The Taylor family comes to London

So I'm taking a break from this horrid theology paper and blogging instead.

Saturday: Ran outside for literally the third time since being abroad... I wish I ran more but there literally is just no time. Then Allie and I went on an excursion that night in an attempt to see Phantom of the Opera. Tickets were sold out, but we ended up making a trip to Ben's Cookies (famous cookie store in London with cookies that are to die for) and Las Iguanas. We ordered some fabulous drinks and had a chill night complete with Mexican food. We also stopped by the Christmas Market that is going on around South Bank which is really awesome. That night, I went out to Tiger Tiger with Tom and only Tom... haha. Our group kinda dwindled and after some drama regarding Tom's bleeding hand (we took care of it), we survived the night.

Sunday: My family got here! We walked all around London and spent some time chilling in their awesome apartment. We went to dinner at the Mulberry Bush and I immediately introduced my family to cider and they fell in love. The fish and chips were also excellent at the Bush. That night, we spent some time walking around Covent Garden which looks really pretty during Christmas time. Then we bought more Bulmer's and hung out in the apartment that night.

Monday: I got up at 5:30 a.m. (I still can't believe it) and took the car to NBC for a shoot that morning. We went to Kensington Palace, and after a large debacle with the cab driver getting lost, we made it. We interviewed some of the workers there since Kate and William plan to move into the palace in 2013. The palace is beautiful inside, and I got to hold the producer's camera screen for the camera man while he was doing all the shooting. Apparently the story was being used for the Saturday Today Show. After that, I headed over to Buckingham Palace for an apparent live shot stating that Kate is not yet officially pregnant... pathetic, I know. The live shot ended up being canceled because we didn't have clearance from the Palace, but that worked out to my advantage because I got to meet up with the fam! We got some lunch and coffee at a Cafe Nero and then took the tube to the British Museum. It is free to get into, and I still hadn't been there. We checked out the Rosetta Stone and some mummies and lots of other cool artifacts. That night, my dad and brother traveled to White Hart Lane Stadium to see Tottenham vs. Aston Villa (which apparently was awesome and I managed to get stellar seats somehow?) so I took my mom and aunt out. We went to Las Iguanas for some happy hour and Mexican food. Afterwards, we took the tube to Primark. We made some excellent and cheap purchases per usual.

Tuesday: Went to classes and then met up with the family for some lunch at a steakhouse near Trafalgar. We also stopped by Ben's Cookies because I am now addicted to them. In my next theatre class, a theatre financier came in and talked to us about what it takes to finance a theatre production, which was pretty interesting. I was still pretty tired from my busy day on Monday, though. Tuesday night, a bunch of my friends and I went over to the apartment for a delicious dinner. There was chicken, potatoes, salad, bread and cheese/meats, and many beverages flowing. The meal was delicious and we sat around chatting for a while. I ran off to my play, The Playboy of the Western World, right down the street while my friends stayed and hung out with my family. My aunt ended up cutting Zack's and Allison's hair and they apparently had a grand old time. My play was decent, very professionally done if anything.

Christmas tree in Covent Garden

Wednesday: We woke up and checked out the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. It's nothing too special to be honest, but it's another thing I can check off of my London bucket list! We then took the tube north to Hampstead Heath, which is a giant park. We walked upwards towards Parliament Hill where there is a giant view of the entire city. It was really neat. We then stopped by Camden since we had past it on the tube on our way there. The Camden Markets turned out to be really cool. They are a bit more modern and edgy than normal, with tattoo shops and such all around. We ate at a pub and bought a few trinkets at the markets. We had some down time during the afternoon and then met up again to see the Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre. The show was fantastic, so lively and colorful and the music was obviously great.

Parliament Hill at Hampstead Heath

Thursday: Classes again, then went to a cute cafe with my family for lunch. Then, during practice at the Globe, we spent the first half of rehearsal in one of the regular rehearsal rooms, but then got to go onto the Globe stage for the second half. What was even better was I got to bring my family inside the Globe free of charge to see some of our scenes! It was a definite success. Thursday night was of course Thanksgiving! We picked up some champagne and returned for the flats for, what we hoped, Thanksgiving dinner. The London program gave us all of the ingredients for a proper Thanksgiving but we had to cook all of it by floor. It actually all turned out great! We college students managed to cook delicious giant turkeys. We also served up mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberries, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc. We had some good bonding with people from the second floor and had a fantastic time. The London Program Director, Greg, was also eating on our floor and he was absolutely killing it!

Thanksgiving in London!

Friday: Friday morning, we woke up and headed to the London Eye. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I had been on the Eye before but I figure it's something I had to do while studying abroad. After riding the giant ferris wheel, the family and I went to the Borough Market to munch on some free samples.

London Eye

We found a nearby restaurant called The Slug and Lettuce to eat some grub and then decided to head to Westminster Abbey. Here is where the day goes downhill... About halfway through the audio tour of the church where Kate and William got married, I had a seizure. Second one of my life but first one in about a year and half. I regained consciousness inside the ambulance where some nice British paramedic told me I had seized. WHAT?! Apparently I blocked off the entrance to the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots and caused a huge scene in the church. I am just incredibly thankful that my family was with me, because they made it a lot easier. Allie and Zack also immediately flocked to the hospital to see me in my state of panic, for which I can't thank them enough. It is clear that my former diagnosis of a "one time seizure" was not correct, and hopefully I can figure some medical things out over winter break. The seizure put a bit of a damper on the trip, but my parents were still able to catch their flight the next day. On Saturday, I literally did not exit the apartment. All my friends basically came over and brought me desserts and we watched movies: the perfect post-seizure day. I really do have the best family and friends ever!

On Sunday, Zack and I mobilized to meet up with his friend from home near Hyde Park. We strolled through the Portabello Market, which is really awesome, and went to the Winter Wonderland which is in Hyde Park. We rode the Barclays bikes through the park for a bit and even saw some of Speaker's Corner. That is where people stand on little stools or platforms and rant about whatever they want for as long as they want to a group of strangers. It's funny that it is so organized, considering some of these people seemed kinda crazy!

Today, Monday, I took work off to let my body recover a little bit. I also still can't really eat anything, since my tongue took a beating during my seizure. One thing my seizure did remind me of (along with Thanksgiving...) is how blessed I am to have had this study abroad experience, to be in good health overall and to have the best friends and family in my life. Although this has dampened my spirits a bit, I am starting to reflect on the overall experience of studying in London with just over two weeks left. It has been absolutely phenomenal. Choosing to study abroad was one of the best decisions of my life. I have learned so much, grown up so much, and had more fun than I could ever imagine.

School is starting to catch up with me a little bit, so I should definitely accomplish some paper-writing in the next week or so. Zack and I are spending Friday night in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I have 16 more days to check everything off of my study abroad bucket list. Ready, set, go.