February is usually my least favorite month of the year. It’s my breaking point with winter. The holidays are far in the rear view mirror by this time and the allure of snow and some snow days are gone when January ends because it’s at this point that I’d even prefer to not have a day off if it’d just warm up and not look so grim and gray outside every day. It’s that point where you can’t quite see the light of spring at the end of the tunnel. So I’m sorry, February, no hard feelings but this just isn’t going to work out anymore.
However, the 2015 version of February for me, my 20 crack at it, is turning out much less grim and a little less gray—it is England, of course, it will definitely be gray. In the first week of the oft dreaded month, my dad and sister came over to visit. They arrived on the first Friday and it was a whirlwind of five nights for them. Flying over on a red eye, neither got much sleep and you could see it in their faces beneath the smiles. My sister studied abroad here herself two and a half years ago and was brimming with happiness to be back and this is my dad’s first time on this side of the Atlantic so he was loving it as well, besides the lack of sleep. After lunch they wanted to push on and stay awake until the night so they could be acclimated with the new time zone but jet lag took another two victims as they succumbed to a nap. I, meanwhile, was controlling the TV remote for the first time since I’ve been here because I don’t have my own television.
First stop that first night were Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye, my sister’s favorite part of the city. It’s easy to see why, of course. Just think about it. Big Ben is really just a big clock, that’s all it is. I’ve seen a million clocks in my life and Kean even has its own clock tower. But Big Ben must’ve hypnotized me because I’ve seen it about four times now and I still can’t enough. Nothing about it has changed, yet I still take the same 15 pictures. It’s incredible. The underground station spills you out literally just about right under it. My dad walks out and says “okay, which way do we go?” My sister and I look at each other, smile, and point up.
For those who don’t know, the London Eye is basically just a Ferris wheel of all Ferris wheels. Matter of fact, type “Ferris wheel” into Google right now, the second link is “London Eye.” Anyway, it’s gargantuan and yields beautiful views from up above London. Breathtaking is a good way to depict it. Every carriage holds about 10-15 people, and ours was unfortunately polluted with a few less considerate fellow tourists. I’m talking a camera, phone, tablet, selfie stick and Google glasses with about 100 pictures on each, paired with a disregard to all other forms of life. In spite of that, we still had a great time.
After walking around to the point of foot decay, we called it a night and prepared for the next day. At 3:00 p.m., we were off to Craven Cottage, home to Fulham F.C. to catch a second division match. Fulham used to have a statue of Michael Jackson outside the ground. Why? Simply because the old owner was a huge fan. Seriously, his only tie to the club was attending one match in 1999. That’s what being rich is like. Unfortunately for the King of Pop, the shrine has been removed. After the game, our beloved Liverpool FC were playing against bitter cross town rivals, Everton FC. We had to rush back from the game and find some establishment with a TV, which proved to be more tricky than anticipated. We found something and was sitting down about a minute before kickoff. Too bad the game ended in a 0-0 draw, but at least we got to watch it.
After more sightseeing on Sunday, including my school, we were off to Liverpool for their game Tuesday and stayed with family friends who showed them around the town, everything they showed me a few weeks ago. A favorite was going into the place where The Beatles first started, the Cavern Club. After seeing the town center, we went up to the stadium to witness a huge game, one that Liverpool just had to have. After an incredibly entertaining 90 minutes that saw five goals, three of them came from the boys in red. Liverpool won 3-2 with a goal in the last 5 minutes. It was an amazing experience, sight and atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the next morning I had to once again say goodbye to my dad and sister for another few months. They had to get home to my mom who I wish could have come as well, but somebody had to watch the dog, the house and work! Thankfully, February doesn’t slow down from here, it only comes faster. Trips to Paris, Liverpool—for the fourth time—and Barcelona all have to fit into the next part of the month. Hey, February, maybe we can make this work out after all.
