Overall… I was more than a “tad bit” lost

Last night a bunch of Colgate kids went out “pubbing”. We started at a place called “Friend of the Hand” which is a very traditional English pub that had a large group of rowdy Englishmen outside. We all had a pint (I had a New Castle) and some dinner. My dinner, probably the most typical English thing in the entire world, consisted of: eggs, peas and bacon (it looked like a ham steak-- disgusting)! After eating, we went outside to finish our pints (god bless the no open-container rule) and socialized with the English folk. They were hilarious and so excited that we were all studying in London. When we ran out of things to talk about with our new buddies we decided to change pubs. Next stop on our pub tour was The Crown. For those who know Colgate- it looks like the outside of Slices on a Friday night. English guys were singing “pub songs” and double fisting beer! It really felt like I was at Disney world. Even though we were pretty jet lagged it was a fantastic night and great introduction to English culture!

This morning I thought it would be fun to walk around London by myself. First stop- Oxford Street- home to Top Shop (Top Shop is like a cooler H&M) but I didn’t buy anything, I’m saving my Pounds for food! From Oxford I wandered down Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Bond Street, New Bond Street… and then before I knew it, it was already 1:30 and I was STARVING! Not wanting to feel like a tourist I picked up a yogurt and roll and ate in Hyde Park! It was SO nice out today and sitting in the park with a fantastic view of The Marble Arch, for the first time, made me realize how happy I am to be studying in London. This glorious sentiment soon faded, however, as I managed to get myself ridiculously lost for the next three hours. Even though I felt totally lost I managed to take in some fantastic sights like: Trafalgar Square, the Mayfair area (home of the rich and famous), Piccadilly Circus, and loads of other little ally ways. In the end I didn’t get home until after 4! I was too nervous to try the tube and too cheap to take a taxi, all in all, making me the most tired person EVER! Although, during my walk I came to several conclusions
1. British grocery stores are fantastic!
2. God bless the NYC grid system and blast you London!
3. I managed to get really lost in a city where I spoke the language…


Anyways, despite the sore feet, today was a lot of fun. I think this will be the only time in my life when I can walk around with no agenda, no homework and no overall responsibilities.