Friday the 13th...dun dun dun!

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Since I don't work on Fridays I decided to go off on my own and explore more of London. I took the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden and just walked. Somehow I ended up at Trafalgar Square. It's literally a giant square with a huge statue/pointy thing and the National Gallery. I had some other tourists take a photo of me below the countown to the Olympics sign!

From there I hopped on the tube and ended up walking through Westminster (Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey). It was a zoo. Although it was great to see Big Ben again. There's something about it that fascinates me...I don't know if it's the design, height, or beauty, but something about it gets to me! Stunning.

The cliched curses of Friday the 13th do exist, however. I really needed to pick up deodorant today and simply could not find it. I went to two different Boots stores (standard pharmacy/drug store), Marks and Spencers (an upscale grocery store), and a pharmacy and could not find standard deodorant for women. This is probably too much information for you, but this was a very significant part of my day. Alas, I still have not found regular deodorant and have no clue what to do!!

To distract myself from that adventure, I went to Hyde Park and Knightsbridge. On the way I picked up a coffee because searching for deodorant is very exhausting. Once I had the energy to walk through Hyde Park I had a wonderful time. There are security personnel and policemen everywhere because of the Games approaching, but it was still lovely. I walked very far and found the Peter Pan statue and admired the ducks. It still amazes me that within the huge city of London there are these royal parks that bring so much greenery and life to the hustle and bustle.

Now I am back at my residence for some relaxation before Paris tomorrow! I cannot wait to communicate with the French and immerse myself in another culture. Check back soon for a blog post about my weekend to Paris!

~Kayleigh

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