England + snow = CHAOS

Our snow day on Monday was great, but school opened again on Tuesday. However, there was still lots of snow and ice everywhere, which wasn't so good considering I didn't have snow boots or anything. Wednesday I went on a field trip to the Tower of London with one of my art history classes led by "Stormin Norman." It was cold and wet, but overall enjoyable. We saw the crown jewels which were amazing! You stand on this moving sidewalk that slowly brings you in front of all the crowns, and it was so beautiful that a bunch of us went back and drooled over them again. We also learned about the White Tower and how it has been used as a prison, palace, armory, etc. 

After that I grabbed lunch with some friends at Itsu, a healthy eatery/Asian food chain that seems to be pretty popular with young working professionals. I had "Detox" soup which was miso soup with tofu, noodles, and veggies. Then I headed over to St. Pauls cathedral where we were meeting for my design history class. We didn't go into St. Pauls but we walked all around the area and saw some old architecture as well as new architecture such as the Gherkin Building and the Lloyds Building. We also stopped into the oldest pub in London - apparenly it's not abnormal for classes to end up at a pub? - but by that point I was so cold and wet that it was hard to retain anything he was saying and I just wanted to go home. 

Later that my roommates and I went down to Leicester Sq, a popular place for going out, and ended up at this little tapas bar that was not quite a pub but more like a quiet bar. The interior was cool with dark wood tables and ornate details in the architecture, and it was a great place to just hang out for a while. 

Thursday I slept in a little, worked on some homework, and then went on a Jack the Ripper tour, led by an ex-policeman and expert on the Jack the Ripper. It was an evening tour to add to the drama, and we were brought to the places where the 5 victims were murdered/where there bodies were found. Really gross and creepy! We also walked around the area where the movie about Jack the Ripper ("From Hell") was supposed to be set (it was actually filmed somewhere outside of the UK). The whole story is pretty crazy - how people saw the killer and his victims when they were alive but no one saw them leave or heard screams. It was also interesting learning about the two police corps who patrolled London and how their was an invisible boundary between the two territories, which was influential in how Jack the Ripper got away with so much. The tour was fun, though I am glad I don't have to do it again! 

Friday my friend Sarah and I went to Covent Garden, about 20 min away from my flat but only 5 from school, to take a dance class at Pineapple Dance. They have about 12 studios (!) and tons of classes to pick from every day of the week at all levels. You pay a membership fee - a day, week, month, 3 month, or year - and they pay for each class as you go. We took an all-level jazz class to get back into dance again and it was really fun! The studios are small and there isn't much space, but it has a city studio feel. It's definitely something I would like to do once a week or so, especially since it's so close to school and everyone there is a local. After class we walked around the area and stopped into a Cafe Nero, which is kind of like a Starbucks but not as expensive, to get cappuccinos and croissants. After that Sarah and I split up and I headed down to Oxford Circus, a main street for shopping, to check out the area. I ended up finding a cool pair of wine colored skinny jeans for £9! They also had a student discount which was great. My mission to become more British is slowly coming along!

So far today has been nice - got up around 9:30 and headed to South Kensington, 2 tube stops away, to check out a farmers market I saw an advertisement for. It was on a small street and wasn't a huge market but had a stand for meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, bread, and some fruits. I picked up an assorted bag of about 10 apples and a bag of mixed greens for £1.50 total. I would definitely go back to get some eggs and fresh bread but I didn't want to carry a ton of stuff home. From there I wandered around the area, turning streets wherever I felt like it. It's a really nice area that's residential but also has really nice restaurants and more high end shops. I stopped into a couple furniture/homey shops and then all of a sudden I was in front of Harrods! So I walked in there for a couple minutes but that place is crazy - you need time to wander around and check it all out - I had already been walking around for over an hr so I didn't stay there long. It was cold this morning but turned out to be a nice day with blue(ish) skies and not very windy. Now I'm going to work on some homework before going out to dinner with some friends. 

Feel free to leave some comments and check out the pics!