I slept in today and it was glorious. Then I went to Victoria to window shop and ended up in the dressing rooms… who was I kidding? THEN I paid to tour Westminster Abbey by myself, and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had here, I think. Having the freedom to listen to the whole tour, and sitting when I wanted to and looking for as long or as little as I liked and sneaking through the back gardens unnoticed and staying in the nave for like 20 minutes replaying the choir song a billion times (200 on the audio tour keypad! And 2 for the altar commentary by Jeremy Irons and the singing accompaniment).
England
Harrods & Yorkshire pudding
EnglandToday was mostly a blah day, because I slept until noon then ended up not doing my paper, which is due tomorrow night. Ugh. At 4pm I met Melissa at Harrods and we went shopping! It was a mad dash through the Children’s Toy and Pet Kingdom sections, where they are currently housing a litter of Siamese kittens and British Bulldog puppies. I wanted to take them home with me. Then we browsed the Christmas Workshop and down to the Food Section where there were more different kinds and brands and displays of chocolate and truffles than you could possibly imagine. There was a mad dash to purchase before their closing at 6, but I made it. Then we headed over to Bunches of Grapes for a delicious Roast Beef wrapped in Yorkshire pudding wrap dinner with peas, chips, gravy and horseradish. I WILL DEARLY MISS PUB FOOD WHEN I LEAVE 😦 At home, I FINALLY got to chat with my boy and show off my Harrods purchases ❤ Then I sat around, drank green tea, and did nothing productive for the nighttime!
NOTE: Lots of pictures have been added for the December 3-5 dates!
British Library, abbey, & pub crawl
EnglandToday was a full day! In the morning Melissa and I went to the British Library, where we saw the original manuscripts by Austen, Brontë, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Eliot, and the Beatles. We also saw the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Magna Carta! Whoo! Thanks Dad for the recommendation.
Greenwich & Canary Wharf
EnglandI might be going out tonight so am going to make this post brief so I can get ready. I had my ridiculous 9-5 art class today, and it was awesome (mainly because of how gorgeous it was outside—not a cloud in the sky). We took a boat cruise from Westminster to Greenwich, where we visited the Greenwich Tudor Palace and Chapel.
Ice Skating!
EnglandToday, I do believe, was a fine day. The internship part wasn’t so great, because I’ve run out of plays to cover (Christmas season is bad for theatre). When I got home, I took my coupons to Subway and got a 6′ sub for free! Then I went ice skating with Ciara and Priam at the National History museum, and it was FANTASTIC. I’d forgotten how much I love skating, even though I’m still amateur. Most pictures are of us, because really, how many interesting angles are there of a rink?
London Day Trip: The Cotwolds & Oxford
EnglandGuy Fawkes Day
EnglandInternship went slower than usual but we ended up talking about pub life and how Connecticut is NOT part of New York (grr) during the last hour or so, so work days are getting pretty consistent. And I’m enjoying it. I rushed home to check where the fireworks were, but by the time Melissa got back and we managed to get to the area (with tube delays, massive overcrowding, and getting a little lost), we missed them. So the trip was a bust. We took a bus and ended up a tesco (to get a prawn salad! And some chips! The most exciting part of my day!) before heading home to a nice empty room. So much for the 5th of November. Sometime soon I’ll have to come back and celebrate it right.
London Day Trip: Dover & Canterbury
EnglandToday I woke at the ungodly hour of 7:30 (having gotten home at 4 in the morning eek) to make good of my social programme trip to Dover and Canterbury. It poured ALL DAY 😦 And the winds were so bad that they ended up closing Dover Castle (a fortified structure. Doesn’t make sense to me either) so I only got really rainy pictures of the outside. Whatevs. Hopefully they will reimburse us.
Lincoln’s Inn & Somerset House
EnglandMy art history class today led us to Lincoln’s Inn on Chancery Lane, where we trespassed through some gorgeous old buildings and little parks. Then we trounced through Covent Garden and St. Paul’s Church and finally through Somerset House where we saw the remnants of London Fashion Week. Pictures to come. Then I went home to munch on snacks, talk to Mark, clean my closet, and listen to music. Tonight I’m planning on clubbing with friends at Disco24 for an early Halloween night out. I’m going as a flapper? Maybe? If people are dressing up, although my hair is SO LONG to work with so we will see what happens.
Tomorrow I’m going to check out some gym prices and maybe maybe maybe go find Brick Lane, or find a legit costume, or just run in the park. Lately, life in London has been planned day-to-day. Not what I expected to do at all. Let’s hope it lasts longer this way.
Leeds & Harrogate
EnglandToday! Was spent with James walking around Leeds browsing the art museum and walking around the posh stores like Harvey Nic’s. Then we stopped at a chip shop to get battered mars bars = artery-clogging deliciousness. Seriously, I have to find out where to get one in London because they are to die for.