Touring around Tourist style...

So I'd like to dedicate this blog to my sister...since she never gets mentioned...Lindsay Elizabeth Swick...this one's for you. ;)

So yesterday I walked for 7 hours...all over London...literally...we were sporting the tape player guided tour. It was awesome. We were split into groups and followed an audio tour voiced by the best friend of one of my teachers. It was quite fun. He took us to a lot of secret favorite shops and cafes along with some famous tourist sites. I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life, but it was sooooo much fun and we saw some really neat things and only had a few wrong turns. We saw the biggest bookstore in Europe with an entire corner dedicated to fashion books. We went to a place with the best hot chocolate in London, and we went to this really cool place that had a court yard with shooting fountains that Jin and I played in (I can't remember it's name, it is an art museum now though). 5 hours of walking later...

We went back to the Davies Street campus to the Hub (student bar and cafe) and had welcome drinks that the school provided (I never would have believed a college to not only have a bar in it, but give you free wine as well!) I opted out of the wine (it was really gross and really strong) and went for the cranberry juice and some water. Then we heard some people talk and then it was time...time for my first sample sale... We rode the tube and then walked 30 minutes to this scary looking alley with a hidden sign that said designer sale. We went up some shady looking brick steps and after handing over out bags and jackets were in designer heaven with the likes of Viviene Westwood, a few other big names, and then some smaller new designers. It was awesome. There was also a live catwalk in the middle too. It was fun. Then we attempted to walk back to the tube but got lost b/c a few of us decided not to go out to dinner b/c we were so tired and just wanted to go home...an hour and 1/2 later...we gave up on the tube and found a bus. Only to miss our stop 40 mins. later and have to walk 15 mins home...the girls that went to dinner beat us. I was soooooooo tired but some how stayed awake quite a long while and finally crawled into bed and shivered for an hour b/c our apt. is ghetto and the heater isn't working and I couldn't fit my quilt in my suitcase...so I finally reached down and grabbed the comforter off the extra bed below me. Wow...what a day.

Then today I rode my first train! It was really fun, and we all had a lot of fun stories to share.... it was good bonding. :) We went to Brighton at the seaside. I never understood what true rain was till today...it poured...and blew...and poured some more. And of course I didn't wear my rain boots. I was soaked and my umbrella blew inside out about every 5ft. We all decided to go to fish and chips early b/c everyone was wet, cold, and miserable; only to find the wind was blowing to hard next to the peer you couldn't even walk...so we had to turn around and ended up at a pub that didn't have enough fish and chips for everyone. A group of us and my teachers braved it and went to another place that was around the corner...it ended up being the place we were going to originally and even though we couldn't use our umbrella's to get there, we got the best fish n' chips w/ mushy peas in Brighton. PS...my new favorite food...mushy pea's on fries. yum yum. We then walked around the antique shops a little, but our spirits weren't exactly in it, so a few decided to head back early. It was the funniest train ride I've ever experienced...ok so I've only had one...so my funniest ride on public transportation. There is a girl in my class who is actually from England and is just a riot. She says she's 30 but I can't really believe it. She looks 20...amazing skin I guess. :) but she's now searching for a new career. She was in India medicine before, and worked all over the world doing treatments. She has an amazing background and life. So now she is going to fashion school :). But this girl is amazing and we are trying to convince her to be a stand up comedian..b/c my cheeks hurt so bad from laughing by the time we got back to London. She can pick any famous person out of a crowd, like the other day we were walking and she goes, "That's the guy who won the apprentice!" and it was. She has also looked at the same dress w/ posh spice in a boutique once, and talked to Ice Q (she accidentally called him Ice tea and he goes, "the other ice..."), been hit on by the bald guy in lucky #7, been invited to one of Elton John's parties, and met some really famous British actors randomly on the streets. It's hilarious. So that was really interesting to get to know her better. A really sweet girl.

Then we came home and attempted to have movie night and ended up talking and laughing and then passing out from being so tired from our wet, rainy day. Did I mention I ate soup and cheese for dinner...jk sorry this was so detailed and not a lot of humor...I am so tired and am so excited to cuddle up in my freezing cold ghetto bed, where the springs dig into my ribs...I guess I have to have the real London experience and can go back to luxury at the Theta house when I go back to America the Beautiful...:) Good night from London and I'll try and post my pictures tomorrow...I'm just too tired...

love u all....
KAT