Hello lovely readers!
First off, let me apologize for not posting
anything on here in the last like… five, six weeks? I really don't know how
time is passing me by so quickly over here but it's no excuse for not updating
you all on my adventures and I'm so sorry!
Anyways, the last few weeks have been crazy. I got
back from Scotland on Tuesday February 18th (and will be doing a separate post
about it after this goes up) but before that, I was in England doing all kinds
of things. I visited the Marylebone campus for the first time where a lot of
the other kids from my study abroad program (Arcadia University) live. That
night we went to the International Students House, which is a little bar/
karaoke lounge within walking distance of Marylebone. That was also the week
that Nicole La Pietra came and visited London with a few of her friends to
visit Katie and Sarah, which was a lovely and complete surprise to me. We took
her to 333 Mother, our favorite weekend place, and had a great time. Mother
plays US throwback music on the weekends and is only about a three minute walk
from where we live. I don't know what was up that night, but the men were
especially aggressive that night. Guys just kept coming up to us trying to
dance with us or trying to get our numbers. They mean business over here… I saw
Kensington Palace with Katie and Sarah the next day. We were running very late
to get a free ticket from the Arcadia staff but were able to hunt them down
when we got there, get our tickets, view the exhibits and explore the gardens.
Inside there were so many paintings, outfits, furniture, and other personal
belongings that belonged to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Sunday was pretty
chill. Sarah and I made shrimp scampi together (I really need to learn to cook
so I don't starve so this is a big deal) and afterwards I tried finding tickets
to the Chelsea vs West Ham football (or as we say back home, soccer) game that
was that upcoming Wednesday.
The game was so much fun. It was at 7:45PM and I had
to travel to the Fulham Broadway tube stop (it was a home game for Chelsea so
the game was at Stamford Bridge) and pick up my ticket beforehand. Buying
football tickets here is expensive and difficult because fans have usually
purchased season tickets in advance so by the time I figured out what game I
wanted to go to, tickets were pricey and seating was limited. I resorted to
Craigslist UK (yes, it exists) and found a ticket for £50. When I got to the
meeting place to pick it up, the guy handed me his season pass and told me to
bring it back to the restaurant afterwards. My seat was VERY nice. I was in
Matthew Harding Upper, so I had a great view of the field and was right in the
middle of hundreds of rowdy Chelsea fans (which was hilarious since I was there
to support West Ham). They chanted a lot and passed around the Chelsea flag at
one point. The game was exciting, and even though it ended 0-0, there was a lot
of good play. I caught a lot of footage from the game and plan to include it in
the collective vlog at the end of my time here in Europe.
Chelsea vs West Ham
In the last
month, I’ve done laundry a few times here at the laundromat a few doors down
from me. One thing I definitely miss about being at Quinnipiac is doing
laundry. Here, a wash is £4.60 (around $7.60) and for every 15 minutes, drying
costs £1. Mondays and Thursdays the laundromat does 2 for 1 on washing
machines, but I still end up paying around $12 to wash and dry two loads of
laundry. ALSO I FOUND BREAK AND BAKE COOKIE DOUGH AT THE GROCERY.
One weekend,
Katie’s friend Tracey came to visit from Rome and brought two friends, one of
whom is Ashley Lycke, a fellow Pi Phi sister of mine. I ended up going to
breakfast with them one morning at The Breakfast Club, a cute local restaurant
that is known mainly for its variety of breakfast options. I got a typical
American breakfast, which was very meat-heavy but still delicious. Later on that day, I ended up going to
Harrods for the second time with Katie, Sarah, and Tracey’s other friend
Andrea. This time, I was able to get footage and pictures of the inside because
I made sure I charged my batteries ahead of time. Everything in Harrods, from
the designer clothing to the intricate desserts, is absolutely breathtaking. I
wouldn’t mind being buried there…
Harrods
I visited
my Aunt Pam at her house in South Harrow one Sunday and had my first authentic
home-cooked meal. She lives in Zone 5 and I live in Zone 1, so getting there
took roughly an hour and a half. The zones in London are similar to the areas
on a dartboard, concentric circles with a region in the center. The journey was
so worth it, her banana bread is heavenly and I got to take leftovers home.
I did get
sick in February, which was HELL. I was too lazy to bother finding a doctor
that is covered by QU’s insurance, so I just took a bunch of Paracetamol, drank
OJ, and ran through a whole box of tissues. Being sick at school is bad enough,
but being sick abroad is a whole other story.
One thing
I’ve noticed over here is that people like to go on strike. There was a
teacher’s union strike earlier on during my stay, around late January I think,
and in February there was a tube strike. Apparently, average tube workers make
about £30,000 a year, which is roughly $50,000 (which is definitely overpaid
for what they do, but I digress). So the tube was closed on most lines in
protest. I finally figured out the bus system to get to school that week, and
am now an expert on London’s public transportation system.
Two of the
most exciting things I did in February were tour the Warner Brothers Harry
Potter Studio and take a day trip to see Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor Castle.
Harry Potter Studios was crazy, to say the least. I’d never seen any of the
films so I watched them all before my visit (Sorcerer’s Stone on the flight to
England, Chamber of Secrets one a week before I visited the studio, Prisoner of
Azkaban and Goblet of Fire the Wednesday before I went, and Order of the
Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 the day before I
went) so everything was fresh in my mind when I went. Let me just say that day
was better than Christmas. They had literally everything from the movie inside
that studio (I didn’t see the sorting hat but it was probably there) and I took
so many pictures. I got to try butterbeer, and took pictures at 4 Privet Drive
and with my main elf and lover Dobby. Personally, I think J.K. Rowling has a
fantastic imagination, You can tell so much thought was put into the series,
and seeing all the sets and props was insanely inspiring.
Me with Dobby
Hogwarts
The day after
seeing Harry Potter Studios, I took a day trip to see Stonehenge, Windsor
Castle, and the town of Bath. First we went to Windsor and walked around the
perimeter of the castle, which is located in the center of town. We also
stopped into a fudge shop and got to see how the fudge was made. Next we went
to Stonehenge. The reason for its existence is a mystery, but many believe that
it was built by the Druids as a sundial. Lastly, we visited Bath. There is a
ton of shopping in Bath, but the big reason as to why it’s a famous tourist spot
is because of the Roman bath houses that are still there today. Abby, Katie,
Sarah, and I walked through the baths and got to taste the water (which smelled
horrible). Then afterwards we did a bit of shopping before we had to meet our
tour back at the bus.
Windsor Castle
Stonehenge
Roman Baths
More posts
are on their way, promise!
XX,
Vicky J
Photo album: Across The Pond
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