London & the Patriots Game

Hello!

So this past weekend I had one of the greatest experiences of my abroad trip so far! I jet setted over the pond to London not only to explore the great city but to see the PATRIOTS GAME AT WEMBLEY STADIUM! It was amazing.

Friday morning, Colleen and I headed for the airport at a glorious 4 am. Despite the fact that I am not at all a morning person, I made it to the airport, boarded my Ryanair flight, and made it to London successfully. We finally got to our hostel to meet up with Devo and Amanda and head out exploring! We strolled along the Thames to the Parliament pictures, and of course, took a bunch of photos. Next, we found our way to Westminster Abbey. For those of you that know me well, I am OBSESSED with the Royal family (especially Will and Kate). Therefore, I bought a ticket and went inside alone. Unforunately, I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the abbey but there was an awesome guided tour. The inside of this church is absolutely spectacular to begin with, so that, combined with the fact I got to walk down the same aisle as Kate Middleton, made this one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I walked through the church picturing it just how it was when I watched the wedding at 4 am Freshman year. I loved every second.

After I left Westminster, Coco, Dev, and I headed to St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace. The palace was so cool, and the street and statue in front of it gives it a grand entrance. Eventually, we headed down the road to were there were some guards. We joked around with them, of course, and eventually had one of the guards unable to control his laughter. Now I know Devon, Coco, and I are very humorous people but the guards are definitely not supposed to lose their composure so it was definitely a proud moment for us. Eventually, we left the guards alone and went on our merry way. Later on that night, we headed to the London Eye, the enormous ferris wheel that overlooks the city from above the Thames river. At night the London Eye was all lit up blue and the rest of the city looked spectacular all lit up gold. It was amazing to see the city from this point of view!

Parliament

Amanda and I outside Westminster Abbey

Dev, Coco, and I

Buckingham Palace!

The London Eye at night!

Big Ben all lit up

On Saturday, we found Sara and went over to Trafalgar Square for the NFL fan rally. There, we got to see Brady, Lloyd, Welker, Belichick, Kraft, and a surprise appearance by Gronkowski. Belickick was dressed in his usual headband and sweatshirt with the cut-off sleeves, and Kraft was looking spiffy with sunglasses on, even though it was overcast and freezing. Way to go guys. The best part of the fan rally was when the crowd started cheering, "Spike the Mic!" and Gronk, on command, spiked the microphone. They were a microphone down after that but the crowd went wild. Eventually, we started to freeze so we left the fan rally and went to check out Tower Bridge on the other side of town before heading home. That night, the five of us went on the Camden pub crawl, which took us to four pubs and one club in the Camden area. It was a good way to get out and experience some of London's nightlife.

My man Gronk

The Fan Rally!

Dev, Coco, and I with the Tower Bridge

Sunday morning, Amanda, Sara, and I ventured over to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards before devoting a few hours to exploring Harrods department store! Harrods was unlike anything I've ever seen. There was a department for everything you could imagine. There was even a Christmas section, a Disney princess section, and a pet section! When I realized I couldn't afford a single thing in there, we left for Wembley Stadium. At Wembley, they had set up a huge tailgate for the fans with Budweiser and food galore. After a few hours of getting pumped up for the game we headed into the stadium for a pre-show by Train and kickoff! Before kickoff, everyone held up the plastic bags on their seats to find that half of the stadium formed an American flag, while the other half formed a British Union Jack. It was really cool to see. The game itself, was awesome. We got a little nervous when the Rams scored first, but it ended up being a blowout, 45-7. It was an amazing experience and it was something I will never forget!

Sara & Amanda outside Harrods

US flag to the left, Union Jack to the right

Overall, I had a wonderful experience in London! The city was romantic and charming with its spectacular architecture and the game was an absolute blast. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an appearance by Prince Harry!

Cheers :)