The Green Man

What a wonderful day in London! Mind you, it was freezing. (aka tomorrow I am in search of my coat. Thanks Hope for the store suggestions!) Even though I froze, I looked cute. That's what it's all about here in London. People walk around like they aren't freezing in their cute clothing. They also walk around in the rain like it's not raining. We decided to sleep in since we had no true plans, which was so great. Today the roomies, Lauren, Emily, Lindsay, and myself,  went to Tower Bridge, which is one of the most beautiful bridges in my opinion. We walked the length of the bridge and saw either side of the River Thames. We then made our way to the exhibit. We took the lift to the top of the tower, which is so high up in the air. I don't remember the exact measurements. But we were high. In result we had the most amazing view of London. It was breathtaking. You could see so many sights and the skyline.

 Views from the top of the bridge

Back in the time of Queen Victoria, London was becoming super overcrowded and there was a need for a second bridge to span the Thames. Parliament held a competition in search for a design of a new bridge that would be a new walkway as well as let big ships pass. At the exhibit we saw some of the loser designs and they were a bit far fetched. Look at the history you are learning! There were also informational posters about the cities where the Olympics have been held. There was even one for Atlanta!  From there we made our way to the engine room where we basically we saw the logistics of the tower. I mean, interesting enough, but whatever. I came for the view.


So after the tour we decided not to waste valuable time in the heart of London so we hopped the tube to go see The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. This may be one of my favorite parts of London!! The Houses of Parliament is a beautiful massive building and is right on the bank of the Thames. And of course Big Ben is stunning. Fun fact which many of you know: Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower. (You are probably thinking "Duh!") We took loads of pictures. While we are taking pictures, the Big Ben rang to signify the hour. It was such a beautiful experience. Overwhelming almost.

 Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

By that point we simply could not last in the cold so we headed home. Let me tell you. The tube at rush hour is absolutely insane. On the plus side, every Abercrombie model turned business man rides the tube. Gorgeous. Polite. Foreign. Oh my goodness. So many good looking men,in business suits non the less. Good gracious.  We also had dinner plans at Jose's! Dear Jose and Raul made the group tacos! They were so delicious. Seriously. What nice faculty we have on the trip. Dean Linda Kirk Fox joined us as well! Afterwards a bunch of us went down to The Green Man pub. The Russia/Poland game was playing so it was quite crowded with adamant fans speaking Russian. But the bunch of us managed to find a table to fit us all. They don't really serve mixed drinks, since people typically come after work. The bartender was so nice. He is trying to check IDs of people from the 50 states. He has every state except Alaska, Wyoming, Nebraska. Yeah, good luck with those. I ordered a Rekorderlig wild berry cider. Um...AMAZING. Cider is good. Really good. Tonight was simply wonderful just sitting with friends and having a good time. I definitely want to go to a few more pubs for a drink after work. It was so great to relax and chat.

In some ways I am beginning to feel like a Londoner. Football is a bit of a new obsession. Especially with Euro 2012. England plays again on Friday, so I don't know if we will go to a pub or watch it at home, but we are pumped. Many a conversation has been had in this house about football. Please go look up the child who was on film during the Sweden/Ukraine game. Precious. I have also come to enjoy reading the British newspaper. Around rush hour at the tube station, people hand out free daily newspapers. Perhaps I will pick one up everyday to read after work.

Also. The roommates have discovered our mutual love for sweets. After finishing our Harrods chocolate in the period of an hour, we already wanted more. But today we resisted. Instead we turned to Nutella and digestives. Digestives are the best things in the entire world. Seriously. Lauren even brought them in her purse to eat while we were sightseeing. So basically, we all just sit around with our biscuits and eat. Whatever. My plan is to buy like five packages and take them to America with me. I don't really know how to live without them. Seriously. I love digestives. (ps the name in no way means they do something for the digestive system--at least I don't think so)

Week Two: Day Two: BLC 6