It’s fall break! My midterms still aren’t over though - I have a huge paper due for my Shakespeare class the wednesday we get back, and then my creative writing portfolio due on that friday. My creative writing teacher, Anna, has procured us discounted tickets to check out a new exhibit at Kensington Palace [which is right down the street] so we’re going to check it out as a class, and then sit and feel inspired and write. Cliche? Perhaps, but I really enjoy this class - it’s small so we have gotten to know one another well - and think that maybe writing in a palace will lead to some super creative writing, or that I’ll meet a prince and run away. Anyways, it’s still a relief to have a week off from class, though in actuality I don’t really know why I am saying that because it’s not like classes here are that strenuous, and I am planning on doing more touristy things because I kind of got out of that groove of being a tourist…
What brought me back to the groove?!
MICHELLULAR!! My somewhat cousin! It was fantastic having her here. She arrived on Sunday and I had a couple ideas for what we could do her first day - I wanted to take her to Camden Market because I love it there and knew she would, but I also had a paper due the following day in my history class on a museum we had to visit on our own outside of class and of course I hadn’t chosen a museum yet. I had been googling free museums and eventually decided on the Victoria and Albert Museum because it is less than a ten minute walk away from where I live meaning that Michelle and I could go the following morning and I would still have enough time to write my paper before class. So we set off to Camden Market! She bought a week-long limitless tube pass for £28.50 [they make you buy an Oyster card] in zones 1 and 2 which covered all of the places I knew we would be visiting, and then we set off on the district line! We had to change at Embankment to get onto the northern line - embankment is a huge tube station, 4 lines intersect here and I think it gave Michelle a good idea of how huge the underground is, and how really underground you are. Camden was packed! We were there for a couple hours, it was a perfect blue skies day too [actually it only rained for about an hour this past tuesday, Michelle had fantastic weather] which added to the atmosphere. At the end of the Stables Market there is a stall that sells huge tapestries and pashimas for only £1.50 - the tapestries are really cheap too, one is only £10, but we spent a lot of time there because Michelle really likes scarves… I introduced her to the market food, I had my Japanese teriyaki from last time because I am so original and Michelle got falafel. Do you remember when I posted a picture of the donut stall? Obviously I had to show it to Michelle, it took awhile but we eventually found it right as the man was posting a sign that said three donuts for £1!! There was suddenly a huge rush of people and Michelle and I got the donut-craze in our eyes as well; we had only been there to gaze, now we were there to graze!!! Ha HA. The donuts were so heavy in their brown bags that we had to transfer Michelles newly purchased scarves into her purse and then put the donuts into said bag. At that point we acknowledged the shopping frenzy that had taken over us and made the decision to head home, and meet Catherine at Cafe Forum for dinner. Cat and I found this Cafe a couple weeks ago when we were scrounging for food on a sunday night - it is one of the best places we’ve found, no joke. They sell tasty baguettes, pesto pasta, salads, smoothies, and most importantly, THIN CRUST PIZZA. And what’s even better is that it is cheap! Cat and I can split a large pizza and get two cans of soda for just £10, which is a bargain around here. And what else is even better is that it’s just a little bit past the Gloucester tube station aka really close to home aka practically on our doorstep.
For sleeping arrangements we stole the extra mattress that Donnie and Davis had lying around their room for some reason, and then stole sheets and pillows from the extra bed in Mike’s room. I was worried about what I would do for meals as well - I wanted to eat in the dining hall for breakfast and dinner because that’s included in our meal plan, but also wanted Michelle to feel included. For breakfast, Cat and I would go and eat our breakie, and I would grab a bagel, some cereal, muffins, and a to-go cup of diet coke for Michelle who would spend this hour alone to sleep in, shower, think of exciting things to do. Usually I take a bagel for myself for lunch but knew that there was no way the lady swiping my card would honestly believe that I could consume enough bagels to feed a family of five, so I bought lunch this week. Monday and Tuesday night for dinner, Michelle bought pasta from Cafe Forum and the food bar at Whole Foods, and then ate with us in the dining hall. On Wednesday she went big and bought her meal at the dining hall, yowzaaa. I think it worked out really well, and I am going to make Meagan do this when she visits whether she likes it or not.
On Monday we went to the V&A, and I wrote my paper on the high fashion exhibit. Michelle was mesmerized by all the primary school kids in their uniforms so we creeped on them for a bit before heading off to go to my history class. My professor didn’t pick on her too bad, and to celebrate we got some lunch from Whole Foods and I showed her my favorite spots around the Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We walked the path along the Serpentine before arriving at Wellington Arch where we took some pictures [obviously] and continued on our journey to Buckingham Palace! I hadn’t been back to Buckingham Palace since our orientation bus tour of London - I liked seeing it again, and I especially liked that we had walked all the way there. We sat by the Victoria Memorial and threw coins into the water so that all of our wishes would come true, hopefully they will my wish was pretty extravagant aha. By this time it was getting close to dinner so we started walking towards the Victoria tube station, which I am really glad Michelle got to see because it looks like a traditional train station. Plus, she got to experience the tube during rush hour which is always fun.
Then we had to take a nap because we had walked A LOT plus dinner always makes me sleepy for some reason. Around 10 pm we woke up, I powered up with a diet coke, Michelle a cafe mocha and bam! We were back on the tube, this time arriving at Westminster! There are multiple exits from that tube station but I took her out of the one that is next to Westminster Bridge. You walk up the steps and right in front of you is Big Ben, and across the Thames is the London Eye. It is really beautiful, especially at night. Westminster Abbey was cool as were the Houses of Parliament but we skipped that joint after a couple minutes and started walking towards Trafalgar Square where Michelle let her inner child out and tried to climb atop a lion. It’s actually kind of hard to do and I dragged her down before she could attempt again because all I could think of were her brains smashed on the pavement. We walked past the National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery before ending up in Leicester Square. It wasn’t as packed as it would be on a weekend but there was still that really electric feeling in the air. Leicester Square is by Chinatown and Piccadilly Circus so we visited both of those places - how could you not visit Piccadilly!? - before catching a bus to get home. We were both bummed because the front seats were taken but knew that eventually we would snag a front seat pair!
Tuesday was saved for the most important parts of the trip - Harry Potter! I had an art midterm in the morning so Michelle had a nice sleep in, but then I got back and we were off! We took the tube to the Mansion House station and headed to St. Pauls Cathedral. Once again it was a beautiful day so St. Pauls looked even more incredible, inspiring enlightening conversation pieces such as how the fuck was this able to be made so many years ago!? St. Pauls is right next to City of London schools which is of course where Harry Potter hunk Daniel Radcliffe studied for his AS levels, and Millenium Bridge, the bridge destroyed by the Death Eaters! Unfortunately the bridge was closed due to maintenance but Michellular and I ate our lunch on the banks of the river nonetheless and then walked to the Southwark Bridge so we could get to the other side of the Thames. We walked past The Globe and then entered the Tate Modern where we saw works by Monet, Picasso, Matisse, and Warhol - I was really excited, I didn’t realize that their stuff was there, I was really just taking Michelle so she could she say that she went, and we ended up spending a good part of our day there. Then we checked our watches and realized we had to get the heck out of dodge because there was so much more we had to accomplish! We hiked back over the bridge and got on the tube to King’s Cross station to find the “Platform 9 3/4” they have set up in honor of Harry Potter. In hindsight we should have figured out where it was before we got there - King’s Cross is HUGE! And we could not find the platform anywhere until we heard these foreign kids talking about Harry Potter, we stealthily followed them and found the platform! There was a dad there with his two kids so our three groups exchanged photograph taking time with the trolley and Harry Potter love. We left the station and hopped on a bus where we got the front seats on the top level so life was going good [and we drove past the hospital where I was born!] towards Marble Arch which is located on Oxford Street. Why Oxford Street? There is a store there called Primark which is basically the UK version of Forever 21 aka realllly cheap clothes, and I think they might be made better than some of the items sold at Forever 21. Michelle doesn’t have stores like this in Switzy so this was something akin to a religious experience for her. Primark though was PACKED. I would hate to imagine what it’s like on the weekends. Apparently there is a smaller one in Hammersmith but I’m happy we were able to get to the Oxford Street store and make it out of there relatively alive. The most exciting part of the day though was when we were at the Notting Hill station transferring from the Central line to the Circle line and waiting for our train - there was a rat on the tracks! I don’t know why I found this so exciting but it was the first time I have ever seen a rodent besides the one my dad caught at our cabin in West Virginia that one time.
Wednesday was a lot more relaxed thank god, I seriously thought we had been walking for miles the previous days. We went back to Camden Market so Michelle could buy more scarves. On the actual street there are a ton of shoe stores, and they sell really nice shoes plus some super eclectic ones which I like to pretend I would buy if I had enough self confidence. All of the stores sell Doc Martens though and I always look at them wondering if I could pull them off but then! I found a pair with the coolest feminine floral print and knew it wasn’t a matter of how, but when! I bought them today at the actual Doc Martens store in Covent Garden and I could totally kick someone’s ass right now. ANYWAY after Michelle got what she wanted we got back on the tube to go to Notting Hill so she could see Portobello Road. Once we got back from Portobello we completely crashed and slept away until the next morning when she had to get on the plane back to Switzy. :(
It was fantastic having Michelle here. I loved being able to show her around, and to see her excitement at everything. In a weird way, it was also really nice having to be responsible for someone. I feel like I don’t have as many responsibilities here as I do at home or OU [I mean, we have a CLEANING SERVICE] and I liked knowing that Michelle was my responsibility. It also made me kind of glad that my family isn’t coming to visit - every time we were walking through the tube station or on a packed street, I was constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure she was okay. One time she was out of my peripheral vision for less than a second and I shit myself. I couldn’t imagine what I do if I was taking Leland or Millie around. Definitely attach them to a leash or have my parents stick some laser device under their skin so I could find them with my phone. Michelle was an easy guest, she gets excited about things which always makes everything that much more fun. Plus she was up for anything, I mean taking someone around whose only real request was to get to King’s Cross is pretty easy peasy lemon squeezy. And she likes donuts. She’s just my little thirteen year old! Haha. I miss her, in my wildest dreams I would be able to see her in Switzy so let’s hopity hope! Plus now Cat and I want to get back into touristy mode - we want to get to Richmond and Greenwich this weekend and go to tea!!
