Grayslake Reunion Part III: London, Days 2-3

It's been a good few days since my last post, but I promise I'll finish up my tales of London with the girls in one last go! Stick with me here...

On our way 'out' for the day!

On Sunday we woke up a bit late, but it ended up being fine since it was absolutely pouring outside. We decided that this day would be our indoor activities day, so we headed to a covered street market in search of some breakfast and shopping. The market was absolutely massive with plenty of stalls to occupy our time.

Megan and me in the market

I love Harrods!

After dropping our goodies off at the hotel we hopped right on the tube and made our way to Harrods. This massive department store is like a strange and perverse amusement park. You can find anything your heart may desire there - including caviar that runs at £5,000 a pop. Instead of the usual men's and women's departments, there is also a pet store, chocolate room and bar, espresso counter, food hall with some of the weirdest imported foods imaginable, incredibly massive toy section....and there are many more that are eluding me at the moment. We had quite a bit of fun running around for a good few hours.

Riding the Egyptian Escalator.

This proved to be our biggest tourist attraction for the day as it was raining even harder when we left! After a delicious Italian dinner, we headed back to our hotel for a rousing night of euchre. Our friends group has always enjoyed a good, competitive game, so we were perfectly happy to sit in our hotel for the evening.

Why, yes....We did push our beds together. We're that cute.

Mind the Gap? Mind the RAIN!

After checking out and depositing our luggage for safe keeping the next morning, we were determined to hit up the spots that we had missed the day before. Although it was still raining, we were determined to brave the elements and squeeze in some more touristing before we had to leave for Elizabeth's. We decided that our morning would start at Westminster Abbey in hopes of squeezing in some breakfast and pictures before the changing of the guards ceremony. 

A rainy version of the Mom Picture.

Even in the rain, Big Ben looks good.

And then we found Abe Lincoln....and those jerks shunned me for leaving IL!

Buckingham!

We proved to be disappointed, however. It was another rainy morning, which meant the changing of the guards ceremony was decidedly cancelled. We still managed to enjoy the absolute decadence that is Buckingham Palace. We spent the time marveling at the golden gates and climbing on the Victoria Monument before heading to Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly is London's answer to Time's Square, and, let me tell you, it is way disappointing. It is basically just one tiny corner of Time's Square, so it's a little underwhelming in comparison. There were some massive tourist shops in the surrounding area, however, so we were perfectly entertained.

Megs, JJ, and me in Piccadilly!

Red Phone Booth +
Big Ben = Super Tourist

Trafalgar Square

Our last stop on our tour of London was Trafalgar Square. Although we did not climb all over the lions, we did manage to finally enjoy some nice weather. The rain clouds had finally cleared, so our last stop in London managed to include some blue sky. Who woulda thunk?

The gang in Trafalgar Square

For the rest of our stay we were at Elizabeth's house in Bury St. Edmunds. We did a lot of hanging out, wine drinking, dessert eating,  and euchre playing. It was just nice to have a bit of normalcy with the girls. It was kinda like old times, so it was perfect that we ended the trip that way. 


On that note, I will leave you with Megan & Elizabeth, our trusty tour guides:

And did I mention that Miss America came with us to London?

Grayslake Reunion Part II: London, Day 1

Right before they passed out
on the train ride...

On Saturday morning Megan, Janice, and I awoke bright and early so we could catch a train down to London. After grabbing some coffee and bagels, we were on our way. We chatted and napped to pass the time and, before we knew it, we were pulling into King's Cross. After a very short while, we were jumping up and down and group hugging with Elizabeth. We were only a little bit excited....

Since we were already there, we figured it was the best time to take our first group tourist picture. After inadvertently wandering onto a construction site, we finally located Platform 9 3/4 - Harry Potter's finest attraction! Now, Elizabeth, Janice and I are HP buffs. We would spend summers at the pool in high school discussing the latest installment, bemoaning the loss of Sirius and Albus. Megan, however, is our last holdout. After years of friendship, we have yet to convert her. This, somehow, didn't stop her from joining in on the fun with only the slightest of eye rolls.

Right after the homeless man scared the bejesus out of Megan.

The gang at the Tower of London.

From there we made our way to our hotel, which was situated near the Tower of London. After dropping our things off, we decided to check out the glorified prison and its famous bridge. We decided not to pay the entry fee, but we did spend quite a bit of time on the surrounding steps admiring the view and enjoying some ice cream. Once again, we were thrilled to have such a beautiful day. There was nary a cloud in the sky. The last time I did all of the touristy things in London it poured the entire time, so I felt like I was experiencing the city for the first time all over again. Plus, the girls were there with me this time, so, ya know, that helped. :)

Oh man....we sure are artsy.

Sweet angle, dude.

Getting ready to walk across!

Elizabeth and me at the
Globe Theatre.

It seemed only logical that our next step would be to walk across the famed Tower Bridge. This is always a really cool experience, purely because the bridge is so incredibly massive. We took our time so as to admire the views and appreciate the breeze. Somehow, we managed to follow up that bridge with a much newer one. We put our walking in for the day and wound our way down the river to the Millennium Bridge. On our way we were lucky to spot some intense street dancing, the HMS Belfast, and the Globe Theatre. 

The Tower Bridge!

On the Tower Bridge, enjoying the majestic breeze.

Megan and me on Millennium Bridge.

Walking across the Millennium Bridge was an entirely new experience for me. Being an engineer's daughter and a member of the state-winning bridge building team for science olympiad (respect), I was especially impressed with the sleek design. Elizabeth was kind enough to share that when the bridge initially opened it shook so dangerously that it had to be closed for renovations. Thanks for that one, buddy. You could have waited until after I had walked across...

Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance.

Mom Picture with
St. Paul's.

The Millennium Bridge leads right into St. Paul's Cathedral, so it was a no-brainer where our next stop would be. We had some fun taking pictures a la The Bean in Chicago. Outside St. Paul's are plenty of large, shiny orbs. Not sure what they're actually for, but they made for a good picture opportunity nonetheless. At this point we had pretty much exhausted all of the tourist attractions in that area. Since Megan's cousin was also in town, we decided to meet her under Big Ben. Oh, did I mention that Elizabeth (almost) ran into a pole on our way to the tube? With her face less than an inch away from the obstacle, she luckily caught herself. Beware of reading a map while walking!

The Bean in London? Yes, please!

The Eye! Basically a glorified
ferris wheel. But I'm not
complaining.

It's Big Ben, duh!

We decided that since the weather was so flawless and there was a chance of rain for the next day that it was time to check out the London Eye. This was another entirely new experience for me, so I was particularly excited. Despite the slightly steep entrance fee, I have to say that it is entirely worth it. Like a massive ferris wheel, you are sequestered into a glass pod in which you can freely walk about. This allows for a 360-view of the city, so you're left to marvel at the famous landscapes. It takes about a half hour for it to go all the way around, so we had plenty of time to take a million pictures.

Looking down at one of the pods.

Mom Picture, back by popular demand.

View of Buckingham Palace

St. Paul's Cathedral

Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster

Janice and me - so cute!

Megs and me

Wait...we're missing someone...

There she is! The whole gang's here!

This is what happens when
you let us loose in London.

After dinner at a pub and a bit of rapping on the street on my part (Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song, anyone?), we headed back to the hotel. The hotel bar was surprisingly active, so we decided to make an appearance. We had a great time, despite the old man bachelor party that followed us around.   Direct Quote: "You all remind me of my daughters!" Creeptastic. 

That's all for now -- I will be sure to share the rest of our London adventure in the coming days! I'll just leave you with this picture, which will be the cover for Megan's forthcoming debut album entitled "I Heart London"

She makes riding the Tube look GOOD.

Grayslake Reunion Part I: Edinburgh

Megan and me before senior prom.

Based on my last post, I'm sure you could all tell that I was beyond excited for Janice and Megan to arrive. Let me give you a little background: Megan, Janice, and Elizabeth and I have all been good friends since about freshman/sophomore year of high school. We played volleyball together and that really allowed us to bond. We spent a good chunk of the week reminiscing about when we first met and our early days of friendship. Now, we're closer than ever. Many high school friends drift apart, but we somehow became closer in college. I have some friends from college that dreaded going home over break. Not me! I loved it! From our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas parties to summers spent lazing on Megan's boat and playing sand volleyball with the boys, every moment at home was a blast with these girls.

Elizabeth and me at our confirmation - we look so young!

Since we graduated from college, we've spread out a bit. I moved here, Elizabeth moved to England, Janice to South Carolina, and Megan to Grayslake and then Springfield. It has been hard being apart, but we've managed to stay in touch and maintain our friendship. This trip was a really exciting opportunity for us. It allowed us to bring our best friendships to a new, international level. It's the first time we've all really traveled together, so this week was especially memorable.

Janice and me at one of our many sand volleyball games at Jesse Oaks.

Anyways....

At about 5:30 last Thursday they stepped off the AirLink. After dropping their things off at my apartment, we made our way through the Meadows and campus. It's one thing for me to talk about school, but it's an entirely different thing for them to see it all in person. I was glad I got to show them my school, especially the very old and beautiful buildings that the university has to offer. 

The three of us in Doctors!

After a quick jaunt across the street, we were at my favorite pub, Doctors.While we ate our chicken pie and enjoyed some Crabbies, we chatted away. It was so nice to see them again and we couldn't stop talking. By the time we left it was about 8:15, but have no fear! There was plenty of sunlight left for the day. We were aiming to catch the sunset from Calton Hill at 9:48. (More on the late sunset later) After a quick stop at Tim Riddel's grave in Greyfriars and a visit to Bobby's statue, we slowly made our way to Calton Hill. On the way we also checked out the Scotts Monument, which looked great against the blue sky. Somehow the girls brought amazing weather with them. It was beyond crappy crappy crappy right up until they came, and then BAM! Blue sky. I'm sitting here in my room right now and grimacing at the overcast sky outside my window. The girls had two days in Edinburgh, and they got the two nicest days in the last month.

Waiting for the sun to set.

Calton Hill is always a stop on my tour of Edinburgh. It's one of my favorite spots in the city, especially when the sun is setting. After a short but steep staircase, you're at the top and left to admire the beautiful view. Plus, there are plenty of quirky monuments that you can play on - like the National Monument. It is forever unfinished. After running out of money, they decided to just leave it. It's a rough climb to get on the National Monument, but I highly recommend it. Besides, it is highly entertaining watching others try to get down. It may not be far, but it sure feels like it!

A very zoomed out but cute picture of us on the National Monument.

Meg and me, excited that we made
it onto the National Monument in
one piece!

Fully exploring the self-timer
function on my camera.

Our night ended with a drink at the Pear Tree. This is a pub right by campus with a beer garden. Since the weather was so nice, we couldn't resist. We got home and in bed by midnight, but that didn't mean we actually went to sleep! We hadn't seen each other in person for months, so we had a lot of goofiness and girl talk to catch up on. Despite the lack of sleep, we woke up bright and early the next day, ready to take on the castle. On our way there, we made sure to stop at the Elephant House for breakfast. Although Megan is not the biggest Harry Potter fan, I still consider this to be a must for any tourist. Not only can you feel the magic, but the food and coffee are pretty good.

Getting ready to head inside the castle!

We luckily had perhaps the best tour guide I have ever had at the castle. He was very funny and knowledgeable, so the girls really enjoyed the castle. As I have told you, the castle is a massive place. You can get lost in there for hours, and that's just what we did. 

Jammed together in a guard booth.

Climbing on the canons inside the castle.

After frolicking around the castle for a good long while, we went in search of some lunch. We settled on Deacon Brodie's Tavern for some sandwiches. It was a fairly warm day for here, so we were happy to get out of the sun. I will admit, I got a bit sunburnt. Without a cloud in the sky, I had nothing to protect me against the mostly weak sun. After our food and plenty of water, we were ready to tackle the elements once again. 


The afternoon was spent shopping on the Royal Mile. The girls had plenty of souvenier shopping to do, so I gladly brought them around to the many tourist shops in the area. I may live here, but this is one of my favorite things to do. I love finding something new and quirky and I especially like finding the most ridiculous thing that Scotland has to offer. For example, does anyone really need that highland cow hat? Or those socks with thistles all over them?

We found our very own Braveheart impersonator on the Royal Mile. Huzzah!

After a stop in St. Giles Cathedral, we were ready for dinner. Sami came to meet us at Deacon Brodie's (again!) for dinner. At lunch the fish and chips looked really good, so we faced potential embarrassment and went there for a second time in one day. Turned out that their fish and chips WERE super delicious, and it may be where I bring all of my visitors from here on out. 


After an excruciating walk home in which we all realized we had to go pee 5 minutes in, we began getting ready for our trip down to London to visit Elizabeth. It was another night of late night chatting and giggling. Since we knew we were soon going to be reunited with our long lost fourth member, we were a bit anxious to be on our way already! Make sure to come back again in the next few days to read about our time in London.

A final shot of our little group, enjoying the lit up skyline from Calton Hill.

Be Back Later....

I'm off to reunite with some of my favorite people in the world! As I write this, Megan and Janice are already in the UK and they will be in Edinburgh in approximately 16 hours. As of Saturday, we will be commencing with a group hug at the base of Big Ben with Elizabeth. The UK is about the experience a plethora of cuddling, Grayslake-style.

I will see you all next week with a rousing blog entry regaling our adventures.