My First Weekend in London

I had a lovely first weekend in London! Friday night a bunch of us ventured to Soho and went to a nice Greek restaurant for dinner.  Saturday two friends and I walked up to Notting Hill, about a 20 minute walk, for the famous Portobello Market.  It was a very rainy day but the market was full of people and delicious looking foods! There were also all kind of trinkets and merchandise for sale.  The area was really nice and I would have liked to explore more but torrential rain sent us and the market packing.  

After this wet excursion I went to the British Museum.  On the way I found the YMCA on Tottenham Court Road where my dad stayed when he was abroad in London.  It was really nice to see a place that I had heard my dad talk about with fond memories and made home seem just a little bit closer to me.  


The British Musuem, obviously huge with lots of amazing artifacts, was a great way to spend my rainy afternoon.  I was really looking forward to seeing the Sutton Hoo Burial Helmet, which I had studied in art history, as well as the Parthenon marbles.  The marbles were even more gorgeous in real life than I imagined.  One of my favorite parts of sculpture is how the sculpters are able to make the clothes drape so delicately over the body, and the drapery on these marbles was stunning! The Rosetta Stone was also really interesting to see!  I may go back during a weekday so I can get a less hassled look!


Sunday I went on a group trip through the program out to Windsor Castle and the Eton School. Windsor Castle is still one of the residences of the Queen and so is very well kept, with standing guards and everything.  The Irish were on guard yesterday! Also Windsor Castle has Queen Mary's dollhouse, which was amazing! Everything is to scale and it is fully functioning, with electricity and gas! It was gorgeous, and incredibly detailed with everything from thrones to miniature crown jewels! The Eton School was also nice to see; it is the private (called public) school that Princes William and Harry attended. 

 It is now the start of the class week, but I have Paris to look forward to this weekend! :)