Well first with regard to many of your thoughts of disbelief, yes I am actually backpacking for two weeks across Europe, taking trains or walking everywhere,and staying in hostels.
Day 1-2 Amsterdam
We left London bright and early at around 6am to get to the train station for the ferry to Amsterdam. If you are at all unfamiliar, from London there is about a 45 minute train ride to the port where the ferry docks. The boats are so nice! They are basically the equivalent to a small cruise ship in the US. We all took spots in the dining area with tables for the 7 hour ride to Holland. It was a nice time for me to get a great chunk of my paper done. (Yes I am still working on it but I do have 11.5 pages done) I also fell asleep for a few hours on my backpack, which has been such a fantastic pillow. I am already relishing the thought of having to giving it back to Alex when I get back to London. I may beg him to let me keep it haha. Once we arrived in Holland it took two trains for us to get into the city. It was quite a trek that added another 2 hours to get into the heart of Amsterdam. Once we arrived we went to our hostel, checked in, then ventured around the city. One thing that everyone recommends are the sex shows, and I can tell you that i did not enjoy it. It was very creepy, but other than that we had a wonderful breakfast overlooking one of the canals and also I went on an adventure to see the Anne Frank House. It had a 2 hour wait, but it was definitely worth it for me, especially with the amount that I have read about her and the Holocaust. It was a very moving museum and the annex was just as I had pictured it.
Day 3-4 Berlin
We arrived in Berlin by train around 4pm and headed to our hostel and it was so much nicer than the one in Amsterdam thank goodness. I befriended an Australian man in the hostel with Dan who definitely thought we were lame because we couldn't stay out as long as him. Overall, Berlin was not my favorite city. I don't care if I ever go back to be honest. We do a tour in many of the cities called Free Europe and that was interesting to see the Holocaust memorial, the Berlin Wall,the Brandenburg gate, and the area where Hitler's bunker used to be, but overall the city itself does not have much to offer. The history of course is interesting, but being so recently developed it just doesn't have that European beauty. Plus, it is very spread out with terrible public transportation systems. One cool area we found was actually near our hostel and great cafes and bars. On our last night we had a lovely dinner at a little sidewalk cafe where we sat outside and just enjoyed. It was the highlight of Berlin in terms of outings and neat neighborhoods. The actual highlight for me was the bratwurst and pretzel we had for lunch before our walking tour. They were fantastic!!!
Day 5 Prague
Today we arrived in Prague around 4pm which came after a bit of delay because of train cancellations. We hoped to take an 8:30am train today, but it was canceled. Lucky for us we arrived at 7am for the train and then did not get on a train until 10:30. Lucky for me I just laid down on my beloved bag on the platform and slept. On the train it was so crowded, which was completely unexpected. I was lucky to get a seat for the first 2 hours, but many people reserve seats and I lost mine to someone who had reserved it. Lucky me... I then got to sit on the floor in the aisle for the next 3 hours. The only highlight is that I got through a large amount of Lord Mandelson's memoirs. Once we arrived in Prague, we came to our hostel, also where I am currently writing from and it is fantastic. It is so nice, brand new, and resembles a very nice hotel. I love the Mosaic House. We then showered and went to dinner at a great restaurant called U Ceskych Panu (The Czech Lords Restaurant) for a traditional Czech dinner. It was awesome! Then Cait and I wandered around the city a bit, got lost, and attempted to ask for directions. Neither of us know a word of Czech which made it interesting, but it was light out and early so eventually we got home and met some cool California kids and hung out around the hostel which was fun. Tomorrow we are getting up early for breakfast then to the Free Europe tour for Prague. I cannot wait to see the city's sites!!
Saturday 24 July 2010
Sunday 18 July 2010
Well, I had my last day of work on Thursday and I was very sad to go. My MP Louise took the office out for a wonderful lunch at the Adjournment Dining Room, which is actually for members only so it was a treat. After work we had drinks on the Terrace then headed to karaoke in the Sports and Social. It was such a fun night. Chris and Alex even bought a bottle of champagne, which they know is my favorite drink. It was so incredibly nice of them!
On Friday I had my last day of class with Sue. Then I headed to Covent Garden to meetin Samantha for drinks and dinner before she headed to Amsterdam. It was so great to see her and catch up, especially since I hadn't seen her in over a year. I then went home and lounged around with the guys in the flat and had a fairly early night.
Today, I actually went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see their fashion exhibit and especially the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibit which was absolutely fantastic! I think I spent about 3 hours in the museum and I felt like I didn't even get through half of it. After, I walked to the Natural History Museum and roamed around it for an hour as well. I am so sad to leave because it feels like I still have so much to see and do here!! Basically, I will just have to come back very soon and live here for a time so I can do and see everything that London has to offer. Tomorrow is our farewell party and we are all going out for a nice dinner in Shoreditch which should be a lot of fun! Then on Tuesday morning at about 5:00am I embark on my 2 week Euro adventure with Cait, Marty, Dan, and Kuntz! Cannot wait for the experience. It should be a once in a lifetime trip for me traveling completely by train and moving from hostel to hostel. We all feel so lucky to be doing thing and cannot wait to cram as much as we can into the days. The one thing i better invest in are good pair of cute walking shoes! haha
On Friday I had my last day of class with Sue. Then I headed to Covent Garden to meetin Samantha for drinks and dinner before she headed to Amsterdam. It was so great to see her and catch up, especially since I hadn't seen her in over a year. I then went home and lounged around with the guys in the flat and had a fairly early night.
Today, I actually went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see their fashion exhibit and especially the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibit which was absolutely fantastic! I think I spent about 3 hours in the museum and I felt like I didn't even get through half of it. After, I walked to the Natural History Museum and roamed around it for an hour as well. I am so sad to leave because it feels like I still have so much to see and do here!! Basically, I will just have to come back very soon and live here for a time so I can do and see everything that London has to offer. Tomorrow is our farewell party and we are all going out for a nice dinner in Shoreditch which should be a lot of fun! Then on Tuesday morning at about 5:00am I embark on my 2 week Euro adventure with Cait, Marty, Dan, and Kuntz! Cannot wait for the experience. It should be a once in a lifetime trip for me traveling completely by train and moving from hostel to hostel. We all feel so lucky to be doing thing and cannot wait to cram as much as we can into the days. The one thing i better invest in are good pair of cute walking shoes! haha
Wednesday 14 July 2010
I have once again been slacking off on the blogging because of how busy I've been. This past weekend I went to Dublin,Ireland and explored with Dan, Marty, and Cait. We stayed in a hostel with a great location to many of the tourist things. We flew on Ryanair on Friday afternoon and got into Dublin around 7pm. The first thing we did was attempt to find an Irish bar with music and the guys wanted Irish beer. We then headed out for the night to a place called Temple Bar which is filled with pubs and the main area of nightlife in Dublin. The bars we were at also served Irish coffee with whiskey and cream which were so tasty. It was so cool all around and I had the highlight of my weekend when an Irish band played the Pogues songs that are in two of my favorite shows and movies. It was so great!!! On Saturday we woke up and headed to the Guinness Storehouse to tour it and get the best views in Dublin. It has a 360 degree room at the top of the factory, which is shaped like a pint glass ironic enough. I also had my first fresh Guinness, which I must say tasted quite good! After the tour, we decided to get a tour of the main sights of Dublin with a guide. We went to Christ Church, Trinity College, Temple Bar area, and a few places that U2 and other famous musicians congregated. The cool story that stuck out in my mind was regarding the Clarence Hotel. It was close to the studio where U2 used to record and when they received their first record deal they attempted to go get celebratory pints and the Clarence. The manager turned them away and Bono said that one day he would own that hotel and never turn people away. Now he does own it! I really got a kick out of that. After the tour we decided to roam around and look for some souvenirs. I got a really cute and cheap necklace with an Irish celtic knot on it.
Saturday night we went on a tour pub crawl with the same tour group to get a better feel for some of the pubs that Ireland is so famous for. It was very fun and we met some really great people from all over the world. I even was chatting with a guy from Liverpool who lives in my MP's constituency! I was of course way too excited about that. On Sunday we woke up to fly back to London and I went to bed at about 8pm that night. I was so exhausted from the weekend. Also, I forgot to mention that the entire time I was in Dublin it was raining really hard... I mean the entire time. I have decided that I will need to invest in a comfy pair of cute tennies before I leave for two weeks, because sandals in the rain are not so great for your feet. I am in desperate need of a pedicure now.
This week at work has been great once again. We have had some young 15 year old kids for their work experience program which has been fun. Also, its my last week which is so sad. I absolutely love it here so much. I would stay if I wouldnt get deported. I would love to come back, live, and work in London. The people are great. The fashion in phenomenal, and the accents never get old. Plus I have met some great people through work who I will really miss. Overall, I still love everything here and tomorrow we celebrate my last day with drinks overlooking the Thames and then a night of karaoke. The only decision now is to decided what Malin and I will sing. Last time we sung Milkshake, which I added a dance for. This time it must be better. Tiny Dancer, Billie Jean, or You Shook Me All Night Long.
Cannot wait to see all of you!!!!!
Saturday night we went on a tour pub crawl with the same tour group to get a better feel for some of the pubs that Ireland is so famous for. It was very fun and we met some really great people from all over the world. I even was chatting with a guy from Liverpool who lives in my MP's constituency! I was of course way too excited about that. On Sunday we woke up to fly back to London and I went to bed at about 8pm that night. I was so exhausted from the weekend. Also, I forgot to mention that the entire time I was in Dublin it was raining really hard... I mean the entire time. I have decided that I will need to invest in a comfy pair of cute tennies before I leave for two weeks, because sandals in the rain are not so great for your feet. I am in desperate need of a pedicure now.
This week at work has been great once again. We have had some young 15 year old kids for their work experience program which has been fun. Also, its my last week which is so sad. I absolutely love it here so much. I would stay if I wouldnt get deported. I would love to come back, live, and work in London. The people are great. The fashion in phenomenal, and the accents never get old. Plus I have met some great people through work who I will really miss. Overall, I still love everything here and tomorrow we celebrate my last day with drinks overlooking the Thames and then a night of karaoke. The only decision now is to decided what Malin and I will sing. Last time we sung Milkshake, which I added a dance for. This time it must be better. Tiny Dancer, Billie Jean, or You Shook Me All Night Long.
Cannot wait to see all of you!!!!!
Tuesday 6 July 2010
I cannot even believe it has been a full week since I have blogged. So much has happened! The first of which is that I got to go to Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday, which quite possibly may have been the coolest thing I have done so far. Having the opportunity to sit in the House of Commons while it was full of MPs and the entire cabinet was something I will never forget. After PMQs, I was heading back from the chamber to portcullis and walked right next to David Cameron's Jag. In case you are unfamiliar, every Prime minister has had a jag for as long as I can remember for security reasons. All I could think about was that I would never have been able to get that close to any of Obama's cars ever! The best part is that this was not all for that day! While waiting for my coworkers to come to lunch I waited by the escalator and Nick Clegg walked right by me. I mean right next to me!! It is so crazy that the Deputy Prime Minister just strolls around.
After that, I did not think it was possible for things to get any cooler, but yesterday definitely gained an advantage. I was heading down the escalator in Portcullis and I look to my right and on the opposing escalator from me, not even 4 feet away, and was David Cameron and his entourage of security along with George Osborne the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I was so giddy in a way that only a complete political nerd could be after the weeks and sightings I have experienced.
Now on to my weekend in Edinburgh. By the way, it is officially pronounced Ed-in-bra (one of the many cool things I learned this weekend).I had the opportunity on the first day to really explore the city with its beautiful old town and massive amounts of green and hills before dinner. Our hostel was very nice, but it was a bit of a walk from the city center. On the second day, Friday, we woke up to have a tour of the Scottish Parliament. If you did not know, it was reinstated in the mid 90s and commissioned an entire new complex, which is very modern. Look at my pictures on facebook, or papa and mimi have tesser show you! After that, we decided to climb Arthur's seat to see above the entire city. It was quite a hike but so worth it with the amazing views. I took so many pictures highlighting the landscape, the water, and the height we were at. After we climbed the first hill which took about an hour we decided to be very adventurous and climb the much bigger mountain behind it. Did I mention I was wearing Sperrys, a dress, and luckily, spandex shorts because Edinburgh is very windy. It took about 3.5 hours and was straight up. At one point, we actually had to climb a rock, but the views were amazing. Once again, see my facebook pictures. It was such an amazing day, but after I was so exhausted. I decided to venture from the group once we got back to old town so I could buy an ornament for our Christmas tree. My goal is to get one from every city I visit. On my way home, I was a bit turned around, actually about 2.5 hours of walking to get home turned around, and ended up near the water. I was then officially exhausted but I could say I really explored the entire city. One of the guys started laughing when I walked in the hostel because I looked so dead and he knew I must have been lost. We had a good laugh before I went up and passed out.
On Saturday, we toured Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the queen’s official residence in Scotland. Both were very cool and well worth the cost and crowds. After, each of us decided we had to try a local favorite called haggis. It is actually Sheep heart liver and lungs minced and served with spices in a sheep’s stomach. It sounds lovely I know... but actually, it was quite good. I decided I would just take a bite of Adams and order a grilled chicken sandwich for myself. I got a bite of his haggis and he got my fries. On Saturday night, we all went to dinner at Elephant House, which for those who do not know is where JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter. The coolest thing this that out the back window you can see Edinburgh castle and the grandstand with flags for when the queen visits and it actually looks like Hogwarts with its quiddich field. It was the inspiration, but seeing it was so incredibly cool. In addition, another interesting fact is that the ceiling of Westminster Hall , the oldest part of the Palace at Westminster where I work actually inspired the ceiling for the Great Hall at Hogwarts in the movies.
It was such a great weekend overall and the train was not bad at all. We took it both there and back for 4 hours each way, but the train went along the coast, which was completely breathtaking to see such uninhabited coastline with beautiful fields, cliffs, and waterfront beaches.
After that, I did not think it was possible for things to get any cooler, but yesterday definitely gained an advantage. I was heading down the escalator in Portcullis and I look to my right and on the opposing escalator from me, not even 4 feet away, and was David Cameron and his entourage of security along with George Osborne the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I was so giddy in a way that only a complete political nerd could be after the weeks and sightings I have experienced.
Now on to my weekend in Edinburgh. By the way, it is officially pronounced Ed-in-bra (one of the many cool things I learned this weekend).I had the opportunity on the first day to really explore the city with its beautiful old town and massive amounts of green and hills before dinner. Our hostel was very nice, but it was a bit of a walk from the city center. On the second day, Friday, we woke up to have a tour of the Scottish Parliament. If you did not know, it was reinstated in the mid 90s and commissioned an entire new complex, which is very modern. Look at my pictures on facebook, or papa and mimi have tesser show you! After that, we decided to climb Arthur's seat to see above the entire city. It was quite a hike but so worth it with the amazing views. I took so many pictures highlighting the landscape, the water, and the height we were at. After we climbed the first hill which took about an hour we decided to be very adventurous and climb the much bigger mountain behind it. Did I mention I was wearing Sperrys, a dress, and luckily, spandex shorts because Edinburgh is very windy. It took about 3.5 hours and was straight up. At one point, we actually had to climb a rock, but the views were amazing. Once again, see my facebook pictures. It was such an amazing day, but after I was so exhausted. I decided to venture from the group once we got back to old town so I could buy an ornament for our Christmas tree. My goal is to get one from every city I visit. On my way home, I was a bit turned around, actually about 2.5 hours of walking to get home turned around, and ended up near the water. I was then officially exhausted but I could say I really explored the entire city. One of the guys started laughing when I walked in the hostel because I looked so dead and he knew I must have been lost. We had a good laugh before I went up and passed out.
On Saturday, we toured Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the queen’s official residence in Scotland. Both were very cool and well worth the cost and crowds. After, each of us decided we had to try a local favorite called haggis. It is actually Sheep heart liver and lungs minced and served with spices in a sheep’s stomach. It sounds lovely I know... but actually, it was quite good. I decided I would just take a bite of Adams and order a grilled chicken sandwich for myself. I got a bite of his haggis and he got my fries. On Saturday night, we all went to dinner at Elephant House, which for those who do not know is where JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter. The coolest thing this that out the back window you can see Edinburgh castle and the grandstand with flags for when the queen visits and it actually looks like Hogwarts with its quiddich field. It was the inspiration, but seeing it was so incredibly cool. In addition, another interesting fact is that the ceiling of Westminster Hall , the oldest part of the Palace at Westminster where I work actually inspired the ceiling for the Great Hall at Hogwarts in the movies.
It was such a great weekend overall and the train was not bad at all. We took it both there and back for 4 hours each way, but the train went along the coast, which was completely breathtaking to see such uninhabited coastline with beautiful fields, cliffs, and waterfront beaches.
Tuesday 29 June 2010
Well I have to blog even if it is just for a moment because I SAW PRINCE WILLIAM! Literally he was getting in a car across the street from me on my way to dinner with some roommates. Cait and I nearly freaked out with the level of excitement we felt. It was so wonderful because he was my first royal in London and we just stumbled upon him. Sadly, he was balding but stil very good looking.
This week has been very similar to the last few in terms of work, although I do get to go to PMQs tomorrow. Also i was invited to my MPs victory party in Liverpool and I attended a reception for the union of the Labor party where I met Harriet Harmen's husband, who is also a fellow MP.
Sadly after this weekend two of my top three teams have been knocked out of the world cup, but luckily tonight we are going to watch the Spain Portugal game so I can stare at Cristiano Ronaldo for a whole 90 minutes. My day is complete. This weekend we are going to Edinburgh to tour the Scottish Parliament and see Scotland. A few of us are hoping to make it to St. Andrew's to see where the British Open is being held, but it is a two hour trip. Other than that these next few weeks will be very exciting. After Edinburgh, we go to Dublin then only have two more weekends in London before traveling. I am trying to make the most out of every opportunity which has been going well so far.
This week has been very similar to the last few in terms of work, although I do get to go to PMQs tomorrow. Also i was invited to my MPs victory party in Liverpool and I attended a reception for the union of the Labor party where I met Harriet Harmen's husband, who is also a fellow MP.
Sadly after this weekend two of my top three teams have been knocked out of the world cup, but luckily tonight we are going to watch the Spain Portugal game so I can stare at Cristiano Ronaldo for a whole 90 minutes. My day is complete. This weekend we are going to Edinburgh to tour the Scottish Parliament and see Scotland. A few of us are hoping to make it to St. Andrew's to see where the British Open is being held, but it is a two hour trip. Other than that these next few weeks will be very exciting. After Edinburgh, we go to Dublin then only have two more weekends in London before traveling. I am trying to make the most out of every opportunity which has been going well so far.
Sunday 20 June 2010
I finally added some more pictures to facebook last week and more are coming soon! This week has been another fabulous week at work, but a bit stressful outside of the office because I had a large paper due on Friday. That is the main reason why I have not blogged. Work is still going great as I said. This week my boss was sick on Thursday so I had the chance to take on so extra responsibilities which was neat. I answered phones, wrote letters directly for my mp, and scheduled more appointments completely on my own! I love it!! It is also neat because we have football games on all day so I am becoming more enthralled with the World Cup and the various teams. I even bought a US jersey. Apparently, according to my office I must come in on Wednesday with an England shirt as well
Other than work, this week was very exciting in terms of touristy things in England. On Thursday night we got tickets to go see MacBeth at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We had the standing tickets, which was not the greatest part since it is a 3 hour play, but overall it was a neat experience with great actors. On Friday we spent the majority of the day after class at local pubs watching the US and England games. Both were very exciting to watch, but neither ended pleasantly.After the games everyone came home to our flats and hung out listening to music and drinking tea. I have developed quite the infatuation with tea. In my office Alex insists that I drink it with milk and now thanks to him it is my favorite drink here!
Saturday was my favorite full weekend day in the past few weeks. I woke up early to hop a train to Liverpool and explore. It was a neat town and even cooler, it is where my boss has her constituency. I spent the morning there and then came back and decided to go get tea and shop around at Harrods. Harrods is having their yearly sale and all I can say is when I walked in I saw a sign that said GUCCI, BURBERRY,BOTTEGA VENETA, and FERRAGAMO 50% off. I shed tears of excitement. The Harrods experience is like nothing I have ever seen. I wandered around for hours. I have also never been more motivated in my entire life to be successful then at the very moment I stepped into that store. haha. The tea was also quite exquisite. I really want to go to another afternoon tea while I am here, but one that is very authentic. Saturday night we all watched more world cup games at our favorite pub, The Court. After that, we met up with some of our friends and ventured around the city quite a bit. A large group went to see Feddy DJ and a huge techno club called Ministry of Sound. I think every person that went out that night came home as the sun was coming up. I must say that was a first, but I think each one of us had a great night no matter what we did.
You have no idea how much I missed the fish fry today. I was slightly heartbroken as it is one of my favorite holidays.Obviously getting home so late last night, I had a lazy day today. The one thing I did that is exciting is we booked hostels for my trip after the internship ends! I will post the rough itinerary below so you can see where I am going and for how long! Each date with a city beside it is our arrival date in that location. I cannot wait for it!
7/20 Amsterdam
7/21
7/22Berlin
7/23
7/24 Prague
7/25
7/26Vienna
7/27
7/28Munich
7/29Paris
7/30
7/31Brussels
8/1
8/2Amsterdam ferry to London overnight
8/3London then home to the US!
Also, Val and Kourt-- it took all of my restraint not to buy the most adorable outfits for the kids in Zara baby. They have little Euro jeans for infants and boys and the cutest dresses and scarves I have ever seen.
Papa, Daddy,Uncle Lon and Joe Happy Fathers Day!!
Luke-- I hope your first Fathers day was the best ever!!
Love and miss you all!!
Other than work, this week was very exciting in terms of touristy things in England. On Thursday night we got tickets to go see MacBeth at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We had the standing tickets, which was not the greatest part since it is a 3 hour play, but overall it was a neat experience with great actors. On Friday we spent the majority of the day after class at local pubs watching the US and England games. Both were very exciting to watch, but neither ended pleasantly.After the games everyone came home to our flats and hung out listening to music and drinking tea. I have developed quite the infatuation with tea. In my office Alex insists that I drink it with milk and now thanks to him it is my favorite drink here!
Saturday was my favorite full weekend day in the past few weeks. I woke up early to hop a train to Liverpool and explore. It was a neat town and even cooler, it is where my boss has her constituency. I spent the morning there and then came back and decided to go get tea and shop around at Harrods. Harrods is having their yearly sale and all I can say is when I walked in I saw a sign that said GUCCI, BURBERRY,BOTTEGA VENETA, and FERRAGAMO 50% off. I shed tears of excitement. The Harrods experience is like nothing I have ever seen. I wandered around for hours. I have also never been more motivated in my entire life to be successful then at the very moment I stepped into that store. haha. The tea was also quite exquisite. I really want to go to another afternoon tea while I am here, but one that is very authentic. Saturday night we all watched more world cup games at our favorite pub, The Court. After that, we met up with some of our friends and ventured around the city quite a bit. A large group went to see Feddy DJ and a huge techno club called Ministry of Sound. I think every person that went out that night came home as the sun was coming up. I must say that was a first, but I think each one of us had a great night no matter what we did.
You have no idea how much I missed the fish fry today. I was slightly heartbroken as it is one of my favorite holidays.Obviously getting home so late last night, I had a lazy day today. The one thing I did that is exciting is we booked hostels for my trip after the internship ends! I will post the rough itinerary below so you can see where I am going and for how long! Each date with a city beside it is our arrival date in that location. I cannot wait for it!
7/20 Amsterdam
7/21
7/22Berlin
7/23
7/24 Prague
7/25
7/26Vienna
7/27
7/28Munich
7/29Paris
7/30
7/31Brussels
8/1
8/2Amsterdam ferry to London overnight
8/3London then home to the US!
Also, Val and Kourt-- it took all of my restraint not to buy the most adorable outfits for the kids in Zara baby. They have little Euro jeans for infants and boys and the cutest dresses and scarves I have ever seen.
Papa, Daddy,Uncle Lon and Joe Happy Fathers Day!!
Luke-- I hope your first Fathers day was the best ever!!
Love and miss you all!!
Monday 14 June 2010
I have been so incredibly busy with everything going on here in London. From work to the world cup to class assignments, I never realized how much I was cramming in to one day! I started my second week today at work. My boss mentioned that he thinks I am doing a great job and my MP noticed as well. That is feedback I never received in DC, so I was so overjoyed. I have really adjusted well to the office routine. I write a lot of letters and do quite a lot with scheduling. It is so neat, especially because I contact people like David Miliband, who will most likely be the next Labour leader and leader of the opposition. I hope he does win because that will make Prime Minister's Questions so much more entertaining with heated responses and jabs at Cameron. If you haven't seen PMQs, you should try to watch one week on BBC and CSPAN or youtube the old PMQS. The best are when Tony Blair took on former Prime Minister John Major. Sometimes I wish the US had these!
Now to be less political, I have my first paper due this Friday (yuck), but I have found myself enjoying foreign policy much more than I used to. My DC professor Sunil would be so proud of what I've picked up regarding the EU and British foreign policy on a more broad scale. My paper topic is going to have something to do with the EU by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of Britain's Atlantic alliance with the US on its EU membership. I know, it seems like a bore, but it is shocking how much this question affects every aspect of British domestic policy.
I almost forgot, on Friday I went on a Shakespeare walk around London. We walked across the London Bridge and saw the original location of Shakespeare's Globe theatre and where the current one stands. We also saw Catherine of Aragon's home prior to her marriage to Henry VIII. I am not a huge Shakespeare buff, but the walk around London and on the River Thames was such a pleasant way to spend my Friday afternoon. On Friday night everyone went to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant called Sofra. It wasn't my favorite, but I did order a really neat sampler meal with a bite of each of their 12 most popular dishes. "It was an experience," as my mom likes to say.
Now onto Saturday...
The world cup games here have been so exciting! Watching the US v England game on Saturday night was a once in a lifetime experience. We all decided to head to one of our favorite local pubs called The Court. We were surprisingly not the only Americans! The pub was packed, along with nearly every other pub in London. I have never seen so many businesses close early nor have I seen a metropolitan hub shut down like London did. Everyone was in a pub and not a single person was on the street. Football is so big here and you would be shocked how many guys are so surprised when American girls love it. I was slightly offended haha. A group of englishmen even quizzed me on the English and US rosters and they bet me dinner that I couldn't answer their questions. Of course I had studied up so I could name the defensive players for both teams and I got a free subway sandwich out of it. You all should be so proud! I also placed my first sports bet on the game. Given it was only 10 quid, but the odds on a US victory were nearly 10:1 and a draw at 2-2 would have given me nearly 450 quid, so I could have made quite a bit of money. One of my roommates told me he would go shopping at Burberry with me if I won. That of course made me laugh. Sadly, the score was 1-1 so I didn't get to go to Burberry, but I did have the most amazing day watching sports which I wouldn't trade for anything.
Now to be less political, I have my first paper due this Friday (yuck), but I have found myself enjoying foreign policy much more than I used to. My DC professor Sunil would be so proud of what I've picked up regarding the EU and British foreign policy on a more broad scale. My paper topic is going to have something to do with the EU by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of Britain's Atlantic alliance with the US on its EU membership. I know, it seems like a bore, but it is shocking how much this question affects every aspect of British domestic policy.
I almost forgot, on Friday I went on a Shakespeare walk around London. We walked across the London Bridge and saw the original location of Shakespeare's Globe theatre and where the current one stands. We also saw Catherine of Aragon's home prior to her marriage to Henry VIII. I am not a huge Shakespeare buff, but the walk around London and on the River Thames was such a pleasant way to spend my Friday afternoon. On Friday night everyone went to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant called Sofra. It wasn't my favorite, but I did order a really neat sampler meal with a bite of each of their 12 most popular dishes. "It was an experience," as my mom likes to say.
Now onto Saturday...
The world cup games here have been so exciting! Watching the US v England game on Saturday night was a once in a lifetime experience. We all decided to head to one of our favorite local pubs called The Court. We were surprisingly not the only Americans! The pub was packed, along with nearly every other pub in London. I have never seen so many businesses close early nor have I seen a metropolitan hub shut down like London did. Everyone was in a pub and not a single person was on the street. Football is so big here and you would be shocked how many guys are so surprised when American girls love it. I was slightly offended haha. A group of englishmen even quizzed me on the English and US rosters and they bet me dinner that I couldn't answer their questions. Of course I had studied up so I could name the defensive players for both teams and I got a free subway sandwich out of it. You all should be so proud! I also placed my first sports bet on the game. Given it was only 10 quid, but the odds on a US victory were nearly 10:1 and a draw at 2-2 would have given me nearly 450 quid, so I could have made quite a bit of money. One of my roommates told me he would go shopping at Burberry with me if I won. That of course made me laugh. Sadly, the score was 1-1 so I didn't get to go to Burberry, but I did have the most amazing day watching sports which I wouldn't trade for anything.
Wednesday 9 June 2010
FIRST WEEK AT WESTMINSTER!
It has been a while since I have blogged, but that is mainly because I have just started my first week interning in Parliament. To sum it up.. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! The office staff is much smaller than DC, which I really like and I really life my colleagues. They have been so great with introducing me to life at Westminster and also introducing me to their friends during lunch. I would argue that I, by far, have the best office to work for! I do quite a bit work that is similar to what I did in DC by writing letters, and dealing with mail, but I also get to help with scheduling and invitations for Louise. I love working in a small office, mainly because Chris and Alex show me some great stuff and explain so much of what is happening in Parliament that I am unfamiliar with. I got to go to a few of the pubs in Parliament after my first day, which had to be one of the highlights of my time here. I met some really nice people and got to experience what staffers do after a typical day. I can't wait to go more, if nothing else just to see MPs and Lords who also frequent the pubs.
Today was particularly special because the MP who I work for, Louise won chair of the transport committee for the House of Commons! Both Chris and Louise said the work would pick up, but I am excited to see what goes on behind committee meetings here versus the ones that I worked in DC. We even got to celebrate with Louise and her husband at the MP only bar called Strangers. It has the most beautiful view of
London!
Basically to sum it up, I love London, my internship, and the guys I work with. It is such a great experience and I am having a blast!
Today was particularly special because the MP who I work for, Louise won chair of the transport committee for the House of Commons! Both Chris and Louise said the work would pick up, but I am excited to see what goes on behind committee meetings here versus the ones that I worked in DC. We even got to celebrate with Louise and her husband at the MP only bar called Strangers. It has the most beautiful view of
London!
Basically to sum it up, I love London, my internship, and the guys I work with. It is such a great experience and I am having a blast!
Friday 4 June 2010
Today I had my midterm exam and of course, it was all in essay format. Luckily, I feel confident in what I studied and I was able to get the main points of the six essays I had to write (I hope!). After the exam, I took the tube to meet with my boss in Louise's office. He was so nice and really made me feel comfortable with coming in to work for a foreign government. We had tea and he went over the role I will play in the office. It is rather small, which is so exciting because I will have the chance to work with senior staffers. The work he described is also fairly comparable to what I did in Washington, which makes me confident about diving in on Monday. I am very excited. I start at 10am, (such a blessing) which as you all know I am pretty much the anti-morning person. The MP offices are set up much like Congressional offices in that the district office handles the casework for individual constituents and the Westminster office will handle policy issues. I will be in the policy office that is my main area of interest.
Tomorrow I will be going to Brighton on a day trip with a large group of my roommates. We are getting on an early morning train to get there by 10:30 and spend the day relaxing on the beach. Yes, mom and papa I did buy sunscreen so you should be proud :) The town is supposed to be very cool and relaxed with many of the restaurants and pubs located directly or in very close proximity to the beach. We will come back tomorrow night around 8pm. That will allow for a full day to relax and lay in the sand! Brighton beach is actually world-renowned and the most popular beach in England. It is known for its pebble beaches and great attractions surrounding the beach from the pubs I mentioned to shopping and clubs. It should be a great day and a perfect Saturday before work starts!
Tomorrow I will be going to Brighton on a day trip with a large group of my roommates. We are getting on an early morning train to get there by 10:30 and spend the day relaxing on the beach. Yes, mom and papa I did buy sunscreen so you should be proud :) The town is supposed to be very cool and relaxed with many of the restaurants and pubs located directly or in very close proximity to the beach. We will come back tomorrow night around 8pm. That will allow for a full day to relax and lay in the sand! Brighton beach is actually world-renowned and the most popular beach in England. It is known for its pebble beaches and great attractions surrounding the beach from the pubs I mentioned to shopping and clubs. It should be a great day and a perfect Saturday before work starts!
Thursday 3 June 2010
The weather is absolutely beautiful today! After class I decided to venture around for the afternoon by myself and explore. I ended up going to Tate Modern to see the art there, but sadly I have come to the conclusion that I'm not a big art fan. After I left the museum I walked along the River Thames and popped into a few shops in the area before coming back to my flat on the Tube. Tonight I have to study British Politics because I have my midterm tomorrow morning. Yes, I am dreading that. Luckily the silver lining is that on Saturday everyone is taking a train and heading to Brighton to go the beach! It is supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny so it should be a beautiful day! Now I have to go study...
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Sunday was a lot of fun. I decided to do a few of the touristy things and buy tickets to the Tower of London and one of the exhibits at the British Museum. The tower was such a cool thing to see, mainly because I love The Tudors and much of what took place with Henry VIII took place at that location. The neatest was the crown jewels in their vault and also the location where all beheading took place for those in the royal circle. It was the location of all three deaths of Henry VIII's wives, most notably Anne Boleyn. After the Tower of London, we went to a pub where a group of people got the fish and chips with tartar sauce. I tried some of theirs and I am sad to say that it was not my thing. Our beefeater tour guide named Colin was funny and had a lot of this type of information. I was interested to find out that to become a beefeater and work as protection for the crown that one must have 20 years of military experience. They then reside with their families within the walls of the Tower.
Monday and Tuesday were filled with more class in preparation for the exam we have on Friday. Nothing too eventful happened other than venturing to a club with all of my roommates. It was a gay club so they had a neat drag show that everyone thought was so entertaining. Some of the men dressed up were very pretty!
Today was the first time that I set foot in Parliament. We had a tour of the House of Lords and the House of Commons with our professor. The houses are so small in comparison to those of the Senate and House. The members do not have desks, but instead sit on benches facing each other. One side is for the government and one for the opposition. I will be working for the opposition so when question time takes place on BBC, I get to see the Labour party dig at Cameron. It will be a different experience compared to Washington because I will not be working for the dominant party, which I think is exciting! The houses even have voting rooms because no procedures have been updated in over 150 rooms. They have to physically be checked off and verbally give their vote in a particular line, either on the yes or nay sides of the chamber. I also saw my office building that I work in called Portcullis House. It has an unusually large amount of chimneys on its roof so I could not miss it. The last bit of exciting news is that my member will remain the chair of the Transport committee and maintain leadership with the liaison role within the committee! I am now more excited than before to work for her. I cannot wait for Friday's interview!
Monday and Tuesday were filled with more class in preparation for the exam we have on Friday. Nothing too eventful happened other than venturing to a club with all of my roommates. It was a gay club so they had a neat drag show that everyone thought was so entertaining. Some of the men dressed up were very pretty!
Today was the first time that I set foot in Parliament. We had a tour of the House of Lords and the House of Commons with our professor. The houses are so small in comparison to those of the Senate and House. The members do not have desks, but instead sit on benches facing each other. One side is for the government and one for the opposition. I will be working for the opposition so when question time takes place on BBC, I get to see the Labour party dig at Cameron. It will be a different experience compared to Washington because I will not be working for the dominant party, which I think is exciting! The houses even have voting rooms because no procedures have been updated in over 150 rooms. They have to physically be checked off and verbally give their vote in a particular line, either on the yes or nay sides of the chamber. I also saw my office building that I work in called Portcullis House. It has an unusually large amount of chimneys on its roof so I could not miss it. The last bit of exciting news is that my member will remain the chair of the Transport committee and maintain leadership with the liaison role within the committee! I am now more excited than before to work for her. I cannot wait for Friday's interview!
Saturday 29 May 2010
Sadly today was rainy when I woke up. We decided not to let it get to us and we trekked to Camden Market anyway. It is such a cool place! It goes on for blocks and blocks with food, clothing, and vintage shops. They also had this stand that did fish pedicures where the fish eat your dead skin. I decided I had to be adventurous and see what it was all about. The place was so clean and also cool because I had a neat view of the market while I was sitting there. It also felt really funny. After that, we all walked around a bit more and everyone bought hats. I didn't realize that in Europe everyone wears them, so I of course had to fit in as well. Its a neat fedora.
Last night we went to a local pub we frequent and then to a posh club called plastic people. We took the bus for the first time too. The club was so different than anything Ive ever been to. It was super expensive and the place was located in a basement with very dim lights. It is mainly known for its djs, which is why we went and it was a lot of fun. Now I am going to take a nap and relax until tonight
Last night we went to a local pub we frequent and then to a posh club called plastic people. We took the bus for the first time too. The club was so different than anything Ive ever been to. It was super expensive and the place was located in a basement with very dim lights. It is mainly known for its djs, which is why we went and it was a lot of fun. Now I am going to take a nap and relax until tonight
Friday 28 May 2010
I got my internship placement today!! I will be working at Westminster in the parliamentary office of Louise Ellman. She is a member of the Labour party, which the exact party I hoped to work for. I'm excited to work for a woman and even more excited to work for one who received so much support in the recent election. She was elected with over 59% of the vote, which is quite extraordinary since the next closest contender only received 22%. She represents Liverpool as her constituency. If you are unfamiliar, the UK is much more liberal in their beliefs than the States. The most left wing bordering on socialism is the Liberal Democrats, then closest to US democrats is the Labour party. They have become slightly more conservative in the past 20 years, which now makes them very comparable to the dems in the US. The Conservatives are of course the most conservative, but still reside very left on the political spectrum. I go next friday June 4th for my orientation and interview with a staffer in her office. The commute will not be bad, only about 25 minutes which is nice. I don't think it is possible to get as lucky as I was in Washington with a 3 minute commute, so I am pleased.
I know this because we went to Westminster yesterday and visited Westminster Abbey. It was such a beautiful church with so much unique history. The coolest part was definitely getting to see the coronation chair being restored. It was built in the year 1300 for King Edward I. Almost all British monarchs have been crowned in that chair since 1308. It is typically put away and rarely seen, so to get to witness its restoration was so great! I also saw the graves of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Darwin, and Oliver Cromwell. After we left the abbey, we decided to walk home and guess what we ran directly into? THE SEX AND THE CITY 2 PREMIERE!!!!! I was beyond words, especially because I have never seen a premiere before. I sat down at a restaurant right off of the main road where the premiere was so I could see everything while eating dinner. Sadly I did not stay long enough to see the stars because they did not arrive until close to 8pm and we had already made plans to go to a pub called O'Neils. However, when Twilight comes for its premiere I will be camping out to see Rob. I already did find out where his flat used to be here in London.. I may have stalked it just a bit. (I am kidding I swear). I am very excited for another weekend here to enjoy more of the weather. We decided to remain in London this weekend and take a few tours and go to the markets around town. I also really want to go see Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, which is an actual alley here in London and of course the sign for platform 9 and 3/4. Apparently people actually run into it and knock themselves out still... That should be a really humorous afternoon for me!
I know this because we went to Westminster yesterday and visited Westminster Abbey. It was such a beautiful church with so much unique history. The coolest part was definitely getting to see the coronation chair being restored. It was built in the year 1300 for King Edward I. Almost all British monarchs have been crowned in that chair since 1308. It is typically put away and rarely seen, so to get to witness its restoration was so great! I also saw the graves of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Darwin, and Oliver Cromwell. After we left the abbey, we decided to walk home and guess what we ran directly into? THE SEX AND THE CITY 2 PREMIERE!!!!! I was beyond words, especially because I have never seen a premiere before. I sat down at a restaurant right off of the main road where the premiere was so I could see everything while eating dinner. Sadly I did not stay long enough to see the stars because they did not arrive until close to 8pm and we had already made plans to go to a pub called O'Neils. However, when Twilight comes for its premiere I will be camping out to see Rob. I already did find out where his flat used to be here in London.. I may have stalked it just a bit. (I am kidding I swear). I am very excited for another weekend here to enjoy more of the weather. We decided to remain in London this weekend and take a few tours and go to the markets around town. I also really want to go see Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, which is an actual alley here in London and of course the sign for platform 9 and 3/4. Apparently people actually run into it and knock themselves out still... That should be a really humorous afternoon for me!
Wednesday 26 May 2010
It has been a few days since I have last blogged, mainly because I have been very busy with class and Caitie is here! She arrived on Monday, but before her flight got in, I had the chance to truly enjoy the beautiful weather that London was having. We decided to go to Regents Park to listen to music and lay in the grass. It an amazingly large park for its location illustrated by how long it took us to find the hill that we wanted to lay on top of. Cait, Marty, and Jake decided to see how close they could get to the zoo, which is also in the park, so Dan and I headed on the long trek to Primrose Hill. On the way, we saw the royal gardens and the cricket and shuffleboard fields, plus quite a few ponds. When we finally got to the hill we wanted to climb it, but of course neither of us saw the trail to the left of the hill and we ascended the grass. The view was absolutely beautiful! You don't realize how high you are until you reach the top and turn to see Big Ben, the London Eye, St. Paul’s, and the overall London skyline. It was so great! Eventually all of the rest of my roommates arrived and we laid and enjoyed the weather until Caitie got here. After she arrived, they wanted to grab food and the only thing opened that I could navigate to was Subway (I know shocking). We then took her and her three friends to a pub so they could see the typical London pub and experience Carlsberg beer, which they had heard about.
On Tuesday, Caitie and I woke up early and had breakfast before I headed to class and she went to explore London. Class was of course very uneventful and long, but following it, we had internship orientation. Originally, I was really excited about that because I thought I would receive my placement. Sadly, I was mistaken and the entire orientation was how to behave in an office. Well I have worked in an office for years and coming straight from Washington I got annoyed very quickly at how repetitive it was. I do understand though that it has to be done. After class I came back to my flat to shower and wait for Caitie to return from the London Eye so I could grab dinner and take her out to a new neighborhood. We ended up at a really neat bar/restaurant called Sports Cafe which has student night every Tuesday. Everyone was young, but even better was the amount of futbol on! I have already caught the futbol fever here. I not only know some players, but I have a favorite team and I am beginning to learn quite a lot about England's team with the World Cup approaching. I definitely love Real Madrid, mainly because of how fun and recognizable they are to watch. In addition, it doesn't hurt that Cristiano Ronaldo plays for them. I will definitely return home with his jersey!
Today I had class once again, but after all of us went to a great restaurant that our sponsor recommended to us. It was great and fun! They don’t write down your order here, but instead they carry around what looks like a TI-89 calculator and they just punch in order numbers. They even use it as the credit card machine which is quite nifty as well. After lunch I came back to my flat to relax a bit before tonight. We are going to the London Open Air Theatre in Regents Park to see The Crucible. It should be a fun time, especially because we are picnicking beforehand.
On Tuesday, Caitie and I woke up early and had breakfast before I headed to class and she went to explore London. Class was of course very uneventful and long, but following it, we had internship orientation. Originally, I was really excited about that because I thought I would receive my placement. Sadly, I was mistaken and the entire orientation was how to behave in an office. Well I have worked in an office for years and coming straight from Washington I got annoyed very quickly at how repetitive it was. I do understand though that it has to be done. After class I came back to my flat to shower and wait for Caitie to return from the London Eye so I could grab dinner and take her out to a new neighborhood. We ended up at a really neat bar/restaurant called Sports Cafe which has student night every Tuesday. Everyone was young, but even better was the amount of futbol on! I have already caught the futbol fever here. I not only know some players, but I have a favorite team and I am beginning to learn quite a lot about England's team with the World Cup approaching. I definitely love Real Madrid, mainly because of how fun and recognizable they are to watch. In addition, it doesn't hurt that Cristiano Ronaldo plays for them. I will definitely return home with his jersey!
Today I had class once again, but after all of us went to a great restaurant that our sponsor recommended to us. It was great and fun! They don’t write down your order here, but instead they carry around what looks like a TI-89 calculator and they just punch in order numbers. They even use it as the credit card machine which is quite nifty as well. After lunch I came back to my flat to relax a bit before tonight. We are going to the London Open Air Theatre in Regents Park to see The Crucible. It should be a fun time, especially because we are picnicking beforehand.
Sunday 23 May 2010
I have just experience my first weekend in London and all I can say is that this city gets more exciting and fabulous each day! On Saturday everyone woke up late in the day because we went to the Zoo club for the first time which was a blast. I also took my first ride in the traditional black cabs. In order to qualify to become a cabbie here, one must graduate from a three year program that teaches each street and route around the city. You even see trainees on scooters with maps attempting to study and learn the city. After waking up Cait and I decided to go exploring and happened upon a quaint shopping center with an outdoor market in the center. The food here is not that appetizing, especially the english breakfasts, which are also quite expensive. Baked beans on eggs is a combination that I am content never trying again. We then browsed the shops in the area including one called New Look, which is more expensive version of forever 21. The fact that things cost more is a bit depressing, but we did hear about a burberry factory where all of their clothing and trench coats are half price. Even the boys were fairly excited about that. After browsing the stores we decided to sit and enjoy the weather. I have been here now 5 days and I haven't seen rain. The weather is a beautiful 80 degrees which is perfect for reading in the parks. After we got back from our walk everyone decided to sit in the courtyard here at Janet Poole and have crackers, wine, and cheese. It was so nice to sit outside under the stars and chat, especially because we are attempting to plan our weekend trips rather rapidly. Around 11:30 everyone headed to a nearby pub to celebrate Frank's birthday. It was a lot of fun, especically because there were british pool tables that differ quite alot from American pool.
Today we woke up and headed to the British museum. They house the Rosetta Stone there along with many artifacts dating back to 27oo BC. It was a really neat museum for Egyptian artifacts, specifically the mummies and preserved remains on display. I have determined that I definitely have a time limit for how long I can sanely stay in a museum. It is about 1.5 hours because much longer and everything starts losing its appeal to me. After the museum Dan, Marty, Kamel, Cait, and I walked around our neighborhood a bit and enjoyed the weather. Tonight everyone is going to a restaurant called Wagamama, which is apparently a great chinese restaurant that serves community style to your table. Everyone orders a dish and then you get 4 rice bowls and share everything with the table. Everyone is looking forward to this as our last hurrah with dining out. We have all had mild heart-attacks when we realized the amount of money spent since arriving in London. Although it is unavoidable to do so, everyone has spent a nice chunk of money because its our first week here and we want to experience everything we can. Tomorrow Caitie arrives to stay with me for a few days and I absolutely cannot wait to see her! We are going to book a ride on the London Eye at night to get a neat view of city, River Thames, and St. Paul's Cathedral. It should be really great! The last piece of news is that I have just about adjusted to the time change and fully recovered from jet lag! Now all that is left is allowing time for my legs to adjust to all of the walking. I walked about 1o miles on Friday, 5 on Saturday, and a few today. It is exhausing but so nice to learn my way around!
Today we woke up and headed to the British museum. They house the Rosetta Stone there along with many artifacts dating back to 27oo BC. It was a really neat museum for Egyptian artifacts, specifically the mummies and preserved remains on display. I have determined that I definitely have a time limit for how long I can sanely stay in a museum. It is about 1.5 hours because much longer and everything starts losing its appeal to me. After the museum Dan, Marty, Kamel, Cait, and I walked around our neighborhood a bit and enjoyed the weather. Tonight everyone is going to a restaurant called Wagamama, which is apparently a great chinese restaurant that serves community style to your table. Everyone orders a dish and then you get 4 rice bowls and share everything with the table. Everyone is looking forward to this as our last hurrah with dining out. We have all had mild heart-attacks when we realized the amount of money spent since arriving in London. Although it is unavoidable to do so, everyone has spent a nice chunk of money because its our first week here and we want to experience everything we can. Tomorrow Caitie arrives to stay with me for a few days and I absolutely cannot wait to see her! We are going to book a ride on the London Eye at night to get a neat view of city, River Thames, and St. Paul's Cathedral. It should be really great! The last piece of news is that I have just about adjusted to the time change and fully recovered from jet lag! Now all that is left is allowing time for my legs to adjust to all of the walking. I walked about 1o miles on Friday, 5 on Saturday, and a few today. It is exhausing but so nice to learn my way around!
Friday 21 May 2010
Today was the first day of class.. Definitely more work than all of us realized which put a damper on my morning. Once lecture ended we had the opportunity to explore the city and nearly all of our group took the tube to Borough market which is a great outdoor food market with everything from breads and cheeses to oysters and kangaroo burgers. We all grabbed a cheap lunch there and I had the most fabulous gnocchi with pesto of my entire life! It was so fresh and great. The serving sizes here are so much smaller, which I love. We then decided to walk around and see Shakespeare's Globe while walking the river and then by Big Ben and Westminster. The walk home took a few hours, but of course everyone got distracted with a great vintage store and then a really unique pub. I found a really neat vintage store with great blazers for 20 quid or less. I have also discovered a pear cider that is so tasty! It's called Magnerst and it restored my faith in the pubs here. During the walk home we passed so many of the great neighborhoods. One minute we would be in a very swanky area with stores like Baby Dior (yes that really exists) then five minutes down the road we would see sex shops. It is so odd the way the neighborhoods make a drastic change in just a few blocks! I walked about 10 miles today total which was crazy, but it truly did help me to get my bearings of London better. The tube is so nice and works a lot like the DC metro with these cards called Oyster Cards. The mayor of London is attempting to get all people in the city to get them and it makes the swiping in and out of the stations much more efficient. Eventually we all will get monthly unlimited passes when we start working since we will be taking the tube twice daily.
Tonight the group is planning to go to a pub and club for the first time. I didn't realize the way the social scene works here, but most people go to pubs straight from work around 5pm and stay there until 10 or 11 before heading to clubs until the wee hours. I am really excited to experience the nightlife here! One thing I am getting used to is how expensive things are here! I was bargain hunting at the grocery store because it is crazy how fast money goes with pubs, food, and topping off oyster cards. It still hasnt stopped me from having fun and tomorrow I think I am taking a boat tour of London on the river and visiting another outdoor market. London is known for them and tomorrow I am heading to one of the very best so I am so excited.
Tonight the group is planning to go to a pub and club for the first time. I didn't realize the way the social scene works here, but most people go to pubs straight from work around 5pm and stay there until 10 or 11 before heading to clubs until the wee hours. I am really excited to experience the nightlife here! One thing I am getting used to is how expensive things are here! I was bargain hunting at the grocery store because it is crazy how fast money goes with pubs, food, and topping off oyster cards. It still hasnt stopped me from having fun and tomorrow I think I am taking a boat tour of London on the river and visiting another outdoor market. London is known for them and tomorrow I am heading to one of the very best so I am so excited.
Thursday 20 May 2010
My first days
While abroad, many of my friends decided to create blogs so everyone could keep up with their travels and day to day life. I loved reading about everything so I decided to create one as well. Basically thus far I am soo exhausted! I arrived at my flat around 1pm London time (7am our time) and then had orientation and a brief walking tour of my neighborhood. I live on Gower Street which makes it really easy to get around. The first thing that was unexpected was that none of the girls hairdryers or straighteners work, even with adapters!! We all had to go to Boots, which is a lot like an upscale version of Walgreens, to buy new ones. Luckily they cost a total of 30 pounds. After we all got settled in and unpacked we decided the first to do was hit a true British pub. Half of us went to one called Court that offers 3.95 burgers, chips, and beer. I ordered Strongbow, which was so great because its cider and not beer! All of the guys ordered many rounds so I got to take a sip of each of the different pints they ordered. All in all I am not a huge fan of European beer. Its a little bitter for me and I can't get used to how flat they are. On the upside, the UK's diet coke is so great! Its less sweet than ours and there is almost no sugar. Plus, they serve it in glass bottles which is fantastic.
Day 2 began with a rough start. Nobody slept well because the time differences had us up most of the night. I am absolutely exhausted, but after I write I'm taking a long nap so I can be rested up for grocery shopping and exploring tonight. We did take a tour of the city today and I got to see so many of the places I hope to visit. Number one and two are of course the 5 level Burberry and Harrods. I also really hope to go to a true English tea. We saw the theatre district which just recently started playing Hair again, so I am definitely going to try to and see a show or two. The coolest thing that I saw today was the London Eye, the huge farris wheel at city center. I am so excited to go up in it because you can see Westminster Abbey and the London Bridge. I found out Vampire Weekend is also playing a London show in June so I can't wait for that. So much to do!
My room is great by the way! I love that I don't have a roommate, and somehow I struck gold and was given the largest single out of the group! It is quite odd in the way the rooms differ from the US. There is very little storage, very small closets used mainly for storage not clothing, and the drawers are very small and narrow. Needless to say that is taking some adjusting. The people I am living with are very cool and adventurous so we are beginning to plan trips. We already have one scheduled to Edinburgh in early July and we are planning a boat trip to Amsterdam before that. Brussels and Paris are also quite accessble via the train so those will likely be weekend trips as well. Its amazing how large London is while still remaining so close to other major sites in the UK. I am planning to go to Stonehenge and Cambridge on day trips and taking a quick flight to Ireland which is only about 15 pounds! Rhine Air is so cheap and luckily they fly directly into Dublin's airport! I am all in all so excited for the next few months! One of my best friends Caitie is coming next week to stay with me from Vienna and see London and we are both eager to explore together!
The goal is to give an update of life everyday or two so I will try to stick with that!
Day 2 began with a rough start. Nobody slept well because the time differences had us up most of the night. I am absolutely exhausted, but after I write I'm taking a long nap so I can be rested up for grocery shopping and exploring tonight. We did take a tour of the city today and I got to see so many of the places I hope to visit. Number one and two are of course the 5 level Burberry and Harrods. I also really hope to go to a true English tea. We saw the theatre district which just recently started playing Hair again, so I am definitely going to try to and see a show or two. The coolest thing that I saw today was the London Eye, the huge farris wheel at city center. I am so excited to go up in it because you can see Westminster Abbey and the London Bridge. I found out Vampire Weekend is also playing a London show in June so I can't wait for that. So much to do!
My room is great by the way! I love that I don't have a roommate, and somehow I struck gold and was given the largest single out of the group! It is quite odd in the way the rooms differ from the US. There is very little storage, very small closets used mainly for storage not clothing, and the drawers are very small and narrow. Needless to say that is taking some adjusting. The people I am living with are very cool and adventurous so we are beginning to plan trips. We already have one scheduled to Edinburgh in early July and we are planning a boat trip to Amsterdam before that. Brussels and Paris are also quite accessble via the train so those will likely be weekend trips as well. Its amazing how large London is while still remaining so close to other major sites in the UK. I am planning to go to Stonehenge and Cambridge on day trips and taking a quick flight to Ireland which is only about 15 pounds! Rhine Air is so cheap and luckily they fly directly into Dublin's airport! I am all in all so excited for the next few months! One of my best friends Caitie is coming next week to stay with me from Vienna and see London and we are both eager to explore together!
The goal is to give an update of life everyday or two so I will try to stick with that!
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