Stalk me in Stockholm
A fourth year Biomedical Engineering major from California studying abroad in Stockholm from August 2011-December 2011 wanting to share her experiences with her friends, family, and curious strangers.
After an early start from Cambridge, Christina, her dad, and I set off for an exhausting but breathtaking walking tour of London! I’m extremely excited to be doing all of the touristy stuff and taking lots of pictures but if people who weren’t there at the time the picture was taken were to look at the pictures (yes, reader, that means you), I could see it getting boring fast.
SO. I’ve decided to narrate my adventures around this part of the globe in another way…
I’ve decided to help Mario find Princess Peach, and what better way to start looking for a Princess then at Buckingham Palace!
Fact: If the Queen is home, she has a special flag that she flies on the top of the palace. This particular time, she was on holiday out in Scotland.
Mario decides to go check the London Eye and Big Ben next.
Mario then swam across the River Thames and personally watched as all the cars circled around the Ferris Wheel and she was no where to be found.
Mario decided to stop and have some lunch and enjoy the view because he needed some extra star power to continue his search for Princess Peach.
Mario then decided to make a stop at Big Ben to see if Peter Pan was there and could help him, but he wasn’t, and the Parliament Building attached to Big Ben was close so Princess Peach could not have been there.
Mario thought that since Prince William married [the now] Princess Kate here at Westminster Abbey Princess Peach might be waiting there, too.
Fact: Many famous people are buried here, including Famous people buried here include Chaucer, Newton, Handel, Dickens, and Darwin (to name the few.. that I’ve heard of).
Mario thought hopping on a hours would expedite our search, but the guards were really not very nice.
Fact: The original London bridge in London, England was sold in on April 18, 1968 because it needed rebuilding to a buyer who then reconstructed the bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona. London then rebuilt a new London Bridge in London which was completed in 1973.
Mario then proceeded onto the Tower of London. [Fact] After all, it does currently house the Crown Jewels so it would be the perfect place for Princess Peace to be kept safely.
Fact: Created in 1078 and continuously worked on for centuries, the Tower of London has served many purposes such as a prison and a royal residence.
Mario didn’t find Princess Peach, so he decided to cross the Tower Bridge.
Fact: This is the most famous bridge in London, known for opening and closing it’s central sections to allow for big ships to pass through.
Mario then made an English friend named Henry, who offered to help him find Princess Peach.
Mario and Henry waited at the station to get on “the tube” to continue on with their search.
I started the day with a continental English Breakfast, consisting of delicious breakfast tea, yogurt and Meusli (sort of a granola mix), toast and marmalades, and some gouda cheese.
Christina and I then embarked on a 6 hour walking journey of the town. We started by walking through a park on a hunt for the market area, which consists of shops, cafes, and other tourist attractions. We shopped at an H&M, found postcards, picnicked at a park, toured the chapel at King’s College, got asked to go on a punting tour (think Venice gondola rides, see below), witnessed a punter “teach” a tourist how to punt (think boy teaching a girl how to shoot some pool.. mmhmm.. haha).
I wore TOMS… probably not the best idea.. but the day was amazing and every time I took a picture I wish I had the access of real time uploads so you could see what I was seeing.
Tomorrow is another day to galavant in Cambridge before heading to London on Sunday.
Here are some pictures from my day!
Bed and Breakfast Christina, her father, and I are staying at.
Red English Phone Booth :) (Smelled like stale cigs though)
Postcards, H & M Purchase, French Brie sandwhich, and Buenos! (Shoutout to Amira Lopez and Jennifer Cadiente!)
Lunch in the middle a park surrounded by brick buildings from all angles.
Christina and I in front of Kings College Chapel (Punters in the background).
-April.
Just got to the bed and breakfast place we’re staying at in Cambridge!
Did you know that globally, US News ranks Cambridge University here in the UK ranks absolute 1st, in front of Harvard and Yale?
I’ll be posting pictures tomorrow!
//
After two days of traveling, I’ve already met two new friends, Eric the Middle Eastern Studies major at Columbia & Christopher the recent grad English major from U. Conn. who now writes documents for an insurance company. It’s amazing how open fellow travelers are with each other! It almost feels easier to strike up a conversation at an airport gate then in class.
This town looks like something out of the movies. To put it in perspective, Cambridge University was established in 1209 and today is considered the 2nd oldest University in the English speaking world!
-April.
Stockholm, Sweden — my new home for the next four months!
Flying into London next week for some Cambridge touring and then heading to Stockholm to experience some Swedish living through a few nights of homestays before I move in with my kind, kind friend in her residence hall since my lease doesn’t start until September (thank you x100000 Christina! Bring on the good times!)
