Oh, what a weekend it has been! I felt like it was my first true weekend to explore and see London as I wanted to see it. Last weekend was spent devoted to Paris, the weekend before that with a planned tour, and the weekend before that -- well, I was just clueless then and the city was just the big unknown to me at that point. This weekend, I felt like I was just another Londoner going out on the town after a hard week of work. However, Friday did not feel so much like work.
On Friday, I got to leave the office and spend the day with the art director and photographer doing photo shoots for the magazine. We were working on a feature about new BA employees, so we went to photograph four people in various places around Heathrow. I got to meet an business engineering apprentice, a pilot, a member of cabin crew and someone who is currently in a business graduate program. The day went by really quickly because I was able to see and learn so many new things. The first photos we took were taken where all of the engines are repaired and worked on. I had to wear a lovely fluorescent orange vest and some very fancy plastic goggles -- quite the fashion statement when paired with my red dress -- but I actually somehow forgot that I was wearing something so neon because I was distracted by all of the new things surrounding me. For the second set of photos, I got to go on board a 747 and I even got my picture take in the cockpit (I will upload a picture of that hopefully tomorrow) which was really neat. Later, we headed to Terminal 5 and then to the British Airways headquarters to take pictures around the office. Even though the photo shoot did not involve any of the glamour that you might expect (think Vogue or Elle), it was the most fun I've had at work since I've started.
Later that night, the other interns and I switched into weekend mode. Some of the interns went to Scotland, but those of us that decided to stick to the city, were ready to go out. And what better way to start the night than with Canada Day in Trafalgar Square?! One of the interns, Mimosa (click on her name to check out her blog!), is from Toronto, so she shared the info regarding Canada Day, and several of us were excited to join in the Canadian revelry. For the brief time we were in Trafalgar Square celebrating, I talked very loudly about how I was Canadian and loved hockey. I made sure not to mention anything about the Boston Bruins beating the Canucks in the Stanley Cup, though, for fear of inciting another riot, but I think I managed to blend in... Especially because there really weren't many Canadians there at all. Mostly just Brits looking for a good excuse to drink beer and party. And hey, isn't that what we were doing too? We joined in, getting some Canadian beer and eating some poutine! What is poutine, you may ask? Poutine is a genius medley of french fries, gravy and cheese. Yum! It pretty much is a heart-attack on a place, and it is DELICIOUS. Almost makes me want to really be Canadian.
So we ate our poutine, drank our Canadian beer, and enjoyed the Canadian spirit around us. I was hoping for a celebrity sighting, preferably in the form of Justin Bieber or Alex Trebek, but instead, we got Mike Myers, AKA Austin Powers and his many other personas. Sure, he's no Bieber, but I will take any celebrity sighting I can get. It was a good way to end our time at Canada Day and move onto another adventure for the night.
As we do every other Friday night, and as all the Brits do, we went to a pub to start our night. We headed to Leicester Square to some pub and grabbed some beer and cider and just started to talk. It was very chill, and very fun. I enjoyed being with a smaller group and not trying to find somewhere that all 28 interns total could agree on. We are a pretty diverse group, and I enjoy being with everyone, but there's just something about being with a smaller group of people. We spent quite a bit of time at that first bar -- I actually was able to drink two beers! Okay, ciders, but ciders are much tastier than beer anyway. Almost like a nice cold glass of Mott's apple juice, minus the fact that you're not having it with a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich...and there's alcohol in it.
We actually went to O'Neills again in Soho after our first pub. It was really loud and really crowded, but the music was great and we were all enjoying the night. I think it might have had something to do with all of that cider. All I know is that we all had a ton of fun, and are still talking about it even today.
Saturday was another day of fun-filled nonsense and adventures. Most of us slept in after our delightful night, but once we were up, we were looking for something new and exciting to do. My roommate, Jessie, and I went to the London Pride Parade, which was a LGBT pride parade and was pretty much one big moving party. We went and stood around Piccadilly Circus and watched the fun. I was jealous that I wasn't on one of the floats, because they were blasting some sweet tunes and really, you couldn't help but want to dance.
After the parade, Jessie and I walked around Covent Garden for a while before heading back to the Nido to get ready for yet another night of fun. For Saturday night, we decided to stay at least a little bit closer to the Nido in Islington at a pub called the Old Queens Head. There was a bar on the first floor and a dance floor on the second -- my kind of place. One of the interns bought everyone shots, so I had my very first tequila shot. I have to say, I actually didn't mind it, which is surprising considering that I consider myself a classy lady and would not ever buy myself a tequila shot. Later on, I also had my first Long Island Iced Tea, and that was also surprisingly tasty. Needless to say, I was in the mood for some dancing and lots of it. I headed to the dance floor with a few of the other interns, and broke out some of my signature moves like the "Shower" dance move and the "Flight Attendant" -- always a classic. Eventually, all of the interns ended up on the dance floor, and then when we headed back downstairs, the bar was closing so we decided to go to an old favorite, the Lexington.
I didn't stay there very long because, as I mentioned before, I had that wonderful Long Island Iced Tea and that pesky tequila shot, so I was pretty tired between that and all of the dancing. One of the other interns, Parker, walked me back to the Nido, and I went to bed.
For Sunday, I wanted to do something a bit more low-key and find a new part of the city. I ventured out with two of the other interns, Mimosa and Taylor, to Carnaby Street -- a cute little alcove of the city with some great boutiques and cafes. We walked around, going in and out of the shops and marvelling at how we always manage to find something new whenever we go out in the city. I realized that there are so many parts of London that I haven't seen yet that I still want to see, and I've already been here for three weeks! It definitely was a sort of exciting feeling, and I felt as though I had just arrived in the city again.
After that sort of revelation, we headed onto Regent Street and walked around in some more shops. It was the kind of girls' day that is always needed and necessary. No, we actually didn't come back hauling five bags each, but we chatted and gossiped, and it was very cathartic. Once we were done, we went back to the Nido. I went back and chatted with my roommate, catching up on everything that happened last night with her and what I did all day. Then, Mimosa, Kathryn and I went for a walk around Angel, another area of London that is close to where we live. Again, just a little exploration to see what is in the neighborhood. We grabbed some Mexican food at a place called Tortilla, and it was pretty much Chipotle in everything but name. We ate our burritos on the street, then went home and now here I am!
I wish I had more pictures to share with you, but I have to charge my camera, and that can sometimes be difficult with limited outlets and my lack of multiple adapters. With tomorrow being 4th of July, you can be sure that me and the rest of the interns will be out celebrating, so maybe, if I remember, I'll charge my camera before then and have something to share from the 4th across the pond. Wonder what the Brits think of 4th of July and if they think they're better off without us? I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow...
On Friday, I got to leave the office and spend the day with the art director and photographer doing photo shoots for the magazine. We were working on a feature about new BA employees, so we went to photograph four people in various places around Heathrow. I got to meet an business engineering apprentice, a pilot, a member of cabin crew and someone who is currently in a business graduate program. The day went by really quickly because I was able to see and learn so many new things. The first photos we took were taken where all of the engines are repaired and worked on. I had to wear a lovely fluorescent orange vest and some very fancy plastic goggles -- quite the fashion statement when paired with my red dress -- but I actually somehow forgot that I was wearing something so neon because I was distracted by all of the new things surrounding me. For the second set of photos, I got to go on board a 747 and I even got my picture take in the cockpit (I will upload a picture of that hopefully tomorrow) which was really neat. Later, we headed to Terminal 5 and then to the British Airways headquarters to take pictures around the office. Even though the photo shoot did not involve any of the glamour that you might expect (think Vogue or Elle), it was the most fun I've had at work since I've started.
Later that night, the other interns and I switched into weekend mode. Some of the interns went to Scotland, but those of us that decided to stick to the city, were ready to go out. And what better way to start the night than with Canada Day in Trafalgar Square?! One of the interns, Mimosa (click on her name to check out her blog!), is from Toronto, so she shared the info regarding Canada Day, and several of us were excited to join in the Canadian revelry. For the brief time we were in Trafalgar Square celebrating, I talked very loudly about how I was Canadian and loved hockey. I made sure not to mention anything about the Boston Bruins beating the Canucks in the Stanley Cup, though, for fear of inciting another riot, but I think I managed to blend in... Especially because there really weren't many Canadians there at all. Mostly just Brits looking for a good excuse to drink beer and party. And hey, isn't that what we were doing too? We joined in, getting some Canadian beer and eating some poutine! What is poutine, you may ask? Poutine is a genius medley of french fries, gravy and cheese. Yum! It pretty much is a heart-attack on a place, and it is DELICIOUS. Almost makes me want to really be Canadian.
So we ate our poutine, drank our Canadian beer, and enjoyed the Canadian spirit around us. I was hoping for a celebrity sighting, preferably in the form of Justin Bieber or Alex Trebek, but instead, we got Mike Myers, AKA Austin Powers and his many other personas. Sure, he's no Bieber, but I will take any celebrity sighting I can get. It was a good way to end our time at Canada Day and move onto another adventure for the night.
As we do every other Friday night, and as all the Brits do, we went to a pub to start our night. We headed to Leicester Square to some pub and grabbed some beer and cider and just started to talk. It was very chill, and very fun. I enjoyed being with a smaller group and not trying to find somewhere that all 28 interns total could agree on. We are a pretty diverse group, and I enjoy being with everyone, but there's just something about being with a smaller group of people. We spent quite a bit of time at that first bar -- I actually was able to drink two beers! Okay, ciders, but ciders are much tastier than beer anyway. Almost like a nice cold glass of Mott's apple juice, minus the fact that you're not having it with a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich...and there's alcohol in it.
We actually went to O'Neills again in Soho after our first pub. It was really loud and really crowded, but the music was great and we were all enjoying the night. I think it might have had something to do with all of that cider. All I know is that we all had a ton of fun, and are still talking about it even today.
Saturday was another day of fun-filled nonsense and adventures. Most of us slept in after our delightful night, but once we were up, we were looking for something new and exciting to do. My roommate, Jessie, and I went to the London Pride Parade, which was a LGBT pride parade and was pretty much one big moving party. We went and stood around Piccadilly Circus and watched the fun. I was jealous that I wasn't on one of the floats, because they were blasting some sweet tunes and really, you couldn't help but want to dance.
After the parade, Jessie and I walked around Covent Garden for a while before heading back to the Nido to get ready for yet another night of fun. For Saturday night, we decided to stay at least a little bit closer to the Nido in Islington at a pub called the Old Queens Head. There was a bar on the first floor and a dance floor on the second -- my kind of place. One of the interns bought everyone shots, so I had my very first tequila shot. I have to say, I actually didn't mind it, which is surprising considering that I consider myself a classy lady and would not ever buy myself a tequila shot. Later on, I also had my first Long Island Iced Tea, and that was also surprisingly tasty. Needless to say, I was in the mood for some dancing and lots of it. I headed to the dance floor with a few of the other interns, and broke out some of my signature moves like the "Shower" dance move and the "Flight Attendant" -- always a classic. Eventually, all of the interns ended up on the dance floor, and then when we headed back downstairs, the bar was closing so we decided to go to an old favorite, the Lexington.
I didn't stay there very long because, as I mentioned before, I had that wonderful Long Island Iced Tea and that pesky tequila shot, so I was pretty tired between that and all of the dancing. One of the other interns, Parker, walked me back to the Nido, and I went to bed.
For Sunday, I wanted to do something a bit more low-key and find a new part of the city. I ventured out with two of the other interns, Mimosa and Taylor, to Carnaby Street -- a cute little alcove of the city with some great boutiques and cafes. We walked around, going in and out of the shops and marvelling at how we always manage to find something new whenever we go out in the city. I realized that there are so many parts of London that I haven't seen yet that I still want to see, and I've already been here for three weeks! It definitely was a sort of exciting feeling, and I felt as though I had just arrived in the city again.
After that sort of revelation, we headed onto Regent Street and walked around in some more shops. It was the kind of girls' day that is always needed and necessary. No, we actually didn't come back hauling five bags each, but we chatted and gossiped, and it was very cathartic. Once we were done, we went back to the Nido. I went back and chatted with my roommate, catching up on everything that happened last night with her and what I did all day. Then, Mimosa, Kathryn and I went for a walk around Angel, another area of London that is close to where we live. Again, just a little exploration to see what is in the neighborhood. We grabbed some Mexican food at a place called Tortilla, and it was pretty much Chipotle in everything but name. We ate our burritos on the street, then went home and now here I am!
I wish I had more pictures to share with you, but I have to charge my camera, and that can sometimes be difficult with limited outlets and my lack of multiple adapters. With tomorrow being 4th of July, you can be sure that me and the rest of the interns will be out celebrating, so maybe, if I remember, I'll charge my camera before then and have something to share from the 4th across the pond. Wonder what the Brits think of 4th of July and if they think they're better off without us? I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow...
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