Southern Belles take on Britain

Welcome back lovely people! I am so glad to be back and tell you all about my mom’s visit to London starting a week ago today…it was a fully packed five days of exploring new sites and making lifetime memories together. I am so blessed to have a family that genuinely cares about what is going on in my life…and even travels across the ocean to come see me for a short amount of time! Although it rained most of the days, the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits! Now I will try to relive some of the moments we shared together…

Last Wednesday, I went to work in the morning, anxiously awaiting mom to arrive. I left work a bit early to meet her at the hotel around 3pm…timing was perfect because I walked in and there she was sitting in the waiting room! It was a heart-warming reunion as we saw eachother…the kind that just touches your heart J We gathered our belongings for the remainder of the day and set out to see London. This was her first visit, so I wanted to try and give an overall view of the city within the time we had. That night, we ate at a little pub near Covent Gardens then walked around for a bit before turning in for the night…jet lag surely can take it out of a person, so we called it a night!

Thursday, it was up and early as we went to go grab our tickets for Sister Act that night then did the Big Bus Tour around London to see the major sites. This was well worth the slim cost of 25 pounds…including a free boat cruise, walking tours, and 48 hours of bliss riding atop a bus, this is a sure deal! We hopped on and off at different sights including St. Paul’s Cathedral. We almost made it to the top…but we had a wonderful view from the second level. The cathedral is beautifully ornate and was so cool to visit inside and simply walk around. After this, we grabbed our first round of Starbucks (must have for the Northcut ladies) then hopped back on the bus and saw Big Ben, London Eye, then stopped at the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels. We had fun walking around and seeing all of the towers and such…the crown jewels was breathtaking, just as I remembered it senior year. It was a fun time just walking around and soaking in some British history.

After this, we headed to Oxford Street for some dinner then went to see Sister Act. This was a wonderfully soulful show! I grew up watching all of the Sister Act movies so it was cool to see it live…mom and I were both enjoying the music throughout the show and all of the nuns-sooo good! We stopped by the flat afterwards then decided to go on to bed to get ready for the next full day.

On Friday, we decided to go see the Changing of the Guards and do our free walking tour with the Big Bus Company and see behind the scenes. This was really neat…we saw where the guards initially come out and then proceeded to walk down the road with them and march along with the band! It started raining once we got to Buckingham Palace, but we didn’t allow the rain to dampen our mood. After this, we rushed back to recharge my camera then decided to go on our boat tour on the Thames River to Greenwich (famous for the Greenwich time zone). This took about an hour to get there then we quickly ran around the town and went to the market then ran up to the hill to see the observatory. This was really cool…standing in two places at once with mom. And even better, jumping two places at once! Afterwards, we returned from Greenwich and went to dinner around Piccadilly then walked around and shopped a little. Successful day!

Saturday it was up early for the Portabello Market where we took the Big Bus once again then walked around to see all of the antiques and great buys around the market. After shopping around for a while, we headed back and rode by Kensington Palace (Princess Diana’s former abode) then went to Covent Gardens to eat right near the market. After a delicious mid-afternoon lunch/dinner, we walked around some more, went to Carnaby Street (my favorite), then ended up grabbing Starbucks for a good two hours to end the night. It was a perfect way to end the night by simply relaxing and talking for a while.

Now Sunday was probably my favorite day out of the whole trip…We woke up early once again and headed for Spitalfields market. After seeing all the things we wanted to see, we headed to Westminster to walk around and see Big Ben up close, Parliament, Westminster Abby, etc. We had some extra time so we decided to walk through Churchill’s war rooms which was really neat! They left everything just as it was when Churchill was Prime Minister and called the shots for WW2. We had a lot of fun seeing all of the rooms and learning more about his life as he was in the heat of war.

After this, we made our way over for High Tea at the Brown’s Hotel. This was simply perfect…complete with neverending tea, food including finger sandwiches, warm biscuits, and yummy pastries and piano in the background—this was mahhvelous. With a piano player in the background, amazing service by top notch waiters, and warm velvet chairs to lounge in, this two hour event was definitely a highlight of my whole London experience…and what better way then to experience it with my mom! After eating all we could possibly eat and drink all the tea that our bodies could handle, we decided to go on over to Harrods so mom could see the monstrosity that it is! After visiting a few floors and finding the perfect ornaments, we decided to head back to the hotel and pack up everything. What a perfect Sunday this was…not one raindrop even fell from the sky!

Although it was sad to say goodbye, it was the perfect amount of time to hold me over until my return in 3 weeks. It is hard to see these fleeting days zoom right past me. But also after having mom here (my little touch of home), it made me realize how ready I am to be back with the ones I love the most. I am charged and ready for my remaining weeks though…so many things left to do in such little time! I am hoping to take a day trip soon so stay posted for new experiences and new adventures!

Video Montage of my time with Mom:

Starting the Holiday season off right...London Style!

Hello Everyone! These past two weeks have been filled with many adventures in and around London. After getting back from fall break, it was hard to get back in full swing of internship and classes. But now, I am hitting the ground and running to enjoy my last month in London. Here is a recap of my past two weeks…

Two weeks ago, I had my internship as usual on Monday and Wednesday then my classes once again Tuesday and Thursday. It was a pretty quiet week full of many loads of laundry and simply sharing stories with the flatmates. On Thursday after class, I decided to venture to Hyde Park (near Buckingham Palace). This is a beautiful park, adorned with a lovely pond with paddleboats and lawn chairs to soak in the sun. It was the perfect day…not too hot and not too cold. I was able to journal and enjoy the day out-there is just something about parks that I love so very much. I suppose it is a nice breath of fresh air and a time for me to escape from the hectic London life and walk around to enjoy the day. It especially perfect because of the changing leafs...so of course jumping in them was a must.

That Friday, I went with my flatmates Sam and Jessica to Kew Gardens located on the outskirts of the city. This place was so beautiful…it was also the perfect fall day! We toured a greenhouse, played in leafs, walked around the gardens and simply enjoyed ourselves. Kew is also a quaint little town full of shops and restaurants to experience. I loved it there! We decided to go on to Oxford Street to eat some yummy food at Nandos…although this doesn’t quite compare to Chick-fil-a chicken, it still reminded me of home food (chicken pita with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes…YUM!)

That Saturday it was Halloween! Kirsten and I ventured out to find accessories for our costumes of Audrey Hepbern and a flapper girl…we liked to refer to ourselves as ‘timeless beauties.’ We had a wonderful night out on the town as we experienced two swankified clubs…we even had VIP status so we passed all of the lines to step right in and have fun. I couldn’t believe some of the costumes I saw though…I didn’t think international countries really celebrated Halloween-but London surely celebrates! Sunday was a rainy day spent doing some work and having personal time after a jam-packed weekend.

This past week was great. Now that Halloween is done, Christmas lights are flashing and all store fronts are ready for the festivities. It is slightly sad that Thanksgiving will be surpassed, but I love Christmas so much so it’s okay!

On Tuesday, London hosted the 50^th anniversary of lighting some main streets (Oxford, Regents Park, and Trafalgar Square). This was the first year they did it simultaneously, including guest stars to entertain the masses. It was said that there were 14,000 people there in all (CRAZY) and me, Kirsten, and Jessica were in the front towards the stage at Oxford Street. Although it was extremely cold and packed, we had a blast listening to performances from the musical Sister Act as well as other pop stars from London. It was also the premier of ‘A Christmas Carol’ so all of the stars came for the debut. Jim Carrey was at our designated location and flipped on the switch for Oxford Street. He is really funny…it was so odd to see him in person and be so close!

Another cool thing that happened was completing a world record of the most people singing Christmas carols. Yes…I helped make a world record happen! Andrea Bocelli (world famous, blind opera singer) led the sing along from Leicester Square and we joined in to welcome the Christmas spirit. After all was said and done, we walked down the middle of Oxford Street (the first and last time this will probably happen while I am here) and enjoyed the beautiful Christmas lights that hang above the street. This was the perfect way for me to get in

the holiday mood! Be sure to check out the video to see the event unfold…

Wednesday night we went to go see a play for our literature class (‘Inherit the Wind’) then we finished up the week with classes. On Friday, Jessica and I ventured to the Victoria and Albert Museum where we saw the evolution of fashion…it was amazing to see how clothing has

transformed from the late 1800s to now. The

coolest part was the exhibit on the future of fashion…yikes! It was so bazaar to see where fashion is headed…it doesn’t look very comfortable or practical, that’s for sure! We also got to go see a jewellery exhibit and designed our own rings…so cool! They also had a beautiful library and stained glass exhibit. Friday was Barrett’s birthday (flatmate) so we went out and celebrated that night and had a lot of fun.

Saturday Kirsten and I were up early and off to Camden Market. This is one of the coolest markets...it was very alternative and had more punk-ish types of clothing. Afterwards, we had a taste of America when we ate at The Diner. Complete with big band music and all, the atmosphere was perfect and my meal was even better. A cheesburger and fries complete with a chocolate milkshake…perfection! That night we were off to a Guy Fawkes celebration...this is a day that recognizes Guy Fawkes, a man who tried to burn down Parliament in the early 1900s.

Now London recognizes this day by hosting bonfires and

fireworks at different locations dispersed throughout the city.

(Now why they do this, I am not quite sure). It was really awesome though…the event was free and it was a huge fair (reminded me of the NC State Fair)! We then gathered to watch a fireworks/pyrotechnic show complete with

timed music about fire. It was pretty cool…like nothing I have ever experienced! Be sure to check out the video to see a little bit of it. We were worn out by the end of the night and my body was especially frozen (it is getting really cold here) so we called it a night. Sunday, I went to church then adventured to Spitalfields Market. It was a wonderful closing to a wonderful week!

My mom comes Wednesday and I am sooooo excited! We are going to pack in as much as possible while she is here…it shall be a blast to say the least! I have missed home and family so much, so this will be a nice breath of fresh air before I finish out my last three weeks here. Can you believe it’s almost come and gone…I know I surely can’t! Alrighty…enjoy the video montage of these past two week! Stay tuned soon for an update of my mom’s visit!

Video Montage of Christmas Lights on Oxford Street/performances and Guy Fawkes Fireworks!