There's No Place Like London (Last Days & Going Home)

I am writing this last post from the comfort of my own home, but I couldn't just leave off without writing about my last days.
The last day we really did anything was Wednesday. Mandy, Catherine, and I went to the British Museum and the most noteworthy artifact we saw was the Rosetta Stone. Pretty nifty, right?
After the museum, on the way back to the Tube, we stopped in the cutest store. I literally wanted one of everything.
That afternoon we made our way to Hampstead Heath park which is like a forest in some areas. We had a lovely, wandering walk and found great places to read for a while.
That night we went to Nando's for the last time. All in all it was a very bittersweet day.
The next morning we had a group traditional English breakfast, before I went back to pack. 
Packing to get home was an ordeal. I had my fingers crossed that my bag would not be overweight, but it was highly unlikely that I would be that lucky. When I got to the airport I was very surprised that it was actually fine. (I was a very lucky girl.) The entire way home I would not sleep on the plane or in the car. I refused to have jet lag. It worked pretty well and I'm mostly over the six hour time difference.
This is the point where I talk about what I've gotten out of this experience. Take notes (or not.)
This wasn't my first time abroad. I've been with my parents, and with an organized, structured and highly monitored student group as well. This was different. Way different. Aside from the occasional play or class, my time was my own to do what I wished. I had to do more for myself than I've really had to do before, even with a year of college behind me. I booked plane tickets separate from the program and bought train tickets. I made hotel reservations. I navigated completely new cities on foot. I learned a lot.
Basically, everyone grows up in increments. Mostly you're growing in inches, but occasionally you get a mile long growth spurt. It aches a bit while you go through it, but it's the good kind of growing pains. Even with occasional bouts of anxiety over if I could manage all of my plans on my own, I enjoyed this growth spurt. I'll be waiting in silent anticipation for the next one.

Cheers,
Cis

Crossroads...Or is it Crossing Roads? (Day Twenty-eight)

As things are winding down, I definitely have a lot less to say (and less pictures too.) I felt like my oral report today went well and I have finished preparing for the one due tomorrow.
Today was a very special day. It was actually pretty magical.
Today I went to Abbey Road. Be jealous, and if you are not, you should be.
I feel bad that I have so little to say, so I will probably only post one more time. A summary of my feelings from this time spent in London. It will be insightful, I promise.

Cheers,
Cis

Tourist Time (Day Twenty-seven)

I'm going to be pretty brief. Day 26 passed by mostly uneventfully, but I did finish my notes for my English oral report.
Today I was a total tourist. I saw the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace, along with a crowd of other people. I was so happy that it didn't rain on us, but I have no idea what happened to the 60% chance of rain. I was actually very surprised at some of the military band's musical selections. I thought that they would just play marches (which I can totally appreciate being a former band geek.)
After the changing of the guard, I went to Westminster Abbey. It's crazy to think about people still going to services there, but I bet it's pretty awe-inspiring.
Tonight we saw our last play of the program, Children's Children. I was not a big fan, but I did enjoy some of the content in the character's lines. Not a total bust, but not the best either. I do wish our last play could have been better. A grand finale of sorts.
Tomorrow my first oral report awaits me. I'm definitely not on holiday at the moment.

Cheers,
Cis

I Feel Smarter (Day Twenty-five)

Today was one of those really lovely days. (Even though I had to run for my first train and missed that time slot.) One of those days that inspire you to make new goals and make you want more for your life. Today I visited Oxford.
The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, recognized in 1231. It was just so inspiring to be around so much academia.
The first thing we did was visit the Bodleian Library, which was great. It's always an experience to immerse yourself in so much history. The library is the main research library of the University of Oxford and it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. In Britain, it is second in size only to the British Library.
The exhibit currently showing at the library was Dickens and his World. I'm going to be honest and say that the only Dickens I have read are A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. I really did enjoy both books, especially Great Expectations. Seeing his world really put things into perspective for me in that it makes his stories make that much more sense.
We took a stop to take pictures at the Rhodes House and the Oxford University Press (the largest university press in the world, publishing its first book in 1478)
All in all the day was pretty great.

Cheers,
Cis

90% Chance (Days Twenty-two, Twenty-three, and Twenty-four)

I am going to brush over 22 and 23 because not a lot happened. I saw Henry V in the Globe Theatre, which was very cool, and got a tour of the reconstructed Elizabethan theatre as well. I saw The Collaborators at the National (it's a must-see involving Stalin and a playwright switching roles.) Otherwise, those two days were pretty much uneventful.
Today, I went to Brighton...It was wonderful.
The very first thing we did was a tour of the Royal Pavilion, which was basically a pleasure palace. We couldn't take pictures inside, but the whole thing was Indian and Chinese inspired. It was done in a "Chinoiserie" style. Apparantly people can get married there. I wouldn't, but you can.
After the palace, we went to the pier and took in all of the lovely sea air. There was a 90% chance of rain, but it barely rained for ten minutes. Of course we were on the beach for those ten minutes.
We had an afternoon tea in a cute shop called Cocoa. It was a great end to our time in Brighton.
Tomorrow, Oxford.

Cheers,
Cis

Dublin (Days Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty and Twenty-One)

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My side-trip to Dublin, Ireland.

It was amazing.

I have wanted to go to Ireland for a while now. It probably has a bit to do with a paper I wrote for my senior AP Lit class on Spenser’s The Faerie Queene and politics between Ireland and England during that time, and a lot more to do with the fact that I have read way to many fantasy fiction books involving faeries in Ireland. Don’t judge me.

In less than 72 hours, I got to do just about everything that I wanted to do. Being a bit of a time-management freak made the trip a success.

Before we even got completely settled into our hotel (the charmingly repurposed Georgian architecture that is Harrington Hall) we went to see the birthplace of George Bernard Shaw who wrote Pygmalion, the inspiration for My Fair Lady. Dublin is full of little plaques like the one we saw. We also managed to get to the one for Oscar Wilde, and they have them for W.B. Yeats and Bram Stoker. It’s astounding how these cities hold so much literary history.

We thought that we would end up terribly lost and confused trying to navigate Dublin’s bus system, but it turns out that we didn’t need it at all. If you’re willing, everywhere in Dublin is within walking distance. If you’re not willing to make the trek, cabs are easy to find. I am proud to say that we only used a cab once (aside from the one back to the airport.)

St. Patrick’s Cathedral was, of course, awe-inspiring. To our surprise, Jonathan Swift was buried there. Dublin Castle was very stately and our guide was great, even though it was his first week.

You can’t talk about Dublin without talking about Guinness. I went on the storehouse tour and got a tiny sample of that vile tasting beer. Everybody loves it in Ireland. I will never understand. Guinness was started by Arthur Guinness, who bought a brewery in 1759. The beer they make is really stout or some such thing as that. I can’t honestly say that I care much because I’m not a drinker and if were I wouldn’t never submit my poor body to that.

I went to Trinity College. I didn’t get to see a lot, because we went later in the day but I just love old universities. They just have that thing about them. That “je ne sais quoi.”

The absolute best part was our day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were beautiful (they were featured in Harry Potter.) The Dolman stone (which is 5,800 years old) was a really great thing to get to see. We also went to Galway on this trip. The entire countryside was lush and green and dotted with cottages and towers and castles. Basically beautiful.

I am so happy that I chose to go to Ireland. When I’m old(er) I want a house on their gold coast, but first I need a million dollars.

Cheers,

Cis

All the Cute Boys Read (Day Seventeen)

First of all, I am completely aware of the fact that I did not blog about Day Sixteen. That is because Day Sixteen mainly consisted of sleep and laundry.
Moving on. Today was a very leisurely day for Mandy and I. In fact, our first appointment of the day was not until 2pm. And by appointment, I do mean appointment. Last night I made a reservation to have a traditional afternoon tea. What you get with this are, basically, as many pots of tea as you can drink, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and fancies (cupcakes and bite-sized cakes.)
Tea was absolutely terrific. I am totally going to submit my friends to the chore of having at least one afternoon tea with me when I get home. (And that's if I don't make it a mandatory regular thing.)
After our Terrific Tea, we stayed in the Covent Garden area which has great brand name shops as well as some more obscure ones. I generally tend to fall in love with everything I see in these little obscure shops, but I refrain from buying everything in sight.
In the courtyard areas outside of the shops there was a magician (who was a bit creepy) and a man on a really tall unicycle juggling. We stood around a little while before we moved on.
Today I got to check off something on my personal London list. I bought a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt. I was so excited to get it because I am a bit of a small-time collector. Currently, I have ones from Orlando, Memphis, New york, and Athens. I have actually also been to Hard Rock Cafes in Paris and Tokyo as well.
I feel the need to explain the title of my post. There are literally always smartly dressed, cute boys on the Tube. They are almost always reading some intense-looking book.
I won't be blogging while I'm in Dublin, because I can only have one 22lb. carry-on. So, you will have to wait for days 18, 19, and 20.
I will be coming back on day 21 so maybe a new post then.

Cheers,
Cis

Seven Minutes and Thirty-Four Seconds (Days Thirteen, Fourteen & Fifteen)

I cringe a bit when I think about how long it's taken me to post again. For a normal blog I would be considered a frequent poster, but for this month-long adventure new things happen every day. I will just have to start with Monday.
After class on Monday, my roommates and I were on the Piccadilly line of the Underground when it stopped at a station for a really long time. The stop was one of the more isolated stations within London because no other lines ran through there. Fortunately, on our agenda for that day we had Harvey Nichols and Harrods visits and that stop was right across the street from them. We daydreamed about all the things we would love to buy in Harvey Nichols for a bit, but before we went to Harrods I realized that I had forgotten my ticket to our play that night at the flat. We made plans to meet at the National Gallery later and Megan and I went back to get it while Mandy and Catherine went on to Harrods.
We were actually kind of lucky that we left that area when we did, because by the time Mandy and Catherine left the Tube was not running at that station at all. They had to walk about two miles to meet up with us.
The National Gallery was great. It was fun to just wander around looking at the art for a while. I know everyone says this, but I love Impressionism. It's not that I just know tons about it or anything like that, but I have had a smidgen of art history so I definitely appreciate it. I am also most definitely smitten with the work of Claude Monet. I probably spent the most time gazing at his pieces.
That afternoon we also went to the National Portrait Gallery. The modern ones were the best, especially the one of Paul Mccartney done by a friend of his brother. There was also a very small portrait of Jane Austen there.
Before our show that night we had really great gelato down the street. I'm usually just a plain old vanilla type of girl, but I got coconut and mango and was not disappointed.
Our play for the evening was One Man, Two Guvnors. As it was Commedia dell'arte, it was very entertaining and it made me love the band playing on stage, The Craze.
Tuesday was got an early morning start in order to catch a train to Stratford. The birthplace and burial town of Shakespeare. We went to the home where he was born and generally just walked around the area. Stratford is one of those quaint English towns. Because the weather has been so cold and we are all going to even colder places during the break, we bought Edinburgh Woolen Mill sweaters that were on sale in the shop. Basically, we all have the exact same sweater in varying colors. It's cute and also hilarious.
That afternoon I finally had tea. It's very weird because I am a tea drinker at home (milk and honey), but I had yet to have any tea whilst in England. Because the day was very drizzly, we had tea and snacks and read until it was time to go to our play.
We saw Richard III that night, which was one of the plays we read for class. Richard is a very Machiavellian character so I was interested in seeing how the actor would portray him. I thought he was wonderful. Katie made a comment on how his clothing had three stages and evolved to a zenith and then it reverses. I believe that it was purposeful in that when he reaches the point of first becoming king his goals were realized and he is at his most powerful, if not stable. After that he has peaked and his position and mind deteriorate. His clothing shows that.
Today was a pretty low-key day. We were served traditional English breakfast this morning which consists of: fried eggs, cooked tomato, a croissant, baked beans, and bacon. It sounds slightly strange, but it was actually quite delicious. Of course, I also had to start my morning off with a spot of tea.
Before we made our way to the train we took a stroll to Hall's Croft where Shakespeare's daughter lived and to Trinity Church where he is buried.
The train ride back was nice. You really get the opportunity to see the English countryside which is a wondrous thing to behold.
Our break starts officially tomorrow, so I am excited to rest a bit before I make my way to Dublin!

Cheers,
Cis

Palaces and Sink Laundry (Day Eleven & Twelve)

Despite the turn in the weather, I have had a wonderful past couple of days.
Saturday was great. We started off watching a practice parade of the military (red coats, fuzzy black hats and all) in front of Buckingham palace. Being in the crowd and talking to people really shows you how much they love the royal family.
After the parade we went to the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. It was basically stall after stall of antiques and vintage jewelry. I loved all of the tea sets and scarves.
We made our way our way to Regent's Park to see our play for the evening at the open air theater. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Sounds picturesque right? It was anything but. They set it in a modern trailer park with a Snooki looking Hermia. The faeries did all of this supposedly symbolic dancing. I couldn't take it after the rain started and Titania ripped off her bodice. There were children present. Needless to say, we left at intermission.
Today was the patriotic day to end all patriotic days. We went to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee festivities along the Thames. Even with the dreary weather people were out in full force. It's crazy that this will probably never happen again. I can't believe that I'm here while all of this is going on. To leave I had to walk past two tube stops before I got one that was open.
The rest of the day was spent doing mundane things like grocery shopping and laundry.

Cheers,
Cis

Chains and Things (Day Nine & Ten)

So I'm being a good girl and catching up on my blogging before I get too far behind.
Yesterday was brilly and today was just as much so. Thursday started off for my roommates and I at a great used and new book store called Slightly Foxed. I didn't buy any books because they would be a pain to take home, but I definitely loved it there. For lunch we went to Nando's, a Portuguese chain restaurant. I was slightly dubious about how good it would be because it was recommended by Kelsey from something she read about a member of One Direction. As much as she loves One Direction I felt she would like anything that they liked. Kelsey did not lead us astray. In fact it was fantastic. It's a chicken place and it was great. The absolute best thing about it was that you could actually get ice ( an anomaly here in the UK) and they gave free refills on cokes. It made me way happier than it should have. We went back for dinner tonight.
Thursday night we went to the National Theatre to see Antigone. It was a modern adaptation and it was even better than I thought it would be. We waited forever at the stage door for Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas in Harry Potter) but we never got to see him.
Today we went to Hampton Court which was the palace of Henry VIII. It was a very historically informative and relaxed day.

Cheers,
 Cis

This cupcake has magic in it (Day Eight)

    Today was one of the best days of my entire life. I went in the Making of Harry Potter on Warner Bro Studios. Even though we had some odd manoeuvrings of time and transportation to get there, it was so worth it. I could totally do the tour again.
    I had the best lemon cupcake from Starbucks while I waited for the tour to start and let me just say that every guy working at the Warner Bros. Starbucks was attractive. Every single one of them. But seriously that cupcake had magic in it.
    Literally the only thing I did all day was my Harry Potter tour, but it was beyond amazing.
    When I get home, I'm buying a wand...

Cheers,
Cis

The Past is the Present

Today was a pretty laid back day for me here in London. Trying to find our way to the Kensington Gardens proved way more difficult than it should have been. Each time we had to make a choice of which way to go we chose the wrong way. Through all of our lost fumbling through the streets of London, we actually managed to find something that we wanted to see. Down one of the random, winding streets there was a building with a plaque saying it was a once a home of T.S. Elliot. As in where he lived and died. So for our random walking I give us an A for effort and outcome.
We did finally manage to find the Kensington Palace in the park and it was a beautiful day to just lay out on the grass and read a book and eat an ice cream cone. Which I did for a while.
Probably the best part of my day was taking a picture with the Parent Trap phone booth. I was very excited to discover them as I love that movie.
For dinner we had about an hour to eat, and as we look for places near the theatre a guy approaches us with this great sounding deal. So we went to the restaurant and it looked pretty legitimate and the food smelled good, but they didn't let us down their long narrow staircase for a bit and they wasted enough time that we finally had to leave. It was a bit awkward and we did feel bad about it. We finally just ate in Chinatown. It worked.
Our play tonight was a Long Day's Journey into Night. I have never read it before, but I have read The Hairy Ape, also by Eugene O'Neill. I was actually looking forward to it even though everyone said that productions of it are usually bad. I wasn't too keen on all of the actors, but I am glad that I got to see the story unfold.
I loved how, unlike usual portrayals of real family that make everyone seem as if they are keeping secrets that one day come out, this family is consistently brutally honest with each other and you can tell how many times they've had to keep going past that. The best line of the play was "The past is the present, isn't it? It's the future too." I don't necessarily believe that, but it's so poignant in that that is how much their world seems so inevitable. The basic message I'm trying to get across is that I have to read more by O'Neill.

Hope you like my pictures below!

Cheers,
Cis

There is no Darkness but Ignorance

Okay, since I did not manage to get my post up last night I will try to post anything I do today, tonight, but who knows if I will succeed.
Yesterday was a magical day. I went to Windsor Castle and...I saw the queen. Sure it was from kind of far away and she was in the back of a car, but I saw the queen.
Windsor Castle was breathtaking. The views from their windows were just beyond description. It's like a bubble that you can see your whole world from that no one else can see into. I guess that is kind of the point.
After we finished our Castle tour, we walked around the area. There were so many cute little shops, but that seems to be a recurring theme every place I visit. We went to a chain type shop called Cath Kidston. I literally wanted everything in that store. I held back and only bought a coin purse, which is something that I actually did need. Just not one that expensive.
That evening we went to Leicester Square to the cinema, but I just could not give up £15/$30 for a movie I knew nothing about, so I will just wait for Snow White and the Huntsman.
If you look really closely at the statue in my pictures below, you can see where my title post comes from.

Cheers,
Cis

Platform Nine and Three Quarters (Day Five)

Today was one of those truly lovely days. We set out with a plan for our free day and accomplished every goal set.
The day got started before my alarm ever went off. Because a fire alarm went off first. True to our sheep-like, college kid nature, everyone just went outside. When the foreign student from upstairs asked if we new what set the alarm off we were all dumb faces and blank stares. I couldn't even tell where he was from because he had zero accent.
The biggest activity today was a visit to the Columbia Road Flower Market. Even with the fact that the closest Tube stop to it was a twenty minute walk away, it was so worth it. The flowers there were incredible and the tiny street was jam-packed with people. None of us could identify this one amazing white flower.
Behind all of the flower stalls were little unique shops. Entering each different shop was like looking someones pin boards on Pinterest. I loved it.
Today we finally made it to King's Cross Station and I got my picture taken at platform 9 & 3/4. Be jealous.
One thing about London that is starting to drive me bonkers is that you will rarely find a public "rubbish bin" (trash can.) It has something to do with bombs, but since I refuse to litter I end up carrying water bottles and things around.
Dinner tonight was legitimately the best meal I've had so far. My main dish was called some kind of mixed vegetable tart and it was amazing. We love, love, loved the guy who helped serve us, so we're going to go back for dessert some other night.

I have pictures of just about everything I did today below. Enjoy

Cheerio,
Cis

The Front Row Girls (Day Four)

This morning after having class at nine, we took a tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Westminster is my favorite landmark/ touristy place so far. I was looking forward to the tour a lot, but our guide was a bit of a letdown. It was interesting to get a better idea of how their monarchy fits in with the government. I already knew that they had no real political power anymore but this totally cleared up a lot of things.

In the afternoon we saw The Duchess of Malfi. The play was at The Old Vic Theatre and it was amazing. We had front row seats and I could literally see everything. Every facial expression, every drop of spit. It was crazy incredible. We all loved it so much that even though no one else stood up to applaud, we did. Afterwords we waited a bit at the stage door for the actors. When they came out, one of the guys recognized us as "the front row girls." Apparently we had been very involved with watching the play. I actually did get a picture with Harry Lloyd. I look like a dweeb in it, but I don't care.

Cis

Hold my Thumb ( Day Two and Three)

From now on this will just be a quick rundown of events with longer posts for things that are really great experiences, but basically for day two and three here we go...
On day two, the Tower of London was great with all of its gory history and the Crown Jewels were mind-blowing. London itself is awesome.
One thing. Not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road, they also walk on the wrong side of pathways and stairs and they wear their wedding rings on the opposite hand! As for my living situation, the flat is great (even with tiny, tiny bathrooms and closets) and I absolutely adore my roommates Catherine, Mandy, and Megan.

For day three I loved the Tate. My favorite was The Lady of Shalott, which I have a picture of below. The one man play Misterman was just unbelievable, the actor was superb and the storyline for me was like watching a strangely beautiful train-wreck. I also payed a slightly exorbitant price to ride the London Eye ferris wheel, but the views made it way worth it.

Sorry the post is so short and unformed, I'll try to do better.

Cis

Let's just call this Day One...