All The World Is A Stage

My second full weekend in London sure has been a busy one.  Friday was a very relaxing day.  I spent most of it regrouping at the Crofton and getting ready for my internship interview in Hampstead.  I left the Crofton early in order to ensure that I would make it on time to Hampstead, which is a stop that can be found further out on the Northern Tube line. The interview went very well, but I am still considering if it is the right internship placement for me. After returning to Kensington, I met up with Leorah, Heidi, and Angela (three friends from my floor) to go check out the Victoria and Albert Museum which is open late on Friday evenings.  This museum contains the world's largest collection of decorative arts and design with over 4.5 million pieces.  Although we didn't spend a lot of time at the museum, it made quite an impression!  My favorite piece that I saw was the plaster cast of the Tower of Trajan, the original of which could be seen in Rome.  The piece was so tall! Over 200 meters tall to be exact if you placed one piece on top of the other.  It literally took my breath away when I saw it. 

Tower of Trajan

I also enjoyed seeing pieces of jewelry from around the world and the plaster cast of Michelangelo's statue of David. I know that I will be back to visit the V&A again very soon.

On Saturday I took a trip to eastern London and Southwark once again.  My friend Katherine and I joke that everywhere we want to go always leads us to this part of town.  It seems that this is the truth because this area of town has so much to see and do.  Katherine, Angela, and I met up with Kimberly, Laura, and Laura's friend Allie at the south bank of the Millennium Bridge to begin the day.

First, we headed to the re-creation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for a tour!  We began exploring by looking through the exhibition that detailed the history of the Southwark area.  This area of the city is where all things that were illegal north of the river took place.  This surprisingly included theatre because the upper class thought only of riots, noise, and rowdiness when they thought of acting and plays.  I learned also that the Thames River froze completely during the winter of 1621.  When this happened a carnival took place on the ice called the Frozen Fair.  The exhibition also included costumes, instruments, and props from plays that had taken place at the Globe.  Being theatre lover, I was enthralled looking at all of the intricate costumes and stories about the actors and technical elements.

One of the costume's from a Globe production

After the exhibition we went on a tour which took us inside the actual theatre.  Our tour guide told us that the entire Globe theatre was made out of wooden planks, pegs, and a combination of plaster and cashmere. 

View of the stage

Audience seats and standing room

He also told us that a show during Shakespeare's time would have drawn a crowd of over 3,000 people.  The standing room tickets cost 1 pence back in the day.  People who purchased these tickets were called "groundlings" because they would stand on the crowded floor for the length of the show.  The seats ranged from 2, 4, and 6 pence respectively for ground floor seats, mid-level upper class, and box seats.  It was fascinating to hear about the differences in class that would have been very evident during Shakespeare's time due to style of dress, weight, and even colors worn by each class.  I learned that shows throughout history would have taken place 365 days a year, no matter the weather.  Today shows are held April through early fall, rain or shine.  I plan to purchase tickets when they go on sale for a production in April.  When else will I ever have the chance to see a performance in the theatre that Shakespeare designed his plays for? 

Following the Globe, we visited the Tate Modern Museum which is located next door.  This museum is located in the former Bankside Power Station and houses one of the most visited modern art collections in the world.  The building is large and filled with industrial elements such as exposed steel beams and huge open skylights.  Each floor featured three or four different exhibits and was marked with a large, colorful mural with the names of some of the famous artists whose works could be found within the museum.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces from my trip:

Kandinksy's Lake Starnberg

Andy Warhol's Cow Wallpaper.  There was an entire room featuring some of the most well recognized Warhol works.  All of the walls were covered with this fun, bright wallpaper.

Me by the artist's wall

After the Tate Modern, we had dinner at a restaurant called Pizza Express.  This chain of pizza restaurant's is found everywhere in the city.  It is almost as common as a Dunkin' Dounuts in Boston! Because of this we decided that we had to try it out for ourselves.  My margherita pizza was delicious!  Following dinner we headed to the Embankment Tube stop.  Along the way we traveled along Fleet Street and even passed a barbershop!  I was very excited to experience a little piece of Sweeney Todd! Next, we headed back to Kensington and the Queen's Arms for a cider, dessert, and some impulsive nachos. Because of the days encounters we were inspired to watch Shakespeare in Love to end the evening.

On Sunday, Katherine and I decided to continue to work on our entry for the paperchase contest sponsored by BU Student Affaires.  The paperchase consists of 15 separate locations for you to visit and tasks to complete.  It is basically a scavenger hunt around some of the best areas of the city.  As you go through the hunt you are supposed to document each location and collect souvenirs.  Afterwards, each team of two puts together a scrapbook of their adventures to submit to the contest.  There are some great prizes that can be won for participating, but the best part about the paperchase is just experiencing parts of the city that you may not have seen otherwise.  We had a great time navigating our way through Soho and stopping in various shops and at landmarks along the way. During our journey we stopped at Satsuma to taste the teriyaki chicken bento box and at Battersea Pie Shop to try our first London pies and mash. Yum!

Chicken and Bacon Pie and Creamy Mash

Tonight we continued our participation by completing 2/3 of the evening portion of the paperchase by going to Bar Soho (fun vivid bar), Cafe Emm (cozy little cafe with homestyle classics), and La Tasca (a Spanish Tapas bar). It was lots of fun and I am so glad that we decided to participate in the contest because it definitely gave us a better sense of fun things to do in the city.

God Save The King

Yesterday afternoon I decided to revisit the National Gallery located in Trafalgar Square.  I previously stopped by the museum during my first weekend trip to Trafalgar.  The gallery contains over 2,000 paintings making it difficult to experience in a single trip.  On my return trip, I got to see many wonderful paintings as well as visit some of my favorites from the first time.  The most astounding piece that I saw was The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist. It is a large sketch by Da Vinci.  The sheer scale of the work and softness of the lines in the drawing were amazing.


Da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist

 Next, I took time to visit the National Portrait Gallery which can be found nestled next to the National Gallery.  This museum contains paintings, busts, and drawings of many important figures in British history.  During my trip I saw everyone from Winston Churchill to Charles Darwin to Charlotte Bronte.  One of my favorite sketches was a picture of Jane Austen.  It is thought to be one of the only original true likenesses of her.  Because she is one of my favorite authors, it was a very cool experience.  I also enjoyed looking at one of the special exhibitions entitled Bassano at the Ballet.  It was a series of black and white photographs of ballet dancers at various companies.  The composition of these pictures was beautiful.  I loved seeing the old costumes and wonderful staging for the portraits.

My favorite piece of the museum by far was a series of four paintings by Andy Warhol of Queen Elizabeth II.  They were bright colorful portraits and very modern.  I loved bold colors and unique portrayal of the Queen.  Typically royal portraits are very formal involving classical painting styles and colors.  The change of pace was spectacular and made a piece that caught my eye right away upon entering the museum.


Andy Warhol's Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

 Additionally, I greatly enjoyed seeing what is referred to as the Darnley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.  This painting is one of the most famous of Elizabeth I and has been featured in many of my history textbooks over the years.


Darnley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

My evening ended with a trip to a pub located on Gloucester Road called the Gloucester Arms with three of my friends from my building: Catherine, Miranda, and Brittanee.  Together we will be traveling to Paris in under one week!  We had a fun time reflecting on our weeks and getting excited for our upcoming journey.

Today has been a long, busy day, but has also been one of the best to date in London.  This morning my Marketing class took a trip to the Brand Museum located in the Notting Hill area.  The field trip to the museum was meant to give us some inspiration for our paper assignment in which we will analyze the effects of macro-environmental trends on branding.  This museum was set up chronologically and contained what I can only imagine to be thousands of containers, advertisements, and pictures. It was really interesting to see how products and marketing has changed each decade since the Victorian era.  I particularly took an interest in the changing packaging and range of products from World War II into the 1950s.  Because of this, I am going to analyze the impact of economic changes following World War II on the marketing of household products. Additionally, I enjoyed seeing older toys such a Barbie's and older packaging of food brands.

Barbie's from the 1960s



Changing Corn Flakes Boxes

After returning from the museum I got a jump start on my research for my paper by visiting the Library located at the London Student Center.  I found some books and articles that will be of great help as I write my paper.

Following my research, I met up with my friends Kelsey and Brittanee to head to Oxford Circus. There we stopped into Banana Republic and H&M to check out the sales that are taking place through the end of the month.  After making a few purchases we headed to the Apple Store for a special event that was taking place. 

The event, called Meet the Filmmakers, was a panel discussion about the movie The King's Speech and featured Colin Firth and Tom Hooper. For those of you who know me well, you know how much I love Colin Firth and I'm sure can imagine how excited I was to see him in person!  In The King's Speech, Colin plays King George VI who overcomes his nervous stutter with the help of a speech therapist named Lionel Logue, who is played by Geoffrey Rush. Tom Hooper was the director of this film.  It was very exciting to see the panel and hear what both Colin and Tom had to say about the film before going to see the movie later in the evening.  Because we were some of the first people to arrive at the store for the event, we received a free bag!  They are book bags with the UK flag and say "God Save The King." For anyone interested, the event was recorded and will be released as a podcast next week on iTunes.

My free bag!

The panel

Colin Firth

After the event we headed to the Institut Francais to see the movie.  I thought that it was really great!  The cinematography was brilliant.  There were so many interesting camera angles that made each scene stand out and the classical soundtrack was perfectly worked into the flow of the film.  Because the movie was filmed mainly in London, I was excited to recognize many of the set locations. Colin Firth was AMAZING in this film.  It was great to see him in such a different role and I must say that he knocked the role out of the ballpark.  He definitely deserves the Golden Globe that he has already won for the role.

New Year Will Rise Up Again

The past few days I have been getting into the swing of classes here in London.  On Monday I began my second class for the first portion of my program.  It is called Advertising in the UK and seems like it will be a great complementary course to my other marketing-centered ones.  My professor for this class is nice.  He seems very experienced in the Advertising field and seems like he will provide some great insight into the course topics.  So far in class we have mainly been focusing on the differences between advertising in the US and in the UK.  Mainly this is the difference between hot and cool selling techniques.  It is interesting to hear see examples of commercials that demonstrate the stark differences in product focus, creation style, and strategic release schedule.

Last night my friends and I began booking some weekend trips for later on in the semester.  In less than two weeks I will be going to Paris, France with my roommate Catherine and friend Brittanee.  We are looking forward to experiencing the City of Lights and visiting Versailles. Over spring break, I will be traveling to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain with five other girls from my floor.  I can't wait to be able to see all of the wonderful architecture in Barcelona and to be able to explore Madrid more completely.

Tonight, I went to see the West End production of War Horse at the New London Theatre.  The show begins on the brink of World War I when a young boy named Albert receives a foal from one of his father's drunken auction purchases. While training the horse, whom he names Joey, Albert forms a deep, lasting friendship. Once Joey is fully grown, Albert's father decides to sell the horse to the British Cavalry Unit to fight on the front lines in France.  Faced with the horrifying brutality of the war, Joey finds himself with a number of different owners on both fronts.  Albert, who cannot forget his best friend, enters the war to find and bring him home.

The New London Theatre

Picture from online of Joey and Albert

What strikes me most about this production is the amazing use of puppetry.  All of the horses in the production were puppets and each controlled by three individuals: one for the head and ears, one for the neck and front legs, and one for the back legs and tails.  It is absolutely stunning how lifelike the horses appear.  Their body language and movements were so intricate that they literally could have been real animals. Adding to the show's quality, the perfected use of lights, sound, and scenery and stunning acting by all of the characters added to the intensity of the scenes. Overall, the show was a roller coaster of emotional interactions and action that made for a great production.

Ravens, Beefeaters, and Jewels...Oh My!

Today I participated in my first day trip through Boston University Social Programmes.  These are short one-day trips on which you can select a city or site that you would like to see and travel with a group of students and a blue-badge tour guide to see it.  It is a great deal because you get to know people on the program and pay a discounted price to see some of the best sites in England.  I was able to sign up for quite a few of these throughout the semester including Oxford and the Cotswold's, Cambridge, and Bath and Avebury.  Today's destination was the Tower of London!

My day began a little rocky as I didn't hear that the time we were meeting got changed to an hour later than I thought, but before I knew it we took off on our Panoramic bus tour of London.  We began by maneuvering our way around the narrow streets of Kensington and Notting Hill.  I can't wait to have a chance to check out some of the unique antique shops in Notting Hill.  Our guide told us a humorous little story that Queen Victoria used to like to shop in these and demand a 50% discount on the antiques.  Because of this, anytime that the store owners caught wind of her coming they would hurry and close up shop as quickly as possible in order to avoid having to sell her goods at half price. We continued on downtown to the area of Westminster to see the main sites: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the Houses of Parliament.  The cool thing about being on a bus was that we could see all of these sites so quickly.  I enjoyed being able to relive some of the excitement and fun from yesterday's explorations. 

Our guide planned in a stop at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the Guard which takes place each or every other day, depending on the season, at 11:30am. It reminded me a lot of my trip to the Swedish Palace with the patriotic music and guards marching in formation. I would really like to go back when it is nicer out and the guards are wearing their traditional red coats instead of their gray rain jackets.

Changing of the Guard Ceremony

After the ceremony, we hopped back on the bus and headed further east to see what is referred to as "The City" of London.  Today it is the financial and business heart of London.  "The City" boundaries are marked by a dragon statue in the center of each main street.  In this area of town we got to see the London Stock Exchange, Lloyd's of London, and the memorial in remembrance of the Great Fire.  At around 12:30, we arrived at the Tower of London and took a break for lunch.  I ate at a little diner next to the Tower which featured great prices and huge portions. 

From just beside the Tower of London there was this great view of Tower Bridge

Finally, we met up with the group and entered the Tower of London.  While reading travel books before coming to London this was one of the sites that I just knew I had to see during my time here.  It has such a dark past and is filled with interesting stories and traditions and could not be missed.  I learned that in 1070 William the Conqueror began to build a massive stone tower as a proclamation of his power and might to the poor locals who lived in the area.  This tower, known as the White Tower, is still standing some 940 years later as a prominent building.  Over time the grounds have grown in size and changed in look, but they still are a magnificent sight.

White Tower

Upon our arrival inside the walls surrounding the Tower, our guide gave us a short tour explaining some of the highlights that we could explore during our free time later in the afternoon.  She began by pointing out the Yeoman Warders, or "Beefeaters" as they have come to be known.  They are usually retired army men who as a part of their pension are given housing for themselves and their families in the Tower of London.  The Beefeaters dress in decorative red and black jackets and act as tour guides of the grounds.  Our guide also showed us a few of the ravens that live in the courtyard.  There was an old legend that said that if the ravens ever leave, the kingdom and the Tower will fall!  Because of this the birds have been made permanent residents.

One of the Eight Raven Residents

One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing the Crown Jewels of England.  The display began with a showcase of all of the different coats of arms for each of the monarchs and then continued into a video showing the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  I could not believe how young she was (only in her 20s when she was crowned) and consequently how long she has been the reigning monarch. It was neat to see the formal ceremony and what traditions are followed throughout the process.  Then, we were able to see the crown jewels.  They were spectacular!  I couldn't believe how ornate all of the different royal crowns were.  The most amazing piece was the Sceptre with the Cross which is held by the incoming king or queen at their coronation.  It contains the Great Star of Africa which is a 530-carat diamond.  This is the largest cut diamond in the world. All I could say was wow!

Sceptre with the Cross containing the Great Star of Africa

After the dazzling jewels, I went off to explore the grounds with my friend Brittanee.  Together we saw all of the various towers including the Bloody Tower, Salt Tower, and Wakefield Tower.  We had a fun time climbing the eerie, narrow spiral staircases and snapping pictures with some of the artifacts.  The White Tower contained many great examples of historic armor.  My favorite part of this building was seeing the different styles of armor and weapons that have been used all throughout history.  I also thought it was interesting to hear stories about the different individuals who were prisoners and executed within the Tower's walls.  The most famous controversy was the disappearance and murder of the two young sons of Edward IV.  After Edward's death his 10 and 12 year-old sons were sent to the Tower on the orders of their uncle.  It was never known what became of the princes, because they were never seen alive again.  Years later, the skeletons of the two boys were found hidden under a staircase in the White Tower, confirming their murder.  Brittannee and I also saw the execution site memorial. The memorial reads, "Gentle visitor pause awhile-where you stand death cut away the light of many days-here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life-may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage-under these restless skies."  I thought that this was a beautiful verse to remember the death of many individuals including three English Queens.

A Taste of Downtown

Last night my friend Kelsey and I wanted to search the area of South Kensington further on foot. We felt fairly confident about the main streets of Gloucester Road and Queens Gate, so we challenged ourselves to locate Harrods.  Harrods is a huge, high-end department store that is rumored to sell anything and everything.  Even though we knew that the store would be closed, we set out to see the glittering lights that adorn the exterior of the building.  Along the way we stumbled upon a frozen yogurt shop called Snog.  Both going to school in Boston, where there are frozen yogurt shops around every corner, we were craving the sweet treat and decided to stop in.  I ended up choosing the traditional white fro-yo with oreos, pineapple, and white chocolate stars.  Delicious!  After our snack, we continued on our way to find Harrods with only a few map consultations.  I must say the hike was more than worth it.  The store lit up at night reminded me of Disney World with hundreds of lights outlining every edge of the building.

My Snog Frozen Yogurt

Harrods at night

Being that today was Saturday, I was very excited to set out and see some of the most iconic sites in the world.  Katherine and I got an early start and headed to the Leicester Square station.  There we met up with her friend Kim, Kim's friend Laura, and one of Laura's friends as well.   Since this was many of our first times discovering the urban center of London we began by walking to Piccadilly Circus to see the famous winged statue and bright signs in the same style as Times Square.  Continuing on, we headed for the one and only Buckingham Palace by strolling through Green Park.  The palace and its gates were a beautiful site!  It is hard to describe the scale of this place.  It is just so grand and stately!  We all could not imagine living in such a large and brilliantly adorned building.  We also enjoyed sauntering around the fountain in front of the palace and snapping photos of the gilded fences.

Myself, Kim, and Katherine in front of Buckingham Palace

Fountain in front of Buckingham Palace

Next, we made our way towards the Thames to see the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.  It was so exciting to see these amazing, Gothic buildings close up. I'm pretty sure between the five of us we took over 100 pictures of these buildings alone.  Just getting a taste for this area made us anxious to come back and further investigate all the sites.

Big Ben

For lunch we ate at an American Italian restaurant in Trafalgar Square.  We decided that there never seems to be anything more comforting or delectable when you are hungry than a great pizza.  Following lunch, we headed to the National Gallery to take in some of the treasures inside.  I personally enjoyed the Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Turner paintings the most.  There is just something about all of these artists' works that is spectacular in their own way.

One of my favorites from today was Renoir's At the Theatre

Van Gogh is an artist I always enjoy.  I saw this painting today: Wheat Field with Cypresses.

As it was already dark outside we decided to head further east on the Tube to see St. Paul's Cathedral in the evening light, as well as the Millennium Bridge and the Globe Theatre. On first impression St. Paul's was overwhelming in the best way possible. The dim lighting only made what is already one of the most awe-inspiring buildings that I have seen in London more dramatic.  We had fun pretending to feed the birds from the steps of St. Paul like in Mary Poppins and taking a peek inside at the extremely detailed ceilings.

Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral

Heading back to South Kensington, we made a stop at Ben's Cookies.  After numerous recommendations about this little cookie shop from my friend Abby and roommate Catherine I determined that I needed to see what all the hype was about.  I tried the classic milk chocolate chip cookie and boy was it great.  To quote Catherine from her earlier trip there, "It would be an understatement to say that it was the best cookie I've ever eaten." Needless to say, I know that there will be many, many more trips made to Ben's this semester.

"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind."

Wednesday was our final day of Orientation and featured two lectures on the history of the political system in the UK and how the nation has been shaped over time to include England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.  Following our morning lectures we had time to purchase books for our courses and get some information on social programmes and travel.  Later, I went to purchase some additional groceries at the grocery store Sainsbury's.  I preferred this store to Waitrose very much because it was larger, easier to find what I was looking for, and far less crowded.

On Thursday I had my first Core phase class.  It is entitled British and European Marketing Strategy.  My professor seems very friendly and knowledgeable.  She is from Northern Ireland and does marketing consulting work for many large investment banks.  The class seems like it will build upon the topics I covered in my Introduction to Marketing class from last semester very well.  Our biggest projects for the class include a group presentation in which we will create a promotional plan for the entrance of Trader Joe's into the UK and a paper that we will write based on a trip to the Brand Museum.  I'm interested to learn about the differences between marketing and advertising in the US and the UK.

After class and making a quick lunch in my kitchen, I visited the BU Student Life Center to speak with EUSA, the internship placement organization that our program is using.  In December I found out that I was placed as an intern at the New End Theatre in London, prior to the official interview.  The internship description explained that if I was selected after my interview I would be assisting the marketing director with press relations.  As I love theatre and marketing, this internship seems like a perfect fit! At my meeting I was given more details about my interview with the theatre and directions on how to get to the right location.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Hyde Park with my friends Angela and Katherine, who live on my floor.  Hyde Park is located less than half a block from my building and features over 625 acres of green grass, ponds, and beautiful trees.  Our first stop within the park was the Prince Albert Memorial statue.  This memorial was envisioned by Queen Victoria after Prince Albert's death who wanted to commemorate her husband.  All of us had been wanting to visit this memorial since we first took the walking tour around our neighborhood.  It is absolutely amazing up close.  In the center of the memorial, a gilded statue of Prince Albert sitting on a throne can be found.  Above and around him is an exquisite mosaic canopy on tall pillars.  The outer mosaic sides of the canopy read "Queen Victoria And Her People • To The Memory Of Albert Prince Consort • As A Tribute Of Their Gratitude • For A Life Devoted To The Public Good." On each of the four corners adjacent to the pillars are statue groups representing Agriculture, Commerce, Engineering, and Manufactures. Underneath these groups and flowing around the base of the Albert statue is a strip of smaller statues representing the arts and sciences.  On the outermost corners of the memorial are four statues representing four geographical regions: Europe, America, Africa, and Asia.  Overall, the intricacy of this memorial was outstanding.

America corner statue on Prince Albert Memorial

Statue of a woman in Europe sculpture

Continuing through the park, we saw mirror-like sculptures by Anish Kapoor, Roman fountains, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and Kensington palace. The vastness of this park is exemplified by the criss-crossing bike and walking paths and by the openess created by trees planted in perfectly straight lines. After walking around about 2/3 of the park we were exhausted and headed back to the Crofton.

Sculpture in Roman Fountains in Hyde Park overlooking The Serpentine lake

Later in the evening, we reconvened to head to the BU Beginning of the Semester Party which took place at The Opal Bar.  The bar had a great atmosphere and played lots of fun music including some Madonna, Spice Girls, and Backstreet Boys throwbacks. Because we stayed at the party until after midnight and the Tube stops running, we decided to take the night bus home from Piccadilly Circus.

Today, I met up with my friend from BU, Dani, who was in town visiting her friend Mariel.  We met at the London Bridge tube station and together headed to the Borough Market.  This is a large market filled with lots of food stands selling everything from produce to olive oil to fresh meat. In addition, they also sell prepared food items and offer many samples for you to try as you walk around.  I tried a potato dish covered in fresh melted cheese and served with pickles.  It was delicious!  Afterwards we enjoyed mulled wine and cheesecake from two of the other stands, while sampling many different homemade cheeses and olive oils.

Borough Market

Stand where I got the cheese and potatoes dish

Fresh produce at the Borough Market

Journey to Greenwich

This morning the BU Program treated us to a boat tour down the Thames River, which flows through the center of downtown.  I left my dorm and headed to the Gloucester Tube stop to head to Westminster.  As much as I have loved getting acquainted with Kensington, I was very excited to be heading downtown to see some of the famous sites. The first landmark I could see when I left the station was the London eye which is a huge Ferris wheel tourist attraction that gives some of the best views of the city.  Also near the boat dock were the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.  We boarded the boat and headed westward towards the borough of Greenwich.  During the ride we saw many of the landmarks located directly on the Thames including the Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Piece of Tower of London

The boat ride took about 30 minutes and showed how London's current position as a major world city depends on its history as a shipping and docking power center. Our tour ended at Greenwich and we were given the afternoon to set out on our own and explore the area.  I spent the afternoon with Katherine, Nicki, and Stacey.

We first decided to set out for the National Maritime Museum which featured many examples of British naval ships and exhibits based on historic explorers. It was fun to see how ships have changed throughout the years and to see pieces of recovered boats.  I especially enjoyed an exhibit that showcased toy boats and figureheads of Neptune and a one-eyed Greek mythological figure.

Ship figureheads

Next we made a hike up a large hill to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the Meridian. The view from the top was extraordinary!  You could see all of the beautiful grounds surrounding the Royal Naval College, the Thames River flowing back into central London, and even some of the skyscrapers of eastern downtown. We had fun taking a few pictures standing on the meridian with one foot in either hemisphere. 




View from Royal Observatory


The chilly hike back down the hill left us wanting to have a relaxing lunch.  We headed to The Plume of Feathers, a little quaint pub located just west of the Royal Naval College.  I ordered a burger and chips and enjoyed warming up by the fireplace.

After lunch we visited the Queen's House which housed some fabulous pieces of art.  My favorite piece was a huge painting by Turner that depicted the Battle of Trafalgar. It is hard to believe that Queens and Kings used to live within this building!  It featured beautiful views out over the green yard and hill leading back up to the Observatory.

Finishing off our trip to Greenwich we stopped in at the Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College.  This was an extravagantly painted and absolutely breathtaking space! All of the surfaces in the building were smooth but were intricately decorated to give the impression of being covered with plaster work.  Additionally, the walls and ceiling were filled with gorgeous paintings of cherubs and various individuals to represent local families. It took the artist responsible for the decorations 19 years to finish this masterpiece.

On the way back to BU we chose to take the train to Kings Cross Station to visit platform 9 3/4 made famous in Harry Potter.  Unfortunately, the station was under construction and we were unable to reach the wall located in between platforms 9 and 10. However, the station placed a special little place for Harry Potter loving fans like us to take pictures.


Ready to visit Hogwarts

Tonight I went to a floor dinner at a restaurant called Giraffe located near our dorm.  It featured a wide array of ethnic food with everything from bruschetta to enchiladas.  It was lots of fun to get to know some of the members of my floor better.

A Week of Firsts

Three days into my adventures in London I have experienced many firsts.  My first walk around Kensington...my first trip on the Tube...my first lectures...my first time trying fish and chips in London.  I truly have gotten off to a great start exploring this city.

Yesterday morning my two roommates, Catherine and Stacey, arrived to our flat.  They are both BU students, friendly, and excited about traveling.  It seems like we will all get along well.  I was happy to see so many people arriving to the building throughout the morning.  As I arrived a day early to London, my first night at the Crofton there were very few individuals around.  After getting to know my roommates a bit, I met up with my friend Leigh and her roommates for an early lunch at Med Kitchen, a small cafe a five minute walk from our dorm.  We all enjoyed the scrambled eggs and toast and decided that a return trip would have to occur sometime soon.

At 12:45pm everyone on our floor took a walking-tour around Kensington, guided by our RA, Erin.  It was great to finally have a chance to explore the area.  The neighborhood of Kensington is one of the nicest and most expensive, and not to mention one of the most beautiful, to live in throughout London.  All of the buildings facades consist of either white stone or red brick with columns and intricate plaster work. Many of the buildings on a block look identical giving the area a uniform yet unique feeling.  The only word that comes to mind to describe the architecture of this area is stunning.


A quintessential Kensington street

Some of the big sites on our tour were Imperial College (a university located directly across the street from my dorm), the Royal Albert Hall, and a statue of Prince Albert in Hyde Park.



One of the buildings at Imperial College




Gothic statue of Prince Albert in Hyde Park

After the tour we had a series of meetings with our RA to go over some details about our building and kitchens.

During the early evening, Catherine and I decided to take a trip for groceries, and so with a map in hand we set out for the store.  We originally planned to go to Sainsbury's, a more budget-friendly store, however because of an early closing time on Sundays we ended up going to Waitrose, a higher-end grocer.  The combination of crowds, unfamiliarity with the layout of the store, and decision process to choose products that looked good, made for one of the craziest grocery shopping experiences in my life.  In the end, Catherine and I found our way around and purchased some food to get us through the first week.

Taking the advice of Michael Oliver (one of the heads of Student Affairs for the BU London Program), a group of eight people from my floor decided to take a trip to a local pub called The Queen's Arms.  We tried the local cider and decided that it will be a favorite of ours this semester.

Today I attended the beginning of our series of Orientation lectures on academics, student life, and the history of London.  My favorite part of the day was hearing all about the history of the city from two different professors who will be teaching courses this semester.  The first gave a brief introduction to the different main boroughs of London and then described the history of the architecture and creation of many of London's main museums. The second professor introduced us to the culture of London by analyzing the influence of America on the UK and the differences between the two places.  He made many fascinating points about class, race, religion, and pop culture and the role they play in each of our societies. I also enjoyed a speech given by the Chairman of the BU London Program.  He compared our journey to the "Grand Tour" that many famous historical figures took during their life around our age. His best advice was to take advantage of every moment.  He said that if ever we find ourselves distracted from the history that was surrounding us on this adventure that we should stop, contemplate, and simply appreciate it.

Following our academic lectures, I ventured up Kensington High Street with Stacey in search of an Orange (our cell phone company while abroad), Argos (store to buy many personal items including everything from bedding to hair dryers), and Boots (the UK equivalent to CVS).  This street was filled with restaurants and many shopping locations.  We were surprised to find all of our favorite US stores such as Gap and Urban Outfitters just blocks from our building. 

Our successful purchases left us hungry and in want of some of England's famous fish and chips.  To get to a restaurant we had heard about we took our first ride on the Tube or Underground.  The subway system of London is very developed and busy.  It is made up of 13 different lines and looks like a colorful snowflake of intertwining stations.  One difference between Boston's T system and the Tube is that you tap your card both when you enter the station and leave.  This way you are charged a fee based on how far you travel.  We traveled two stops and then arrived at the South Kensington station.  From there, we found a restaurant in the area with fish and chips.  Although it wasn't the restaurant we were originally looking for, the food was still good and we enjoyed the irony of the fact that we were enjoying fish and chips in a western themed restaurant complete with cowboy signs and country music.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow.  We will be taking a boat trip down the Thames River and visiting Greenwich!

London Calling

Yesterday, with the classic “The Clash” song ringing in my ears, I departed from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at 9:50pm.  Thankfully, the airport was not very busy and I made it through security in record time.  Because of this I had lots of time to relax by gate G4 before boarding.

The eight-hour trip passed by very quickly with the help of 30 Rock episodes on the interactive touch screen on the back of the seat in front of me, an ample ipod music selection, and of course sleep.  Before I knew it I was landing at London Heathrow airport.  After passing through the UK Border Control station (which never hesitates to put a nervous pall over me) and customs, I found myself at baggage claim.  I had no problems finding my suitcase and adding it to the free luggage trolley carts that are everywhere at the airport.

Slowly but surely I made my way to the taxi stand and hopped into one of the iconic black-London cabs.  It wasn't nearly as unnerving as I thought it would be to ride in a car that was driving on the left side of the road.  Of course, it helps that the taxi driver knew exactly where he was going as he navigated his way through roundabout after roundabout. During the ride I enjoyed taking in the rugged industrial landscape that stands between Heathrow and the more urban western neighborhoods of London.  There is something beautiful about the harsh factories contrasting with the calm horses grazing in the fields directly surrounding the airport. 

Before long my cab driver turned onto Queen's Gate road and we pulled up to The Crofton, where I will be living for the next four months.  I checked into my room and unpacked all of my belongings.  My two roommates are not here yet but should be checking in tomorrow morning. 

My first official afternoon in London has been positvely wonderful and I can't wait to take in all that this city has to offer!

The Countdown Begins

A new year is upon us, and it therefore seems very fitting to be embarking on the creation of a new blog to document what will I'm sure be one of the most spectacular adventures of my life.  In exactly six days I will be departing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the United States for four months.  My destination: London, England.  Yes, the land of the Brits, the Queen, home of tea, and part of my heritage.  I could not be more excited!

While abroad, I will be participating in Boston University's London Internship Program: Advertising and Marketing Track.  This means that not only will I have the chance to study a country I have always wanted to visit, but I will be able to gain hands on experience with a Marketing internship.  Looking ahead, I cannot wait to see all of the sites and have the time to truly learn what it means to live in London.

And so with two empty suitcases, five travel books, and excitement galore, the countdown begins.