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Friday was my last day of sitting in with the front office, unfortunately. I really enjoyed the fast-paced energy and constant co-worker and client interaction that seems to be lacking from my department. I did, however, go out to lunch with my boss, co-worker, and supervisor from NYC (who all enjoyed a pint I might add) before heading back to the office for the afternoon. Cue 6 o’clock and I was out of there, very much ready for the weekend. Despite the pouring London rain, Ashley, Lauren Gensler, and I made our way to Covent Garden for dinner at an Italian spot called Orso, followed by Snog and Wafflemeister for dessert in South Ken (confession: we took the tube one stop from South Ken to Gloucester… but it was down pouring in our defense!). The rest of the night was spent with me catching up on Greys Anatomy in bed before calling it a night. Both my week-long lack of sleep and the terrible London weather pointed to turning in early.
Saturday, November 6th
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Saturday morning, I had to wake up at 7:30 in order to meet my boss at 9 at her tube stop in the Notting Hill area. My phone had a slight accident (and by that I mean it’s completely dead) Wednesday night, so she was generous enough to lend me her spare phone my remaining time here. However, she forgot to bring the charger to the office Friday, hence the Saturday morning meet-up. After that run-around, I headed back to Gloucester Road to meet up with Ashley, Lauren Gensler, and Andrew to journey out to Stratford, an area in the out-skirts of London, but also the home of the 2012 Summer Olympics! Blue Badge Guides (aka certified by London) give 2-hour tours daily of the history of the area as well as the Olympic site, so we definitely wanted to check it out while we were here. One of the main reasons London won the bid is because of what they promised to do with the money, going beyond just the sole Olympic events. The area is extremely rundown and dirty because of past industries that developed there like tannery, fertilizer making (from blood), bone china, etc. No corporation would ever have enough money to support the restoration of the area… except the Olympics that is. Already the water ways have been cleaned, new infrastructure is being built that will function for the Olympics in addition for the area afterwards, etc. As of now, London is completely on schedule and on budget, which is a major accomplishment, unlike China which “had paint drying during the opening ceremony,” as our tour guide jabbed. Not only are they on schedule, but they plan to be completely finished with everything by next July in order to have an entire year to run tests and make sure the finest conditions for each event are upheld (they want to have the most world records made at any Olympics). They are also using existing stadiums and areas for some of the events. For example, the North Greenwich Arena (aka The O2, but they can’t call it that because O2 isn’t sponsoring!) will be the site for gymnastics, Greenwich will have equestrian events, and tennis at Wimbledon. Finally, Stella McCartney will be designing England’s opening ceremony apparel, in addition to the gymnasts uniforms!
Olympic Stadium Now...
... and Later!
I had a general idea of where I was going, but mainly stuck to my no-fail strategy of “follow the crowds.” I got off at the Sloane Square tube stop (only to be greeted by amazing Christmas light displays… I love how they start so early here!) then jumped on a bus that said Battersea on the front. I had no idea where exactly it was going, but I figured I couldn’t be too far off. When the majority of people started getting off at one particular stop, I followed suit, trailing them until I reached the park… success! I met up with a friend from BC who is studying at Queen Mary but had yet to see. They estimated that 50,000 attended, but because the park is so large, it didn’t feel like that at all (except when we left…). The fireworks display was incredible, orchestrated to several different songs (80% American I might add), including one by Katy Perry entitled “Firework” which includes the lyrics “just own the night like the fourth of July.” Wonder who let that slip…
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Sunday morning I FINALLY got to sleep in! Even after 10 hours of sleep I still felt run-down, so I spent most of the morning lounging before meeting Ashley and Maggie on High Street for a movie! It was the first time I’d seen a movie since August, so that coupled with the freezing cold weather made for a welcomed treat. We had all been wanting to see “The Social Network,” so we met up for the 11:50 showing. The movie was SO good; I’d definitely recommend it. (I especially loved all the Boston scenery and references!). We all agreed the lead, Jesse Eisenberg, deserves an award of some sort. My favorite part, however, occurs in the first five minutes of the film. Disclaimer: if you or someone you know goes to Boston University I would suggest skipping to the end of this post :) In the midst of breaking up, the girlfriend tells Mark, “I can’t do this anymore… I have to go study!” About to storm off, he says, “No you don’t!” “Why not!?” she asks. “Because you go to BU!” I actually laughed out loud in the theatre, while at the same time I was very grateful we didn’t bring along any BU kids!
After the movie ended, we all felt like it should be dark out when it was really only 2PM. Maggie and I decided to get our weekly Sunday grocery shopping done, starting at Whole Foods (I needed to restock on peanut butter, of course) and ending at Sainsburys. By the time we got back it was 3:30, and we spent the rest of the day uploading pictures, sending e-mails, making dinner together, the usual Sunday activities. I got to bed by 11 (relatively early by my London standards), trying to get in as much sleep as I could before the work week begins again…
Cheers,
LC
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