Lie Back and Think of England

The more I experience of London, the more I love it.  I have spent the last two weekends in this fantastic capitol city. 

The first weekend I traveled with the fifteen other students I live with in Cambridge.  

The weather was amazing, so after taking a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, we wandered around London.  I saw Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul's Cathedral, along with a plethora of other awesome sights.  

One of the greatest parts of the first weekend in London, though, was the British Museum.  A great thing about this city is that the majority of the museums are free.  

So, being the budgeting college student that I am, I wandered around inside this mammoth building for a good three hours last Sunday.  Seeing some very famous exhibits, as well as some not so well known, but equally important ones, was inspiring.  The Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Sculptures were the two most renowned displays I visited.

On my return trip this past weekend, I was able to meet my grandparents for a few days.  Again, I saw countless icons of London:  Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Abbey Road, and Notting Hill, among others.  This sightseeing becomes slightly surreal after my years of commercial conditioning to recognize key points of architecture in the world's great cities.  (Movies are at least good for something besides entertainment, right?)  Anyhow, I didn't JUST spend the whole three days sightseeing.  I ate a lot too!  I had the famous Fish 'n Chips at Harrod's huge department store.  Let me tell you, it was DEFINITELY worth it.  Aside from that, I had delicious Italian pasta, wine, and gelato one day and traditional English pub food the next!  Only in a city like London can you experience such cultural variety nearly instantaneously.

Two more things stood out from the weekend in London with my grandparents.   First of all, I was lucky to have the chance to see Les Miserables on stage at the Queen's Theatre.  In a word, it was beautiful.  I really cannot find the words to describe it; you must experience something like that yourself.  It is a must-do if you ever go to London.  The theatre itself is a

 surprisingly intimate atmosphere, which makes for a truly unique experience, even if you don't have an overabundance of expendable income.  Secondly, on Saturday morning, we got 

up early and made our way out to the Porto Bello Road Market.  THIS is something that really made London unforgettable.  It is the world's longest street market, and it has anything and everything your heart desires.  You can find antiques, jewelry, crafts, clothing, fruits and vegetables, cameras, clocks, oriental rugs... you name it!  Part of the atmosphere on Saturdays at Notting Hill (where the market is located) is the crowd.  It might not be everyone's favorite thing to push through throngs of people to look at things you probably won't end up buying, but it is fascinating to see the mix of individuals and families that gather there.  I am sure I heard over a hundred different languages and dialects being spoken in the few short hours I was there.  Incredible.

London has been a terrific launching pad for my exploration of Europe.  Stick around to hear about my upcoming adventures, both around the British Isles and the rest of the Continent.