LONDON | May 21 | Rachel M. Matthews

We woke up very early thanks to jet lag and the Eastern sunshine, so we got up and ready. Only a few blocks south is the Baywater station, we took the district line and transferred to arrive in Hammersmith. We are acclimating quickly to public transportation thanks to Google maps of course. We used the oyster card yesterday but remembered to try Google pay on our phones which works great. We just tap our phones on the pay pad and the gates open. Before our first attraction opened we walked through a park that was actually an old graveyard called Margravine cemetery then we grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe that doesn't seem to get too many Americans. We were met with confusion but friendliness.

Across the street from the cafe was one of my favorite buildings which is the Maggie's Centre in West London by Rogers + Partners but I've never seen it in person. It's in Hammersmith by Charing Cross hospital. The detailing is beautiful and I love the bright colors contrasted by the rich wood grains. I am thankful that John let the architect in me geek out a bit this morning. Read more about England's free, comprehensive cancer centers called Maggie's centres here. How amazing would this be in the states?

What we can't get used to is the whole drive-on-the-left-side thing. People walk on the left side of pathways, bike on the left side, etc. We've almost gotten run-over a hand full of times. Also, my allergies have fully kicked in. Yesterday the greenery and blooms didn’t bother me at all, today I’ve sneezed 100xs. Benadryl to the rescue. On our way back to Queensway we hoped on a double decker bus and upon waiting for our next activity grabbed more coffee at Cafe Diana. Here John used a lot of napkins. His cold from a few weeks ago has turned into some congestion.

From 11:00 to about 15:00 we went on a 9 mile bike tour of Royal London. The tour was with Fat Tire Bikes which apparently started as a Mays Business School student project, according to my sister. We biked through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park to see Kensington Palace which began as a modest country home. Afterwards included Wellington Arch, Bucky P (local slang for Buckingham palace), Trafalgar Square, ate in a crypt with a sweet couple from Alberta, horse guards parade, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, St. James park and back again through Hyde Park.

After the tour we ate a quick snack and stopped by the HKS London office which was beautiful. Upon leaving the office we went to the National Gallery to snag a peek at a few famous paintings then we caught a clipper to head to Greenwich via River Thames. On the way we saw more of London like the Millennium bridge and the tower bridge. We stopped at Greenwich which the Brits pronounce Grinnich. We saw the Cutty Sark, an old ship that brought over tea in the 1800s. John found us a local joint that served pies and mash, basically sheperds pie and mashed potatoes. The staff told us that John ordered the most traditional London meal, beef pie and mash with liquour which is some parsley green liquid, not alcohol liquour. For dessert we had blackcurrant and apple crumble with half custard half ice cream. It was divine!