Halloween in London

I have so much to say about my short visit to London, I'm not sure that typing it here on my iPhone on the train back to Cordoba is really a great idea. In standard form, however, I want to write while it's all fresh in my mind.

The rest of Sunday was pretty mellow, and Johanna, Annabelle and I just hung out in Café Nero and continued to do work. Tomas, who was one of my rowers in high school, is also in London this semester, so he stopped by the Café for a bit and we caught up, which was great. I was reminded how long ago high school was; we're all juniors in college now. What the heck?!

After our work session, we met up with Mazi, one of Annabelle's good friends from Northampton, and went to a traditional pub for dinner. Since it was Sunday night the place was pretty empty, but I was still glad to enjoy the ambiance. I generally don't like beer a lot, but I ordered a really nice dark brew called Revmdissisv that I enjoyed with my meal. Cheap beer isn't worth drinking. A nice beer is a treat. That one drink really made me appreciate the difference in quality.

Mazi and Annabelle

Riding on the top of the classic London double-decker busses home!

 Monday was another day of touristing, including a walk across Hyde Park to cross Abbey Road where the Beatles shot their famous album cover, and a visit to the Tate Modern with Johanna while Annabelle was in class. Abbey Road was packed with people trying to cross and take a picture, and between the traffic (it's a busy road) and all the people, the perfect Beatles photo is hard to come by. We made a few attempts, but didn't quite get it. Nonetheless, it was a great experience. 

Fall-ish colors in Hyde Park

Abbey Road!

Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded, in the right hand background. 

Classic. 

View from the top floor café in the Tate Modern that overlooks the Millennium Footbridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Thames River. 

Inside the Tate Modern!

Our final destination was the famous Harrod's department store to enjoy afternoon tea. Sam, one of Annabelle's good friends from Princeton, was home visiting his family in London for fall break and was able to join us at the last minute. My friend Paige, who is also studying in London for the semester, also joined us and we had a blast. I hadn't seen her since we both rowed in Head of the Charles during our Senior year of high school, but it honestly felt like it'd only been a few months. We're going to make a point of getting together again over winter break when we're both home. 

Oh- that must be Harrod's

Annabelle and Sam

Tea with PAIGE!

Yum

My girls

Harrod's was really impressive and over-the-top, but there was one  part that I actually found a little upsetting. On one floor, there was an exhibition of luxury goods promoting Harrod's exclusive trips to Morocco. The clothing, accessories, furniture, etc. were all beautiful, but after being in Morocco just one week ago and seeing the country first-hand, not through the lens of exorbitant wealth and ₤15,000 dresses, I was pretty disgusted. There is absolutely no reason why anyone needs to spend that much money on any material goods for a trip to a developing country. It was a strange enough transition between Morocco's poverty and London's high-society, but the Harrod's special exhibition really hammered home the differences in culture and money and reminded me that I still need to process last week's trip.


After tea and a bit of dinner, we got ready and had our Halloween night out in London. We didn't try to figure out costumes until we walked home from Harrod's, so it was a bit of a scramble and we ended up being easy, typical cats. Whatever... it worked, and it was a pretty decent night.    

Halloween cats... Johanna, me, Annabelle, and Alexa. 

Today, Tuesday, has just been traveling home to Cordoba in a six part journey:
1.) Underground from Annabelle's dorm to Victoria Coach Station in London
2.) Bus from Victoria to Gatwick Airport
3.) Flight from Gatwick to Seville, Spain
4.) Bus from Sevilla Airport to Santa Justa Train station
5.) Train from Sevilla to Cordoba (where I am now)
and 6.) Taxi from Cordoba train station to Calle Postrera. 


It's been a fun week, but I am seriously going to collapse in bed when I get home. I need about a week of sleep and processing time before I can begin to function and appreciate everything I'm doing enough.