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Internet is now steady & secure at the flat, so I can begin updating again. Updating at work seemed risky considering that my boss's office is right next to my desk.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHEL!!!!!!!!!
I've posted a whole bunch of photos from my trip thus far, so check them out.
It's been so long since I've updated I'm not sure where to start. Last weekend I suppose.
I spent the day Saturday with my friend Nick from Liverpool. We went to the Tate Britain and saw the Turner exhibit, which was interesting. He really was such a diverse artist, but most of the exhibit focused on his watercolors. We went to the Wolseley (http://www.thewolseley.com/) for dinner, which was amazing. The 3 desserts was probably overkill, but deciding between the milkshakes and the baked cheesecake was more than we could handle. We headed off to Soho afterwards, which was more busy than normal. The Gay Pride Parade was Sunday, so the streets were full of people. I heard that Saturday night was the best part of the whole celebration, since the parade was really disappointing. Someone who was there said that there were just not enough drag queens. Sunday was uneventful, aside from some amazing Indian food at a restaurant off of Brick Lane.
The week passed incredibly slowly. Being that my boss is American, he held a 4th of July celebration at his house on Wednesday. It was a little amusing because he and I were the only Americans. Everyone else is French, British, Ukranian or Italian. But the evening was complete with burgers (note: the French ate theirs with a fork and knife), BBQ chicken wings, fries (or chips, as they call them), and my favorite, potato salad. I also had Pimms for the first time. Apparently it's a very British drink. Pimms is the actual liquor that is mixed with lemonade. Then lemon, cucumber, mint, and apple pieces are added. A bit like sangria. We spent the night playing some game that no one figured out. But it was a good time, nevertheless. Although I could have gone for some fireworks....
Friday night my flatmates Kacie & Matt, our friend Melanie and myself went up to Camden. There was a band called Shy Child playing at the club Koko. It was originally a movie theatre, so it's got an amazing interior. Plus they serve Grey Goose, which is the first time I've seen it here.
Saturday was the first sunny and rain-free day that we've had in weeks. The weekend has been just crazy here in London. The Tour de France was here yesturday and today, the Live Earth concert was yesturday, Wimbledon is going on, there was some marathon today and I'm sure that I'm missing a few more events. It's amazing that a city can handle so much. But because of the Tour de France, the streets were essentially shut down. I had intended to go to a service at Westminster Abbey on Saturday and then to the Globe theatre for a show, but it would have been impossible to get around there.
I got a little bit of a late start, but went to Canterbury for the afternoon. I got there around 2:30, as it is an hour and a half from London. Normally everything shuts down by 4:30, but because the Tour de France was ending there today, there was a huge festival going on and everything was open late. It wasn't so crowded that I couldn't get around, although I'm sure today was madness. The town itself is really cute, but it's very touristy. The building still look old and medieval, but the shops are chains. There's an H&M there, so that should sum it up. I took a 40 minute river tour, which was actually a guy rowing 10 people down a canal with oars, but it was nice regardless. Probably the only time I'll be on water this summer. The town is very medieval and a lot of it dates back to the 13th century, or older. From there, I headed to Canterbury Cathedral. The church is fairly well known for it's medieval architecture. It really is a stunning church. The interior far exceeded my expectations. I wanted to go to the Canterbury Tales Museum, which is probably touristy but it might have refreshed my memory. It was getting late, though, so I headed back around 5:30.
Kacie, Melanie & I went to Regent's Park last night and drank a bottle (or two) of wine before heading to the East End to go to a few bars. My flatmate Zach & his girlfriend, who was in town visiting, met up with us for a while. Interesting crowds there. The East End is known for being... eclectic? It's not known for being a wealthy and classy area, I guess is the best way to put it. But it's down to earth and interesting.
We were blessed with another beautiful day today, so we picked up some bread, fruit, cheese & sweets and had a picnic in Regent's Park. It actually got warm enough that I got some color, which is amazing. The park was, of course, packed and full of small children. In addition to pigeons. Bad combination.
We found out when we got back that we actually DO have internet access here, its just not wireless. Oh if only I had known that 4 weeks ago.
Hopefully this week will be more interesting than last. MAYBE going to Billy Elliot tomorrow, definitely going to see Harry Potter on Thursday, I have a Friday the 13th James Morrison concert (www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com)at the Tower of London to look forward to and a few of us are probably heading to Liverpool Saturday morning to see some more of the country.
XOXO
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