Wednesday
Last Wednesday, I spent some time packing and although Wednesday is a big night to go out here, Jenni, Krissy, and I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea since we were traveling all day Thursday. We made a plan to come back from class, eat dinner, get ready, and head into town to listen to traditional Irish music at a couple of pubs. We went into town with our friend Scott and walked to a pub called Tig Coili which hosts live Irish music every night. We were greeted warmly at the door by a few Irish students that told us that there was a group of older folks here from America and introduced me to one of them. The man and I exchanged pleasantries and I found out that the group was from MANKATO! The man is a pastor at the Newman Center and he takes frequent trips to Gustavus. Small world, huh? Jenni and I talked with the group for a while and they told us excitedly that it was their first night in Ireland and they were embarking on a "Pubs and Pews" tour. I love meeting people from Minnesota over here, it gives me a sense of comfort and makes me feel like I'm not quite so far away from home.
After Tig Coili, we walked across the street to one of our favorite spots for live music, Taaffes Pub. There was a really good band playing, but unfortunately, no tables. To our surprise, a man and woman invited us to join them! They both had graduated from NUIG in 2006, and we talked with them for an hour or so about student life, traveling, and Ireland in general while listening to the musicians. These random people did not need to invite us to sit by them, but they did. I appreciated their warm act of kindness so much and have found that studying abroad, you pay attention to the caring disposition of others even more than back home. All in all, it was a great night.
Thursday
Thursdaywas a crazy day of waking up early for class, coming back and packing, and catching the Galway bus to the Shannon airport around 2. The bus ride took a couple of hours and so we had a bit of time to kill in the airport before our 6:30 flight. There were 6 of us going to London and although we had different places to stay, we ate dinner together in the airport and made our way to the flight in a group. Traveling through Ryan Air went smoothly and before I knew it, I was heading to England! Our plane ride was only an hour and when we arrived, we quickly went through customs and Krissy, Jenni, and I caught a bus from Stansted to Mile End. Our friends from Gustavus, Kelsey and Hanna, are spending the semester at Queen Mary's in London so we stayed with them. They greeted us at our bus stop and a few happy tears were shed as we saw the first familiar faces in a month. It was so good to be reunited with our college friends and we caught up excitedly as we walked back to their apartment in Mile End. It was about 9 when we arrived so we spent Thursday night making travel plans for the weekend. We created an impressive itinerary which allowed time to see all of the big sights that we decided were most important to all of us. (Yes, we were those girls.)
Fridaymorning, we were out the door by nine and began our day o' tourism at the Tower of London. It didn't open until ten so we grabbed coffee and walked around a bit. We paid for a tour of the Tower and I'm so glad we did! There was way more to the castle than I thought and there were lots of cool artifacts and museum- esque exhibits in different parts of the tour. We also got to see the Crown Jewels which was insanely cool. After the Tower, we walked out by the Tower bridge and took some classic "I'm in London" pictures. We peeked into the Shakespeare Globe Theater and went to the giftshop but didn't end up getting a tour since we had just paid for one at the Tower. We stumbled upon the Borough Market walking along the Thames which was perfect since we were feeling hungry and there are few things I love more than a good market. We got delicious chicken and vegetable pasties at the market and enjoyed meandering around, looking at all of the good food. After that, we hopped back on the tube and traveled to King's Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4! It was so cool, there was a station set up to take pictures at and a Harry Potter shop that we all nerded out in for a while. My British friend from camp, Jon, met us at the station and it was really fun to see him in his element back in London! Jon brought us to Oxford Street and although none of us were in a big shopping mood, it was fun to see the high-class shopping. Oxford Street reminded me a lot of New York City, actually. After that, we went to Harrods (huge department store) to look around. It was so much cooler than I was expecting - that place is literally like it's own city. There were so many floors and beautiful rooms with everything from gourmet groceries to $3000 toddler tuxedos, toy shops to dog spas, furniture stores to a costume display of Les Miserables, and everything in-between, including an opera singer in the escalator space. We spent a long time in the toy shop (there was free candy) and we found a room with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel/DC stuff... Jon, Krissy, and Jenni basically had to drag me out so we could make it back to Mile End for dinner. We met up with Kelsey and Hanna and ate at Nandos then Krissy and I went to Mitcham with Jon so I could see his house and where he is from! We went out to a pub with a bunch of his friends which was good fun.
Reunited with Hanna & Kelsey!
Tower of London
Crown Jewels with Krissy & Jenni
Saturday
Saturday was a beautiful, sunny morning, and Krissy and I got up early, said goodbye to Jon, and got back on the tube so that we could meet the girls and make it to Buckingham Palace at 11:30 to watch the changing of the guards. We got to the palace after walking through a lovely park and were surprised to see that the place was absolutely packed! We couldn't see over the crowd to the guards but we heard the marching band and saw a bit of the process. It was still very neat to see the Palace and the entire are was beautiful. The park surrounding the palace reminded me of Central Park and it was nice to see some green in the middle of the city. After that, we hit up Big Ben and the London Eye. It was incredibly surreal to be seeing all of these landmarks that I've wanted to see my whole life! My good friend Shannon from high school is studying at Oxford for the year and she met Krissy and I by Big Ben while Jenni, Kelsey and Hanna rode the London Eye. Shannon took Krissy and I to Trafalgar Square, where we got sandwiches and sat on the stairs, looking out into the picture-esque square and catching up. Then, my favorite part of the trip - Portobello Market. We took the tube to Notting Hill and I was ecstatic to be there, not only because one of my favorite 90's romcoms was filmed there, but because (as previously stated) markets are the best. Portobello Road Market was unlike anywhere I've ever been before. Past the colorful (and expensive) flats and adorable shops, it stretched on for blocks and was filled with everything I could possibly imagine people selling. The market was buzzing with live music, people from every nationality, and the aroma of delicious street food. We found the Travel Book Shop from the movie, which was surreal but nice (pick up on that movie quote, anyone?) We spent a few hours perusing the market and after buying crepes and a couple of souvenirs, we left the market and met back at Kelsey & Hanna's to go to dinner in Chinatown with the girls and a few guys from Gustavus that were visiting! After a yummy dinner of vegetable lo mein, I was feeling pretty tired but we went out anyways in Covent Garden and explored a few pubs but we were all exhausted so we came back pretty early. It was sad to say goodbye to Shannon but I have a feeling I'll see her soon in Ireland :)
Sunday
We woke up Sunday for mass at Westminster Abbey, which was incredible. The boy's choir that sang during the Eucharist took my breath away - there were about 30 boys who attend the Abbey Choir School and had the most incredible, angelic soprano voices. After the service, Jenni, Krissy and I got muffins and coffee at Wesley's Cafeteria and got on the tube to Kensington. We explored the Kensington Gardens and Palace and I kept an eye out for Harry, Kate & Will, but unfortunately didn't spot them. We left the park through a side exit and ended up out on a street with signs up that said "No photography" - it took me a minute to realize where we were but then saw that we had walked out onto one of the most expensive residential streets in the world - where the occupants are either national embassies or ambassadorial residences! Casual. We walked a little ways to find.... wait for it.... The Maggie Jones cafe! So cool. I walked in and told the waitress that I was Maggie Jones and to my dismay, she responded, "Cool, we've gotten a few of those." I guess I'm not the only Maggie Jones.. shoot. Either way, it was really cool and I took lots of pictures, of course. Jenni, Krissy and I went to a Dutch Pancake House for lunch and I got a massive "savory pancake" with asparagus, cheese, mushrooms, black olives, and spinach. It was so good and it didn't take me long to get past the concept of only eating pancakes with syrup. We walked to St. Paul's Cathedral at dusk and unfortunately, we weren't able to walk up to the top to view London because it wasn't open to the public on Sundays but we were able to go inside the main chapel, which was stunning. We ended our night by souvenir shopping at the London Museum and going back to the apartment where we chilled out and ate a late dinner with Kelsey and Hanna.
We left London at 5am Monday morning, which was bittersweet. I was sad to leave London and my friends but I know that I will be back. I think that I would love to live in London at some point in my life - the city has so much rich history but is also so posh and fun.. the little taste I got this weekend was definitely not enough for me, I can't wait to explore more of it someday!
Tower of London
London Bridge
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Borough Market
Platform 9 3/4!
King's Cross Station
Found Jon!
Shopping in Harrods
Saturday was a beautiful, sunny morning, and Krissy and I got up early, said goodbye to Jon, and got back on the tube so that we could meet the girls and make it to Buckingham Palace at 11:30 to watch the changing of the guards. We got to the palace after walking through a lovely park and were surprised to see that the place was absolutely packed! We couldn't see over the crowd to the guards but we heard the marching band and saw a bit of the process. It was still very neat to see the Palace and the entire are was beautiful. The park surrounding the palace reminded me of Central Park and it was nice to see some green in the middle of the city. After that, we hit up Big Ben and the London Eye. It was incredibly surreal to be seeing all of these landmarks that I've wanted to see my whole life! My good friend Shannon from high school is studying at Oxford for the year and she met Krissy and I by Big Ben while Jenni, Kelsey and Hanna rode the London Eye. Shannon took Krissy and I to Trafalgar Square, where we got sandwiches and sat on the stairs, looking out into the picture-esque square and catching up. Then, my favorite part of the trip - Portobello Market. We took the tube to Notting Hill and I was ecstatic to be there, not only because one of my favorite 90's romcoms was filmed there, but because (as previously stated) markets are the best. Portobello Road Market was unlike anywhere I've ever been before. Past the colorful (and expensive) flats and adorable shops, it stretched on for blocks and was filled with everything I could possibly imagine people selling. The market was buzzing with live music, people from every nationality, and the aroma of delicious street food. We found the Travel Book Shop from the movie, which was surreal but nice (pick up on that movie quote, anyone?) We spent a few hours perusing the market and after buying crepes and a couple of souvenirs, we left the market and met back at Kelsey & Hanna's to go to dinner in Chinatown with the girls and a few guys from Gustavus that were visiting! After a yummy dinner of vegetable lo mein, I was feeling pretty tired but we went out anyways in Covent Garden and explored a few pubs but we were all exhausted so we came back pretty early. It was sad to say goodbye to Shannon but I have a feeling I'll see her soon in Ireland :)
Changing of the Guards
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace Gate
Big Ben
The London Eye
The Ritz
Trafalgar Square!
Shannon & I
Trafalgar Square
Portobello Road Market
Notting Hill
The Travel Book Shop from the Movie
Notting Hill
Sunday
We woke up Sunday for mass at Westminster Abbey, which was incredible. The boy's choir that sang during the Eucharist took my breath away - there were about 30 boys who attend the Abbey Choir School and had the most incredible, angelic soprano voices. After the service, Jenni, Krissy and I got muffins and coffee at Wesley's Cafeteria and got on the tube to Kensington. We explored the Kensington Gardens and Palace and I kept an eye out for Harry, Kate & Will, but unfortunately didn't spot them. We left the park through a side exit and ended up out on a street with signs up that said "No photography" - it took me a minute to realize where we were but then saw that we had walked out onto one of the most expensive residential streets in the world - where the occupants are either national embassies or ambassadorial residences! Casual. We walked a little ways to find.... wait for it.... The Maggie Jones cafe! So cool. I walked in and told the waitress that I was Maggie Jones and to my dismay, she responded, "Cool, we've gotten a few of those." I guess I'm not the only Maggie Jones.. shoot. Either way, it was really cool and I took lots of pictures, of course. Jenni, Krissy and I went to a Dutch Pancake House for lunch and I got a massive "savory pancake" with asparagus, cheese, mushrooms, black olives, and spinach. It was so good and it didn't take me long to get past the concept of only eating pancakes with syrup. We walked to St. Paul's Cathedral at dusk and unfortunately, we weren't able to walk up to the top to view London because it wasn't open to the public on Sundays but we were able to go inside the main chapel, which was stunning. We ended our night by souvenir shopping at the London Museum and going back to the apartment where we chilled out and ate a late dinner with Kelsey and Hanna.
We left London at 5am Monday morning, which was bittersweet. I was sad to leave London and my friends but I know that I will be back. I think that I would love to live in London at some point in my life - the city has so much rich history but is also so posh and fun.. the little taste I got this weekend was definitely not enough for me, I can't wait to explore more of it someday!
Before Mass
Westminster Abbey
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace Gardens
Maggie Jones's!
Kensington
Pancakes!
St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's
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