One down, a lot more to go

It finally happened, we made it to London. All it took was 9 hours on a plane and all my hopes and dreams. At the very least I had the charismatic attitudes of the metal band to keep entertained and sane (They were heading to Romania for a music festival, and they were going to be the opening number for Pantera. Band song). Getting off that plane was a better experience than any birthday I have ever had, and it made being in London feel like a fever dream. I have now been here for 9 hours and I can say it is very real. London is a very beautiful and confusing city that somehow feels so familiar and comfortable. Most of the food is just stuff that we have in Arkansas, but there is definitely a lot more authentic European food here. Despite the options, I have eaten nothing but American garbage and I plan to eat a lot more of it too. There are so many cafes and tobacco shops that I really am surprised they live past 30 up here. London also has some crazy ass places! I went to M&M World and bought an awesome ass fanny pack (photos to be posted later), and I visited London’s China town with some new friends. There is also so much theatre here! Even if I tried, I could never watch every show they had to offer, but I hope to see some good shows while I am here. So far London has impressed me, but I think I am more excited to spend this next month with some really fun and interesting people. Today I learned everybody’s name, and all I have to do now is not say something stupid. Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, please pray that I don’t say anything stupid because it is really hard for me sometimes. Besides all of that, I look forward to what the British throw my way!

Finally Abroad!

Almost 24 hours after first getting to XNA, I am now sitting in the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury, Central London. The trip to get here was fairly uneventful but still was not without its hardships. Our first flight from XNA to DFW went by surprisingly quick, with it barely feeling like the plane left the ground. But it was after we landed and got to grab a quick bite to eat at the airport that I realized just how bad this next flight was going to be. An hour is like a nice lunch break, but 9 hours is a full day’s work. 

Fortunately I had an aisle seat, giving me just a bit more legroom to last the entire journey, and after taking off the first hour went by relatively quickly, with dinner being served and a movie playing on the entertainment system, but that still left 8 to go. After another hour I started to try and sleep through the rest of the flight, and eventually I was successful, but only for around 4 hours, leaving me with 3 more to sit through. Thankfully these last three were much easier to get through since I had now carved out a semi comfortable spot for myself, and before long we had finally arrived at Heathrow!

Navigating Heathrow was far easier than I expected, and to my surprise customs consisted of no more than scanning your passport and face at a personless kiosk. We then picked up our luggage and got on the coach to the Royal National! Once here we all went up to our rooms to unpack and briefly rest, before each going our separate ways to figure out something to eat. A few of us decided to get a taste for London by traveling all the way to the hotel lobby where the Blooms Pizza Cafe was located. Sometimes simplicity is the best option.

Finally, to end the day we all took our first trip on the London Underground, visiting Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square! From just our brief outing into the city I can already tell that this will be one of my favorite cities that I have gotten to see, likely because of its unique seeming combination of historic and modern architecture and aesthetic. I can’t wait to see what the rest has in store! 

The Shakespeare statue at the center of Leicester Square

5/23: Landing in London

We landed in London around 12:45 at Heathrow National Airport, and despite the minimal amount of sleep that I got on the plane, I was very excited to start walking around and seeing everything the London has to offer. After we got to the Royal National, Jackson, Ryan, and I got pizza from the restaurant inside the hotel and before the group met at 6:00 for the tour of Picadilly Circus and to learn how to use the Tube, I took a quick 20 minute nap in my room. Jackson and I then joined the rest of the group and we left for the walking tour. Seeing Picadilly Circus was cool, but I was more interested in the next little area that we spent some time in, Leicster Square. Our first stop after we made it to Leicster Square, and bore witness to the great Billy Shakespeare statue, was to get pictures next to a metal statue of Paddington Bear on a bench. We also saw a statue of Batman perched on top of a nearby rooftop, surveying the city as The Dark Knight typically does. Seeing all of these cool little statues was very fascinating and fun and I am excited to find more little Easter egg-like statues throughout the various Parks and Squares in London. After admiring the statues and taking some pictures, a group of us went into the M&M’s super store and looked around for a moment. We then went into the most touristy place we could find, the Lego store, and I grabbed a couple of Brick-Heads to bring home as a souvenir. The group then made its way to a park next to the hotel to sit for a little bit, and after about 30 minutes, I made my way back to the hotel to call it a night. The jet lag is definitely hitting me hard right now but I am excited for the tour of the city by coach tomorrow morning and to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. 

Learning of London

Over the past couple of days, I have sat in a classroom with new peers as we prepare to embark on a journey to London to study the magic and education of theatre. It is quite difficult to conceptualize the idea that soon we will be in the places our professor shows images of to us on a projector. We have studied the works of Shakespeare in the class on campus such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Comedy of Errors. My favorite play that we have studied is a play called Dancing at Lughnasa by an Irish playwright named Brian Friel. I have enjoyed reading these plays and I can’t even begin to imagine how fascinating it will be to see them be performed by talented actors on a decorative stage. It is quite astounding to think that in a short amount of time I will be in The Globe Theatre where Shakespeare himself performed his plays. We are planning on seeing over 33 plays during our 28 day stay. Towards the end of our trip, we are packing our bags to stay at Stratford-Upon-Avon where the one and only Shakespeare was born and grew up. To say that I am ecstatic is an understatement. I am so eager to learn of all the different cultural differences and landmarks of England. I even plan to take a day trip to Paris and also take a weekend get away to Ireland if I can. It is in moments like these that I am so grateful for technology and that it allows me to take friends and family along for the journey through these blogs. As I sit here and type, I think of how blessed I am to have such an opportunity that my parents and even grandparents never had. I am so grateful to do and see the things they never got the chance to. That is what we want for our children, for them to have the opportunity to experience realities we never had the privilege of even dreaming about. I hope my family sees the role they play in my ability to set off to see new parts of the world, and I hope they know that all the while, I am carrying them with me as I go.

P.S. I may or may not have been practicing my accent when I’m alone in my room and I may or may not have made an entire Pinterest board of outfits I plan to wear while I’m over there.

#6 Cake Was Enjoyed. I Didn’t Die. Win, Win.

Burough Market has an entirely different vibe than Spitalfields. The pace at which crowds wander through is a bit more frenzied, a bit more rushed, and in general, more goal oriented: the goal being lunch. Everyone is hangry, and there is no time to doddle. My first stop took me to a fruit stand selling fresh-pressed juices. The cups of juice were literally sitting amidst gorgeous piles of the fruit that they were made of. I opted for watermelon, which was lovely but a little homesickness inducing. It made me think of those oppressively hot Arkansas Fourth of July’s where the day stretches on a little longer before finally giving in to the dark. Part of me wanted to be sitting in a flimsy, fold-up chair watching fireflies rather than walking through a busy street. 

            I can’t always eat adventurously because I have a gluten sensitivity (womp, womp), but one goal that I had for this trip was to find some allergen friendly fish and chips. Situated at the bend of a narrow intersection at the edge of Burough Market was the loudest, smallest fish and chips shop you’ll ever find. The words “Fish! Kitchen” glowed as an unnecessarily self-explanatory beacon in the distance. Every order was a yelled relay between cook and cashier with little reminders to help the two cooks keep-up. Yet, they still managed to get order after order out in just a couple of minutes and for the correct customer. I stood back a little to watch the rhythm of how they worked. As a barista, something about the dance that people in the food service industry do every day to get through the rush is fascinating to me. At “Fish! Kitchen” it went something like this: 

Cashier: (Looks searchingly through the crowd for customers. Asks for their order before they have too much time to think about it.) “What d’ya want, love? Wheat free, sure. You know we can’t guarantee…”

Head Cook: (Raises eyebrows imploringly. Spins. Batters a piece of fish to toss in the fryer. Looks again at cashier as if to say, “yes, and?”)

Other cook: (Spins. Fills five cups with mushy peas. Turns to check the steadily bubbling cod that the head cook has just forgotten.)

Cashier: “Gluten-free Haddock!!!” 

Head Cook: “Did you tell her that we can’t guarantee…..?!”

Cashier: (to customer) “We can’t guarantee that it’s allergen free.”

Cashier: (yells across fryer) “She said it’s okay!!!”

Head Cook: (yells back across fryer) “She said it’s okay?!”

Cashier: (yells once again with the barest hint of an eye roll across the haze of steam gathering over the fryer) “She said it was okay!!!!!”

Other cook: (Boxes orders and hands them to customers. Looks back at head cook concerned. Fills five more cardboard jars with tartar sauce. Triple checks a piece of cod in the fryer.)

Head Cook: (Listening to another order) “No! No!” 

Head Cook: (Waves hands exasperatedly like he’s in a movie theatre trying to catch the attention of a friend who snuck in late.) “No more haddock!!!”

            Both my order and the next customer’s order were taken and made within the span of about a minute with just enough time for the guy next to me to ask, “you get the haddock?” I nodded. He sighed a small sigh of defeat, or maybe resignation, and looked down at his shoes. “Looks like that was the last piece haddock,” he said, and we both stood there awkwardly until a gleaming box of fish and chips was slid across the counter. I trailed past the clatter of the fish and chips shop and towards the outer perimeter of the market. Everything was quieter here as the lunch and dinner stands were replaced by small booths of pastries. I managed to find a small stand run by the “Free From Bakehouse” that sold allergen free sweets, and snagged a slice of Victoria Sponge and Passion Fruit Cheesecake. Oh my, that Victoria Sponge did not disappoint. I don’t think I’ve ever had gluten-free cake that’s as light as that was. The fish and chips were pretty miraculous too even though I forgot to order tartar sauce. Overall, the food that I got at Burough Market was probably the best that I had on the trip. Even though I didn’t get to branch out into different cuisines, I was happy to have found some British classics that accommodated my dietary restrictions. 

Final Score

Watermelon Juice: 10/10

Fish and Chips: 8/10

Mushy Peas: indifferent

Victoria Sponge: 12/10

Passion Fruit Cheesecake: 9/10

Back again soon,

Kath