Stateside

Even though I have been home for three weeks and have been asked the question: “How was London?” at least forty times, I have still not been able to come up with a better initial answer than: “It was great. It was so great.” Of course, afterwards, I elaborate on the incredible places that I have been to and everything that I have seen while overseas. However, I have found that it is so difficult for me to describe my entire experience in few words. I could say “It was one of the best experiences of my life,” but that would be cliché. True, but cliché.

            Being able to study abroad was definitely one of the most amazing opportunities that I have been given, and I am so glad that I was able to go to London. Initially, when my best friend Emily Davis and I both found out that we had been accepted into the program, we had plans to be gone every weekend. We wanted to visit Italy, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Greece and anywhere else we could possibly think of. We quickly found that we did not have the funds or time to do this. Luckily, we were able to go to France, Ireland, Scotland and the Czech Republic, as well as several places in England and we used our other weekends to explore our city and get to know it as well as we could in three months. I have now become an expert on the city of London and I would not have it any other way.

            Three months may sound like ample time to be able to see everything there is to see in a city, but London is just so full of interesting sights and events that it would be near impossible to see everything. There was always something exciting happening, whether it was Tom Cruise filming a scene from his next movie down the street from our flat, or a giant pillow fight happening in Trafalgar Square. There was such a variety of areas and places to go in the city, each with its own kind of charm. Personally, I fell in love with Brick Lane and the different marketplaces. Also, most of the museums were free and there were plenty of places to do some people watching, which is one of my favorite pastimes. It was impossible to be bored in London, which is why I loved it so much.

            To my parents’ relief, there was some studying done while I was in London; It was not just a three month vacation in Europe. Taking classes about London, while in London was quite the experience. There were times where we would be reading a work of English literature and come across the name of a street that we had walked down hundreds of times. Also, being able to take a class about William Shakespeare and his works, while living in England was incredible, as well as seeing several of his plays being performed. Through my classes, I was able to gain further knowledge on the history of the place where I was living and they also helped me understand why things are the way they are today.

Studying abroad in London has taught me to be ultra- independent. It has also prepared me for living on my own, having multiple responsibilities, including cooking for myself, and it has let me experience city- living. I have found out just how much I love the city sounds, close buildings and how much culture there is. I encourage anyone with an inclining for adventure to study abroad. Being outside of my comfort zone really pushed me to branch out and do some exploring. I also learned a lot about myself while on this trip. It was a great experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The view from the London Eye

Earlier this week I went on the London Eye with a few of my friends. I had been hoping to go on a nice day and luckily, it was sunny and clear out, though still very chilly.

 The best part about going on the Eye is the view... we could see for miles! It was amazing to be able to see Big Ben and Parliament, the Shard, St. Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace from standing in the same spot and turning.

 The ride lasted about a half hour and we were in the pod with about fifteen other people. I would highly recommend going for a ride on the Eye to anybody who is traveling to London. If I have time in the next two weeks, I hope to go on it at night to get a different perspective of the city.

Scotland

This weekend, I experienced an entirely new feeling called DSL; Deep Scottish Love. This feeling comes from within the heart, and it can hit you at anytime; like when you're walking along the rocky shore of a loch, hiking through a forest trail or just viewing the snow- capped mountains from the window seat of a bright yellow van that just happens to have the words "wild and sexy" painted on it.

Our trip to Scotland began on Thursday afternoon, when about 50 students from AIFS left King's Cross station at about 2 pm. The train ride lasted about four hours, and we passed through English countryside and rode right along the ocean for a while.

When we arrived in Edinburgh, it was already dark, but we had a chance to explore the city a bit after we had settled into our hostel. A few friends and I ate at a local pub called The Last Drop and then we ventured near the Edinburgh castle on the hill. When we paid for dinner, we noticed that there is a difference in appearance between British and Scottish pounds, although they are equal in value and can be used in both places.

On our first day on the road, our bright yellow Haggis tour buses carried us to the highlands. Our tour guides, Stevie and Scott the Scot (who wore a kilt all weekend) filled us in on some Scottish history and culture. We got used to their Scottish accents and learned to answer with an “aye” for all things affirmative. We stopped at several places on the way to our next hostel in Loch Ness, including a few castles and scenic overlooks.
There was beauty everywhere we looked. It is not hard to find in such green countryside. We had the most fun just exploring the places where our bus stopped.

On the way to our next hostel in Loch Ness, we got to stop, get off of the bus and do some sight-seeing every so often. Some of these stops included a few castles and scenic overlooks. We also had the chance to see some deer up close as well as a few “hairy coos” which are furry, highland cattle. By the end of the trip, we had become used to the sight of sheep in the middle of the road.

There was beauty everywhere we looked. It was not hard to find in such a thriving countryside with wild heather growing all over and the crumbling dry stone walls. 

One of my favorite stops was right by the shore of the ocean on the Isle of Skye, which we covered our second day on the road. The shore was pebbly and we got to climb some of the huge rocks that the tide had left behind. We got some great photos of each other with the mountains and the ocean surrounding us. 

Lake Loch Ness was incredibly smooth and intriguing. There is so much legend behind that lake and whatever is living underneath its depths. Stevie told us that the lake is extremely long and deep and that creatures move into the lake from the ocean through the lock system every so often. He believes that the Loch Ness monster is actually a huge oarfish, and he claims that he has seen one jump before. Personally, I am not sure if I believe in something like the Loch Ness monster, but I have really enjoyed seeing all the Nessie souvenirs. 

We got to try haggis at for dinner at our hostel one night, and we also learned how to put on our own kilts for a Tartan toga party. This trip to Scotland was filled to the brim with raw beauty and the country has become one of my most favorite. I hope to go hiking through the mountains someday in the future and I know that I definitely will be returning.

Prague!

 Last weekend, our group went on a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. At first, I did not know what to expect but I ended up really enjoying myself.

 We landed in the airport in Prague and were greeted by a totally different language and the challenge of figuring out the currency (which uses a lot more zeroes than I am used to).
After finding an ATM and being shocked by the fact that we had just taken out 2,000 Czech koruna, we rode the bus into the city. Even though it was getting close to nightfall, we could admire the unique architecture of the buildings in Prague. Since the city was never bombed, all of the buildings are very old and built in the same style.
Our hostel, Hotel Fusion, was probably one of the coolest hostels in Europe. It gave off a funky vibe with writing on the walls and the rotating bar that was downstairs.
We all met up after we had settled into our rooms and went on a short walk to Old Town Square, the city's centre. The square would be perfect for a concert! There is plenty open space in the middle and it is surrounded by little shops, restaurants, food kiosks, churches and museums.
My favourite part of the square was definitely the Astronomical Clock Tower. It is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world and some say that it is cursed; anybody who has tried to restore or fix the clock has either gone mad or died...
The clock has a set of moving figurines of the apostles that pass by windows on the hour as well as a skeleton, which symbolizes death, that rings a bell when the clock strikes the hour.
A group of my friends and I had dinner in the square and we ate outside, under heat lamps. The restaurant also offered us blankets. It was chilly in the city, but we were happy to be together and have good food.

 The next day began with a walking tour of the city. This was very helpful because, in the days leading up to our trip, I had not been able to do much research about sights to see while in Prague.
We learned a brief history of the city and the Czech Republicfrom our tour guides. One of the highlights of the tour was the Charles Bridge which was decorated with several statues and plaques. The bridge also offered a great view of the city along the river.  I noticed the great numbers of swans that were in the water below us. I have never seen so many swans in one place before! They are pretty to look at... but I have heard that they become really aggressive if you get too close to them.
There were many people selling trinkets, jewelry, food and caricatures along the river, as well as a few street performers.

 After a lunch, where I tried local cuisine, including hot (mulled) wine and fried cheese, we went on a tour of the castle on the top of the hill. The view was really spectacular. We could see all the Terra-cotta coloured roofs of the buildings around us and we were there just in time for the changing of the guards, which was very interesting to watch. All the guards seemed to know that they were good-looking and took pride in their fur hats.
The castle is the biggest in the world and we were able to explore different rooms and the churches that are connected with it such as St. Vitus Cathedral.
I really could not get enough of the architecture in the city! It was incredible.

 

  After the tour, we explored the city on our own for a bit. Sarah Moran and I took in the view from the top of the St. Nicolas Church bell tower and then we visited the Salvador Dali museum.

Our next day was left free for us to make our own way through the city until we had a group dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant later that night.
 It was a gorgeous, sunny day in Prague and we walked to sights like the Dancing House and the Lennon Wall, which was inspired by John Lennon.
We also spent some time just sitting in the square, people watching and taking in some rays. 
We even had time to try Trdelnik which remind me of pretzels except they are wrapped and baked around a wooden pole and then covered in either cinnamon sugar or almond.
Before we got to Prague, I did not know how much there would be to do in the city, but I quickly realized that the city had new and interesting features waiting for us behind every corner.  

On our last day in the Czech Republic, we left Prague to travel by bus to Lidice and the Terezin Concentration Camp.
The town of Lidice was burned down by German forces in 1942 and all of the adult males were killed. There is now a memorial where the town used to be.
The Terezin Concentration Camp was eerie to visit, because of all the death and destruction that had happened there, but it was also very educational and a significant part of history.

We saw some of the conditions that inmates were kept in as well as the cemeteries and the cremetorium.

After visiting these places and catching the brilliant sunset, it was time to catch our flight back home to the UK.

Stratford- Upon- Avon and a football game

It is so hard for me to believe that I have been living in London for an entire month and that I only have two months left in this great city. There are moments when it hits me that I am having a once in a lifetime experience and that I may never get to live in Europe or in such a cosmopolitan city ever again. London is so different from the cities in the United States because it combines politics, history, the arts and culture into one concentrated place. Although most cities in the US have a mix of these aspects, some, like DC, are known mostly for politics and others are known for the arts, like LA. I really love having the mix, because it provides a wider range of activities and experiences. I am so glad to be living here. 

The excitement of this week began with the prospects of seeing famous faces around town because of the Brit Awards. This is the English equivalent to the Grammy Awards. Wednesday was music’s biggest night in London and a few of our friends had tickets to the show, one of them being my roommate,Vanessa. She told me about her experience, which included some time with the stars on the red carpet and a seat on the balcony where she watched celebrities like Taylor Swift, Mumford and Sons, and Emeli Sande perform. There were also a few people from our consortium who won tickets to Justin Timberlake’s after- show concert and Jay-Z’s after party. It was a star- studded few days in London and we all kept our eyes peeled in case there were more stars around. 

On Friday, we took a day trip with our school group to Stratford- Upon- Avon, which was William Shakespeare’s birthplace. I like to think of myself as a bit of a scholar when it comes to Shakespeare, because I took a class last year, am in 'Shakespeare in London' class right now and have had to memorize soliloquies since high school. Shakespeare has the best quotes for almost every life situation. 

We began our chilly morning off with visiting Anne Hathaway’s cottage, which was just outside of town. Will married Anne when he was very young and they had three children. The cottage itself was adorable, but the little working garden that was just outside was what stole my heart. It would be my dream come true to own a house with enough room for a garden so that I could grow my own produce. Next, we went into town where we had a little over an hour and a half to explore on our own. My friends and I walked through the cobblestone streets and found our way to Holy Trinity Church to see Shakespeare’s grave. His epitaph reads: “blest be the man that spares these stones and curst be he who moves my bones.” He is buried where saints and kings are normally buried; he was that good.

            After eating at the oldest pub in town, we joined the rest of the group at Shakespeare’s family house, where he grew up and where his children were born. There were guides in every room who were dressed up in the garb of the period, that spoke to us about Will’s life and how there are lines in his works that allude to glove-making and tanning which was his father’s profession. It is still incredible to think that a man who was only educated until he was fourteen years old was capable of writing such works of art. His works are timeless and it takes a real genius to keep things relevant for over four hundred years. 

            We had another exciting adventure on Saturday, which was a Fulham v. Stoke City football game. We were warned not to call it a “soccer” game, because the locals would get upset. I was surprised by the crowds of people who turned out for the game. The tube ride to Putney Bridge was quite cramped, but all we had to do to get to the stadium was follow the throngs of fans. Our seats were right behind the goal net, so we had a great view of the players trying to score. The game was intense and there was such pride and passion coming from the fans all around us; we knew how the Romans felt while watching gladiators fight in the Colosseum. Fulham won, in the end, and we had a very exciting experience watching the game. 

Trip to Paris!

This past weekend, my roommates and I took a trip to Paris, France. We caught the earliest Eurostar train from London to Paris. And began exploring. 

On our first day in the city, we did some sightseeing. It was a simply gorgeous day, as you can tell from the photos! 

We walked all over and passed by the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, through Place de la Concorde, where we had delicious chocolate waffles and walked over Pont des Art; a bridge with padlocks attached to it, which symbolize eternal love.

Lovers fasten locks onto the bridge, and then throw the keys into the Seine below.

We were there the day after Valentine’s Day, so there were plenty of padlocks that had been newly attached as well as several overly- affectionate couples PDA-ing on the bridge.

             

 We spent Saturday in Versailles, where we toured Louis XIV’s mansion and gardens. The “Sun King” did not let us down; it was a gorgeous day and it felt so good to be outside. Living in London for a month has made us really miss the sun and blue sky. I took a ton of photos of the splendor and beauty that made Versailles so famous. It was really great to be there, even though some of the statues were covered and the fountains were not flowing. We had done so much walking that all five of us fell asleep on the way back to Paris. 

Me, in the gardens of Versailles

An adorable cottage on the property

 When we got back into Paris, we went on an evening boat tour of the sights along the Seine. It would have been twice as amazing, had it not been so cold out and if we had not been as tired. We enjoyed seeing the Eiffel tower lit up and being able to sight see while sitting down.

            Our last day in the city of lights began with an “incredibly French” breakfast: croissants, baguettes with butter and jam, cappuccino, and orange juice. If I had to, I would be alright with living off of French bread for the rest of my life. 

 We kept a brisk pace throughout the day so that we could see everything that we wanted. We toured the Père Lachaise Cemetery which reminded me of a neighborhood full of detailed and decorated mausoleums. We passed by Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and the forbidden lovers’ graves. I really did not know what to expect before we got there, but the cemetery turned out to be one of my most favorite parts of the trip.

I was not positive that we would get into 11:30 mass at Notre Dame, but we made it after standing in line for just a half hour. It was amazing to be in such a large, heavy looking building with so much space above us. After mass, we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and walked along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, just to say that we had. Before we went back to the hotel to grab our bags, we walked up a million stairs to see the basilica in Montmartre, which gave us a great view of the city below us. We ended our stay in Paris with some crepes; mine was filled with chocolate and coconut.

            Although we were pleased with our trip to Paris, we all agreed that we were glad to be able to call London our home. It was a beautiful place to visit; however we find London to be cleaner and we became very aware of all the street scammers that preyed off of the crowds at the sights. There would be people that would “ambush” us in groups and would either try to distract us by asking us to sign something, or try to tie colorful strings around our wrists. We did not fall for their tricks but it did make us uncomfortable. We welcomed ourselves back to the UK with a short bus ride, some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner and by finishing up our homework for Monday’s classes.