Today it was quite cloudy in London. It had us shivering on the tops of the double decker busses that we hopped on and off of, familiarizing ourselves with the city all day. Rain drops started to fall as we boated along the Thames getting fantastic views of the London Eye and The Tower Bridge. Although the weather wasn’t particularly on our side, the morale was still high.

Breaking out of our 16 person group around lunchtime allowed for a more quaint experience in a small pub just outside of Leicester square. After finishing my meal of fish and chips we explored both the touristy parts of Piccadilly Circus and the more quiet surrounding streets. Coming across tiny antique shops and hidden bookstores (one with a pretty substantial section of art and design books!!) made it feel as though the city isn’t so big and overwhelming after all.

The more time I spend out in the city the more fascinated I am by the mixture of old and new architecture that London embraces. The contrast between the historic stone buildings and modern glass ones just works so seamlessly here. Even though much of the skyline contains those tall and shiny structures, I have an admiration for the charming small businesses that you just so happen to stumble upon such as this one:

Overall- a very exciting first full day on the town. Off to dinner! Cheers!