London: Part Deux

*lost*
Amy: We are a great traveling team. Abbigail constantly needs to know where we are, Hayley's like "let's just keep walking and we'll find it eventually," and I get worried, but you guys calm me down.

I think I found my traveling soul-mates. I've never had this much fun. Sure, there are tense moments, but for the most part, we are filled with joy just to be here and to have this opportunity.

I don't think many groups of friends could survive a 13 hour day of planning, compromising, making choices, getting lost, needing food (mostly me), and still walk home holding hands and laughing. I love my best friends.

Saturday Highlights:
The British Museum
The Churchill War Rooms
The London Bridge (or whatever)
Exterior of the Tower of London (tomorrow we will go inside)
Lunch at a pub called The Clarence (fish and chips and mulled cider)
The London Underground
China Town - dinner at The Crispy Duck (thanks, Cami!!)
Les Miserables at The Queen's Theatre
And much wandering :)

Sooooo many pictures. I'll post them as soon as I can.

London: In 4 Hours or Less

I would really prefer to never forget this day. EVER.

We left the manor at 2:00 and were in London by 4:30. After a short time of searching for platform 9 3/4, we decided it was time to hail a taxi and get to our hotel.
A word of advice: before traveling to another country, google the proper protocol for hailing a taxi.
No one seemed to be raising an arm in that too-familiar manner to grab the attention of a passing cab driver. We wandered around the block for some time hoping to find a mass of people in search of the same thing as us: a lift home. Eventually, we found signs directing us toward a sort of taxi corral. The cabbie was sweet as candy, and told us exactly the right places to go for a good night on the town. He gave us the name of a club where we would be able to "have a drink, then have a dance." (we didn't end up finding it) but we did find the young-folk hot spot!! Covent Garden. An adorable block or two filled with boutiques, pubs, restaurants, and very interesting people. According to the cabbie, "Thursday is the new Friday," and he certainly was right. Music was bursting from every pub we passed, there was a guy on a corner playing his guitar. The people were outrageously fashionable, and their accents were amazing.

We played in a couple of boutiques. I bought a shirt at H&M (only because it had the word color spelled 'colour' on it). We mostly just meandered around the city and got a good look at this beautiful place called London. Each building we passed was easily a few hundred years old. The magic of the metropolis was on fire. I don't think I ever want to leave.

We finished off the night (which started at an Indian food restaurant because I had a SEVERE craving) at a pub called 'The Verve'. I got a cosmopolitan; Abbigail got an Ivan the tropical; Amy got a southern belle. We sipped at our drinks and longed for Cami -- our partner in crime. We even took a series of photos of us missing her.

We booked it back to the hotel, and here we are!! That's just a brief rundown of the first night in London. PICTURES TO COME.

I really do feel like I'm in the middle of a fairy tale. :) Just promise you won't try and pinch me, it's simply too perfect.