Today was the first day of class.. Definitely more work than all of us realized which put a damper on my morning. Once lecture ended we had the opportunity to explore the city and nearly all of our group took the tube to Borough market which is a great outdoor food market with everything from breads and cheeses to oysters and kangaroo burgers. We all grabbed a cheap lunch there and I had the most fabulous gnocchi with pesto of my entire life! It was so fresh and great. The serving sizes here are so much smaller, which I love. We then decided to walk around and see Shakespeare's Globe while walking the river and then by Big Ben and Westminster. The walk home took a few hours, but of course everyone got distracted with a great vintage store and then a really unique pub. I found a really neat vintage store with great blazers for 20 quid or less. I have also discovered a pear cider that is so tasty! It's called Magnerst and it restored my faith in the pubs here. During the walk home we passed so many of the great neighborhoods. One minute we would be in a very swanky area with stores like Baby Dior (yes that really exists) then five minutes down the road we would see sex shops. It is so odd the way the neighborhoods make a drastic change in just a few blocks! I walked about 10 miles today total which was crazy, but it truly did help me to get my bearings of London better. The tube is so nice and works a lot like the DC metro with these cards called Oyster Cards. The mayor of London is attempting to get all people in the city to get them and it makes the swiping in and out of the stations much more efficient. Eventually we all will get monthly unlimited passes when we start working since we will be taking the tube twice daily.

Tonight the group is planning to go to a pub and club for the first time. I didn't realize the way the social scene works here, but most people go to pubs straight from work around 5pm and stay there until 10 or 11 before heading to clubs until the wee hours. I am really excited to experience the nightlife here! One thing I am getting used to is how expensive things are here! I was bargain hunting at the grocery store because it is crazy how fast money goes with pubs, food, and topping off oyster cards. It still hasnt stopped me from having fun and tomorrow I think I am taking a boat tour of London on the river and visiting another outdoor market. London is known for them and tomorrow I am heading to one of the very best so I am so excited.