i’m usually like
via sodamnrelatable
everyday in London!
(Source: campbelltoe)
After having such a busy week, this Saturday morning, i finally have time to catch all of you up on what i have been up too!
Wednesday May 2:
Another early morning start with the underground and we went to see the British Museum. We had a guided tour throughout the museum and got to see The Rosetta Stone, many different Egyptian sculptures, sculptures from the Parthenon in Greece, and even the 2012 Olympic gold medals for this years up coming Olympics! Even after the guided tour, we spent even more time just exploring more because there was just so much to see. After spending about 4 hours there, we had some time to kill before our next activity so we got to wander around London for a bit. We had lunch at a restaurant called Giraffe. Eating at restaurants here in England is quite different than back home. At home, waiters come to the table usually right away start with drink orders, and the whole meal goes quite fast. But here in England, they are not nearly as fast - which is a nice change at times to be able to relax and not feel rushed, but when your hungry it can be a bit annoying. We’ve also learned that they dont understand us when we ask for a box for left overs - they understand more if we say we want to “take it away” and then they always take it back and wrap it up for us. Also, splitting checks is always difficult - they always put everyones order on one check so thats a little different from back in the states. After our lunch adventure, we went to the National Theatre and had a backstage tour. We got to go “behind the scenes” to see how all of the different plays that are shown there are brought to life on stage. War Horse was first shown at this theatre before it came a blockbuster hit and we got to see how the horses were made to look life-like on the theatre. After having the backstage tour, we saw a play called Travelling Light. Then the night finally ended with a tube ride back to our flats. Another long day, but I got to see so many great things!
Day number 2 in London. This morning was my first experience with riding “the tube” which is the underground train, but oddly enough, most of the time you are riding above ground. We took the underground train as far east as it could go, then got on a “normal” train and took it to Wimbeldon to see Hampton Court Palace. Hampton Court Palace is where King Henry VIII lived as well as some of the later Kings that ruled England. It was a pretty awesome experience - there was soo much to see. Many of the attractions here in London have what they call audio tours, where they give you a device that you type in a number that corresponds with the area youre in and it explains what youre looking at, or where you are. So its like you have a personal tour guide, but in a headset. The gardens at the palace were beautiful as well. Im trying to post pics, but im still learning so maybe later this week i can figure that out. Also, we went to our first pub!! Best time ever, we tried different hard ciders - had one that was strawberry lime, tasted like candy! Definitely will be going to some more pubs while were here - just have to find time, were busy from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed.
New words of the day:
queue = line. “I dont want to wait in this queue!”
Flats = apartments
Rubbish = trash.
i.love.london :)
As I am posting this blog at 10pm London time (5pm home time) i am just thinking about all the traveling i did in about 24 hours. The plane ride to London was an experience. It was the longest flight i have ever been on - just over 8 hrs from Atlanta to London. And since it was an overnight flight, sleep was of course a priority. But, as one can imagine, sleeping on a plane is easier said than done. After finally arriving in London, we had to go through customs, which took about an hour exactly. After gathering all of our luggage and waiting some more for our bus to arrive at the airport to pick us up, we took a bus ride (which is called “the tube”) around to see some of London’s many tourist sights. We drove around for quite a while but only saw a few popular destinations. Didnt make any stops, but it was getting late and we were all ready to able to be in some fresh air! By the time we arrived to our flats (the apartments we are calling home for the next three weeks) our group was completely exhausted! But my roommates and I just kept going…. and going.. and going.. we walked around our neighborhood for quite a while trying to find some fish & Chips to eat as our first meal in London. After finally settling on a restaurant, we ate and it was delicious! The ketchup here is a little different from back home - we think more vinegar. We also went shopping at the grocery store Sainsbury, which is just a short walk from our flat to get some breakfast and lunch foods. It was a fun experience because we got to pick out some different types of foods that we wouldnt be able to try back in the states. Now we are settling down for bed - another busy day tomorrow!
