To Europe and Back : A Summer Abroad: DAY 10: Day 9 revisited!

Yesterday was pretty gloomy and rainy so Cassidy and I decided to explore London the dry way… by double-decker bus! We hopped on a bus near the flat to see where it would take us. We ended up at the famous Trafalgar Square. I don’t know anything about the history of the site, but I’m sure I’ll learn all about it on our Monumental London walking tour in a few weeks. Right next to the bus stop was an inexpensive shoe store that drew us in like moths to a flame. I’ve been in the market for some plain black oxfords since my last New York trip in March. I found the perfect pair for only £9.75! Passing on the brown for now, I’m pretty sure I’ll be going back soon for those too.

Once we got the shopping out of our system we headed over to take pictures in the square. At the front of Trafalgar Square there are four giant lions surrounding a tower. Behind the tower is a big fountain and steps leading up to the National Gallery art museum. There was also a huge sign counting down to the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

From Trafalgar Square we walked down Regency Street to Piccadilly Circus, another busy area that looks like a mini version of Times Square. While we were walking around Piccadilly, we stumbled on a restaurant called Tiger Tiger that had ½ off of their lunch menu. Cassidy had been to this place before because the other half is a nightclub. We decided to eat there, and I had my first traditional English dish called Banger and Mash (Sausage and Mashed Potatoes). They were served in a “Bread pudding” which was actually just a flaky delicious bread bowl of sorts. It was really cold out so not only was the food DELICIOUS, but it warmed me up! It was a ton of food and with the lunch special it only cost £4!!

After lunch the sun came out for a little while. We walked around Chinatown and saw all of the weird roasted carcasses hanging in the windows, everything from duck to squid. There was a street vendor selling produce and had durian fruit, the smelliest food ever. There are laws in some countries against cutting one open in public. I had heard about it but never seen it in person. I smelled one when no one was looking and luckily for me, I didn’t smell anything! Apparently you have to break it open to get the stench.

From Chinatown we took the tube home. After being home for a few hours, my roommates convinced me to go out with them. Where did they decide to go? Well, Tiger Tiger of course! The nightclub side was very cool and HUGE. There were 7 different rooms with different themes, playing different types of music. It wasn’t really my type of place but we had fun. And that, my friends, is why I was way too tired to write yesterday.

Today was fairly uneventful. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows for a few hours (I have to finish reading it again before the premiere). After I forced myself to put the book down, I did some laundry and went to the grocery store. Unfortunately, I love shopping at the grocery store just as much, if not more than shopping for clothes. I came home with quite a haul. Starving from my journey home, I made chicken alfredo with broccoli and some amazing fresh French bread from the bakery. <3CARBS!

Now I plan to make attempts at starting this homework that has been lingering overhead for days! It’s so hard to focus on a little thing like homework when you’re in a new land!

Sorry again for getting behind, but I’m all caught up so check out those pictures!!

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