Le Jour Quatre (Day 4)

Today we got up really early and went to the Parliament building to hear from Sir Peter Biggers. We first took pictures in front of the building of all of us dressed up again in business formal. Sir Biggers was awesome and had a great sense of humor. He talked about the UK Constitution and how it is organized. He said the Prime minister has so many powers, but also has his limits: He organizes the cabinet, appoints ministers, military, boards, and even the governor of the Bank of England. The limits are that election is once every 5 years, and he can lose confidence of the people. He mentioned that the UK leans to the right, which is the conservative party. He explained that the difference between the US and UK politics were that in the US, politicians advertise for themselves and spend however much they want. In the UK, they are not allowed to spend more than 18 thousand pounds, only get one free post, and you cannot “buy” yourself a seat. He further explained the issues of the Europe: health, transport, education, and desires for Europe to essentially be one country and to be unified. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch really fast on the way back to the hotel to change to go see THE London Harry Potter studio. Dane, Kelly, and I spent the whole rest of the day together. We ran upstairs (literally) and changed because we thought we were going to be late to our Harry Potter appointment, and it was apparently an hour travel time. We smoothly got there, although it took some strategizing and mostly just trusting Dane with his navigating abilities. 

We finally arrived to the Harry Potter bus stop after several tubes and a train later, and a double-decker harry potter bus picked us squealing Harry Potter geeks up. We ran to the top and sat in the front! We arrived and our jaw dropped at the massive size of this building. This studio is THE actual Harry Potter studio that the cast grew up in and worked in; it contains almost every set they used to film the movie! We got to walk in THE great hall, explore the common room, and even fly on the actual broomsticks they did as we wore capes and they filmed us! We had butter beer, walked down Diagon Alley, and saw all the make up, architecture, and behind the scenes artwork and talent. It was literally one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced, and on my top 5 coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life list. We were speechless most of our time there, and it’s so hard to try to even put into words unless you experience it for yourself.

We decided you don’t have to be a Harry Potter fanatic to appreciate it. All I can say is WOW; a definite must-see if anyone is ever in London. Afterward, we went to a boardwalk area by the river called Las Iguanas, and the atmosphere and food was to die for! I had Spicy pesto, mushroom, and cheese quesadillas. We were STARVING. We walk so much here that everyone is ALWAYS hungry… someone even asked today if they thought that as much walking as we have done, did I think we had ran a half-marathon yet? I said yes. At least it feels like it. Anyways, after that, we went back to the hotel and crashed for the night, only to get up at 6:30 a.m. again the next morning…

Le Jour Cinq (Day 5)

Rise and shine and hellooooo 6:30 in the morning, again. We had our 8:00 a.m. Fat Tire Bike Tour, and it was the perfect morning for it: 65-70 degrees, and clear skies. We arrived and all of the tour guides were from London, so of course we got to hear more of that lovely British accent I have grown so fond of. Our tour guide’s name was Josh, and he was absolutely precious. 95% of the tour was through a couple of different parks, and he would stop every now and then and explain what a building or monument was; such interesting culture and history they have here, and I cannot wait to get home and read more about it. The main park we rode through was called Hyde Park, and it’s sort of like Central Park. SO many people here go to the park, and we all agreed that Europeans truly know and appreciate the meaning of rest in contrast to American culture and business. There were gardens and swans and kids and huge trees you could spend hours climbing, and it was beautiful. We got to splash in Princess Diana’s river pool, where it was packed with people wading their feet in and enjoying the sunshine. We stopped at a small cart and ordered ice cream and fruit drinks and laid in the grass, and then we got to witness a practice guards were doing at Buckingham Palace for the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee (her 60^th year of reign). Between that and the Olympics, there is much going on here in terms of celebrations here in London. 

After the tour, we all had to book it back to the hotel to change into our business formal and then catch yet another tube and walk like 100 more miles (okay, I’m exaggerating) to get to Harrods, our next company visit! Harrods is the largest department store in the WORLD, and boy do they do things right! Our host gave us a presentation of what happens here at Harrods, and how they implement their mission statement into their business strategies and how they are so incredibly successful. This place has it ALL, and by ALL, I really mean it. From Clothes, furniture, pets, food, and a spa to estates, yachts, food, and much much more. They pride themselves on their customer relationships, and foster many international business and revenue. Their customer service is impeccable, and a customer at Harrods is always treated with the utmost respect; they go above and beyond in EVERYTHING they do. An experience at Harrods is seriously a magical experience and a memory to hold forever, ah, it was wonderful! Ladies, you would have DIED at the awe factor of this place. I think I could have shopped there for a week and still not have seen everything, oh. my. word!!! It's a girl's dream. We all received a gift bag from them and were then dismissed to explore the store, where Kelly, Allison, and I bought black Longchamp bags. We then ate at an incredible pizza place inside the store, and had to leave to come back to meet our group at the hotel for the show Wicked! Flats rubbing our feet raw and legs that felt like they couldn’t move anymore, Kelly and I breathed in our hotel room for about 10 minutes as all we did was throw a scarf on with our business formal attire without the jacket, too exhausted to change. We. Have. Not. Stopped. Wicked was AMAZING!!!! I’m so glad I chose to see that show, and the voices were perfect; it was magical!

Le Jour Six (Day 6)

Our final day in London: free day. But this girl wasn’t about to sleep any more than necessary in fear of missing out on seeing any part of this city I have become obsessed with! Sooo a group of eight of us (3 guys and 5 girls) got up and had breakfast at 8:00 a.m., and ready for our day we planned out the night before! We all had one thing we wanted to do today, and we made sure each person fulfilled his or her goal. It was the perfect group of people, and I couldn’t imagine spending the day any other way than the way we did; these people have become my community, and we encourage and pray for one another and the light we hope we are on this trip. We are each other’s encouragement, and God is so good to us. It was seriously a perfect day. We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, saw Shakespeare’s globe theater, walked across the London Bridge, went to the Tower of London (well, we just saw the Tower of London. Brady, one of our amazing new friends who has become like our dad/brother really wanted to go in, so we went to lunch while he enjoyed himself, and we were glad for it!), walked through a tunnel with firework lights all over the ceiling, and took lots of pictures. 

After we accomplished all of this, we ended up splitting into two groups because two of the guys wanted to go to Oxford Street to purchase Olympic souvenirs and gear, so Kelly, Sydney, Brady, Jordan, and I went to Hyde Park to enjoy the weather, lie in the shade, take pictures, people watch, enjoy each other’s company, and simply REST. That was the thing on MY to do list. It was magical. We spent about an hour and a half there, and made a 5-minute walk over to Kensington Palace for High Tea at 4:30! We were served wild berry tea, scones, crumpets, sandwiches, and deserts. We felt so classy and British, and it was so restful. On our way back to the hotel, we were all so delirious and were laughing hysterically at EVERYTHING; people probably thought we were so weird/annoying. It was then time to leave, and the day was slowly slipping away. Kelly and I got back to the hotel and took an hour nap before coming to dinner at a British pub near our hotel called “Great British Pub” with Sydney and Allison. 

I had the best tomato soup I’ve ever had, and we enjoyed a class of Cabernet Sauvignon red wine. It was an amazing last day in London, shared with incredible people. I can’t believe it’s already pretty much over, and we are headed to Paris at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning after one last yummy free buffet breakfast. I need to make sure and tell my waiter friend bye. I will miss the tube and talking to random people (my favorites are the school children), I will miss “Mind the Gap,” and I will miss its traditions and beauty. I appreciate how much they love their monarchy system, and my heart is broken for the lack of “spark” or aspirations the people here have. There’s almost a sense of loneliness about many of the people here, and it saddens my heart. My prayers go out to this city, and may the Lord bless it and save the lives here, for many of these people need Jesus. I have enjoyed my time in London way more than I ever imagined, and I think I might cry tomorrow morning when we have to part from it. I’ve tried to soak in every moment I could and enjoy my time here, for I have no clue when I will get to return. I loved trying to immerse myself into the culture, talking to locals, observing their mannerisms, learning about their history, and living a dream. I have been captivated my this city and the magic adventures it has brought me, but I am PUMPED for Paris, and I am itching with excitement to explore the city I have been learning so much about for the last two years as I have studied French, and I finally get to practice this beautiful language in a beautiful city. So for tonight, Goodbye London, HELLOOOOOO PARIS! EEEEEEEEEK!