A Series of Quite Fortunate Events

So I've have an agglomeration of small trips that will all be featured in this blog post, so get ready. For starters, my flatmates and I checked out Broadway Market two weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by the Turkish presence there. I saw an Umut's grocery store, an Ephesus Restaurant, and spoke to some Turks running a local shop. But the icing of the cake would have to be this:

Yes, that would be my cafe. I wish. I didn't get to go in because we saw it in passing while on the bus, but I will definitely head back there soon and hopefully meet the owner.

On another day, my Shakespeare class took a trip to the Borough Market area as well as the Globe Theater. 

It was a really cool walk and I really enjoyed the history of the area in relation to Shakespeare (I know, I'm a nerd). I never knew about the bear baiting that went on during Shakespeare's time or how the south side of the Thames was comparable to the Red Light District. There was also a cheese shop in the market area. Needless to say I was tempted to come home with a wheel of brie.

We also saw the Cross Bones Graveyard, where thousands upon thousands of prostitutes were buried. 

Going there was an eerie and chilling experience, but I was extremely intrigued by the history. The craziest part to me was that the prostitutes were part of the Winchester Geese, which were essentially the church's prostitutes. The gate in front of the graveyard was covered with memorabilia and ribbons in remembrance of those buried there.

I just really enjoyed this building we saw while on our walk.

Last Friday, I saw 39 Steps, which was absolutely hysterical. It was a four person cast and done phenomenally. We then went and partied it up....at M&M World. One of the signs said it was open until 3 AM, which is quite bizarre considering the majority of pubs close at 11 PM. I'm still convinced that M&M World has a secret, top deck night club.

This past Monday was my friend Caroline's 21st birthday, so we obviously went and celebrated at the Sherlock Holmes Restaurant. It was a really nice experience and the interior was pretty fun. The food was moderately priced, but super delicious.

To end off the night, my Shakespeare class went to the Globe to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was an OUTSTANDING production. We had groundling tickets, so we stood the whole time, but the show was so great that it did not even matter.

The stage was more ornate than I had expected, and the cast was hysterical. The show ran quite seamlessly.

When leaving the Globe, the River Thames and bridge looked beautiful. This is one of the reasons why I not only love the city, but why I love living on the river.

I still have more blogging to catch up on, but I am way too tired to do any more tonight. This weekend I am also going to Amsterdam and Bruges, so be prepared for many pictures of waffles, cheese, and clogs.

Until later,

Portobello Market: Where I Found Love

Well it has definitely been a while since I've blogged last, so I have some serious catching up to do. Let's start with two weekends ago when we went to Portobello Market. We went around 9 AM, which was a smart move on our part because by 12 PM, the market was PACKED. 

There were so many cool odds and ends and if I had brought more money, chances are I would be broke. 

For example, I was crying over this antique Victorian flask. It was beautiful, but a bit too pricey for my wallet to comply.

THE JEWELRY THOUGH. Unsure to how I resisted all these beautiful things.

And then, I found love. Meet Harvey, my new boyfriend turtle ring. I collect turtles, so I figured I just had to get him.

This store front was so incredibly cute that I couldn't help but take a photo of it.

The front of an awesome antique shop we went to.

And this was about the time when something magical happened: FOOD.

And here is my second love, CHEESE. THERE WAS SO MUCH. I COULDN'T CONTAIN MYSELF. Again, I didn't have much money with me, so I settled for a pineapple. 

This photo is important for two reasons: one being that the giant bubbles were simply awesome, and second, there was a hat at the hat stand behind the guy that I fell in love with. It was another pricey piece, and the man working the stand was not amused with my haggling tactics. 

Later in the evening, we were feeling spontaneous, so we got off at a random tube stop and chose a fun looking place to go to. Our final decision was to go to Belushi's, which I would say was a good executive choice.  That night we basically became the United Nations and met some Brits, Brazilians, and Belgians. It was a memorable night to say the least.

On another note, my coursework is starting to get more intense, which is exactly why I haven't gotten around to blogging until now.

Until next time,

Of Dead Mice and Strange Men

So I have officially completed my first week of classes, which was interesting to say the least. I really do enjoy all my classes and like all of my professors. I have made it a habit to go to Hyde Park as often as possible for daily walks, and I seem to take at least one picture per visit, without fail.

Here was our squirrel friend we made at the park. You can basically call over a squirrel the way you call over a cat in these London parks.

There are so many swans at the park. I usually make a reference to Natalie Portman or Swan Lake each time I see one.

What I love about the park is that I seem to stumble upon a new treasure with each and every path I take. The other day I found these "Italian Gardens" which were simply lovely.

In other news, one of the showers in our flat ended up leaking down to the floor below us (sucks for them). So currently, our situation is 13 girls to two bathrooms. Yesterday they literally took out our shower, which was definitely a new sight.

Upon further inspection of the work they were doing, I stumbled upon a slightly disturbing artifact....

Yup, that is indeed the remains of a poor little mouse friend that must have gotten trapped under our shower, most likely years ago. Rest easy.

On a brighter note, my flatmates and myself took an alternate route from the regular study abroad biddies and decided to go out for dessert. We went to a little shop that sells waffles called Wafflemeister, which was PHENOMENAL.

Fresh waffles with a bunch of different topping options...enough said.

Such delicacies were devoured in a matter of minutes.

A highlight to our night would be this intoxicated, yet pleasant English man who came over to us and complimented those of use with luscious, lion's mane-esque hair. He proceeded to walk away, only to come back five minutes later and take a seat. We nicknamed him Wafflemister.

His friend came soon after to sweep him away, joking (I hope) that he was breaking his probation of staying away from American girls. The experience was entertaining to say the least.

Well that's all for now; tomorrow morning I'll be exploring some of the markets, so I will be posting again shortly.

Sweet Dreams,

The Journey Begins

So this past Wednesday I finally moved into my residence hall, which happens to be a flat in South Kensington (right around the corner from Will and Kate) with 12 other lovely ladies. The past few days we have all been running around like crazy with orientations, tours, and just exploring our new home. 

I won't bore you with all the details of my orientations, but we can just leave it at how they threw a hell of a lot of information at us in a short period of time.

Here's a glimpse of our flat; I'm residing in a quad that is currently a bit dull in appearance, but that will likely change soon. It also happens to be the coolest (temperature wise) room in the whole flat, which I am certainly happy about, especially during the ends of the heat wave in England.

Our kitchen is rather nice and fully equipped, but it can get a tad cramped when being in a home with 12 other girls.

On Saturday, we were lucky enough to receive a Parliament tour, which was absolutely spectacular. Sadly, photographs could not be taken inside, but the architecture and decor was breathtaking. 

For one of our first evenings out, we paid a visit to a traditional pub for dinner called the Silver Cross nearby Trafalgar Square, which was a really nice change of environment to what I'm used to in the States.

On another night out, we happened to find Daniel Radcliffe exiting a show he was just in. 1000 points to Gryffindor.

To make that same night even better, we ended up getting gelato from a local shop called Scoops. It was to die for.

One last highlight would be visiting Kensington Gardens, which was really grand and relaxing. Here we are casually hanging out in front of Kensington Palace - the soon to be home of Prince William, Princess Catherine, and baby George.

I am truly having the time of my life here. This city is so beautiful and so rich in history and culture, and I am extremely proud to call it my home for these next four months. I'll be starting class tomorrow morning, so it's about time I headed to bed.

Cheers,