It definitely is a unique town. I quite enjoyed walking around it. I made sure to drop by Christchurch. It has some significance to Harry Potter. I’ll have to wait for a resident HP expert to chime in, Kim!! I ended up walking through a park and made it to out skirts of town. It was a long walk back in but I made it! At this point I was starting to really feel the effects of the cold that I was hoping was only a sore throat. Check out the Oxford album, there’s some good photos!

Today I boarded a train to Brighton. It’s on the southern coast of England. It is know for it’s rocky beaches. I didn’t quite know what to expect. The beach is completely covered with what we would call river rock. It’s much smaller, about an inch in diameter. It’s the weirdest thing! So I went down to the waters edge with a goal in mind. I wanted to touch the water!! This is when things went terribly wrong. I studied where the water would come up to and finally felt comfortable going near it. Well, one of those random large waves decided to rear it’s ugly head and before I knew it I was in water up to my ankles. OOPS! So I had some wet feet for the remainder of the day, great for being sick as well. I walked along the edge of the beach. They have a sort of board walk there. There is also Brighton Pier which is like an amusement park suspended over the sea. 

Upon arriving back in London I made my way to Oxford Street. We Americans have Black Friday, Londoners have the first Saturday of December. Oxford Street and Regent Street is closed to traffic and as I found out people swarm the area. It was unbelievable the amount of people that were out. I also made what will probably be my last visit to the Regent Street Apple Store. 

Tomorrow I’m heading to Canterbury. Check back tomorrow evening for those details. I have also dropped below a week remaining in London. I’m still in shock that this is my last Saturday in the city. Quite amazing! I can almost see home from this point!!

Tonight was a landmark evening. Today was the lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. For the past 62 years Norway has given Britain a tree for Christmas as a thanks for support during World War Two. I stood in the cold for two hours to get a good spot and to see them flick the switch to turn on the lights. Unfortunately when the switch was flipped I was looking the other way and missed it. But there are pictures of the 90 foot tall, 90 year old tree. Check out the pictures of course!!

Tomorrow I will be heading north west to Oxford. Look for a lot of pictures from there!

Yesterday was the start of Advent. I was recommended  by a wonderful couple that I met over break to view the services at either St. Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. It was quite a decision of which to see but the candlelight service at Westminster Abbey won. The service was amazing. I recommend it to anyone who is here during the occasion. There’s nothing like being in Westminster Abbey, at night, only lit by candles. Thanks Bonnie for this wonderful idea!

My last weekend is quickly approaching and I have a few places to still visit. I want to visit Oxford, Brighton and Canterbury. In no specific order these are my last remaining goals while I’m still on this island. It’s rather ambitious but I will prevail! I still want to swing into the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum here in London. After that I will officially completed everything that I wanted to do while abroad. Next Friday, my last will be one last swoop around the city to see the great landmarks one last time. I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about this!!