It had been a while since I’d done some touristy things in and around London, so after I had recovered from my trips (it's a hard life, I know) I used a few free days before my Mom and Nana’s visit to wander around London a bit and do some of the things I'd neglected to do.
The weather has been MUCH better lately (it’s gotten up to the 60s!!), so Vanessa, Emily, and I decided to take a walk through Hyde Park and the Lexington Gardens. Walking through lots of parks in Europe has made me a firm believer that the US just doesn’t know how to do parks the right way. Maybe I just haven’t been to the right parks back home, but the ones here are just beautiful!
I love spring time! Seeing such pretty flowers just makes me happy. =) I’ve said this before, but living in London has really made me appreciate good weather and the change in seasons.
The park even has a beautiful waterfall! Hyde Park > The Hills Park/all of the Vegas parks. Plain grass and cactus gardens just can’t compare.
Look, it’s Peter Pan! He was really tough to find, but it was worth it. There are lots of fairies on this statue, not just Tinkerbell. Peter Pan is going to be performed by the statue during May, but I'm not sure if I'll be travelling while it's happening... we'll see if I can make it.
A few days later, Caitlin and I took a day trip to Brighton to see the Royal Pavilion, the pier, and the beach. The Royal Pavilion was really cool – it was decorated in Chinoiserie and some of the rooms were just amazing. One of the most impressive rooms was the dining room. It had a huge chandelier held up by a bronze dragon. I wish I could have taken pictures, but at least I picked up a few postcards.
This is Brighton’s beach. They don’t have any sand, just tiny rocks. The water was freezing – I dipped my toes in. Also, the waves were nonexistent. England may know how to do parks, but they're not so great with beaches.
Being silly on a playground by the beach. That was even more difficult to get out of than it was to get in, hahaha.
Next stop, the pier! If you look carefully you can see a really tall ride at the very end of the pier. Riding that was the best decision ever. The pier was just like piers in the US and it was weird to see British flags flying everywhere instead of US ones. The rides were pretty fun and Caitlin and I messed around in the arcade for a bit before heading back to London.
That night we went to see Les Mis with the rest of the girls. Kevin had already seen it, so we had a fun girls night out. The musical was amazing and I’m going to steal the soundtrack from Kevin the next chance I get.
I LOVE this picture of Vanessa and me. =) The whole group went to see Oliver. After a few solid weeks of traveling in small groups, getting everyone together was really nice. Plus… two West End shows in 3 days? Talk about a great time. The show was pretty cute. I wish Rowan Atkinson had been playing Fagin (he was out having surgery for a hernia. What nerve!), but the kids were adorable, especially the Dodger!! Awww. I had just finished reading the book about a week earlier, so it made seeing the musical that much more fun. Side note – since when do I have time to read for fun? Since I decided to “study” abroad. I can’t believe I’m getting away with this.
A few days later, Kevin had a friend in town so I joined them on the London Eye. It was expensive, but worth it. What a great view of the city!
You can see St. Paul’s Cathedral (the blue dome towards the center of the picture) and the Gherkin (the pointed building on the right). I think it looks more like a bullet than a gherkin – that’s a pickle for those of you not so familiar with British slang. Anyway, I really feel like London is becoming my city now. I know I’ve only been there for 4 and a half months, but I really love it. It’s become a part of me and I’ll be very sad to leave when the time comes.
The weather has been MUCH better lately (it’s gotten up to the 60s!!), so Vanessa, Emily, and I decided to take a walk through Hyde Park and the Lexington Gardens. Walking through lots of parks in Europe has made me a firm believer that the US just doesn’t know how to do parks the right way. Maybe I just haven’t been to the right parks back home, but the ones here are just beautiful!
I love spring time! Seeing such pretty flowers just makes me happy. =) I’ve said this before, but living in London has really made me appreciate good weather and the change in seasons.
The park even has a beautiful waterfall! Hyde Park > The Hills Park/all of the Vegas parks. Plain grass and cactus gardens just can’t compare.
Look, it’s Peter Pan! He was really tough to find, but it was worth it. There are lots of fairies on this statue, not just Tinkerbell. Peter Pan is going to be performed by the statue during May, but I'm not sure if I'll be travelling while it's happening... we'll see if I can make it.
A few days later, Caitlin and I took a day trip to Brighton to see the Royal Pavilion, the pier, and the beach. The Royal Pavilion was really cool – it was decorated in Chinoiserie and some of the rooms were just amazing. One of the most impressive rooms was the dining room. It had a huge chandelier held up by a bronze dragon. I wish I could have taken pictures, but at least I picked up a few postcards.
This is Brighton’s beach. They don’t have any sand, just tiny rocks. The water was freezing – I dipped my toes in. Also, the waves were nonexistent. England may know how to do parks, but they're not so great with beaches.
Being silly on a playground by the beach. That was even more difficult to get out of than it was to get in, hahaha.
Next stop, the pier! If you look carefully you can see a really tall ride at the very end of the pier. Riding that was the best decision ever. The pier was just like piers in the US and it was weird to see British flags flying everywhere instead of US ones. The rides were pretty fun and Caitlin and I messed around in the arcade for a bit before heading back to London.
That night we went to see Les Mis with the rest of the girls. Kevin had already seen it, so we had a fun girls night out. The musical was amazing and I’m going to steal the soundtrack from Kevin the next chance I get.
I LOVE this picture of Vanessa and me. =) The whole group went to see Oliver. After a few solid weeks of traveling in small groups, getting everyone together was really nice. Plus… two West End shows in 3 days? Talk about a great time. The show was pretty cute. I wish Rowan Atkinson had been playing Fagin (he was out having surgery for a hernia. What nerve!), but the kids were adorable, especially the Dodger!! Awww. I had just finished reading the book about a week earlier, so it made seeing the musical that much more fun. Side note – since when do I have time to read for fun? Since I decided to “study” abroad. I can’t believe I’m getting away with this.
A few days later, Kevin had a friend in town so I joined them on the London Eye. It was expensive, but worth it. What a great view of the city!
You can see St. Paul’s Cathedral (the blue dome towards the center of the picture) and the Gherkin (the pointed building on the right). I think it looks more like a bullet than a gherkin – that’s a pickle for those of you not so familiar with British slang. Anyway, I really feel like London is becoming my city now. I know I’ve only been there for 4 and a half months, but I really love it. It’s become a part of me and I’ll be very sad to leave when the time comes.
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