Tea Time Anyone?

     Today has been, once again, nothing but splendid! The B.I.G had an early start to our day grabbing an English breakfast served by our hotel. The meal was similar to an American served continental breakfast in the states, with quite different at the same time. There was an assortment of cold and hot cereals, rolls, toasts with butter and jelly, eggs, breakfast meats, and typical morning beverages. It was an extremely buzzy atmosphere and quite crowded, with people browsing around everywhere to have a bite to eat in the dining room.

     When our bellies were full, we met up with our tour guide, Margaret, and took a short stroll from our hotel to The British Museum, which is the largest, covered public area in the entire world being over 37 acres! This place was astonishing, holding more than 6 million artifacts collected from around the world, and the architecture just absolutely gorgeous! As we were pressed on time, the B.I.G mostly saw the ancient Egyptian exhibits, and the ancient Greece exhibit which held legitimate artifacts from the Parthenon. I also saw the Lewis chess set, which happens to be the figures in which the Harry Potter movie modeled wizard chess pieces off of (fun tid-bit of the day).

     After a few hours of browsing the museum, we had to go back and get all dolled up for afternoon tea! Our guide took us back by way of the tube, or the underground. I was extremely impressed as to how clean this English type subway is, along with the rest of the city actually. Anyways, my point here is that there are 12 lines to the tube, and operating the system based upon which zone needed to ride the line in is quite simple.

     Once the B.I.G was cleaned and classy, we hopped onto the tube and headed to Fortnum and Mason for tea! This extravagant event was so tastefully put on by the staff. The table setting was fabulous, including flowers as a centerpiece and of course super yummy food including scones, finger sandwiches, and desserts to die for! I left the tea room feeling like royalty and filled as a lord.

As for the rest of the afternoon, a few of us ventured around Piccadilly Circus, taking pictures, doing some sight-seeing and a little bit of shopping. I actually came across a caricature artist who made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and now a wonderful piece of art to take back to the States

     I am still in absolute shock that I am actually all of the way across the globe from home right now, but I am soaking in every second. The people, the languages, the art, the architecture, the food… all of it is a once in a blue moon opportunity.