London!

So I finally made it to London! And Ireland by now, doing the late posts, sorry about it! But London was very enjoyable to say the least. Aside from having a great time with Timi and his family, I was introduced to one of the nicest cities I've ever been to. Other than an interesting first experience trying to figure out the bus system on my own, nothing was too challenging about the new country, probably because they all spoke English. I mean, I wasn't necessarily expecting any challenges but I've always heard the British were a bit stuck up and they proved that false while I was there (although while the Irish are friendly up front, I had to start the conversation with those in London, who were then immediately kind.) My first day in London was mainly a recovery one. Other than going to the store to buy shampoo and conditioner, I mainly stayed in. Regardless, even on that short trip i could feel the energy of London. I've never been to a city that feels quite that alive! But Thursday I finally got to do all my sightseeing (thanks to Timi, I know he didn't necessarily want to show the American around.)

We began by taking the tube to Tower bridge, which I am standing in front of below. I learned that there is nothing interesting about London Bridge, while Tower Bridge is the fancy one. 

We walked by the Tower of London, and I took another more pictures of the Tower Bridge from the other side of the Thames. As we walked down the water front, which was very nice, we made our way toward Shakespeare´s Globe and the Tate Museum.

 

The picture of Shakespeare´s Globe is above, or rather the new structure built around the outside. After a quick picture on the wrong side of the barrier and a peak inside, Timi and I continued on our way to the Tate, which is a free museum. After one floor of thought-provoking art, my hunger got the best of me, and since Timi wanted me to try Nando´s specifically, we headed out to see St. Paul´s Cathredal on our way to the Tube.

Before Timi and I headed on our way, we got a quick picure on one of the many bridges over the Thames. Timi thought we could find a Nando´s by the London Eye (also near the London Dungeon, Big Ben, the London Aquarium, and many other awesome attractions we couldn´t enjoy in our hunger) but with no luck we were on our way again, headed toward Buckingham Palace and Green Park.

While we planned on seeing Buckingham Palace after dinner, Nando´s and exhaustion proved a fatal combination and we cut our sightseeing short, but not before walking around Picadilly Circus, which was a beautiful area of town.

After a lovely day, and overall lovely visit with the Borges Da Silva family, I headed to Ireland on Sunday after fun Friday and Saturday nights with Timi´s friends in Wimbledon and another place I honestly don´t remember the name of, most likely because it´s spelled differently than it is pronounced. Regardless, I loved London, I loved it more than I could imagine a small town girl like me could love any city, and I hope to return one day.

The sun setting behind Big Ben and the House of Parliament, looking across the Thames at the London Eye and the many other attractions