Catching Up.....LONDON!

We arrived in London on Thursday. It’s what I always hoped it would be like and even more. The city is HUGE but I’ve actually been able to find my way around it pretty well and get familiar with the Tube quickly.  Our internet here is limited and I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had much time to write a post yet. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve done so far:

•       Tower of London. It blows my mind how old this building is and how long it’s been in use. There are actually many towers—some that were used as torture chambers, some for eating, etc. Seeing the crown jewels was definitely my favorite part. I got to see all of the crowns of the monarchs dating back to the 1100’s. They are (obviously) the most beautiful jewels I’ve ever seen. More sparkly, ornate, and colorful than I ever thought they’d be. And they’re in amazing condition considering how old they are. We only had a couple of hours here because we had to get to the…

The Tower(s) of London!

Tower Bridge! (From the Tower of London)

Where the crown jewels are kept

•      Charles Dickens Walking Tour. Also really cool. We got to see the places that he lived, worked, and based characters in his novels from. I haven’t read many of his novels, but it was still very informative. Got to see the street that prompted and inspired him to write “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” in a Tale of Two Cities. We also randomly visited the hall that Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was first performed.

London is so pictaresque!

I found Drury Lane, but not the muffin man. :(

•       Ate at Nando’s Chicken. Delicious, delicious, delicious. I want to eat there every night.
•       Shopping at H&M. Spent way too much. Loved it way more than I should have. So happy with my purchases. 
•       Shopping at Vintage Market. I got a sweet wood iPhone case! I’m in love. And I bartered the seller down by two pounds. Not much, but I’m still proud of myself.
•       Portobello Road Market/ Wafflemeister. Portobello Road= not that good. Wafflemeister= amazing. Portobello Road is so hot, crowded, and overpriced. I was tired and just found it all kind of annoying. Maybe on a different day I would have liked it more. The best part was stopping at Wafflemeister for lunch—probably the best waffle I’ve ever had. Sorry, Awful Waffle, you’re not that good to me anymore.     

• Wicked. The best possible way to end our first Saturday in London! I loved it. We got student tickets for more than half price and it was so worth it. I got goosebumps a lot and kind of teared up in a few spots. It was interesting to hear them speak and sing in their accents—different from when I saw it in Chicago and from the soundtrack. Beautifully vibrant colors, amazing voices, catchy story, and an overall thrilling night. 

•        Church in Lea Valley. They split up all of the students here so that we all go to different wards. Becca and I were assigned to the Lea Valley ward. It is a primarily African ward and I’ve never felt so instantly welcomed to a ward in my whole life! The spirit of missionary work and fellowship is thriving in their ward. We helped in the primary for a bit and then stayed after for a family’s baptism. It was a wonderful ward and I’m excited to go back for the next couple of weeks.
•       Visited Hyde Park Chapel. Here we met several missionaries who just happened to get out of a fireside where Governor Herbert and his wife visited. I didn’t really talk to them, but we did see them and I took pictures for them with some missionaries. One of my favorite things about being abroad has been seeing how the church works in different areas. It’s so great to meet missionaries and members here and see how their lives are different living in the UK. One funny experience…we were just standing around after their fireside waiting for our friend Bonnie to be done talking to one of the missionaries we knew. Two elders came up to Sarah and I and we were just small talking with them. Out of nowhere their mission president comes up, says hello, and shakes our hands and then quickly says, “Ok Elders, off to North London with you!” and shoes them away from us. We laughed about the situation and decided we’re glad we’re on a study abroad and not a mission in London.

In other news, I received word via text this morning that my new niece Holly was born last night! Quite the surprise! It put me in a good (but suddenly baby hungry) mood for the rest of the day. I can’t wait to meet her and snuggle her when I get home!

Until then though, there’s so much more to experience in London and I can’t wait for all of it! We will be here through the end of the month, so I’m happy we have several weeks to do all the things on our list. Classes start tomorrow (BLAH) but hopefully they won’t be too bad. Good night for now!