FOURTEEN.

Since my trip from Greece things have been pretty busy around London. Halloween weekend my good friend Garrett from Randolph visited since he's studying in Cork for the semester. It's always fun to meet up with old friends in new places so we had a great time. Halloween is not as big of a deal here as it is in the states but people do still get dressed up...they're just not as creative. To play it safe, Lauren and I wore dresses and our friend Mike wore a suit so if anyone asked he was James Bond and we were Bond girls. Luckily, nobody thought it was strange that we were wearing dresses!

Monday night a few girlfriends and I went to see our friend Steve's band play a show in Camdentown. It ended up being a blast - the band was great and very entertaining and it reminded me of all the shows I used to go to at home...so it was the perfect way to spend a Monday night.

Tuesday was the street lighting of Oxford Street and Regents Street. They were decorated in the theme of a Christmas Carol to promote the premier of the new movie! I went to the stage at Oxford Street and watched a few live British music acts and saw the Mayor Chancellor and the Mayor and most importantly JIM CARREY! He was invited to light the street because he's Scrooge in the movie. After the street was lit they had everyone sing Oh Come All Ye Faithful which was precious and made me extremely happy and giddy. Later that night Lauren, Caroline and I went to see the band 3OH!3 (from colorado) play a concert in Camdentown. It was so so so much fun and just a huge dance party.

Wednesday on my way back from school Emily Cassandra and I had a fall photo shoot in Regents Park and did corny things like play in the leaves and pose on benches- we didn't care though we loved it! Wednesdays are my dinner date nights with Emily where we cook dinner and whoever is around eats our leftovers. And if no one is around? WE eat our leftovers. We made Vegetable Curry and Noodles with fried pita and it might have been our best Wednesday dinner yet!

Thursday morning I left at 8am to pick up MADISON! from the airport. Madison has been one of my closest friends since 6th grade and our reunions tend to be a little crazy! Our first stop when she got here was obviously to a Starbucks to get our first red Christmas cups- its tradition! We explored and did a little shopping on Oxford Street and then stopped in to a pub for a pick me up since she was dragging from jet lag! We ate dinner at the pub across the street and Madison was immediately pleased with the relaxed pub culture and how acceptable it was for us to sit at the same table as strangers without it being rude. After dinner we went to a bar called O'Neills which is always fun with great live bands playing popular songs.

Friday we slept in and took the morning slow. In the afternoon we got on the big bus tour (im so ashamed!) and got off at Trafalgar Square and went into the National Gallery. I had never been so it was a new experience for both of us! I loved the National Gallery and seeing originals from one of my favorite artists- Monet. Friday night we made sure to eat at one of the million Indian restaurants on our street since its a huge part of our lives here! After we went to our friends flat in Camden and socialized with new people and a lot of Brits from Cambridge which was intimidating but exciting!

Saturday we woke up early and headed to Camdentown Markets where we browsed the market and enjoyed mulled wine. So comforting on a cold day! We headed down to the river thames and saw the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Marble Arch. We made another trip to Oxford Street since the first time around was a little overwhelming. At one point we stopped in our tracks when we smelled something delicious. Turns out they were roasted chestnuts so we figured it was worth our while to invest in some and it was! I'd never had them before but they were sooo good. The whole moment was very Christmas- we were walking in London on a street decorated with lights for the movie A Christmas Carol and eating roasted chestnuts....too good to be true! Saturday night a group of us headed to our favorite pub The Rocket and we had intentions to head to a club after but we just always have too much fun at the Rocket and never want to leave! Our friend Trisha from Randolph met up with us there which was so nice and always fun!

Sunday morning we woke up early again and headed across the street for Sunday roast with a traditional English breakfast. We made a last minute trip back to Oxford Street just in case there was anything we missed- but we definitely covered it all. So sadly we headed to the airport and I dropped Madison off and then headed back to the flat. It was such an amazing weekend and I loved every second of Madison's visit! It was just the amount of home that I needed!

This week should be pretty low key and then on Friday morning I'm taking the EuroRail into PARIS!!