leaving London

One of our last nights in London a couple friends and I went to a 17th century English pub called The Dove to just hang out and reminisce about the last 4 months - of course it was a blast. Our last day in London the program held a high tea at the famous Fortnam and Mason St. James's restaurant and it was the best way to end such a program. Best and hardest 4 months of my life! SO unbeliveably happy I had the opportunity to have this experience! 

uncle tim round 2

Uncle Tim came to visit yet again and it was such a treat! Considering that we all only get to see him around Christmas if we're lucky it has been absolutely wonderful getting to see him twice in a matter of 4 months! Plus, there's is nothing like a taste of home when thousands of miles of ocean is separating you from the ones you love.
We first met at a fancy pub called PJ's on Fulham Road in downtown Chelsea/Kensington area for a lovely pint of London Pride brew. After plenty of non-stop conversation we then went to a little Italian place for dinner and got a range of smoked fish and bread for dinner. As cheesy as it may sound the conversation and time together was the best therapy I could have ever asked for! Being away from home in a foreign place, taking classes, and traveling all the time with people you barely know has been no easy task. Therefore, dinner with a family member is like a breath of fresh air. So happy I got to spend some time with him!

< The Crown: one of our favorite little pubs

when the sun comes out the people comes out

St. James's Park...you can never go wrong with a beautiful royal park. Having done the "touristy" things early on in my London experience and traveled to 8 countries in between I figured it was about time I enjoyed the gorgeous city I currently, but not for long, live in. The parks really are gorgeous and without a doubt my FAVORITE part of this city. St. James's Park is about 60 acres and Hyde Park which is the largest in London is almost 300 acres. These breathtaking public gardens are complete with rolling grassy knolls, fountains, ponds filled with ducks and are lined with full patches of tulips and daisies of every color of the rainbow. When it's in the 60s/70s with blue skies and sunshine what better place to take your two best friends and a couple cupcakes on a Friday afternoon?

last minute london

An interesting day to say the least...Melanie, my friend from DC, started out the gorgeous 65 and sunny London day by getting last minute souvenirs for friends and family. Therefore, what better place to go than tourist central also known as Piccadilly Circus in downtown London? We were greeted by the welcoming life size teddy bear dressed head to toe in the Union Jack...perfect location. We picked up some lovely Londontown gifts and headed for a famous toy museum. It's called Pollocks Toy Museum and actually turned out to be more of a fun house than a toy museum. All of the 100+ year old dolls, planes, and bears were in glass cases, many of the ceiling heights varied and were complimented by small, creeky staircases and barely there lighting. To make matters worse we were the only people in the whole 4-story building...old, creepy, old toys, low ceilings - you do the math. It really wasn't that bad, just not at all what we were expecting but we definitely made the best of it.












First floor jitters

A mock 1900 nursery



















So by this point we were a little bit freaked out and decided to trade the 18th/19th century toy museum for some 21st century toys. We headed straight to the biggest toy store in London - every kids dream. Way too many stories of fun can be found at Hamleys and contains everything from shelves of teddy bears to games, a candy shop, and fun gizmos and gadgets...such an enjoyable experience and definitely more lively than the fun house museum.


It's always nice to feel like a kid again.

FABRIC

Fabric's Saturday nights showcase underground DJ talent, internationally-renowned electronic music legends, and accomplished live acts. Its playlists are dedicated to cutting-edge house, techno, electro, disco, dub-techno…and anything else that fits within the confines of the night’s future-forward and ever-evolving programming.
It is not near as crazy as it looks, but everyone goes for the music. Famous DJ after famous DJ have played at this venue which was rated as the #2 club in the world - another London must do and see. The best thing about this venue is that because it is such a famous venue based off of its reputation of the talented artists that have played there it doesn't have the same vibe as a "club." Everyone who was there, for the most part, was there for the music and didn't have finding a 'mate' or getting intoxicated on the top of their list - you go, you dance, you go home...it was a blast.

Stonehenge & Salisbury

Stonehenge truly is amazing and quite surreal to be in the presence of. We learned about its significance and mainly about the millions of theories that have come about regarding its creation, purpose, and existence. We only had about 45 minutes there which was enough to walk around it and get some pictures, but  an incredible 45 minutes that's for sure. We then had a 30ish minute drive through the English countryside (gorgeous!) to the town so Salisbury.

Welcome to the town of Salisbury - one of my favorites in England. It's a very quaint, busy town with canals flowing through it and with a gorgeous 12th century cathedral right in the middle. The cathedral is on very very shallow ground as far as being close to the water level and because of that has slowly moved through the years. There are tons of areas inside the cathedral where you can see how post, stone, etc have slightly moved through the years. Inside this cathedral is housed the oldest clock in England made of a wheel and pulley system, the Magna Carta (which we got see and read - so neat!), and cloisters in the center of the cathedral. It really was gorgeous! After a tour we walked the town and in and out of shops followed by a picnic in one of the gorgeous grassy areas of the town along with some sunshine. A wonderful, wonderful Saturday. I'm so happy I've gotten the chance to see areas of England outside of London - truly a beautiful country.

Duke Spirit & some UNKLE

Brixton Academy is a must see and famous music venue in London located in the area of Brixton.We went to a concert there on Friday night and it was unbelievable! We were without a doubt the only non-British people there, which I loved, because I think the best way to get to know any place no matter where you are is to be with the locals. Anywho, the band was called UNKLE and the opener for them The Duke Spirit. They are both of the indie rock genre which is hugely popular in the UK. I loved The Duke Spirit - even more so than UNKLE, the main gig. However, being there was quite an experience. As always, people watching is entertaining and here you saw everything from people awkwardly dancing to doing the head bob. Indie rock is a genre in which, for me at least, I go to watch and enjoy the music. It really was a great rock concert - a first for me, but a really really fun one!

welcome to BRIGHTON

Brighton is a coastal city in England directly south of London and on a clear day you can see France across the ocean. Brighton really is a pretty place; however, it felt more like a bad version of Atlantic city but with pebble beaches and really good fish and chips. The pier is very famous and the beaches are known for their summer concerts -Fat Boy Slim even resides in Brighton and holds annual summer concerts. Brighton is also a very liberal, hippie place notorious for its tatoo and piercing parlors. Furthermore in 1750 Dr. Richard Russell wrote a book about how the seawater in Brighton was good for your health (load of crap, it's the Atlantic), so of course, the rich and oh so famous flocked and Brighton became a very fashionable place to live.

Today Brighton is still regarded as a trendy place to live considering it has one of the largest youth populations in England and real estate prices close to London's.
In the midst of this fashionable "Atlantic City" is the Royal Pavilion (above). Built in 1787 for the Prince Regent as an ego trip and to spend money he didn't have (in millions of gambling debt), later King George IV, the Royal Pavilion is remarkable for its exotic oriental appearance. The outside is extravagant and gorgeous, but I thought it was hideous on the inside - let's just say I would have decorated differently than King George. Most rooms were a mixture of floral, oriental, and royal patterns. I found it to be distastefully busy. Anywho, another interesting and educational day in England.I could have stayed on the beach all day!

springtime in swinging london