Thursday we were able to have a lazy morning because we did not have class. Our only plans were to explore a Hindu Temple, and go to a pub with our flatmates and friends.

We visited the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple, which is the largest Hindu Temple outside of India. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pictures inside of the temple, so you will just have to take our word for how stunning it was. It only took 3 years to build, and everything was carved and etched by hand into the marble. All of the constructing and designing was done by volunteers. Everything was prepared in India and shipped to London to be constructed. Nothing was broken on the journey over and the Temple was built very efficiently. The inside was just at beautiful as the outside and the details were incredible. We had to take our shoes off before entering the temple which was a unique experience. We got to learn a little bit about the religion while exploring the temple. One room we were not allowed to talk because it was a room of worship and quiet reflection. The tour of the temple was amazing and we loved learning about the Hindu religion.

After the tour, we went to a pub called, The Fight Club. The inside looked like an old fashioned carnival, it was so cool. They have dart boards you can rent. The vibe of the place was really cool, and the drinks were yummy. It was a fun night out with our friends, and we will hopefully be going back to play darts.

Friday was our Harry Potter Tour. We all bought shirts specifically for the tour. Yes, we are those people. We definitely got some looks but we were having fun! The tour took us to different filming locations as well as locations that inspired the author. We walked through the narrowest street in London which was a little stressful. We realized as we were on the tour that we had already been to many of the locations, we just didn’t realize it. We ended the tour on a boat across the Thames River.

Us and one of our friends decided to explore Camden Market after the tour. We found a Harry Potter shop and we walked in still in our Harry Potter shirts, so we felt a little weird! They had wand and broom replicas and other signed items. We randomly found ourselves back at the Thames River at a park called Victoria Embankment Gardens where we got ice cream and just walked around. It was a great end to a fun day! -SYD & SAM