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!