Livin' la Vida London

I just returned from an extended weekend in London and had the time of my life. After weekend trips, I usually have done all I wanted in a city and am more than ready to return to my cozy dorm in Ormskirk. But this time, I could have extended my weekend another four weeks or so. Fortunately, I have a second cousin who lives in London who was kind enough to open his home to me and let me stay three nights with his family. I am so thankful for this because staying in a hostel by myself in a city truly too large for a small-town girl to comprehend in one weekend would have been overwhelming. It was nice to sit down to dinner with a family and watch popular shows at night--I got a true sense of what an English family lives like and it reminded me of how sweet home is.

The first night in London, I went into the first pub I passed that had live music playing from inside. Both of the bands I listened to had tunes that were hard to wrap my head around, but I stayed and their style grew on me. I knew the next day would be filled with sightseeing, so I went to bed fairly early.

Saturday, I left for the city at half seven in the morning, bought a map, and started walking to the city center. With my great sense of direction--I really have none at all--I ended up walking the completely opposite way of all the landmarks and ended up in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town. It was safe and looked like a really wealthy neighbourhood, but I was far from where I wanted to be. I took the time to find where I was on the map and saw that I was extremely close to Warwick Avenue--a Duffy song. So, I made the best of my situation and took some photos. Then, it was time to have a go at the tube. The transportation system is so easy to figure out with the tubes and buses. Basically, all of my past experience with connect-the-dots paid off and I found my way around without even asking one person for directions. Once in the city, I saw the following (yes, it's possible to do this in one day): Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Globe Theatre, and London Eye. I went in, rode, and rocked everything because I wanted to take advantage of my time in London--I never know when I'll be able to return. That night, I met up with my friends from Edge Hill and we had Chinese food and ice cream together. It was all-in-all a great day in London and I never felt out of sorts being by myself.

Sunday was relaxing and calming--like a Sunday should be. I went to church at the All Souls Clubhouse, which is soon to celebrate its 50th Anniversary. My cousin gave the sermon that day and I sat with my younger cousins. After church, I met some great new people and made a friend who later showed me around Notting Hill, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, and Harrods department store. She was a great help, having lived in London for ten years, and she knew a lot of facts about the city, even being so kind as to answer all of my questions concerning Prince William and Harry. (There's still hope.)

Sunday evening, I was exhausted, so I called it an early night and woke up bright and early on Monday to finish seeing a few things that I didn't have time for the previous days. First, I went to Buckingham Palace--William didn't come out to see me...maybe next time. I rode on a double-decker bus, but I didn't know where it was actually heading. I just knew I had to ride one of those red buses before I left London, so I hopped on one and rode until the driver called, "Last stop!" I was the only one on the bus, so I think he figured out I was just along for the ride since we basically rode around two street corners, which I could have walked in less time than it took on the bus. But still, I rode one and had that experience. Lastly, I visited Leicester (pronounced "Lester") Square, where all the grand film premiers are held and also Convent Garden, where you can look at market trinkets and find a little quiet solace right in the center of the city.

Upon finishing my last sightseeing and gift-buying, I realized my trip to London was over. I didn't want to get on the train to go back home, though. I had such a good time and there was so much that I was unable to see in those three days. London is definitely a city that captured my heart and enlightened my imagination. I came back to Ormskirk with a revitalization and zest to see more and enter into my last month in England.

Side note: There's a man outside the canteen right now who is leading ducks along with his tempting handful of bread crumbs. He looks like the Pied Piper of ducklings. I wish I had my camera...there are about two dozen ducks and geese surrounding him and it's quite charming. The ducks are fine, but I don't think the man knows what he's got himself into.

Peace.