LONDON!!! There is an epic story involved in my transition from Munich to London, but for the sake of catching up with my real life, I'll have to leave some of the best bits out. Because I've been in London now for 4 weeks (what?!) and I haven't even gotten there in blog life. So after my first Ryan Air flight from what they call the Munich West Airport (it actually took 2 trains and a taxi to get there...definitely NOT in Munich) to Stansted in London (also not really in London...it's a 10 pound/more than an hour journey by train) I found myself in the giant Liverpool Street metro station!! It was so exciting!! I've never been to London before this, and it definitely has a different feel to all of the big cities I've been to in Europe. It's grungier, perhaps, with brick buildings and a kind of cozy feeling. Less overwhelming and glamorous, but wonderful nonetheless.

I had my first meal soon there after. Liverpool Street is a 5 minute walk from the famous Brick Lane neighborhood. Brick Lane used to be the main Indian neighborhood, but has recently gotten fairly pricey and been taken over by wealthy English hipsters. The amazing Indian food remains, though, and the street is lined with the cities best curry stops (interspersed with indie record stores and vintage clothing shops of course). I was with two English guys who had grown up in London, so they picked out an establishment and ordered up a bunch of dishes they knew. London has this reputation for great Indian food, and oh my does it live up to it. Some of the dishes I recognized, and some were completely new to me, but all of the flavors and spices were so much more interesting and delicious than my experiences at Chapti's and Kathmandu. What I've come to realize now though, after 4 weeks in this enormous city, is that one can get ANYTHING here. Literally. Any kind of food one could want is just a (expensive) metro stop away. And that is kind of an overwhelming thought. I don't relax here, ever, because I know there is so much out there in the huge city waiting to be seen! And with so many options for things to do, how am I supposed to choose? I'm not used to so much excitement, Davis and Northfield have their own set of problems, and goodness knows that 'too much to do' is not one of them.

My first 3 days in London were spent at a hostel near London Bridge, on the southern side of the Thames. It was a very nice area, but unfortunately all of the abuse I had subjected my body to at Oktoberfest had finally worn me down and I was sick the whole time. So I actually spent my first weekend in one of the biggest cities in the world in my bed with some books and podcasts. Quite frustrating, but at least I recovered in time to move in to my flat and begin the wonders that are UK freshers week!!

The changing of the guard. They really do still do this twice a day, and people really do watch. Weirdest job ever?

Buckingham Palace. The queen wasn't in though, apparently she doesn't actually spend that much time in London.

St. James's Park, so beautifully English