Queen's Park Rangers, London Sushi & Kensington Gardens

I went to my first British football game! Capa bought out a big section for students at the Loftus Road Stadium, the home of Chelsea's Queens Park Rangers! Before this game, QPR ranked 21 out of the 92 teams in the league, which is a big change from past years. As you walked to the stadium there were crowds of people wearing the blue and white scarves, headed towards the entrance. My favorite was seeing little kids in the QPR jerseys.

Walking into the stadium was an exciting feeling. Although the stadium held much fewer people, the excitement could almost match that at the Pitt football games. There were a lot of Nottingham Forrest fans too, and they may have been even more rowdy than those of the home team. We sat on the first level, so I felt more apart of the game than when in a huge football stadium. The ball bounced from each players head just as much as from their feet, and they managed to throw in some fancy tricks. We were very close to the action, and even though I'm not much of a sports fan, I was really interested in the game. When they scored a goal, they all ran over and hugged each other, and it struck me as very different than a lot of other (American) sports teams. The game ended in a tie, but apparently that means that everyone gets a point, so the fans were in relatively good spirits. Even though they may not have been in a huge league, I thought they were impressive!

Of course I have had to try sushi in London. Unfortunately it is extra expensive, so my flatmates and I saved a nice sushi dinner for a special occasion. On Valentine's Day we all met at a relatively fancy sushi restaurant near our flat. It was decked out with red napkins and roses on the table. They served us complementary wine during the meal, and some free chocolate truffles came with the check! Not to distract from the sushi though, it was DELICIOUS. It was not noticeably different from sushi in the States, as some food is, but that's a good thing! It was a great way to spend the evening, and definitely worth the cost!

I have discovered a new favorite place in London; Kensington Gardens. It is a huge park close to where I live, and houses the Kensington Palace and Albert memorial. It has tons of bike paths and open lawns surrounding a lake. The lake has lots of ducks and best of all- swans! I had never seen a swan close up until my first trip to Kensington Gardens. On a sunny day it is packed with couples, kids, and dogs, but still manages to be peaceful and relaxing. Unlike some other city parks (in both London and US cities) this park really feels as though you have left the city. As I [reluctantly] walked out the first time, I was almost shocked to see the hustling and bustling streets in London right in front of me again. I have liked all of the parks in London that I've seen, but none of them had the same effect on me as Kensington Gardens has.

Prince Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens