June 16, Day 25

Normal breakfast, as always. Today was another free day. I never really have a plan of what I want to do on free days (I think that’s been pretty clear). After breakfast, I took the subway alone one stop west to the street that houses Caffe Nero. I’m going to miss the tube so much. It wasn’t until today that I finally really figured out how the system actually works; I figured out that the trains come from different direction depending on where you’re headed and I found out how to tell which side of the actual train will be opening to get off of the train, and I also figured out how the platforms work and which side you need to be on in order to head to whatever direction. Maybe that sounds simple, but it’s something I had never really paid attention to when I was with everyone else. I definitely prefer to be alone, because I’m honestly more aware of what’s going on around me, and I think that’s true for anyone really. So I got coffee. I always order a grande vanilla latte with half the amount of vanilla. At Caffe Nero, their sizes are small, regular, and grande. So I get a large. For a large, they will fill a shot glass entirely with the syrup you ordered to put in your drink. That is way too much for me, so eventually I decided to be brave and be picky about my drink (like you mom HAHA JKJK) and ask for specifics. One thing that kind of makes me sad about Caffe Nero is that though they do dose freshly ground espresso before pulling shots, there is no tamping involved with the baristas. It’s all done in their machine apparently. A little sad, but whatevz. Also, another thing about coffee in England, actually in Europe as a whole, is that when you want your coffee to go, you don’t ever say ‘to go’. In Europe, you order it for ‘take away’. I think it’s really funny, and feel very European ordering by saying, ‘grande vanilla latte with half a shot of vanilla for take away, please,’ minus my American accent. So I got coffee, hit up the Cornish bakery for a delicious pain au chocolat, and stood and waited at the station for the group to show up.

We headed out to Birmingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. I didn’t really have any idea what that was, I just knew that it was free and was something for me to do and see while I’m here in London; thus, I tagged along. (By the way, I’d like to mention that the weather was exceptionally beautiful this day, much like it had been the past few days. Sunshine and saturated blue skies with large white fluffy clouds is an absolute rarity for a place like London, and the weather had been just that on this day and quite a few others. We had great timing coming to London.) We arrived at the gates to what I would assume were to the palace, but I’ll never be sure because it was SO crowded- an excellent opportunity for some street photography. I mostly took photos of other people taking photos, always fun. It was also the first time in awhile I had my camera on me, so it was nice to be in my element shooting again. I eventually went though another roll of film, and that marks 8 rolls I’ve gone through so far on this entire trip. That honestly doesn’t seem like a lot compared to my fellow classmates’ over 3,000 digital pictures. 8 rolls at 36 exposures is 288 photos, which for film is A TON. Also, that’s 288 photos of what I have planned for my photographic series from this trip, with the exception of a handful or so, not 20 photos that may work for my project than the rest just touristy things. It’s been quite relaxing to leave all of the cliché touristy shots up to everyone else throughout the trip. I don’t have to waste my time on them because everyone else is taking them for me. Hah. We didn’t stay there too long, mostly because we couldn’t really see anything that was going on, but we did occasionally see a big band cross the street then an entire group of horses and guards all decked out in their british garb.

I headed back to the hotel alone, because from there the majority of the group departed for Stonehenge, and two others planned on going out and about with each other as they usually do. On my way back I was informed that apparently we bought a weeks worth of internet, but no one was really supposed to know and they were keeping it on the down low so that it wouldn’t be abused. So while everyone was gone, I had some internet time. I caught my blog all up and got to skype for awhile with Ma and Pa. Other than that I just hung out and watched tv and ate chocolate. Kind of lame to spend my time in London alone, but sometimes it’s nice to just sit in one place and veg in front of the tv for a few hours.

After some time people trickled back to the hotel, and eventually we went out and ate at Zizzi’s again, the itialian restaurant some of us had gone to a few days ago. Definitely the worst dinner ever- I got the ‘risotto verde’. The colours and textures of the meal were great, but it was SO bland. I honestly think they forgot a crucial ingredient in the dish. It was just risotto with peas and green beans and zuccini and lima beans and a lemon wedge… absolutely no falvour. I was disappointed. Oh well. I went back to the hotel and got some more alone time. I found the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift on tv and watched the entire thing in honor of the boyfriend. He likes movies like that, and that one specifically. It was kind of sad watching it though, I admit. I’m sure it will be nice once Im back in Kansas to know that he’s only 3 hours away from me in Wichita rather than being an entire day or something away across seas on a different continent.

It was a nice relaxing day for me. I got a lot of rest and individual time and was prepared for another museum day and a day full of being around the group. I also can’t really believe that I’m going home in 3 days. This trip is nearly over. Psycho.