First Weekend Across The Pond

love at first sight <3 

I can confidently say that I now fully understand the term 'love at first sight'. Friday morning a couple friends and I got up and met in Kingston to make our first adventure into central London. We were all a little nervous, because none of us had rode the train yet, but we very glad to find it pretty easy to get to. And on the plus side, we even got on the right train! Even though central London is less than 20 miles away, it took the train about half an hour to reach the Waterloo train station with all the stops that it had to make along the way. We were all so anxious and as soon as we got off the train we all rushed to the nearest exit of the very large train station to take in the sights! Sadly, the first step we took out of the station did not include a sight of Big Ben, the river, the London Eye and all else we were eager to see (imagine that). Because none of us truly knew where we were going we stopped at a couple maps up around the station and started to make our way to Big Ben. As soon as we saw water, we started walking faster... and faster... and before I knew it we were running across the pavement, making our way to the edge of the river to get a glimpse of Big Ben. And sure enough, it was as beautiful as any picture I had ever seen. We were all in awe and started to make our way towards it.

Made a wish in the fountains!

Fish & Chips and Bangers & Mash

After we had each taken about a hundred pictures we decided we should probably move on if we wanted to see anything else before the day was over. We continued down the main strip past Westminster and then passed Parliament (which I will later be visiting in a class trip), some other museums, which are on our list for our next trip into central London. We passed many monuments and beautiful buildings. We then found ourself standing in Trafalgar Square surrounded by beautiful fountains and the famous National Gallery. It was a bit chilly that day so as soon as we had had enough of the sights we made our way to the nearest pub for some traditional English food and tea. After warming up, we then spent the rest of our time touring the National Gallery, which was free to enter. As we made our way back to the station, the sun was setting and Big Ben was breathtaking. Lights had started to light up the city and we were all very exhausted and ready for the train ride home. It was a wonderful first trip into London and now I am looking forward to the next trip even more. There are so many things more things on my list to see there, and of course, I will be needing another glimpse of Big Ben soon!

That night I arrived back at home around 7 and was still filled with excitement from the day. The pub right down the street had advertised live music for that night and I decided to go and check it out. I walked into the small local pub that was blaring old country music, and instantly all eyes were on me. You could tell they were all regulars and were confused by the stranger who had just walked in. I sat down by myself a few tables away from the performers and within minutes a friendly old man came and introduced himself to me and started conversation. He was incredibly friendly. After he left, a younger couple at the table next to me invited me over to there table and I talked to them for a long time about Michigan and differences between England and USA. It was wonderful conversation! They also filled me in that it was very much a local bar and everyone would look after me whenever I was there. I even was introduced to the landlord (owner) and he was also very welcoming. Before I knew it I was being introduced to all sorts of locals and the small town feel of everything there really made me feel at home. As I sat and listened to the performers sing 'Sweet Home Albama' and other old rock classics, I knew this was a place I would be coming to often.

Where the queen herself drives in...

The next morning (Saturday) I had my first class trip with all the study abroad students. We all boarded buses and head off to Windsor Castle, the worlds largest inhabited castle and one of the many homes of the Queen. The Queen is known to spend her weekends at Windsor and there is an easy way to tell if she is there. If the Royal Standard flag is flying, she is there, but if only the Union Jack is flying, she is not. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the Castle and surrounding sights were incredible.

We were able to tour around the castle and surrounding town, and also go in and tour the castle where we saw old rooms of the Queens and Kings, many dinning rooms, lobbies, St. Georges Chapel (where most royalty are rested in) and we were even able to see the Queens Doll House, which is the most famous, and I believe largest, Doll House in the World. The whole place was enchanting and just being in it made you feel like royalty. After taking in all the sights of the castle, we made our way down the cobblestone streets towards Eton College, which is the most famous school in England. Countless Prime Minsters have attended and the grounds were amazing! After another tiring but exciting day, we all boarded double decker luxury buses that took us home. We all figured that was as close as we would ever feel to being royal.



Classes start tomorrow and I am very excited to get my schedule set and see all that Kingston University has to offer!