Becoming a London Local

First of all, we found out that we made the newspaper with Brad Pitt! Of course I am in the picture but I am on the side so they cropped me off! Either way, I still am going to tell people I was in the London Newspaper! Here is the link and the picture!

http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-light-up-kensington-palace-to-promote-new-disney-movie-maleficent-9341294.html?origin=internalSearch

Hampton Court Palace was the destination yesterday. We started the day with a bus ride. This was the first time I have been on a bus since being in London. I liked the bus a lot! It didn’t feel quite as crowded and rushed as the tube did. We also got to sit on top and look at the city as we drove around which was nice because then I got to know where I was going compared to everything. After a long bus ride and train ride we finally made it to Hampton Court. This is where King Henry VIII lived and also King William III and Queen Mary II. Henry VIII was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty. He is known for creating the Church of England. The separation from the Catholic Church and the creation of the Church of England was so that Henry VIII could divorce his wife. The Pope wouldn’t allow divorce so Henry VIII just created a new church and new rules to get his way. Henry VIII ended up having six marriages. William and Mary later also lived at Hampton Court Palace. They were first cousins that were married and ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland. Hampton Court Palace was huge! Right as we walked in there were free capes you could wear around for the day as you explored the palace. Of course we jumped right on that! We had so much fun running around and pretending to be creepy palace people. Outside there were beautiful gardens with bushes and trees that were perfectly trimmed into shapes. There were fountains and mini lakes. It was sunny outside with a blue sky and big white fluffy clouds. When I looked down there were swans swimming on the lake. It was a perfect situation. Everything was gorgeous. Everything was also very over the top as well. The king had so many rooms that were unnecessary. He even had chocolate rooms that were designated just for making chocolate! Just think, that is what all the people’s taxes were paying for. It made me feel a little uneasy. Even so, the palace was an amazing place and it was so fun to see everything!

Today we decided to go check out the markets. I think I get headaches at markets because I am so excited when I see all the fun stuff and I want to look at everything! The markets are great here though. Today we hit up Borough Market and Camden Market. Borough Market was all food. Every step I took as I walked around I would smell some new interesting scent. There was everything you could think of! I found this little booth that made homemade gluten free granola bars. I got a few of them so I could have them for breakfast in the mornings. There were also really good fresh juice and smoothie places all over. There were breads and bakeries and cheeses and everything! I passed these big pots full of curry and the worker lady asked if I wanted a sample. I agreed and she gave me a little spoonful. It was spicy! She noticed that I thought it was spicy so she thought it would be funny to have me try the even spicier one so she gave me a spoonful of that next! By this time there was a mini crowd of the workers and my friends all watching my reaction as I ate the spicy curry. Everyone was laughing at me as my face turned a little red from the spiciness. It ended up not being that bad.  Actually it was the best curry I have ever tasted. I am definitely going back! The whole time we were walking around the market everyone kept asking us if we were from Denmark or Sweden. I guess when you get a group of 4 blondes together you will get that question! We kept being told that we were beautiful blondes too. That for sure boosted my confidence a bit. It always feels good to be told you are beautiful. Next we hopped on the subway again and headed to Camden Market. Now this is where the good stuff is. This is where all the clothes and the fake purses and the SHOPPING is! There were people everywhere but it seriously was so much fun. I ended up getting a way good deal on this fake Vans sweatshirt. Such a Sami sweatshirt haha. It was freezing cold outside and raining on and off so I am glad I made that purchase. After the clothes we found this cute little bridge behind that market that lead to another food market. I think I liked this market even better than the first one. I got a Venezuelan meal for lunch. It was cornbread filled with black beans, chicken, guacamole, plantains (bananas), and vegetables. It was interesting but it was very yummy. There were also Paleo food stands, Indian food, Jamaican food, Vietnamese food, Japanese food, and seriously everything you could think of! Some of the food I had never seen before in my life. It was such a good day to chill with the friends and explore! The rush of the city excites me. I love London more and more each day!

 Our cute little group eating lunch by the bridge at Camden Market. 

We had so much fun with these silly capes! Also I am loving my new "Vans" hoodie!