Catching up...

Sooo...it's been a week since I've blogged, and so much has happened. I'll try to be brief (because even though I know how interested you must be to read about every single aspect of my life you are most likely very busy and don't have much time to waste!) :)

Upon Margo's arrival, she and I planned out a busy week. I am glad to say we did check off most of the items on our to-do list. Our week began with a visit to Oxford Street where I FINALLY witnessed the monstrosity that Londoners call "Top Shop." Ohmygosh this place is huge, intense, overwhelming, and utterly fantastic. I absolutely hate shopping, but found myself going through every section and floor wide-eyed and loving it all. I must say it was most interesting to just watch the people there - mainly the employees. Their style is, how should I say, one of a kind?

On Tuesday I had a leisurely morning and then I was off to Gunersbury to find CBS News. Fortunately, I do not have to switch lines to get there - I can get on the District Line and travel directly there. However, it is all the way out in Zone 3, which means I will have a very pricey oyster pass each month. I'm hoping I can convince my employer to reimburse me for my transportation costs (many of the other students on the program have been fortunate in their efforts). I ended up meeting Maggie back at Earl's Court, and then we hopped on the tube to meet Jack and Margo for lunch. Our destination:  Subway! It was great to finally eat an "American cookie" rather than a "digestive biscuit."

I then took on the role of a tourist (I don't mind, as long as I end up with some great pics/memories). We went to several places that afternoon...

• The British Library:  tons of original manuscripts including those from Jane Austin, Shakespeare, Mozart, Haydn and THE BEATLES!! I literally got goosebumps when I saw John Lennon's scribbles and doodles. An epic moment for me, indeed. 
  
• King's Cross Station:  Dare I say we went on yet another Hogwart's adventure? Well, believe it or not, we found Platform 9-3/4...and I may have tried to see if the brick wall would let me through in order to board the train to my favourite school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As you can see, I managed to make it halfway through before the platform closed...
  
• Westminster: It was a picture perfect day. We snapped shots of Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey all with blue skies in the background! Gorgeous! 
  

After all our adventures Tuesday, Wednesday definitely ended up being super laid back. It's probably bad when the highlight was how Maggie and I talked about how we needed to blog for about 2 hours without even attempting a post. 

Thursday was my first day at CBS News. I was definitely feeling nervous the night before, which prompted Margo's offer to travel with me that morning. She took pictures as if she were a mom dropping me off at my first day of school (presh). I will post those later when I get the files from her! It actually ended up being an eventful day. Britain's Got Talent is HUGE here, and there was a ton of controversy surrounding one of the main contenders in the competition, Susan Boyle (SuBo as the British Tabloids call her). The judges (sadly excluding Simon Cowell) were in studio doing interviews for the CBS Early Show and Inside Edition. We did a live shot with Piers Morgan which was extremely cool to help set up and watch. Later Amanda Morgan came in (who is a MAJOR star here) and we finished up interviews. I'm excited to see what the rest of my summer will entail as an intern here. 

Friday was another gorgeous day (it's definitely been averaging 75 each day...FAB). After our BLC Class, filled with a history lesson of Britain's government evolving through the years (which I of course, LOVED), Maggie and I met Jack and Margo at Hyde Park. We picnicked and then ended up going to St. James's Park, which led us to Buckingham Palace. Of course, I didn't have my cam, but I plan of stealing some of Maggie's photos later to post. 

Friday night was unbelievable!!! Our goal was to see the sunset over Parliament and Big Ben, but after a series of unfortunate events (running late, getting on the wrong tube line, etc.) Maggie and I ended up getting to our destination just after the sun was below the horizon. But I'm so glad we got there when we did. Everything was lit up beautifully against the light blue night sky. I literally got goosebumps, and once again had a moment where I realized how much I do love this city. 

On Saturday I watched Chelsea beat Everton for the FA Cup, which is comparable to the our Superbowl. However, their version of "football" is obviously much different than ours. As a new resident of the Chelsea Borough, this was an excellent win for us! Everyone was in the streets, cheering and later even setting off fireworks. 

But the most exciting part of that day, and arguably my favourite memory so far was seeing Abbey Road. For those of you who don't know me I am a HUGE Beatles fan (hence my excitement earlier in the post). There were four of us, along with Jack, who we put in charge of photog. We waited for traffic to clear then had our moment crossing, just like John, Paul, George and Ringo did years ago. I, of course, was the leader of the pack, just like John was in the famous album cover. However, I was mildly disappointed that I did mess up my pose by being on the wrong foot when Jack snapped the picture.

 

 

There is a ton of graffiti along the fence by the famous crossing. I really liked this line from someone named Tiago from Brazil, "Hey, Lennon I'm still imagining!"

There are some many more details that I could mention about my second week in London town, but I have already broken my promise to keep this brief, and in turn have missed my scheduled bed-time. This week will probably be mostly uneventful, but I am looking forward to my weekend to Liverpool and York. So, get ready for some more obsessive Beatles posts in the near future! For now, I'm letting this blog be...