So I just had one of the most surreal moments of my life. There I was sitting there in the middle of The Champion with Lacey trying to sign with two gay deaf men, one of which was from Dubai, Jessie was screaming about Miami to some dudes from North England, and Brittany was trying to make out with a guy, any guy, because she was just that drunk. Wow. Pubs in London are incredibly happening places. I just sat there in the middle of the chaos and laughed. That is what life in London is like, especially for an American. We are regarded with so much interest, not as much as China, but we're still fairly popular. This was only my second night out, but I look forward to many more.
Today was a pretty chill day. We set off with Philip for Portobello Road Market, passing some of the coolest vintage shops I have ever seen and some of the prettiest brightly painted houses. Portobello is a huge chaotic mess. We walked up the street for 1.5 hours and we still didn't reach the end. There are antique booths selling rings and clock necklaces, produce booths selling the reddest strawberries you have ever seen, and every sort of delicious smelling food known to man. It is incredibly overwhelming and crowded, which I, no big shock here, was not a fan of. I didn't buy anything, feeling that it would be like the Silk Market in that you should go once to see how it works and then come back a different day to do the actual purchasing. I heard so many languages while I was there, but that is just a general feature of London: rampant multiculturalism. There were street performers playing Jamaican drums, a dude in a yellow clown wig lip syncing to Journey, and an old man walking around with his dog on his shoulder. It was utter insanity.
The afternoon was spent trying to figure out when everything I wanted to see was open and how much it cost so that I could better plan for future days. A majority of us then had a picnic in Kensington Gardens for dinner. Strange note about London: you can be approached by a salesperson anywhere. Anywhere. Some guys pitched Victoria Jackson cosmetics to us (The lipstick is also a nail polish!) in the park and the night before we had been approached about massages and giving to the poor while at The Champion. It usually makes for a pretty bizarre experience. It was really lovely in the park with what seemed like the whole population of London out on the warm, sunny day.
After dinner we started the previously described pub crawl. The Phoenix came first, which was quiet so not best suited to a large group of American college girls, so we moved on to the Prince Alfred and spent a few hours there. I got yet another cider, Blackthorn, which was delicious and large and cheap (cheap being relative in London of course). We then had an interesting episode with Clare. She ordered a vodka cranberry and the bartender asked if she wanted a single or a double. She asked for the difference in price and he said nothing since she was a pretty girl and he was a bartender. So she orders the double...and then he charges her double. He later came to our table with a free Snakebite which he said all the American girls love but which none of us liked, so it was a rather pathetic attempt at sorry. Men are confusing even over here in England. Speaking of men, Lindsay's friend from home who is also studying in London came to meet us so we got some male company for once. It was really nice to just sit and talk with a smaller group of people, sharing guy stories and the like. The Champion came last of the night and after that experience, I felt it best to retire. What a way to end an evening.
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