Wimbledon, Greenwich, Gymnastics, USA House, & Cambridge

Cheerio! I have not blogged in a few days as the past two nights I came in late and had difficulties typing and was seeing a little cross-eyed. Apologies if you were sitting there with bated breath waiting for my next blog update, as I'm sure this is the most interesting thing you have ever read in your life. Tonight I have come home early as I have caught a chest cold and sore throat (or "The Crud", as my parents call it) and am not feeling very well. I rarely get ill in the USA, however I have been exposed to icky germs from all over the world this week, so I'm not surprised. Thankfully it isn't something that will keep me bed-ridden and I won't miss too much fun. I picked up some "Strong Bronchial Catarrh Pastilles" at the Superdrug... basically a menthol gumdrop... and those seem to help. 

So, I'm sitting here with my tea with milk (something I really enjoy and will probably continue to put milk in my tea when I return to the States), my tomato, brie, and basil baguette, looking out the window of my lovely view of the London City Airport runway.

Looking back on the week:
Wednesday:
I woke up bright and early at 6 AM... didn't care to, but my body was confused on what time it was. This was Wimbledon day, and I wanted to fit in Westminster Abby and the Churchill War Rooms prior to heading out to Wimbledon. Westminster Abby was pretty cool... I did not realize so many people were buried there. I especially liked the tomb of Queen Elizabeth and Poet's Corner were many literary and musical greats are buried. I lit a candle to say a special prayer for my family, then left. I don't tend to dilly-dally at historical points of interest and read every plaque or sign. I just like to enjoy the beauty. Off to a tour of The Churchill War Rooms. I found this interesting, and they pretty much have left quite a bit (or reconstructed quite a bit using pictures) as it was when the war ended. The most interesting thing to do in London and worth the 16 pounds? No. 

I jumped on the tube and headed out to Wimbledon. It was a 20 minute walk from the tube to the stadium, and I was walking behind this family. Their pre-teen daughter was being a whiney brat, and the mom said, "If you ever ask me for any more treats, you ain't gonna get 'em". If you are familiar with the Pink Floyd song where the lady yells, "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat all of your meat", that is what it sounded like. Made me chuckle.  

I made it in through security and got to my seat right before Serena William's match. Serena slaughtered her opponent in two sets, in only 51 minutes. Kate arrived before the next match, which was Djokovic v Hewitt. We went and grabbed a pasty and some pimm's for lunch, and headed back in for the match. Hewitt was the under dog, and really held his own. Unfortunately he could not keep up with the younger Djokovic. Quite a shame, as Hewitt is a hottie. I'm also a big fan of the "Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oye Oye Oye!" cheer. After this match, we decided to partake in Strawberries & Cream, and some Champagne. However you had to buy Champagne by the bottle - at 47 pound 50. Never mind, a glass of wine will do. Final match we stayed for was Andy Murray vs Baghdatis. Murray is part of Team GB, so the crowd was fun... doing the wave and really into the match. Murray won in three sets, losing only the first set. 

Afterwards, Kate and I (and Hannah) met her friend Stephanie in a suburb I don't remember the name of. Ate a wonderful Spaghetti Carbonara at Stephanie's boyfriend's restaurant, Luce. I was exhausted by the end of the night, and actually had been all day. Was happy to get back to my room and crash. 

Thursday:
Spent the morning and afternoon in Greenwich with Kate, avoided a downpour by perusing the marketplace, then enjoyed fish and chips and a pint at a local pub. Was a nice relaxing morning/afternoon. The Royal Observatory was closed due to the equestrian events being at Greenwich Park, so I was not able to stand on the Greenwich Mean Time line.  

We headed off to the North Greenwich Arena (known as O2, formally known as something else) for gymnastics. This event truly was awesome to see. Sometimes you are not sure what to look at as 4 events are going on at once. I also was surprised how quickly it went by. Was so proud of the two American girls - Gabbie for getting the gold, and Ali for tying for bronze. Unfortunately in an event of a tie for bronze, the tie goes to the competitor with the most technical points. So very cool to be at a medal ceremony when they are playing your National Anthem. I felt pretty damn proud. 

Afterwards we went to the USA House, where the USOC hosts athletes, sponsors, etc. for food and drink to celebrate and watch the US athletes compete on TV. Watched Phelps grab a gold and Lochte a Silver with a huge crowd of Americans - the place went nuts! Met Apollo Ono. I'm a huge dork and asked him if he was going to show off his dance moves later, and he said, "Um, no, we're leaving". Ok then. 

Today - Friday:
Kate (and little Hannah) and I met at Kings Cross rail station to head out to Cambridge for the day. Kate attended Trinity Hall at Cambridge University for her Master's in Education and I was excited for my private tour. We took a punt boat tour on the River Cam, had a pint and a meal at a pub, then walked around visiting Queen's College, King's College, and her alma mater, Trinity Hall. The colleges are beautiful and the chapel at King's College is AMAZING.

Tomorrow I'm off to Basketball and Athletics. GO TEAM USA!!