And in the End...

I have so much to say, I hope someone is reading this.

I had to pick up Nick at London Heathrow airport on Wed. morning at 9:00am, so naturally I stayed up all night. I left my room at like 6:50am and I got to Heathrow via the bus to Elephant and Castle, than the Bakerloo Line to the Picadilly line, all the way west.
I was pretty tired by the time I got to Heathrow, so I drank two red bulls and waited outside the gate for Nick. Sure enough, he eventually came shuffling off the plane looking tired but happy.
It felt weird to see him, and I felt weirder having him see me. Like I've said before, the possibility of seeing home feels so impossible here, and it was like, oh, wait, we can hang out?
So we gleefully embraced and than got to some serious catching up. Nick is the only one from home I haven't really explained what I've been doing here to. We sat on the long tube back (Nick was fascinated with the tube, and OYSTER CARDS)and I told him about everything I've done, the people I've met, living in the UK, all that jazz...
Bryan warned me about this, but it was really reallly realllly cool for me to watch Nick the way I was the first few days I came here, yano, snapping pictures out the window of everything and staring all gawk-eyed at things as we passed. It really made me appreciate this again, because I've stopped looking up when I pass Big Ben and I've stopped noticing British accents. I've settled so nicely into this world that I forgot it's not the one I belong to.
Later that day we took naps, and we went out for Nick's first fish and chips and Fuller's London Ale. Again it sweet for me to watch Nick do all this stuff, it made me happy to be doing it again, everything felt exciting again.
That night Nick met all of my friends. They were all super nice to him and I think he really enjoyed all of them. He said he liked Jose the best. We wound up getting irresponsibly drunk and I bought shots of sambuka at the New Cross Inn. The New Cross Inn is essentially Chubby's in Red Bank, just local bands and drunk ass locals. I love that place, because it reminds me of home. Oh and Emily made me an omlet.
The next morning we woke up hungover and set out to do all the major stuff I've already done 400 times. Big Ben, Parliament Buildings, Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace.

Westminister was cool for me this time to though, because we took like an inside tour of the church and there are SOOOOO many people buried in it. Kings, Queens, Lords, Dukes, Charles Darwin, and Isaac Newton all boast being buried in this fuckin church. The church itself was too impressive for words. It is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places you will ever see. It literally astounds the mind. Like your mind can't comprehend what your eyes are looking at.You just feel like you want to cry everytime you're in these places.
There was a room called the tomb of the unknown soldier where you could light candles that burn in Westminister Abbey, I lit one for Larry Imbro (thinkin about you always man), and felt sorta spiritual for like a few minutes.
After that we walked up to the Palace, took some pictures, and got bangers and mash at a pub. I showed Nick around Picadilly Circus, than we went back, got showered, went to O'Neills with Daria and Kelly, watched a coverband, called it a night.
Friday we woke up feeling better and decided to go shopping at Oxford Circus and also see Soho. I took Nick to Carnaby Street, and we shopped at Top Man in Oxford Circus. Nick bought an 85 pound jacket and I bought some british looking t-shirts, that my friends will surely make fun of me for wearing when I come home.
Soho was really cool. We went to countless music shops, book stores, sex shops, head shops, all that stuff. We dropped too much money on souvenirs,
That night I took Nick to a pub called the Mudlark, which claims to have the best meat pies in London (there was no barber shop above it though), and it was DELICIOUS. We got Guinness and steak meat pies, and Nick couldn't get over how good the food is here...also we ate McDonalds drunk later that night...twice.
That night I took Nick to my favourite spot in the world by St. Pauls Cathedral, which I've wrote about in these blogs extensively. I took him to the Globe as well. Also, we went to this pub called the George which has been there since 1617, both Shakespeare and Charles Dickens have drank there which was pretty surreal. Nick couldn't get over this place, yano, drinking in history...neither could I.
We went to some pub by the Thames and waited for Becca to get out of class. While we were waiting, we got completely drunk, and by the time Becca showed up we were shloshed. The three of us drank in this pub until the bartender literally begged us to leave, and then we got a bottle of wine and went down to the thames. We drank two more bottles of wine there, and me and Nick walked home from the Thames River and took the bus to New Cross black out drunk. We woke up the next morning with no recollection of how we got home, but the soda cups signified we stop at McDonalds.
Saturday I was the most hungover man in the world, but it was the day I had been waiting for my entire life. I will not write about this now, I will make a new post tomorrow called, "Abbey Road". I need to take that post more seriously that the mood I'm in now.
Last night we just watched some local bands in New Cross and rode the London Eye, and today I sadly took Nick back to the airport.
It was fun though friend.

Cheers.
Andrew