Day 40: What will I miss about London?

Not much really happened today... I went to Camden with Jamilla but have no news about it or pictures to share. So instead, I'll write a post that I have been waiting to do for a fews now.

Here are a few things that I will miss about London:
Wow... most of this is going to be food related.

• This Cereal -- Not only is the brand environmentally friendly and supportive of local farming, but IT'S THE MOST DELICIOUS CEREAL OF ALL TIME. 

• The Tube -- Need to get anywhere? Take the tube! With a weekly pass to zones 1 & 2, it was a breeze exploring London. It is easy to use and stress free. ** I won't miss the fact that it is always swelteringly hot in the stations during the summer. It was hot to the point of repetitive announcements advising those feeling ill to wait until the train stops to seek help. ** 

• Londonisms -- What is the London backdrop? Red telephone booths, white townhouses, top-up stations, underground maps, Eat., weird teeth, men in short-shorts, women with total disregard for covering up underwear lines and bra straps, Big Ben, and so much more. It is a tone. It is a way of life. 

 

• Krispy Kreme Availability -- Every grocery store sells Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It was really important to me. 

 

• Well-Dressed Men -- The women's fashion in London was disappointing at best. I was impressed by a few posh women but it ended up looking more like an episode of "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" on some nights. The men, however, were spiffy. On any given night at any of the bars we went to, almost half of the men would be wearing suits if not nice jeans and oxfords. I wasn't upset about it.

• Fresh Mango To-Go-Go -- Who knew that the place to go for fresh mango would be take-away food shops in London? My favorite was Pret A Manger. Mango in the states just isn't worth it. I would stay in London just to have delicious mango.

• Healthy(er) Food -- With a lack of high fructose corn syrup and a demand for natural food, London has a wide selection of healthy food options. The fastest fast food is takeaway sandwiches from Eat., Pret, and every grocery store (one or more on every block). Companies take pride in their natural ingredients and the drinks are more refreshing because of it. This juice is a great example:

• Marked and Widely Available Vegetarian Food -- Because of the diverse population in London, the city has done a lot to accommodate for the eating habits of different cultures. This has led to a demand for marked vegetarian food and vegetarian options in all establishments. For someone like me, that is a rare sight. I passed by vegetarian restaurants, ate indian food, and most importantly knew what was in my food. Gotta love seeing "Suitable for Veggies" written on my food!

• My Friends -- Can't say more than that right now. I don't really feel like sobbing for hours.

I'll update this list later. I'm getting tired. But for now, I guess I will miss London's food. Who woulda' thought?

Fresh fish and a cheap cuppa? That'd be lovely!

We finally got around to an afternoon tea. Quite the tradition! People's stories of their teas were getting frustrating and we just had to go. How lovely it was! We went to the Hilton Hyde Park for a affordable tea experience. We were greeted by eclairs, scones, yogurt shots, finger sandwiches, fruit tarts, strawberries, creme, and loads of tea. All I can say is YUM. I never knew a tea party could be so filling but by the end we were slumped back in our chairs no longer looking like the ladies we were pretending to be. It was a blast to dress up and play the part of polite and socially appropriate women. This was our training:

And the cast:

We had planned early on to follow-up our tea with a trip to Camden to get fish pedicures but it was too late. By pure chance, our tea was next door to a spa that offered fish pedicures for a great price! It was the weirdest feeling. But totally worth it. 

Welcoming the Royal Baby

Hey, baby!! I awoke this morning to news that Kate had been in "labour" for two hours. Try and wrap your head around the relief I felt knowing that I wouldn't miss out on this historical event. I am actually pretty sure that my friends and I brought on the labor. We talked the entire day before about how pissed we would have been if the baby was so late that we missed its birth by a matter of hours or days. So... you're welcome, Duchess.

Today was the first day of creative writing workshops. But as usual, we spent the first thirty minutes talking about life and our thoughts on the whole thing. And usually men. This morning, we focused on pregnancy and why/how our society has made it competitive. Something that only women can do and should bring them together is divided as breast feeders vs. formula feeders and natural birth vs. C-section vs. GIVE ME THE DRUGS. Not cool, ladies. Not cool.

After class, the girls and I went to Notting Hill to find the famous "blue door." We were hesitant to even go as we had heard news that it had been painted black. Still, we made our way out and passed through the Portobello Market on the way there.

Surprise!! The owner returned the door to its rightful blue color. We actually met him. He happened to have been leaving as we were arriving. A little secret: there is no house behind the door. There is a courtyard. 

Is it possible to be envious of flowers in a cooler? On a day like today, yes.

MAKING ME MISS TRAVIS LIKE ITS HIS LIFE MISSION

It was one of the hottest days of the summer, so we rushed to the sanctuary that is our partially/barely/mediocrely air conditioned common room. We turned the news on and kept it on mute as we rested and talked.

Hours later, Jamilla suddenly lit up and pointed to the TV. The screen read "Breaking News: Heir to Throne Is Born." Or something like that... but the point is KATE HAD HER BABY AND WE WERE THERE! Woah. Again, no worries Kate. You can repay me in jewelry and friendship. We sat in awe watching the news as the easel was placed outside of Buckingham palace announcing the baby's time of birth and health. 6:24 pm. 8lbs 6oz.

So you could say it was a good day. 

Day 37 Summary

Rachel, Jamilla, and I woke up at 1:30 pm from trying to rest off a long night out dancing. Still no feeling in my left heel. Then I vegged around all day. In the evening, we had a wine and cheese night in the dorm. We bought brie, cheddar, cheap red and white wine, crackers, orange juice (for me) and olives. I also brought some rhubarb and ginger jam that I bought at Borough Market that pairs well with brie. What a yummy night. Our last Sunday together was relaxing but I couldn't shake the fact that we would be leaving each other soon.

THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD!

brie + jam + cracker

Day 36 Summary

This morning was a struggle. I was supposed to go to Oxford on a day trip, but when I woke up to leave I just was not feeling it. I felt exhausted from all of the late nights and walking. I decided to sleep in and when I finally woke up again at 1:30 pm, I found out that Jamilla and Rachel both overslept as well! The three of us when to Spitalfields Market and had a late lunch.

Jamilla at the market

Later, we decided to go out on our last Saturday back at Roxy. Being that it was our last night, we may have gone a bit crazy. We stayed out dancing until bar-close (3:30 am), talked to some locals until 4:30 and finally got home at 5 in the morning. This all would have been great if it hadn't caused me to lose feeling in my left heel. I still have no feeling in my heel as I write this retrospectively four days later.

Channeling my inner Eminem

(yes, I'm in there somewhere)

I finally made it to Liverpool.

If you know me at all, as I assume most of you do, you know that the number one reason that I came to England was to visit Liverpool. I chose not to study there because, well who wants to live in Liverpool? No one. But I figured that London would be close enough that I could visit and still live in an interesting city for the summer. And why not another part of the UK? The English music scene is my friend. Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Mumford and Sons, Frank Turner. All my friends. With that in mind, you can understand how devastated I was to find out that I would probably not make it to Liverpool.

As the weekends rolled by, I pushed my dream back so that I could travel with my friends to places that they were more interested in seeing. Paris, Wales, and Brighton were all fun. But I need Liverpool. As my last weekend drew closer, the prices increased for a roundtrip train ticket. Ultimately, none of my friends were willing to spend the outstanding amount of pounds that it would take to make the day trip. In my mind, that was the end of it. Dreams shattered, but I'd live. It was not until my dad convinced me to go that I worked up the courage to make the trip by myself. Again, if you know me, you know that I don't do many things alone. Even in my room, I'm hanging out with the love of my life and my cat, Travis. But my dad assured me that I could do it alone and so I took his advice and bought the tickets.

It was the best decision I have made since I got here. Thanks, dad. A newly discovered joy of traveling alone came over me. It was an extension of my recent realizations that museums are better done alone. At no point did I need to apologize for how long I wanted to stay somewhere or explain why something was meaningful to me. I was my own companion and holy crap it was wonderful. I should also mention that I did not use a map or ask for directions for the entire time I spent in Liverpool. Be sure to pat me on the back next time you see me.

The craziest thing about traveling alone is walking around a town or museum for hours and then realizing you haven't uttered a single word the entire time. I could talk for days and I view it as a personality flaw. So think of my surprise when I was silent (and awake!) for hours on end. Most importantly, I realized that I am okay in my own company. I am getting emotional just writing this post and reminiscing on the growth I felt. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but to me, it was the most life-altering thing that happened to me in London. 

So what did I do?

• I woke up at 7 -- that is important because it's not really my thing. Then made my way to the train station early so as not to miss my train in typical Gigi fashion. 
• I slept for the entirety of the train ride. Embarrassingly, a kind woman had to wake me up and tell me that everyone had gotten off the train and that I should probably wake up. 

• I walked to the docks and found the Beatles Story museum. The exhibits, put together by John Lennon's sister, were essentially recreations of important scenes in Beatles history with history lessons laced in. I would be lying if I said that I did not know most of the information and stories presented. Call me a fanatic, I call myself awesome. 
• An audio guide led me through the halls narrated by John Lennon's sister. It also incorporated sound bytes from the likes of Lennon, McCartney, Epstein, Martin, and every other person that was a part of the story. 

A branch cut from John Lennon's favorite tree that once stood in Aunt Mimi's backyard

How can two such good looking gentlemen be in one picture? HOW?!

This was in a room of mirrors making you feel like a part of Beatlemania.

I never thought I would read this sign. Or that there would be a need for one.

Inside of the Yellow Submarine

Again, if you're alone, you need to be confident in taking some selfies.

The clever seating in the John Lennon exhibit at the end of the tour

• I spent about an hour in the gift shop, carefully picking out pins for my pin collection. I bought three and they are wonderful.
• I WENT ON A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR! There were no drugs and none of us were famous or going on a spiritual journey but come on! Look at this bus!

• Here are pictures of some of the places we drove by or stopped at:

Birthplace of Ringo Starr

Ringo's Childhood Home

Penny Lane!

View of Penny Lane

George Harrison's Childhood Home

Brian Epstein's Home

Where John and Paul First Met

(the highest roof belongs to the building)

Written by Me at Strawberry Fields

(same as at Abbey Road)

Strawberry Field

John Lennon's Childhood Home While with Aunt Mimi

Paul McCartney's Childhood Home

• I adored my tour guide. This man saw me traveling by myself and took it upon himself to take a picture for me at each location. I was terrified that I would not have a single picture of myself in Liverpool, but at every stop he would tell us about where we were and then immediately turn to me and ask for my camera. He and I also talked about all things Beatles. I told him about the World of the Beatles course I had taken and he asked me why I love Paul but sometimes want to punch him in the face. It was a great feeling to talk to someone that loved the Beatles as much as I do. The best thing about the tour is that he expected each attendee to know the basics. I was nervous that he would have to describe how they met or what their names were (gasp!). But instead, he got down to the real story. Brian Epstein, Mimi, Igor, Ivan. The whole bunch! I definitely recommend the tour. 
• The tour ended at the Cavern Club essentially saying, "Go make your dreams come true." I spent the longest time just standing in the tunnel that they called a concert venue and soaked in the history. Although it was partially tainted by the fact that the original club had been demolished but then rebuilt with the same bricks, it was still chilling. There was a man performing covers. Mostly Beatles songs were covered, but he changed it up a bit. 

Part of "Imagine"

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

"Wonderwall"

• After being in one of the most important concert venues EVER, I walked around Liverpool for about three hours trying to decide between seeing more sights (most importantly the grave of Eleanor Rigby) or resting my feet, which felt like they had been chewed to nubs. Ultimately, out of respect to my health and the health of my wallet, I rested until boarding my train home. You can't fulfill all of your dreams in one day. I guess I will just have to go back!

This day, July 19th 2013, changed my life. I only hope that all people who are traveling get the opportunity to feel themselves change the way that I did on this day.