Life in London

Today our time in London has sadly came to an end! I will be the first to tell you, however that we packed as much in as possible and I am looking forward to coming back! We explored a different part of London today and went to The Tower of London/London Bridge. This was magnificent and very beautiful. The intricate detail and magnitude of the bridge was breathtaking! After spending the morning here Christiana, Ryan and I went to the infamous Platform 9 ¾! This was very fun! Of course it has been transformed into a total tourist sight where they have the trolley, glasses, and the Gryffindor scarf available for people to try on and take a picture! Also fun fact that I learned was that the true Platform 9 ¾ was actually located between platforms 8 and 9. (rather than 9 and 10) After waiting in a long line we got our picture taken and the explored the official Harry Potter store. This was quite a treat and we ran into many true Harry Potter fanatics!

We had a late lunch at Ryan’s choice…Pizza Express. This was a nicer pizza restaurant with delicious thin crust pizzas. I was reminded of one thing that I do not miss at all from my study abroad experience, which is…. Having to pay for water everywhere. They provide the nice glass bottle with a liter of water (going for 5 pounds!!!). With 3 dehydrated tourists this does not go too far.

Ryan and I had one last stroll through London. It was delightful. Everyone was so nice and I personally cannot get enough of their accents. Finally we ended our time at Green Park with a short nap while people watching. The about of pigeons and other types of bird that we saw here was crazy. They are so use to being around people that they do not really move. Multiple times I had to duck because I truly thought the bird was going to fly straight into me!

Here I am now on the plane to South Africa! The adventure is only beginning! So excited for what is to come!

The Land of Red Phone Booths and Fish and Chips

Good Morning from London! Ryan and I do not have time to be jet lag so we have been on the go since arriving in London yesterday morning. It was a bit of a challenge getting from the airport to our hotel without a map. But that was part of the thrill of it I guess? We spent all afternoon being complete tourists in London. We visited Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalger Square, National Art Gallery, Westminister Abby, and the London Eye. We also took a lovely stroll through Green Park. It is safe to say that by the end of the day we were ready to get off our feet! One of the first things that I noticed was the beautiful, plush green spaces all over London. They were very beautiful and appeared to be filled with locals. Also Ryan and I have been shocked by the diverse people and languages we have been hearing since being here. It was a dreary day but it was still comfortable and we had a great time!

Later in the night we swung by Christiana’s apartment and met her roommates. She has such a fun set up with several Notre Dame apartments filled with people in her program! By coincidence our Uncle Bart was also in London on business over the same couple of days we are there! We meet him at a nice restaurant called Giraffe in Southbank. This was a quaint place along the river that was delicious. It was so fun to catch up over yummy food, laughs, drinks and of course big chocolate desserts! Overall this has been a great start to our experience in London! Christiana has done a great job of showing us the ropes and taking us around! Looking forward to the next couple days and what is to come!
Here are a couple pics!