Love from London (for the last time),

These past few days have been bitter sweet. Everything I do, I think, “This is the last time I’m going to see this in a while- better take it in.” So I have taken advantage of these last moments by, what else? – doing touristy things.   

Tuesday, I went to Notting Hill to see Kensington Palace (that’s where Lady Diana lived). Next to the palace, there’s a huge park- it’s absolutely beautiful and is now my favorite place in London. I sat and read for a little while before heading to High Street (the two stops are about a 10 minute walk from one another). High Street has treated me well these past few months (with a library, a Waterstone’s, and tons of shopping) and will remain one of my favorite places in London.

Wednesday was the Natural History Museum, where I learned about dinosaurs, mammals (all mammals are warm blooded, but just because your warm blooded doesn’t mean you’re a mammal), reptiles, amphibians, and fish. I also had an in depth look at natural and sexual selection (don’t ask).

Wednesday night was also the saddest night of my time here. My posy of the semester (Joe, Chuck, the Count, Alyssa, Elaine, Allie, Jackie, and B there in spirit) went out to Fulham Rd. to a neighborhood pub. We reminisced about our time here together, talking about some of the funniest moments we’ve had as a team. The boys bought us girls a bottle of wine and then had the brilliant idea of going around and making little speeches. I began the cry fest. I started talking about Alyssa and how she’s going to be my bridesmaid and just lost it- and everybody else. We were all sitting there, crying. I didn’t think I would ever get this close to a group of people and now that I have, I like it.

Anyway, Thursday I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral and had one of my best days in London. I attended a service while there and even took communion- it was very spiritual and was nice. The church was burnt down in 1666 in the Great Fire of London and rebuilt in 1675-1711. It was then destroyed by the Blitz attack in 1940 and reconstructed in 1945, where there was a Thanksgiving celebration to commemorate the end of the War. It now stands as the Nation’s Church and was where Princess Diana was married. I also thought it a great idea to climb its 530 steps (255 ft.) to the very top of the dome to get the best view of London possible. It was the most exhausting greatest idea I have ever had, but the pictures turned out great. I walked millennium bridge (Harry Potter bridge- destroyed in the 6^th film), took my last few pictures and headed home (stopping by Notting Hill and High Street to drop off my library books and buy a book from Waterstone’s for the plane ride home). We went out as a group one last time, saying goodbye to Parliament and then heading over to The Anchor for one last drink in London.

So here I am, Friday morning, sitting on my bed. Alyssa and I are sitting next to each other, like we do every morning, but this morning is the last morning. I have the strangest feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can’t put into words. I had such a unique experience while here and am so grateful to everyone who influenced my trip, whether it be to help me get here or to help me enjoy my time while here. Goodbye London, I love you babe.

Love from London (for the last time),

B

Winding Down…

After Ben left, my weeks were pretty damn boring. I locked myself in my room trying to get a 20 page paper done, a group project turned in, a 2,000 word essay, and study for finals all at the same time. I also had to keep up with all my work at my internship. My last day was bound to come around eventually, but I don’t know if I was ready for it. I bought flowers for Edwina and breakfast for the office and Edwina, Katie, Eleanor, and Jose got me a present! It’s a British cook book, which is perfect because I love to cook, and Ben likes it when I cook. They wrote a bunch of really nice things to me, yearbook style. I am seriously going to miss working for Amazing PR, they taught me so much (proposals, press releases, chase-ups, writing, liaising with clients and publications) and I can’t thank them enough for welcoming me into the company.

After finals and papers were finally turned in, I started focusing on more important things, touristy things!! I went to the Zoo this past Friday with my good friend Bilal. He was having a panic attack, threatening what he would do to me if there weren’t any lions. Thank god there were lions, but they were asleep- that didn’t make him very happy. And when the tiger was asleep too, I thought I saw tears in his eyes. We went into the “nightlife” building and there were rats crawling in tubes above your head. I almost died. There was only one gorilla to see and the baby they promised was nowhere to be seen. We tried to see the penguins, but they aren’t being shipped to London till May- which makes little sense to me.

We also saw the monkeys- they weren’t in any cages! And then we looked at bugs, which was creepy and my skin was crawling the whole time. We eventually went back to the tiger den and he was awake, happy! He even gave us a growl, which I thought was a nice touch. Anyway- it was actually a really fun time for being such a lame zoo.

Saturday I went to the Aquarium (I was having a major need for animals this weekend) with Elaine. We were over by the Thames and next to the London Eye (along with the million other tourists in the city). We saw sharks, lots of exotic and normal looking fish, and touched starfish. Afterward we ate hot dogs and doughnuts (weird combination I know), overlooking the Thames and Parliament- so pretty.  

I can’t believe I’m on my last week in London. Just a few more days and I will be back in merry old Evansville (doesn’t quite have the ring I’m looking for). Anyway, I’ll be posting one more blog before I am officially off the continent, so keep an eye out.

Love from London,

B

Ben’s Visit!! Part 2

So, starting where we left off- Thursday night after Westminster Abbey. We got a tour of Parliament!! My friend Jackie works there as an intern, as many of you know since I need a chaperone to get into barliament every Thursday night. We got to see the House of Commons and Lords. Interesting fact- the queen and her representatives are not allowed in the House of Commons. In fact, a police man gave us a quick tour of the room and told us if they were in session, he would be kicked out and even be put in jail!! We got to see where the Prime Minister sits, and where the queen sits, and all the fancy statues. Then, we got to eat in parliament! I had mashed potatoes and roast! Yummy!

Ok, the best part of the whole visit- Paris. We woke up super early to catch our train (doesn’t that sound cool?) to Paris (the Eurostar). We got to St. Pancreas and realized we had arrived 10 minutes after our train had already left the station. We smooth talked the ticket guy and he moved our ticket to a later train, free of charge- thank god. We finally arrived in Paris and headed to the Louvre. We took the masterpiece tour with our audio guides and saw the Venus de Milo, The Victory, and the Mona Lisa-wasn’t nearly as cool as I was expecting, intensely small, quaint I guess.

Anyway, after we took a four hour nap and realized we were in a different time zone, we looked for food. It was after 9pm and everything was closed except our trusty American fast food chain-McDonalds, on the Champs-Elysees, of course. Then, because we were there, we headed to the Arch of Triumph which housed their memorial to the forgotten soldier.

Next day, we went to the Notre Dame and saw street performers! The place was gigantic and they had all sorts of chapels dedicated to different saints (the church, not the street performers). We then walked the Latin Quarter and saw a protest. Something about taking arts out of schools. Anyway, there were balloons, music, singing, and flares. We ate crepes, and croque monsieurs, and hot dogs!

Then we were off to the Eiffel Tower. After waiting in line for the stairs only entrance for half an hour, we waited another 45 minutes in the lift line (or queue if you’re feeling British). We finally made it all the way to the top and I have to say it was breathtaking. It was a bit foggy that day, which made it even prettier in my eyes. Ben and I kissed at the top- something many people will never be able to say in their whole lives.

So, that’s our trip to Paris in a quick flash. Ben had to leave early the next morning, which was sad and made me cry. But, I will be home in a few short days and in the arms of my future husband. Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa, Angie and Bill. You guys are the best; we had the greatest time and can’t wait to have a lifetime of travelling together.

Love from London,

B

Ben’s Visit!!

So, it’s been about a month since my last entry- sorry about that guys, it has seriously been a crazy month. School suddenly picked up and I had about 10,000 words due over the past two weeks-ugh. Anyway, this will be about Ben’s visit, courtesy of my grandparents and Ben’s Family.

Ben arrived here in London on 12^th March around 11:00pm at Heathrow Airport. I went to meet him at the airport and was so relieved to finally get to see him after 2 ½ months! We had such a crazy week, packing in as much touristy things as humanly possible.

Sunday started with the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace- as many of you know, I haven’t had the best of luck at catching the change, but I was bound and determined. We waited for almost 2 hours and had a prime spot to see the main change- it began to rain…….and after attempting to do the ceremony, they cancelled the program! So, after visiting the palace three separate times, I still have yet to see the changing. We were then on our way to the Tower of London. I had already done this once before, but it was great to get to show Ben what I had been talking about for the past few months. Next was Tower Bridge- something new to me as a Londoner. I learned some fascinating (sarcasm people) facts about bridge building and the view wasn’t too bad either. Then, my favorite part of the day- Jack the Ripper Tour, second time around. It was with a different company this time and it was cool to hear some of the other theories behind the murders.   

Monday I had to work unfortunately, but that night we got to go to our first real opera, Aida. It was at the Royal Opera House and we had the pleasure of standing in the very back row- with individual subtitle screens (I’m trying to make it sound glamorous in case you missed it). Anyway, the first half of the show was amazing- complete with naked dancers and genital blood. After we took some illegal pictures of the house, we decided Ben was exhausted from his long touristy filled day and we went home.

Tuesday was another work day, so I missed Ben’s adventure to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath. But, on Wednesday we had a fun filled Ben and Bailey day. I showed Ben a day in the life of Bailey in London- long name I know. We went to High Street Kensington and I showed him all my shopping hotspots. We even went to Knightsbridge to check out Harrods- I finally got to see ALL four (maybe five) floors! Then we went to the oldest pub in London (2^nd time around for me) for dinner- the White Hart. Then, I finally got to experience the infamous Ice Bar. It was totally cool- and freezing. Both of us got some super chic ponchos and giant gloves, and I must say, we were the coolest and sexiest kids on the block. Our drinks were in giant ice cubes and my lips stuck to the side of the cup on my first sip. The bar itself was made of ice, the bench was ice, there was a TV in ice, and random ice sculptures and etchings in the walls.

Thursday was the day Ben got to see the most boring school in all of history; City University London. After a few boring pictures, we moved onto one of the most history packed and satisfying days I have had while here in London. First stop was the London Eye- a bird’s eye view of my favorite city in the whole world. Then, the Abby. I have seen this building from the outside, but had never been on the inside. This was one of my favorite parts of the visit. We got to see where Handel, Newton, and Dickens were buried. We got to see where the royal wedding will be, the memorial to the forgotten soldier, and the coronation room and chair. I didn’t get to take any pictures- so you have to see it for yourselves!   

There was one more super fun activity for the night but I will be saving that and Paris for the next blog post. Just want to keep you guys on edge!! Check out Facebook for pics.

Love from London,

B