Day 22- Week 3 in London

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." -Samuel Johnson

Three weeks in London. Three reasons why I have fallen in love this week:
1) I am independent. I finally feel that I have a sort of control in my life and a sense of calm here. I know where the grocery stores are-- where to buy cheap grapes, where the better peanut butter is...where to purchase Splenda minis (look them up-- they're wonderful! I might be bringing them back to the States if they're not available there.) But really-- when I walked home alone after my evening class yesterday, after getting lost in Covent Garden and finding my way back with my groceries, I felt like an in-control adult (pronounced add-ult here). I felt like I knew my way around. And it felt good.

2) The weather has improved and the city is even more gorgeous than it already was (even in the snow). The temperature is about 50 degrees F now, and though there is rain, the sun has been out frequently. Previously, I had underestimated what a great difference a sunny day can make.

3) I've discovered where the microwavable popcorn is sold.

Three things that make London a bit challenging still:
1) The dryers in Conway Hall are complete crap. My living room was an open show of my wardrobe on Tuesday because, after 3 drying cycles, 3 pounds, 3 hours, and 3 long headaches, my clothes were still sopping wet. I believe I spent the equivalent of 8 dollars for wet clothes. Unfortunately, I might just have to take to commandeering the living room each week because the nearest laundromat is 1.6 miles away.

2) Coffee is small. And expensive. The average size small coffee is about a 1/4 smaller than American smalls and usually about 2.50 (pounds). Last week, while studying at the Royal Festival Hall (please look up the Royal Festival Hall's Singing Lift. Here is a great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkeH1bfEHg8. I usually get just as excited as those children, if not more.) Mom- you would LOVE this. But, anyway, on a Sunday, I was hunkering down and studying for the afternoon, hoping to sip on a latte. I went to the cafe and noticed that a latte was 2.25 and a macchiato was 1.80-- much better, right? And I've had macchiatos in the States and enjoyed them. But when I received my drink, I found that it was nothing more than a half-filled Dixie cup-- a shot of espresso with milk. Not a drink. Needless to say, I will not make the mistake again. And I did have Jenny go back and order me a latte. (I couldn't embarrass myself by returning.)

3) I can't seem to find the pretzels.


Updates:
I've been very busy this week and I know I've been terrible at posting here. But here's a quick summary since last time:

-I saw Matilda the Musical, which was absolutely, utterly FANTASTIC. We were able to get 5 pound (about 8 dollar) student tickets last Tuesday and I will have to say it's one of the best musicals I've ever seen. Hands down. Please look it up. (If you're my family, I've downloaded the album on iTunes, so please listen!!!)
-People in my basement had a mulled wine and blackcurrant brie party last week. Our rector walked in and called it "classy and heartwarming." It was a nice party.
-I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of my Inside London class last week and saw many wonderful exhibits. I hope to go back to that museum. One of the great ones was a British Pop Music exhibit. When I walked in, they were playing "Runaround Sue" and I immediately thought of my Aunt Sue. It was a nice moment.
-I went to Stonehenge and Bath last weekend. Both were absolutely amazing! Stonehenge is as pretty as the pictures. Though I wish you could get closer. And Bath will probably wind up being one of my most favorite places here. It's completely gorgeous. We saw the Roman Baths and walked around. But unfortunately, the Jane Austen Centre was closed for renovations. I'm considering going back when it opens again.
-Visited the Camden Markets this past weekend. It was described as a hipster type market, which seemed exciting, but when we got there, I felt that it was a bit less hipster and a bit more metal head. There were some neat shops and the food smelled great, but I didn't find anything wonderful. We also learned that you should always say you're Canadian, not American. The marketeers don't like Americans and automatically assume you're rich if you're American. I felt we were being ripped off. So we left and discovered Primark, which is a four level organized Forever 21, essentially. It has great clothes and shoes at really, really low prices. I found a nice bag for classes and a good scarf.
-Walked around Clerkenwell and Holborn for my Art and Architecture class and saw many great sites. But my favorite was Postman's Park. Please Google it. It's a memorial built to everyday heroes. It's hidden behind an old church and it has a great story. I hope to work on it for my final project.

And some pictures in no particular order:

Studying in the Royal Festival Hall on a particularly snowy Sunday.

When the sun finally came out! Trafalgar Square.

My coffee mishap. Left: my Dixie cup macchiato. Right: My real latte (still not an American small).  I did find a good sized latte for an affordable price at Fernando's, my new favorite cafe near school. It's a tiny, tiny family run shop (Fernando actually makes your sandwich!). It has affordable prices, free fruit, and a friendly atmosphere. It think I'll be visiting there on many of Wednesday lunch breaks (my eat out lunch day because I have 9-5 classes). My favorite is the fried chicken and bacon sandwich. It's probably slowly killing me, but it's nice to have a good sandwich now and again :)

The stage at Matilda. Magic.

Chandelier at the V&A. Made from blown glass in Seattle-- are you reading this Uncle Ed and Aunt Denise. Also, if you are reading this, my rector said his favorite fish and chips place is Master's!! You guys have great native taste!

Self-explanatory.

Outside :( the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. (At least I got a Jane Austen postcard.)

The Circus in Bath. The buildings are Georgian in style, which I've learned means that the individual houses are unimportant in appearance, but when viewed together, the image is striking. This is certainly true.

The Crescent in Bath (again, Georgian)

Gray telehone booth. This is me trying to go in. It was locked.

Roman Baths. The water is actually hot.

The Romans in Bath worshiped the goddess Minerva. So everything in Bath and in the Baths was named after my kitten. Meow.

Postman's Park. LOOK IT UP!

This looks like a real meal, right? I thought it was progress. I used real vegetables and meat. This was a chicken casserole that turned out like a pot roast. I will call it a success.