Dress smart like a London Bloke

Hello everyone!!

Well, I figure now that I have had a day and a half of doing absolutely nothing (I think I went outside like three times in the last two days)...I am finally ready to blog about my London experience. It was by far, the best trip ever. It was everything I was excited for and so much more. I fell in love...so much so that (don't have a heartache mom) I started looking into graduate social work programs in London as soon as I got back. It just felt so much like home, and was such a wonderful, wonderful place. We had six days there, and there was so much that I got to do, as well as many things I wish I could have seen. Hence, the fact that I needed to rest for a few days, because I was so tired and overwhelmed.

So anyways....Wednesday night John took the train from Rome and stayed with us in Florence because he was flying out with us to London Thursday morning. WE decided we had to take Justin out once dancing while in Florence, and since we had exams all the other days, Wednesday night it was. We stayed out for a while just dancing, but finally decided we better get home and sleep for a few hours before our train to Pisa and then flight to London!

By the way, exams went pretty well for the most part. Some were harder than expected, but I studied a great deal for them, and did my best. THe only one I really didn't do well on was environmental conservation. As previously noted, this is the dreaded class of mine...when I got the exam...I looked down and almost cried, because I literally felt like i knew nothing. So besides the fact that I made up a good 75% of the answers, my exams went pretty well.

So Thursday morning we (Justin, Caitlin, John and I) left on the train to Pisa airport. Our flight was decently early, 10ish, so we had to take the train quite early to get there. We took Ryan Air, which everyone says is supposed to be a good, cheap flight but sketchy. Well good and cheap it was, sketchy it was not. It was surprisingly, one of the best flights I have ever been on. We even got the exit aisles so we had plenty of room. Besides John tormenting me by telling me we were about to crash ( i dont know if i have ever mentioned my A) fear of flying or B) the fact that I always without fail get sick), the flight was good. WE finally got to stanstead airport at only around 11ish (they are an hour behind Italy)...so we had a good full day still. We then took the train to London, and bought an oyster card which allowed us to get around London for 7 days for only 24 pounds. It seems expensive, but for the amount of trains/buses/tubes we took, we saved a lot of money.

We took the tube to Kensington, where Justin lives. His apartment is located in a very rich part of London, and was pretty nice actually. He shares it with three other guys and two girls. It is also conveniently located across from Hyde Park, which happens to be where Princess Diane used to live. So after putting our stuff down and resting for a bit, we explored Hyde Park and St. James Park (they are connected). First of all, they are huge and were orginally just used for the royal family I believe (which is incredibly selfish seeing as its ginormous. I felt soo at home. The air was crisp, the leaves were huge and crunchy, there was actually green grass, and trees, ponds, swans (lots of birds...bailey you would have loved it), and just felt like autumn. It was incredibly gorgeous, and I could have spent the entire day just sitting there.

After meeting some large swans, lots of ravens, pigeons (I can never escape those darn pigeons), ducks, and geese. The swans were my favorite. We saw the Princess Diana tribute (a really cool water like structure), the Italian fountains, Peter Pan statue, Albert memorial and much more. Basically, it was amazing.

Before dinner, Justin took us to whole foods (love, love, love). We went to Thirsty Thursday, which is their wine tasting. We had five stations to go to. First was the we were served pancetta, sage and Parmesan risotto (oh my gosh, as Rachel Ray would say...Yum-o) with their own house Fresh and wile Prosecco. They were all sparkling wines, so of course, i loved them. The second course was a beetroot, orange and feta salad served with Fresh and wild Rosato Prosecco. I loved the beets (Oma you would be happy)...I was the only one who liked it though so everyone else gave me their servings to eat. Then we had a Manhattan seafood chowder (scallops, fish, lobster..mom you would have loved it) with Lanson Noble Cuvee Brut Champagne. Then we had beef Shank in garlic, red wine and pepper served with Blue Pyrences Sparkling Shiraz. Finally, we had vacherin Moint d'or served with carmelized walnuts and Prunotto Moscato d'Asti. The wine was really yummy, the actual dessert was weird...it tasted a little like melted brie and feet. But the walnuts were good. Anyways..you can tell that I loved this event because it was like watching the food network but live and getting to sample the food. Since most of you know I obsessively watch the foodnetwork (till all hours of the night), it was pure heaven.

Anyways...we went home and Justin made us some baked ziti...yum. Then we went to see some London sites at night. Justin took us to the Parliment, Big Ben, London Eye, Piccadilly Circus and much much more...except I can't remember what they were all called. It was so wonderful. I was in awe the entire night. Afterwards, we went back and Caitlin and I collasped in the twin bed we were sharing...which saved us a lot of money!!

Friday Billy (our friend in Rome) flew into London. Justin took us around London again where we saw many of same sites and more. We saw some of the same sites, and also Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, and the house where the have the horse guards. We got to see them change the horse guards which was pretty much pointless, but part of their tradition. It was neat to see. At Westminister Abbey we coincidentally saw our friend Michael (from SNC) outside! It was really exciting, because we were supposed to meet up with him, but it was unexpected to see him at that point. We did some more exploring, and then headed back to Justin's. There we did a little shopping on High St. Kensington where we mostly just went into H and M.

Later we went out to a pub, and that was where I drank my first beer ever. (Don't worry people...I am legal here and in the U.S. now too!) I don't like beer, but I tried a fruity one called snake bite. It was excellent. Anyways..we had a lot of fun that night, and came back exhausted.

Saturday we headed to the Camden Market!! By far, one of the best experiences ever. As we were walking down the streets, I really wished that Emily could have been there. YOu would have loved it Em. I took tons of pictures for you though. Bascially, it was really retro and hip...very emo and totally Emily. There were so many things that I wanted to buy you (wait till Christmas...I might have found you something good!!). Anyways...it was at that point that I wished my sisters were with me because there was something that they would have all loved so much. I would go into a store and be like...Andrea would love this, Bay would love this, Emily would be in heaven. So anyways, I got a little sad cause I wished I could have shared it with them. We spent majority of Saturday there and had a ton of fun. Caitlin and I went into a few vintage stores (Sammy you would have been in heaven!) where I got a hat and a vintage vest. Camden market is so huge! It had tons of food stand from around the world: Chinese, Indian, African (justin gave me a bite of his food--which i liked until i found out it was goat), Caribbean, Italian and so much more. We ate some Chinese and shopped the rest of the day. There was an antique section, clothing, jewerly, Ethnic stores, bags and even a futuristic store called Cyberdog.

Saturday afternoon we met up with Michael (studying in London), Michael M (studying in Valencia) and Magda who used to go to our school but is going to grad school in London now. We went out for fish and chips (delicious). I washed it down like the British people with a fruity beer again! Afterwards, we packed up our stuff and went home with Michael's friend Katie, who we were staying with for the rest of our stay. We took a bus (very long ride...almost an hour) to New Cross where Michael and Katie live.

On Sunday, John left us to go back to Rome. Billy, Caitlin and I went into the city by ourselves and explored for a while. We went to Picadilly Circus (which is London's Times Square) where we explored for a while. Billy then went to go meet with a Feminist group that he had discovered in London, and Caitlin and I went around a bit more. We went to the National Gallery and saw some pretty sweet photographs, pictures and paintings. We wanted to go to the Annie Lebowitz exhibit which was showing there...but it cost too much money. Then we set out to the Globe theater where we wanted to go to the pagan festival that was apparently occuring there. Well, it wasn't...but we did see the Globe (although we didn't go in because it was too expensive). WE explored around London that day, went to Trafalgar Square and other places in London. Then we met up and had dinner at Pizza hut. Which you are probably like...pizza hut? But it was like no other pizza hut. We were seated, waited on, had our order taken, had cloth napkins, and they even served wines and champagnes there. Very classy. And delicious.

On Monday, we all headed into the city to shop. There we discovered...a cheap hair salon. So since hair cuts in Italy are around 40 euro for just a trim (and Lord knows what we will get what with our lack of Italian skills), we got a haircut in London. Awesome. I was worried cause she cut a lot off, but I like it. We then met up with Caitlin's high school friend, Rob, who studies at Oxford. No big deal that he is incredibly smart and oh, also parties with Emma Watson...Yes, I said Emma Watson (aka Hermione Granger....aka Harry Potter's best friend). We had tea at Whole Foods before going to wagamama...another delicious resturant. It served curry like dishes which were excellent.

Then we headed off to Her Majesty's Theater to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Now I saw that a while ago in the states with my Aunt Anita and mom and sister, but this was just amazing. I think I appreciated it more because I am older now, but it was amazing. The stage, theatrics, special effects, pit orchestra, and of course Opera music was simply amazing. I loved it so much. And it was pretty cheap to go. AHHH I can't tell you how much I wished my siblings could be there to watch it with me.

WE passed out on the cold, concrete like floor that we were sleeping on for three nights. By night two we had layered our clothing on the floor so that we could have some sort of padding. But hey, it was free, and we saved about 200 euro by not getting a hostel.

On Tuesday, we had plans to see the Tate, Abbey Road, and Kings Cross (where Harry Potter has a little platform)...but only accomplished Abbey Road. We took the tube to Abbey Road..and after asking about 5 British people, who all gave us different directions, we finally found the road. It took us about an hour, but was worth it. We crossed the road, took some great pictures, and then left our mark on the wall. Walked, signed, pictures, and go. It was an amazing finish, to an amazing trip. So if you ever head over to abbey road...look for my name!

Needless to say, this has been a long post, but only because I had such an amazing time. I can't believe how blessed and lucky I am to get to experience all these amazing things. I have really begun to appreciate everything that I have in my life. It has been such a wonderful trip so far. This has been the best decision of my life, to study abroad. It has opened me up to so many new cultures and experiences, and allowed me to see what else the world has to offer. Needless to say, I have bigger plans with my life now, which include traveling and not staying in the U.S. my whole life. I am so blessed that I have gotten this chance. I remember when all my friends and family woudl come back from studying abroad and them describing their experiences, and I was never able to see how it could be so wonderful. But now that I am here, I know that this is an experience that you cannot describe in words. So while I want to say so many things, most of my memories are in my heart and undescribleable.

I have been blessed by this opportunity and also by the people that have become a part of my life through this experience. I really have the most amazing roommates, and have bonded so well with so many people over here. I have made friends in other countries, and seen my friends in other countries. Not many people can say, oh yeah, no big deal I went to Big Ben with my closest friends. While I am half way through my experience here, I am sad that it has gone so fast. I am excited to come home and see my friends and family that I miss a lot, but will also miss everyone here so much. This has definitely shaped me, and helped me to become a more open and diverse person, and I cannot wait to see what the last few weeks will be like here.

My plans for now....this weekend Michael and Katie come visit from London.
Saturday my roommates and I are planning a Halloween party (mom, i might be a highchair!! haha)...we are going to bob for apples, dance, and play games! It's going to be great. Plus eat all the Halloween candy mom sent over!! Thanks so much!!
I am going to Barcelona the following weekend, then maybe Paris, then Rome for our field trip. In December I am going to Rothenburg for their Christmas festival, which I am extremely excited about cause Mom and Oma both love Rothenburg.

My Oma called today, and that basically made my day. She was talking about thanksgiving, and I got a bit sad cause I wasn't going to be there to celebrate with her, and eat Opa's traditional dumplings (made by Steven now) and celebrate and be with family. But hopefully, we will have our own festivities here.

Anyways...this is becomming a novel, so until next time...I love emails and mail!! So keep sending it!

Love to you all

Amy