Long and fun weekend

Where to begin... I guess I'll go chronologically.

Kristin flew in with her friends Ashley and Kevin on Wednesday, and after a rain-soaked tour of the city they met up with me at Piccadilly Circus that night. Of course we were glad to see each other, and we ate at a little 'caff' (sort of the cockney term for a greasy-spoon cafe) and walked around Soho and Chinatown.

The next night Kristin and I saw Guys and Dolls at Piccadilly Theatre courtesy of my internship program, and it took me back to the days of the musicals that my family (especially my sister) partook in. It was Kristin's first time seeing the musical, though I remembered a lot of the old standards like "Luck be a Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." The choreography was great, and I reminisced about playing in the pit orchestra. It was a pretty enjoyable show, and I was impressed with the quick set changes.

Friday was a full day: Kristin and I went to Windsor Castle, just catching the tail end of the changing of the guard. It was a marvelous place, and some of rooms have stunning color schemes and well-preserved art. After that we took the train back to Hounslow so Kristin could meet some of my coworkers. Upon hearing that we were headed to Kew Botanical Gardens, the sports editor groaned and complained that Kew was "boring as f***." I thought it was a nice place though, but the cold rain and wind didn't help my experience. Luckily there were enough indoor greenhouses to warm up in and see some nice plants. Kristin was proud to show off her UW Horticulture Club knowledge, and there was even a badger den where humans can crawl around like badgers!

Kristin then met my host family and we ate my favourite meal that Zoya makes (the Ukranian name escapes me, but it's basically stuffed shells with beef or lamb, rice and tomato). That night we met up with Ashley and Kevin to go clubbin'. Unfortunately we were a little too late to get into a club that had a really famous DJ, and we wandered around until one promotions guy got two of us into his club for free and then two of us for 10 pounds each. It wasn't a techno place like Ashley and Kevin were hoping for, but Kristin and I had a good time while we were there.

My trip to Edinburgh will take a whole 'nother post to lay out, and I'm running out of time, so until then, Adieu.