Wednesday, December 21, 2011
London had not been a part of my plan for winter break, but it just so happened to work out beautifully. My good friend from home, Madison, had been on a group tour of England and Scotland for the last week, but she decided to spend a few extra days here afterward so I could come see her and we can explore London together. I’m so happy that she did the tour, made a lot of friends and had a wonderful experience. I’m also pumped to be back in London because I didn’t get a chance to see it all when I was here two summers ago. But most of all, it’s been 3 months since I’ve seen anyone from home so I’m just excited that I get to spend time with Madison!
Getting out of Ubrique is never an easy task, especially on the weekends when the buses leave much less often. After pulling an all-nighter to enjoy one last fiesta on Friday, I caught the 6:30am bus to Sevilla Saturday morning. I got to nap in the airport, on the flight and on the train from the airport, so by the time I made it into the city around 7pm, I was feelin’ alright! I think that travel adrenaline rush probably helped, too.
I was supposed to meet Madison at Russell Square when I got in, so I stopped at a Starbucks for a much needed coffee and to steal the internet to get myself oriented. I realized I had ended up literally right down the street so it wasn’t hard to find her and meet her at the hotel! She had just finished her tour and we were both really tired but we were troopers and went out with a bunch of the people from her tour group for one last hoorah and it ended up being lots of fun! We went to this cool bowling alley/bar where Madison scored a turkey and kicked butt. I think it was the luck of her Scottish kilt! We spent that first night in the Imperial hotel in Russell Square which was really nice.
Sunday we took our time and slept in. Maddie was grateful and I was too! We moved our things to the hostel which was super cozy and really convenient- much different than any hostel I’ve stayed in before, because it was set in a quaint old home. We kept the sightseeing to a minimum and didn’t go into the main city center this day. We did explore the area and have lunch at a cafe. We visited the British Museum which is always awesome because it’s huge and free. It was my second time there and I STILL don’t think I saw EVERYthing! The Rosetta Stone and the mummies were my favorite part. After that we ventured to Abbey Road and attempted to recreate the infamous Beatles album cover, but it was really hard with the immense amount of traffic and the sun already going down around 4pm.
The next two days consisted of double decker bus tours, seeing the sights, taking lots of pictures and being tourists. We saw the river Thames, Big Ben and Parliament, toured Westminister Abbey and Shakespear's Globe Theater, and of course had a photo shoot with the infamous red phone booth. Maddie and I also got in touch with our inner child at Madame Toussauds house of wax figures- our favorite part was most definitely the 4D superhero movie.
Tuesday night, our last night in London, we were whooped and opted to relax with a real British meal and a bottle of wine. Maddie had the steak and ale pie and I opted for the fish and chips. After stuffing ourselves and downing a bottle of vino, we met up with my friend Jonathan who lives in London. He took us to a quaint little wine bar that we never would have discovered on our own. Unfortunately he couldn’t stay long… leaving Maddie and I to finish a second bottle of wine ourselves. Needless to say we got a case of the giggles on the way home and even missed one of our metro stops. Somehow, it made for one of the most memorable experiences of the week.
On Wednesday morning I took Madison to the airport this afternoon after sleeping in. It made me sad to have to say goodbye but I’m so happy we got to share this experience together. I had some time to kill so I met Jonathan again for lunch and a pint before he took off to visit family for Christmas. After lunch, I took advantage of Starbucks for the second time, sat and used the wifi and just watched the people go by for a really long time. There was something oddly soothing about sitting and relaxing among the hustle and bustle of the Christmastime rush. Though I have an unconventional Christmas this year, I’m really looking forward to making some new Holiday memories. That night, I made a friend and walked by the Thames to take some pictures; London is absolutely beautiful at night. The cool air, the Christmas market and the carolers in Trafalgar Square helped put me in the holiday spirit too. I’ve got a flight to catch bright and early then it’s off to the Canaries for Christmas!
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