Heatwaves and History

I'd like to give a big "HOWDY!" to all my dear Texans at home, especially those Aggies that are braving the College Station heat (and summer school).  I'm sure it's a typical summer for Texas, with daily highs in the upper 90's or over 100.  Like I said, typical.

Here in England, the nation is being shocked by a news-breaking heatwave (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23355833).  "It is the UK's first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 86 F."  How unbearable!

DIVAS.

Mind you, these poor Brits aren't used to it.  But really, if the temperature was 86 degrees in Texas right now, everyone would be praising the Lord for sweet relief!  In London, however, all everyone talks about is how the temperature this week reached a nasty high of..........89 degrees!!!  

So despite what everyone else is saying, it's NOT that hot here.  It feels awesome, perfect summer weather!  I had a great weekend that consisted of quality time with friends, museum visits, and a colorful 5k run!

On Saturday, I ventured over to Sloane Square with my friend Mina (also an intern at the embassy) and her cousin Maimuna.  Just a side note: these girls are AWESOME!!!  We had so much fun together!  While in search of food, we stumbled upon a market filled with tents and tents of just about every cuisine you could imagine: baked goods, fancy cheeses, Indian curry, burgers, paella...the list goes on.  I enjoyed a huge Brazilian steak sandwich that was delicious!  Mina ordered a burger and learned the hard way that English mustard is super spicy!  Quite hilarious :)

Market at Sloane Square 

Natural History Museum

After lunch we meandered through the Natural History Museum.  The displays are pretty impressive, but we didn't stay long because the place was packed and it was like an oven inside.  I guess that's the big deal about the heat being so miserable in London: even though the weather itself is not outrageous, air conditioning is virtually non-existent, so there's no escape!  At least in Texas we can say the "ahhh..." of relief every time we walk inside a building.  In London, without ventilation, the heat gets trapped indoors and for real, it's hell.

Entrance to Earth's Treasures!

Anyway, our favorite exhibit was definitely "Earth's Treasures" - a massive hallway containing cases and cases of every precious gem, stone, and jewel that God dreamed up!  We saw huge rubies, diamonds, emeralds, opals (my birthstone!), you name it!  Definitely a girl's dream exhibit :)

After the Natural History Museum, we wandered over to the National Gallery, and to our surprise...AIR CONDITIONING!!!!  It was incredible.  We happily strolled among the Van Goghs and Monets, never so thankful for cool air and beautiful art!  Seriously, though, the paintings in there were incredible!  I am a huge fan of Monet and his gorgeous pastel landscapes, and there was nearly a whole room devoted to just his works.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that photography is not allowed.  In the Scottish National Gallery, no problem.  But as I was raising my iPhone to take a snapshot of one of the paintings, I heard a loud, harsh voice booming across the room, "NO PICTURES MADAM!!!"  The voice of the stern old attendant echoed in the elaborate room...then silence.  When I turned around he was staring directly at me, and so was everyone else...oops.  I muttered an apology and tried to play it cool, but I definitely hung my head in shame as I passed by him and entered the next room.  Rookie tourist mistake.  I thought we were past that, Hayley!



In other news, Sunday was definitely one of the highlights of my entire trip!  It was The Color Run 5K!  It took place at Wembley stadium in northwest London, and the entire experience was amazing.  Everyone wears a white t-shirt, and at each 1 km point there is a color station where you get attacked by volunteers throwing brightly colored powder!  It sticks to everything - shirt, skin, and hair - quite messy!  At the finish line, everyone receives their own packet of the color powder.  They corral everyone in front of the DJ's stage, and as the music builds, the packets are ripped open, color powder flies, and everyone raves!  Definitely an amazing finale!  I highly recommend it if the event ever comes to a town near you.

I did run it by myself because none of the other interns signed up in time, so don't judge me on the number of selfies I took :) I had to capture every moment!

Before the color!

Yellow zone!

Orange zone!

I did it :)

Grand finale!

Messy messy messy

...But I wasn't alone the whole time!  My sweet friends Mina and Maimuna met me at the finish line :) I felt so loved and was really thankful for their support!

My cheerleaders!

After all the walking/running/raving that weekend...I was exhausted!  But it was so fun and I would do it all over again.  In the next few weekends, I have lots of friends/family coming to visit, and I'll be making a trip to Oxford.  Only four weeks until I'm home!  I'm excited to go back, but there's so much here that I still want to do!  Time has flown, I've sure been having fun :)

Much love,
Hayley