HCJMU Abroad: Royalty Dreaming

I touched down in London Town about two and a half weeks ago.  I met Prince Harry and we have decided to get married this coming spring (sorry to spoil every girl’s fantasy). I will no longer be a commoner; I will become royalty. Don’t worry… the wedding will be aired internationally.
 
Then I woke up from a dream. Reality set in and I kept calm and carried on.
 
After waking up from a short nap, 27 JMU students and myself started to get settled in to the conveniently named Madison House in Bloomsbury, London. We went on a group tour to get acquainted with the neighborhood and I quickly discovered why everyone here is so skinny: their fast food restaurants are cafés that serve handmade organic sandwiches and fresh fruit!  On almost every block there was a great café called “Pret A Manger,” which is French for “Ready To Eat.” It’s basically their Micky D’s without preservatives, grease and love handles.
 
The first week is now a blur; however, I do remember learning three cardinal rules of this country. First, never, never, never leave your house without an umbrella. If it’s sunny in the morning, it’s most likely going to rain in two hours. Second, you are going to get pick-pocketed. Hide your keys, hide your phone, hide your wallet because these people are professionals. Third, know how to make a nice cup of tea, especially if you’re doing an internship. To sum up my first day of work for you, I got soaked on the way there and made my ESPN co-workers a horribly bland cup of tea. But,they thought it was “brilliant!”
 
Which brings up another topic: slang. Instead of “awesome,” they say “brilliant.” Instead of “bathroom,” they say “loo” or “toilet.” Instead of “pants,” they say “trousers” (pants are your knickers!). Instead of “tennis shoes,” they say “trainers.” Most importantly, instead of “thank you,” they say “cheers” – a saying I plan to stick to when I return to the States.
 

Now that I’ve seen most of the tourist attractions, I am no longer walking around with a sign on my forehead reading “American.”  Essentially it doesn’t matter because the British still know I’m American before I even open my mouth. I don’t know how they know, but they know.  Anyways, a few of the places that I’ve been to are Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and of course, on the infamous Tube.
 
Seeing the inside of Buckingham Palace not only made me spend a little extra, but at the same time made me feel like I couldn’t afford a stick of gum! The meticulous gates are painted with real gold. The curtains inside are intertwined with real gold thread. Oh, and did I mention the 78 bathrooms and 775 rooms? (Three of which are drawing rooms that the Queen definitely does not draw in). No wonder why I dreamed about Prince Harry!
 
There are no words to describe the architecture here. I always seem to be looking up at the buildings when walking alongside the beautiful, quaint neighborhoods.Parliament and Westminster Abbey are by far the most amazing buildings I have seen in my entire life. Taking a tour of both, I realized that the Quad could use a little work. I’m not quite sure how Kate Middleton walked down the extremely long aisle of the Abbey without tripping on her extravagant lace dress. Speaking of the royal dress, I saw it on display in Buckingham Palace! Personally, I’m not a fan of wedding dresses, but you wouldn’t have to pull my arm to wear that one. Like London’s architecture, that dress is a piece of art.

 
Two interesting facts: Big Ben is actually the bell inside the Clock Tower. One can only tour it if they have a British passport.  Also, on a sad note, it has become so common for someone to jump in front of the Tube, that they produced an automatic message claiming there is an unwanted trespasser on the tracks. It mostly occurs on Mondays and so far,I’ve heard it once.
 
On a happy note, the pub and club nightlife are brilliant! Some of the pubs close early around 10 p.m., but that’s when you find a club that’s open until 3 a.m. One of the first clubs we went to was called Piccadilly Institute.  There were several themed rooms inside one club. Unlike traditional Irish music, they played extreme techno and after a few drinks you think you know the words. Guys claimed our accents were lovely and enjoyed how forward Americans were.  (Of course they did). The fashion is quite intimidating here. Men wear suits to the club and women wear clothes I could never afford. Thank goodness for H&M!
 
This coming weekend, the group will be traveling to Oxford and Bath, then the following weekend I will be traveling to Barcelona, Spain. When I return, Harry and I have dinner plans at Harrods. Until then….
 
Cheers xx