Covent Garden

Today we explored Covent Garden, which is this cute area near the West End, full of restaurants and shops. We took the tube to get there (using our Oyster cards, just like all the locals!). It was our first time this trip using the tube. Turns out we could have just taken a bus and it would have been a lot cheaper. But it's all about the adventure! We figured out what Line we wanted and what direction -- we even got off at the right stop! The tube is my new favorite place in London -- FILLED with locals and their accents! On the way there, I heard all about these teenage girls lives. How their weird friend wouldn't stop commenting on their facebook statuses (pronounced "state-us-is" of course) and how Bridget and Nathan's relationship was on the rocks. When we got off the tube, we had to take a lift (elevator, c'mon get with the British lingo!) to the ground level. There was a HUGE mass of people waiting in a queue (not a "line," don't be a tourist!) for the elevator, so we decided we would take the stairs. There was a very large red sign as we began our ascent, which said something along the lines of, ("what's that sign say? / no bare feet / not that one, what's the other one say?! / no fighting / what's it mean? / no fighting" McDonnell family and Teny you should know what thats from. But really, the sign said...) "Warning. There are 193 stairs. Only use in an emergency." Kay..... well there are a lot of other people taking the stairs. And the line is so long! How bad could it be?? O. M. G. 193 is not a small number. At all. Next time, waiting for the lift.

We got lunch at this pub called "The Globe." My roommates and I have decided that this semester abroad may as well be the gigantic search for the best fish n chips in all of London. And we began that scavenger hunt for greasy food, today. The Globe was so-so. They cost about 10 quid. I think we can do better. More authentic. The atmosphere didn't seem dirty enough for the deep fried, basically crappy white fish to be authentic enough. It was a five level building, tall and narrow, with too much sunlight to feel like a good old-fashioned British pub.

The rest of the day we just explored the shopping area. There were so many people doing outside entertainment. A man and woman singing opera on a staircase in front of an Italian cafe, those weird people who paint themselves all one color and stand really still like a statue until you get close enough so that when they bark and jump out at you, you nearly fall over from fright, a magician who did his whole act whilst standing on his head, and a very short, very hairy man playing some type of flute. Pretty odd.

The streets were jam packed with people. I guess the British like to come out shopping on Saturdays (Mom, like a certain other group at the glendale galleria on saturdays). It just really made me realize, "Todo, we're not in Clemson anymore." It's exciting, being in such a bustling city. Kept my eye out for Gwyneth or Jude or someone who looked familiar. Too crowded though, so no spottings. I'll have to keep looking.