London Top Five

So as you saw from the previous post on London, we covered quite a lot in the few days we were there. I already went into detail about most of the important things, so the things that follow were the random, FUN parts of the trip that I thought needed to be highlighted in a bit more detail.

1. Fictional characters. As you can tell from reading the previous post, I was very excited to be in the home country of two of my favorite characters: Mr. 'arry Potter and Peter Pan! However, we visited the London landmark of only one of these boys. As you know, Platform 3/4 is the place to enter into the fictional Hogwarts train station. It had all of us on the trip thinking about the fictional world J.K. Rowling created and the huge success she had with that series, the movies etc. Pretty amazing considering where she started. And, although Peter was high on my list, we just didn't make it to his statue in Hyde Park. But, there were many landmarks around London that were unofficial reminders of the boy who didn't want to grow up. As a frequent watcher of Peter Pan (it's arguably one of the classics Disney created), the London streetlamps, Big Ben (as Peter and the Darling children stand on the hands of the clock before flying off to Neverland) and the style of homes all remind me of Peter.

2. Funny signs: I told you all that I found some ironic signs during our walk along the Thames on Day #2. I've included them below for you to chuckle at. This is something I enjoy immensely about the English, their humor. Whether it was people we passed chattering loudly on the street, our tour guide the first day, or our numerous waiters, they all have this cheeky, sarcastic way of communicating that is just plain funny. They are direct, right-to-the-point. As the signs below represent spectacularly. Also, at this point in time, we were all pretty hungry. We were on the way to get dinner at the Albert, which was a much longer walk than we all anticipated, especially with how sore our feet were by that point. Or maybe, just mine were. Wearing flat, non-supportive sandals is overrated.



3. Pounds. No, this is not a measure of weight people! This is the currency we had to adjust to using while in London. We always try to guess-timate how much we'll need for the entire trip, especially when we have to convert currency. We learned throughout our travel adventures that it's much more worth our money to take out of an ATM once, and not go to a counter to exchange. Well, we were all quite skilled at staying in the budget and not taking out money more than once. This is was quite difficult to do, especially when surrounded by all the goodies in Camden Market. BUT - when Carolyn and I arrived at the airport, after our near fiasco, we discovered we had pounds left to spend! And it wasn't enough to convert back, so we HAD to go shopping in the airport. We HAD to! :) Carolyn and I had fun trying to find things to buy, and we both found a great shop to purchase items. It was the first time that we literally had to spend money, and we both had a blast picking things out. Who knew the poor exchange rate would actually help us out.

4. Dressing for the Weather. As the pictures show, the BE-A-UTIFUL weather had us all ecstatic to be outside, walking around. This was the first (and last) trip that I didn't wear tennis shoes everyday while walking around, and didn't wear jeans everyday. Because I wanted to wear appropriate attire for the supposed sunny weather, I optimistically packed a skirt for one day (the watermelon outfit) and a dress (sunburn day) for the other. Thus, tennis shoes were simply OUT of the question to be wearing in either of those ensembles. So, for once, I didn't SCREAM American tourist, as I was wearing more relaxed, normal looking clothes. I did get used to my jeans and tennis shoes trip outfit, but it was nice to 'blend in' a bit more. THOUGH - my sandals were NOT conducive to walking around the HUGE city. I had broken them in while in Rome, but man, they really let your feet feel every step. I was definitely voicing my unpleasant foot pain by the end of both days, much to the happiness (I imagine) of my travel buddies. Yet, I wore those sandals both days, which may not have been the most intelligent, but man, the outfit looked GOOD! But, there were consequences - a lovely rose sunburn. Though, I was content with that considering the sun was out to help give us some pretty pictures. :)

5. English Food. This Top Five wouldn't be complete without discussing the delicious food (and drinks) we consumed properly documented. As I've already hinted at, most UK food is quite hearty - large in portions, very filling foods, and also delicious. We had the tasty fish and chips for lunch that first day - which simply seeps of English essence, as well as the amazing meal we had at the Albert. The one I so kindly posted a nice, large picture in the previous blog for you all to enjoy. No matter is it was a large meal, or just a snack, every food we consumed in London truly hit the spot. (Even my enjoyable Whippie - see right) I also enjoyed that every meal our group shared was one where you look forward to simply sitting there - chatting and eating with friends - without a real rush. Perhaps we picked up this relaxed attitude from our time in Italy, but either way, we always REALLY enjoyed meal time in London.

Well my friends, that's the end of all the trips' Top Five/Ten lists. I'll cover one final 'Top' list from my entire trip - but that will be more about things I've taken away than particular events/things that happened. I'm actually excited that I am writing this almost a year later, as it's truly given me great perspective about my experience. It has really taken to be back in the midst of normal, 'American' life to really understand the fantastic experience I was able to have and particular life lessons I've brought home with me.