I got smoked salmon and mushrooms! It was really good, but more like an omelette than a pancake. When I was in Amsterdam I got an apple one that wasn't gluten free, which I think might have been better than this one. Definitely still worth the visit, though! The rest of the afternoon was spent working on papers/screenplay.
On Tuesday, we had our "final" for Mo's class, where we handed in our papers and did presentations about British media and society. My group went first. We just did skits about British life, like the tube, restaurants, pubs, and walking on the street. We had one person narrate and explain why we chose these places and we had one girl be the American (we played "spot the American") with our class. It basically involved silence on the Tube, terrible customer service in cafes, not knowing how to order at the bar at a pub, and absolute chaos on the sidewalks. It's strange, thought, because at the beginning of the semester, all the things we talked about were so overwhelming but now they're an old hat and we can laugh about it. Since we "all did well on our pub quizzes," Mo decided we deserved breakfast at the cafe in Russell Square. I had second breakfast of an egg and chips. I'm seriously going to miss all the free food I've gotten from my professors in London.
We just had to hand in our CBD papers to the office on Tuesday, so we didn't have class. Fiona, Meagan and I decided to go on the London Eye! We were nervous because it was about 20 pounds to do it, but it ended up being totally worth it. It's totally a touristy thing to do in London, which we kind of feel "over" now (I know, I'm a snob), but I'm really glad we waited to do it. It was really cool seeing everything from up above and being able to know what everything is. Definitely couldn't see Mad House, but I tried to find it! We lucked out with the weather; it was nice and sunny for once, so it was a beautiful view of London.
Buckingham Palace
It was nice and warm outside, so we decided to re-take Big Ben pictures. We had tried to take some back in January, but we were all bundled up and it was snowing, so it was the perfect day. It was pretty windy, but London is just so much more beautiful in the sunshine
Jay had told us about this restaurant called Bubbledogs one time in class, so some of us decided to check it out that night. The novelty of it is that they sell only hot dogs and champagne. Well, we show up, 5 normally dressed college kids, to a NICE restaurant filled with adults. There was a line out the door, and the hostess came to take our party number. She said it would be an hour and a half wait, and even then we might not all be able to sit together. They do reservations, but only for parties of 6 or more; she said they were booked until late June for dinner reservations. Soo that was a bust. Instead, we decided to eat at a Thai place we passed. We were able to sit outside, which was really nice!
On Tuesday night, a group of us went to Sports Cafe for college night. There was no cover until 11 and they had lots of good drinks deals, which was nice. It was just too stuffy and hot, though, so I didn't end up staying very long. Unfortunately, one of my friends got their phone stolen from her purse while she was at the bar.
I woke up really congested on Wednesday. I took some Mucinex, but it made me feel really weird and zombie-like. It was a bummer because I went to see Les Mis that day with Lucy at the Queen's Theater! The show was at 2:30, so we went and got our tickets around 2. I didn't realize that you don't have to be there early or anything, so we wandered around Piccadilly Circus for a little while. We ended up at Whole Foods, where I got a vegan and gluten free cupcake. While there, I ran into Alyssa! I know her from Richmond, but she goes to NYU and has been studying in London since the fall. It was so crazy we had never seen each other around until then; her classes are just a couple blocks from mine. We agreed to meet up the next day to catch each other up on London.
Les Mis was AWESOME. At first, I was kind of underwhelmed. Our tickets said "view may be blocked by the balcony." Well, we were in the stalls at the very back and our view was VERY blocked by the balcony. We could only see half the barricade; we moved up after a few songs, but things still got cut off. Oh well, cheap seats! The characters didn't seem as good as I expected. Everyone seemed better once they got to songs like "At the End of the Day." The set, lights and effects were REALLY cool. They used yellowy light and lots of fog at the beginning and on the streets. The stage was like a turn table, so they could change sets easily that way, and you could see both sides of the barricade. The actors showed action in a really cool way: through the fog, they would move in slow motion to give the feeling of elapsed time. The actors were great for the most part. The Javert was actually the understudy, and he was phenomenal. I was a little underwhelmed by Jean val Jean; he definitely got better as the show went on, though. Fantine and Cosette were great-Cosette was also the understudy, and I really liked her-she sang sweetly but not like a child. The Marius was really cute and sang much better than Eddie Redmayne (sorry, Eddie). Definitely unimpressed by the Eponine and Enjorlas. I actually found myself comparing it to Godwin's production a few years ago, since it was the only other time I'd see Les Mis on stage; obviously in some ways the West End production was better, but it was definitely comparable.
We had our last meeting Wednesday. All semester, Phil has been taking terrible candid pictures of everyone. He made a slideshow and debuted it after the meeting was over. It was so funny but also strangely nostalgic. It was funny to look back at how cold and miserable we look in half the pictures. There were some really bad ones of me, which I didn't know he had taken.
Thursday morning, I met up with Alyssa in Russell Square. We chatted for a while, comparing what we have and haven't done while in London. I definitely have crammed a lot into three months; I've done a lot of things she hasn't in her six months here. Even though we didn't see each other all semester, it was nice to talk to someone from home.
That afternoon, I had my film "final." Steve just handed back our papers about our screenplays and we handed him our screenplays. I'm not in love with what I wrote, but it's done. After turning in that paper, I'm officially a senior and done with this year!! We walked to a pub, only to get caught in a pouring rain and HAIL storm?! The skies just opened up and gushed water. It was ridiculous. Sopping wet, we all piled into a pub and Steve bought us copious amounts of french fries and talked to us about everything. Definitely a fantastic last class in London.
For dinner, Kara, Fiona and I went to Carluccio's in the Brunswick. It was actually really good-they had gluten free pasta, so I got pasta al pesto. A bunch of us decided to go to Mahiki that night, a swanky club in Mayfair. There's no cover before 9, so we all rushed home and got ready quickly to make it by 9. It was pretty fun, but really expensive. After a couple hours, Kara, Fiona and I decided to get kebab and call it a night. We had wanted to go to Mahiki all semester, so I'm glad we did it, but we definitely got our fill.
Today, Friday is our last day :( It's really surreal, packing up my room and getting everything ready. I'm heading to Camden Market one last time, and then we have a final banquet tonight. I'm not sure if I'll update again while in London, which is a really weird thing to say.
I can't even begin to explain how meaningful and incredible and overwhelming this experience has been. Choosing to study abroad for a semester is, hands down, the best decision I've ever made in my life. I've seen things I might have never had the opportunity to see otherwise. I've met people I might not have otherwise. I have absolutely no regrets about staying here for a semester, or choosing London. I learned so much about myself as a person and as a student. I missed my family and friends so much, but I've made new friendships here. It's going to be a weird transition to go from city life in London to suburban life in Richmond. I'm ready for the monotony, though. This has been a whirlwind of a semester, and I'm ready to take it easy. For a week. The weird thing is, I'm saying goodbye to London and to my friends, but it's really a "see you later." I don't know how and I don't know when, but I'll come back to London. I still have a wanderlust and there are so many more places in Europe I need to see.
So, until next time, London.
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