After my last post I was in a slight funk but things seem to be on the up! That Thursday night (after my walking tour of London in the AM) my friends and I went on The Shoreditch Pub Crawl. We went to some really cool spots including a ping pong bar; however, much to our guide's disbelief things were a little "dead" that night but he felt bad so he gave my friends and I a free ticket to come back (possibly a gimmick but it worked- more on that later).
On Friday, my friends and I went on a bike tour with our CIS program. All of these "included" programs are optional, and we were definitely part of the very few that took advantage, but I'm glad we did! It was quite the little adventure. We biked to all the main sights and over the Waterloo bridge that has a beautiful view of London City on one side (financial district) and the London Eye (ferris wheel) on the other.
Saturday, I did another walking tour (I really enjoy these) with my flat mate, Sam. We did London Landmarks- South. We got to see Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Monument of the Great Fire of London, Bank Corner (my FAV spot I saw), and St. Paul's Cathedral (much bigger than I remembered). Afterwards, she and I ate fish & chips ~so British~ at a pub called Ye Old Watling that is said to be built by Sir Christopher Wren. That night I had dinner at a delicious place as well called Gourmet Burger Kitchen that I'd recommend for a reasonably priced *big* juicy burger (vegan options too)! Following up from Thursday, Saturday night we returned to the pub crawl. Safe to say it was a blast/better than before and we got to actually hit different places than the fist night which was a pleasant surprise.
Sunday, I took a day to rest (lol) but planned out some travel.
Monday, I had class. We learned about Modern Slavery and its relation to the supply chain in retail. After class, I went shopping in hopes of finding a "London Coat"(this is essentially any warm jacket that is not puffer style-- only Americans wear those and we stand out) that I may have mentioned before. No real luck unfortunately but still nice to get out and about.
Tuesday, I had my tourism class. We discussed literary/film tourist destinations (ex: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, etc.) and its impact on the community. That class has a weird hour break between the lecture and the seminar but I've befriended a girl named Abby and we've been getting coffee between the past two times. This time we finally tried the one and only Dunkin Donuts in the city of London. Definitely not the same, but we were excited to get punch cards- 6th coffee free! The most exciting news of my day was that University of Westminster (after aggressive contact and perseverance from my vendor program) changed my class- hooray!!!
Wednesday, I had my social media for business course. This is the one I don't particularly enjoy so far. It was boring, not worth recapping. The good news is my student photocard/Oyster Travel card arrived- woohoo for a 30% reduction in my tube fares now! After my class, I went shopping still in hunt of my "London Coat". I'm pleased to say I now have one. I will share this purchase only because I'm quite proud of this "steal" (?). Thanks to January sales, I went to the Regent Street J. Crew and purchased an Italian wool (knee length) black coat for 70£ (originally 225£!). A very exciting moment, even the sales associate was impressed with the price I was able to get it for. I finally got to meet up with Adam's cousin, Catherine! We went to Meraki Bar for a couple drinks and it was lovely catching up.
I'm off to sleep because in a few hours (yikes) I'm boarding the Eurostar Train to Paris!!! I've never been but definitely consider myself a francophile so I'm incredibly excited. Its supposed to rain but I've got plenty planned. Additionally, we will be there the first Saturday/Sunday of the month when nearly all attractions are coincidentally free!
Also picture overload- enjoy haha
fish & chip
