Just a short stroll through London

Like every American girl, I’ve dreamt of visiting London since Amanda Bynes found her long-lost father, Lindsay Lohan found her long-lost mother, and Mary-Kate and Ashley met adorable Brits while winning that Model U.N. competition.

Thus, this past week, when I leapt across the English Channel and landed in the perfectly majestic city of London, England, I was instantly reborn as an incredibly peppy and excited, little girl once again.  Of course, the fact that I was traveling with none other than Lauren (my HC Florence friend), Audrey (my HC Galway friend), and Christine (my HC friend on fall break!) certainly magnified my excitement by 1 million percent.

Me, Lauren, Audrey, & Christine in London :)

Our trip did begin with a rocky start... 

-Lauren and I overestimating our free time until the train’s departure

-Lauren racing her zuper-cool, wheeled suitcase through Florence’s train station

-Me, downing the rest of my McDonald’s Coke while sprinting behind

-Both of us watching the final train to Pisa pulling out of the binario (New vocab word: binario means platform)

I am not sure how, but we did manage to arrive at Pisa’s Airport in time for take-off.  Granted, in order to do so, we rode a train from Florence to Lucca, a train from Lucca to Pisa, and a taxi from Pisa’s train station to its airport. Phewww. That’s what you get for buying cheap flights that don’t actually depart from Florence!

We spent all of Wednesday and Thursday hitting every touristy must-see imaginable--Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, you name it--and devouring any morsel of American food we came across--What’s up Starbucks and Chipotle?!  Let’s face it England, your food is nothing to write home about.

American food, you are amazing!

Fish N' Chips, ya' Gross.

How about a brief list of Trip Superlatives?

1. Easiest way to spend money: The Pound.  England, I’m just getting accustomed to the Euro.  Even after two months, sometimes I still forget it’s not the dollar (big mistake).  Why do you have to go on using a totally different currency? Better yet, a currency with an exchange rate of 1.6... ouch that hurts...

2. Best dressed: English School Children.  Straight out of a movie, every child in London is clad in matching, head-to-toe plaid, school uniforms.  Perfectly preppy and adorable.

It might be seen as potentially creepy that I snagged this shot on my own...

3. Most Athletic: Tottenham Hotspur.  Have you ever heard of them? Probably not.  Christine’s super-fan father booked us on a tour of the Hotspur stadium, White Hart Lane.  There, we accompanied a group of actual super-fans (middle-aged men and 10 year-old boys) on a 90-minute tour of the stadium.  We did learn some interesting and incredibly useful football facts, of course. Hilarious.

4. Greatest disappointment: The Queen’s guards at Buckingham Palace were locked behind gates.  I’m pretty certain that the Olsens and Amanda Bynes each had their turn at the guards... why not the Holy Cross crew?

5. Wildest goose chase: The hunt for Pandora charms.  My goal this year is to acquire a different Pandora charm for my charm bracelet from each place that I visit.  It was an absolute struggle to find a Pandora in London. Lauren was the best sport for trekking around the shopping district with me after I ambushed a saleswoman--wearing a Pandora bracelet--for the nearest location. 

New charm = happy ending

6. Most Likely to Succeed: Shakespeare.  Yes, we did make this trip an educational one by stopping to explore Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.  Nana, I hope you are impressed.

7. Best ride:  The day-pass that we bought for the red, double-decker, tour bus was probably the greatest purchase made all week.  Pre-rain, we drove around on top, pointing like maniacs and giggling at the facts running through our headphones.  During the rain, we drove on the bottom and passed out--yes, we all literally fell asleep--to the dramatic British tunes playing between each stop. (Touristing is a tough business.)

I'm obviously a supporter of anything with Zac Efron's face on it.

Watch as my face gradually blows up as the week/my illness progresses. Real cute.

Peace out London; Hello Wizarding-World!

8. Nerdiest/Most exciting tourist stops: Anything Harry Potter.  We paced anxiously through London’s Kings Cross Station in search of Platform 9 3/4 (The Hogwarts Express departs from Platform 9 3/4 in the Harry Potter book series in case you are unaware).  There were a few moments of utter desperation and upset when we passed 9 and 10 and found nothing.  However, a train station employee may have overheard our poor attempts at British accents slurring HP dialogue and led our pathetic souls in the right direction.  God bless you, Sir.

9. Most disappointing realization:  I cannot afford Harrod’s.  Everything about Harrod’s is so perfect and palatial...gold-trimmed staircases, painted ceilings, designer everything.  After a stop in the bakery section and a short glimpse at the cupcakes, I did make a Harrod’s purchase after all.  Albeit it wasn’t the one I wanted to make... 

One day, Pucci scarf, one day...

10. Worst London souvenir:  Sickness.  I’ve now been on my deathbed for about 4 days and am ready to absolutely explode.  It seems like the antibiotics are starting to work now though so I may be able to break free tomorrow!

End result of 3 pharmacy visits and a doctor's house call.  Sweet deal.

11. Best Welcome-Home surprise: A gift from Colleen Elizabeth.  Nothing could have made me happier than an American parcel with such perfect timing.

London really was an absolute blast!  Thanks for such an amazing time, friends <3