Well, my friends.
Here we are. Here is my long
overdue and highly anticipated account of my weekend trip to London. This time, however, I did not travel with one
of my friends from the Rome Center. For
my final out of country trip during my semester abroad I decided to meet up
with my older sister and we had an amazing weekend.
I actually enjoy traveling places alone. I took the Metro Line A all the way to the
end where I caught an extremely cheap shuttle to Ciampino, all by myself. (Only 1.20 in euro my friends!) Then I flew on Ryanair for the first time
EVER. Now, let me tell you, if you’ve
never flown on Ryanair before it is QUITE the experience. I made a friend on the way to London and
arrived well behind schedule. At I was
asked many detailed questions. At first
I wondered why and then I remembered-THE OLYMPICS ARE SOON. OF COURSE THEY’RE TIGHTENING SECURITY IN THE
GREAT U.K. SARA. At any rate, after
security I took a lovely shuttle to Golders Green and met the best older sister
in the entire world at a semi-run down hotel!
But who cares? I MADE IT TO
LONDON.
We had three full days in London. Andrea who had already been twice, humored me
and went to all of the major sites all over again as well as a few new
ones! We also spent part of our Saturday
in Oxford. Here are a few fun notes and
highlights of the trip.
1. Camden
Lock Market
I was very set on going to the
Portobello Road Market, but we did not make it to a market until Sunday and
apparently Sunday is the one day that tourists are advised not to go
there. Instead, Andrea suggested that we
hit up the Camden Lock Market and I am glad we went.
Comparable to Lincoln Park in Chicago, Camden town was a trendy area of
London. The market had stalls and tables
for several blocks (the better ones were further from the TUBE station). We were both able to find some cheap and
authentic gifts (for ourselves) there.
2. The
Tate Modern
After a semester of Renaissance and
Baroque art the Tate Modern was a wonderful breath of fresh air!
3. The
Rebuilt Globe Theatre
Since we were unable to see a show,
Andrea and I went on a tour of the rebuilt Globe Theatre. As a theatre major and Shakespeare nerd I
could hardly contain my excitement. Led
by a snarky British man who kept making jokes about Americans, the tour was not
too educational nor a waste of money.
AND Andrea correctly answered one of his pop quiz questions. WAY TO GO ANDREA! You made us look good…
4. Covent
Garden
Unaware of its existence until I
came to London, this public area is filled with restaurants, musicians, shops,
Londoners, etc. We made this the
location for our authentic tea and scones experience. It was great.
5. Waterstones
I love to visit the public
libraries in major cities of the U.S., and in Europe I like to visit the major
bookstores in each major city.
Waterstones, while a chain, is awesome.
Five floors of overpriced books!
Overpriced? Yes. But so many books!
6. CHOCOLATE
I spent a majority of the semester
looking for the best chocolate. I did
not expect to find it in London. That
being said, I never made it to Belgium. But I discovered that chocolate in the U.K. is
made differently and is much sweeter. A
real Cadbury candy bar in London=perfection
Also, Smarties, the British answer to M&Ms, are out of this world.
There is so much more to tell about
my trip, but again, these are just some of the highlights.
Ultimate conclusion?
I would live in London in a heartbeat if the
USD to the GBP didn’t crush my soul.
Until next time!
Sara
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