On a Quest for Cash and Pictures

Today we all got up early with lots of things to do. We started by taking the metro down to Herrod's, which is a famous department store (owned by the family of Princess Diana's boyfriend/fiancee Dodi Al-Fayed). Before we went in, though, I wandered around searching for a Bank of Ireland that didn't exist. It was a sad moment, but I'll look again. Once the store opened, we headed inside. The place is huge! There were probably six floors, all massive, containing designer clothing, accessories, etc. The best part, though, was the food hall on the ground floor. They had EVERYTHING - Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, vegetables, pastries, exotic fruits, meats, sandwiches, chocolate...the list was endless! It's definitely something everyone should experience. Just...wow. Shelby, Amanda, and I all got lunch there - I grabbed a sandwich, a rice cake, and a pretty dessert cake - and took it to go.


We ended up in the park at Westminster, and sat underneath some trees that looked out on Big Ben. It was lovely weather this morning, too. After we were all stuffed (and very happy), I sent the girls off to see Westminster Abbey, and I ventured forth on a quest for a bank. I remembered there was one just off Oxford Circus, on the other side of town, so I took the metro there and walked. It was pretty busy today - people running everywhere (it is a Monday, so that should be expected). I got really happy when I saw a Bank of Ireland, and went inside hoping to find an ATM or a desk for withdrawal. Instead, they told me where I could find an ATM up the road a ways (they didn't have those services at their branch). Apparently, Bank of Ireland sponsors ATMs in Post Offices around London. After lots more walking, I found the place they told me and sure enough, it was an ATM I could use!!

Cash-in-hand, I took the metro back to Oxford Circus to look for a place to buy a camera battery. I knew it would be pricey, but I would be pretty upset if I'd gone to London and could only come back with maybe 20 pictures. I found one in the first or second shop I'd looked in and purchased it. Thank God it worked. I just wish I'd done it sooner. Shelby texted me to say she was nearby, so we made plans to meet up for shopping. Instead, due to lack of communication and running out of credit on my phone, we kept missing each other. When we finally did meet up, I said I'd go to an internet cafe while she went down to find a Next, and then we could meet back up when she was done.


She did finish, but had to go meet Amanda to pay for their hotel and arrange travel for their next few days in England. I said that was fine, since I wanted to photograph things I'd missed yesterday. I took the subway back to Westminster and walked along the river for quite a ways, capturing the same things I would have had I had my camera with Lori yesterday. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the Star Wars exhibit again, but I was satiated with some Storm Trooper pics outside. Once I'd finished, I met up with the girls at the Travel Agency, where I got my stuff, and then set out to find a bus to the airport while they bought tickets for Wicked. I ended up having to rush off and say goodbye after I couldn't find the bus, and I wandered about for a good while before luckily finding a shuttle by asking a random guy. It wasn't the one I planned on (nor the price) but I was just happy to make it to the airport.


I caught my flight just fine, and read Harry Potter the whole while. The flight was fine, just a little bit of turbulence, and I was back in Galway. Another 20 Euro later, I made it to Corrib Village, where I collapsed in my bed. Since I only had about three chapters of the book left, I went ahead and finished it. Most excellent, if I do say so myself, and quite appropriate (have you finished it yet, Allie?). I went to bed soon after that. Lots of work to do this week!

The rest of my pictures from London can be seen here.