Kaushik and I met up with Sarah in King's Cross Station as soon as we arrived in London. This big train station is home of Platform 9 3/4. Being a huge Harry Potter fan, my plan was to take a picture at the platform as soon as I arrived. We stood in line, got a great picture, and headed to the hostel (which I got the address for because London is normal and has wifi in the train station).
The hostel was the strangest hostel I had been to yet. Being on the periphery of the city, it would have been difficult to find, had Sarah not arrived that morning and scouted it out. The hostel looked like a family home from the outside. It had no front desk, and no noticeable staff members. After asking around, we found a staff member who showed us to our room. He almost gave one of us a bed that was already taken, only to be told otherwise by someone else in the room. It wasn't the nicest hostel, but you get what you pay for, and it was a way better price than all the other ones we looked at in London.
We headed out to see things soon because it was getting late. Our first stop was Piccadilly Circus. This place was like Times Square, having giant screens on outsides of buildings lining the streets. We walked into probably the coolest sports apparel store I have ever been into. It was so hard not to buy pairs of shoes, which were only £40. But then I remembered that that's like $65. It was hard in London to save money, because of the terrible exchange rate, but we tried to keep that in mind while looking around. We headed to dinner at an Italian joint, and we sat there for 2 hours before actually leaving. Being really late, we started to head home. We saw an M&M store, and we HAD to walk in. Let me tell you, this place smells like how heaven must smell. I'm convinced I gained 5 pounds in there without even eating anything, because I was breathing pure chocolate. It was 4 stories, and filled with as many M&Ms as one could ever need. After experiencing all 4 stories, we were tired and decided to keep making our way home.
We made a brief stop in Trafalgar Square on the way home, which we didn't even recognize until we were there for a few minutes. There were temporary monuments dedicated to the soldiers lost in WWI, which began 100 years ago. The square was big, but dark, so we didn't get to fully take it in. We headed back to the hostel to get some sleep so we could see more on Saturday.
The mentality about getting up early is always different when it's the morning. We ended up sleeping in until 9, and heading out at 9:30. We got to Green Park, which is the stop for Buckingham Palace. Although there are no inside tours of Buckingham this time of year, we got a good view from the outside. We got to see the guards from a distance, and see all decorative intricacy of the gates.
Next, we headed to Westminster, from which we knew we could see Big Ben and the London Eye. Westminster was very cool, but it was too crowded for us to go inside the church. We were able to easily see both Big ben and the London Eye. The Eye, being a massive ferris wheel-type structure that overlooks the city, sounded fun. So, we headed to take a ride upon it.
At the London eye, we paid £22 each and waited for about 40 minutes, but I think it was worth it, because it gave us an absolutely stunning view of the city, with classic London cloudy weather. We were higher than Big Ben, and felt like we were in the clouds. I felt like Peter Pan when he flew by the famous clock tower on the way to Neverland. It was about a half-hour ride, which is plenty of time.
We got some fish and chips just after the ride, because why not. It was pretty good, but I wasn't able to eat much, because I was so nervous. I was to Skype in to deliver my speech for VP of Philanthropy for my business fraternity. Because speeches and delegations take so long, and I had to be ready for whenever I was called, I waited in the same cafe with wifi for more then 4 hours. Kaushik and Sarah walked around and shopped for soccer gear, but I was sitting and preparing. The four hours were worth it, though, because I ended up winning the position! I was/am so excited, and I felt so much better that I didn't have to worry about it anymore. It just added to the delight of my weekend. I just could've used more time exploring London. Now it gives me an excuse to return one day to see everything that I wanted to.
That night we headed back to Piccadilly Circus, and we got food at Pizza Hut. It was one of the best meals that I've had in Europe, just because I missed American-style pizza so much. The first free refills of the semester weren't bad either. The night before, when I asked if there were free refills, the waiter actually laughed at me. But it's always worth a shot. Pizza hut, being a sit-down restaurant there, took us nearly 3 hours. we headed back to the hostel so that we could get more done in the morning again.
But, like I said earlier, it's always different in the morning. We slept until 9:45, and didn't leave until after 10. We headed to Abbey Road, because that it a must-see. The road is still a normal road with regular traffic, so it is hard to get a good picture. Especially when regular pedestrians are crossing both ways in addition to other tourists. But we waited it out to get the best pictures we could. It was amazing to think that I was in the same place that perhaps the greatest band in the history of the world was. I love small stuff like that.
We then headed to Hyde Park to check it out. On the way, we ran into a couple members of the Royal Band, which look similar enough to the guards. I asked for a selfie, and one of the men laughed, so I'm claiming I made a guard laugh, because the picture looks as if I did.
Overall, London was really amazing, but short-lived. I wish I could've seen/done more or had more time. So, I'm not going to say it was my favorite trip, but I think it had the potential to be. It was so refreshing to be around English-speaking people, and made me realize that I have only 5 weeks left here, so I need to keep making the most of it. 80/117.
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