Having come back from the English countryside, we bounced right back into exploring the vibrant sights of London. I may or may not have an obsession with the movie "Notting Hill", so before I even set foot on England soil I knew that this neighborhood would be a must see.

Notting Hill is famous for the Portobello Road Market. On Saturdays the street is packed with people searching for antiques and second hand clothes. We quickly dropped by during the week before class, so we missed out on the chaos.

You can find anything from various home goods accessories...

to decor from Eastern lands.

We could smell the Nutella crepes from halfway down the street.

Chloe tried out a few items for size...

Sadly we had to quickly catch the tube back to class, but I promise I'm not done with you yet Notting Hill!

Somehow Chloe and I came up with the idea of visiting London's ICEBAR. So we booked our passes and headed to Piccadilly Circus over one quiet evening. And when they say ICE bar, they're not kidding. The walls, tables, and bar are all made out of fresh ice! Colorful lights change around the crowd, as waiters serve up cocktails in these strange ice cubes.

So you don't freeze your bum off, the staff kindly loans you a personal ICEBAR cloak and gloves.

Naturally I had to test to make sure the ice was real.

But boy, let me tell ya! After about 30 minutes in there, things got chilly!

Chloe agreed, and we were very happy to greet the warmth outside.

Our workload this past weekend was pretty tough. Three papers, one presentation, and two books to read called for a study break. We headed to the beautiful Hyde Park for some fresh air!

We passed through the Rose Garden...

and fields of wildflowers...

with Princess Diana leading the way...

until we stumbled upon the Serpentine!

Just don't fall in like I almost did.

Halfway around the lake the trees parted and gave view to the glorious Prince Albert Memorial.

He was known for supporting public causes including educational reform and labor rights. At the top of his memorial it says, "For a life devoted to the public good." What a swell chap! Here's the memorial across from the famous Royal Albert Hall.

Crossing the Serpentine Bridge, we headed to the north side of the lake.

Where we passed by a talented group of street performers.

There was no way we were passing up a chance to go paddle boating in the Serpentine on a beautiful afternoon!

My co captain was a pro!

While I chose the more relaxing voyage.

This is the same water used for the men's and women's triathlon and marathon swimming events during the 2012 Olympics!

Sadly we had to say goodbye to our afternoon oasis to return to the books. Luckily our midterm assignments are over this week, so we have more time for London shenanigans. I can't believe that we've officially hit the half way point of the program! Only three weeks left in this glorious city, and then it's back to the States!