Living London: Family, France, and Famous Fella's

Hello Everyone!

Greetings (not from Starbucks - Lenten sacrifice) but Caffe Nero!

It has been a while since I last updated you all about the goings on of my life in London but don't worry this blog will make up for it. That being said this post will be VERY long probably so I apologize for that.

10 days to cover....okay go....

Monday night (2/13): Beth, Marisa, and I went with our theater class to see "The Comedy of Errors" at the National Theater. Of course the circle line refused to cooperate and we were held on there for 25 mins. - two stops away from where we were suppose to get off because of some problem or another. Finally we got to Embankment station and walked across a nice bridge, at quick pace, towards the National Theater. I wish I was able to have better enjoyed the walk over the bridge because London looked beautiful lit up. The Eye was bathed in blue and red lights and it looked oh so pretty. With 5 minutes to spare we got the theater, collected our tickets from our professor, and took our seats. The play was very funny as it incorporated the old language of the play with modern set and design elements that helped the audience better understand what was going on. It was indeed comical. I was most impressed with the set and the circular stage. This performance was unlike anything I had seen before and I was happy with how well they seemed to pull it off. After the show we returned home and I went to bed early.

Tuesday (2/14): Tuesday was Valentine's day and, perhaps more importantly, MaryJo's birthday. Valentine's day in London is not so different from home, though the decorations are less obnoxious. After wishing MJ a very happy 20th birthday I got ready for my day. I had class 2-5 and was given free chocolate by my professor because I let him use my phone to call his wife (#teacher'spet). After class I went home to get ready for my date. Yes, I did have a Valentine's date this year. I went on a date with Andrew. Andrew and I had been a few dates before Valentine's Day. He's a very nice, English gentleman (though my Literature professor constantly asks us what that means - he can't decide). I was looking forward to going to dinner and hearing about Andrew's adventures with his family in the good old US of A (he and his family had been in Miami the previous week for Holiday). Andrew and I went to dinner at a nice restaurant called Bar 128 then for some drinks at the Old Swan (a near by pub - one of my favorites). Andrew told me about the good times his family had in Florida and how he believes the UK needs to have diners; I do too. Looking back he wishes they went to Orlando. I told him it just gives them all an excuse to book another vacation. Andrew is such a gentleman that he brought back microwavable popcorn from America! Oh yes, he knew the way to this girl's heart! haha. After dinner and some drinks we hung out with some of the room mates at the house. Overall one of the best Valentine's Days I ever had.

Wednesday (2.15): Through the night of the 14th I knew Mom, Dad, and Eddie would be over the Atlantic on a plane headed for London! Wednesday morning I went to my theater class. Our class was at the Globe Theater which is a really neat place. The Globe is the prime example that commitment to Shakespeare and his work has not been lost in the 21st century. I think it would be very cool to see a performance there. After our tour of the theater we went to the Starbucks across the street to finish the class time by discussing what we thought of the outing and different goings on in the theater. To think, I had a class in Starbucks. After class I hurried home knowing Dad, Mom, and Eddie would be waiting for me. Yep, all of K1 was in London!
My family was staying at a hotel down the street from my house which was really nice. After making sure they were settled in okay (and letting them recover a little from jet lag) we decided we'd go to dinner later on. We went to dinner at Old Swan (again - favorite spot). The rest of night we took it easy seeing as they were very tired and I, of course, started to not feel well. It was decided they would spend the next day being ultimate tourists while I was in my two classes.
It was so weird to see my family in London, to think the halfway point of my journey -- and their visit --- was already here and happening.

Thursday (2.16): I met my family at Starbucks early in the morning where I entrusted them with my camera before we set off for Birkbeck. I showed my family around campus before they set off for Buckingham Palace and I went to my "London: Growth of a Modern World City" Class. At lunch time my family came back to Birkbeck and got lunch from the outdoor market. They showed me the pictures from earlier and Marisa and I told them some stories about London life so far.
After lunch they went back to the hotel to rest while I went to my second class of the day.
After class I headed to the hotel where Operation: Hard Rock Cafe started to take shape. Basically, Eddie is obsessed with Rock and Roll and one of his life goals is to visit all the Hard Rock Cafes in the world.

After some laughs we all went to bed.

Friday (2.17): I woke up at 3:00 AM to shower and get ready before meeting my family outside of my house to head for a 4:00 AM bus to St. Pancras for the Eurostar and PARIS :). After smooth travelings to the train station we got some breakfast and set up some plans for when got to Paris. The Eurostar ride was quick, though my Dad just had to keep reminding me every time we were deep underwater - I did not appreciate that. We arrived in Paris about 10 am local time (Paris is an hour ahead of London - go figure). The four of us gathered our surroundings, found the correct Metro station, and took the Metro to Chatalet, basically to the front door of our hotel. Our hotel was very nice and we saw on the map we were close to the Louvre. Shortly after our arrival my Dad was off to the Paris office of his company to give a presentation and meet people (cool right!). Mom, Eddie, and I decided to explore Paris. We tried to find the Hard Rock Cafe, Paris without success but saw a great deal of Paris - it was fun!
After my Dad got back to the hotel we decided it'd be really neat to see the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe (french spelling) at night. Soon we were back on the metro headed for the Eiffel Tower. We got to the Eiffel Tower right before the sun went down so were were able to see it, at first, with no lights and then we saw it being illuminated slowly as the lights went on as it became dark. My Mom and Dad decided they wanted to walk around while Eddie and I decided to brave, more steps, and climb to the first level of the Eiffel tower. Can't get a better sibling bonding experience then that I'd say. We got some great pictures and while we were "in" the Eiffel Tower we noticed all the lights started flashing - but we couldn't see it that well, but we heard the "owwws" and "ahhhhs" from the crowd. After some time exploring like Lewis and Clark and feeling some raindrops we decided to climb down.
The four of us got pictures in front of the tower at night before jumping on a bus to get the Arc de Triomphe. The bus driver was very nice and told us how to transfer buses and actually let us off the bus before he was suppose to so we could get to the next bus loading area easier and quicker. What a gem!
K1 got to the Arc de Triomphe and took some nice pictures from walking down the Champs-Elysees (more french spelling) on the search for a nice dinner place.
Funny moment: at the end of the Champs-Elysees there is a Ferris wheel. Eddie saw this Ferris wheel in the distance and said, "Oh look the London Eye!" --- convinced it had been transported from London or we could somehow see London from Paris. hahahahahaha.
We got dinner at a nice restaurant and headed home to the hotel for dessert. I got a nutella crepe OF COURSE - sooo good.
After a long but great day we went to bed.

Saturday (2.18): K1 got up early and packed up before some more site seeing. We got breakfast at a quite little caffe before heading down streets towards the river Seine and Notre Dame. Notre Dame is beautiful and I took lots of pictures. The interior is gorgeous!!! After saying some prayers we were on a mission towards the Hard Rock Cafe, Paris for lunch. The wait was not nearly long so we were able to have lunch and Eddie was able to acquire another shirt for his collection.
After lunch we headed for the Louvre. The Louvre was really neat and we took the classic tourist-stands-far-away-and-points-like-their-touching-the-edge-of-the-pyramid-shot. By this time it was getting to be late afternoon so we headed back to the hotel to rest before heading to the Eurostar. Dad and I went to an Australian Bar (in Paris) for a couple drinks and watched a rugby match. Both bartenders were English and had come to Paris for work. We related it to going to a different state in the US for work. Good stuff.
Before we knew it we were back on the Eurostar. And after a somewhat annoying ride back (loud, intoxicated, women) we were back in London. I forgot I had to top up my Oyster card so I delayed the process of getting home but soon enough we were back in Notting Hill. I met up with Laura at the Old Swan for a drink and told her about K1's Persian adventures.
Overall Paris was WONDERFUL! It was even better being there with my parents and Eddie. I found myself being a London snob in regards to the transportation system. Nothing can beat the tube aka the Disney of public transportation. Put it to you this way. the metro felt "homely" as it reminded us slightly of Septa......fail.

Sunday (2.19): Sunday's mission was to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Getting there almost an hour ahead of time still proved to be too late as the streets were blocked off and people were everywhere!!! Eddie and I weaved our way through the crowds to the gate and got to see some of the ceremony. They played Phantom of the Opera - awesome! After the change of the guard I held the family off from lunch as I wanted to show them what high tea was like in Britain. We went to tea of High Street Kensington. Laura, gracing us with her presence, came with us. After tea Dad, Laura, and I hit up Churchill arms for some drinks. Mom and Dad then went to do some laundry and Eddie and I chilled at the Old Swan searching information about the London Eye. Sunday night we went back to Churchill arms for some Thai food and everyone agreed it was really good! Laura also dispelled some myths about Minnesota -- yes, very interesting.

Monday (2.20): For the family's last day in London I decided we should go down Portobello Road for a proper English breakfast. With went to a new favorite place of mine, "Charlie's." Nothing beats a traditional English breakfast. After breakfast we set off for the London Eye! We got there a little early and were able to get in line before our scheduled ticket time. Well, as fate would have it, we ran into the Farrell family...also at the London Eye...and we all wound up in the same Ferris wheel pod. Joe and I went to SJR together and he is studying in London. Small world. We actually sat next to each other at graduation but I don't think he remembered that. haha. Seeing London from "the Eye" is an incredible experience and if you're ever in London and can --- you should definitely do it!!!
After a great Ferris wheel adventure we got some hot dogs and walked across the bridge, got back on the tube, and headed home. I gave my family instructions to get ready and meet me at 4 pm to head back out for my surprise. We went to dinner at Angus Steakhouse where I surprised the three of them with tickets to see "Singing in the Rain"on the West End that night! They were so excited. So after dinner we walked down the block to the Palace theater to see the show. The first act was very good so we had to strain a little to see. During intermission an usher, who talked to my Dad earlier in the evening, came up to us and told us he had seats for us on a lower level. So for the second act we got upgraded seats --- for free! Daughter of the year - I know! After the show we got some dessert and headed home and went to bed.

Tuesday: Tuesday morning I got up bright and early to see the family off. I was so proud of them for taking to the Tube to the airport! I had mixed feelings about seeing them off. It was great having them in London but it's tough being a tour guide (though I enjoyed it a lot). It meant the world to me that my family could visit me abroad as I have learned that is not always possible for everyone. I could tell how proud they were of me for doing what I was doing and how they were as grateful as I was in being able to travel to mainland Europe!
After seeing the family off I went to bed for a few more hours. HA. Soon enough I was back in class. Well it was actually a field trip. We went to the Geoffrey Museum where we saw the evolution of the interior of rooms in London. Once again I wished I could just go to Ikea and/or the home section of Harrods with enough money to be able to just see a room interior and say, "Okay can we just pick this room up and put it into my future home?" Many of the girls agreed with me. After exploring the museum we, led by our professor, SPRINTED to the bus and headed towards his home in Hackney.
Yes the remainder of the class was conducted inside my professor's home. We had tea, wine, and sweets and he read us some of his writings. Oh, and gave us back our papers. We met his wife and daughter. The whole experience was kinda surreal.
After another "living London" experience Kali and I headed back home. Later on Laura, Kate, and I headed to Old Swan for a drink for Mardi Gras. I went to bed exhausted but happy after a great day in London.

Wednesday: I woke not feeling well at all and did not go to class. Instead I slept in til 11:30 am. I truly believe my feeling ill was due to exhaustion. It was a much needed break, though I didn't like missing class, but there was just no way I could have made it. In hopes of being forgiven I went to Ash Wednesday mass at 12:15 pm and then home and rested some more. I spent the rest of the day working on my presentation for class on Thursday. I also got an e-mail that said my Thursday morning class was cancelled so that was nice. I went to bed somewhat early still so tired!

Thursday: On an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day in London, Laura and I headed for some coffee and I finished my presentation. Before class Marisa, Beth, Eileen, and Essete headed for Borough Market (Laura went with us on the tube but got off to go to school). Borough Market is my new obsession. It's like the Rice's of food markets time 20 million. It has EVERYTHING. My lunch consisted of me partaking in all the samplings I was offered haha. Marisa and I bought some trout and cheese (from Neil's Yard) and grapes and bread for dinner. We also bought goat cream ice cream. Very, very good! We then went to class and I gave my presentation and it went very well. We got our papers back and all seemed to have gotten the exact same grade - interesting. He let us out early because it was such a nice day.
Marisa and I picked up some wine to complete our intended picnic for dinner.
Once at home we went into Spring picnic mode and had dinner in the garden. It was lovely London living. Soon we moved the party inside. Soon enough we were getting ready to go to another play for our theater class called, "In Basildon." Of course, as this only seems to happen when Beth, Marisa, and I need to go see a play for class, the Circle line was delayed. We were forced to take a cab to the theater and got there, again, with 5 minutes to spare. Oh well. Despite the "basil" related titled I don't think my SBA nuns would have approved. The play was modern in theme and performance and as such was very um, rich, in language and thought. But it was very good and the sense of naturalism that was there was much appreciate by the audience.
After the show was over Marisa, Laura, and I headed to the Old Swan (of course) for some drinks. We decided the kitchens at pubs need to stay open later and there needs to be a 24/7 fish and chips place. Because of our lack of choices and the time pushing 11 pm we went to McDonald's for some food. Marisa and I got happy meals while Laura was uncool and only got fries. haha JK. We watched some Boy Meet World before heading bed. We often wonder why others are not as cool as us --- ? ;)

Friday: Very early yesterday morning, Laura, Marisa, Jake, Phil, and Kyle left for Prague. It's a trip I opted out of. This resulted in me sleeping in until 11:30 and having an R&R kind of day. (Except for today's adventure this whole blog post was typed yesterday haha). Last night I relaxed and watched some Boy Meets World. Kali and I decided Saturday of this weekend should be spent at Abbey Road :)

Saturday: On another absolutely beautiful morning Kali and I dodged as much Portobello traffic as we could before hopping on the tube and heading to westbroune park (destination: Abbey Road). After getting off the tube and walking around the neighborhood we found Abbey Road and started walking down it. Preoccupied by talking and taking in our surroundings we didn't realize until it was too late that Abbey Road stopped in the direction we were walking. Yes, we had to walk all the way back and down the other way to head to Abbey Road studios. We stopped by a Abbey Road sign and took pictures and a man saw us and said, "Abbey Road down that way girls." We said thank you to the kind gentleman. Must be slightly annoying for those who live in the area to have to deal with tourists. As we got closer to Abbey Road studios and the famous crosswalk we realized tourists are of most annoyance to those that have to drive past the studios and stop at the crosswalk to let people "walk across". Because of constant traffic flow getting a picture is almost impossible. We found a nice couple around our age who promised to take our picture if we took theirs. Finally seeing a clearing we "jumped" into the crosswalk and started walking. Except my camera had died. So we had to give the girl Kali's camera and wait to start the process all over again. Finally we got a really cool picture and took the couple's picture. We spent some time in front of the studio taking pictures (with Kali's camera). We signed our names on the wall out front of the studio!!! We also saw a sign that said there was a camera above the studios that pointed to the crosswalk and you could retrieve a still camera shot of yourself crossing the street if you go to the studio website! So cool -- we will definitely check that out! I wished Eddie was with me - I know he would have loved it! But I signed your name Eddie (well I signed it "lil bro") but don't worry - I'm going back and I'll put your name in! After Abbey Road, Kali and I walked to Regent's Park and saw sooo many runners and happy goers enjoying the park like we were. We decided we wanted to stop home and eat lunch before heading out again. After a quick bit at home we walked around Notting Hill. We got tired from walking and decided to be lazy and take the bus back. A truly funny "living London" moment occurred right after Notting Hill Gate station was announced. At the exact moment I hit the little "stop" button to let the driver know we wanted to get off at the next stop (Notting Hill) the driver honked his horn at pedestrians to avoid hitting them. So when I hit the button a blaring horn sound was heard --- like I had honked the horn. Kali and the girl sitting next to us thought it was the funniest thing. After getting off the bus we went into a little shop to MAYBE look at some future gifts for people for heading home. ;) Now I'm just resting a little. I hope to do some reading and other homework tonight -- we'll see. I'll put the Abbey Road pictures up when my camera is recharged,

Thank you all for reading this post (or just looking at the pictures if that's why you're really here ;)).

I can't put every picture up but you can find them all on my facebook.