I only have a week left in London and it is bittersweet but I am doing my best to get as many things done before I go back home next week. I took the tube out to Stratford last weekend to check out some of the London Olympic sites. I walked through the Westfield Mall (which is directly across the street from the stadium) and went to the viewing area of John Lewis to get a good look at the aquatics center, water polo arena, and main stadium. There were still a lot of construction workers around the site and many tents set up around the area of the stadium. It was cool to see the sites in person and it will be interesting to see how it is all presented during the games over the summer.
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| The Orbit, stadium, and water polo arena |
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| The Aquatics Center |
This past weekend my roommates and I took a day trip to Brighton, a little seaside town on the coast about an hour and a half outside of London. We took the train and arrived at around mid afternoon. It was a beautiful day and the beach was filled with people relaxing on the pebbly area by the water. There was also a pier with an amusement park along the left hand side of the beach.We decided to walk along the beach and take in the scenery, it was a busy day and the road along the beach was filled with people. While walking along their were many little beach shacks all lined up in different colors. Some people were sitting in front of these little shacks, leading us to believe that you can rent one to put your beach stuff in. After walking for a bit we grabbed a bite to eat and proceeded to walk into town to check out some of the shopping areas. Unfortunately by the time we found the vintage shopping areas they were already closed due to Good Friday. It was disappointing but we headed to a pub to cheer ourselves up. It ended up being a really fun night and we headed back to the train station at around 11 pm. It is definitely a place I would like to go back to and explore someday.
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| Brighton Pier |
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| Little Beach Shacks that people can rent |
On Saturday my roommates and I decided to check out the Cambridge vs. Oxford boat race, we decided to watch the race by the finish line area and we weren't sure if we were going to make it. Luckily by the time we got there, the crowds of people waiting by the river banks had not left yet. We found out that a protestor had jumped into the river, causing them to stop the race. Apparently it's the first time this has ever happened and it ended up being lucky for us. Cambridge ended up winning (who we were rooting for) so it all worked out in the end.
On easter Sunday I headed to Westminster Abbey for their 3 pm service and was amazed with how beautiful the interior of the church was. The choir was amazing and I was glad I had the chance to do something special on my first Easter away from home! We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the church but it was amazing to walk through it and to think of all the royals that have been there.
On Monday I didn’t have class so I decided to finally check out Brick Lane. An area in East London known for its vintage shops. It was a rainy day but that didn’t stop me from checking out some of the stores. I have never seen so many vintage shops in my life, going all the way down the road as well on many side streets. Vintage shopping is definitely a skill that one must work on over time because it is tough finding gems amongst the tons and tons of old clothes you have to go through. So many stores had so much stuff that they had a downstairs section, where you would walk down cramped narrow staircases to find more racks of clothes. I went in so many over the course of the day but the one that stuck out in my mind was Beyond Retro. This store was huge with racks and racks of clothes and accessories, they also have stores located in Brighton and Soho. It was a bit overwhelming but I ended up buying a couple tops that judging by the shoulder pads are from the 1980’s. I will definitely be styling them a bit to make them look more current but it was fun to get to look at all the old clothes. It was also fun to see the store owner’s cat running around and jumping up on the register. Only in London.
I have exactly a week left in London, it's hard to believe. I'm trying to make the most of my final days here and enjoying every moment!
