Sixteen days ago I got on a plane for Spring Break. I have since seen Prague, Venice, Pisa, Florence, and Rome. When I got home from Rome, my Mom and Grandmother came to visit and I have been blitzing London for the past week. I have had a fabulous past few weeks, but my legs are weak, my eyelids heavy, and my feet throbbing. I kind of feel like I haven't slept in weeks and I have a runny nose and a bit of a cough. It's all been worth it, though, and tonight I look forward to a GOOD NIGHT's sleep.
I got up at 5:02 this morning, got ready, and went to the Holiday Inn to meet Mom and Grandmother. We took a cab to Victoria Station, and after helping them and their bags onto the Gatwick Express, we said our "see you laters" and I came back to the Daniel House. Special thanks to everyone from home who sent a hug with either Mom or Grandmother. I got about twelve before I could leave them on the train.
Mom and Grandmother had bought London Passes for the week so they would have special deals in the most popular London attractions. The passes ran out today, so they left them with me. Hayley and I decided to take advantage of this. We left around 9:15 and took the train from Waterloo to Hampton Court. We toured Hampton Court Palace (Henry VIII's) and then came back into London after lunch. We went to a spa called Cucumba and got pedicures and manicures with our discount. It felt good on my exhausted feet. (Mom, I finally did it; I finally let someone else touch my feet and got a pedicure!) After that, Hayley and I split up. I think she was going to Foyles bookshop; I wanted to see Kensington Palace. I was under the impression that they quit admitting people at four, and left Cucumba in a rush at 20 'til. I ran--literally ran-- through the crowded streets and subways of the underground. After about 15 minutes of this, I thought I could not take any more. I finally arrived in Kensington Park just after four and knew I had missed it. I sat down to take a rest, looked in my London Pass book, and saw that the palace was open until 5 during the month of March. I guess the Lord knew my legs could stand some exercise after eating out with the family. I then WALKED to the palace. The special exhibition on Princess Diana closes on Monday, so I was glad to get in when I did. The palace was nice, but very similar to the others I have seen. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of Diana and her family though, as well as her beautiful dresses. I left the palace and walked around the park. Since I had my camera with me, I decided to walk all over the park and make pictures. I had planned to take Mom and Grandmother there during their visit, but a change in my class schedule didn't allow the time. I took pictures of my favorite parts of the park so they could see how beautiful it is. I caught the Lancaster Gate Tube back to the house.
Now, I am sitting in my room. I have had dinner and a shower and I already feel much better. I am just relaxing this evening. I am going to watch Fowler's play that I missed in early March. I can hear Dad laughing and clearing his throat on the video. I am planning on taking it easy this weekend, getting some rest, and getting caught up on my rather large pile of classwork. I would like to take a break from museums, palaces, art galleries, cathedrals, and such, but I know while I am in London that will not be an option. I am sure after a weekend of rest I will be ready to go again... big plans for another week!
