…with St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Seriously, though, I go there almost every day I have time.  It’s a super easy tube trip, and the general area around it is lovely.  There’s just something really relaxing about being there, in its presence.  The other day, I took a quasi-nap in a little patch of grass in the churchyard.  It had been a long, stressful few days and I needed to calm down, and I knew St. Paul’s would take care of that for me.  I tried to sketch the dome, too, but it didn’t turn out very well.  I was quickly reminded why I gave up on art a long time ago.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to climb to the top of the dome.  Our tour guide had told us last week that the view from the top is one of the best in London, and any time the chance is presented, you take it.

So I challenged my claustrophobia and took it.  I figured if I played it safe and decided not to test my fear, that I would regret it, and I didn’t want that at all.  I made it up to the Whispering Gallery just fine. But when I looked up and saw the railing around the next level, I got a little queasy.  Heights don’t bother me, but I knew the stair path up there would be short and narrow, and I didn’t like the thought of that.

Give in to my claustrophobia…regret not experiencing London from that angle…


So I took a deep breath and gripped the hand rail and continued the climb.  We made it to the next level, the Stone Gallery, walked around a little, and kept going.

Finally, we made it to the top.  Worth it?

I definitely think so.

My second favorite London landmark is the Globe Theatre.  Yes, the Shakespeare place.  I might be in love with it, too.

Last week, we saw “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Globe.  Seeing Shakespeare on stage is always an incredible experience, but seeing it at the Globe takes it to a whole new level.  The actors are truly trained Shakespearean actors and it’s obvious they love it.  “Midsummer” is one of the few comedies I’ve read–I tend to prefer Shakespeare’s tragedies over his comedies–and even though I hadn’t read it since high school, I hoped my memory would serve me well enough to enjoy the show.

Another cool aspect of the Globe is it doesn’t have complete traditional seating, at least in the sense we would think about.  There are floor seats and higher tiers, but there’s also an area for “groundlings.”  It’s probably exactly what you think it is: it’s an open area where people can stand to watch the performance.  It’s essentially standing room only in that space, and you can get as close to the stage as you wish.

Talk about a new perspective!  I watched the second half of the play from up close, and it was very up close.  I think I actually made eye contact with Helena at one point.

When the play was done, the ushers tried to push us all out pretty fast, but I managed to grab this picture before being urged forward:

That’s my face on the Globe’s stage.  And I’ll get two more chances to do that again, as we’re seeing “The Tempest” tomorrow, and Macbeth on our last night in London.  I also can’t wait to see “Othello” at the National Theatre next week.

(Side note: my favorite line from “Midsummer” is, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” spoken by Puck.  I love Puck.)

And on a completely unrelated note… I’ve seen ads in tube stations for a band called Texas and their new album “The Conversation.”  I finally looked them up tonight, and I’m a fan!  I like their sound; it’s softer rock, compared to what I usually listen to, and it’s different.  Apparently they’ve been around forever, too, since the late 80s.  They’d be a nice break and change of pace on the rare occasion I need to switch up my Yellowcard and New Found Glory.

Check out their new single, the title track from their new album:

Tomorrow is going to be another long day, so I’ll wrap up here.  Cheers!

Ah, back to the blog world!  Had to take a hiatus for a day or two…story in the next post.

Coming over here, one of the aspects about London I was most excited about was its cuisine.  I’ve always known British food has its differences from American food, and I remember trying some things during my family’s previous trip.  But that was three days, two years ago, barely enough to remember.  This time, one of my trip goals is to embrace the cuisine as much as possible, and I think I’m doing a decent job of it so far.

It might be impossible for me to try everything before I leave, but I’m going to try as much as I can.  These are my favorites thus far, not in any particular order (although I am partial to tea and scones).

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any grumbling stomachs or sudden cravings caused by reading this blog post.

English Breakfast

My delicious full breakfast from Nicholson’s

It’s a flavor of tea and a full meal, and they marry together quite wonderfully.  I had my first full English breakfast a couple days ago at a lovely little pub called Nicholson’s The Porcupine in Westminster.  I discovered it on my own after strolling around Covent Garden and stopped in to give it a try.

The full English breakfast includes eggs, sausage, what they call “bacon” but what looks more like thin-sliced ham to me, toast, beans, tomatoes and coffee or tea.  I’m not a huge fan of fried eggs, and didn’t realize they came fried, so that was a surprise.  I ate them, though, and they were delicious, but I still prefer my eggs scrambled or deviled.  The ham/bacon was also tasty, as was the sausage, especially when dipped in some of the runny egg yolk.  I tried the beans; they weren’t my favorite, but I liked them better than the tomatoes.  I definitely want to find another great place for a full English breakfast while I’m here.  But if I can’t, I’m perfectly happy being a repeat customer at Nicholson’s.

Tea & Coffee

Last time I was here, I couldn’t drink the coffee unless it came from Costa.  I don’t know what it was, but something about it didn’t taste quite right, so I stuck to Costa or tea.

Clearly I wasn’t looking in the right places last time, because now I cannot stop drinking coffee.  Not that I could in general before, but you know what I mean.  Mochas are so different here.  They’re far and away more coffee/espresso than chocolate, and the chocolate taste is very subtle.  I love it.  It’s a problem.  I had a true macchiato today for the first time.  I liked it, but I think I’ll keep to my mochas.

Coffee here is like a work of art.  Each mocha I’ve ordered, and my macchiato today, have been perfectly mixed and crafted, and the foam on top is always pristine.  The fancy cafes even put little designs in the top, like this mocha I got at a place called Notes.  I almost feel bad for taking a sip because I feel like I’m destroying a masterpiece!  But then I remember my lack of caffeine and that mochas have full shots of espresso in them.

Afternoon cream tea at Patisserie Valerie

Afternoon tea is huge over here.  It’s usually held shortly before dinner time.  I want to find a super fancy high tea somewhere, just to say I’ve been to one, because I feel like that’d be pretty awesome.  One of my professors from VT told me about a nice place to go, so I want to check that out with some friends eventually.  Today I went to a cafe called Patisserie Valerie, which is right across the street from Nicholson’s.  I actually found it when I went to Nicholson’s and took note to come back for tea and a pastry.

An order of “cream tea” generally comes with a pot of tea, two scones, jam and “clotted cream.”  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with my clotted cream.  I tasted it by itself, and it didn’t seem like something to eat individually, so I used it like butter for my scones.  Great decision on my part.  Scones here are a lot like what we call “biscuits” at home.  They have a similar general consistency and texture, but are sweeter, and sometimes have raisins in them.  I like them a lot, though.  They aren’t as thick and heavy as the scones we make in the States.

Pies


No, not like sweet dessert pies.  A staple in the English cuisine is the meat pie (or veggie pie, if you aren’t a meat person).  They’re very similar to chicken pot pie, from what I can tell.  Pies generally contain some kind of meat (or multiple meats), veggies and potatoes wrapped in some kind of pastry dough, and are then baked to golden brown flaky deliciousness.  At our first dinner here, we all had meat pies with beef and vegetables.  Lots of times, pies come with mash and gravy; I take mine sans gravy, and it’s just as delicious.  The other day, I had a “steak and ale” pie from a cafe called Eat.  I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but another person in my group had eaten one the day before and liked it, so I took his word and tried it for myself.  Another great decision.  I will definitely be having more pies while I’m here.  Maybe I’ll figure out how to cook one so I can make them back home.

Candy bars


I’ve seen American favorites, like Snickers, Milky Way and Reese’s, in markets, but I don’t go for them as quickly as I go for Cadbury.  Cadbury Dairy Milk bars are to die for, and I have to resist buying one every time I see them.  I’m also a sucker for the chocolate/mint combination, and the Nestle Aero bars totally satisfies my cravings for mint and chocolate.  They’re like the Hershey Air bars, except with mint in the middle.  I’ve been told Wegmans sells these, so I don’t have to worry about bringing any back with me.  I might have to smuggle some Cadbury and M&S bars in my bag, though.  I bought these four bars the other day.  Trying to make them last for my entire trip.  I’ll let y’all know the success of that plan on June 23.

To try later…fish & chips, from an actual pub.  There are plenty of places on the streets to buy it, but it always looks so greasy and gross.  I’d trust a pub way easier than I’d trust a street vendor.

It’s only day three and I’m already at a loss for words.  If that’s any indicator for the rest of this trip, then I might return to America having completely forgotten how to speak.

Day three began at 2 am last night.  Our flats all have mini kitchens with microwave/oven appliances.  Apparently these operate quite differently from what we’re used to in America…someone down the hall had an issue with his and set off the fire alarm.  It took (what felt like) forever to get the smoke all cleared out, but we were eventually allowed inside around 2:30 am.  I think it took me until about 3:30 to fall asleep again.  Ugh.

But the rest of today made up for the less-than-pleasing previous night.

We had our first class today at Anglo over in Russell Square.  Russell Square is a cute little place with fountains and all sorts of coffee shops and super touristy gift shops.  I definitely indulged my inner tourist and bought a few things there.

Me at the fountains in Russell Square

Class let out early, so we were released to continue explorations. I went out to Covent Gardens with a few other girls to do some light shopping.  I rediscovered this amazing bakery that I found when my family came to London a few years ago: Ben’s Cookies.  If you’re in London and want warm, gooey, delicious cookies, go to Ben’s.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

And now for a bit of a tangent… traveling around London is a really interesting experience.  Not living in DC or a city with a true metro, the tube is completely new to me.  It’s super convenient and I get better at reading the maps and schedules each time I use it.

However, the tube isn’t always the most comfortable way to get around, especially at peak times.  I’m not a fan of crowds and at times experience slight claustrophobia.  This morning, on our way to Anglo for class, I had one of those experiences on the tube.  We must have caught the train that everyone and his siblings in London was taking to work.  I have never had that many people standing near me in that tight of a space, not even the few times I’ve visited NYC.  One man stood so close to me–not by choice–that I could hear him breathing.  Needless to say, it was one of the most uncomfortable situations I’ve ever experienced, and pretty much solidified my notion that I would never survive living in a large city.

Although the night views and night life, at least in London, are almost enough to convince me otherwise…

It wasn’t planned as a night walk or anything.  Two other people said they wanted to look for a place for a good drink or cup of coffee, and I didn’t want to sit in the flat all night, so I joined them.  We grabbed an 8-bus a block away from the flat and took it into the city.  We didn’t really have a solid plan as to where we wanted to go, so we just rode around until we saw something interesting.

That place was St. Paul’s Cathedral.  One little restaurant caught our eyes, but it was too expensive for what we wanted, so we kept looking.

I’m glad we moved onward, because we found the perfect little Italian restaurant right across the street from St. Paul’s.  If you’re in London and looking for a nice place, look up Strada.  We didn’t have an actual dinner, but my coffee and bunet piemontese dessert was to die for.  And sipping on coffee while gazing at St. Paul’s at night was a perfect way to spend half an hour.

My delicious dessert and coffee at Strada

When we left Strada, we decided to cross the river and head back to the flats in Bethnal Green.

Best decision ever.  The views of the city from the Millennium Bridge almost can’t be described.  I could try, but I don’t think my words could do it justice, so I won’t.  I’ll just share a few pictures I took…

St. Paul’s

Me and my night walk buddies Cameron and Mariel

Isn’t it beautiful?

The Globe glows!

St. Paul’s as seen from the bridge

So that was a pretty amazing way to wrap up the third day in London.  We decided that another night walk has to happen again next week.  Maybe we’ll pick a completely different destination next time.

That was all yesterday, at this point.  Didn’t quite have time to finish before I fell asleep last night.  Today we’re going to a colloquium at a local university, and then seeing a play tonight!  I kind of want to look up the play and read a little bit about it before seeing it, but at the same time, I kind of want to be surprised.

I’ve got time to decide.

Today was a day full of walking, exploring, and at times truly wandering throughout the city.  If you really want to see a city from side to side and everything in between, that’s the way to do it.  There’s so much more to cities than even the best tour guide will ever tell you.  And we had a really good tour guide today.

But more on that later.

My day started with a search for coffee, as usual.  Today was a bank holiday in England, so I knew most stores, cafes and businesses would be closed, but I figured at least a Pret a Manger (similar to Au Bon Pain, for a reference point) or something would be open.  So I took a stroll down a block to a bigger road and looked for signs of life in any of the shops.  I asked a local if he knew where the closest and fastest place for coffee was.  He said my best bets were Pret, which was farther down the road, or McDonald’s.

I looked at my watch.  It was 8:55 am, and I had to meet my group at 9:15 to catch the 8-bus to our meeting place in the city.  Pret would have been a mile walk there and back, and I can’t run very well in Sperry’s (or with a cup of coffee in my hand).  If I hadn’t been on a time crunch, I would have taken the long walk down to Pret.  But no matter how I tried to justify it to myself, I just couldn’t risk being late and giving the professors and other students a bad impression.  So, regrettably, McDonald’s it was.

I walked in and looked for my options on the menu board.  Along with the usual mixed coffee drinks, this place had “black” coffee and “white” coffee.  I assumed “black” coffee was just regular, plain coffee with nothing added into it, but I wasn’t sure what “white” coffee entailed, so I asked the man at the counter.  He had a very thick Indian accent and spoke quickly, so I ended up asking him to repeat a time or two until I finally understood that “white” coffee is “just milky coffee” and not as strong as black coffee.  Probably something I could have figured out on my own, now that I think about it, but it was early and I’d never seen it before.  I ordered my black coffee, added a packet of sweetener and took a sip.  I remembered that European coffee is much stronger than what I drink in America, but wow that was strong.  I probably could have ordered a white coffee and it would have been drinkable with one packet of sweetener.  It took three packets until my black coffee was drinkable.

And I still drank every drop of it.  When you need coffee, you need coffee.  That probably made me sound like a huge addict, but y’all already knew that.

After my morning coffee adventure, the group took the 8-bus to “The Monument” in London to meet with our Blue Badge tour guide, Warren.  Two things before I go on:

1. The bus system in London is labeled by numbers; certain numbers take certain routes.  The 8-bus is the route most convenient to our flats, so that’s what we take most often.

2. “Blue Badge” is a very high certification for London tour guides.  They’re extremely knowledgeable about every little tiny thing about the city, its past, present and future, and everything in between.  They get the name from the blue badges they wear on their jackets.

“The Monument” (left) is a landmark in London that signifies the Great Fire of 1666.  It’s a tall, thin structure with a carving at the bottom and a gold “fire ball” at the top.  It stands over 300 feet high, and you can climb to the top and get a great view of the city.

Side note: I don’t do well in short, narrow stairwells with tight spiral staircases.  But the view at the top was totally worth testing my near claustrophobia.


Warren took us to so many different places and sights that I can’t even remember them all.  All I know if, after our tour today, I can’t wait for our open-air coach tour with him next week.  If I can’t walk around London, the next best thing is an open-air double-decker bus!

Our tour ended at a shopping mall, where we split off into smaller groups for lunch and separate activities.  My group had a quick lunch at a cafe called Eat, which also reminded me a lot of Au Bon Pain.  I had a ham, brie and cranberry baguette sandwich and it was tasty.  But one guy in my group had a “steak and ale pie” with mashed potatoes–simply called “mash” over here–and it looked and smelled incredible.  I’ll have to try that next time.

After our lunch, the five of us went exploring.  We walked outside the mall, picked a direction, and walked that way until we found something interesting.  If we came to a crossroads, we picked another direction and walked onward.  Sometimes being arbitrary like that leads to the best discoveries and coolest sights.  Even though it was closed, we discovered Borough Market and plan to go back when it’s open.  Next to the market was a little bakery with empanadas and “dulce de leche” pastries.  Even though I’m not a huge caramel person, I couldn’t pass up a croissant filled with dulce de leche.  Delicious.

We wandered farther and farther, but eventually ended up back at the Monument, where we caught the tube and made it back to the flats.  My feet are still dying, but I’m totally ready to go back out tonight–it’s only a quarter til 8 pm right now–and keep exploring.

We were blessed with incredibly weather today, but unfortunately it’s supposed to be gray and rainy tomorrow.  Tomorrow is our first day of class, though, so we won’t be outside all that much, so it works out anyway.

And now for the day’s pictures…

We encountered a Chinese (I think) drum ensemble in a market!

St. Paul’s as seen from the viewing deck at the shopping mall

Globe Theatre! Will be seeing a few plays here. So excited!

Me, Laurabess and Mariel with the Tower Bridge (way) behind us

Tower Bridge, as seen from the top of the Monument

Just around the block from our flats is a store called Sainsbury.  It’s essentially the British version of some blend of Target and Walmart.  It’s got a full grocery store, electronics, some basic clothes, household appliances…you name it, Sainsbury has it.  After a trip there, I’ve got my flat essentials: granola bars, fruit, peanut butter, jam, bread, and of course, a few Cokes.  And all the toiletries I didn’t bother to pack because I knew I could get them here.

P.S. in England, “jam” = the stuff you put on sandwiches or serve over top warm brie cheese.  “Jelly’ = the sweet gelatin kids eat for dessert.

After being here for less than 12 hours, I’ve already decided the tube is the greatest thing in the world.  While spending almost an hour and a half on it between Heathrow and the flats wasn’t exactly ideal, I enjoyed that much more than I would have enjoyed paying for a taxi or taking a minibus.  And after exploring a little bit of the area around the flats and some of the “big spots” in London, the tube is definitely the way to go.  The maps look daunting at first–seriously, at first glance it looked more like a color-coded spider web than a transportation map–but I’ve been told it’s easy to learn and I’ll know my favorite tube patterns like the back of my hand in no time.

Tonight we had our welcome dinner at the Sussex Pub.  I had a delicious meat pie–made with potatoes,  ground beef and carrots–which is pretty much a staple in British diets.  Or at least pies in general are.  Along with my pie, I tried my first cider beer.

“You’re JUST NOW having your first cider?”


Yes, I am.  I’m generally not a beer person, but I will say that cider was tasty.

After dinner, one of our professors, Fred, who grew up in the London area, took us on a walk toward the River Thames so we could start to get a feel for the city and what we’re in for these next four weeks.

I’ve been to London before, so I had a little bit of an idea of what the city is like.  But these next four weeks are going to challenge me to become a better student, to be more independent, and to learn to trust my instincts and feelings about where to go, what to explore next, and more.

And I can’t wait.

I’m going to try my best to blog every day while I’m here.  I don’t know how much of that I can guarantee, but I will promise my best to keep everyone updated and to share all my stories and experiences here.

So for starters, here are a few photos I took during our post-dinner “taste of London”walk:

London and the Thames with a slowly setting sun

St. Paul’s Cathedral behind the Millennium Bridge

An extremely zoomed-in London Bridge as seen from Millennium Bridge

“The Shard” building.  They’re creative with names, aren’t they?

Tomorrow we’re taking a walking tour of the city, during which I intend to take a ton more pictures and come back with some great experiences to share here!

And now my Advil is kicking in, so it’s good night from London, until tomorrow!