Hey Ya’ll! Sorry it has been so long…I am finally finished with classes and my internship-HOORAH! These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Although the bone-chilling cold weather can be miserable at times, my heart is still warm and fuzzy for some London times. J I can hardly believe it is all coming to a close in a short two days…I am going to try and relive moments from these past two weeks-here it goes!
The week of Thanksgiving was a great time…although it was sad to be separated from friends and family on one of my favorite holidays, I found many reasons to be THANKFUL while being in London. We decided to have a potluck dinner as a program where each flat brought three different dishes to enjoy. Complete with a rotisserie chicken, stuffing, carrots, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, this thanksgiving feast was simply divine. I was surprised at the amazing food that everyone prepared…so good! We also created our own turkey hands that told what we were thankful for then finished off with some Christmas sing-alongs and secret santa gifts-it was so much fun! I love the Thanksgiving season just to be able to sit back and be thankful for all the things God has placed in my life. It was the best way to celebrate the holiday abroad!
On that Friday, Jessica and I ventured to Windsor Castle and it was simply wonderful! It was a cute town decorated for Christmas with history lining the streets. We traipsed through Queen Victoria’s town and went into the Palace to see the States rooms (including an amazing doll house collection) and the full house…it was so awesome inside! It kind of reminded me of the Versailles in France where the French dynasty lived. We had a great time walking through the different buildings. After touring and seeing everything we wanted, it was time for some food so we grabbed a bite to eat then decided it was time to head out. This was a great daytrip that I would highly recommend!
That weekend we went to some markets and Church then came home to prepare for our last week of papers/exams. Since classes technically ended the week before, this week was open everyday for fun adventures amidst the four papers I had to complete. On Monday, Kirsten, Sam and I went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and saw Father Christmas! It was a great time to get in the Christmas spirit while walking around and enjoying a hot cup of coco. We rode some rides and even saw a singing/talking moose…it was everything I wanted to get me in the Christmas mood and more!
Tuesday was my final exam for History so afterwards we decided to go to Nando’s (one of our favorite London restaurants complete with yummy chicken and southern cooked sides…YUM!) Wednesday I ventured around by myself through town and ended up walking through Traflagar Square up to Buckingham Palace into St. James Park. It started to pour down rain so I decided to go by the Big Bus Tour stop that mom and I took to see if they would potentially allow me to hop back on and ride. Surely enough, the man let me back on to ride and see some sites once again-I suppose it never really hurts to be nice and add some southern charm! I decided to come home after my little adventure and enjoy the night with the flatmates simply laughing and telling eachother what we are looking forward to when we get home.
Thursday, Sam and I woke up and went to Millennium Bridge where Harry Potter was filmed and also where you can see a full view of the London Tower and Shakespeare’s Globe. After this, we went to Kings Crossing to see Platform 9 and ¾ (another Harry Potter location). Although I am not interested in Harry Potter, Sam needed a buddy to venture out and find these places, so I though why not. I am still not so intrigued, but I suppose it was cool to see new places! That night, we went and saw Hairspray...SO GOOD! I didn't know what to expect other than what I have seen from the movie-it was absolutely amazing and the crowd left singing and dancing. We had such a great time and the cast was wonderful!
Today, Jessica and I took a daytrip to Oxford University to see what it was all about. Comprised of many colleges, this was a really fun/cute town to walk around and see all the churches and buildings. It was actually a bigger town then what I thought it would be, but it was really cool to see a new place. I even picked up my own Oxford shirt, which I am really excited to wear! We had a lot of fun just walking around and decided to grab a bite to eat in a local pub where we had some clubs…yum! By 4pm, it was starting to get dark so we decided to call it a day and come back to London. This was another successful day trip…I suppose this was my last official trip out of London before I come back to the States!
The rest of the week I will be packing up and enjoying my last moments around town…we still have to do the Abby Road walking picture and just absorb as much as we can before flying back. I can’t believe the time is so close! Stay tuned on Sunday for my final blogpost of my time here…for now, you can enjoy the video below!
Video around Windsor and London:
