While Amherst celebrated homecoming last weekend, I travelled to London to visit some Amherst pals. Dev and I landed late Thursday night and hopped in a cab to unite with Maggie and the Kiley family. Immediately upon arrival I was reminded of how much I love the Kiley’s and also of how much I miss my own parents. We chatted about Amherst and home and life before heading to Maggie’s apartment for bed.
While Devyn dreamed of British men, I dreamed of breakfast. And it did not disappoint. Friday morning Maggie walked us through her posh neighborhood of South Kensington to one of her favorite breakfast joints, Tom’s Kitchen. There I enjoyed English tea and an omelette stuffed with all of my favorite things. Full and happy, we ventured off to see the sights and meet up with Lindsay and Sam. Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Square are some of the few tourist destinations we visited. After lots of walking, coffee and imitations of British accents, we returned back to South Kensington for dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Kiley. Although it is said that the food in London is awful, I would dare to disagree. We had an amazing meal with amazing wine and amazing dessert. We listened to Mr. Kiley’s stories about Amherst, and I wondered if the Amherst he went to is the same one that we attend, because it doesn’t seem to be. Regardless, the dinner made me excited to get back to school and be with my friends.
Saturday was an amazing day. It started with another wonderful American style breakfast in a small cafe and took off from there. Maggie was a super tour guide. We went to the Tower of London and saw the poppy flowers that are placed in remembrance of those who died in World War I. It was a totally moving experience to see thousands of people observing in silence the sea of red flowers. Next we crossed Tower Bridge and made our way to Borough Market. The market was my own form of heaven, with amazing food and tons of people. I sampled everything I possibly could, and decided on a fish and prawns wrap and a hot cider. I could have stayed there for days, but that would have been dangerous. So we left for St. Paul’s Cathedral, passing Shakespeare’s Globe and crossing the bridge from the seventh Harry Potter movie on our way. Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside the cathedral, so beer is always a great next option. Maggie took Devyn, Sam and me to her dad’s favorite pub, The Black Friar, where I sipped on an American Nut Brown lager and listened to a group of old English men sing. After we saw a phenomenal firework show over the Thames in a torrential downpour. Definitely a highlight of the weekend. We ran through the streets to tube, soaked to our skin and shivering, laughing our heads off. A total wow moment.
Saturday night we made omelets for dinner then headed out to KoKo, a club like venue that featured live music. We sang along to oldies, rapped Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” and danced to some Destiny’s Child. Overall a fantastic day. Sunday the fun continued and we walked through Hyde Park, explored the streets of Portabello Market and found some great cafés, all before heading to Fortnum & Mason for tea time. I felt like a little British princess. We wandered the streets, looked at Christmas shops and ventured to Covent Gardens in the afternoon. Christmas was everywhere in London, the English don’t hesitate to start the holiday season. I enjoyed a candy apple while strolling under twinkling lights and Christmas ornaments. I was high on happiness. Maggie, Devyn and I spent Sunday night like we would at Amherst. We talked for hours and just enjoyed one another’s company. I was more than sad to leave Monday morning, but I can add another favorite place to my list of favorite places.