Adventures in London!

Big Ben

Although I have heard many RyanAir horror stories, I was pleasantly surprised last weekend when we flew with them.  The strict one-bag-per-person rule is a little irritating but we managed with our carry-ons and made it to one of my favorite cities in the world: London.  

One of the reasons I love London so much is because I have a different experience each time I travel there.  Last weekend was no exception! Kristi, Sara, Ashley and I spent three nights in a centrally-located hostel, which was quite the experience.  (Side note: This was my first real hostel experience because I don't count the hostel in Switzerland.  There, we stayed in a room with all American students on our program...not very hostel-esque.)

At the hostel in London, us four girls shared a room with four guys and it actually worked out rather well.  Unlike girls, guys don't need to be hogging the mirror, making a lot of noise before bed, or talking all the time.  They were quiet at night and didn't care when we were loud in the morning.  It was a win-win situation I'd say.  We also had storage bins with locks to secure our belongings, so everyone felt safer with those.  The four guys we shared a room with were from all over: we had an Australian, a German, a New Yorker, and another guy who was never there so we didn't learn where he was from.  But they were all nice and respectful, so it worked out well.  (Except for the first night, when we had a smelly guy who left the next day. Phew!)  The Australian, Matt, came sightseeing with us one day, and I just loved some of the things he would say.  For example, when people got angry he said they were "hardcore cracking the shits." Too funny.

Our first full day we went on a three hour walking tour and I actually learned a lot.  I love London's history, it's so fascinating.  We had lunch in a typical English pub and then set off for the famous Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  The pressure was on me because I was the person who led the group there, but we had a blast and spent over three hours going through the museum.  It was nice to feel like a little kid again, running around and being silly.

Me, Sara, and Kristi with the London Eye behind us

Buckingham Palace

Justin Timberlake's wax figure...Or is it really him?

Ashley, the Queen, and me!

The next day was supposed to be our "relaxing" day but we ended up being out from 10 am until midnight!  We went to Kings Cross station (where you can take a picture of the Harry Potter Platform 9 and 3/4), then to Abbey Road for our Beatles fix, and then to Harrod's for a little shopping.  We stopped by the market in Sloane Square, walked around a lot and then rode a double decker bus.  Later I met up with my friend from school, Sammy.  She is studying in London this semester and it's hard not to be jealous! When I was deciding where to study this semester I was so torn between Florence and London. I think either place would be fantastic to live or study in.

That night we wanted a little taste of American entertainment, so we saw The Hunger Games in the theater district.  I could write a whole blog post just about this series, but I'll keep it short; it was a good movie but I thought the book was much better! 

The next morning we flew back to Pisa.  Sara and I decided to check out the Leaning Tower of Pisa before heading back to Florence.  We ended up walking for about an hour because we followed the wrong sign (oops), but we eventually made it to the tower! It was very cool to see in person and I think everyone should go someday.  However there really isn't much else going on there!  Of course I had to snap a picture of me holding the tower. 

It was so hard to set this up perfectly!

I head to Corfu, Greece tomorrow morning! We are all so excited for some sunshine, even if it means traveling on a bus/boat for over 24 hours just to get there.  I am supposed to register for classes from the boat on the way home....best of luck trying to figure out Michigan's enrollment website, Mom!

I was sad to learn that in Italy there are no rabbits or easter egg hunts involved in their Easter celebrations. So, Happy Easter to everyone in the States! Make sure to hide an egg for me.