Amy and Kaydi!

January 27, 2010

Has it really been an entire week? Wow. Sorry for being so late with these updates. I think I’ll just start writing a little something at the end of every day because it is impossible to remember everything I did after a week! And what a week it has been… Amy and Kaydi are here! I’ve spent way too much money, gained at least five pounds, and had sooooo much fun! I’ll take you through my crazy week.

Monday… class was very tedious only because I knew Amy and Kaydi were coming and I was so excited. In Contemporary Britain we talked about British politics. Snooze…but we got to ask a lot of questions about the royal family, lines of succession, and scandals in the monarchy. It was great fun! There is a lot of debate here about abolishing the monarchy. Some Brits see it as a complete waste of money and attention, but others just love the Queen. She is the “Head of State” here. Which means she has to approve every bill, reside over a lot of fancy functions, and chat with the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoons over tea. She doesn’t have any real power. She can’t refuse to sign a bill or pardon criminals, but I think she is important all the same. And most people here really love her. Abate, she is a bit boring and her husband is a jerk... Prince Phillip isn’t looked upon as fondly as the Queen here in Britain. They all think he is a bit of a jerk.

That night, we traveled to Piccadilly Circus to a comedy play called 39 Steps, based on the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Boy, do they love Hitchcock here. Everything is named after him! There is a Hitchcock classroom at my school. Anyway, the play was hilarious and quite inventive. The cast only had four actors, but they embraced the small number. The same person would play five different characters in the same scene. I am beginning to understand why theatre is so loved in London. Every play we have seen has been unique and so well done.

We visited the National Gallery on Tuesday for my Art History class. I couldn’t concentrate on anything because I was so excited for Amy and Kaydi. I’ll just have to make another trip back soon. The National Gallery is located right off Trafalgar Square and I’m in that area quite often, so that shouldn’t be too difficult. We did see the “Mona Lisa” of Great Britain, as our professor called it. Sadly, I didn’t recognize it. And I’ve had four semesters of Art History! Maybe I should start paying more attention. After the gallery, I met up with Amy, Kaydi, and Kaydi’s cousin, Joanna. Jo lives right across Hyde Park from me, in Paddington, so it isn’t a very long tube trip at all. Hal and Viv met us for dinner at Nando’s, which was nice. The food was amazing. You never run out of interesting, delicious food in this town. This might be the death of my diet… We chatted for a while, the older girls shared a bottle of wine, and then my roommates and I headed home. They had class in the morning and planned our big trip for the next day…

Wednesday! We saw the sights. We hit up Trafalgar Square first. Saw Big Ben from a distance, found the mall leading to Buckingham Palace, and bunch of other beautiful buildings in that part of town. It is always unsettling to see these really familiar sights. You’ve seen them a million times in pictures, post cards, and posters, but they always blow you away. Or are really underwhelming (Buckingham Palace….). Next, we headed up to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) to check on some cheap tickets for a musical and see the area. That place is in its prime at about 11PM, when all the pubs close and everyone is heading to the bars around there, which never close. Literally, I don’t think they ever close. We found a really good shop for touristy British stuff. It was great. They had everything from piggy banks to soap with red telephones booths on them. I think we need to head back there before Amy and Kaydi leave! Next, (yes there is more, this was a very good and long walk) we stumbled onto Westminster after I almost got us lost. Took a few pictures of Westminster Abbey and Parliament, which I found out was originally a residence for monarchy called the Palace of Westminster long ago. Then, we crossed the Thames. How I love the Thames. It is always freezing cold, super windy, and raining when I’m around that river. I can’t wait for spring! Across the water from Westminster sits the London Eye. The Eye is this huge ferris wheel, and I mean huge, biggest ferris wheel you’ve ever seen, that goes really slow (it takes about 30 minutes to get once around), and it looks over all of central London. But of course, the London fog and rain set in and we couldn’t see much. It was still good to do at least once. Mom, we might have to skip this one in April… I don’t think a giant glass ball 300 feet in the air is really your thing.

For lunch, we sat down at a pub to dry off and warm up. It was right on the river and very cozy, but I can’t remember the name. Amy and Kaydi ordered a bottle of wine, I had a few Strongbows and we were great for the rest of the day. Don’t know how we ended up semi-drunk at noon on a Wednesday, but it happened. To me anyway! I needed a nap, so after that we all went home. Wednesday night we headed back out to Leicester Square to find the allusive bars that never close. Not that I could ever stay out until dawn. I’m always tired by like 11PM and ready for my cozy bed. Joanna had a coupon for 50% off appetizers and drinks so sat down for a few and just chatted. At this bar called Zoo Bar, everyone was avidly watching a football match. I don’t really get the appeal. Sooo boring. Until someone scores a goal and then fights break out amongst the fans. Not really, but they do get into it. We are going to a football match through my program. Maybe it will be more exciting from the stands.

Thursday we took a tour of Kensington Palace. Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret (the Queen’s sister), and Princess Diana all lived here for a time. The palace isn’t lavishly decorated and ornate like Windsor was, but it was beautiful all the same. They had a collection of Diana’s dresses on display (my favorite part), and we toured a few of the rooms used by monarchs. It was a nice morning. We walked around Kensington Gardens a bit before our tour. We found the Peter Pan statue again. Love him. But then I had class. Who thought it would be a good idea to make us study while we are over here? Just kidding, I really shouldn’t be complaining. I love all of my classes, but not while Amy and Kaydi are shopping at Harrods and I’m learning about the history of London. After class, Hal, Viv, and I met up with Amy and Kaydi at a small pub by Joanna’s flat called Victoria, after the Queen, of course. Victoria is fast becoming my favorite monarch! Anyway, we sat down for some chips (French fries) and a pint of Strongbow. Yum! What am I going to so when I come home and they don’t have Strongbow on tap?? I think I’ll manage. We chatted. Amy got roaring drunk. Just kidding, that was last night… No, I’ll let her tell that story. We had a lovely time at the pub. I wish pubs and that atmosphere was more popular in the states. For some reason, the Century Saloon just doesn’t have the same appeal…


Friday was exhausting. It rained, so we ventured to a few museums and those wear you out sooooo fast. I don’t know what it exactly is, but I’m always dog-tired walking out of there. Needing a nap and time to digest all these new sights and new information. First, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to art and design. Love that place. We found the jewelry room… my God, it was crazy. Tiaras, rings, necklaces worth more than my life! Wow. But my favorite is still my Black Hills gold ring that Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday. Wear it everyday! Off track again and I’m rambling…Back to museums. We went to the Natural History Museum next. Saw a T-Rex. Really, he was awake and everything when we went. Got to pet him and feed him… No, but it was still fun to see the bones. Sadly, the huge room with all the mammals was closed. I think Amy was disappointed. She missed the big blue whale! I’ll take pictures when it reopens in March for you, Am.

Friday night included more walking, eating and surprisingly, no drinking! We (Hal, Joanna, Amy, Kaydi, and I) went to an Italian dive and had the best carbonara ever. Diet = dead. Sooooo good though. We chatted and generally just had a good time. That is my favorite thing to do in London. Not the museums, not the tube, not the plays, but just sitting around, talking, eating, and having a good time.

Saturday was freezing… I mean freezing. I don’t think I’ve ever been that cold. We toured an area called Little Venice because of the canal that runs through it. Very charming, but I was just miserable. Thank God for my Uggs. I didn’t think I would need them here, but my toes would be popsicles without them. We (the student in my program and I) went on a boat tour down the canal. We floated around for about an hour, but only traveled about two miles. We passed by the London Zoo and a bunch of expensive, fancy houses, and then ended up in Camden. Camden is famous for the Camden Street Market held there every weekend. We were all a bit tired and cold from the tour, so we just ate and went home. I think I’ll go back when it is spring, but I wanted to get warm and see what Amy and Kaydi were up to. That night (last night) we went for Indian food. Indian cuisine is amazing and very popular here in London. We found this place called Aladin over in Shoreditch. Shoreditch is known for being the up-and-coming, younger area of London. It is definitely a change from Kensington. Anyway, Aladin was delicious. Mom and Grandma, I’m taking you there when you are here! The food is soooo goood. I got Chicken Tikka Masala. I have no idea what that means, but it was great. Yum!! After, we wondered for a bit. At one bar, this lady came up to us and whispered, “Kelly from Coronation Street is just over there.” And she pointed across the bar. Amy, Kaydi,, and I look at her like she is talking a different language. We had no idea who Kelly from Coronation Street was. Jo filled us in. Coronation Street is a popular soap opera here and some lady named Kelly was at the bar. Amy ran into a bit of a celebrity too, but she can tell that story. I was so confused when she was telling me, I’d never get it right.


Well, that was this week. Today, we are going to Buckingham Palace and doing a spot of shopping! Good day.

Cheerio!
Kelly