"When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London."-Bette Midler

I'm starting to feel more of the "study" aspect of study abroad. Classes are in full swing, but the workload is not too bad yet, although I do have a couple of papers assigned already. About half my classes included walking field trips all over London, where the professor talks about the history of the neighborhood and its buildings (all in the same fashion as the Power in the City class I took in New York). London's so nice with its narrow winding streets and brick buildings, it's sometimes hard to understand why it's compared with New York's busy sidewalks and wide avenues. Everything is pretty and old. So far, my classes have taken me to the Prime Meridian, the British Museum, and on top of St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's has amazing views of London, and despite the light rain, it was fantastic to look out over the entire city.

Naval College at Greenwich

This weekend the Thames Festival was held on the river. The festival is an event with live music, stalls that sell tons of food and merchandise, and games. The festivities conclude with a parade and fireworks. The fireworks scene was as crowded as the riverbank could possibly get. After a while, my friends and I gave up and sat down in some empty chairs in a park, surrounded by a mob of people pushing toward the waterfront. While we didn't have a riverfront view, the fireworks show was just as amazing, and we didn't have to fight the crowd. Before the Thames Festival, I went out to Portobello Road Market. Lots of antiques, trendy shirts, and the best lunch I've eaten in London yet-a chicken wrap and a nutella crepe.

Fireworks at Thames Festival-The perfect view!

Grandma and Grandpa are landing at Heathrow in about an hour. Tomorrow when I'm not in class I'll be showing them around London.