For our class, we had to be in town by 10:15 Friday morning. The cheapest tickets were for a 7 a.m. train, so we left our apartments at 6 a.m. How wonderful... We arrived very at 8 a.m., we gained an hour with the difference in time zones. First things first, the 7 of us that were on this train headed to South Kensington to drop our bags off at the flats of the Missouri students studying in London. Then, we hoped back on the tube and headed to The Economist, were we were meeting our classmates and coordinator, Gareth.
Our visit to The Economist was incredible. I never thought I would be one interested in reading the magazine, but I actually really enjoyed the time we spent there, learning about it, understanding it, etc. In fact, I wouldn't mind reading it regularly (I know...big gasp). We met with several different people, from those working on the .com site, to multimedia planners and advertising and branding representatives. It was great, to say the least.
Afterwards, we had a couple of hours to wander before our next scheduled meeting. We headed towards Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye and Westminster Abbey. These were all spots I'd seen before, but they somehow seemed different than the last time I was in London. Perhaps, it was the fact that it wasn't the hottest day recorded in all of London's history...I'm not sure though. That's just a theory.
Right after this, we headed to meet with a couple of guys that worked for political think tank, the Center for European Reform. I'm not sure I have ever been more impressed with any two people in my life. The two men, Hugo Brady and Tomas Valasek talked to us about their jobs, daily activities, etc. They asked us more questions than we could answer, which, instead of making me feel dumb, inspired me to learn more about foreign policy and international relations. We were there for a good hour before heading out to meander through more of London.
Afterwards, it was arranged
for us to meet up with the Missouri School of Journalism students on the London program. We headed to a pub called O'Neils near the Earl's Court tube stop (close to where they live) and enjoyed a couple of drinks and some food. It was the perfect ending to the day. Just afterwards, We parted ways with Gareth, and all the students headed back to the flats to get ready for a night on the town.The next day, my best friend from Mizzou, Peter, and I headed to Portobello Market. Since I had been to Camden Market the first time around, I wanted to go somewhere a little different. Portobello was only slightly different, in that it was more of one large street and sold more antiques than Camden. It was really fun to hedge our way through the streets and shop around. I bough a new purse, which I love. I've been carrying it around ever since. We also grabbed lunch at the market. They have all sorts of different ethnic foods. We both opted for brats, though. I was a little wary of trying Indian food at the Portobello Market, seeing as I've never had it anywhere else, either!
We spent most of our afternoon here, then headed back to meet up with the other kids and see what the plans were for that night. After dinner, we all gathered in Pete's apartment (there were at least a dozen of us...tight space!) to watch the Mizzou game streamed through the internet. Oh, how lucky we are to have the technology we do! Unfortunately, the Tigers lost. They still had an amazing season! After the game, we headed to a bar called "Crazy Larry's" for my friend Marissa's 21st Birthday.
The next morning, I headed to a late brunch/early breakfast with cousins Scott and Becky. Once again, we were in the same city. It was great to see them one last time, catch up, and get a great meal. We went to a little cafe called "The Troubador." It was delicious and the cafe itself was really cute. Afterwards, I headed back to the Earl's Court flats. Because there was just a little over an hour and a half before I had to leave for the train station, Peter, his roommate (and my friend from reporting last semester) Adam, and I headed to Abbey Road. I had wanted to see this ever since my trip to Liverpool. It was also one of the many things in London I hadn't done before. I decided to check it off of my list of to-do's.
We signed the wall, leaving our names there for at least a couple of days (they must repaint it at least once a week)! I, obviously, took a picture. I had to have proof of my signature there!
We didn't get to take a Beatle-y picture crossing the street, but it was very cool to do anyways. Finally, Pete and I took a picture in front of one of the few Abbey Road signs, so I would have that as proof too! Soon after, I had to head back to the flats to grab my bag and meet up with the other Brussels girls so that I could head home.
Overall, I'd say it was a successful weekend. Oh, and did I mention, they sell Dr. Pepper in London. I grabbed 4 to stuff in my purse for my return to Brussels :). All's well that end's well!
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