Bridget’s dad flew in last Thursday. His first day was much the same as our first sets of visitors. We had lunch at the La Piazza sandwich place on Marylebone and then headed for Buckingham. While this is similar to both Bridget’s mom’s visit and Michael’s visit, this time, THE QUEEN WAS THERE! Bridget and I have now been to Buckingham countless times and have never managed to make it on a day when the standard was flying, but last Thursday we did! It was cool! As we walked on the Princess Diana Memorial Walkway, we saw a horse and carriage coming out of the palace. It was really really pretty!
The Queen was there!
Gorgeous!!
After looking at Buckingham, we headed toward Westminster Cathedral, one of the few Catholic churches in England. We lit candles for our grandmothers, as is custom now, and then just walked around a bit. There were kids practicing for their Easter play, and it was cute to watch them for a bit.We left Westminster, walked back to Buckingham and in those few short minutes, the Queen was already gone and the Union Jack was flying again!
So we headed to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. On the walk over it began to rain, and then when we got there, it stopped – just like that! (It is like Delaware County weather all over again!)
We did the obligatory picture-taking and sight seeing and came back to Starbucks on Baker Street to get tea and coffee. After that we split up so Bridget’s dad could head back to the hotel for a bit and agreed to meet up later for dinner. WE WERE GOING TO BELGO CENTRAAL!!
Belgo was amazing, I had the half roast chicken in a sweet chili and ginger sauce with frites (fries). I tried the peach beer (which tastes like iced tea!) and then for dessert, Bridget and I decided to try the chocolate beer. We had been eagerly anticipating trying this beer and were rather excited. However, when it came and we tasted it, we were a bit less than pleased. It was not what we were expecting and had a weird after taste – good thing we were sharing one and didn’t get our own! Oh well, we came, we saw, we tried, it was an experience.
When dinner was over, we stopped at Ed’s Easy Diner for milkshakes and then headed back to Baker Street to go our separate ways for the night.
Friday
We got a bit of a late start but met and did some walking around on Baker Street to the bank and post office, etc. so that I could mail my dad’s birthday cards (his is tomorrow, too!) and what not.
We returned to school to look up a few things, had lunch in the Refectory and Bridget and her dad left to go and see Trafalgar Square, St. Martin-in-the-Field’s, and the National Gallery. I stayed back to get some homework done, but met them later at the Sherlock Holmes Museum!
Sherlock Holmes Museum!
The museum was fun, a bit different than expected as it was just recreations of Mrs. Hudson’s, Dr. Watson’s and Sherlock’s rooms, but it was still neat to see. The house it was in was pretty cool too!After that we hade to Costa for some hot chocolate. It was AMAZING! By far the best hot chocolate I have had in England so far! Then we split up again and decided to meet for dinner. Since it was a Friday in Lent and we couldn’t eat meat, it was off to Pizza Express for dinner!
Dinner was good and we came out and said “what now?” Bridget and I had no idea what to do! We tried to play this off as a good thing that we did not know what to do at night around there….I mean, after all, he is a dad! So we eventually decided to go to Belgo Kingsway for some drinks because they had Heineken on tap, which Mr. Kelly really likes. So we went and had drinks and talked and it was just a really good time.
Saturday
Bridget and her dad went and saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge and it’s exhibit, and I once again, stayed back to do homework (stupid, stupid homework!!). They assured me I didn’t miss much (I HAD seen it before so it was okay) because it poured on and off all day, and even hailed at points!
The night for dinner we went to a steakhouse in Leicester Square. On our way past the main square of Leicester Square, we heard about a MILLION 12 year old girls screaming their heads off. Zac Effron was there for the premiere of his new movie 17 Again. We decided not to go ANYWHERE near the chaos and craziness!
Dinner was good, I had a sirloin steak with spinach (mmmm IRON!!!) and it was yummy! We walked around a bit in Piccadilly after that and then just headed back to school.
That night we pushed the clocks forward an hour so once again, we were 5 hours in front of the USA. People think the hour really doesn’t make a difference, but I am here to argue with that. It definitely made it easier to skype my parents at normal common hours and I found that we were both much more accessible to talk with the lesser of the two time differences.
Sunday
We got up and went to St. Paul’s for mass but were informed that they had “canceled morning mass for a big service at 6PM.” Well that didn’t really help us, and besides, how do you CANCEL mass? Anyway, we walked across Millennium Bridge and looked toward Tower Bridge to see that it was OPEN!! Tower Bridge open is said to be good luck because it only happens 1,000 times a year and is apparently not seen too often. YAY for good luck!
Tower Bridge Open!!! IT'S GOOD LUCK!!!!
We walked past the Globe and to London Bridge tube station where we got the Jubilee Line to Green Park (same place we exit for Buckingham). We were going to breakfast at Automat American and had to get off there. So we found the restaurant and were first put off by the prissy hostess who told us we could not be seated in the back because there were time restrictions, but could sit in the front if we chose. Okay, no problem, we will sit in the front, thank you. So we sat down and were approached by our rather stuffy Italian waiter. We ordered and the food took FOREVER and there were certainly not people busting down the door to get in, but okay. The food finally comes and it was alright. Bridget and I both got pancakes, which we haven’t had since we came over here, so we were pretty happy.
Automat American - New York Cheesecake, apparently from Hungary...?
After breakfast we headed back to Baker Street, Bridget showed her dad around the college while I did some homework and then we all decided to meet later for dinner at the Globe on Marylebone. I had the bangers (sausage) and mash and it was amazing. The sausage of the day was pork and apple cider and they were AMAZING! Soooo good!!!! It was a good night with some pub food!After that Bridget and her dad came back to skype home and I had to go meet Jillianne to work on a project for our Health Psychology class. Mr. Kelly left while I was gone to get to sleep early as he had to head to Huddersfield, England early the next morning.
Monday
Just another school day. We went to the sports bar with Katie and Carly for a light snack since we were meeting Bridget’s dad for dinner when he got back from Huddersfield.
We met him and went to Pizza Express for dinner again. We wrapped up lose ends since he was flying home in the morning, etc., finished dinner and then he walked us back to the gate at the park entrance. We said our goodbyes and started walking to school. Bridget and I had officially finished our gigs as tour guides and we had 34 days left before we too, could return home.
Tuesday
Bridget’s dad flew back to Philly and arrived safely and I woke up sick and with a fever! Now normally I would say “I don’t feel good” and mostly get over it, but this is the week of my big 2-1…I CANNOT be sick! So I took lots of Tylenol, 2,000 milligrams of vitamin c, tried to sleep it off and went to class and did homework in between. Then last night, I went to see HAIRSPRAY!!!
The show was fantastic and despite how sick I was feeling when I got there, I left feeling great because it was just such a feel-good show. The audience really got into it which was great and Michael Ball, who cross-dressed for the role of Edna did a PHENOMENAL job! There was one scene (during the song, “You’re Timeless To Me”) where he and Nigel Planter do an improv…it was hilarious!
After the show, since I hadn’t eaten dinner, Karen and I headed to McDonalds. We ate and then, since I knew my poor roommate was stuck here perishing over a paper she was making very little progress with, I got a cheeseburger and fries to bring back for her.
It was mostly a quiet night after that. I felt bad that it was after midnight and she hadn’t finished her paper so I tried to stay up and find my own stuff to do to kind of keep her company, etc. However, she knew me too well and told me to “GO TO BED” because I am not feeling well. I listened, about an hour later at 1AM. I got in bed and immediately got the chills, my fever had returned, oh no! So my loving roommate got me a THIRD blanket, did a half jump tuck, and returned to work on her paper.
Wednesday
I woke up this morning to what I thought was Bridget’s alarm going off. I heard it go off, jumped a bit, and nestled back into my bed when I heard what sounded like her turning it off. A few minutes later when she didn’t get out of bed, I started calling “Bridget. Bridget?” See, my roommate doesn’t like to get out of bed and I knew this morning that she had to get up earlier (after staying up later) to finish up her paper, etc. No answer. “Bridget? “BRIDGET?” Still no answer. Normally I would have gotten out of bed to shake her, but I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t move, everything hurt! “BRIDGET!!!” “WHAT?” she almost screamed. “You have to get up!” “What time is it?” “I don’t know, I heard your alarm go off.” “No it didn’t.” She checks her phone. “Tammy, it’s 6:48AM!!” “sorry…” “It’s okay…”
Apparently I had been having a vivid dream of her alarm ringing….
So I eventually forced myself out of bed and made my way to the shower and breakfast. I got some homework done and then headed to my newspaper class. The other day I had offered to take pictures of the inside of a restaurant for an article I had written since we would most likely be there for a birthday dinner later in the week. Leslie, my teacher asked whose birthday it was. “Mine!” I told her. “Oh! How old will you be?” “21,” I said. After this follows much about how she remembers being that age, etc.
So today in class she brought in snacks and sang Happy Birthday to me. We had a birthday party! Now this was pretty cool to me! I haven’t had a birthday party “in school” since like 4th grade! And it was really sweet! Leslie just kept telling me to enjoy my last day as 20 because it isn’t the same after this, and she told me how she remembers her 21st birthday because she too was a study abroad student from America (PA) in her junior year during the time and how she met her husband over here, etc. It was nice…while I felt really appreciative, she felt like she was reliving the time through me. It was sweet!
London News in General
The G-20 Summit is set to begin tomorrow here in London and as I am sure you all are aware, protesters and rioters are going nuts! If it weren’t for the fact that I have homework, classes, meetings and promised my dad I would stay away from those areas and be careful, I would most likely be there just to see what it was like and how crazy/passionate people are. I think it would be a cool thing to see a part of history take place, so maybe tomorrow I will sneak out to go and be there. But shhh….don’t tell my dad!
Also, President Obama is staying at the Winfield House in Regent’s Park during his stay in London. Cool right? I might try and scout that out too, despite the fact that I am sure I cannot get anywhere near it!!
Now that I have updated through today, it is time to go get some homework done because this weekend is Edinburgh!!!
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