A weekend in London: wordy version

Where do I even begin, my friends? I had such a lovely weekend. I guess I will just give a brief run down on the happenings of each day. Sound good?

Friday

The bus ride into the heart of the city was uneventful considering that I slept through most of it. I am sad also to report that my taste buds were left disappointed following the Mexican dinner. That's what happens when one sets their expectations so high. But have no fear, there was a party going on in my mouth on Saturday night when I dined on delicious salmon :)

It was during the evening when I was in a pub with some friends that I became a Rugby fan. In all honesty I'm not much of a sporty person but Rugby is definitely a different story. Here are the reasons why I love this sport: I think that in addition to having some type of athletic skill, a chiseled body is a prerequisite for Rugby playing. Goodness gracious those guys are incredibly fine. And also unlike American football, Rugby players don't wear any form of padding (they're just hardcore like that). The players also hoist one another up in the air when the ball is thrown in. Now I'm sure I'm butchering the technicalities of this all, but every time these guys were hoisted in the air like ballerinas I couldn't get over how awesome it was!

Saturday

The tourist is me came out in full force. Brace yourself because this is intense.

I left early in the morning with my friends and we first popped into The British Library. Here I was able to marvel at authentic musical manuscripts, the Magna Carta, as well as a host of other exhibitions.

We walked to the London Eye but because of severely overcast weather we decided to pass on an actual ride. While some in the group were mulling over the map to determine how to get to our next stop, I decided to venture to a little playground. I channeled my inner child and went on the swings. I pumped my legs until I felt like I would never touch the ground. I was oohing and aahing over the London Eye (which was directly in front of me) as I soared higher into the sky. Then I shifted my line of vision and looked a bit more to my left. And it was at this moment, when I was flying high on a swing, that I saw the Big Ben for the first time. This iconic landmark hadn't caught my attention until just that instant. It seems silly but it took me a minute to register that yes, in fact I am in London. Here all around me were constructions that I'd seen only in pictures and now they were virtually within reach.... Amazing, really.

I ditched the swings and headed towards Ben. We kept walking and saw Parliament and then walked through St. James Park, a refreshing change of atmosphere. After the ponds, ducks and park benches we made our way to Buckingham Palace. Then we crept just a bit further down the road and played around in Trafalgar's Square, climbing all over the larger - than - life bronze lion statues that grace the middle of the centre.

A lunch break was necessary and on the menu today was authentic Indian food. We left with full bellies and an extra surge of energy to make it through the rest of the day.

We meandered back towards the Square and went through the Portrait Gallery, followed then by the National Gallery. In the National Gallery so many paintings caught my eye, notably The Umbrellas, by Pierre - Auguste Renoir and The Water - Lily Pond, by Claude - Oscar Monet.

Then it was time to head back to the hostel to change and get ready for our Thames River Boat Cruise. I was dolled up in the style of Sex and the City and after a salmon dinner we danced the entire night away, with the glittering lights of London as our backdrop.

I slept well that night.

Sunday

A quiet brunch at the Hilton was then followed by a trip to the Tower of London. Not only was I able to brush up on my British history, I was able to see the Ravens and the Crown Jewels. Also in one of the rooms we saw different table centerpieces that once graced a Royal table. There was a punch bowl on display and just guess how many bottles of wine it could hold. (Did you guess?) Ok, it could hold about 144 bottles. It was the most massive and beautifully adorned gold plated punch bowl I'd ever seen in my entire life. Now if that doesn't get a party going, I don't know what will.

A frantic run through the tube station and on to the bus station completed my weekend. It was really a great weekend but by the end I was definitely ready to go home, home to Bristol.