Buses and Galleries: I'm in Love

Caitlyn: "There are seriously so.many.HOT.MEN! And my favorite one was the one I pointed at, and he SAW, and I could not even function!"

Me: "Can I please quote you on that. . . on the Internet?"

Caitlyn: "Please do."

The above quote is referring to the men we saw walking down the streets in the City of London. Caitlyn appeared to be more interested in the men than the architecture, but I suppose they're part of London, too.

Today's been busy (again) and amazing (again). We had class for a couple of hours this morning and then we were out in the city by eleven in the morning.

We took Bus 11 for an assignment and went through the City of London, Westminster, and Chelsea. We got off the bus at Trafalger Square and went through the National Gallery. Oh my goodness I love that place. London is incredible in that most museums are free! I could have spent so much longer there than we did, but I know how to get there so I can always go back.

The National Gallery

From left to right: Lizzie, Kenna, Caitlyn, Sarah

From the steps

And another. . . I could get used to this

And another

I felt nauseated for most of today (I'm fine now, thank goodness), so, when we all went to M&S (which is the best--and fanciest--grocery store that exists) to get lunch items I picked up the only drink I could find that had ginger in it. It wasn't what I was expecting--it tasted kind of like a garden--and it was actually a little salty. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but it wasn't terrible. I took a picture for my brother, Riley, because rhubarb is his favorite thing and I'm sure he would love this stuff:

The group at lunch

Seriously though! This view was incredible!

They had a Monet exhibit in the Gallery. Monet is one of my favorite painters ever so this was my favorite part of what we saw. That, and Van Gogh's "Sunflowers."

This is Westminster Abbey from the bus ride. I'll be going there tomorrow.

In Westminster Square:

They have a pub named after the Bard!

Chelsea. Seriously the prettiest neighborhood I have ever seen in my life.

Pictures don't do it any sort of justice.

This was a school track and there were adorable little kids jogging around it. Also it was a beautiful view. Chelsea is magical.

We then returned to the Centre for kitchen duty. James, the only guy in the group, was cracking jokes the entire time and then rest of use were dancing to the eclectic mix that was coming on the Pandora station. We laughed and had a good time. Kitchen duty is wonderful for bonding.

After dinner was cleaned up we decided that it would be a good idea to actually do homework (because our group managed to get assigned the first assignments in all areas: living and class alike. It's good, though, because that'll make the rest of the semester easier). We put together a few multiple choice questions from the Gallery, and read the first act of King Lear aloud (each of us got a few parts). I've read the play several times and we'll be seeing it at The Globe Theater (eee!) in a few weeks. I adore that play and it's cool to see how my understanding has created permeable levels of meaning for me. The levels were already there, but I'm able to work through a few of them and it's exciting. Literature is cool.

OBSERVATIONS:

Americans are LOUD! Oh my goodness you can hear an American from a mile away! There was one lady on the tube today who sounded like she was yelling in comparison to all the other people there. I'm sure our group sticks out, too, but we've tried to be quieter. . . Especially after we realized that we could only overhear our own conversations and none of the conversations between Brits.

Curls prefer London air to Utah air.

I sometimes forget to convert prices in my head and so fifteen pounds doesn't sound very expensive for an umbrella. But then I stop and think about it and put the umbrella back.

Everything is harder and more hilarious when one is suffering from jet lag. I'm hoping this goes away soon.

That's all for now!

Food and Finding Our Way

Today was a big day. I'm on kitchen duty this week which is nice (because I get it over with) but also relatively time-consuming. I'll be done with it on Monday and then I suppose I'll feel like I have all sorts of time!

After cleaning up the kitchen we had an orientation meeting that lasted for a couple of hours. We had to be back for kitchen duty by 3:30 today so we had a few hours to kill. We went to Nando's and ate some amazing chicken, and then we walked around Hyde Park for an hour or two. Hyde Park is and Kensington Gardens are probably my two new favorite places in the world! I could easily spend all my time there, but then it would be difficult to do the assignments that send me out into the city. I suppose I'll have to find some sort of balance.

In Hyde Park we found. . .

The Fairy Tree!

This was in a playground section of the park and it had painted carved figures into the tree. It was magical and I loved it.

More of the children's playground area:

Do you see those COLORS?! Oh my goodness I feel like I'm just now discovering the color green.

We found the gardens and they were amazing and I adore them and I would be content to spend every day of my life in them.

Caitlyn is excited

We met some ENORMOUS birds. Seriously. The pigeons were the biggest I've ever seen. And the swans posed for us which was ever so kind.

We then had dinner and went on a walk (for our London Walks class). This particular walk took us to the more functional, but also seedier, section around which we live. We got a little bit lost in Notting Hill (which turned out to be fine because 1. We got back to the Centre, and 2. The houses were incredibly beautiful and we got some good pictures), but we made it back safe and sound.

The Queen's Ice Rink. There was a worker who showed up in the doorway and posed for me just after I snapped the picture.

Gothic architecture. There are incredible cathedrals and churches everywhere. And, even cooler, they're old!

This is the mall in which one of the girls in our group, Kenna, was roped into getting a free make-over by a mall kiosk woman. She ended up with more orange on her face than is normal for anyone (except ballroom dancers before a competition), but it came off.

Of course, upon entering the mall, the group headed for H&M. Apparently the stuff was different enough to make it worth it, though, and I didn't mind the place.

Caitlyn is mirroring an image on the shirt Lizzie is holding up. They should probably consider becoming models...

From left to right: Caitlyn, Lizzie, Sarah

We found this odd store with mannequins wearing hats with their hair coming out the top. Caitlyn decided to join their ranks momentarily.

Christine and Sarah

Me and Lizzie. Apparently taking a normal picture isn't possible for me to do here in London.

Okay so we found this pizza place called "Bite Me" and on the side there was this weird mural. . .

. . .of Obama, the Queen, and Arnold Schwarzenegger eating pizza. No big deal.

This was just a really pretty building in the middle of the street.

And another on the side.

This is when we were lost. The view made it worth it, though.

This was a gorgeous church that had burn marks all over it.

And now it's time for bed! I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

*Also I'm not proofreading this and it was written by a woman suffering severely from jet lag so. . . sorry but not really. :)*

Oh Hello London!

So once upon a time I decided to go to London. It was a crazy whirlwind applying for the program, and it was agonizing waiting to see if I was accepted. And now here I am across the world in a magical place they call London. I can't wait to see everything this place has to offer (well, everything I can see in the few weeks I'll be here).

It's crazy being here in a new place and being unable to call it home (yet) or call home. In many ways this is the first time I've ever really been away from home (school was never far, I lived at home in the summers and this last semester, I had a phone, etc.) and it's exciting and scary at the same time. I'm sure my feelings were much the same when I moved out for the first time, and I'm sure that I'll come to love London and feel comfortable here, but for now I miss home a little bit.

On the other hand, however, London is GORGEOUS! Oh my goodness there are photogenic buildings and trees and walls and gates everywhere I turn! I was too busy looking for a store at which I could purchase an adapter (because everywhere you go in the world they have a different type of outlet)--Tyler's Hardware has them, by the way--and trying to seem less like a tourist to take pictures today, but I'll try to get some good ones tomorrow.

I'm staying in this beautiful flat BYU has and I adore it. There are six girls in our room and the view from the window is wonderful. The only downside is that there are eighty-two stairs that lead to it. My calves and thighs are burning by the time I get to the last flight of stairs. My goal is to not be winded by the time I get to my room at the end of the program.

The only pictures I got were at the airport:

So many polka dots! I didn't realize JUST how polka dotted I was until I was boarding my first flight and the man behind me said something. What can I say? They're pretty great.

 One of my first looks at England. I'm a fan.

That's it for now! I think I've finally managed to stay up late enough that I won't be waking up at three o'clock in the morning.

Cats or Dogs?

Any time someone asks me, "cats or dogs?" I say "birds." I suppose I find it a little bit funny, but it's also true. I'm allergic to the other two choices, and birds sing.

If I were ever to get a pet it would be a canary. And his name would be Mortimer. I think small things deserve big names sometimes.

Drizzly Days, Drowsy Days

Today is a drizzly day. The sky is a steady grey and it seems to go on forever: unchanging, uninterrupted, unending. It's actually sort of pretty as long as my observations continue to be made from a window.

You can only see the raindrops if you look for them against the wet, black, boughs of the trees and everything is cloaked in the misty haze of raindrops. Their quiet tapping drowns out the normal noises a bit making the day seem quieter somehow. Softer. Almost like the world itself is wearing a sweater.

Drizzly days like this have always made me sleepy. The best things I can conceive of involve books and soft blankets and a pillow or three. Drizzly days like these are to be enjoyed.