Today we set our alarms for 9:30am and had a relaxing morning. We headed out around 11am and had no place in mind to go. We just walked down a street that we had never been on before and we discovered a more “modern” side of London. It is really cool to see a 21st century building right next to 17th century buildings.

While wandering around, we stopped at a pub, called The Rising Sun, for lunch. Let me tell you, this was some of the best food we have ever had. We had mac n cheese and lasagna. Now before you make fun of us for not venturing out in the food department, it was way different than the pasta you can get in the States. The pub vibes, service, and food were so great that we want to go back.

After eating at the pub, I (being Sydney) had to stop at Superdrug, comparable to a CVS or Walgreens, for allergy medication. I was not expecting to have allergies here but they are pretty bad. I bought a familiar brand; however, they use different spelling and they have braille on the box (so cool!). We then stopped at Sainsbury’s to pick up more groceries for dinner and lunches. Update: we found deli meat! We also found bite-size brownies that are absolutely incredible. After these pit-stops we went to the room to meet up with some of our flatmates.

We, along with the flatmates went on a panoramic bus tour of the city. I (Samantha) was so excited to find out the bus had a foot rest that pulled down from the seat so my feet could actually touch the floor! We got to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and drove across the London Bridge. The architecture was so beautiful and different from the States. The streets looked like they were out of a movie set.

In the evening we took the Tube for the first time. It was an easier process than we thought. Although, I (again, being Sydney) almost did not get on in time. There was a beeping noise we heard so we all rushed on and I was in the back and got stuck between the doors. Thankfully I made it on. The reason we took the tube was to go to the Sky Garden. When we got there they told us we needed tickets, so that plan flopped. However, it was not a waste because we got to explore a nearly empty part of London called the Financial district. The buildings there seemed like something from a futuristic or dystopian world.

The last stops of the night were to a pub called the Flying Horse and McDonald’s. The pub was very cute and had a basement we all sat in while drinking our London Pride beer. After, we stopped at the McDonald’s next door to see if it tasted similar. We can confirm that the fries are indeed just as good as they are in the States.

Today was a long day. Writing all of this seems like we had a week packed into one day. It was super fun exploring more of London, trying food and drinks, and traveling with our flatmates. -SYD & SAM