“The best bribe which London offers to-day to the
imagination, is, that, in such a vast variety of people and conditions, one can
believe there is room for persons of romantic character to exist, and that the
poet, the mystic, and the hero may hope to confront their counterparts.” –
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Big Ben and the Iconic Red Buses
This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit London! Lena’s
brother (Ben) has lived in London for the past five years and when she planned
to visit him, she invited me along. I am so grateful, too, because I feel my
study abroad experience would not be the same without a trip to London!
Lena and I with our Winter Pimm's
Day 1
Friday evening we flew out of Eindhoven and then got a bus
from the airport to Ben’s apartment. International travel would not be complete
without its hiccups. At the Eindhoven airport, I waltzed up to passport check
with my passport and my boarding pass, just like I did when I was on vacation
at the beginning of my trip with my parents, not realizing that traveling while
living abroad is different than traveling on a week vacation. The customs agent
flipped through my passport about 5 times, looking very concerned. He then
asked what I was doing in the country for so long, seeing that my passport
stamps claimed I entered the Netherlands in August. I explained that I was
studying abroad and he asked for my residence permit (which is basically a
VISA). Of course I didn’t even realize I would need that and left it at home. I
had to spend some time convincing him and he eventually let me through by
looking at my student ID. Speaking with customs is always one of the scariest
things, especially the next 3 times I had to on that trip, knowing I didn’t
have the proper documents. I ended up getting home though!
The London Eye
Day 2
Saturday was a full day of sightseeing! We went all
throughout the city via foot, the DLR (Driver-less Rail), the Tube (the
Underground), the Overground, buses and Uber. We saw so many sights including
the Olympic Park, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, The London Eye,
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the Shard. London is a
beautiful city full of history. Of course I needed a photo near the infamous
telephone booths but to our surprise, there were queue’s to get a photo with
most of them. We ended up finding one hidden somewhere that luckily didn’t have
many people around.
Westminster Abbey
Christmas Market
For lunch we ate at a coffee shop called Notes and we
walked through a Christmas Market. There we found a fancy truck that served
warm cocktails and wines. We each drank a warm Pimm’s which is typically a
summery drink in England but these were made especially for the winter. That
evening we went to another Christmas Market near the Eye before heading to The
George Inn for an English supper. I had the spinach and sweet potato pie and we
all shared Christmas pudding for dessert. I had never had either of those
dishes so it was perfect while in London.
The Deco Bar at the Christmas Market
To cap off the evening, Ben treated
us to cocktails at the Aqua bar on the 32nd floor of the Shard. This
tower stands 1,016 feet and has 95 floors. Even on the 32nd floor,
we were still higher than the arch! The view of London at night from that high
was breathtaking. Part of you wants to walk right up to the glass and stare for
hours, and part of you wants to take the elevator back down as fast as
possible. We enjoyed our cocktails and the view for about an hour before
heading home.
The Shard
Day 3
Sunday was our shopping day. We began at the Camden market
which is the largest market I have ever seen. It had endless amounts of stalls
with handcrafted trinkets, vintage clothes, real leather and gifts. We spent
all morning shopping around the crowded alleys. We then had coffee at another
cute coffee shop before heading to the Stratford mall. There, we were able to
do some more luxurious shopping. We didn’t get too carried away, though,
because it was completely packed with Christmas shoppers. Once we had finally
had enough shopping for the day, we went to a nice Indian Restaurant for some
Curry! I also had never been to an Indian Restaurant so all of this food was
new to me. Of course we had Curry, but we also ordered Nan and Mango Lassi. I
don’t really like spicy food so the Curry was not my favorite but the rest was
delicious! That night we had an early night in to get ready for our alarm at
5:30 to catch the bus back to the airport today.
Camden Panoramic View
Overall, it was a very successful trip. I got to see many sights and experience a lot of things I had never done before. Ralf Waldo Emerson was right, the city is so international and eclectic, one could meet people from all walks of life. We saw the colorful shabby sides of London as well as the sleek high class and everything in between. My favorite part of the trip was, by far, the company I shared it with. Lena is a friend that really means a lot to me and her brother was such a great host. With only 2 weeks left and one trip to Germany planned, my study abroad experience is coming to a close. I have to say, this is a really nice way to wrap it all up.
London Bridge
No comments:
Post a Comment