Friday and Fabric
Friday was an interesting day, to say the least. We woke up around 8:00 A.M. because we had a tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground. It is the oldest site of Cricket and started in the mid 18th century. Our tour guide was one for the ages. He was a white haired South African man, probably in his mid sixties, who literally did whatever he wanted. He took us on a two hour tour of the grounds that included seeing players warm up, seeing an actual match, and visiting the cricket museum. Although it was not one of the most exciting tours, our guide had the perfect accent and spoke about this in a way that creates certain clichés. He truly was hilarious.
After Lords we took the tube back into the area that is known as little Italy. At first we thought the whole group was going to have lunch together, but after a few minutes we realized the reality and broke apart. After bobbing and weaving through the streets for a few minutes we found an incredibly cheap pizza place that served personal pizzas. After the pizza, which was very good by the way, we headed over the BOA (British Olympic Authority) to hear from a man named Jose Riera. Understand that the BOA is head of the British Olympic and Paralympic team. We had a chance to see torches that had previously been used and on the whole saw an incredible office. Jose Rierra is the Senior Press Officer for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. He explained to us the goals of the Olympic games and different aspects such as legacy and facilities that had to be accounted for. He spoke a lot about what the Olympics were doing for the community and about plans for the facilities after the games were over. He also spoke to us about the challenges of dealing with the British press and how they were much more direct than American press. All in all he was a great speaker and was incredibly informative. He was also very enthusiastic about the games given that he has been working so hard on them. He said that it was very challenging but that it was hugely satisfying.
After the BOA, we headed back to the apartments where we were staying. I went for a run and then we all went out to dinner. That night we pre-gamed then headed out to Fabric, the 8th best Nightclub in Europe. It was incredible; there must have been four or five floors to it. The music was incredible and we never stopped dancing. It was truly insane!
It was the most fun we have had at night here so far. Although the first week is coming to an end it has been an incredibly interesting and insightful one. I have fallen in love with London (except for the prices) and the people I have met. It really is an amazing trip and I will always be grateful for the experiences I have had, even if it did cost 18 pounds to get in to Fabric! Either way, it was a great day!
