The 2 Week Mark

I have now been in London for 2 weeks. In some ways it feels unbelievable; in some ways I feel like I have been here for months. In this seemingly short time I have already done so much in this beautiful town. For length's sake I will make a list of my top 10 favorite things (in no particular order) I have done so far in London. Some will be culturally justified, while others will be....well, you read my first blog post--I found it necessary for my first entry to describe the soda situation here in London. So...enjoy :)

1. Saw Les Miserables (maybe order can be applied to this one....#1 for sure)2. Went to Cambridge....absolutely beautiful; everything a campus should be (bought a sweatshirt so maybe people will think I go there) Yes, Connie and I almost got hit by a bus on the way to Evensong, but that happens to everyone a few times in their life, right?
3. We have become regular speedwalkers/light joggers/brisk walkers in Hyde Park.
4. Became regular customers at a few of the local pubs (have you noticed I'm all about becoming a regular at places?....some things never change) the King's Head, and the Phoenix. The King's Head was the meeting place of some new Norwegian acquaintances.....ahh, the Norwegians; Marios, Marcus, Petter, etc.....they of course made my top 10 list.
5. Portobello Road Market. Picture a saturday at a swap meet.....but times that by 20 and add antiques.
6. Bath (the town, not an actual bath.....i'd rather die than take a bath here). The town was gorgeous, rustic, elegant, etc. So much so, in fact, that Nicholas Cage found it a suitable place to reside. Just kidding, that holds no credibility.....he actually detracts from it; worst part of that town for sure....I wanted to deficate his doorstep.
7. Patisserie Valerie.....OH my gosh. Amazing. The best desserts I've ever had. Obviously things of this nature (sweets in general) are very important to me.
8. I must say, one of my favorite days here was when I put on my ipod (Muse was playing) and took a walk around Notting Hill. I was trying to find a park to write in my journal, and happened to find the park from the movie.....just like Hugh & Julia found, it was gated, covered in vines, and only available to residents of the complex. But unlike Hugh & Julia, I decided not to hop the gate....maybe another day.
9. Madame Tussaudes (wax museum). Oh wow, the closest I will get to

being one with the celebs. My only regrets--they are 3-fold: 1. Will Smith was getting a costume change so we were unable to meet and get jiggy w/ it. 2. I posed with the incredible George Clooney, only to find that whoever took the picture in fact DID NOT take the picture. 3. I did not see, therefore did not get to meet and take a picture w/, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff); the wizard must have disapparated on me, haha (well I thought it was funny).
10. Ok, I know I already mentioned this, and it may ashame my parents that I would add this to my top 10 list, but I have to be honest with myself--Melvin's (the market where I first discovered DP0) has to be one of my favorite parts of every day. Not only am I well acquainted with all the 3 staff members (Melvin, Hamid, and the big lady who I have conversations with about various Reeses treats), but they have made a committment with me to ALWAYS have a regular stock of DP0, as well as my Hit (Hit cookies--coconut edition....I'm so obsessed with them that Connie has given them the worthy name of my cocaine-nut Hit....very clever, she knows). The point is, I have made some loyal friends in Melvin, Hamid, and the big lady....and they understand me. So if that's not worthy of a top 10 list, I don't know what is.

So my first week in London has already proved to be everything I hoped it would be and MORE. I can't believe the architecture around here; it's the most gorgeous city I've ever been in. The buildings, the tubes, the shops, the parks...I could go on and on. And I think I will because this is my first very own blog and apparently on blogs you can say whatever you want.

So my first major concern when I got here came up as I went into convenient store after convenient store failing to see any Diet Dr. Pepper. As anyone who knows me could guess, this wasn't just a minor issue. I alerted all the girls on my floor to keep their eye out, and LO AND BEHOLD....a few days later my bunkmate Connie rushed into the room to tell me that she had found me Dr. Pepper Zero!!! Now, it's not like I'd every heard of that or anything, but the prospect of it was like a glimmering ray of hope. Now, I tried not to get my hopes up in case it turned out to be that sugary nonesense. I was fully prepared to be disappointed when I went into that choice convenient mart and took a swig of the foreign dp0, masquerading as my beloved ddp, but guess what?!? IT TASTED AMAZING!! Like, all of a sudden I felt like I was home again, filling up my 32 oz. mug at crest or conoco. How could life be any better?? I have since become a frequenter of that mart (obviously) and I can already tell that Melvin (the check out dude) and I are going to be great friends :)