Blog #3: The Rules of London Edition

**In this post I will be introducing to you the beginning of my "Rules of London" list: a collection of things I have found necessary to do/know to survive the city and/or to appear to be a native. I hope you find them helpful!

Well, Thursday was my half birthday - thanks for all of the well wishes. Really it was just an excuse to buy and eat half a cake. Which Kaitlyn and I did, with ease.

The next morning our group left on a coach to go to Oxford, which is about an hour and a half outside the city. We toured Christ Church, the largest college in the University, and even got to view some Harry Potter filming spots!

That night a group of us decided that we had gone out a little too much in the past week and to save some money for groceries, we ate in and watched a movie together. And what better movie to watch while in London than the tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street? That's right. Only days after learning the history behind the famous street, we braved the viewing of Sweeney Todd.

The next morning, yes, Saturday morning. My lovely roommate is a morning person, so apparently Saturday morning activities will become the norm for me this semester - weird. Anyway, Saturday morning Kaitlyn and I made our way down to Borough Market, the largest food market in the city. So at least if I had to be awake I got to eat :) We sampled our way through the stalls, bought some goodies, and even snagged some lunch from one of the friendly vendors. I'll definitely be going back!
**London Rule #1: If you want to make friends (or enemies), just speak aloud in your best American accent and hope for the best. At the Borough Market when I was ordering my tasty sausage on a bun, the guy behind me in line was like "Oh hey, where are you from?". And just like that we were instant friends! He was from California and has been working here for a while. It's great to find a familiar accent and it's great how an accent can provide an instantaneous bond. But be careful: the same accent can get you into a lot of trouble with the locals!

On Sunday we visited our second London church: Bloomsbury Baptist, our neighborhood Baptist church. I really enjoyed the service and the sweet people we met. They are very intentional with including the outcasts and people from all walks of life, as well as doing social ministry, which I love. So this might be the church I continue to go to after we finish our church tour. That afternoon I went for a run through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, this time with my camera! It was an absolutely beautiful day.

Peter Pan!!

**London Rule #2: Post-run (and pre-run if you're reusing exercise clothes, like myself), stand as far away from others as possible on the tube to get the fewest dirty looks and to avoid the awkward/awful/smelly body bumps that inevitably happen on an over-crowded tube. Also, never ride an escalator while in athletic gear. The people WILL judge.

So, my kind brother and sister gave me several tools for surviving and enjoying my semester in London for Christmas, such as a "Coffee Scavenger" which included a list of the top 5 coffee shops in London and 5 pounds to each of them. So this week I began my hunt! The first stop was called the Milk Bar and it was amazing! I packed up my bag to do "homework" and when I reached my destination I ordered the popular Flat White and found a little nook in which to read. The coffee was delish and even looked fancy!

 

**London Rule #3: When at a coffee shop, just say yes to everything, so as not to irk the barista with your American naivete. At another coffee shop on another day, I tried to order a flat white, but because I couldn't understand what the barista was saying, I ended up with something else and a weird size. But it was fine because she didn't hate me! Other times when I've tried to clarify and ask them to repeat, I get really dirty looks and exasperated sighs. So it's best just to nod and smile, and then laugh at whatever arrives at your table!

Monday we visited the Tower of London for our British History class and learned all about the crown jewels, the bloody tower, and all of the beheadings! I got to play a sword game, try on the queen's crown, and even made friends with a beefeater (tower guard)! Okay so maybe that's not the complete truth, but it sounds good!

Thursday night, Kaitlyn and I made the trek to Josh's house in Herne Hill (just about a 30-minute commute from here). We spent well over two hours preparing our meal, but it turned out excellently! I didn't have my camera with me, but maybe the list alone will make you salivate: a pear and celeriac (still don't really know what that means) salad and spinach souffles for starters, roasted vegetable bowtie pasta for the main, and a chocolate fondant for dessert! Mmm it was well worth the wait. We had fun experimenting with the foods, but mostly enjoyed the fruits of our grueling labor and of course the company of my brother and Julie. Hopefully we'll be visiting again soon!

The rest of the week was pretty blah - class, eating, sleeping, a little bout of a stomach bug, and then the weekend! So yesterday we visited Dover and Canterbury:

Dover is on the southern coast of England, so of course I had to touch the English Channel! I ended up almost sacrificing my body to do so...those rocks are slippery. I may have gotten some English Channel in my shoes and socks. A treasured souvenir.

We ate lunch at this great pub, but the burger was bigger than my face!!

The cathedral at Canterbury was astounding! This building is from the 1100s - what?! There's been a church there for over 1400 years. It was even more spectacular inside.

It was SUPER windy and chilly at Dover, hence the painful faces! But the castle was gorgeous and the secret tunnels underneath it were creepy, but fun!

Note the perfect bag, accompanying me everywhere!

Our trip was great and I can't wait to go to Cambridge next week!

Today was a relaxed day, complete with a trip to a cute coffee shop perfect for studying: it's got cushions! Coffee shops seem to be the theme of this trip, and hopefully my budget will continue to support the habit, because they are great here!

I hope everyone is surviving the snow and ice craziness. I think for once I'm glad to not be a part of it! Anyway, it's time for a movie, and maybe some studying. Cheers!