London continued...

posted by: Katie

So I've been here for two weeks already and I feel as if I have been here forever. I've "semi" mastered the bus and tubes, only getting ridiculously lost once, but the people here are very nice and try their best to help you. My friends and I have done so much, and we try to do as much as we can on the weekends, since school is in session during the week, but luckily, Richmond, my school, has Friday as a "dead-day" which means there are no classes, so there is more time to do what we want.

I feel as if I have been everywhere! We toured the Tower of London, running around to see everything before the tower closed. It's so interesting to see things that are almost a thousand years old, seeing things that are older than America's discovery. Lately, there have been about four sunny days, and I am maximizing those days as best as I can, since usually it's cloudy and a little gloomy. My friends and I walked ALOT the other day, for three hours straight, just looking at everything we could.

We walked through Kensington Gardens, found some of the most beautiful and manicured gardens I have ever seen, I even had squirrels and birds eating out of my hand in these gardens and ponds. We then walked through Hyde Park, then through St. James Park, onto Buckingham Palace. We couldn't go in, because the palace is only open during July and August, when the Queen is on vacation. Sadly, we had no glimpse of her or her grandsons...And then we walked to Westminster, where the London Eye and Westminster Abbey are located. We were so exhausted that day-we walked 8 tube stops! We definitely took a double decker bus back.

The other day was very fun-it was a shopping day! Portobello Market is a market that vendors and shops open their doors every Saturday. There are so many interesting things there-from clothing, to shoes, jewelry and many many antiques. And it's so big! I had a lot of fun on that day. Later on that day, we went to an old fashioned English pub, where I was able to meet my cousin who lives here. It was really cool to see what people our age do in another country, very different from Rider. In the short two weeks that I have been here, I feel as if I am so acclimated to this London already, and so glad that I took the opportunity that so few get to take.

Katie