Week Two: (In Which I Nerd out at the Tower of London)

Hello! So this week was orientation week, but I didn't let that stop me from seeing the sights of this beautiful massive city!

Monday I suggested to the ladies in my program we hit the Tower of London (I was far too excited for this) and the British Museum.

Oh my god, the history nerd in me really came out that morning. Well let me speak my enthusiasm through photos.

The Tower of London, former home to kings, then traitors (and some wives) and now to the Crown Jewels and some great history. 

Tower Bridge is visible from inside the tower

Chelsea in front of the first tower 

The Tower of London was not always where they kept prisoners and traitors. For many hundreds of years kings lived here (a few Edwards and some Richards, forgive me for not knowing the Roman Numerals). But when Henry VIII became king he turned it into a prison because he really HATED the tower. Most criminals were executed outside the tower at public execution, but Anne Boleyn and other royal prisoners were executed within the tower itself.

The Yeomen Warder or "Beefeater" who gave us a tour of the Tower

This happy Raven along with 7 others are kept at the tower for Good luck, weird urban legend

In WWII the tower was hit and the raven population seriously threatened, so they had to instill a breeding program to get enough ravens in the tower. Odd fact.

I could go on and on, but I promise just two more photos of the Tower and then I'll move on. 

This is the site where Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were executed

Traitors gate where prisoners went into the tower, Elizabeth I went through these gates but luckily, made it out of the tower. 

Sadly we were not allowed to have cameras in the area with the Crown Jewels, but trust me the jewels were huge and impressive. 

Next we moved onto the British Museum which turned out to be more impressive to me than the artifacts inside the building did. 

The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone

The museum was impressive but it was a lot to see in a day and we all were super exhausted. But Thursday we headed out again for a bus and boat tour of the City that London Met paid for. We starting by going right under the Tower Bridge, and saw the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral and Parliament (and Big Ben of course) 

The London Eye

ajajaja

This photo was snapped after I got off the boat, but the bell rang while we were on our tour!

That's all the highlights from this week, I start school tomorrow so hopefully this blog doesn't become super boring. I'll leave you with some British lingo:

Are you alright?= Can I help you?

Queue = Line. for example "Are you in the queue for this pub?"

Favorite part of this week? When going on a walk with friends one night, a drunk Englishman asks us "are you enjoying your visit to your old colonial masters?" Yes sir, I am. 

Cheers!

Week One: How many dumb American things will I do?

It's been an eventful first week, I arrived Wednesday and hit the ground running!

I took the tube from the airport to Kings Cross station after having a very embarrassing moment attempting to use my Oystercard for the Tube (I learned I'm supposed to tap it on a sensor and not stick it in a slot). I met a girl on the train there who was getting back from Studying abroad in the states.

After checking in at NIDO Kings Cross I entered my room and could not believe the view I had from my window.

The view from my window

King Cross station right out my window

The second day I went out for coffee and shopping with the girls on my study abroad program who arrived early like me. We shopped on Oxford Street which is a massive busy street with the best shopping in London and I was able to buy some warm weather clothing. It started to rain for the first time while we were there and I started to feel like I was really in London, and since I had my umbrella with me I stayed dry.

For dinner we went to a pub called the Driver that was 3 stories tall and covered in ivy, we drank pints of Guinness and Hard Cider and ate fish and chips for dinner. It was delicious and so authentic!

My First Fish and Chips, they gave me a whole fish...

My Hard Apply Cider I had with Dinner

Friday I settled more into my room, did some grocery shopping and went out for cocktails with some girls in my group. 

Saturday was a busy day! We woke up and went out to our first authentic English breakfast at a place called The Breakfast Club. It was so nicely decorated on the inside with all kinds of knick knacks on the wall. 

Potatoes, Grilled Tomato, Eggs, Beans, Mushrooms, a Sausage and Toasted Bloomers (bread) SO MUCH FOOD!

After breakfast we headed to the world famous Camden Market and shopped around there, I don't have any photos because whoops I forgot my camera. 

I start Orientation on Tuesday (which includes a tour of the city) and my group is planning on doing some touristy things tomorrow, so wait for that in next weeks post!

Cheers!