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         

Birthday Part 2.

On Sunday the 20^th, I decided to treat myself to a massage! I have been asking EVERYONE (Ben) to buy some sort of massage package for me, but no one (Ben) has listened. So, I decided to buy myself one. I researched some legit places and found The Buty (Beauty) Shop on Fulham. I walked up to the doors and saw a pamphlet, picked one up and looked at the prices, decided right then and there that I wanted a full body Swedish Massage. I marched right in there and asked if I could make an appointment for that afternoon, surprisingly, I could!

My appointment wasn’t till 3:30pm, so I decided to hit High Street for a little shopping, after all, it was my birthday. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything, so I headed back to Fulham and stopped at a Café Nero to get a late lunch. I had a pesto sandwich, pain au chocolat, and a hot chocolate! It was sooo cute, it was in a little coffee mug with whip crème on the top. I even took a picture.

Once I was back at the Buty Shop, I began my experience with a 30 minute steam shower! Then my “therapist” got me from my steam shower and took me to the massage room. It was a beautiful room with incense and relaxing music that made me want to fall asleep. The whole massage was an hour long and it was just as relaxing as I thought it would be. My therapist says she always includes a scalp massage, which was definitely worth the 4 pound tip I gave her.  I took a quick shower when I got home and prepared for my night at the O2 Arena!

The O2 is like the Madison Square Garden of London. It seats over 15,000 people and there was not a seat to be had!! This was a Russell Howard stand-up comedy show. I had never heard of him, but I figure I like comedy. And I was right, I do like comedy! He was absolutely hilarious- I laughed hysterically the entirety of the 2 ½ hours. He made a few British comments that I didn’t quite understand, but he made a lot of American celebrity comments as well.

Next day is Birthday day! 21! I went to work and was greeted by a bunch of Happy Birthday’s- always loving the attention, it was a good day so far. I was then given a present!! Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. It was a personal tea pot (exclusive John Lewis edition!). It’s something I had off handedly mentioned in passing and Edwina had caught on! This was really way too nice. After lunch, she gave me a cake! OMG, does the hospitality never end? I was very grateful and thanked her at least a thousand times.

When I got home, it was seriously time to party. I had picked out a restaurant/pub that was the oldest licensed pub in London (1216), called The White Hart. The eleven of us FINALLY got there after a few mishaps on the way (me getting left behind) and sat down to look at the menus. Suddenly there was a voice behind me, “Um…..the kitchen closes at 8…..” WHAT??? Guess what time it was? 8. You have got to be kidding me. She wasn’t. So we ended up going to a chain restaurant called the Lowlander and managed to get some decent food and alcohol.

After dinner was over, we went back to The White Hart for more drinks and had a really nice time. When we got back home, my bestie Alyssa, went to our basement flat while I went upstairs. After a few minutes, Alyssa comes up the stairs with a cake!! Awww, so sweet. I got to make a wish with candles and everything. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that she also bought me a conglomeration of little bracelets. It kind of hit me that night that I really have good people around me and I am thankful for all of them- Thanks everyone!

Love from London,

B   

Birthday-Part 1.

What a crazy week! This is for February 14^th through the 19^th.

I got to see an amazing production of Frankenstein at the National Theatre on Tuesday the 15^th. This adaptation was realized by THE Danny Boyle (Academy Award winner for Best Director for Slumdog Millionaire). The two characters (Victor and the monster) played amazingly off of each other. Rumor has it that the two characters switch rolls every night to really understand each character flawlessly. The themes that make up this play are mind boggling to me. Not only do you have the classic good versus evil and the ever present “playing God” issues, they brought in a new one I had never noticed before. The Garden of Eden.  Is this an actual location or is this just a state of mind that we are all born into and we then turn evil because we see the world for what it is? It provoked my mind and I absolutely loved it!

On Friday, I went to a Hot Bikram Yoga class! It was 111°F! I originally thought the class would be a piece of cake- with working out in the hot sun all summer with jeans and a T-shirt on? No problem. Oh man was I so wrong. I was literally dying! Sweat was dripping off of me continuously- all I had on was a bathing suit top and leggings. The class was an hour and a half long and after the first 25 minutes, I thought I might pass out. There were moments when I had these thoughts of just running out the door before anybody could stop me and I would just keep running all the way home. I made it through, however, and I felt a bit of a high from the experience. I had managed it! I didn’t pass out or run out of the room! I had even been able to do most of the poses. I even wrote a blog about the experience for my internship - check it out at http://amazingpr.wordpress.com/.

Saturday. It was getting pretty close to my birthday, so I decided I would do something fun to celebrate. I went on a Harry Potter on Location in London Walk. It was 2 ½ hours long with an ex-actor named Richard. We got to see all the cool places the Harry Potter films had been filmed around London. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparate to London in the 7^th film after the attack at the wedding- they went to Piccadilly Circus. They shut down the whole street and brought in 400 extras to film the 15 second scene. I also got to see a lot of the inspirations behind many of the made-up locations (Diagon Alley, Ollivander’s, the restaurant that was destroyed in the 7^th film, Covent Garden- where she did much of her writing).

Westminster station was used in the 5^th film when Arthur had to take Harry to the ministry. Oh yeah, and the telephone booth used to descend into the ministry was just off of Whit Hall! This is the same road the Prime Minister, David Cameron, lives off of as well as where Charles I was beheaded. This road also connects to the road where the UK Parliament is located. There were so many cool things so make sure to check out my pictures on Facebook!

I’ll give you part 2 of my birthday weekend in a few short days so keep an eye out!

Love from London,

B     

I am so warm right now……

As usual, I’m running a bit behind on this. This is for the weekend of February 12^th and the 13^th.

I had my first market experience! I went to the Borough and Jubilee Markets next to London Bridge on Saturday. It’s extremely popular for all their delicious and eccentric food! There were so many people; I have never been so claustrophobic in such an open area. I got to see a giant hogs head on display on top of a case of raw meat- venison and all. Right next to that, there was a conglomeration of “just killed” animals hanging by their necks, waiting to be bought. There was also The Fresh Olive Company, complete with a 75 pound bottle of olive oil!! I decided on a delicious cheesecake pastry, some brie, a loaf of freshly made bread, hot apple cider, a pretzel stick, and banana bread. Everything was absolutely delicious (I would know, it’s all gone now).

Sunday was quite the adventure. It was Evan Evans day- tour bus day. Three of my friends and I went to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath- all in one day. Think about what you think a castle might look like, you imagine a movie scene right? Well, that’s exactly what it looks like. It was gigantic and beautiful, I felt like I stepped into 1066. We got to see Mary’s dollhouse, a present from the nation to the queen. Everything in the dollhouse was completely real; the books had every word the original copies would have, the piano is playable, the linens are all made of the rarest and finest cloth. We also were able to tour the state rooms, four of them are still in use for parties and other gatherings. The ceilings had gold and pictures of Greek Gods, the walls were covered in luxurious fabrics, and the furniture was to die for- the finest upholstery, with gold accents on what seemed like everything.

The Queen was at the castle when we were, a few people from our tour got to see her leave the castle and drive away! When we went outside, we got to see some guards changing, and during the process, the Queen’s corgis were let out to run in the courtyard!! They were so cute.

Onto Stonehenge. This structure was believed to be built starting in 3000 B.C. and ended around 1200 B.C. Some of the stones are believed to be from Wales, which is a good 200 miles away from where the structure is located. No one knows how or why the structure is built, but there are some pretty good theories. I personally believe it was some sort of sacred and religious place, used for sacrifices. This belief stems from the druids, people who believe in the worshiping of natural things- such as rocks. Of course, the druids arrived many years after the completion of the structure, so they are not the original creators. My suspicion of this being a place of worship increased when I realized the structure is no longer by itself; many famous and important people have decided they wanted this possible holy ground to be their burial site.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how ridiculously cold, rainy, and windy it was. It was so windy that we couldn’t keep our umbrellas up because they kept blowing in our faces and inside out. So we put them down and got completely soaked from head to toe- it was hilarious and an absolute blast.

We then move onto Bath- this place looked like the British version of Greece. It was absolutely gorgeous, complete with houses built on giant hills, roman influence, and epic scenery. The Bath was discovered by the Romans and they used the area as a spiritual and sacrificial space. The museum had all sorts of artifacts that were found in the bath areas, thought to be offerings to the Gods. In the 1700s, it was rediscovered by Queen Anne who discovered it had healing powers (I don’t know about all that, but whatever). After getting a quick sandwich, we were finally on our way home, 2 ½ hours later, we were back in our own rooms. It was quite a day….

Love from London,

B

Pampering.

Because I am the token American in the office, I was given the responsibility of the American in London blog post at work. I went to the Troubadour, which is just a five minute walk from my house. I won’t bore you with the whole night since the blog is posted on my work’s website! Here’s the link again, http://amazingpr.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/the-troubadour-from-day-to-night-american-edition/.

Thursday afternoon, I was taken to Twenty Ten for lunch with my boss and the two other girls I work with. We were celebrating Eleanor’s 24^th birthday; must’ve been some birthday. This place was the swankiest joint I have ever stepped foot in. You know what happens when you’re at a swanky restaurant that’s super expensive? YOU GET SMALLER FOOD! This was so sad- I had duck for the first time, it was absolutely delicious, but I wanted a human portion size. Thank god Edwina forced dessert on us. Ugh, that was tiny too! We even had an appetizer beforehand, which no one was eating for some unexplained reason.  I now believe it was to make the American feel like an absolute pig because I definitely ate the majority and had to stop out of embarrassment.

Someone please tell me an experience that is cooler than mine last Thursday night (February 3^rd). You know what? Stop trying cus you can’t.

My friend Jackie is an intern at Parliament (cool right?), anyway, she can escort people into parliament with her security pass. Guess what they have in the heart of Parliament? Pubs! Can you believe it? I can’t even believe it and I saw them myself (there are 11 total). Oh and fyi- the drinks are government subsidized- this would never happen in America, it was literally mind boggling.

I hate to break it to everyone, but I went on another shopping excursion, what can I say? I’m addicted. Saturday Alyssa and I went to Westfield (I believe the first mall in the UK). 1^st floor was brand galore- D&G, Armani, you know- the norms. Second floor was a bit more consumer friendly; H&M, Zara, Mango, Next, New Look, Monsoon, and Topshop. We were there for about 5 hours total and I bought zero things, but this mall was tricked out to the nine. I have never seen a mall like this in all my life; it was so gigantic and upscale. As we were leaving, there was a champagne bar on the 1^st floor- there wasn’t a seat to be had! Oh yeah, and we saw a celebrity! Well, not really. There was a crowd of people huddled around Gucci, the store was emptied out, and security was keeping everyone back. I couldn’t get a good look though, so I have no idea who it was, but it was so cool!

Since I didn’t find what I was looking for at Westfield, the next day I went to High Street to find heeled laced up boots and a leather Jacket (two things on my list of must haves before I leave London). I finally found a Heeli leather jacket at TK Maxx (same thing as TJ Maxx) for 35 pounds! And after giving up on practicality for the boots, I went for the stiletto heeled boots at H&M-30 pounds!!

Then I got a 60 pound hair cut for FREE!! Amazing PR represents Hair Organics, an upscale hair salon in Notting Hill. They needed models for a training session and I needed a haircut, so I volunteered myself. Elaine, a friend of mine at the house, got in on the deal too. They took me over to the washing area and sat me down in…..a message chair! Then they asked me if I wanted tea; of course I want tea!! They were the cutest little single tea pots I’ve ever seen. The little teapot sat on top of the tea cup- mine had pretty red flowers painted on it. When they were done, Elaine and I were elated, our hair looks amazing! Alyssa went to the free coloring day on Monday and another one of my friends in the house made an appointment to get her hair cut (it looks awesome by the way). Seeing all the excitement, another girl, Andy, wants to get hers done as well- I should be making commission!

After that fabulous adventure, I celebrated the Chinese New Year in China Town! There were so many people; I could barely walk through the streets. We bought some street food; they were called pork dumplings, for 2 pounds. They were kinda gamey and disgusting if you want me to be completely honest, but the bread around the pork was yummy. Then we went to Super Star (a Chinese restaurant) and had a delicious dinner- I had beef fried rice.

This weekend we went to the Borough and Jubilee Markets- I bought some delicious bread and desserts. Tomorrow a few of us are off to Stonehenge!! I’m really excited! Check back next week for the dets.

Love from London,

B

The Tower of London.

Let’s get straight to the good stuff. This is for the weekend of January 28^th to the 30^th.

 Friday morning I went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Thinking I was going to be early, I got there around 10:30am for the changing at 11:15. It was packed. After searching 10 minutes for a spot, I finally found a space on the left end gate and mentally prepared for the awesomeness that was about to begin.

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention- it was freezing. I can’t remember a time that I ever experienced anything colder. I momentarily thought that I lost the ability to be warm. I must admit, it was at my own risk and stupidity. I was wearing leggings with a short little dress, boots, and a thin little coat. I had gloves stowed away in my bag, thank god, but it wasn’t doing much.

Anyway, the festivities finally began at exactly 11:15. It started as a parade, a band leading the way with the guards not far behind. I moved from my gate position to get a better look and ended up right next to them as they entered the palace gates! I turned around to try to see them behind the gates and……ugh, I gave up my spot. So, I spent the next 15 minutes trying to find a spot, with absolutely no luck, and left because I thought my fingers were going to freeze off. Oh well, I live here, so I’m sure I can fit it in again before I leave in April.

On Saturday, Alyssa and I went to the Tower of London! Now this was cool! Did you know that King Henry (VI?) had 12,314 diamonds on his crown? Did you also know that many of the crown jewels that are on display are still used during coronations? There was a spoon in there from the 12^th century that they still drink from! Oh yeah, and the largest cut diamond (The first star of Africa) is on the top of one of their cyphers! We stayed for about three hours; it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen since being here. The amount of history in that place is earth shattering!

Sunday was high tea day. Well, sorta. High tea is an afternoon pass time where people drink tea; eat crumpets, biscuits, and yummy puddings (desserts). We arrived at the original tea place to find it closed on Sundays, which was sad. But we held our heads high as we quickly diverted ourselves to Holborn to try another place- Bees something or other. We arrived and it looked so cut on the outside, with displays of cupcakes and biscuits, I was excited.

Well, too bad, it was reservation only. Hmmm, epic fail. We decided to walk around for a food place instead because we were starving and had given up the unattainable idea of high tea. We ended up finding a place called the Spaghetti House (which is a chain, but we had never been, so it was still a new experience). They had really yummy Italian food and what do you know? They had tea!! We ordered a few pots and it was just as good as the best tea place in town! (Well, I don’t actually know that for a fact, but I’m looking on the bright side here people!)

Keep checking back, this week I got to go to a pub for work and write my first real blog! Check that one out at http://amazingpr.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/the-troubadour-from-day-to-night-american-edition/.

Love from London,

B