It has been four days since arriving in London, and let me just say, jet lag is kicking my butt. Nothing a little bit of coffee, or more recently, tea and sugar can't solve. Upon arriving on Thursday we were picked up from the airport taken back to campus, checked in, and shown our residence halls. This was where I found out I was living with other Maryville College students. After settling in a few other students and I made a quick trip to what they call the "secret shop", simple because it is hidden in a random location, and purchased our Oyster Cards which are what they use to pay for bus fairs and tubes and trains.
On Friday it was orientation where we received a tour of the school and given just a broad overview of what to expect and safety while living in London. Some students and I also made a trip to ASDA the local grocery store to go grocery shopping and pick up a few miscellaneous items that we would need for our stay.
Saturday was supposed to be a day where they had a photo frenzy scheduled, but my friends and I decided to just wander and get lost in London, which we were told is the best way to learn your way around. After successfully taking the above ground train system and the tube we made it to central London where we were able to hear the queen go by in her carriage. (Too many people to actually see her.) We ended up walking around the high street just right by Greens Park and decided to head towards the London Bridge. This turned out to be a fail as we could not figure out how to get near it enough to take a picture. (We are going to try another day.) But upon wandering we found the Borough Market, which let me tell you had some of the most amazing food provided by some nice people. I would not exactly be able to describe to you what was in this concoction because truthfully I don't even know myself, but if you find yourself in Borough Market check out Brood.
On Friday it was orientation where we received a tour of the school and given just a broad overview of what to expect and safety while living in London. Some students and I also made a trip to ASDA the local grocery store to go grocery shopping and pick up a few miscellaneous items that we would need for our stay.
Saturday was supposed to be a day where they had a photo frenzy scheduled, but my friends and I decided to just wander and get lost in London, which we were told is the best way to learn your way around. After successfully taking the above ground train system and the tube we made it to central London where we were able to hear the queen go by in her carriage. (Too many people to actually see her.) We ended up walking around the high street just right by Greens Park and decided to head towards the London Bridge. This turned out to be a fail as we could not figure out how to get near it enough to take a picture. (We are going to try another day.) But upon wandering we found the Borough Market, which let me tell you had some of the most amazing food provided by some nice people. I would not exactly be able to describe to you what was in this concoction because truthfully I don't even know myself, but if you find yourself in Borough Market check out Brood.
On Sunday my friends and I decided to explore more local areas. We found our way to Putney Pier where we walked around and found a little café called Putney Pantry. While there we met some sweet old ladies that were able to give us suggestions on restaurants to try that are local to the area. We also decided to check out a thrift store we had found just to see what kind of style Londoners had. We also managed to find this beautiful church and a beautiful park which I can't for the life of me remember what the name of them were. We wandered around a few more streets and into some store before we decided our feet had enough and were ready to go back to campus. Monday is the start of class and I am so excited, just not for the 15 minute walk to where the class will be held.