The Largest Ferris Wheel

 Today was my last day of classes for the week. I know it's Thursday. I don't have any classes on Friday! This is the first and last semester that will happen so I'm going to take full advantage of this. To celebrate making it through a week of school, Diane and I decided to go on the London Eye! I've never been a lover of heights and have always avoided roller coasters, so it was hard to imagine going on this 443 foot tall ferris wheel. But, when in Rome...

Walking up to it is pretty terrifying. Looking up at it, you can only imagine the Eye toppling straight into the River Thames. It is a 30 minute trip that I really believed would feel like forever. But once I got on you didn't even realize you were moving. It goes so slowly you hardly notice until your staring down at the roof of the Parliament Building and Big Ben. It was awe inspiring, the city is just as beautiful from above as it is from below. The mix of modern and antique is seamless in this diverse city. The Parliament Building is stunning from above and still my favorite building in the city.

The trip seemed so short and Diane and I were not ready to go back to our dorms yet. So we took a quick walk across the river to the Parliament Building and Westminster Abbey. We arrived just in time to go to the Evensong at the Abbey. What I thought was just going to be a few Psalms sung by the Abbey's choir actually turned out to be a 45 minute service. The inside of the Abbey is enchanting. The service was interesting to listen to and it was even more incredible hearing it in such a hallowed place. The choir was all men, which surprised me, but they were so great and all had beautiful voices.

Hopefully this weekend I will find some time to rest before Diane and I leave for Munich next Thursday. Tomorrow we are off to the Borough Market, St Paul's Church, and maybe some shopping. The exchange rate here is killing me, but luckily I'm good at packing my lunch.

Fish and Chips and the Food of London

It's a little ironic to be writing about food on Yom Kippur, but hopefully talking about some of the food I've eaten will help me forget about my hunger. Before coming to London, I was warned that the British cuisine was not that good. Being a little food obsessed, I was a little worried that I wouldn't find anything to eat here. But I was so wrong. Maybe it's just living in a city, but every block has a restaurant on it and every restaurant has been amazing. The Indian food is just as good as everyone says it is. I was really happy about that because I love Indian food, but no one at home will eat it with me.

Traditional British foods don't always sound so delicious from their names. For example, spotted dick doesn't sound very edible. However, I have found that the traditional foods I've eaten here have been very yummy. Fish and chips is an incredible invention. Fried, flaky fish and chips, aka fries, covered in vinegar and salt is truly amazing. It's mouthwatering and crunchy and hot and perfect for the rainy weather in London. Now for dessert, I have tried sticky toffee pudding and let me tell you it is heavenly. It's not even pudding, but a spongy cake covered in a toffee sauce. It's wonderful.

However, probably the best food I've had in London though is not even food at all. Teatime is London's greatest invention. There is nothing better than sitting in a cute cafe with a plate full of tiny sandwiches, crumbly scones, and little cakes enjoying a cup of black tea. I've learned to put milk in my tea, the British way. For £12.5, you have a traditional tea time complete with clotted cream! I don't know what that is made of exactly but it was really yummy, not sweet, but creamy. Mixed with jam it is so good on top of a scone.

My first week of classes ends tomorrow. I'm happy to be back in school, but sadly the weather has taken a turn for the worse and it seems rain is the only thing in the forecast for the next week. Now I'm glad I stole Rae's rain jacket!

One Week Anniversary

Today marks my one week anniversary in London. It feels like so much longer, yet like no time at all. For my anniversary with this amazing city, I thought I would share some of my first impressions of this city.

1. British people love to bike.
This city is congested with bikers. Everywhere you walk bikes are chained to fences and poles. Each block you walk has a Barclay bike rental place where anyone can rent a bike for £1 for 30 minutes. The bikers have no fear, biking through congested streets and next to double decker buses!

2.  You can find very interesting food here.
Since I've been here, I've learned that a full English breakfast includes baked beans and fried bread. In some vending machines you can find shrimp cocktail flavored chips. Even with all these oddities, I have really enjoyed the food I've been eating here.

3. Don't buy 6 hangers for £1.
I don't know if I am just overly aggressive when I'm trying to get dressed or if I am just stronger than I thought but I've already broken 2 hangers in 2 days! 

4. Every building in London is beautiful.
Supermarkets, little restaurants, apartments, and pharmacies are all housed in beautiful buildings. The architecture is truly amazing and really reflects the age of the city. Even the Shard, a skyscraper many Londoners don't like, is a beautiful building looming next to the even more impressive Tower Bridge.   

Learning about all the difference between America and London has been one of the best part of coming here so far. Now I just have to figure out their slang and learn the differences between prats, twats, and wankers.




 

To Oxford We Went

Three days into arriving at London, Diane and I decided we should probably travel before classes start on Tuesday. We hadn't unpacked and had hardly bought any food or basic necessities, like toilet paper, knives, forks, and laundry detergent. Yet off we went on Thursday to Oxford.

After running around the city of London for four days, I was excited to see the English countryside. When we arrived in Oxford it was hard not to think of Harry Potter, fairy tales, and Jane Austen. The city is a romantic labyrinth. Winding roads bring you to churches, colleges, and castles all crammed into 18 square miles. It was just as grand and impressive as I pictured it would be. Christ Church is one of Oxford's 38 colleges. Inside it is a beautiful college that you could easily mistake for a castle. When we toured it we walked up the stairs that were filmed for the Harry Potter movie! The dining hall pictured in Harry Potter is also in Christ Church, but the day we went it was closed. I was so disappointed, but only for a moment. It's hard to be sad in such a beautiful place. After the college, we walked to Radcliffe Camera an impressive building and then to Bodelain Library. We saw it all.

Christ Church (aka Hogwarts)

It's hard to imagine studying at such a inspiring place. I wouldn't be able to study when all I would want to do is walk around and stare at the buildings! Most of the colleges were closed to visitors, but when I peeked I saw walls painted with crew scores and kids milling on manicured quads. It was another world, and it felt truly English.

This was my first time staying in a hostel. To say I didn't have trepidations would be a lie. I was so nervous of murders, crazy people, dirty rooms, loud guests, and bed bugs. Luckily, I knew how to check for bed bugs and didn't find any. The experience of staying at the hostel was one of the best parts of going to Oxford. I met such interesting people from Spain, Cuba, Latvia, and Australia. Diane and I stayed in a mixed 4 bed room. Our two other roommates were married men who either worked at Oxford or were there for a conference. Meeting such fascinating people made the trip so much better.



After one and half days, we took the 2 hour bus ride back to London. The quiet, archaic streets of Oxford were amazing to visit, but I truly love the bustle and crowds of London and couldn't wait to get back.

The Beginning

It's been three days since I've arrived in London and I still don't believe it is real. The city is like a fairytale. A charming, chilly city straight out of the movies. The buildings, architecture, and monuments all remind me that this truly is an old city steeped with character and charm. Living in Southwark means I have almost instant access to Westminster. Westminster is the hub of the the touristy spots that I pictured when I thought of London. Big Ben, the Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye are all steps away from my apartment. By steps I really mean 2 miles, which is close in this city. I'm glad I decided to exercise this summer because walking is my transportation of choice and we walk everywhere!

I didn't expect to become so enchanted by this city so quickly. London has taken a hold of me and I don't expect it to let go. The city is beautiful filled with nice people, over-priced Starbucks, and easy to use public transportation. Even the food is better than expected! Though I will think twice about buying instant coffee the next time I go to the grocery store.

In a side note, everyone told me public transportation in London was easy to use, so I was excited to try it out. Diane and I decided to go from the London Bridge back to our campus in Westminster. We looked at the subway map and decided which stop would take us closest to campus. When we got off at the Westminster stop on the Jubilee line and found ourselves at the foot of Big Ben! Seeing this often pictured building so close up was astounding, but then we realized we were still a mile away from campus. I think we still have a lot to learn, though I did manage to use the bus all by myself without a hitch.

On Thursday Diane and I head off to Oxford for the night. Next week classes begin, though I still have yet to unpack...

 

How Many Jackets Should You Take for 3 Months Abroad?

In 4 short days, I will be waiting anxiously at Logan to fly to London. I've read the guide books, the travel sites, watched Anthony Bourdain traverse through London, and even watched a House Hunters International set in London. Hopefully, I am ready to take on this international city. The only thing left to do is pack.

Somehow this is harder than I imagined it would be. Whenever I packed for Emory, I brought everything I could think of, randomly threw it into boxes and suitcases, and shipped it to school. Now I think I have to be a little more conscientious with my packing and it it posing a problem. How do you fit three months of stuff into two tiny suitcases? The videos I watched on youtube were not very helpful. Their advice was to pack light. I don't know how to pack light, but if they have any advice on packing heavy I would appreciate that.

So now I'm trying to guess if 7 jackets, 8 pairs of jeans, and 3 pairs of boots is too many.