London

London, England

The first stop on spring break was visiting my friends studying abroad in London. The last time I was in London, I was practically in diapers. Aside from feeding pigeons and terrorizing the British guards, I do not remember much from that visit.

I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed London, especially because the weather happened to be absolutely beautiful that weekend! The best way I can describe the city is a more posh, backwards version of New York City. I personally do not like New York City that much, but London has a more put-together vibe to it. Everything was beautiful, pristine, and over the top. The only downside to London is how expensive it is. Imagine looking at prices that are the exact same prices as in the United States, but it is all in pounds. One pound is equivalent to about $2. So, everything is double the price in London. If I were abroad there, I would be the definition of broke.

The first day in London we decided to be tourists and go site-seeing. We visited the Buckingham Palace during the change of the guards, Big Ben, a telephone booth (yes, I count that as a site), Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower Bridge (which turns out to not be the London Bridge), and the actual London Bridge.

The second day was my favorite because we went to the Portabello Market. If anyone has seen the movie Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, his bookstore and flat are in this area. The street has endless market stalls and stores that sell every accessory or antique you could ever want. I had so much fun looking through the knick-knacks and admiring the colored townhouses lining the street. At the end of Portabello Road, we ate traditional fish and chips. 

The last day in London, we started off the morning at The Muffin Man Tea Shop in Kensington (thank you, Rachel, for the recommendation). This debatably was the best breakfast of my life. We had delicious Muffin Man tea, scones, English muffins, and eggs. If only Kate and baby Prince George showed up, I would have been on cloud nine. Before we headed out to the airport, we strolled through Hyde Park and took a Beatles photo by Abbey Road.