London's Omnipresent Grey

I was up for nearly 24 hours traveling more than 3,000 miles. I had drank very little water, and each bone in my body was frozen from the hotel lobby's perpetual air conditioning while waiting for check-in. I was sleep deprived and around ten other students who were strangers, who were certainly feeling the same way.
I desperately needed to put my nearly 30-pound backpack and very overweight suitcase in a hotel room, put socks on so my toes didn't feel like they were separate from my feet, and a warm, warm bed. 10 hours later I was finally quenched. I slept a short while, rejuvenated myself, and was then willing and able to explore Chelsea.

Sweet little streets in Chelsea

Do they make these in the States?

I spent only two days in London but saw lots of its charm. It was grey and rainy every minute I was there but never dreary. In the middle of a late-night downpour, Piccadilly Circus, an area in London that many compare to Time's Square, was buzzing and colorful. Umbrellas sprung open instantly in the streets and water filled every crevasse in the cobblestones. Rain was never more beautiful.

The city is comprised of a mix of the old and the new. After being on the receiving end of many bombings by Germany during World War II, ancient buildings and monuments remain half living; they are a reminder of the suffering and almost-broken British morale of that time period. 

A one-thousand ton bomb landed on the St. Paul's Cathedral and luckily failed to detonate.

Buckingham Palace

BIG big Ben

Hello! Half of the London Bridge

Peeked into London Fashion Week, what an amazing venue. 

Eclectic

The Shard: the tallest building in the EU. There are few skyscrapers in London, it's nice. 

A last stop to Portobello Road Market, so many gems and so many people!

And many silly entertainers!