We were told to bring our own towels, but found one in our rooms upon arrival. We were also given single-use shampoo, conditioner, lotion and flimsy foam DIY flip flops to wear in the shower. (I was very grateful for these foam flops with no traction come shower time.) I slipped and slided in the bathroom and made my way back to my dorm room to finish getting ready. I stopped by Jennifer's room on the way to breakfast. We made our way to the cafeteria in the basement.
Breakfast is a buffet, complete with cereal, milk, apple and orange juices, eggs, tomatoes, hashbrowns, some fruit and a few other oddities you wouldn't find at an American breakfast table. The food is good, typical college food. I befriended a girl while in line for food. Her name is Rachel, and she is from Utah. I invited her to sit with our Maryville group at breakfast. Rachel is in England for the summer for an internship at an art museum. She just finished her undergraduate degree and will start her master's in the fall.
After breakfast, we met as a group with the other students and faculty for our study abroad program. Then, we went on a very fast-paced walking tour of London led by a history professor here in the UK. It was an interesting tour, and the professor's animated voice and humorous stories made for a great walk on the streets of London. We returned to the dorms with a half hour to eat lunch. Myself, Jennifer, Kate (the Maryville resident assistant [RA], a senior at Maryville) and Tina (a fellow grad student [there are only three of us]) ventured to a local strip mall of sorts to grab a quick bite. After lunch, we headed back to the dorms to meet up with the group.
The group walked a ways to a bus stop in front of the British Museum, where we loaded a double-decker red bus for a sightseeing tour of London. Most of us found seats on the top of the bus - the best view. We rode around London and saw the sights: Big Ben, London Tower, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, London Bridge and much more. The guide provided great information and humorous commentary, which added to the overall experience. The bus tour gave us a good idea of where we'd like to go back and visit.
We ended our tour at Piccadilly Circus, where we were told it was our time to explore. Jennifer and I stayed in Piccadilly Circus, a busy, touristy-type of area. We wandered around, taking it all in. We ended up in Chinatown (or what we named Chinatown), and had pizza for dinner. Haha. We saw a McDonald's, KFC, Hot Shots and a casino. We bummed around until about 9 p.m., when we decided we were tired and ready to head back. We hopped on the Tube and went back to our dorm.
Another student was going for a walk to find a local church, so at about 10 p.m., we joined him. After a few wrong turns we found it, and then started our walk back to the dorm. We stopped at a pub on the way, but it was near closing time. So, we continued to the dorm and stopped by the vending machine. The one with snacks and sweet treats works, but the one with soda either eats your money or just doesn't take it at all. We heard a wine/beer store down the street was still open, so we headed there to buy a soda. We got back to the dorm at 11 p.m. and I was in bed by midnight.
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| You are never without a phone in London. |
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| Neighboring street |
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Traditional fish and chips |
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