So after almost 2 weeks of traveling I am back in Firenze so here's my fall break update:
Starting with the usual train to Pisa to fly out, we jet off to the Stansted Airport (about an hour outside of London, cause flying to the actual city would be too easy). Post Ryan Air flight running through the airport to rush through customs to not miss our bus, we hit customs and realize yeah we are most definitely not catch our midnight bus out, but we were glad to have rushed and not be at the end of the massive line.
Sidenote: while we were waiting there was this girl who had her friends bags and had to catch up and this middle aged man by himself refused to let this girl meet up with her friend and obnoxiously told her to go to the back of the line. It's people like that man that frustrate me to no end, we're all trying to get somewhere, being an ass isn't going to make his travels any easier. Where is Cillian Murphy from Red Eye when you need him.
We get stamped, move on our traveling ways and on the way to the bus see a casual book vending machine. I'm a firm believer in whatever is in a vending machine is a true reflection of that country. Italy has every form of coffee, America has anything and everything with sugar and processed foods, okay U.K. i'll give you your intellectual books. We arrive at London Victoria and head to our hostel for the night, which throughout my whole study abroad experience is and will be the only night I stay in a hostel since I'm staying with friends everywhere I go (Alex and I met up with our friend Matt the next day). I was loving the hostel we were in. It had such a I'm a college student but I'm an adult who wants things out of life type of vibe. Not to mention the weirdest thing occurred when Alex and I went downstairs so she could get wifi. We're down there for ten minutes and I don't even realize that there is a couple spooning on the common room couch, and the chick is rocking a full monkey suit onesie (tail and ears included) and then 5 minutes after their roommate another chick stumbles in asking for help turning the TV on to "watch porn or whatever"... in a monkey onesie as well. Not real life.
London Underground: Mind the Gap. laughed every time.
I'M IN AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY! CHEERS
We start off London by going to the London Tower. On our way we HAD to go to the first Starbucks we saw, I am deprived of my need for American coffee (#firstworldproblems). See the London Bridge (oh shit). Alex, Dev, and I do our usual travel trying to see as much as possible, walk a bit, take the metro, do our thing. The pictures kind of speak for themselves on what I saw, but overall I loved London (then again who wouldn't). I saw Olympic gear everywhere and I LOVE THE OLYMPICS so I was a kid in an expensive only can pay with the pound candy store. The accents were hilarious, I've grown up hating the British accent but actually being there I couldn't handle it, it is just too funny an accent to deny.
A quick ride on the Underground and we get off and there's Big Ben, no big deal. It did seem smaller in real life (not that it's even remotely small) but it was far more ornate that I expected too. We see Westminster Abbey which is so beautiful, Kate Middleton's stomping grounds whattup. Then after we walk and grab lunch he happen to walk to Buckingham Palace, but it took us a good 10 minutes to figure out of it actually was the Palace, debating no this can't be it, maybe, no way, oh there's a sign that says it is, awkward... Most anticlimactic national monument I have seen ever in my life. There weren't even the guards in red with the hats, disappointing to say the least. At least the white house has some distance and some grass between (and I've been in the White House, boom roasted.)
Casual typical London photobooth photo later and we go to Harrods... unreal how massive that store is. Easily could get lost for hours. So then we meet up with Matt finally, relax and then head out for some dinner (Not pasta or pizza chicka chicka yeahhh). I don't recall the name of the place Matt brought us too but it was bomb. French fries, oh how I missed you. Before the night we grab some prenight necessities from a grocery store and while waiting in line we talk to this British woman who was hilarious talking to us about the "posh" water Alex was buying, I don't know just even with that 5 minute encounter talking to this London stranger it's people like that that make a city so much better. Then for the night festivities we get ready to go out and Alex and Dev are determined to go to a gay club for me, only to get there at 12:04 and not be let in cause apparently London is inconvenient to actual night people and doesn't let people in past midnight, and the underground closes then too. Yet another reason to add to the list of why I love being an American.
So the next morning we wake up to go on our hop on / hop off bus tour around London. Before that we stumble past a McDonalds, so of course I haven't had breakfast and decide to get some Mickey D's lunch instead. MOST INSANE MCDONALDS I'VE EVER BEEN IN. America step your game up this McDonalds was ballin' it had the atmosphere of a club, and I didn't hate it. Then we head to Trafalgar Square to start off our tour but before we get on there's a huge NFL festival in the square... so strange. Got to see the Vince Lombardi trophy, casually saw the entire Buccaneers team walk past me, if I only cared about football I would have been freaking out a bit, but alas to each their own. In Trafalgar Square is the Olympic countdown.... now that I freaked out over. So then we get on our double decker bus tour and our tour guy Eddie leads us around with his half assed but still slightly comical jokes.
So post tour we get some food and head for the London Eye. As we are figuring out getting in line we run into our other Stonehill friends who were visiting London that weekend (and who I'd be going back with to Ireland) Jessica (aka Mardo), Lauren (aka Melaugh/Shmelaugh), Julia (aka JCrane), and Casey. Mardo dives out of line running over to us in excitement, now that's a damn good friend if I ever encountered one. She didn't care about lines and waiting for the London Eye, she just runs over to greet friends. Honeybadger don't give a shit. Then life goal completed, I go on the London Eye. It went surprisingly so much quicker than I expected, but it was so surreal.
Next night, get dinner in a London pub, stumble upon a soccer game being shown, damn I wish watching soccer was like that back in America cause it brought me back to World Cup days of two summers ago and how exciting it was. Oh and I got a real burger. I've never realized how much I like certain foods until I can't get them (Chinese food and Dunkin better watch out when I'm back). Another failed attempt at getting inside the club when going out, not the best ending of London, but I went not sleeping seeing as I had to take a bus out London at 4 AM. So I'm flagging down a London taxi at 3 AM by myself and I felt like an adult, I'm so much older than I can take, when did I become an adult? The fact that when I arrive back to America I'll be turning 21 the day after, I've always felt more mature than my age but to feel like a real adult traveling all around Europe it's wicked weird.
Big Ben, surprisingly not as big as I imagined
Westminster Abbey
I'm obsessed with the Olympics, CANNOT wait for this summer
Ironic timing of an NFL festival in Trafalgar Square
