THANK YOU, BERLIN!

     No, I did not visit Germany tonight. Nor, I am certain, did Jack Johnson. Had he perhaps been coherent enough even to remember his own song lyrics, he may not have made the mistake of thanking Berlin in a gathering of 60,000 Londoners. The concert was a blast despite (or maybe as a result of) Jack’s drunken blunders. Ben Stiller even made a cameo appearance playing the air guitar! One of the excerpts we were required to read for our English class over here was Xenophobe’s Guide to England, in which the author describes the English as polite and non-confrontational at all costs. This I have found to be utterly untrue. Two girls were standing up in front of us at the concert—the only two standing in the entire section, mind you—and the couple next to us kindly asked them to sit so that we could all see the stage. Before we knew it, Jeff and I were surrounded by caustic accusations from all sides. “We paid good money for these seats and we can’t see through you!” “Oh so you’re calling me fat now?” “How dare you insult my mate?” This is the PG version. Overall, quite an adventure.

     
     Earlier today, we rode the London Eye which is the largest farris wheel in existence. We saw the entire city from a bird’s eye view. It could literally take your breath away. After that we wandered around the city, had fish and chips, and took pictures in telephone booths. Yesterday, we explored the main tourist attractions that everyone comes to London to see. We visited Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Parliament and of course, Big Ben. I hate to dwell on the minute details, but I feel it would be a great injustice not to describe the little things that make London so special. Just as the intricacies of the architecture are what make the city’s buildings timeless treasures so endearing that they are protected by the state, so it is the corner flower shops, the black taxis that speed erratically through the streets, the “give way” (yield) signs, the millions of coffee shops and the 300 languages that are spoken within the city that truly comprise the beauty—nay, the SPLENDOR—of London.

     Last night, after eating at a noodle bar called Wakamama (seriously), our group split up to go see different theatre shows. We went to the Her Majesty’s Royal Theatre to see Phantom of the Opera. It was unlike anything I have ever seen—beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Afterward, we met up with the rest of the gang at Chanos, a popular pub near Tralfalgar Square. Pubs are such a major part of the culture here, and it really was the conclusion to a perfect day. We have to be awake before 6 tomorrow to head to Stonehenge and Winchester (JANE AUSTEN!!!!!), so as it is nearly 2AM now, I will have to share the rest of the details later!

Chapter 1

     SURREAL. That is the only word that can describe this journey so far. Yesterday morning I watched from my airplane window as the sun rose above the Atlantic Ocean and took the place of the morning star that had been shining all night long. We flew through SIX TIMEZONES…try to wrap your head around that. When we finally landed in London, it took forever to go through customs and then I headed out to catch the train to the middle of the city. It was SO quiet and clean! Most of the people were on their way to work reading the news papers or a book. I looked out the window as the train flew past the landscapes and I began to realize just how beautiful the city is. Even the graffiti was proper—one said something about “bad behaviour.” I love the little differences in the language like the extra Us or the “premises for let” (space for lease) or how they have “way out” signs instead of exit. Upon arriving at my train stop, I hailed a cab and headed for the Imperial College. Never have I felt so independent, so free! By 9:30 AM (London time) I had arrived at Evelyn Gardens in the district of South Kensington and Chelsea (South Ken, as the locals call it). My plane landed hours before the New Orleans group arrived, so I planned to unpack and walk around the city. The unpacking went smoothly—our room is so quaint! But I ended up catching up on that jet lag until our meeting at 3.

           We gathered with our group, met each other, and took off to the city. Our instructors taught us how to use the tube (Underground railway), we went to Trafalgar square, London Chinatown, and Covent Market where My Fair Lady begins. After that, we broke off into groups of our own. My group went to a little café in the Covent Market and watched street performers in the square. When we got home, my roommate Morgan and I went into the gardens behind our dorms and we met Matt, an Imperial grad student from New Jersey. He has lived in London for a year and a half and told us all the basics about how to maneuver the city and where to go. He was eager to hear about the states and was happy to talk to Americans! We inquired of the time and were extremely surprised to discover that it was 9PM though it was light outside like 5PM! Morgan and I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood before it got dark. We spent about an hour and a half cruising the city in awe of how old and gorgeous the flats and shoppes and streetlights (believe it) are. Matt had told us that our dorms are located in one of the most expensive postal code in the ENTIRE WORLD, and it was evident as we walked the surrounding streets. When it finally started to get dark around 11, we came in and read a little of our political science books before we went to sleep.

     Yesterday was one of the rare sunny and hot days in London, and as there is no AC, our room was sweltering last night. We woke up at 5 unable to sleep because of the heat. So we got dressed and headed into town! We ate breakfast at a café (so European) and walked around downtown. We took a taxi to the grocery and got what we needed for the week. It is 8:15 now and we have had what feels like a full day!

Prologue

     Today is the beginning of my journey across the pond! I have been keeping up with Morgan's Jackson Hole blog all summer and have decided to make one myself as a personal chronicle of my travels to London, Paris, Rome and everywhere in between over the course of the summer. I am now sitting in the Charlotte, NC airport as I await my next flight which will take me to London. Already the trip has been filled with adventure: my first airplane ride, my first airplane ride alone...you get the picture. For anyone who has not been fortunate enough to have a five hour layover in a major airport, you have certainly missed out. There are so many people to watch, so many languages to interpret, so much activity! At this moment, I am eating a cheeseburger and drinking a coke with lots of ice as I watch a troop of army men singing with the airport pianist. I will certainly miss America.