Sono Andata a Londra

Oh geez... it has been FOREVER since I updated this thing. I am not going to overwhelm my few readers or myself with trying to update everything in one post. Instead I will go place by place, and the first place I visited after my week of midterms was London, for the beginning of my spring break! I went with my friends Patee, Colleen, Kara and Sarah. I'd already been, with my family when I was 13, but I loved it just as much the second time around.

We arrived in London late on Saturday night and went straight to our hotel, in the Hyde Park area, where we were moved to a different room for one night that was actually much nicer than the room we eventually got- there were 5 beds in it, but it was nice and warm and cozy! We woke up early the next morning and got a quick breakfast, where we discovered that they have Diet Coke, not Coke Light, in England, which just made our mornings! Then we took a stroll through Hyde Park, which was beautiful. We made a stop at the Princess Diana memorial fountain, which is a very pretty and peaceful spot, and then continued until we reached the exit and then Buckingham Palace. It was great to see it, but we discovered that the next changing of the guards wasn't until the next day, so we didn't stay for very long. After a quick lunch, we hopped on one of the big red sightseeing buses and made our way to the Tower of London. Just like last time, I was OBSESSED with the Crown Jewels. After the Tower, we took advantage of the free cruise down the Thames that our bus tour offered, and I finally got to SEE the Globe Theater, although I'm sad to say I still haven't made it in there, much less to see a play. I know that I absolutely HAVE to one day, though! After the cruise, we took a "flight" on the London Eye, which was great and not as terrifying as I thought it might be. That night we had a very American meal of burgers and fries, and hung out at a pub by our hotel.
The next day, we again woke up very early and attempted to go see King's Cross and Platform 9 and 3/4, but our bus guide told us it wasn't worth it (it was, as I will describe in detail later). So instead, we made it to see the changing of the guards at the palace, and then went to Westminster Abbey, which I appreciated a LOT more this time around, especially the Poet's Corner... now I realize why my mom was so obsessed with it when we went there, and I also realize that yes, I am turning into her. After the Abbey, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is the big Episcopal church where Princess Di got married and that has this cool thing called the Whispering Wall around its dome. You can whisper something sort of "into" the wall (although not directly into it like my friend Colleen and I brilliantly thought) and your friend can hear it all the way across the dome!

Our next stop was Harrods, where we obviously could not afford to buy any of the beautiful clothes, and so instead purchased lots of sweets. Your blood sugar is going to go up at this list of things I got- Turkish Delight, a HUGE cupcake, and a Krispy Kreme donut to remind me of home. Don't worry, they were NOT all eaten at once. Then we moved on to Top Shop, which was VERY overwhelming but don't fret, I still managed to buy some clothes. Finally, on to the best thing ever- King's Cross and Platform 9 and 3/4s. For those who live under rocks, it is where HARRY POTTER runs into the wall to get to the train to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, even though there was a cart attached to the wall to aid in our picture taking, it did not help us get to Hogwarts, so we went back to our neighborhood for some fish and chips and crashed into bed. The next day, we were off to Ireland, which will be my next blog post!

Since it is Easter now, Buona Pasqua to all of y'all, and hopefully Ireland, Prague/my brother's visit, and the Amalfi Coast will come soon!