There is limited internet ability over here in Granada so I had to throw together a quick snapshot of my weekend. Here it is!
London August 29th,
After a 8 hour flight we arrived at Heathrow Airport at about 9 am. From there we made our way out to the bus and to our hotel in South Kinsington (however that is spelled). There are about 11 of us from Minnesota. There are several people who were originally scheduled to study abroad in Argentina but due to a swine flu outbreak there they were moved to the Granada group. Everything in London was interesting. I found myself chatting with a few London natives in the plane and while they were speaking English I found it hard to follow.
We left the hotel in a large group like tourists which I wasn’t a fan of but it was nice to explore and get some fresh air. I was surprised how tired I was, jet lag really took its toll on me. It felt like I had been awake for days. After wandering aimlessly around for a while we found a pub and stopped to eat. I had a chance to sit down and absorb the British culture. It was at that point that I realized how stupid we must have looked looking the wrong way at crossings and such. Throughout our entire stay in London I found myself running into small differences in the culture. From the double decker busses to architectural age of the buildings, around every corner was a new experience.
At the pub most of us got the fish and chips and a becks beer. I was super excited that a football (soccer) game was on! We split up from the group and made our way back to the hotel. We only managed to get lost once on the way back which I thought was really good considering we couldn’t locate any street signs (they’re all on fences or buildings). With some help if a passing resident of South Kensington we were able to locate the hotel again. When we got back we received our room assignments, Yuri was my roommate for our time in London. We talked for a bit and then after a bit of a rest we headed out to explore a nearby park (Hyde Park). I seriously wish there were parks in the States like the ones in London. It was such an amazing place. We even saw where the Peter Pan stories originated in the nearby area (I guess the author used to take walks in there while writing the story). I feel asleep laying next to a pond, the weather was wonderful!!!
A welcome drink at 6 brought everyone together and we got to see all of the AIFS students going to Granada and Salamanca. That night we grabbed some pub passports and went out in search of some food and drinks. There was a great café next to some nearby pubs where I ate that night.
London August 30th
An early wake up on Sunday and it was off to the Coach tour! We had a fantastic guide and there are lots of pictures that you can find by clicking on the link above. Big Ben, Museums, a naked man in a square, art galleries, palaces, celeb hotels, and much more! Where to begin everything went by so fast! The bus dropped us off at Covent Gardens near the City of London (capital C means the center). From there everyone split up and went off to explore some more. It was a long, long walk back. On the way back I stopped at the science museum and then back to the hotel for some rest before heading back out to dinner. I went to bed at 12:00 am and woke up at 2:30 am this morning, Yikes.
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