the oldest door in England). I wanted to snap one, but I was too scared. You guys are such rebels.
After the Abbey, I met Melissa, Jaquetta, and Jane on Oxford St. We had hot drinks at Mamas and Papas before Jane (J’s cousin’s girlfriend) and I made our way to Primark. Primark = love. I found a cute jean jacket and some goodies for other people as well!
After a quick Pinkberry (yummy)- we headed home to watch the procession and relax.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
London, Day 3
Oh my- what a day!
I headed out at about 9:30 this morning- I was basically a zombie ;) Sam had just returned home and he and Melissa had an appointment so I was going to hit the town on my own- EXCITING! I decided that it would be the perfect day to do a hop-on-hop-off tour.
Today was the day that I became a Londoner- I made my way to the underground station easily. I hopped on and was on my way- until about 5 stops in. My line was closed due to train problems on the track- eek! My stop, where I was to switch lines, was one of the ones that was ‘out of service’- my ‘easy’ ride was foiled. I got off the train and had to rearrange my journey. I found where I wanted to be on my handy-dandy UG map and found an alternative route. I felt so ‘London’ when I was able to do this so easily!
I made my way to get my ticket for the Hop on/off. I went with ‘The Original Tour Company’ because...well, it’s original...Also, I didn’t know where to buy tickets for the other ones haha I had to wait about 30 mins for a bus, but it was well worth it! They take you around all of the major tourist spots in London and, as the name suggests, you can hop on or off the bus at any point. It was handy. They have tour guides there to tell you about the history of everything and to point different landmarks out. I ended up doing almost the entire tour before hopping off just after Downing St(!!!!!)
For those who don’t know British politics, 10 Downing is where the Prime Minister, David Cameron, lives. It is famous for its big black door. While you can’t actually see the door (the street is gated off and it’s guarded by men with guns), I got a photo with the sign- it was really neat.
Enjoying the big black gate instead of the big black door ;)
I walked around for hours- I saw the horse guards, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Supreme Court and a gazillion red phone booths. I then opted to take a boat ride down the Thames River (who am I right now?!)
The Cruise was lovely and I made some friends! I met a guy from Spain who is living in London and was showing his mom around. They were super nice. He was super handsome- little bit of a beard going on, Spanish flare, I didn’t hate it ;) She didn’t speak a lick of English, so he spent most of the time translating haha She taught me that ‘Bonita’ means ‘nice’ in Spanish. They were bonita!
One of my new Spanish friends and I by Tower Bridge
The cruise ended at the Tower of London. You can go in and see the Crown Jewels on display. But with a 4 hour queue (line), I decided against it. I tried to hop on a bus. Key word: tried. I couldn’t find a stop anywhere! I ended up walking across Tower Bridge and on the other side of the river. I found a stop, but a sign said that it was out of service. Of course. I pulled out my map and it led me to believe that St. Paul’s Cathedral (where Charles and Diana were married) was nearby. Of course, I thought it best to check with a local. St. Paul’s was eons away. Damn maps, they’re always wrong. Although, during all of this I saw a bus go by! I caught the next one and was on my way.
It started to rain. I was cold and wet, but I was cold and wet in London! It was worth it. I decided to head to Oxford Street to do some shopping I headed to Primark aka heaven. It is a ‘cheap and cheerful’ store, as Melissa would say. Literally, you can get shirts for 2 or 3 quid (that means pounds and it would be like 4 or 5$ here). I LOVED it, but had to contain myself. You have no idea how hard that was!
I almost got lost on the way back home, but I just choose a street and went for it- good thing I have such killer instincts because I made it home in great time ;)
Melissa had made tikka masala. DELICIOUS. I will definitely be making it next year!
All in all, it was a full day. I got wind burn on my face, but riding on top of the double decker bus was 100% worth it. The weather was nice for the most part and I really started to feel like a true Brit! I am getting the hang of the UG and I’m finding it easier and easier to get my bearings. Being here makes me really want to move over. I could definitely see myself living in London for a while. Shhh, don’t tell Mom! ;)
*A little update for my Mom's peace of mind- I am in Devon right now with my first host family. They are nice and don't seem like serial killers :) I'm working on getting skype set up for you so we can chat- love you and miss you!
I headed out at about 9:30 this morning- I was basically a zombie ;) Sam had just returned home and he and Melissa had an appointment so I was going to hit the town on my own- EXCITING! I decided that it would be the perfect day to do a hop-on-hop-off tour.
Today was the day that I became a Londoner- I made my way to the underground station easily. I hopped on and was on my way- until about 5 stops in. My line was closed due to train problems on the track- eek! My stop, where I was to switch lines, was one of the ones that was ‘out of service’- my ‘easy’ ride was foiled. I got off the train and had to rearrange my journey. I found where I wanted to be on my handy-dandy UG map and found an alternative route. I felt so ‘London’ when I was able to do this so easily!
I made my way to get my ticket for the Hop on/off. I went with ‘The Original Tour Company’ because...well, it’s original...Also, I didn’t know where to buy tickets for the other ones haha I had to wait about 30 mins for a bus, but it was well worth it! They take you around all of the major tourist spots in London and, as the name suggests, you can hop on or off the bus at any point. It was handy. They have tour guides there to tell you about the history of everything and to point different landmarks out. I ended up doing almost the entire tour before hopping off just after Downing St(!!!!!)
For those who don’t know British politics, 10 Downing is where the Prime Minister, David Cameron, lives. It is famous for its big black door. While you can’t actually see the door (the street is gated off and it’s guarded by men with guns), I got a photo with the sign- it was really neat.
Enjoying the big black gate instead of the big black door ;)
I walked around for hours- I saw the horse guards, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Supreme Court and a gazillion red phone booths. I then opted to take a boat ride down the Thames River (who am I right now?!)
The Cruise was lovely and I made some friends! I met a guy from Spain who is living in London and was showing his mom around. They were super nice. He was super handsome- little bit of a beard going on, Spanish flare, I didn’t hate it ;) She didn’t speak a lick of English, so he spent most of the time translating haha She taught me that ‘Bonita’ means ‘nice’ in Spanish. They were bonita!
One of my new Spanish friends and I by Tower Bridge
The cruise ended at the Tower of London. You can go in and see the Crown Jewels on display. But with a 4 hour queue (line), I decided against it. I tried to hop on a bus. Key word: tried. I couldn’t find a stop anywhere! I ended up walking across Tower Bridge and on the other side of the river. I found a stop, but a sign said that it was out of service. Of course. I pulled out my map and it led me to believe that St. Paul’s Cathedral (where Charles and Diana were married) was nearby. Of course, I thought it best to check with a local. St. Paul’s was eons away. Damn maps, they’re always wrong. Although, during all of this I saw a bus go by! I caught the next one and was on my way.
It started to rain. I was cold and wet, but I was cold and wet in London! It was worth it. I decided to head to Oxford Street to do some shopping I headed to Primark aka heaven. It is a ‘cheap and cheerful’ store, as Melissa would say. Literally, you can get shirts for 2 or 3 quid (that means pounds and it would be like 4 or 5$ here). I LOVED it, but had to contain myself. You have no idea how hard that was!
I almost got lost on the way back home, but I just choose a street and went for it- good thing I have such killer instincts because I made it home in great time ;)
Melissa had made tikka masala. DELICIOUS. I will definitely be making it next year!
All in all, it was a full day. I got wind burn on my face, but riding on top of the double decker bus was 100% worth it. The weather was nice for the most part and I really started to feel like a true Brit! I am getting the hang of the UG and I’m finding it easier and easier to get my bearings. Being here makes me really want to move over. I could definitely see myself living in London for a while. Shhh, don’t tell Mom! ;)
*A little update for my Mom's peace of mind- I am in Devon right now with my first host family. They are nice and don't seem like serial killers :) I'm working on getting skype set up for you so we can chat- love you and miss you!
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