Letters From London: Tuesday With Emma

Tuesday would've been my second day of school...if I had school on Tuesdays, that is! So, while most of my flat was stuck in a classroom, I was out and about in London with my longtime friend Emma.

Let me introduce you.

Emma was the first English person I'd ever met. She started 6th grade with me in Japan, where we both attended international school. We were great friends, and we hung out with a lot of the same friends. I pulled her chariot in our production of Persephone, and we even played for the same field hockey team. Now, Revolutionary War aside, who says the Americans and the Brits can't get along?

The last time I saw her, we were twelve-year-olds in mini skirts, playing "We are the Champtions" with our hockey sticks. Sorry Emma! This picture is the only one I have of us!

Now Emma and I haven't seen each other in eight years. When we met up at the station closest to my flat, she gave me a cheery wave. I gave her a bear hug. Things got only better from there.

After a brief lunch of sushi, chocolate, sandwiches and tea, my "whistle-stop" tour of London began with the Natural History Museum, which is right down the street from where I live. From there, we visited the Tate Britain, followed by the Tate Modern. Both the former and the latter are well known art museums.

And all three of those museums were free. Awwww yeah!

Then, and possibly one of my new favorite London spots...Chinatown! Waltzing down the narrow streets, surrounded by warm smells of meat and dumplings cooking, with snacks sitting in the storefronts brought back happy, fuzzy memories of Asia. I'm going to have to go back and stock up on deliciousness!

Before she had to catch the train home, we stopped by my flat for a quick cuppa tea. I told her that we didn't use kettles in America. She told me that was tea sacrilege. (In retrospect, it's probably a good thing that I didn't mention how we threw all of the tea into the harbor that one time.)

Even though our feet ached, even though we had to catch tube after tube, we had an absolutely lovely day to catch up while we discussed British and American cultures.

Really says something about friendship, doesn't it?

And now, for your viewing pleasure, because this post is long overdue, and I can't wait to share it with you, a photo dump. And a large one at that.

Here is my day in (unedited) pictures: