A Week of Lasts

I have no idea how it made it to this time already but here it is none the less: my last week in London.  Where has this semester gone?!? As I knew it would, it has flown past faster than any semester before.  Faced with only a limited amount of time, my friends and I wanted to make this last week count and set off into the city to relive some of the highlights of the semester and to visit those last few locations on our lists.

On Monday, I finished up writing and submitting my two final papers.  Because of the nice weather, Catherine and I took a walk through Hyde Park.  Brimming with blooming flowers and people lounging on the grassy fields, it was a very nice walk.  I headed onwards to Harrod's to purchase a few souvenirs.

To celebrate the conclusion of our class sessions on Tuesday, Miranda, Catherine, and I packed an evening picnic to enjoy in Hyde Park.  Graced with unnaturally warm weather for London in the spring, we picked a spot near the Serpentine Pond and shared homemade pita chips, hummus, carrots, and wine. We stayed until darkness descended and then we made our way back to the Crofton.

Amidst the stress of studying on Wednesday, Miranda and I again visited Hyde Park to pour over our notes.  During the trip, I enjoyed taking some pictures of the gorgeous landscape, coming to life with the heat of the summer.

I am really going to miss Hyde Park.  It has become such a staple of my routine in London that it will be greatly missed when I am back in Minnesota and Boston.  While great, The Commons doesn't stand anything against Hyde Park.

In the afternoon, I met up with Catherine to go to afternoon tea at the Harlequin Restaurant at the Kingsway Hall Hotel.  We were both so excited to have the chance to experience high tea again.  It honestly is one of my favorite traditions of England. So relaxing and enjoyable, it is such a treat!

We arrived at the hotel just on time and were seated in the elegant dining room near the windows.  Before long our pots of English Breakfast Tea and three tier cake tray filled with delicious sandwiches, scones (literally the best I have ever tasted), and pastries arrived.

Following tea, we decided to walk off the food coma by heading back through Covent Garden to Leicester Square.  Along the way, we saw the Royal Opera House and an orchestral quartet playing in Covent Garden. 

On Thursday, I began the feat of packing up some of my things.  It was hard to sort through everything and decide which suitcase to pack each piece of clothing and souvenir in.  While waiting for Brittanee to finish with her exam, Catherine and I headed to Snog for our last Snog-special.

We then met up with Brittanee and continued around our neighborhood to take pictures of the some of the local sites that we all passed by day after day.

Hyde Park Queen's Gates

Gloucester Road

Street off of our block

In the evening, Catherine and I took our last trip to Builder's Arms, one of our favorite pubs located just a few blocks from us. We each had Pimm's Cup which is a delectable drink consisting of sparkling lemonade, Pimm's, fruits galore (usually apples, oranges, lemons, limes), and cucumbers. It is a refreshing drink that perfectly matched the summery feel of the evening.

Builder's Arms

Later, we all got ready to head to the end of the semester party hosted by BU at a bar called Foundation.  Located near Covent Garden, it had a fun environment with a dance floor and lots of sitting space.  We all had a great time and were sad to say goodbye.

On Friday morning, we all woke up and were sad to be facing our final day in London.  To make the most of our final hours, Miranda, Catherine, Brittanee, and I planned out many things that we wanted to see and do.  Our first destination of the day was Abbey Road!

Made famous by the Beatles classic album cover, we had to pay a visit.  After about six trips across the road to take pictures recreating the great Beatles moment with passing cars and crowds of people, we experienced some success.

We also took time to observe the walls covered with messages to the Beatles in front of Abbey Road Studios. It was fun to see what people had written.  Some simply thanked the Beatles for their work and others drew pictures or wrote song lyrics.

Abbey Road Studios

Next, we headed to Westminster to see the big sites one last time.  We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Downing Street on our path to Trafalgar Square to visit the giant lions.

All starving from the morning's escapades, we hopped on the bus to head towards St. Paul's Cathedral so that we could walk to Borough Market. Before departing, we took a few pictures on an out-of-service traditional number 9 bus.  These buses have the open air entrance at the back through which passengers could jump on and off.  There are only two routes (the 9 and the 15) still operating today.

After a short walk from St. Paul's, we made it to Borough Market and each picked out lunch from the huge selection of stands. I had the great potatoes and cheese dish that I had on my first trip to the market.  Due to the heat, we were all in the mood for some ice cream to finish off our trip.  We found a stand selling goat's milk ice cream and all gladly purchased a dish. 

Borough Market

Catherine, Brittanee, and I decided to continue to walk along the Thames Path on the north side of the river. Being such a gorgeous day, there was just no better way to take in the city.  We walked along the path basking in the glorious sunshine for quite a while before deciding to hop on the Tube to head home.

We all were in agreement that there would be no more fitting way to end our semester in London than with a trip to Queen's Arms. 

Queen's Arms

As it was what we did our first night in London all together, there was no question in our minds.  Brittanee and I enjoyed our last pint of Blackberry cider while Catherine treated herself to a glass of white wine.  Being that we all would be leaving a place we had grown so fond of the next day, the mood was very bittersweet.

Remembering all of the wonderful times that we had had throughout the last week and semester, we each returned to our rooms to finish packing. I have to say that this final week in London was quite spectacular.  Enjoying all of the sites in the city for the last time and just soaking in the London air like the locals, I loved every minute.

Eye See London

This past weekend, my good friend Alicia came to visit me in London.  During her break from school, she was traveling with her dad and dad's girlfriend to the UK and to Paris.  I am so glad that I was able to play hostess to show off all that London has to offer.

I first met up with Alicia in Leicester Square on Friday afternoon.  Because we are both musical theatre lovers, we knew that we had to try and see a show while she was visiting one of the theatre capitals of the world.  After a quick lunch in a small Italian cafe, we headed to one of the hundreds of half price ticket booths to try our luck at rushing a show.  In the end, we lucked out and were able to secure two tickets to Wicked for Saturday night!

Following our great success, we set out towards Trafalagar Square and Westminster.  We stopped in to the National Portrait Gallery and I showed off my favorite portraits including those of Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Winslet, and Paul McCartney.  Continuing on, I pointed out many sites along the broad streets of Westminster before turning towards the river to visit the London Eye.

When I first arrived in London, all of the administrators of my program said that we absolutely must take a trip on the London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel as it is also known. This huge Ferris wheel features capsules that can hold up to 30 people each.  It is the most popular tourist attraction because it provides great aerial views of the Thames, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

The London Eye

Our trip on the Eye was great!  I am so glad that I was finally able to take my turn on this attraction.  It was wonderful to see the city from this point of view and to share all of the sites that I knew with Alicia. Throughout the 30 minute ride, we took many, many photographs and just took in the breathtaking sites.

View of Westminster

Capsule next to ours

View of St. James Park and Buckingham

Next, we took an open air The Original London Doubledecker bus tour.  Our bus drove from Westminster to Hyde Park, passing the Burberry Headquarters, Victoria Train Station, Wellington Arch, and many cute pubs.  This was such a fun way to get around.  You get to see all of the sites and hear all the sounds of what London truly is like.

Me and Alicia riding on the bus

After departing the bus, we walked to Harrods.  Due to my wonderful experience with the store on my first trip, I told Alicia that she definitely needed to see it.  I showed Alicia my favorite parts of the store including the Egyptian Escalator, the puppies in the Pet Kingdom, and of course the food hall. As Alicia was going to see a show at the Royal Albert Hall, we went our separate ways for the evening after exploring Harrods.

On Saturday morning, I met up with Alicia, her dad, and his girlfriend at Westminster Abbey.  Throughout my time in London, this church has been on top of my list of sites to see.  Containing the tombs of many of monarchs, acting as the location of coronation ceremonies, and preparing to host the Royal Wedding, Westminster was a must see in my book.  Because of the admission fee, I had put off coming with friends earlier and was very excited to finally be entering this stunning building.

Westminster Abbey

Towers of Westminster Abbey

Once inside, we were able to take an individually guided audio tour past the high altar, many chapels, and specific regions of the church.  I really enjoyed getting the chance to see the Poets' Corner which features the burial sites of famous writers like Tennyson and Dickens and memorials to many famous writers, including Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters.  I was thrilled that I had the chance to see the Coronation Chair also inside the Abbey.  This chair, which has been used in the Coronation Ceremonies for nearly every monarch since 1308, was designed to contain the Stone of Scone.  This stone, which legend has was the stone upon which Jacob placed his head at Bethel, has been passed throughout Europe over history.  Most notably, the stone was stolen by a group of Scottish Nationalists in 1950. Today, it rests in Edinburgh Castle along with the Scottish crown jewels.  While I was in Edinburgh, I got to see the Stone of Scone and so it only seemed fitting that I got to see the Coronation Chair as well.

After we exited Westminster, we hopped in a cab to go see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  Due to the warm weather and ample school trips taking place in London during this time of year, this area was swarming with people.  Maneuvering our way around the palace gates, we eventually found a perfect view straight out from the main gate. Although I had already seen the changing of the guards once, I was glad to be able to see it again when the guards were in their traditional red uniforms and the band played a selection of music.

Band marching in

View in front of the main gate

Band just inside the gates

Band marching

Guards leaving

We especially enjoyed the band's rendition of a medley of songs from Indiana Jones and Star Wars along with other classical pieces.  The Mall, as we headed away from Buckingham, was decked out Union Jacks in preparation for the London Marathon and the Royal Wedding.

The Mall

For lunch, we headed through Picadilly Circus to Leicester Square.  I had a great time telling Alicia all about Picadilly and showing her the main sites along the way. 

Bustling Picadilly Circus

After lunch, I wanted to show everyone one of my favorite areas of the city: St. Paul's and the South Bank.  We traveled by Tube to see Christopher Wren's architectural wonder before walking across the Millennium Bridge. We enjoyed a cup of coffee on the South side of the Thames while taking in the great views of St. Paul's great dome.

Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's

 Moving on, Alicia and I headed towards Borough Market for an afternoon snack while her dad and dad's girlfriend returned to the center of the city.   The walk along the southern edge of the river is one of the most pleasant in all of London. Dotted with famous sites, I knew that I had to show it off to Alicia.

Reaching Borough Market, we shared a piece of delicious cheesecake in the Southwark Cathedral church yard.  It was a great place to relax and enjoy a place that is so typically London.

During our snack we decided to pop over to Oxford Street.  Because Alicia and I are fans of the Shopaholic book series, she wanted to see the place where most of the action (aka shopping) in the book takes place.  Even though I have a very love-hate relationship with this part of the city, I gladly navigated our way there on the Tube.  Besides, going there allowed me to share all the wonders of Ben's Cookies with Alicia.  Featuring the most delicious cookies I have ever tasted, it was a welcomed stop.

Before long, we needed to travel to Victoria to grab a quick bite of something more substantial before our show.  We chose a pub called The Shakespeare and even though it was a part of the chain of pubs found around the city our meal consisting of fish and chips and nachos was quite good.

Just before 8:00pm, we headed to the Apollo Theatre located just across the Square for Wicked!  The show was just as great as I remembered and I am so glad that I was able to share it with Alicia.

WICKED!!!!

After the show, we headed to the Tube and said our good byes.  It was so great to be able to show Alicia all the great things about London.  I have really come to love this place and was happy to be able to explore some more with one of my best friends.

In Dublin's Fair City

James Joyce once said, "When I die Dublin will be written in my heart."  Following my trip to the wonderful country of Ireland and to this amazing city, I can definitely see where Joyce was coming from.  There is just something about Dublin that struck a cord with me. The culture is infectious in the best way possible and the industrial feel to the architecture is beautiful in a unique way.

My trip to Dublin's fair city with Brittanee began on Friday night with an Aer Lingus flight from Heathrow.  After our traditional trip to Snog and a long Tube ride, we made it to the airport and before we knew it we were landing in Ireland.  I thought it was really interesting that everything on the flight was announced in both English and Gaelic.  This is because these are both Ireland's official languages.  Once out of the airport, we took a bus into the city center and walked to our hostel, the Globetrotters Tourist Hostel.  Our room in this hostel was amazing!  We stayed in an eight-person female room and it was huge.  It was basically a large loft with eight beds, skylights, a kitchenette, and a bathroom.  It felt more like a hotel to me than any of the other hostels we stayed at.  Because we wanted to get an early start the next morning, we went straight to bed.

In the morning, we woke up early and went down to breakfast.  Because the building our hostel was in was split with a bed and breakfast, it had a fabulous breakfast selection!  We especially enjoyed the poached eggs, potatoes, soda and brown breads, and of course coffee.  After mapping out a plan for the day, we departed the hostel.

Early on a Saturday morning, it felt as though the city was just awaking.  The streets were very empty and we had a great time walking along the River Liffey for the first time taking in sights like the Custom House and cool bridges.

View down the Liffey

The Custom House

We decided to head south of the river to visit Grafton Street and Merrion Square.  Along the way, we ran into our good buddy Molly Malone, made famous for the self-titled song which has become an unofficial anthem for Dublin City. The popular song which tells the story of her life begins as follows:

In Dublin's fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

"Alive, alive, oh,

Alive, alive, oh",

Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".

Hanging out with sweet Molly Malone

Next, we headed towards Merrion Square to see Oscar Wilde's house.  It was cool to see his home, as he is one of the most well-known Irish writers throughout history. Today, his house is a part of the Irish American University.

Brittanee in front of Wilde's house

Across from Oscar Wilde's house was a large park called Merrion Square.  Although we couldn't enter the park because it hadn't yet opened, we walked around its perimeter and saw some of the beautiful flowers, paths, and statues.  My favorite one was the Oscar Wilde statue.

Oscar Wilde Memorial

Walking back towards Molly Malone, we came across a stunning mosaic wall tucked along side a parking lot.  As we walked closer to examine it up close, a local Irishman asked us if we wanted some more information about the mural.  He ran inside and grabbed a sheet of information which described the traditional myth which was depicted throughout the mosaics.

Continuing on, we made our way to Grafton Street, which has many shops and street performers.  We spent some time window shopping before exploring St. Stephen's Square.  This park is filled with ornate fountains and blooming flowers.  We walked around the main pond soaking in the chirping birds and sunlight.

Arch and St. Stephen's Square

A quick picture with the pond

Then, we made our way to see Dublin's famous cathedrals.  Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral.  St. Patrick's was founded in 1191 and is the largest church in Ireland.  It is very gothic in design and is quite a sight to behold.  Juxtaposed with the bright blooming tulips in the yard, its dark stone and imposing spires were breathtaking. 

Along the eastern edge of the grounds, there were memorials to many of the great Irish writers.  I enjoyed reading each to refamiliarize myself with their works.

Yeats Memorial

Our next cathedral was Christ Church Cathedral which was just up the road.  Although not as amazing as St. Patrick's this is still a beautiful church tucked in between the Liffey and the industrialized area south of the river.

Christ Church Cathedral

Following Christ Church, we walked past the Dublin Castle and City Hall on our way to the Ha'Penny Bridge which spans the Liffey.  It is one of the most magnificent bridges in Dublin because of its white cast-iron sides and decorative overhead arches. This bridge is so named because individuals used to have to pay a half-pence to cross the Liffey on the bridge.

Ha'Penny Bridge

After crossing the river, we ventured up O'Connell Street which used to be the widest shopping high street in all of Europe.  Although today it is only considered the largest shopping district in Ireland, it is one of the most bustling and alive areas of the city.  The center of the road features many statues while each side of the street has hundreds of stores and restaurants.

Statue at the head of O'Connell Street

Walking up the thoroughfare, we came across the General Post Office which plays a large role in the history of Ireland.  The Easter Rising of 1916 began when the leaders of the rebellion read out a Proclamation of the Republic from the GPO.  This building also acted as the rebel headquarters and many leaders of the revolution, including James Connolly, Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, Sean Mac Dermott, and Joseph Plunkett, were stationed.

General Post Office

As we continued onwards, we stopped to take pictures with the James Joyce statue and to enjoy some bulk candy.

Me and Joyce

Further up O'Connell Street, we visited the Dublin Writers' Museum.  My freshmen year of college at BU, I had the pleasure of taking a writing class entitled Writing Modern Irish Identities. I loved this class so much, because we had the chance to cover in depth many of the famous Irish writers including Joyce, Yeats, McGahern, and Heaney. Because of my experiences with this class, I was very excited to have the opportunity to see a museum that pays homage to all of these greats.

Dublin Writers' Museum

Inside the museum, I got to see letters, literature, and personal memorabilia from Ireland's most famous writers.  The displays were very well orchestrated and the audio guide provided very insightful facts and stories about each of the writers.  This gave a greater meaning to everything that we were able to see in the collection.  I also got to see the chair that Handel used during his first public performance of The Messiah. 

Gorgeous room upstairs in the museum

Following our trip to the museum, we took a walk past the James Joyce Museum before heading to Temple Bar for some lunch.  After snapping a few pics in front of The Temple Bar and listening to some street musicians, we settled down at a cute cafe for some sandwiches and chips.  Feeling exhausted and in need of a good nap and shower, we departed for our hostel for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Before returning to the Temple Bar district for dinner and a little night life, we played a game of Trivial Pursuit: Irish Edition.  It was really fun reading questions about some of the places we had already seen and were planning on seeing the next day.  We laughed through our attempts to answer the questions and had a great time.

For dinner, we headed to a restaurant entitled Mexico to Rome for some delicious nachos.  Next, we moved on to the Temple Bar to enjoy a pint of Bulmers cider and the live music.  Although packed and rather touristy, we loved hearing some of the classic Irish tunes like Molly Malone.

Nearly every bar in the Temple Bar district featured live music

Finishing our pints, we decided to walk down the street to a second bar called The Quays Bar.  This pub featured a wonderful guitar player who took requests and played everything from Coldplay's Yellow to The Fray's How to Save a Life.  My favorite tune of the night was his rendition of the traditional song Galway Girl. 

Guitar player at The Quays

After many songs, we left the bar to meet up with our friend Miranda who had just traveled into Dublin from Galway.  Meeting her at the Ha'Penny Bridge, we returned to the bar to hear some more music.

Brittanee, Me, and Miranda

Later, we retired to our hostel for the night.  On the way back, we took in the lights of the city along the Liffey.

The Liffey by night

In the morning, we had a quick breakfast at the hostel before walking westward along the Liffey towards Phoenix Park. On a beautiful Sunday morning, the park was filled with bright sunshine, green grass, and blooming trees.  We sat for a while in the shade while planning out our walking route for the day.

Phoenix Park

From the park, we next visited the Wellington Monument found just adjacent to the gardens we were sitting in.  This monument is similar in style to the Washington Monument, but much smaller.  We tried our hand at action photography as we attempted to capture a jumping photograph near the monuments base.

Wellington Monument

Our next stop for the day was the Kilmainham Gaol Prison.  This prison plays an important role in the history of Ireland as it was the location where the leaders of the 1916 Rebellion were imprisoned and later executed.

Yard of the Prison

Flag in the execution yard where the 1916 Rebellion leaders were killed

Lock on a cell

During our visit, we participated in a tour which did a wonderful job of explaining the history of the prison and its inmates.  I found it particularly interesting to hear that the prison was also home to many children throughout its use.  Prior to reform schools, many students were sent here to serve time.  Also, I learned that the East wing of the prison was based on Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, a prison designed with the all seeing eye kept in mind. 

Easy Wing

This wing also was built with high windows in each cell to encourage prisoners to seek the light of God from above. Finally, our tour guide shared that this wing has been used as a set to film many movies and has even played host to musical groups such as Bono for recording sessions due to its great acoustics.

Upon the recommendation of nearly every visitor of Dublin, our next destination was the Guinness Storehouse. 

Inside the Storehouse

The most popular tourist attraction in the city, the Storehouse can be described as something similar to Disney World for Guinness.  Throughout our visit, we explored the various exhibits which describe the creation process of this famous dry stout from start to finish.  Brewed of water, barley, hops, and yeast, this drink is still one of the most unique and most well-known drinks throughout the world. 

My favorite part of the Storehouse was seeing some of the classic adverts for this drink.  After my Advertising in the UK course during the first phase of my program, I recognized many of these ads.

Classic Guinness adverts

We concluded our trip to Guinness with a visit to the Gravity Bar.  With a perfectly poured pint of Guinness in hand, we were able to take in 360 degree views of the city.  Because of our time crunch, Miranda and I finished our pints in about 20 minutes and then took some victory photos with our empty glasses.

Enjoying my Guinness

Feeling hungry, we returned to the Temple Bar District to eat a late lunch.  By suggestion, we tried a cafe called Queen of Tarts. It had many savory quiche like tarts and sumptuous pastries.  All of our food was downright delectable!

Our final stops in the city included a return trip to St. Patrick's and a visit to Trinity College.  After seeing these sites and purchasing a few souvenirs, we made our way back to our hostel and finally to the airport.

Dublin fulfilled all of my hopes for this trip.  A lively city filled with music and strong traditions, it is hard not to get swept up in the Irish spirit.  I hope that someday I will be able to return to the city once again.