Shopping and Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park

Wow, did this weekend fly by.

I have no classes on Fridays, so on Friday, I went shopping in the Oxford Circus area with Diana, Katie, Meg, and Becca. We went to Top Shop and H&M and a huge designer store (I forget the name). I got a black clutch at Miss Selfridge, which was connected to Top Shop, and a gold heart hair barrette at H&M. London styles are different from the US styles. Right now, skinny jeans and flowing tops are in, as are short dresses with leggings. I didn't see any flared jeans; only bootcut and skinny were available. People in London tend to dress a step nicer than Americans, on the average day.

Friday night I went out with some friends to a club called Walkabout. It was ok, but too crowded and people kept stepping on my feet/crowding me, which was really annoying. Had to bring out those elbows! ;-)

Yesterday I went to the computer lab to print my resume and clips, only to find that the lab was closed. So after a quick pit stop at the grocery store, I headed to the Kensington Central Library. I had to wait a half hour for a computer and the librarian only gave me a temporary library card, since I'm not a citizen (or, should I say, a subject of the Queen). The library was fine, nothing spectacular. I had time to analyze my notes for my assignment due Tuesday before I printed what I needed.

On the way home, I passed H&M and decided to stop in and have a look. I was feeling a little homesick and I think shopping was my comfort. I found a shirt on sale for 5 pounds, and when I got to the register, there was an extra 50% off, so it was only 2.50 pounds. And I bought a pair of skinny jeans. I'm still not sure how I feel about them, but they were on sale. And I figured: when in Rome, do as the Romans. If I decide I hate them, then I'll return them.

My friends went out to a pub last night, but I had started writing my paper and I was on a roll, so I didn't want to leave. I finished the first draft of my paper and my parents called me before I went to bed.

Today I was supposed to go to a service at Westminster Abbey with Diana and Katie, but they wanted to sleep in. I was going to skip it, but then Nate imed me and said he'd go, so we went. The service was in St. Margaret's Church, and it was a beautiful building and a nice service. It was Protestant, but I was surprised at how similar it was to Catholic Mass.

St. Margaret's Church

The Abbey wasn't open for tours, and some woman started taking pictures of the inside of the church after the service, which I thought was tacky and disrespectful. I hope to return to Westminster Abbey eventually to take a tour.

This afternoon, I walked around Hyde Park and did a little bit of reading there. There were lots of people and dogs. Here are some pictures of Hyde Park:

Hyde Park Pond

Hyde Park Pond

The Serpentine Gallery. There is an auditorium in the middle and it's a cool building architecturally. I walked up to the top, but it wasn't high enough to have a great view.

Royal Albert Memorial. This monument is gorgeous and huge.

Elephants in Hyde Park. There was an exhibit of a bunch of these elephants made of branches. Apparently, the exhibit is to create a habitat for elephants in India.

Tonight I'm going on a walking tour of London with Katie and maybe Meg and Diana. I think we're going to do the "Ghost Tour." I also want to do the "Harry Potter" and "Jack the Ripper" tours.

Tomorrow is my interview with the Sunday Times. I'm nervous, but mostly prepared. I've ironed my clothes and I have my resume and clips. I want to buy a Sunday Times today to look over.