A Day in My Life in London

This past Tuesday, I documented what a regular week day in London is like for me. So here it goes... I rolled out of bed... and looked out the window to find that it was a wonderfully sunny day outside! I walked the few steps outside my room to take a shower and get ready for my day. I walked into my flat's kitchen to grab a bite for breakfast... and then got all dressed and ready for class. This is me outside my room wearing a poppy- which is a symbol of rememberance on Veteran's Day. I usually take the lift (we say elevator) down to the '0' floor because it's such a long ways down/up! Then I start my walk to the tube. First I pass by other housing... And then by the businesses... Then I look to my left to find Westminster Cathedral... And walk down the sidewalk.. with Victoria Street on my right... I get to the main road crossing and wait for the light to turn green... While I wait, I look at the Victoria Palace Theater across the road... And after crossing the road, Victoria Station is right in front of me! That's a symbol for the underground (tube)... I follow the signs to the Victoria Line (the line I take to get to class on Regent Street)... This is the inside of the tube station- showing all the barriers... After tapping my Oyster Card through, I get on the escalator down to the platform I need to be on... And then wait for the next tube on the platform- there's an electronic sign that tells you when the next tube will be there and its destination. Then the tube arrives. See the yellow line on the pavement floor- it says 'Mind the Gap'- the famous London tube phrase which means 'Watch your step', as sometimes there is a large gap between the train and the platform. I got a seat on the tube! Sometimes, mostly during rush hour, the tubes are so crowded that you can't even fit on one standing up and have to wait for another! I scan my Oyster Card to get out and move through the barriers... I get out at Oxford Circus tube station, which is right on Oxford Street- the street famous for shopping. and then I walk along Regent Street to get to class... And then I arrive at The University of Westminster's Regent Street Campus... This is what my classroom looks like for my Art and Society class... And here is my classroom for my 19th Century London class... I took a picture while our tutor (another word for teacher) was presenting a powerpoint- which I also have printed out in front of me... Then, after class it's a bit later and the free afternoon newspapers are being handed out- The London Lite and The London Paper are the most common. The Metro is given out in the mornings... Right before I head down into the tube station, I see the Christmas lights already up on Regent Street! The lights hadn't been turned on on Oxford Street yet... Then I head back down the escalator- the walls are always lined with ads, usually for various plays and musicals. Back to Victoria Station...getting ready to cross the main road again... All the buildings lit up at night... And passing Westminster Cathedral in the dark.... Past other buildings of residence... And finally back to Wigram House! I look in my food cabinet to see what I have and what I might need... And then in the fridge... And the freezer.... And read the free newspapers in the kitchen... And look over the money I took out from Barclays- exchange rate getting better for me! And decided that I needed to do my laundry. This is our building's laundry room. It costs 2 pounds per wash and 1 pound to dry- quite expensive! I fold all my clean clothes on my bed before stowing them away in my closet... And any of my clothes that aren't completely dry, I hang over my heater! And then I decide to head to the grocery store- the nearest and largest being a Sainsburys. This is the entire Mexican food section. This is where I bought a box of tortillas and fajita seasoning to cook for Matt one night- which was a wonderful success! YUM!! I look over my receipt as I leave the store- In general, food can be pretty cheap here if you look for the cheaper options. Then I started to make my dinner. First, I poured some squash into my glass (squash is a concentrated juice that is really cheap!!). You only have to pour a bit into your glass and then fill the rest of the glass up with water and enjoy! A cheap juice option that lasts a long time! Then I made a quesadilla , full of chicken and cheddar cheese, with some peas on the side :-)Later that evening, I had a cup of tea with some yummy biscuits and little brownies. Tea really is that popular here! I LOVE IT!
And then some weeknights when there's a big student night, I go out with other people in my halls to a pub or a club. That night, we went to Pacha- a club on Victoria Street. And we're doing something that happens every time we go out- queuing (which means waiting in line to get inside)!!


And then after getting back, it was time to brush my teeth and go to bed...just to wake up and start the London day all over again in the morning!

Day Trip to Windsor Castle

After finishing and turning in papers for two of my classes, I was exhausted! So, I went to bed early Thursday night and woke up Friday morning ready for some more sightseeing. Matt and I decided to take a day trip to Windsor- where Windsor Castle is located. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited Castle in the world and the main residence for the Queen. We took a coach to Windsor from London- which had comfortable leather seats!- and it only took about an hour to get there. The castle was beautiful and it was really neat to see a castle that was still structurally complete, as most of the ones I've seen are old and in ruins. Visitors pay quite a bit to get into the castle and then are only allowed in a small fraction of it. We went inside St.George's Chapel, which had many "chapels within a chapel" and memorabilia pertaining to royals. The main part of the castle that visitors could explore were the staterooms and the Queen's Dollhouse room. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside any parts of the castle's rooms though. The Queen's Dollhouse was a large dollhouse showing all of the rooms in the entire castle. It was so realistic, with little lamps and tablecloths exactly as they would be in real life. Then we went on to the staterooms, which showcased gifts the royal family has been given for centuries- and even some items seized from India!! Other rooms were lined in extravagant paintings and furniture. Some of the rooms are still used for parties today!
After leaving the castle, we ate lunch at a local pub and then headed to the picturesque castle entrance on the other side of the castle. It was getting dark and we soon decided to catch the bus back to London! Overall, Windsor Castle was a nice place to visit- but not nearly as good as most of the other ones I've visited, which is probably because visitors can only explore a small fraction of the castle!

Caffe Concerto!

Matt and I regularly meet up for lunch before our classes on Tuesdays. This last Tuesday, we decided to go to this Cafe we'd walked by before instead. It was on High Street Kensington and people pass by the windows in absolute awe of the most beautiful desserts- and so instead of lunch, we ate dessert :-) (my favorite meal!!) It was the best choice we could have made- IT WAS AMAZING! I loved it!! I ordered a summer berries fruit tart and Matt ordered a classic chocolate cake. I had never eaten such a good fruit tart in my life- it was made perfectly! I wanted more, but with how much it cost...that wasn't really an option for me haha. I am most definitely going back though!! (To the same one too- I've seen other ones that don't look as good!)