Canterbury

Went down to Canterbury today---it was a fairly long bus ride but I got to see a lot of beautiful countryside. I started the afternoon with a boat ride down a small river in the middle of town. Between the weird pigeons, stray 3 and 4 year old boys yelling at the boat during the tour and our tour guide chugging what looked like blue powerade, it made for quite an amusing experience....well guided though.



Did the tour and then went for "the best fish and chips in town". Final verdict---not bad. I went after the lunchtime rush, so it was a bit colder then I would have liked. Oh well..moving on. Headed over to the cathedral to wander about. The inside of this place was breathtaking. Honestly, the architecture is remarkable! A service was just starting as I went in, so the choir had just begun. It could send chills down your spine as your listening to them in this massive cathedral. The echo made you feel like you were in an episode of the tutors. I really want to dress up as one of the queens this Halloween (sorry, that was a very random sidebar). Anyhow, stuck around to listen to the choir and roam around the church grounds. The gardens, like with all of these ancient churches, were spectacular and made me want to have a picnic--def not allowed. Upon leaving, I ventured out into the town to check out the shops, random tourist traps etc. Decided against the reenactment center of Canterbury Tales. I think I will stick to reading it- don't really need people to dress up and act for me. Also decided to skip the old town center where you can see where they used to butcher and tie up animals. Really...why is that a tourist stop?? After my lovely day in the country, I came back into London and grabbed a drink at the pub which for the life of me I couldn't remember it's name from the last time I was here- Youngs! Yay...it was down the st from where Melissa was living and it's taken me 6 months to figure it out! They have a reggae night, which I am quite excited about...in addition to a patio, stools at the bar (that is rare here) and games. All in all..nice spot and fun day.

Billy Elliot

It's a Bank holiday here, so was deciding how I wanted to spend the weekend. Since yesterday's weather was less then desireable and not condusive to being outside (although PERFECT napping weather), I decided to go see a show. Tried for a matinee of Mama Mia but then realized, upon arrival, that I left my wallet at home. Seriously...why do I always loose that damn thing?!?! I am glad I did though because I changed my mind about what I wanted to see and ended up at the evening showing of Billy Elliot. If you have not already seen it, I highly recommend going. Even for you "I don't see shows" people, you will appreciate the dancing, music and humor. I also especially loved that their snacks were all Cadbury products (yum) and on your ticket it tells you to order your intermission drinks before the start of the show. Seriously?? You could order a drink and then they'd place it out with a card with your name on it for you to collect during intermission. Only in London!!

Off to Canterbury today...should be fun, so come back later

Royal Parks

Sunday was another beautiful day here in LN. I went to St. James, Green and Hyde Park to sit outside in the sun and read my book. The pic above is from St James....

I quote my mom, "look at the pretty flowers"

Below is from Hyde Park

GMT line

The weather made for a spectacular afternoon walking around Greenwich. Took a boat up the Thames and then toured of the naval academy, the old palace, church and then the obsurvatory. I recommend anyone in the area to check this out- it's a really cool town and the history of the palace is really amazing ...unless you don't enjoy royal history. It kind of made me want to sing Henry the VIII I am I am..They had a bowling alley in the bacement of the palace that we were allowed to play in! I managed to hit all but 1 pin down. The balls were made of stone and were beyond heavy. Glad they changed the process a bit since then. After the palace, we went up to the observatory and stood on the GMT line. It's def a tourist trap but I enjoyed it. Went to the Greenwich market and sat outside for a beer with 2 new friends. Overall, a very cool and beautiful day!

What time zone will I be in???

Greetings from sunny London..yes, you heard me right..sunny! High of 73 today and 77 tomorrow. That's basically unheard of or so I am told. Anyhow, I proclaim that I am no longer Eeyore. Everyone has said that I brought the beautiful weather and that's the story I'm sticking to. Perfect day for a boat ride, so I am heading to Greenwich where you can stand on the GMT line (google it if you don't know what GMT is). The pics should be fun! Is it 12, 11, 1pm? Stories from the day to follow.

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

Welcome to the UK

Greetings all!

I thought this could be a fun way to keep you all in the loop on how my short term assignment is going. Better yet, you will read and decide to come visit :) Anyhow, once I finally got to the airport and boarded the plane I realized that this wasn't going to be a normal flight. If you haven't been on a Virgin flight, book one! "Upper class" as they call it is a truly insane experience. You get a sleep suit, champagne as you board, tv, music, a fully reclining bed--including a down comforter and a full dinner and breakfast. Upon landing at Heathrow our pilot came on and announced, "morning folks..sorry again for the delay...we have just landed behind a 747 from India. I am going to rush us to the gate so that you can beat them to customs". Haha..love it!

I got picked up a driven to my new flat. I was fighting my tiredness but we all know how well that goes. I put my bags down, hit the food store, ate and then passed out! As you can see from the pics, I live right down the street from Westminster Abbey. Amazing views! I also live right around the corner from Buckingham Palace. Queen, please drive by and wave!

I met up with Ken this afternoon and had lunch at the Hard Rock (original one). We then walked around a bit and then I was off to try and find a darn adaptor for my computer. I brought one but needed another that had 3 prongs...ugg. Anyhow, finally found one and am now back at my flat doing what Sunday's are meant for...relax!! Off to work tomorrow. Should be interesting, especially since I am basically the new kid in school who is showing up in the middle of the school year. "What do I wear? Will I get lost?"...haha. Fingers crossed all goes well. Stay tuned for more....