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Happy late Fourth of July!! I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and got to see beautiful fireworks (because I didn't 😞 ).
I'm sure you are wondering what I did for the holiday because I know the title does not give it away! I went to England, London to be exact. I had to get up super early on Friday morning to get to the train station at 6:30 in the morning!! I didn't expect to go through border patrol or customs to get into the UK. We didn't have to for France and the UK is part of the European Union. Anyway, I got to talk to the friendliest border police that morning (no sarcasm). They were very nice and accommodating. I even got another stamp on my passport which I was very excited about. It's the little things in life that keep us going. I got on the train and promptly fell asleep. I didn't even stay awake throughout the Chunnel (the tunnel under the English Channel). I woke up, and we had arrived in London. There is an hour time change so it was 7:30 when we arrived.
My first action was to get breakfast.
I was so hungry because I didn't have my usual toast breakfast at home before my host mother drove me to the station. I found a cute little crepe place in the train station and had a crepe with eggs and cheese. It was yummy. I decided that I would go check out my hostel and try to drop my backpack there before traveling the city. I found another really nice government employee to help me figure out an underground (British for metro) pass that would work for the entire weekend. The lines were much easier to figure out after visiting Paris. The London lines were less crowded, but there was a lot of construction on the lines so I had to go out of my way sometimes.
I made it to my stop for the hostel which was perfectly centrally located. I was very excited. The street that my hostel was on was classic London. The whole street looked like the same building. It was very white and very clean. The Holiday Inn Express and Best Western were across the street, but the law forbids them from having signs so it just looked like another apartment building. The
hostel did let me leave my backpack with them which helped me so much. I made an executive decision (dad's favorite phrase) to try and go to Wimbledon.
Of course, I went to the wrong station first. It was called Wimbledon; I just got off. Then I realized that it was a town called Wimbledon which made sense after I remembered that the grounds are not called Wimbledon. Anyway, I got back on the underground and went back one station. At the top of the stairs, there was a man with a megaphone telling us which way to walk to get to the tennis facility. He was helpful. It wasn't a long walk, and it was a pretty walk. It is a very cute town. I was directed by a guide to the queue (British for line). The next guide had the pleasure to tell me that there wasn't a queue and that I could just walk right up and purchase a ticket. I really did not expect that! I didn't even think I would get in the grounds. I was super excited as I walked the golf course of the 'All England Lawn Tennis Club.'
I paid
the £ 15 (or approximately $30) to get on the grounds. I really expected it to be more, but I was very relieved that it was not. I got there at about 9:45 and the actual grounds didn't open until 10am. I waited with the crowd until the gates opened. When they finally did, I walked by a small court (Court 17 to be exact) and saw there were people on it. I peaked in and found a gem. It was ROGER FEDERER warming up for his semi-finals match that day. I couldn't believe my luck! I took a seat with the rest of the crowd in disbelief. Even in practice, that man is a robot!! He was practicing with a young British guy who was eliminated in the first round. He looks like he will be a good player. Roger had two guys with him that would pick up the balls for them and put the balls in play. It was a little sickening.
Just when Roger Federer was wrapping up his practice, MARAT SAFIN walked onto the court. I think my jaw dropped to the floor at this point. The two competitors met, shook hands, and exchanged
a few courteous words. Federer grabbed his gear and walked away into the mob that was waiting for him. Marat Safin and his huge, beast of a practice partner took the court. Safin looked like a real person as he practiced. He was hitting winners and moving around the court. He had a coach there but he only watched the game and let the players pick up the balls. Lucky for me, Safin switched sides of the court and came closer to me. I was probably smiling the whole time. He really served during practice. His partner just stood out of the way. I got some great videos of them.
After that exciting Wimbledon memory, I walked over to the big screen and 'Henman Hill' to watch the Safin-Federer match. I found a small little patch at the top of the hill to sit on. It was really cool to be a part of all of it. There were so many people there. The match started and the crowd got very excited. I even came up with some more names for 'Henman Hill', like: 'Federer Field' 'Rafa Ridge' 'Safin Slope'. I'm such a geek. The match was good. And
of course Federer won, and I got super sunburned. I found a match in the shade to stop the sun from terrorizing my skin. It was boys' doubles and after they finished girls' doubles started. It just so happened that the two teams that I saw win went on to win the championship too.
When I was finished enjoying Wimbledon, I went back to my hostel to check in and find some dinner. I found a local pub and had Sheppard's pie and English Perry. I felt like a local; haha. My Sheppard's pie was really good. I don't know what was in it though. I decided to try something English. The English Perry is pear cider that was actually made in the pub. It was really good as well (I need to come up with new adjectives). I went back to the hostel for the night and slept alright. The bed was super hard and difficult to sleep on. One of my 'roommates' was from Canada. She and I got talking while we were in the room getting ready for bed. We decided to go to Buckingham Palace together in the morning.
Saturday morning, I ate my
usual nutella and toast for breakfast and then left for Buckingham Palace with my Canadian friend. I didn't really hear her Canadian accent until our walk that morning. She said 'eh' a few times and I giggled inside. We got to the palace in time to find good places to stand and watch the changing of the guard. There were so many people there. The flag flying above the palace was the Union Jack which means the queen was not at home. I was a little disappointed in that. The guard marched in with their red coats and black tall hats. They even had their own personal marching band dressed in the same attire. After the marching band went by, the mounted guard traveled in front of the palace. It was a very nice ceremony. The band played for a while and I decided to leave with out my friend.
I found my way to the British Library to see some of the most amazing literary gems. I couldn't take pictures in this place. I am glad they don't allow that. It could really damage the documents. Gez, I am a museum dork. Anyway, they had original prints of
Shakespeare plays, and by prints I mean hand copied books. They were beautiful with colored pictures and such. They had Jane Austen's diary and a letter she sent to her sister. There were original Mozart pieces in his hand. There were Beethoven pieces and Hayden. Oh they were just beautiful. Next to the classical pieces was the Beatles case. It was really cool to see John Lennon's hand writing and drawing of Ringo Starr. Michelle was written on the back of an envelope. There were bibles from all over the world, and an original King James Bible. Through a small hallway was the Magna Carta. Just like the Declaration of Independence, you could not read it. Well, that's not really a good comparison. The Magna Carta is much older than the Dec. of Independence.
I walked from the Library to the British Museum. It was soo jam packed there. I was feeling claustrophobic. Everyone says that London is the most expensive city; they are correct. However, luckily for me, all the museums (worth visiting) are free. I was very excited to find this out. Anyway, I found my way to the Rosetta Stone in the museum. There was a
me and buckingham palace
check out that goober sunburn!large group of Portuguese children around it. It took me ten minutes to see the front of it. I was just so annoyed by the people in that museum and it was ridiculously hot mostly because of my sunburn. I had to leave. I was only there long enough to take a photo of the Rosetta Stone. I walked past a park and decided to regain my composure by listening to the British music I put on my ipod. While I was sitting there, a group of cheerleaders started practicing in the park. They had 'Team USA' shirts on. I thought that was redundant. Isn't the USA the only country that has cheerleading? I had this confirmed by some people in the hostel. Anyway, one of the guys had a Bama t-shirt on. Who knows where they were from or what they were doing there.
I decided to go to a museum that would be nice an quiet where I could hear myself think: the National Portrait Gallery. I walked from the underground (where they actually say 'mind the gap') to the museum and found myself in the center of Gay Pride weekend. The famous Trafalgar Square was the
hub for the Gay Pride weekend. There was a stage set up and many many interesting people. I was correct about the museum. The portraits started with Richard III which coincidently is where my British history class last semester started. It was really cool to see the real portraits for the people we studied in class. I really liked the portrait gallery. However, I must say for all of British history, it didn't seem to have as many as the US National Portrait Gallery.
My next adventure was Harrods department store. Wowee. That place is big. And, just my luck, it was a huge sale day. I found my way to the famous Egyptian escalators and the Princess Diana memorial. Right near these two was the souvenir store for the department store. It was strange, but of course I wandered through there like all the tourists did. It was full of over-priced junk that was on sale for 50% yet still too expensive. I walked outside and found a Krispie Kreme with the hot sign on and decided to give myself a treat for walking all day. It was very tasty. For dinner that night, I found another pub
and had some Ratatouille and cous cous. I felt very European.
The next morning started very rainy, but I was prepared. I went straight to the Tower of London. I didn't go in; I didn't want to pay for it. I walked around there for awhile and thought I would go see the London Bridge, but I couldn't get there because the underground line was closed. Oh well. I'll be ok without seeing it. I decided go to Westminster to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. My first view of Big Ben was from the base. I was overwhelmed by it. I walked up the stairs to find a road race! It was the British 10k London Run. There were so many people running, and all the streets that I was going to walk down were blocked for the race. I found my way around and got to see the Houses of Parliament and hear Big Ben chime. It's too bad it wasn't a prettier day. I walked across the River Thames to the London Eye. It's the biggest ferris wheel in the world. You get in capsules with about 20ish other people and see the sights
of London. It wasn't exactly the same view as the Eiffel Tower, but it was definitely worth it. After the London Eye, I found another pub and had some fish and chips.
That was my extent in London. It was a good trip. So Paris is the dirtiest city; London is the cleanest city by far. It is just a beautiful place. I was mesmerized by the whole place. I just can't believe that I have only six more days in Europe. I am ready to be home; I don't want to be a tourist anymore. Though, I will be sad to leave Europe.
I will be giving a 'I'm home' blog next week, sometime. My flight is on Monday, July 15th. Wish me a bon voyage on that morning. Thanks everyone!! Au revoir!!
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Mom
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I am sooooo jealous!! But I love you still. Can't wait to see you next week!!!!