Right now it's 12:30. I'm across the street from our "apartments" with the whole gang. Josh, Merideth, Annie, and Darren. There are three other male students sitting in a row directly opposing us. It's as though we're in a mad, quiet, typing, clattering, Napoleonic, battle with them. (or maybe that's just me.) We're in the King's College Internet Lab. Took us much longer to find it than it should have, but to be fair both of the native Londoners gave us incorrect information. REGARDLESS, here we are. Today was amazing.
Woke up this morning and headed to Sainsbury's. Annie and I got some delicious groceries. We laughed at all of the adorable English-isms there. For instance, instead of baked potatoes, in Londontown they are referred to as "jacket potatoes".
Adorable.
Also, instead of "Yogurt", Darren purchased some "English Milk".
So cute.
After that we all joined together and got Fish and Chips! We hopped over to an.. interesting shop called, "Fishquotech". Heh. I know. The Cod and chips was enormous. Like, incredibly enormous. We all went and ate our grease-bags in a small park. Kim made the amazing choice to throw one (1) of the pigeons a french fry.
Hilarity ensued.
Of course flocks and flocks of pigeons gathered in, tossing this one bit of food around, then looking to us for more. It was like a pack of hungry rats staring us down. We gobbled down as much as we could stomach of our lunch and went on our LondonALIVE tours.
I went on the Photogenic London tour. It's exactly what you would expect. A walk down the river, taking faraway pictures of half-way showing buildings. But then, after the tour disbanded, I really was amazed. I found myself in front of St. Paul's Cathedral by myself. Tourists everywhere, but I was the only person I knew there. It was enormous. I decided to walk around and see what I could see.
Walking through these back alleys and gardens of London was so incredible. I saw things, statues, rocks, people, all kinds of wonderful things that you just won't find on a regular "tour". It was really, really exciting to be a little lost, but incredibly intrigued in the middle of London.
After all that Annie, Darren and I all went to the Stamford Arms to watch the World Cup match. The entire upstairs was reserved for "U.S.A.". The British Studies folks had reserved it for our group! It was so so so so so so much fun. (Viva Espana!)
We all trodged our way back to the dorms, now to the internet lab, and soon to bed.
I am having a blast.
Cheers!
I can picture you quite clearly and could have even provided directions to the internet lab. I spent many hours there...along with Sainsbury. I could even direct you to the English Milk aisle. I only went to the Stamford Arms once. I usually went to cheaper pubs. I do have one place you should go to, I mean among the other millions, but it is special. I got seriously lost looking for it. I was alone and it was a Sunday morn and I wanted to go to church there. A scene from The Da Vinci code takes place there. It's within walking distance of your "apartment." It is the Church of the Templar and has medieval Crusaders burial stones in the floor. A marvel of history. It's interestingly located in the midst of the lawyer area of London. Has something to do with Masons, etc. So it's surrounded by office buildings. But you can
ReplyDeleteweave your way back to it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Church
It is worth the adventure.
Your descriptions are wonderful and accurate and I will try to restrain my trip down memory lane as you retread my footsteps. BTW - my room was the corner room in the back left building on the 3rd floor to the left. Yours?? love you!! mama