Adventures in England: I'm Back!

Hello to everyone! I'm back in Stratford after a nearly two week absence. Ashleigh Hunsberger arrived in London on Dec. 27, and Jessica Wells, Emily Cole, and Emily Ethridge arrived on Dec. 29. We took the train to Paris on the 30th, and left on January 2nd to return to London. Emily, Emily, and Jessica flew out on the 5th, and Ashleigh and I came back to Stratford for a couple of days, because she flew out on the 7th. Can I just say how WONDERFUL it was to see my amazing friends? It was definitely what I've been needing! :) We had an incredible time roaming around London and Paris, and needless to say...I have tons of pictures to post! I'll try to spread them out and do some everyday. News in Stratford-upon-Avon...not much! A lot of students (including me!) had big papers due today, so everyone was locked in their rooms trying to finish up. I made some study food for me and my other housemates, Cat and Marfo, and the three of us ate a whole pan of brownies in less than 24 hours! Ah, the life of a college student. :) Patti and Mitch, if you're reading this, thank you SOOO much for the wonderful package of food! I've already made a batch of pumpkin break, and as you can see from above, the brownies are gone, too! :) Today I gave a speech at the Nuneaton Rotary Club, and tomorrow I start class again.

London: Tooley and I took the EARLY train to London, because her mom and two sisters were arriving at Gatwick around 9:00 a.m. on the 27th. Ashleigh's plane didn't land until around 11 a.m., so I checked into our hotel and hung out until it was time to meet her at Paddington Station. Let me just say, when I saw my best friend for the first time in nearly four months, I definitely started crying! We had a great reunion, and we spent the afternoon visiting sights in London. Ash was a trouper, because the plane ride to London is looooong, and she was tired. We mostly stayed in Southwark (pronounced Suth-ick), where we saw George's Pub, the oldest pub in England (also mentioned in the Canterbury Tales), Borough Market, Bridget Jones's house (from the movie!), and other fun sights. We met up with the Tooleys and walked across the London Bridge and took a train into Leicester Square. We walked around Leicester Square, Chinatown, and SoHo, and ended up having a delicious pizza dinner at Cafe Uno. It was very cold in London...it even snowed! I showed Ash the magnificent view of London at night from the Waterloo Bridge...it's breathtaking! Then, we called it a night. We stayed at a little hotel in Earl's Court, which is a really cute neighborhood in London. On Dec. 28, we headed to Camden Town, which is one of my favorite areas in London. Not many tourists know about it, but it's so much fun! There's a HUGE market where you buy items such as vintage clothes, supercute clothes by unknown but up-and-coming designers, handmade items, funky jewelry, shoes, furniture, and a huge selection of cheap but delicious ethnic food. After Camden Town, we headed to Kensington, where we browsed through even more shops. That night, we ate dinner with the Tooleys at Chiquitos, a delicious Mexican restaurant in Leicester Square...one of the two Mexican restaurants I've seen in Europe! Then, we walked around SoHo and Chinatown some more. We saw Ronnie Scott's, a famous jazz club where Jimmy Hendrix used to play, and the Polar Bear, where the Rolling Stones first played together as a band. On Dec. 29, Ash and I met Emily Cole, Emily Ethridge, and Jessica Wells at Victoria Station in London. Another wonderful reunion! It really was amazing getting to see all of my beautiful friends! We checked our luggage into the hostel, and set out to see the sights. We crammed a LOT in...Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Gabriel's Wharf, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Chinatown, SoHo, and the Waterloo Bridge at night! Busy day! That night, all four of the girls spend the night at their first ever hostel! Hostels, for those of you who don't know, are cheap accommodations that are VERY popular throughout Europe, and cater to travelers who are on a budget...students, backpackers, young singles. Hostels are set up kind of like dorms...most have 12 person rooms, 6 person rooms, 4 person rooms, twin rooms, and single rooms, which consist of bunkbeds. Most rooms share a bathroom and shower, and there's also a kitchen and living room shared by everyone in the hostel. Tooley and I usually stay in hostels when we travel, because they're safe and cheap. However, the five of us stayed in hotels the rest of our trip, just because we got some good deals on rooms. Tomorrow, I'll post our adventures in Paris! We also have round 2 of London, b/c we spent two more days there after we returned from Paris. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!