This morning marked the start of our last full school/work week here in London...seriously, where has the time gone? Before heading to our class this morning, we received a special visitor: Molly missed her flight to Barcelona last night, so after her mom headed off this morning from the hotel, she made her way to Courtfield and spent the morning here. Shortly after her arrival, Lauren and I made the chilly walk to Harrington Gardens for our second to last Architecture class. Since there was a tube strike today, our original trip to Greenwich (which requires a long tube ride) was postponed until next week. Instead, we spent the morning taking a walk around our area, formally known as "The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea." Lauren and I have tried to explore Kensington as much as possible, but we are the first to admit that we have not strayed far outside our normal routes, so we were excited to see a little bit more of our home turf!
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| Kylie Minogue's newly purchase flat! |
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| Katie Middleton's flat...no big deal. |
We began our walk through a myriad of super posh streets, each one prettier and more picturesque than the next. Our professor explained the history of each area but, more importantly, made sure to point out a few celebrity homes along the journey (she knows us too well). Although she only pointed us in the direction of Hugh Grant's street (which we fully intend on visiting before we leave), we passed directly in front of Kylie Minogue, David Bowie, Tom Ford, and Kate Middleton's (!) flats. We also got to see the homes of more historical figures, the highlight being A.A. Milne's (author of Winnie the Pooh) quaint house. We made our way to King's Road and walked along the river until we reached the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. This is a place for military men to come and live if they have no where else to go; as residents, they are provided with shelter, food, clothing, and pretty much anything else they need. We walked through the grounds, which feels more like a college campus, and got to peak into the chapel and mess hall. Along our way we passed by numerous old men who cheerily greeted us as we walked by; Lauren's and my heart melted! From the Hospital, it was only a five minute walk (thank goodness...our legs were numb at that point) to our final destination, the Saatchi Gallery. Charles Saatchi is a world renowned advertiser, but his interest in modern art led him to open this cutting edge, and often controversial design space. We were free to roam around the galleries, but within two minutes of seeing the pieces shown, Lauren and I bolted. A ceramic horse with a mink coat over its head does not say "art" to us, sorry. After successfully sneaking out, we were able to find a bus back to South Ken for the afternoon.
When we got back, Lauren decided to stay in and thaw while Molly and I headed out for lunch. We decided on Nando's, a small London chain that specializes in chicken dishes. We had a delicious meal, and afterwards bravely made the freezing walk to South Ken station for a Ben's Cookie...totally worth it. After coming back and hanging out for a bit, it was time for Molly to catch a cab back to Heathrow. It was hard to say goodbye; I'm glad we only have a little over a month until we get to see each other at Wake! Once she was safely in a cab, I decided to head over to Harrods to do my Christmas shopping. I swept through the food halls and gift shop in probably record time, and after making my purchases headed back on the bus to Gloucester Road. It was not long after I returned that I was headed outside once again, as Lauren, Maggie and I decided to return to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Although it was bone chilling cold, we ended up having a great time! We started off with dinner at Jamie Oliver's food stand, which was delicious. After our meal we roamed around the stalls, picked up some dessert, and even tried on some furry hats to try and keep us warm (wasn't our look, unfortunately). Once we had successfully perused all the gifts, we crammed back onto the bus and made our way back to Courtfield.
Now we are sitting in bed, listening to Christmas music and trying to plan out our next two weeks! So much left on the to do list, so little time!!
xo Carolyn
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