BRIGHTon

First of all, I apologize for the scarcity of entries lately. I figured I would wait until I had events to tell you about rather than babble on about a typical school day in London. Here we go...

We went on a tour of Parliament yesterday (Friday). I walked down to the area from my flat because it was a beautiful day. Surprisingly, it only takes 30 minutes to get there by foot. Parliament was by far the best tour we have taken so far. The guide was an elderly and knowledgeable man who has accommodated everyone from the Queen to President Reagan to President Clinton. He told us funny anecdotes about his time in Parliament and was proud to tell us that Clinton asked for a diet pepsi when he visited the building. I loved this man. People are allowed to sit in on debates in the House of Lords and House of Commons and I am planning a trip back to see this in the future.



After our tour, my friends and I walked along the river, past the London Eye and Big Ben and toward Borough Market. This market has all different kinds of food from different cultures. I really liked it, although I unfortunately did not have a ton of cash so I will have to return. There is a particular brand of pesto I can't seem to forget about.

Today we took a trip to Brighton, a town on the coast. It was so nice to see the ocean! The temperature climbed to 50 degrees and it was clear and sunny the entire day. There is a pier and small town with two universities and a lot of shopping areas. Brighton also has a small castle-like building, where the party animal George IV lived at one point in his life. The interior of the building was greatly influenced by Chinese design. Just like all of the other sights, I am planning on going back because we didn't get enough time there. My mom is visiting next week and hopefully we will make it out there then.

Ok, sorry so short, but I've got to get ready to go out! My friends and I are trying out a new area tonight: the neighborhood of Angel. We'll see how it goes... Bye!
-M