Familiar face

Yesterday was quite a tiring day. After waking up around 10:30AM (not that early, I know), I got ready and headed out to the Arcadia University housing office at Palace Court with some of my friends.  We took the tube and grabbed a quick lunch at EAT.  It was a tasty meal.  We looked at a couple of small cafes/shops before deciding on one, but it seems that London has pretty good eating options regardless of where you choose to go.  One thing I really enjoy about London (though I'm not sure if this is just a big city thing) is that there doesn't ever seem to be huge restaurants like in the U.S.  Most sit-down places are still pretty small, making your eating experience seem more intimate and peaceful.

After we finished lunch, we headed over to Palace Court to get our course packets.  My course packet is pretty big. . . sometimes I forget I'm on this trip to study and not to just play.  Carrying my course packet around with me the whole day was a good reminder of this.  I headed out to the Natural History Museum afterward with a friend I made from the best airplane ride of my life (also known as my arrival flight, and it wasn't actually the best).  While we were stuffing ourselves on the tube, a petite asian girl managed to get her hand and bag stuck outside of the door after barely getting in.  It was scary.  I was afraid the tube was going to go, leaving her hand and bag subject to the high speeds of the tube and the hard concrete walls.  The doors opened for her, but now I'm paranoid of getting stuck in the doors of the tube.

The Natural History Museum is a giant building in South Ken that looks much like a castle.  It is a beautiful building, holding an old charm to it.  We waited in line for about thirty minutes before entering, holding our umbrellas and trying to stay as dry as possible (not very possible).  Most museums here are free, so once we entered we began to explore as much as we could.  It was really crowded, but I was kind of expecting that.  It's a very informative and fun museum - would definitely recommend it to anyone who comes here, though I wouldn't recommend going around 3:00PM.

Afterward, I headed over to Greenfields Sandwich Emporium to wait for some friends to meet me for dinner.  I had about an hour and half before we met for dinner, so I ordered a hot chocolate, pulled out "This is Not a Pipe," and sat outside on a cute green bench and watched the rain pour down.  I thoroughly enjoy watching the British people go about their daily lives and picking up bits of conversation here and there.  They're all so stylish and put together.  I hope to have more times like this.

Around 6:00PM, two of my friends showed up and then we met with Tacy, my friend from high school!  It's crazy that she's studying abroad in London as well, but I cannot even express how happy I was to see her.  It's nice to see a familiar face after throwing yourself into a new environment.  We walked around for a bit and decided at eating at Carluccio's.  Food was good, but we ended up being charged for our water.  Note to self: When a waiter asks you for still or sparking water, just ask for tap. . . or just run away because that restaurant is probably too expensive for you anyway.  Went to the Kensington Creperie afterward for some dessert, then headed out to Westminister!

Westminister is where all the touristy stuff is.  Right when we exited the tube station we were greeted by a pleasant view of the very tall and majestic Parliament building.  It's crazy to think I have a friend interning there.  I saw the London Eye, Westminister Abbey, and Big Ben! We watched darkness blanket the area slowly, only to have Big Ben and Parliament to light up to counteract the night.  It was an amazing site, and I really feel like I'm in London now.  Well, kind of.  Sometimes I feel like I'm still in the states.  But it was a great night none the less, fighting the wind and enjoying some laughs with one another along the way.

Returned home afterward and was super knackered.  I didn't end up sleeping until late though, catching up on e-mails and other things.  I need to start managing my time better.  And this trip just started! Ugh.  Why are there so many things to do here?! There's not really anything planned for today until nighttime, so I hope I can catch up and start sleeping at a good time again.