Cheers!

Since arriving in London, it has become abundantly clear that the term "cheers" is not just said when clinking drink glasses for luck. I have heard cheers as a greeting, in terms of saying thanks and even in saying goodbye to someone. At first I thought that it was only certain people who used cheers in other ways, but the other day I was shopping at Urban Outfitters and after I made my purchase and signed my receipt, the cashier said cheers. I must have looked up questioningly because then the cashier laughed and said "thank you." I can only imagine what he was thinking, he probably thought I couldn't even speak English. Since that happened, I have noticed cheers used in different contexts. I held the door for someone at Harrod's and they responded with cheers. Now that I know that it can be used in so many different ways, there's no stopping me from using the term more often. Cheers definitely has a happier ring to it than thanks.

Cheers, mate!

Michaela and I at Bluebird.

This past weekend one of my very best friends from high school came to visit me. I was so excited for Michaela's arrival that I made a reservation for us to have lunch at Chelsea's infamous Bluebird Cafe (a frequented location by the Made in Chelsea crew). To my surprise, Bluebird not only has a restaurant but also a cafe, a boutique, a spa and a food shop! Bluebird is situated on Kings Rd. not too far from my flat. It was a beautiful day that we went and some of London's most chic were dining and shopping at the establishment. I had to refrain from buying absolutely everything at the boutique; they had a whole table displaying the September issues of Vogue UK, LOVE Magazine and many more!

Michaela had studied here in London from January to May and so she had a few places of her own that she wanted to show me. The first place was Hersheson's, a blow dry bar. I am always one to divulge in beauty treatments, but when she told me that she would get her hair blown out once a week while she was here, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. We went to the Hersheson's located in the Oxford Street Topshop where I have had that horror of getting lost in a few times...that place is huge! Hersheson's is located on the bottom floor and they specialize in a thirty minute blow out; there are photos on the wall showing the options of hairstyling they offer. I chose to get the "wavy gravy," it is their take on beachy waves. They don't lie when they say it takes only a half hour, when I was finished I was quite impressed with my hair and now I just may have to go back and have my hair done again. (I apologized to Michaela for judging her habit of going weekly after I saw how amazing it was!)

Hershesons hair salon in Topshop in Oxford Circus.

I just had to take a bathroom selfie of my freshly blown out locks. Here is the "wavy gravy" style!

Camden Market

On Saturday, we walked around a lot and I saw much more of London than I even realized was here. We went to Sloane Square to shop and it was like a whole new world had been revealed to me. Stores like Brandy Melville and Anthropologie call this area home. Because it was such a beautiful day, there were many restaurants with outdoor seating and even a market was going on in an open space. After walking around and once again refraining from buying anything, we were famished. We chose to go to a restaurant called Bumpkin which prides itself on serving traditional British dishes. The restaurant was quaint and homey; we even discussed the decor in terms of we wouldn't mind decorating our future homes that way.

"Philly Boyz"

On Sunday, we started our day early and went for breakfast near my flat. Afterwards, we ventured off to Camden Market. Many of my flat mates have already explored the market in Camden, but this was my first time. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to encounter. There were two large markets, one was mostly clothes and souvenirs and the other had food and many other unique stands. The one market is a converted horse stable! There is even a club in that market and although it wasn't open for business on a Sunday, it was still open to go into and impressively enough, there were still horse stalls only now they have been converted into areas with tables in them for clubgoers to sit in. One part of the market that had all of the food stands sold Philly cheese steaks and claimed to be "Philly Boyz," Michaela told me to ask them if they were actually from there and upon closer examination I saw that one guy was wearing a Yankee hat, not further inquiry was necessary because if they actually were from Philadelphia, there is no way that he would be sporting a Yankee hat!

Overall, I had a very successful weekend and if it made me realize anything, it is that I do miss home. I will be home three weeks from today and even though I know I am going to be sad leaving this beautiful place, I have learned so much here that I will be able to take those memories home with me and always think about my time here very fondly. I plan to take full advantage of my time left here. On Thursday I will be going to Paris, so my next blog post will be covering my Parisian adventures!

Hola Barcelona: A Weekend Away from London

This past week was the end of our first two classes followed by a lovely "holiday" in Barcelona for me and a few friends. By Thursday, our final papers and tests had been taken and it was time to get ready for our Barcelona excursion. The good thing about London is that it is not too far from European countries and so we are able to travel many different places while we are studying here. The trip to Barcelona was my first time leaving London and it came at a perfect time. The weather has been unusually hot as I've mentioned before but when we left for Spain on Friday, it was starting to rain so we were able to get away and enjoy Spain's naturally hot climate and then return to a cooled down London.

We arrived in Barcelona at about 6:30pm, it is an hour ahead of London so that makes it six hours ahead of America! We had a delicious dinner of various tapas including chorizo and risotto along with artichoke chips; those were the best thing I have ever eaten! Although it was pretty late by the time we settled into the hostel and went to eat, the restaurants were still crowded because they eat so late there. Afterwards, we went to a beach bar and were informed that people tend to stay out all night. The beach was packed with people, some swimming, some just hanging out. I had a sort of eye opening moment that night when I realized that I was in Spain and I just relished in the thought that I had never thought I would end up there. It was one of those moments that you just think about the rest of the world and all the people in it and I felt that a lot of things became clear to me. Part of the reason that I had this moment is the fact that Spain is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Each site that we visited was more beautiful than the next. London is amazing and historic, but Spain has so many amazing views and places that really make you think.

Crowded Barcelona beach at 4am.

On Saturday morning, we went to a local market near our hostel and grabbed some food for a picnic on the beach. We got to the beach and it was already pretty packed but luckily we found an umbrella and were able to enjoy our picnic. Realizing that we were in Europe quite quickly based on the fact that some women were topless and completely nonchalant about it. The ocean water is so blue that it seems almost unreal. It was funny to think that we were on that very same beach not too many hours prior and the only difference was that the sun wasn't out, there were just as many people.

The same beach as 4am, now at noon.

Gaudi Museum.

After enjoying our stay on the beach, we went to the Gaudi museum. Anyone who has seen Vicky Christina Barcelona (I watched it for the first time in preparation of my trip) would recognize the artist's remarkable work. Many buildings in Spain were designed by him and he has a distinct style of making his works look almost like they're melting. The tour of the museum starts at the very top where you can look over the city and it is amazing. It was there that the four of us decided that we never wanted to leave. That night we had a dinner of tapas once again!

Sunday was a full day for us! We started out eating an amazing brunch and then made our way to Park Montjuic, it is a mountain with a castle on top that has the most amazing view that I have ever seen. We took a cable railway, known in Barcelona as a funicular, up the mountain and were able to look out onto the city as well as the beautiful water. Every time I turned around or walked a few more feet, I had a better few than where I was before. After that, we went to the Sagrada Famila, a church designed by Gaudi. The church is still under construction, but the inside was quite impressive. The stain glass windows were nothing short of impeccable and the ceilings were so high that when I looked up, I felt like they went on forever. That night we had paella on the beach, to say that it was delicious would be an understatement. I am not a very daring person when it comes to trying new things but I am very happy that I was brave and ordered this dish!

View from Montjuic 

           

                                Left: Stained Glass Windows Inside- Right: Outside Sagrada Familia

Monday we didn't have class so we were able to walk around and go shopping at Las Ramblas where there are some international stores such as Zara but there were also local Spanish designers. Luckily, I took Spanish in high school so I was able to navigate my way around but surprisingly enough, most people were able to speak English. Monday afternoon was our flight back to London and I have to admit I was pretty happy to be coming back. It took a trip out of the country to realize that after five weeks, I am starting to think of this place as a second home. When we got back, it was nice and cool out, I've been waiting for this weather since four weeks ago when it started getting hot!

Our last night in Barcelona! Enjoying what we can of the beach, there were even fireworks!

Yesterday, we started our new classes. It is crazy to think that in a short five weeks, we will be back in the US! Today I have my first class of Food Society and Culture in Britain, yesterday was History of Modern Design. We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and were able to look at actual pieces of work from the period we were learning about; it was a very helpful aid in fully learning what we are being taught. I look forward to what these next five weeks and two new classes will bring!

(London is Like a) Heat Wave

Once again, I had to go there and quote a song to express what London feels like right now. Instead of the famous Motown song "(Love is like a) Heatwave," London is actually experiencing a heat wave right now. When I tell you the temperature is in the 80s here, you probably wouldn't think twice because it is somewhere near a blistering 95 degrees in Philadelphia; however, London rarely sees temperatures above the 70s and so they are calling this a heat wave right now. It hasn't even rained in a week! Apparently, London hasn't seen sunny skies and temperatures such as these in seven years! Lucky me...

Despite the heat and lack of air conditioning in this country, I have continued to go out and explore. Last week was our first trip to Shakespeare's Globe theater with my Shakespeare and Elizabethan English class. We went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. Staying true to typical Shakespearean times, we stood for the entire play. I am happy that we did because we were right near the stage to see and hear everything that was going on. Before going to see the show, the only knowledge I had about it was the part America Ferrera played in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I came to find out a great deal more after watching the play and seeing how the characters interacted. They even made the audience get involved! The atmosphere was much different than any play I've ever been to before, mostly because there was no roof (actors had to adjust to the outside sounds such as planes and birds flying overhead) and the building was shaped like a circle. Yesterday, we went back to the Globe with our other class, but instead of seeing a play we went on a tour. We were informed about the history of the globe and learned how Shakespeare would have conducted his plays. During his time, the cast would be made up solely of males and rather than having copies of the play to hand out, each actor only got the lines of their character written on a scroll and rolled up, this is why their part is called a "role."

Last Wednesday, after discussing the play we saw the previous day, two of us decided to go to Brick Lane. From the very first day that we met British people here, they were telling us to go to Brick lane for Indian Cuisine. It may be hard to believe, it was for me at least, but Chicken Tikka Masala is actually the favorite dish of the Brits, not fish and chips! We took the tube to the Aldgate stop and had a minor set back when we could not figure out where Brick lane was in relation to us, but luckily we have been trained to always have our maps with us! On our journey from the tube to Brick lane, we stumbled upon “Petticoat Lane Market” which was actually a magnificent find! We spent some time walking around the market and taking in the different shops and kiosks that were set up there. After a little while, we decided to continue our journey and we found even cuter little shops! By the time we reached Brick lane, we were famished and so ready to have some Indian food. One of the unique things about Brick lane is that men line the street trying to get people to eat at their restaurants. The way that we chose were to eat was based on the amount of people in the restaurant, so we ate at the most crowded place and let me tell you it was delicious! It was my first time trying Indian food and I was not disappointed. After dinner, we shopped a little bit more and we discovered the mecca of vintage stores; it is called Blitz. They had everything from refurbished Converse to old records and even older books. Unlike many other vintage stores I’ve been in before in Philly and New York, there was not that distinct smell of used clothing. Instead it smelled fresh and clean as if the clothing didn’t have years of history and memories attached to them.

Thursday was the fourth of July and I was a bit hesitant about celebrating our independence from the country that I am currently in. Nevertheless, I decided to wear my Free People American flag scarf. Before class, we went to take pictures at the infamous Platform “9 ¾” from Harry Potter. I have only ever seen the first movie, but I went along with my flat mates because as a tourist I felt like I just had to! Then we had class and after class, we went to Selfridges. We went on a day where Free People was having a pop up shop in the department store, so that was comforting to see a familiar brand in a store that I have never been in. My fear about being “too American” was squashed when two girls who worked at Selfridges started talking to me about how cool New York is and then proceeded to wish me a happy 4^th of July. That night, we went to a bar called Bar Rumba which to my surprised was packed with Americans, some wearing American flags as capes…that to me was a little bit much, but it was kind of nice to almost feel like I was at home on the 4^th, minus a firework display.

On Friday, we went to Parliament for a tour. It was a beautiful day to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. During our tour we learned all about the Royal family and how decisions are made in Parliament. While we were in the House of Lords, our tour guide explained that the four seats in the front of the room would possibly one day be filled by Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and then the Royal baby whether it is a boy or a girl! Our tour guide also filled us in on all of the traditions that parliament members still engage in today such as bowing before they enter the room to vote because back in the day, members of Parliament would send their servants to vote on their behalf but by bowing, one could tell if the member is wearing a wig or not by checking the back of their neck. Members of Parliament would always be wearing a white wig and so if the person was not wearing a wig, they were not a MP (member of Parliament.) This practice is still done today obviously not because the MPs wear wigs, but just out of tradition. After Parliament, three of us went to a sushi dinner and then to see the Bling Ring movie that came out that day here. The movie theater was pitch black and it was difficult to see where we were going, the other strange thing was that there was nothing playing on the screen until 21:00 when the movie was set to start and that is when previews began playing. People also didn’t start coming into the theater until about then so for about fifteen minutes, we were the only three in whole theater.

On Saturday I decided to venture out on my own again. My friend who studied in London for five months told me that if I ever feel homesick to go to Westfield Mall and I would feel right at home. She was most definitely right! Westfield had stores like Zara, Urban Outfitters and Mango. It also had its fair share of stores customary to the UK that I enjoyed exploring. I spent about 4 hours there and only navigated the second floor! I got an iced coffee but it was more like a frapaccino because the ice was blended. That is one of the things that I am getting used to here—iced coffee is not a delicacy of theirs. I am happy to say that I navigated the tube on my own and had a lovely day shopping at the mall. I got a few books that were on sale. One was an Opening Ceremony book that features a catalog of Chloe Sevigny and her collection for OC. On Saturday night, almost all of us ventured into Camden to check out the nightlife. The bar we went to, The Monarch, does themed nights and luckily Saturday was “Soundtrack night.” That was right up my alley! I got to dance and sing along to songs from some of my favorite movies such as Grease and Dirty Dancing.

London Calling

Not to sound trite and quote the famous song, "London Calling" by The Clash but as a study abroad student in London, it is inevitable that at least one Facebook photo album or blog post will be labeled as such.

Today is my eleventh day here in London, the Royal Borough of South Kensington to be exact. I boarded the plane at JFK airport in New York not knowing what to expect. Luckily, the seven hour plane ride was not too bad, but when I arrived at Heathrow airport, I was confronted with the fact that I was all alone in another country. It was up to me to retrieve my luggage and get myself to where I would call home for the next ten weeks. I got through customs without too much of a wait, but when I got to the terminal to pick up my luggage, only one of my bags was there. I waited around for a while and thought to myself, "At least the suitcase with all my clothes is here." This thought was very D&M of me. Then I realized that the bag that was missing had all of my toiletries.

Things that are probably a bit more important than my clothes. After everyone else had already gotten their bags, I went over to the service desk where they very abruptly informed me that my bag had gone to the wrong terminal and I would just have to wait. So I went back over and sat. I sat there thinking about how tired I was and how I still had to find my way to my flat. Finally, my precious bag was sent out on the conveyor belt and once I had it in my possession, I wished that I had more than two arms to wheel both suitcases and carry a duffle bag and backpack with.
I made my way outside of the airport and to my surprise, it was not raining. I found myself a black cab (these cabs are supposedly the most safe and the drivers have to pass a rigorous test and go through years of training before they can become a cab driver) to take me to my destination. There was so much traffic that it felt like I was never going to get where I needed to go but after about an hour and 80 pounds (equivalent to about $122.00) later, I was at my building on Manson Place and ready to get settled into flat 18E. Flat 18 is located on the third floor, so those two suitcases that I absolutely had to bring with me had to then be carried by yours truly up to my room (there is no elevator.)

After I settled into my room, I went out with two of my flat mates to get breakfast. I don't know if it was because I hadn't eaten or slept and was delirious, but the ham and cheese croissant that I ordered was the best thing that I have ever eaten. The next few days were extremely jam packed with tours and exploring. We had an orientation where we learned about what our classes would be like and got our schedules. We also received a quick lecture about the difference between the United Kingdom, England and Great Britain. In all honesty, I am still trying to figure it out, but it was enlightening to hear that they are actually all different and referred to in different ways by people here. We took a bus tour that our program set up and got to see great landmarks such as West Minster Abbey, the London Eye, the London Bridge and many more. Although it was a lot to take in, it was nice to get a taste of London culture from real British people. The tour also helped me to understand where everything is in relation to where I am living. Luckily for me, Kensington Palace where Will and Kate live is in walking distance from our flat!

Classes started last Monday, June 24th at 1PM. I was thankful for this late start because I was still adjusting to the time difference. I actually think that I might still be jet lagged. The five hour difference although it doesn't sound like much is definitely a big change to get used to especially when I am waking up at 9AM and in Philadelphia it is only 4AM. It makes it a lot harder to keep in touch with my friends and family because they are sleeping when I am awake and ready to chat and vice versa. I am waiting to see if I can get into a groove where there are designated times that I can talk to my parents. After that first class, I decided to go to a pub where our professor informed us that David Beckham frequents. Although I didn't get to see Beckham, it just so happened that Kate Moss was filming a Stuart Weitzman commercial right outside. For everyone that knows me, they know that I am insanely obsessed with celebrities, so at first when I saw the blonde outside the pub, I thought that maybe it was Blake Lively because she had just gotten to London with Ryan Reynolds, but then Kate ever so slightly turned her head and looked in the pub window and with those cheek bones of hers, it was undeniable that it was her. I went outside where there weren't too many people and was able to walk up and down the street only two times and it was a wrap. To say that I had an eventful first day of classes would be an understatement!

I spent the rest of last week getting used to my class schedule and figuring my way around Kensington. Classes are four hours each, so even though I only have one a day, Monday-Thursday, it is still an adjustment to get used to sitting in a classroom for four hours, especially with so many places that I have yet to see here. On Friday, I decided to explore a little bit on my own and went into the soho area. I took the tube three stops and ended up in the Picadilly area which is much like Times Square in Manhattan in that there are tons of tourists as well as big signs and theaters. It took me a little while to find where I wanted to go which was a bookstore that I had passed on Wednesday night when we were in that area to see a very amusing play called "39 Steps." First, I came across Carnaby Street which has many stores and cafes. Some stores that lined Carnaby include Diesel, Levis, Libery London and MAC. I stopped into all of these stores along with a few others. Eventually when I did find the bookstore I was looking for, I wandered inside and came to find that it doubled as a sex shop! You can imagine my surprise when I realized that I was the only girl in the store and trying innocently to look at books about Vivienne Westwood and Pucci. Needless to say, I did not stay there long, but I would go back just because the array of fashion books that they do have to offer is quite impressive! I just may have to bring a friend the next time...Overall, I think that my adventure on my own to soho was one of my favorite because I was really able to take in my surroundings and appreciate them. When I become more comfortable here, I definitely see a lot more alone time in my future. On Friday night there was a free event at the Victoria and Albert Museum which is conveniently close to us. The V&A holds these free events on the last Friday and every month and we happened to go to the museum earlier in the week with our British Culture and Media class and heard about the event. There was live music and featured works from Dalston, an area of England. My favorite part of the museum was the fashion exhibit where fashions from as early as the 18th Century where on display right up to some of 2013's latest fashion pieces. My personal favorite era as of late is the 1920's and the pieces that were on display from that time looked like something straight out of Gatsby.

On Saturday, my flat mates and I went to the gay pride parade here in London.
Although I am from New York, I have never been to a pride parade before so yet again, it was an all new experience for me. It was amazing to see all the people and their families who are so dedicated to the cause and to see how happy they are to be standing up for what they believe in. The parade started in Oxford Circus and ended in Trafalgar Square, so I was able to take in two more sites that I had only ever heard of before. On Sunday, the weather was absolutely beautiful, a rare 80 degrees so we decided to spend it outside. Four of us went to Kensington Palace for high tea. The garden there was breathtaking! I am tired just thinking about all that I have already done and everything that is left to do! But I look forward to all that is to come during my remaining weeks in jolly old London!

Vita a Milano

Day Trips: Part 2

Go to Venice! While in Milan (or anywhere in Northern Italy) you must visit Venezia! Even if you only have one day, it is enough time for an enjoyable experience. To get there you can simply book train tickets online through TrenItalia or in Milan at a travel agency called Zani Viaggi located at MM1 Cairoli by Castelo Sforzesco. The train ride is about two and a half hours long and costs about 28euro one way. Yes, the train is always a little pricey but the convenience is worth it. You depart from Centrale Stazione in Milan and arrive at the central station in Venice. When you walk out of the station you are directly on the grand canal and Venice is at your fingertips. From there you can hop on the water taxi to get to another region of Venice. If you do not have a specific destination in mind, then simply take the water taxi in order to experience the canals without spending your entire budget on a gondola. My family (who was visiting) and I actually rented a gondola. The cost is about 80euro for one hour. I think it was worth it, but definitely a one time kind of experience. If you plan to go on a gondola ride you might want to walk left of the central station and down a ways… the gondola rides nearest to the central station are more expensive (the same goes for food and souvenirs). Since you won’t find many souvenirs in Milan (being that it’s not a popular destination for tourists) you can buy all of your presents here, and for cheap! I do not have any suggestions where to eat other than a little café called Brek. It’s a small little place if you walk left from central station where you can find panini (sandwiches) for as little as 3euro. Other than taking a taxi or gondola ride (which you must do in order to see the house of the infamous lover Casanova and the adventurous Marco Polo), I recommend just walking around the tiny streets and soaking up the beautiful atmosphere of Venice.

View of the Grand Canal

Street of Venice left of central station, Brek Cafe

Gondola and Guide

One day trip to skip would be the bus trip to the Foxtown Outlet in Switzerland. It was a horrible experience. The bus costs about 20euro for round trip which isn’t bad considering it does take an hour to get there. Once there you realize that the Foxtown Outlet has been falsely advertised. It seems to be more of a run down indoor shopping center than a high class shopping center that carries designer names. The brand name outlet also does not mean a thing because a pair of Levi’s at their outlet price costs about 80-120euro which is about $120-$180 so you can forget about finding Italian brand names like Gucci and Prada at an affordable price. They also advertise that they have a casino, which I thought would’ve been fun, but it’s small and the entrance is difficult to find. If you’re looking to do some serious shopping you won’t find it here, unless you have an unlimited amount to spend. And if you are willing to spend that kind of money (as in $500-$3000 on a hand bag), then I suggest going to Via Montenapoleone (MM3 Montenapoleone) where at least the atmosphere shimmers. There are other outlets near Milan, so I would also suggest looking into them before even thinking about Foxtown. Serravalle Designer Outlet is one you can research. I would also divert from the small and hidden designer outlets in Milan. My one friend went to one and after hours of searching and being lead up to a tiny room from a sketchy stairwell with no one who spoke any English, she was quite disgusted. So save your money and do something worth while! Milan is expensive, and even though it is a fashion capital it is not a place to be shopping at unless you have an abundance of funds!

Well, I hope this information will guide you in the right direction. Until next time… Ciao!