Today is Thursday and also the day we start classes. The way our schedule works is that we have one class each day, except the class runs for four hours in length. This will certainly be a test for most of us I think, but I imagine that with time it will feel like a no brainer and just fly by.
Over the past couple of days I finally got a better sense of the areas surrounding The Crofton, where I am living. After orientation sessions in the morning yesterday I walked around for a bit and discovered some of the other streets beyond Queens Gate. There are lovely shops, pubs, cafes, and more on quite a few corners in the Kensington neighborhood. Walking around at lunchtime the vibe is so relaxed. Yesterday we walked through this square area that was lined with bakeries and cafes where people sat outside sharing tapas and sandwiches.
Not before long though it started raining again. I've come to learn quickly that it rains just about every day here in London, but only for 20 minutes or so at a time. It has rained every day since I have arrived so I am learning to deal with that quickly and have prepared myself to expect the sudden change in weather pattern.
Yesterday evening I also got the chance to have dinner with some friends that are also studying in London for the semester. Scott and Tim are both studying at the London School of Economics (this is their second semester in London) and with their expertise of the area of Covet Garden they were able to take Reid and I around a bit last night. It is great to have friends from home here in London and its all still a bit surreal that we can all meet up in this city.
Besides orientation sessions, which have filled up most of the week so far, on Monday we took a boat tour on the Thames River, which gave us the chance to see some of the cities' most recognizable sites from the water including Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral and more. The boat took us all the way to Greenwich. It was beautiful there and we were able to walk around for as long as we wanted before having to find our own way back to Kensington by train. While exploring the Greenwich area we came across some beautiful buildings and climbed up to the top of Greenwich Park to the site of the Royal Observatory. We also came across the filming a commercial, which was supposedly for McDonalds, so we will have to keep our eyes peeled for that one on the TV! With all of the boroughs in London it will be hard to visit every last one throughout the semester, but visiting Greenwich was a good start. Overall the area was very quiet and serene. I think visits like these to some of the rural outer boroughs of London will be added to the list of things I would like to do while here.
Monday afternoon ended with hopefully the worst experience of the semester (I may be exaggerating a bit), but on my way back from the grocery store, with a full load of bags, it began to rain. And of course this rain wasn't the light mist that I had experienced prior; it was a complete downpour, but with only 10 minutes to walk I sucked it up and walked in the rain back to The Crofton. I managed to soak my shoes, which dried rather quickly so that was a plus, but now I know to take a better look at the weather forecast before I buy a huge load of groceries. Luckily we finished off the night by visiting a local pub called Gloucester Arms, where I purchased my first legal drink!
Well that is all for now!
Update: Second pillow purchased! The bed is now much more comfortable and I'm sleeping like a baby :)
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