Tea Time and Les Miserables!

Tuesday was the most beautiful day! There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the leaves are starting to change, and it was the perfect fall temperature. As they say in You've Got Mail, "It makes me want to buy bouquets of sharpened pencils." That is exactly how I felt. Cath, Abs, and I went for a mid-morning run and I honestly couldn't stop smiling. I was running through Hyde Park on a perfect fall day in London...Complaints? I think not. That afternoon we decided to go for tea at the Orangery in Kensington Gardens. We put on our best "tea attire" and Cath, Abs, Annie, Laura, Kristin, Nicole, and I headed over there. It was quite delightful. I felt the need to be a proper, polite, English, young lady (even though it was pretty obvious that we were a group of overly excited American girls).  I ordered the Millionaire Shortbread with Caramel, and Laura and I shared the peppermint tea. The shortbread was delicious and the tea was even better. Mind you, this was our first experience with tea so it took us a few minutes to figure out how to use the strainer, how much sugar and milk to add, and how to drink it "properly". We got there eventually though! I loved it. It really was quite satisfying. On our way back to the center we just enjoyed the beauty of the park. I was seriously so happy. I couldn't contain it. It was probably one of my favorite afternoons here.

That night we enjoyed a delicious "Greek-themed" dinner. It definitely makes my Top 5 meals we've had here. We had a yummy salad with bacon, cashews, cucumbers, and a homemade dressing, rice, chicken with a pesto sauce, artichoke hearts, and fried zucchini. It tasted so unbelievably good. We had to hurry through it though because a group of us went to Les Miserables that night. That meant that the second our dishes were done we were out the door, and on the tube. The group that went was me, Laura, Abby, Annie, Mandi, Catherine, Courtney, and Lauren. We bought the tickets when we got there so we ended up sitting in pairs. I sat with Laura. The play was truly amazing. I have heard so many things about it, but to see it live was a whole new experience. It was so emotional! Laura and I kept turning to each other in tears. When it ended I gave it a standing ovation. I am so glad we decided to see it!

It was a perfect fall day in London town!