Long time, No see…
Let me start off this post by apologizing for the lack of updates on this blog, I totally dropped the ball! But don’t worry I am alive and well (actually I’ve been sick for about a month now) and after a not so subtle email from my mom, I decided that this blog should probably be paid more attention, especially since I am leaving London in about two weeks. Okay so where to begin? I think I last left off talking about the snow in London and Portobello Market in Notting Hill?? Well so much has happened since then I will hopefully be able to remember everything and provide some insight into what has been happening the past month and a half.
So let’s begin…
Back in February I went to Bathe and Stonehenge which was really cool! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Bathe,it’s this really beautiful little town (Nicholas Cage used to live there) that has the Roman Baths in it. It was so interesting to see the water from the natural springs still running within the baths and also see the ancient architecture that is still very much in tact. Unfortunetly we didn’t have that much time there so we kind of had to rush through it but I did manage to drink some of the spring water there, which was kind of gross but I guess it was something that everyone should do if they ever get the chance to go. After that we were off to Stonehenge! It was pretty far but driving along the English countryside and see all the sheep on the hills was quite picturesque! What surprised me the most about Stonehenge when we got there was how it literally lies right next to the main road…you can almost drive right up to it! We spent about an hour there which was, I think, way too much time considering it was cold and wet but I still enjoyed seeing that iconic structure. Seeing Stonehenge is something that one should do when they go to England but if I weren’t on a program tour that was arranged for us through AIFS I don’t think I would actually pay to go over and see it, you can drive past it and get the same idea haha! All in all it was a fun and worthwhile trip to go on and I would suggest it to anyone traveling in the area.
In March I went to Stratford Upon the Avon where is where all the Shakespeare stuff is. Again, it was a cold and windy day but we made the most of it and got to see Ann Hathaway’s house, Shakespeare’s house, his school, and where he is buried. It was all so interesting, and being an English major I really enjoyed it! (If anyone is thinking about going over there I would suggest going to Moo-Moo’s Milkshakes…AMAZING.)
We went to the Globe theater as well in March which was really cool, and our tour guide was great because he had actually acted in the theater (not the original theater, obviously, but the new one) but it did get a bit strange at one point because we were not aware that we had a sort of “acting lab” at the end of the tour and needless to say I made a fool of myself haha! What else, what else??? Emm…oh I went to M&M World haha!!! That was fun…and incredibly nerdy but if you know me, you know that I am a big nerd so I fit right in there! I went to the National Gallery, The Tate Modern (which is an AMAZING modern art museum, not to mention it’s free!), went to go see the Muppets which I loved (Jason Segel is the man haha!) OH and went to a Lord of the Rings All-Nighter with my roommates!!! The all-nighter basically consisted of all three Lord of the Rings movies starting at midnight with half an hour breaks with free tea and coffee in between each film…it was definitely an experience to say the least! Another fun even that took place was Pancake Day (I can’t remember if I already talked about this so if I did bear with me…) which is where there are pancake races everywhere…even Parliament takes part in it! That day after class my roommates and I went to this cool place in the East End called The Breakfast Club and got the most delicious pancakes ever! That night we went of the Jack the Ripper walking tour which was scary but fun because our tour guide was hilarious!
St. Patricks Day was also fun mostly because right in Trafalgar Square they have big festival (not as big as Irish Fest) where we got our face painted and got some Irish Cider and watched people Irish dance on stage…it was a pretty entertaining time!
Oh also we recently went on a Olympic tour which was in the East End where we got to see all the renovations which are taking place in that area of London. The East End has been pretty neglected over the years so it is really cool to see all the new housing and buildings that they are constructing! When on the tour we also got to see the Arena where the opening ceremony will take place! It was so cool! You can really tell that the people here are so proud and excited for the games to start! However, I will say that I am glad that I won’t be here for the games because the amount of people who will be here will just be insane and the Underground is going to be a mess no matter what!
That’s about all I can think of at the moment…if I remember anything else I will try to post it on here later.
Today we slept in (It’s Easter Monday!) and then went to the Tate Modern to get some afternoon tea and scones…it was so good! We also just made a huge Easter Monday dinner out of all the food that we just had laying around the apartment (Pringles, Ramen Noodles, Mash, Refried Beans) and we got some Stella Artois Cider which is actually really really good! OH I almost forgot…my dad is coming to London on Thursday!!! I am so excited to see him! It was kind of last minute but we got it all worked out and he will “touch down in London Town” (if you get this Kanye West reference then props to you!) and then he will be here until the 22nd when we will both fly back to Milwaukee! Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that this is my last week of school and of living in my apartment…so sad! It’s going to be so weird moving out and not seeing my roommates every day…but three of them will still be in London while my dad and I are here so we may possibly meet up for some Indian food on Brick Lane! I am so sad that my trip is coming to an end I cannot even explain. It was weird but I was talking to my mom and I was saying that I am excited to come home because I miss so much but I am going to miss London so much! I love it here and I never want to leave, my roommates and I have made a pact not to talk about leaving because whenever we do we basically start crying haha…we are losers! But really I feel like London has become my second home and it is going to feel so strange not being here and going back to Milwaukee…OKAY I’m not going to talk about that anymore because it is actually making me really bummed out haha. This week will be pretty fun because my classes are pretty much over and AIFS is throwing a goodbye/karaoke party at a bar in Leicester Square for us on Wednesday, haha should be fun! I will try to update this sad little blog of mine one more time before I leave but if I don’t I guess I will see everyone when I get back (April 22nd, mark your calenders!!!)!
Cheers!
-Becky
p.s. going to try to post some pictures on here…don’t know how well that’s going to work but stay tuned!
