As I sit looking out of my window
and thinking about my departure back to
the states tomorrow I have no choice but to feel a little sad. I look back at
past six weeks of my life and smile at the good times I have had and the people I have met. The places I have seen. I have had an amazing experience in London Town
with no regrets. London gave me freedom, something I have never truly had in my
life before. I have braved new heights
while conquering old fears. The girl who almost always had a panic attack in
crowds now knows how to appreciate them but also maneuver around them. The girl
who was terrified of the subway but now she can get herself from East London to
North London with no problem and a comfortable tube ride. The girl, who
despised exploring things on her own, learned how to be alone in a city where
anyone is willing to chat with you and give you a friendly smile. The girl who
feared what this trip would clarify for her now embraces her future with no
fear and all the possibilities. As I
think about saying goodbye tomorrow I realize it’s not goodbye, it is only see
you later because London I will see you again, real soon.Thursday, July 18, 2013
IT'S NOT GOODBYE, IT'S SEE YOU LATER
As I sit looking out of my window
and thinking about my departure back to
the states tomorrow I have no choice but to feel a little sad. I look back at
past six weeks of my life and smile at the good times I have had and the people I have met. The places I have seen. I have had an amazing experience in London Town
with no regrets. London gave me freedom, something I have never truly had in my
life before. I have braved new heights
while conquering old fears. The girl who almost always had a panic attack in
crowds now knows how to appreciate them but also maneuver around them. The girl
who was terrified of the subway but now she can get herself from East London to
North London with no problem and a comfortable tube ride. The girl, who
despised exploring things on her own, learned how to be alone in a city where
anyone is willing to chat with you and give you a friendly smile. The girl who
feared what this trip would clarify for her now embraces her future with no
fear and all the possibilities. As I
think about saying goodbye tomorrow I realize it’s not goodbye, it is only see
you later because London I will see you again, real soon.
LAST WEEKEND IN LONDON: DAY 3 PART II
After Abbey Road Quita, Christine
and I headed to the Hard Rock Café which is the original Café. We decided to
walk to the Marylebone tube station because the map told us it was a 5 minute
walk; how quickly 5 turned into 25 minutes and we began to wonder if we were
still in London. We finally found the tube station and once we were inside I
discovered they had a West Cornwall Pasty shop (On my day trip Oxford with Quita
I discovered West Cornwall Pasty shop and fell in love) Since none of us had
dinner we headed to the pasty shop, this was Christine first time and she immediately
loved it after the first bite. We ended up chatting with the server who helped
us and he tried his best at imitating how American girls talk, we told him that
was not how all American girls spoke and we told him a bit about the states and
he equally told us things about England. We were there chatting for a while
before we departed for the Hard Rock café. Once we got off of the tube we found internet
and learned Jessica beat us to the shop and had already purchased some stuff.
We quickly went through and explored while Christine purchased things for her
parents. After asking a few questions about the meaning behind the Hard Rock Café
and discovering there was a downstairs vault we could tour with a guide. We
toured the vault with a couple from D.C and a few people from Sweden and our
lovely tour guide Billy with the gorgeous hair/face. In the vault they had a body suit from
Madonna, Jacket and edited lyrics from John Lennon, Guitar of Kurt Cobain,
shoes of Little Richard, and many other rock musicians’ guitar. We even sat on
the same chair as John Mayer and Ellie Goulding. It was the perfect end to the
perfect weekend.
LAST WEEKEND IN LONDON: DAY 3 PART I
The last day of my last weekend in
London arrived and I was feeling a bit sadden that my time in this magnificent
city was almost over. I left out at
about 12:30 with Quita the TA on our trip to Spitalfields market and Brick lane
Market. I have previously been to both but that was during the week and the
markets are the best on Sundays. We met up with some of the other girls who
live on Baker Street and we all headed out to explore the market. One our first
stand stops were Flavortown cupcakes after hearing praise from Quita, these
were some of the best cupcakes I have ever had in my life. They weren't overly
sweet and the cake was moist. After exploring Spitalfields we headed towards
Brick Lane which had a warehouse full of food stands and streets filled with
stands for everything. We all had lunch
from the same Chinese stand and fresh pina colada from a stand where you could
decide if you want it in a cup or pineapple; I chose the cup but soon wished I
had chosen the pineapple. Once we
finished lunch we headed out to explore Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane. Then we all headed back to our flats for some
rest and around 7:00 we headed out to Abbey Road to make the famous Beatles
walk. Arriving at Abbey Road we found a
crowd of people at the cross walk trying to maneuver traffic to get the perfect
picture. The cross walk is busy intersection but have zebra lights, which mean
the cars have to stop and let you cross or they face a heavy fine. We stood for
a little bit and watched other people attempted the walk then we crossed to see
Abbey Road Studios which is actually a really plain building other than the
fence where everyone who has visited signed the wall. We quickly realized none
of us had a sharpie so we couldn't sign the wall. We then headed to the Abbey
Road sign to take pictures. Now it was time for us to do our Beatles walk. Me,
Quita, Christine, and Jessica waited at the cross walk for the Mallory, Jaime,
Hope, and Lindsay to join us. While we were waiting we observed everyone else, practiced
our walk, and made sure we had everything timed perfectly; this is important at
a heavy traffic intersection. The girls arrived and it was time for our lovely
walk which we perfectly did on the first try without getting hit or honked at.
LAST WEEKEND IN LONDON: DAY 2
On Sunday I decided I wanted to
spend the hot day inside so I headed to Kensington to the Science Museum. I
left about 12 and arrived at South Kensington tube station about 12:30 then I
headed to the noodle bar to grab lunch to have at the picnic area of the museum.
My main reason for going to the museum was to see an IMAX 3D movie. I ended up
seeing two movies for 12 pounds! I saw Hubble 3D and Deep Sea. This was an
intense 3D experience. Both movies were wonderful and I would suggest them to
anyone. After the movies I explored the museum and loved seeing all of the
airplanes through time and explore space. Later
on that night my roommates and I headed to the South Bank to see it at night. Walking
across the access bridge I got to see the best view of the London Eye, River
Thames and Big Ben at night. The view made me really appreciate the city and how
much I am going to miss London when I leave. 
Pegasus
Big Ben
Monday, July 15, 2013
LAST WEEKEND IN LONDON TOWN: DAY 1
After our day trip to Greenwich on
Thursday and quickly realizing my last weekend in London was here, I almost had
a nervous breakdown. I figured I better make my last weekend in the city one I
won’t forget. On Friday I headed out to the Tower of London for a little tour
in the afternoon sun and one of the hottest days in British weather history. The
Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels and is known for its torture and disappearances
throughout history. From the outside the
Tower really looks like any other old stone castle but it is actually a small city
once you get past the moat. I spent the entire afternoon at the tower exploring
it from beginning to end. (Including the bloody tower and torture chamber, why
not I spent $30 to get inside) My favorite part was of course the Crown
Jewels, and let’s be honest I have never seen so many diamonds and gold in my
entire 21 years of existence. My favorite crown was The Queen Mothers. While waiting
in line for the Crown Jewels I got to see my first ever changing of the guards!
It was pretty awesome! I figured this was a great start to my weekend; little
did I know it would only get better from there.
The only picture I could take there was no photography allowed inside
TATE MODERN
When first hearing about the Tate
Modern I didn't know what to expect, I just knew it was one Museum that is a
must see while visiting London. The Tate
Modern sits on the River so it’s a long tube ride; once leaving tube I had to
make my way to the opposite side of the river.
To get across I had to use Millennium Bridge; as someone who is not a
fan of bridges in the car I was skeptical of crossing the bridge on foot. Facing
my fears I arrived at the museum not expecting it to be full of modern art,
some I appreciated and some I just did not understand. The Tate Modern is not a
huge museum so getting through it did not take much time. One thing I did not
expect to see at the Tate Modern was paintings from Picasso. Even if you don’t have an appreciation for
modern art you should still stop by for a quick view of some things you may not
understand why it is called art.
Yes I walked across that bridge!
I have no clue what this is, but thought it was cool
Sunday, July 7, 2013
HARRODS I LOVE YOU
Once again I have ended up in
Kensington at the famous Harrods. For those who may not know Kensington is one
of the riches neighborhoods in London. Everything you see here is luxury, so of
course the world famous department store is located in this area. If I was able
to spend every day shopping in Harrods and living in Kensington I would be a
happy person. Harrods is such a magical
place from the moment you step foot into the door it’s like you entered a whole
new world and definitely a new tax bracket. Some of the things I have seen are
purses from Alexander Wang that I have wished I had for years now. There was a crib that I could sleep
comfortable in for about 5,000 pounds, an all white leather Versace stroller which
I actually seen someone purchase. There
is also a memorial for Princess Diana and her boyfriend whose family owned
Harrods until recently. I saw s jersey
signed buy the best footballers (soccer) players that I wasn’t suppose to take
a picture of going for about a few thousand pounds. The best part besides the
couture dresses I will one day afford was the toy kingdom…oh how I wished I was
a child again. Harrods is worth a visit
or two or three or maybe Kensington is just your favorite neighborhood.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
On a Monday
morning I headed out to Kensington (which has become one of my favorite places
to spend my time) for a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum. For those who
do not know Queen Victoria is my favorite royal in history. She was born May 24
1819 as Alexandrina Victoria. She was the longest reigning monarch on the
British throne. She was on the throne for 63 years; also the first monarch to
live at Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria and her husband Albert had nine
children that married into royal families across Europe which gave her the
nickname “the grandmother of Europe.” If you trace the royal families of many
European countries they will lead back to Victoria. How wonderful she is! When Albert died she went into mourning
wearing only black and avoiding public appearances.
The Victoria and
Albert Museum is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and deign. The museum has 4.5 million objects. My desire to visit the museum was because of
Victoria and the fashion collection that is on display. The collection features dressed from the 17th
and 18th century, and 1930s evening wear. The collection even goes as far as present
day with works from Alexander McQueen. With such a huge display of objects I
only made it through the right side of the first floor and honestly it was
mostly spent looking at the amazing clothing that made me wish I was born in a
time when dressing classy was appreciated.
Gorgeous dress from Lanvin
Is there any where apprioate for me to wear these?
I would take this jumpsuit if I could.
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