This is my weekly recap of my travels, foods, and experiences in my first week in London.
Day 1
On my first day, my professor and I arrived a day early to complete calibration data for our app, Muser. As we were walking to our hotel, a local stopped us and warned that "everything had changed since we've been on the plane." He then pestered us about where we were from, and upon telling him he asked, "What is the capital of Kentucky?" and proceeded to make banjo noises with his mouth. He also had blood on his shirt. We eventually made it to the Victoria & Albert Museum and spent nearly five hours gradually inputting calibration points so that the app can register the users' position while in use. Believe it or not, we managed to only complete the first two levels, leaving the remaining two for another date.
After taking a much-needed rest in our hotel, we went to a nearby Italian restaurant to celebrate our successes that day.
Day 2
On the second day, we went to our next hotel to check our bags and grab breakfast. I had a dish called 'Bubble n' Squeak,' which was potatoes, poached eggs, bacon, and hollandaise (I give it a 6/10). We then went and purchased a set of Android AO3 phones to use for our user testing because they are ideal for precise location tracking.
It was at this point that I realized that our southern hospitality did not mix well with the Londoner's colder disposition. It is weird to make eye contact. It is weird to speak. It is weird to talk out loud on public transport. Still am unsure what to say when I accidentally bump into someone. "Sorry?" "Excuse me?" "Pardon?" Nothing? Still waiting for answer.
We joined the rest of the group at the St. Giles Hotel and had a brief orientation in the evening. After our meeting, we all hit the local pub and had a pint. I really enjoyed the Apricot Fruit Beer (as recommended by the bartender, who was one of the first people to be nice to us in all of London).
Day 3
On the third day, we took a class trip to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey in the morning. This ended up being the HOTTEST day of London's history (103 degrees Fahrenheit!). Despite this, we powered through and observed the changing of the guards. I noticed that most children in London are insanely polite and well-behaved. That is until a sibling fight broke out between two Italian children right beside me at the Palace resulting in the older brother putting his little sister in a headlock.
For lunch, we got fish and chips at a local, Wizard of Oz-themed pub, Munchkin. While the chips (fries) and Coke with lemon were excellent, I found the fish to be underwhelming. After this, we had a brief class to introduce our projects for the next three weeks.
In the evening, we decided to have a girl's trip to a novelty bar called "Ballie Ballerson's." As the name implies, this bar has two ball pits for visitors to play inside. As previously mentioned, most Londoners tend to ignore us presumably because we are American tourists. However, they were actually really friendly here ( I think because they were able to. get drunk and throw balls at us).
Day 4
On the fourth day, we took a class trip to the British Museum in the morning. This is the current residence of the Rosetta Stone, Cleopatra, and various works from a variety of cultures. I was honestly shocked to learn that THE Cleopatra was there with almost no signage. I actually Googled it to make sure it was true. It felt disrespectful to observe the dug-up remains of one of the world's most powerful women that had little information surrounding her glass enclosure.
For lunch, we ate at Pret A Manger, which is a casual, grab-and-go-style cafe that has soups, salads, sandwiches, and coffee. After our lunch, we visited the Museum of London that detailed the abundant and lengthy history of London through the time periods.
After this, we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and visited the infamous Wibbly Wobbly bridge that was featured in the Harry Potter movies. This bridge is notable for its swift closure after its grand opening due to its poor architecture, causing it to wobble in the wind. Though the people in my group insisted that it was featured in HP, I don't remember it at all.
For dinner, we went to an Indian restaurant called Punjab. Here, I had Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan (curry and flatbread).
Day 5
On the fifth day, we had a free day after a class day to explore. We traveled to the London Eye and took a boat tower from there to Tower Bridge. Once we docked, we walked across Tower Bridge and found a 1980s Miami-style bar and restaurant that featured live music. That night, they were hosting a 1930s Bass and Swing DJ. Also around the area were several monkey statues, which were part of an exhibit called "Chimps are Family."
Day 6
On the sixth day, we traveled as a group to the National Gallery in the morning. This museum featured the likes of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Michaelangelo, Raphel, and others. Though it was interesting to see certain famous paintings in person, I would say that it was my least favorite museum. I appreciate seeing a variety of 2D and 3D works of various mediums, yet this museum was exclusively paintings and was difficult to navigate.
Once again, we ate at Pret's and returned to the hotel to continue our classwork. In the evening, we were told to meet for a pub architecture tour that turned out to be a surprise birthday celebration for Kyndall's 21st birthday. We all had a slice of cake and wandered over to a retro arcade bar that had a variety of old arcade games. Here we played Guitar Hero, TMNT, and Mario Kart, among several other games.
Day 7
On our first free day, we decided to take a speed train to the nearby village of Canterbury. We took a gondola ride through the city, visited Canterbury Castle, and explored Canterbury Cathedral. We ate lunch at Nando's, a popular chicken restaurant, and headed home in the evening. The locals here were noticeably more sociable than the city folk. We had a lovely conversation with a Belgian family on the way to the village.
At night, we met up as a group to go out and celebrate Kyndall's birthday at the local pubs and bars. While she was gone, Sydney used my key to enter the room and decorate it as a surprise for Kyndall once we got back at night.
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