Home Sweet London

While Paris was a phenomenal experience, I was extremely excited to be back here in London. It really is starting to feel like home. We had a chill weekend as we winded down from all the festivities in Paris. On Friday, we shopped at Camden Market and Oxford Circus then hit the town in the evening- late night Chicken Stop run included. On Saturday, we walked around the Russel Square market and then me and Jenny literally ran into the British Museum. We were simply walking where the wind took us and the next thing we knew, we were at the steps of the museum. The museum was featuring a Picasso exhibit, which was amazing. We tour the Picasso pieces in addition to an Egyptian mummification exhibit. While we were on our way out, I heard someone say "Let's stop at the Rosetta Stone next" and we literally stopped in our tracks and did an immediate 180 turn. We almost left without seeing the Rosetta Stone! It was so incredible. The etchings on it were so delicate and intricate. I was very impressed and simply dazzled to see it in person.




The museum was enormous- I could have stayed for hours. We opted for a low key evening just hanging in our dorms, working on homework and reflecting on Paris. On Sunday, I ran for the first time this entire trip and boy, was that a challenge. I jogged the streets of Islington and then had lunch with Mary Frances in the cafe in our building. Running in a city is much different than running in my neighborhood. The crosswalks, stop lights, and car fumes are going to take some getting used to. In the evening, our entire group had a picnic dinner at a beautiful park that over looked the London skyline. From our blanket, we could see the London Eye, Parliament, and the Shard just to name a few monuments. As a group, we debriefed from Paris and got prepared for Madrid all while munching on delicious meat and cheese spreads and sipping on white wine. Why can't all classes be this perfect?

So next stop, Madrid! I hope I make Allison and Kelsey proud with my Spanish skills! Time to find my lightest clothes and get packing for Spain where the forecast for the week is hot, hotter, and scorching. Here we come SPAIN!!

Postcard from Paris

Postcard from Paris by The Band Perry

Well, now I can say that I've seen the real thing.  Paris was postcard perfect.  I loved the sights just as much as I loved our down time.  I went into Paris kind of blind since it was the first of our five excursions from London.  I will be honest in saying that I could have been more prepared for the differences between Paris and London like how Americans are treated, how to tackle the language barrier, and how to handle the persistent beggers and homeless people.  I learned a lot about the French and immigration issues surrounding France.  Isn't neat that Paris was out classroom for the week??  I am excited to travel to Madrid on Monday and continue broadening my European perspective!

 Au revoir Paris!!

Time to head back home to London!!

Paris in a Day

On your mark, get set, GO!  After eating a delightful almond croissant and cafe olay from the bakery, we were off to our packed day of sightseeing through Paris.  First stop- Notre Dame de Paris.  Although we didn't run into Quasimoto or Esmerelda, Notre Dame was simply magical.  The stained glass windows were tied with the beautiful arched ceilings as my favorite part of of the church.

 I loved this stained glass window!

 Inside Notre Dame

 Outside of Notre Dame

Next stop-  I had never heard of this church before arriving but once I saw it, I was in awe.  Sacra Couer sits at the very top of a hill (more like small mountain) and once you get to the top, you can see the Paris skyline all the way to the horizon.  The church is in the Momantra area, which has a cute, artsy market where artists were painting and selling their work right then and there.  For lunch, me and Laura did the local thing and ate cheese on a baguette in the open park area below the church.  It was delicious, and I felt so Parisian.

 

Sacre Couer

Outside of Sacre Couer

After lunch, we took the metro to the see the Arc de Triomphe.  The monument was very powerful as it honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.  Names of generals and places of French victories are inscribed on the inner and outer walls of the arch and there is a tomb of an unknown soldier buried beneath the arch.  The monument was very touching and incredibly beautiful to see in person.

Arc de Triomphe

 Being the arc

Since the arch is in a very central shopping location, our leader gave us some free time to shop around and chill.  We certainly did more shopping than chilling but I'm not complaining.  Seeing the Paris fashion was very cool and made me feel like I need to get with the program on how to dress like a trendy European.

We met back with the group at the US Embassy where we had a meeting with their outreach coordinator and immigration specialist.  The meeting was extremely informative, and I learned a lot about the embassy's purpose in different countries.  It was also nice to be around people who spoke English!

Continuing to push through the day at full speed, our next destination was the Louvre.  The Louvre was amazing since it is a historic monument and art museum all-in-one.  I adored roaming the exhibits, totally mesmerized by the ancient and contemporary art.  We visited the Mona Lisa and other famous works in the Louvre like Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory.  It was an awesome and extensive museum but I need about four more days in there to see and read everything I wanted to!

She looked right at my camera!

 Living works of art

Venus de Milo

Still no signs of stopping on this whirlwind of a day!  From the Louvre we had a classy dinner on the patio of a restaurant by Notre Dame.  I learned that smoked salmon is not my favorite but the dish looked picture perfect-

Food may be my favorite thing to take pictures of

After dinner we grabbed some bottles of wine and ventured out to see the Eiffel at night one last time.  It starts to sparkle at 11:45 and only shimmers for 15 minutes so we made sure not to miss a second.  Watching the tower glitter in the night was a gorgeous ending to our eventful day.

 

Me and Jenny waiting for the tower to sparkle! 

 The Eiffel Tower blinged out

Great day with great friends!

Crepes and Croissants

Each morning in Paris, we grabbed breakfast at the cutest bakeries with the greatest pastries I have ever tasted.  My absolute favorite treat was the apricot croissant.  I wanted to buy three dozen and take them home with me.  They were to die for.  My other favorite food in Paris were the baguettes.  Every corner we turned, someone was walking around with a two foot baguette, just casually nibbling the bread. These are my kind of people.

Following closely with stereotypes of French cuisine, crepes were all the rage.  We found our favorite creperie in the Latin Quarter of Paris and I had the toughest time deciding which one to get.  Peanut butter?  White chocolate?  Honey and butter??  I decided on banana, butter, and sugar and it was so yummy.  Reminded me of banana pancakes since crepes are basically very thin pancakes with fillings.  I liked it but not as much as my croissant!

Jenny and I with our crepes!!

Gardens of Versailles

Louis XIII had it right when he was building his palace in Versailles.  The bigger the better.  Then again, he had all of the money in France so why not build an entire fairytale land to live in?  Unfortunately, the line to tour the inside of the palace was a four hour wait, so we opted to just tour the gardens.  Essentially, we explored the palace's backyard for seven hours and still did not see everything we could have!  It was the most extravagant garden I had ever seen.

Look how far the gardens stretch!!

 

Me and Jenny outside of the palace

    

Who wouldn't want to live here??

 I loved these flowers!

Later that evening, we went on a dinner cruise down the Seine.  The food was delicious and to top it all off, we saw the Eiffel Tower at night!

xoxo from Paris

French 101

Off to Paris and so happy to be awake at 6AM!

My knowledge of French goes about as far as singing Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, and let me tell you, that does not suffice in Paris.  Although the areas of Paris that catered to tourists generally spoke English, I noted my personal ethnocentrism as I assumed everyone would understand me.  After learning some greetings and useful terms from Kara and Mac, I was able to order food at a restaurant we visited before heading to see the Eiffel Tower.  There was an egg on top of my steak, which was just the kick-off to my odd food experience in Paris.

Steak Tartare

And this is a large coffee.  The French have a much better grasp of portion control.

The Eiffel Tower was just as beautiful as it is in pictures except so much more massive.  We climbed as far as they allow tourists to go- 670 steps up and 670 steps down.  Needless to say, I will never look at a step class the same again.  The sore calves were absolutely worth the breathtaking view from the three levels of the tower.  Peering over the city really made me realize how small I am and how big the world is.  It was a humbling experience.

Fortresses and feminism

After our packed week of sight seeing through London, we fortunately had the opportunity for two free days to get to know the city better. I decided what I was going to devote my free Saturday to long before even crossing the pond. The plan essentially fell into my lap one day at home when I was reading Zite, a personalized news app that I recommend anyone and everyone to get. Under my feminism tab was an article about controversy surrounding an upcoming feminist conference that was set to take place in London in July. I was immediately fixated on the idea that I could (and would) attend this conference. Listening to and learning from the speakers, attendees, and guests of RadFem 2012 from across the entire world taught me so much about radical feminism and how other women view the world and understand women's oppression. (I apologize Mrs. Boswell for writing such a terrible run-on sentence right there.)  To give you an extremely brief background, radical feminism is a branch of feminist theory that connects women's oppression to our patriarchal society's focus on male supremacy.  RadFem 2012 challenged me to view gendered issues through new lenses and exposed me to global injustices women face everyday.  Although there are extremities of radical feminism I may not agree with, I am very happy that I attended the conference and look forward to sharing my experience with my gender studies pals and professors back at school.  Plus, it was the first time I navigated the tube by myself!

On Sunday, me, Mary Frances, Noel, and Jenny toured the Tower of London and learned the expansive history of the royal palace beginning in the 1080s proceeding the reign of William I.  The Tower is more of a small city exploding with history as each monarch added a new addition during their reign.  We explored on our own after realizing at the first Tower gate that patience for walking with crowds is not a virtue we possess.  During our exploration, some hotspots we visited included the Tower Green- where Anne Boleyn was executed in the palace, the Crown Jewels exhibit- where we drooled over diamonds as big as our fists, and the White Tower- where famous foreign invaders were housed and tortured during their imprisonment.  Since the Tower is of course now exploited as a tourist attraction, we ate lunch at one of the many restaurants and then browsed the gift shops.  I'd say the Tower's feel is a bit different than what it was in medieval times- less torture, more tourists.

Glimpse of the Tower of London

To top off the day, me and the girls attending Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral.  Although I was trying very hard to be attentive to the sermon, I was so mesmerized by the beautiful interior that my focus probably drifted more than it should have.  But can you blame me??

Here we are, Sunset & Camden

I love books.  I know my library card number like I know my phone number and was averaging two books a week before leaving for London.  I love fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, mysteries, love stories, biographies, autobiographies, and everything in between.  I dream of one day having a library in my future nonexistent home but after our trip to The British Library today, I am starting to think maybe I'll just move in there.  Photographs are not allowed in The British Library, as continual camera flashes may damage the works on display in the long run.  With my mental camera, I took pictures of sacred religious texts and illuminated manuscripts; original notes by da Vinci and handwritten drafts of songs by Mozart; poems by Oscar Wilde and books by Jane Austen.  I was astonished at how beautifully this literature was preserved and felt so overwhelmed that I had the chance to see the original copies of such influential works.  My favorite was The Magna Carta room.  Mary Frances shared her wealth of knowledge with me about King Henry I, the need for The Magna Carta, and the tales of Robin Hood.  I could have listened for hours.  The library was massive, and I definitely plan to go back before the trip ends.

The King's Library

Bookworm

After the library, we visited the Camden Borough, and I could not help but think of Debbie Reynolds in my favorite musical, Singin' in the Rain!  Sure, the scene is unrelated to the Camden area in London but nonetheless, I could not get the tune out of my head all day!

We walked along the Regent's canal to get to the Camden Market where the bulk of our daytime adventures took place.  There were trendy shops and yummy vendors selling all types of food.  We ate lunch by the canal and then browsed the shops before heading back to regroup before our big evening.  We went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey, which is an Anglican choral service held every night at The Abbey.  From there, we picked up a quick dinner on our way to see Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe, a replica of the Globe Theatre that's about 750 feet from the original site.  As much as I appreciate Shakespeare and his artistic brilliance, I must say that it was a challenge to understand the play.  Pictures are not allowed in the theatre but to give you a better feel, here is an image from Google:

Inside London's replica of The Globe Theatre

Shakespeare included standing area in his theatre so that peasants could have the opportunity to see plays too and the standing area also allows for audience-actor interaction during the play.  We got to experience how peasants watched plays and let me tell you, they must have had some good shoes in order to stand for that long!  Next time I think I'll sneak in a lawn chair.

Hokie Stone v. Roman Stone

This is a piece of the original Roman wall that protected the city around AD 50 when it was called Londonian and under Roman rule.  The stone was incredibly beautiful (and incredibly ancient), but I don't know if it holds a candle to Hokie stone!

So I watch the Bachelorette.  It’s a guilty pleasure I don’t like to admit, similar to licking the batter bowl or listening to ABBA.  Nonetheless, I'm a fan.  This season on the Bachelorette, Emily Maynard has traveled to London “in her quest to find true love,” and if you can recall from several weeks ago, she had her notoriously awkward two-on-one date in the Tower of London.  Today, we visited the same monument and rest assured that I had a much more exciting and comfortable experience.  Aside from being a gorgeous castle, the Tower of London has a rich and somewhat morbid history.  The Tower was built during William the Conquorer's rein and was used to protect the royal family during threatening times plus lock away high-status prisoners and preform execution during wars. There is a torture room and even a special entrance for those who won't be coming back out of the castle called Traitor's Gate.  Although we did not have time today, I am extremely interested in touring the Tower to learn the full story that rests in the walls and beneath the moat.

The more recognized monument in this area is of course the Tower Bridge.  There are many bridges that cross the River Thames all through London, and I think the Tower Bridge is one of the most beautiful.  It is particularly very special this summer because the official Olympic rings are hanging from the bridge to gear up for the games!

Fresh, organically grown food is hard to come by in my lifestyle back in the States so today when we had lunch at Borough Market, I felt spoiled.  Borough Market is an open air food market with incredible vendors and the most diverse range of food guaranteed to hit the spot.  I wandered and tasted everything that I could before committing to a pork roast sandwich with an applesauce spread that was signature to a meat shop.  It was so tasty, and I really liked the meat/fruit combo, which seems to be more of a trend here than in the States.  We will undoubtedly be back to Borough Market to find new favorite dishes and delectable desserts.  Until then, I will dream of lemon green tea and Turkish delights!

St. Paul's & Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

If I ever come across a magic lamp housing a generous genie, preferably one with a Robin Williams accent, I would like to make one wish a top priority- get married in St. Paul's Cathedral.  Consequently the other two wishes would have to involve conjuring a husband and becoming royalty but that doesn't sound so bad either.  Visiting St. Paul's today was like a dream, easily the most miraculous place of worship I have every seen.  The never-ending walls decorated in life-like statues and stain glass murals were a little piece of heaven on Earth.  You are not allowed to take pictures inside of St. Paul's, so I only have those memories in my heart.  For those of you who have never been there, here is an image of the outside that Jenny took and an image from Google of the inside that only serves half justice to the cathedral.

Me, Jenny, Mary Frances, and Noel in front of St. Paul's Cathedral.

After St. Paul set the bar high, we ventured to my favorite Royal Park (so far), Hyde Park.  I splurged on creamy vanilla cherry ice cream and wandered down the Serpentine, a lake that winds through Hyde Park.  It was pure bliss.  I wanted to take the moment and put it in my pocket to relive on a cloudy day.  It was a simple moment but one I will remember forever.

Venturing to the opposite extreme, we explored the Hyde Park shopping scene.  As we perused children's clothes in Burberry and engagement rings at Harrod's, I felt like a kid in a candy store- but drooling over Cartier diamonds instead of chocolate truffles.  I was just waiting for the omniscient voice from the Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous to start narrating how many millions of dollars each tiara cost.  All hustle and bustle, no browsing.  Even though we knew essentially everything was far out of our price range, it was fun to play the diva Sex in the City roles as me, Mary Frances, Jenny, and Noel "shopped" in Harrod's and then sipped on raspberry martini spirits at dinner.

The food and drinks here are marvelous, and I am on a quest to expand my pallet more.  To achieve my modest goal, I have decided to only order food that includes (at least) one ingredient that I have never heard of.  Today- red pepper tapenade.  My meal was called Formaggio di Capra and was basically a spinach salad topped with giant ciabatta croutons covered in melted goat cheese, rocket green beans, caramelized onions (to temporarily satisfied my onion addiction), and fresh basil all sprinkled with a light zesty lemon dressing.  The meal was delectable, and I'm excited to enjoy all the new dishes and ingredients that await me in Madrid, Rome, Prague, Paris, and Munich in the very near future.  Studying how European food evolved is, to me, equally important as studying how European history evolved, and I intent to take full advantage of experiential learning to gain a solid grasp of food as a "study area."  Translated- I plan to indulge too much and care too little while abroad.  Taste means everything.

Do you think they know we're Americans..?

Yes.  The answer is always yes.  Today we headed to Westminster for a day of tourist hotspots, and what better place to start than Big Ben?

The architecture in London is simply breathtaking and each monument we visited in the City of Westminster seemed to be even more unique and meaningful than the last.  With each square inch showered in detail, it is evident that these buildings are art themselves.  However, beyond the picturesque exterior is purposeful life and honored tradition.  Each monument offered insight into where the city has been and where it is going today.  The Palace of Westminster explained to me its journey as a royal residence in the Middle Ages, burning complex in 1834, rebuilt Gothic-style masterpiece a decade later, victim of WWII bombings, and the eventual restored home for the UK Parliament that it is today.  With over two thousand years of history and 32 boroughs to explore, I will certainly say that I have my work cut out for me over these next six weeks.

While in Westminster, we meandered around Trafalgar Square, being sure to snap pictures of the Duke of Wellington Tower and a new (and temporary) monument- the countdown to the Olympic Games!

London 2012 Countdown!!

Many of my childhood visions of London, all derived from the movie Spice World, were brought to life including but of course not limited to the red telephone booths, sullen horse guards, and red double decker buses.  Many of my adult visions of London, most derived from the Royal Wedding coverage, were also given life such as the enchanting Westminster Abbey, infamous London Eye, serene St. James Park, well-protected Buckingham Palace, and the incredibly shiny Queen Victoria Monument.

I am having an absolute blast getting to know the other Hokies on the trip and feel blessed to be sharing this journey with so many phenomenal people!

Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore

Before boarding our first plane, Mary Frances and I said a prayer to St. Christopher for safe travels and we are so grateful that he stuck by our side. We had flawless flights and no problems getting from the Heathrow airport to Nido, our dorm. The day was low key. We unpacked then headed to Oxford Circus where we did some shopping and had a delicious dinner in a little Italian restaurant. After grocery shopping and taking 20 minutes to figure out how to turn on the shower, I fell fast asleep basically before my head hit the pillow. It was 23:16! There's so many little things like that to get used to and I absolutely can't wait.

This is my side of the room that I share with my fabulous friend, Jenny!  We have a kitchenette and a large bathroom plus a great view of King's Cross from our window.  It already feels like home!