The quote that is the title of this entry (thank you Ari Cohen) seems to have become my new motto. I’m beginning to learn that I am addicted to experience. I knew 10 minutes into my road trip out west this summer that my free time would begin to revolve around traveling and new experiences. I love going to new places, meeting new people, and even more sharing experiences with the people I love the most. This weekend was easily one of the best weekends of my life, but let’s start with the build up to it…
Monday started off with a good GRA 345 class then off to the farmers market with one of my roommates, we made a yummy eggplant dish for all of our roommates and even had a surprise visit from our good friend Andy! I have gotten very into cooking since being here, it’s relaxing and much cheaper than trying to find food in our neighborhood. Feel free to email any recipes (Kelli.Bracken@gmail.com), I would love to try anything. Tuesday started off with a run in Hyde Park with my roommate James, booking a trip to Wales in the middle, and ended with a great night at the Sports Café. Wednesday was filled with a trip to Notting Hill, getting lost on Tottenham Court Road and ending with a screening of Billy Elliot at school.
As one of my friends put it, homesickness comes in waves. Everything can be perfectly fine but then one thing will set off a feeling and, in my case, its all downhill from there. I don’t even know what it was on Thursday morning that set me off but I got my first big wave of homesickness. It’s weird the things that you start to miss while far away from your loved ones and I am finding that I miss the little things the most. I hate not knowing the stupid little details of Mindy and Kelly’s days and am missing my beloved ski team rituals. To make it all that much worse when I got to the club where my Fine Arts class was attending a performance that night, this sign was overhead.
But what can cure a case of homesickness better than a visit from your very best friend?! Needless to say Kelsey and I’s meeting with Ari and Kristen was epic. And then just a few hours later I met Rachel. I honestly didn’t realize how much I had missed her until we were sprinting towards each other on Edgware road. After we “collected” our friends we all headed out to O’Neil’s. After introducing the now Spaniards to Strongbow we danced the night away. Kelsey and I kept pinching each other, not being able to believe that our best friends were actually with us.
Friday started off as a lazy morning. After waking up the kids with pancakes in bed (you taught me well Dad), we headed out to see the sights. We walked from our flat in Marble Arch through Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace. It was one of the most gorgeous days we have had since we have been here.
From there we ventured to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and all the way to Harrods. My parents had told me that Harrods was an experience but I was not expecting what was in store for us. Literally you can book a vacation, buy a hamster, get a pedicure, redecorate your entire house, get a haircut, have high tea AND spend every penny you have ever earned in this one monstrosity of a store. Thankfully we were too exhausted to even think about buying anything.
We left Harrods with the highest intentions of finding an authentic British pub for fish and chips. We absolutely found what we were looking for. We had a great meal and even better conversation. The five of us get along phenomenally and the best part is that a mere 24 hours before I had never met Kristen and Kelsey and Rachel had never met.
From there we headed home and got ready for our night out. A few memorable moments of the evening would be Ari & I’s ski team-ness, family portrait, the lovely woman on the tube, getting refused a cab ride because we were literally too close to our destination yet couldn’t find it, taking 45 minutes to find Waxy O’Connor’s just to be told it was closing, taking another 20 to try and find our friend Andy, ZOO BAR, Congo lining, going to the golden arches, and the late night Piccadilly Circus people watching. All and all a very memorable night.
Saturday morning I woke up and realized that if they left that morning the “Madrid Invasion” weekend would have already been one of the best weekends in London. But we still had more than a day left with them!
After our “Christmas morning” breakfast from Chef Ari we made our way towards the Absolute Icebar. Icebar is a bar where the walls, bar, tables and even the glasses are made from ice. Obviously the skiers in all of us were in heaven. The bar is kept at -5 degrees Celsius (so 23 F for all you Americans) and they give you a “thermal cape” with gloves to keep you warm, though we still got quite chilly by the end. It was definitely one of those “I went there” experiences.
But poor Icebar was quite overshadowed by what we did next…
We then ventured to a few stores on Regent and Oxford streets, picked up lunch from Pret and made our way towards Wembley arena. Now at this point Kristen and I did not have tickets to the Jay-Z and Coldplay concert, we were just going for the ride with them and hoping (well really really hoping) that we could find cheap tickets. On the tube we made a plan of action saying that we wouldn’t go over 55 pounds for tickets. Oops. We ended up buying standing room tickets (right by James, Ari & Kels) for 60 pounds.
Best 60 pounds I have spent.
The concert was one of the best concert I had ever been to before we even stepped foot in the door. The experience of scalping tickets (ps it is much more accepted in London, no shady dealings like in the states) was exciting and quite a bonding moment for Kristen and I. Once we were inside we headed down to our standing room seats to prepare for Jay-Z. I have never been a Jay-Z fan but absolutely am one now. Not only was he an awesome rapper but also an amazing performer. I felt like I was experiencing the concert through my whole body. The vibrations in my feet seemed to explode all the way through the top of my head.
And then came Coldplay. I cant even put into words how amazing of an experience their performance was. Sorry Rusted Root and The Clarks, Coldplay just knocked you out of the best concert ever spot.
To set the scene as soon as they started their set it started raining. Let me rephrase that, as soon as they started playing it started raining in the only way London knows how, torrential downpour. We were soaked through and through but yet couldn’t stop smiling. I really don’t know how I can put the concert into words other than to say that we have already started talking about how we will literally be talking about it for years to come.
Sunday morning started with teary goodbyes to Ari and Kristen, a perfect trip to Notting Hill with Rae and ended with more teary goodbyes as I put Rae on her train to Gatwick.
It is probably unnecessary to repeat but this weekend was fantastic, though it will probably end up being the most expensive weekend I spend in London, I don’t regret a single pence.
Now as I sit in my beautiful flat writing this I realize how much I am starting to fall in love with this city. I love getting lost in Hyde Park on my daily runs, commuting to school on the tube, and coming home for a cup of tea with my roommates. I am excited for what tomorrow, my day free of classes, will bring. Possibly the Charles Dickens or Princes Diana walks, an exploration of the paths along the Thames, or a number of the other “must see” areas of this magical city.
I will end with wishing my sister Heather a very very Happy Birthday!! I miss you very much and hope that you have some time in your hectic grad school life to celebrate!
Cheers,
Kelli
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