The Last Supper

Friday, December 10th
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Friday morning had a very strange air to it: our last full day in London. Carolyn and I spent the entirety of our morning packing. It is no surprise to hear that we are returning home with a lot more than we originally left with, but in our defense, we’ve been living in London for over three months! (so hard to believe). Unfortunately, Carolyn’s Crabtree and Evelyn biscuit sampler didn’t make the cut, but it did prove to be a welcomed treat later that afternoon.
Our first outing of the day was very random. Long story short, our friend Lauren Gensler had tried to bring her suitcases to her rented storage unit at 1AM, but it was closed. Leaving at 6AM for three weeks of travel, there was really no other option than for us to bring it there for her. So, Maggie, Carolyn, and I made the journey via cab to Fulham. It didn’t end up being too bad, and by 12:30 we were on the Tube headed to Westminster. Luckily, the station was open, since for the entirety of yesterday is was closed due to the violent student protests. I’m not going to get started on that one, but let’s just say the images of kids kicking and throwing objects at Prince Charles and Camilla’s Rolls was all over the news!
At Westminster, we exited the Tube only to be greeted by Big Ben one last time. You all can appreciate how many pictures I have taken of it since we’ve arrived, so of course, I couldn’t go my last day without taking any! We then proceeded to walk to the other side of Parliament Square to take a few “solo shots” with Ben and the Eye in the background. From there, we walked down Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, passing Downing Street along the way. We also made a quick stop at a kitschy tourist shop to buy last minute souvenirs: London ornaments! Once we had our last glance of Nelson’s Column (being chemically cleaned of the graffiti from student protestors), we walked through Leicester Square and China Town before entering Soho where we opted to have our last lunch at Hummus Bros! Maggie, Carolyn, and I all are confident that if brought to the States (NYC in particular) it would flourish. Such a good idea.
Afterwards, we walked to Piccadilly, then down an always busy Regent Street, where we made a quick stop at H&M. I did buy something, but only cable-knit socks; it’s about the only thing I can manage to fit in my suitcase! Oxford Street was next, where Maggie had requested a stop at TopShop as she needed to bring home something for her sister, so we spent a good amount of time there. Definitely going to miss that store. Both Carolyn and Maggie managed to buy themselves final TopShop purchases before heading to Harrods for some last-minute souvenirs. I opted to go back to South Ken (on what would be my final Tube ride!) to check-in online and print out my boarding pass before the library closed.
Just a little while later, Carolyn returned to our flat and we relaxed for a little while before heading out for the last time. I had suggested getting dinner in South Ken or Earls Court, since the sentimental part of me thought it would be nice to spend our last night in our home neighborhood. On our way there, we got stopped TWICE for directions, and both times we knew exactly where to direct them! I told Carolyn it was definitely a sign on our final night; it was a clear rite of passage moment. :)
We ended up settling on Thai Square for dinner, a great Thai restaurant right near all our other favorite eateries in South Ken. After a fun last supper, Carolyn headed to the Creperie to get ice cream, while I went to Snog for the last time, as I had been craving it all week. Maggie, Carolyn, and I then had a final leisurely walk back to Courtfield, saying goodbye to all of our familiarities along the way. When we arrived back, we did some last-minute packing before Maggie came in our room for a couple of hours of memory recollection and laughs (and biscuit tasting!). Around 11, we said the last of our goodbyes to Maggie; the final three had become the final two. I’m so jealous that Maggie, Ashley, Allie, and Carolyn will all be reunited at Wake in only a month, but I guess it just means I need to start planning my Wake Weekend now!
Tomorrow we have to “check-out” with our RA at 8, followed by the car arriving at 9. As my Dad would say, just a wake-up to go…
         Cheers,
         LC