Tourist Day

I apologize for not getting my blog up last night. We had a touristy day and I was exhausted when I got back to the flat. We woke up yesterday and got a coffee and a croissant at a quaint breakfast place in Chelsea. We went to again pick up our tickets at the Gore Hotel for mens indoor volleyball which took place last night. Picking up the tickets, we ran into Will Montgomery and Jaime Crow. They are both former student athletes at UCI. We walked and talked with them for a bit and made some plans to hang out before going our separate ways. Natalie and I went to the USA house which is located right next to Royal Albert Hall. The USA house has lots of cool clothes to shop for and we did some serious damage there buying clothes for ourselves and for our family at home. We then went exploring around the area which included so many fascinating and detailed buildings. There was Royal Albert Hall, a Statue of Albert himself, and the Royal College of Music. The buildings here are so old and have such a different look than the ones in the states. When I see some really awesome looking building here, I always think that it is a big deal or some sort of famous building, but it turns out to just be a church hotel, office, or something normal. The are all so intricate and incredible!

We went back to our flat to change and take a little rest and then headed to Earl's Court for the men's indoor volleyball game. USA lost in three to Italy in their quarterfinal game knocking them out of the medal rounds. It seemed like their wheels were just spinning off and they couldn't pull it together after the initial deficit. It was pretty heart breaking to see their faces after losing the game. I cant imagine what that feels like. Our seats were very close to Will and Jaime's so we walked out of Earl's Court together to get on the Tube. Will had tickets to beach volley so Jaime decided to come with Natalie and me to see Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye, which are all very close in proximity.

The London Eye was very cool. It's essentially like an enormous, slow moving ferris wheel that lifts you so high that you can pretty much see everything in London. The duration of the ride was about 30 minutes. We had views of the beach volleyball stadium, Buckingham Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Parliament, Big Ben, and The London Bridge. Once again, all the buildings from this view look so cool because they are so old and different looking than the ones in the US. After we were done with the London Eye we took some pictures and got back on the Tube to go to the P&G house to get some dinner. Jaime's place that she is staying is located right next to the P&G house so it was perfect because we got off at the same spot for her to go home. Natalie and I got some dinner and watched the men's polo game on the big screen. They also lost in quarter finals last night against Croatia. In the P&G house the mood was somber among the mens volleyball team and the fans who were watching the water polo game, but everyone perked up and enjoyed watching the beach volleyball on the big screen. We were all cheering and very happy for Misty and Kerri and Team USA.

We are so excited for the women's water polo game today. My stomach jumps every time I think about it! I just know that they are going to come out on fire and bring it home. I am prepared with just about every article of clothing thats as red white and blue as you can get and ready to cheer and chant as loud as possible. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers and support by watching them either live at 12pm or on NBC! LET'S GO USA WWP. BRING HOME THE GOLD!! Below are my pictures from yesterday.

Kelsey