I spent the weekend in London visiting my friend Jenny! It was almost relaxing to be able to effortlessly speak and understand what people were saying! It made me realize how much I have to think when I’m speaking Spanish. But I can’t complain because I definitely appriciate the opportunity to live in Spain and practice Spanish. With time I know speaking will come more easily. The weather was actually nice and sunny in London – a rare event. People seemed to be taking advantage of the nice weather, and the streets and parks were full of people enjoying the sun all weekend. My first night in London Jenny and I went salsa dancing! We danced with people from Colombia, India, Iran, Lebanon... I don´t think I danced with a single native English speaker the entire time, and I even spoke Spanish with the Colombian. It was lots of fun and I’ll definitely have to find some salsa clubs in Barcelona. Jenny and I spent a lot of time walking around the city – Portobello Market, the waterfront, the grounds at Kensington Palace. We had high tea near Kensington Palace, and dim sum in Chinatown. I was able to experience the train, metro and bus. My favorite was sitting in the front seat on the top level of the double decker buses! You feel like you own the road and the views from there are great. We visited the Tate Modern, and while Jenny was at work, I made a stop at the London Transport Museum, where I learned about the history of the London tube and other bits of transportation knowledge. I ended my trip with a visit to the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment. Another Fulbright Fellow is doing research there, and he gave me a tour. I was even able to talk to the director Hank Dittmar. The Foundation focuses on sustainable planning and development, a field in which transportation plays an important role. Overall it was a lovely trip and I hope I have a chance to go back!
2 comments:
Hey Nikki,
Maybe global warming means good weather in London cuz I had great warm sunny weather when I was there, too. I visited the London Transport Museum, too. My favorite part was learning about the design of the interface: Harry Beck's clever design for the Tube map, and Johnston's legendary typeface.
If you ever get to Glasgow (the UK's "second city", they say) you have to visit their transport museum, which is superior. While London is mostly about the Tube, Glasgow is about it all: cars, trains, and BIKES!
Thanks for the updates! - dave
hi nikki! it's nice to hear how well you're doing! sounds like you're having a lot of fun. and it's nice to hear london was warm, too. when we went, it was the end of may and i was cold the whole time!
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