Just Bumming Around in London

true or false: this was our friday night 

Anna and I have been galavanting through London for three days now, and we have barely slowed down enough to let our blister-ridden feet rest, let alone write blog posts.

The adventure started with Mom and Anna coming to Evanston to help me organize my life, move out of the ShNoyes apartment and packpackpack.  Shoutout to the summer roomies: Haley, Molly, Jamie, I hope you're eating the rest of the food I left in the fridge. Finally, after quite a saga  including a mild concussion (beach volleyball, go figure), An Ideal Husband, 2 suitcases full to bursting, a lot of Asian noodles, some tears, 4 heavy guidebooks and a trip to Target to get American candy for the host fam, Anna and I found ourselves waving goodbye to Mom at O'Hare International Airport.

20 years later.. nothing has changed

The 7 hour flight seemed to fly by (hardee har har), the highlights being the movie selection, the adorable old Greek man sitting next to Anna who needed help operating technology, and the British Airways food (not kidding, it was actually good). When we stepped off the plane at Heathrow, we walked straight into Sam Eley, my oldest friend from Maine, who we almost didn't recognize after his two months in Kenya.  In an absurdly coincidental twist of the universe, we had realized back in May that not only were we traveling internationally on the same day, but that our flights arrived in Heathrow within an hour of each other. The world is a crazy place.

Predictably, our first few hours in London were characterized by our lack of a sense of direction.  This wasn't helped by the fact that a) the maps we had didn't include most street names b) the numbering of buildings here makes NO SENSE and c) often halfway down a street the name changes. Cool, London,  way to make things difficult.  We were also a little delusional since our overnight flight meant two-days-with-no-night-in-between. However, I am proud to say that ever since we figured out, by asking a nice policeman,  that Hyde Park was in the opposite direction than we had thought, we have rocked the London transportation system and traversed the city.

Here are some highlights from the last three days:

Hyde Park: Gorgeous.  Although our experience was tainted by the fact that we were being pounded into the ground by our ridiculously heavy backpacks (we hadn't checked in to the hotel yet) and I was being speared by my Converse with every step. Never underestimate the torture of a pair of too-small shoes.  Also they charge you to sit in the lawn chairs. Not very friendly.

Our hotel: Teeny tiny converted townhouse in the Marylebone neighborhood, with a marble and gold  entryway that makes me feel fancy. Clean, free wifi, with a bus stop right out front. Bam.

Our hotel's breakfast:  I don't know what they put in the eggs here, but I'm obsessed.  Also its complimentary, so that's a win.

Double-decker buses: Just as cool as they seem. We ride them everywhere, since our London Pass came with a weeklong travel card.  You feel like you're flying and you get to observe all the incredible buildings and the near-traffic accidents in the packed streets.

Churchill: In the words of Anna, he was, "the ultimate badass." We visited the Churchill War Rooms yesterday; they're incredible.  Made me want to watch Foyle's War again.

Visiting Delia:  My friend from NU is working in London this summer, and we went up to Camden (SO hip) to have dinner, see her apartment and check out the Friday night scene.

Hobnobs:  The MOST DELICIOUS British cookie. Shoutout to Melissa Carr for always bringing them back from the UK and letting me eat them. Oats n' chocolate. Yum.

Windsor Castle: The home of the British royalty for 900+ years.  We jumped to the front of the huge line (booyah, London Pass for the win), walked the grounds of this gorgeous castle, explored the breathtaking state apartments and examined Queen Mary's Doll's House, a huge perfectly realistically reproduced aristocratic manor.

Afternoon tea: Anyone who knows me knows the ridiculous amount of tea that I drink on an every day basis, so obviously the English tea tradition is a favorite.  Our hotel has complimentary tea and cookies, and today we went to afternoon tea at Drury House in Windsor, complete with a 3-tiered food service of cucumber sandwiches, cake, and scones with clotted cream and jam that completed all of our wildest dreams.

Oxford Street: A bustling area, great for (window) shopping and feeling like you're in the middle of everything. Very short walk from our hotel, so we walk down this street a lot.

People: The people-watching here is fascinating.  Streets are packed with men in business suits, beggars in rags, fashionistas in mini skirts and heels, tourists in jeans and sneaks, hipsters in harem pants, women in burqas, constables in uniform..
...and, of course, Anna and me, wishing we could be everywhere and see everything at once.