‘Ello everybody! I’m in London! But you already knew that. A little less than half of us arrived here on the originally scheduled flight and had to take the tube to the hotel. I’ve been to London before, but I had partially forgotten certain things about the tube. I remembered to tap in and tap out, to wait for people to get off the train before you got on, but I had forgotten most of the different stops and changing stations. Thankfully, Jade is basically a Londoner and was able to lead everyone. Thanks Jade! I know that being on the tube with all our luggage was probably an interesting first tube experience for those who had never been on it before, but if you can conquer the tube under those circumstances, you can conquer anything.
Once we finally got to the hotel, we all rested up before heading down to the pub attached to the hotel for dinner. We happened to get to London on my birthday (20 on the 20th!), and everyone was so sweet to me and made it an enjoyable birthday, even far from home. After dinner, Tucker and Ilaria and I took a little walk where I got to get my favorite candy mix that I can only find in the UK. Haribo Tangfastics, look it up. Once I got back to the hotel and took a shower, I totally conked out and slept through most of the night with my phone still in my hand.
The next day, JoAnna and I woke up and went down for breakfast at the hotel. It was good, but not mind blowing. We went for a walk afterwards with Tucker, stopping at the coffee shop on the corner. Once the Baltimore 11 got here after their long journey, the trip really started to feel real. About every five seconds I would look at the group and either say “this is just like the episodes of Friends when they’re in London” or a simple “guys…we’re actually in London.” For dinner, we got to take the tube again (much less stressful without luggage) to Leicester Square and get dinner at the Seven Dials Market. On the way there, I heard a little British child pass us and say “What a clique they’re in!” After dinner, we hit the gelato place down the street where I had the yummiest, most refreshing gelato in the entire world. Then, we got to go see Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap! It was such a fun show, and I was very proud of myself for guessing the twist before it came. After the show, we got to head back to the hotel, gab with friends, and buy some more tickets for extra shows.
Today, after a little misstep in the morning, we got to take a nice walking tour to the Strand, Piccadilly Circus, back to Leicester Square, and Chinatown. As I write this, my beautiful roomies are getting ready for us to go see Les Miserables, and I will join them soon! So far, I’ve already had a fabulous time in London and can’t wait to experience even more.
Theatre in London U of A 