This was a fairly uneventful week! A highlight though was my visit to the van Gogh special exhibit at the Royal Academy of Art yesterday. It was by far the most comprehensive and consuming exhibit I have ever been to. It was, as many van Gogh exhibits are, looking at the connection between his letters and his paintings. However this exhibit not only paired letters with paintings, but with ink drawings, early works and sketches. Each painting was preceded by sketches and drawings, which made it easy to see how his thought process worked and how he came about painting the masterpieces that he did. It also contained a great number of early works that I had never seen before, and worked up to his later style. It was fabulous to literally watch his artistic talents develop and to read how he felt about it. The pair of paintings of van Gogh and Gauguin's chairs were in this exhibit; two paintings I love. The last room was the most emotional, as it included the last paintings van Gogh produced and contained the very last letter he wrote to Theo and the copy of that letter he had on his person on the day he died. Through the quotes and works they included in the previous rooms, this already emotional story became even more moving. It was a fantastic exhibit!
Today I went on a field trip to the Freud Musuem in London, the house where he spent the last year of his life in exile from the Nazis. It was really interesting and contained a lot of the objects that had been in the house when he lived there. The most interesting room was his study, which had the famous couch and chair. But curiously, the study was filled with ancient artifacts from other civilizations. It was interesting to see what Freud surrounded himself with and to learn that he had other interests besides the ones that are always stereotyped and talked about today.
After the field trip I had my interview for the internship phase of the semester. I really liked the location and the organization and the women I met were very nice. I should be all set with this placement, and am due to start at the end of February! I think it will be a great experience. Just from talking with the staff in an hour this afternoon, I can see that there are different populations of people who need help in the UK, populations that I have never learned about or been in contact with, and who are dealing with different types of violence. I am excited to learn more and am looking forward to that part of the semester.
My roommate and I are heading out to Amsterdam early tomorrow morning, so there will be many more stories when we return!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Weekend in Paris
I got back late last night from an amazing and full weekend in Paris! We arrived early Friday morning and did as much as we could possibly do until we collapsed Sunday afternoon!
The night bus was a great way to travel. It was not the most comfortable thing, but I was able to sleep on and off, and was "rested" and ready to go when we arrived at 7:30 Friday morning. When we finally did arrive, we got breakfast at a cafe (chocolate croissants are even more amazing in France, obviously, than at home!) and headed on a train to Versailles. I was really glad that we were able to go out there, since seeing the gigantic, ornate palace was one of the highlights of the trip. It was even bigger than I had imagined it and each room was more elegant than the one before. It was easy to see how frustrating it must have been to have a monarch living in such luxury when his people were suffering so badly. We also saw the gardens which were gorgeous! I can only imagine how pretty it would be in the springtime!
Friday evening on the way back into Paris we got off the train and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up by night. It was stunning. I wasn't expecting to be that moved by it, since it is such a recognizable building, but standing under it really brought home the notion that I was in France. It was incredible! And every hour, on the hour the tower comes alive with sparkling white lights that makes it look covered in diamonds. It was a very nice surprise!
That night we also walked down the Champs Elysees, saw the Arc d Triomphe and got crepes! A full but wonderful day!
Saturday we woke up early and walked up the hill from our hotel in Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur. This was my first time seeing such an old cathedral, and walking inside was an incredible experience. I am not convinced that there is nothing like walking into a real cathedral for the first time. I knew it would be beautiful but standing under the high ceilings surrounded by all the decoration and candles was more moving than I expected. The view from outside the cathedral was brilliant, and if it hadn't been cloudy, we would have been able to see all of Paris!
For the rest of the day, we worked our way through the main sights. We went down to Notre Dame which was beautiful, and again I could not believe I was actually standing in front of it! We walked from there to Angelina, a cafe recommended to me and most of my travelling partners. They have famous, thick hot chocolate which was the most delicious thing I have ever injested. It was creamy, liquid pudding that came with real hand whipped cream. After Angelina we walked off our hot chocolate at the Louvre!
Because the Louvre is so big and we only had a limited amount of time in the city, we did the really short version and stayed for only about 2 hours. Despite the short amount of time, I saw everything on my list. We walked through the Italian and French painting hallways, passing Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, The Coronation of Napoleon, La Belle Jardiniere, Madonna on the Rocks. Every time I turned a corner there was another famous painting I had grown up seeing in history and art books! We also went through the main sculpture galleries to see Venus de Milo and Winged Victory, which was even more moving in person. I was walking through a hallway with one of my roommates and we both stopped and looked up, and up a flight of stairs was the statue. It was breathtaking!
After the Louvre we bought some cheese and baguettes and made our way over to the Paris Opera. It was a gorgeous building but I was excited to be on the street it is located on, Boulevard des Capucines. This is the street where the first Impressionist exhibition was held many years ago, and many of the artists painted views from this street. I was so excited to be in a place that I knew, for sure, most of my favorite artists had been too. Seeing what they had seen, however different it is today, was amazing! It then started raining so my group and I stole some tables at a McDonald's and feasted on our bread and cheese! It was the best meal I've had at McDonald's for sure!
Saturday night was my favorite part of the trip. Four of us, from our group of 7, went out to a little Italian restaurant and then split a bottle of wine in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was gorgeous and a perfect last night for our weekend trip!
Sunday, up early again, we went to Musee d'Orsay, which I have been dreaming about for years! It houses many of the most famous Impressionist works, such as Manet's Olympia and Dejeuner sur l'Herbe, Degas' sculpture of the ballerina, Monet's Dejeuner, and countless others. It was paradise for me! Every room had another painting I had studied, another work I could not believe I was seeing in person! It also had some works I had never seen before, like a Monet of women under lilac bushes (my favorite!) and a special exhibit of the artist Ensor. He was a pleasant surprise! It was by far the best collection I have ever seen and I wish I could have gotten lost in there for hours!
...but alas! For the rest of the day we saw the sights we had missed like Place d Concorde, the Tuileries gardens and the Bastille. It was a day of a lot of walking, but I was glad we saw the city that way. It is much easier to see the different sections and get to know a city when you are travelling by foot. By the end of the day Sunday though, everyone was exhausted and ready to come back to London.
Returning was a great feeling, since the last time I flew into Heathrow Airport, I was nervous and unsure of what I would find. Flying in last night I was comforted by the fact that I wasn't nervous any more, but excited and happy to be back in this place. In just two weeks London has become a home away from home and it is great to be back!
The night bus was a great way to travel. It was not the most comfortable thing, but I was able to sleep on and off, and was "rested" and ready to go when we arrived at 7:30 Friday morning. When we finally did arrive, we got breakfast at a cafe (chocolate croissants are even more amazing in France, obviously, than at home!) and headed on a train to Versailles. I was really glad that we were able to go out there, since seeing the gigantic, ornate palace was one of the highlights of the trip. It was even bigger than I had imagined it and each room was more elegant than the one before. It was easy to see how frustrating it must have been to have a monarch living in such luxury when his people were suffering so badly. We also saw the gardens which were gorgeous! I can only imagine how pretty it would be in the springtime!
Friday evening on the way back into Paris we got off the train and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up by night. It was stunning. I wasn't expecting to be that moved by it, since it is such a recognizable building, but standing under it really brought home the notion that I was in France. It was incredible! And every hour, on the hour the tower comes alive with sparkling white lights that makes it look covered in diamonds. It was a very nice surprise!
That night we also walked down the Champs Elysees, saw the Arc d Triomphe and got crepes! A full but wonderful day!
Saturday we woke up early and walked up the hill from our hotel in Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur. This was my first time seeing such an old cathedral, and walking inside was an incredible experience. I am not convinced that there is nothing like walking into a real cathedral for the first time. I knew it would be beautiful but standing under the high ceilings surrounded by all the decoration and candles was more moving than I expected. The view from outside the cathedral was brilliant, and if it hadn't been cloudy, we would have been able to see all of Paris!
For the rest of the day, we worked our way through the main sights. We went down to Notre Dame which was beautiful, and again I could not believe I was actually standing in front of it! We walked from there to Angelina, a cafe recommended to me and most of my travelling partners. They have famous, thick hot chocolate which was the most delicious thing I have ever injested. It was creamy, liquid pudding that came with real hand whipped cream. After Angelina we walked off our hot chocolate at the Louvre!
Because the Louvre is so big and we only had a limited amount of time in the city, we did the really short version and stayed for only about 2 hours. Despite the short amount of time, I saw everything on my list. We walked through the Italian and French painting hallways, passing Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, The Coronation of Napoleon, La Belle Jardiniere, Madonna on the Rocks. Every time I turned a corner there was another famous painting I had grown up seeing in history and art books! We also went through the main sculpture galleries to see Venus de Milo and Winged Victory, which was even more moving in person. I was walking through a hallway with one of my roommates and we both stopped and looked up, and up a flight of stairs was the statue. It was breathtaking!
After the Louvre we bought some cheese and baguettes and made our way over to the Paris Opera. It was a gorgeous building but I was excited to be on the street it is located on, Boulevard des Capucines. This is the street where the first Impressionist exhibition was held many years ago, and many of the artists painted views from this street. I was so excited to be in a place that I knew, for sure, most of my favorite artists had been too. Seeing what they had seen, however different it is today, was amazing! It then started raining so my group and I stole some tables at a McDonald's and feasted on our bread and cheese! It was the best meal I've had at McDonald's for sure!
Saturday night was my favorite part of the trip. Four of us, from our group of 7, went out to a little Italian restaurant and then split a bottle of wine in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was gorgeous and a perfect last night for our weekend trip!
Sunday, up early again, we went to Musee d'Orsay, which I have been dreaming about for years! It houses many of the most famous Impressionist works, such as Manet's Olympia and Dejeuner sur l'Herbe, Degas' sculpture of the ballerina, Monet's Dejeuner, and countless others. It was paradise for me! Every room had another painting I had studied, another work I could not believe I was seeing in person! It also had some works I had never seen before, like a Monet of women under lilac bushes (my favorite!) and a special exhibit of the artist Ensor. He was a pleasant surprise! It was by far the best collection I have ever seen and I wish I could have gotten lost in there for hours!
...but alas! For the rest of the day we saw the sights we had missed like Place d Concorde, the Tuileries gardens and the Bastille. It was a day of a lot of walking, but I was glad we saw the city that way. It is much easier to see the different sections and get to know a city when you are travelling by foot. By the end of the day Sunday though, everyone was exhausted and ready to come back to London.
Returning was a great feeling, since the last time I flew into Heathrow Airport, I was nervous and unsure of what I would find. Flying in last night I was comforted by the fact that I wasn't nervous any more, but excited and happy to be back in this place. In just two weeks London has become a home away from home and it is great to be back!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday was my first elective class, and it went fairly well. I think I will enjoy my core psychology class better, but the professor was very nice and cracked some pretty good jokes! The class is called Contemporary Issues in British Welfare, and I am hoping that it will pick up as we go along, because for now it is full of policy and the history behind welfare. One interesting bit about it though is that it is taught (more so than my other class) in the British style, where you have your final assignments, and so spend the semester reading and researching for them rather than doing readings each week which may or may not be interesting to you. I like this much better, since I can pick what I read and therefore actually end up enjoying it!
Monday night, spur of the moment, one of my roommates and I went into central London to see Fanfarlo give a free concert! It was at this awesome record shop in London, Rough Trade, which I will definitely be checking out again. The concert was right in the store, and so we were really close to the band and could have walked right up to them at the end! It was really casual and fun!
The concert took us to a dodgey part of London which, though uncomfortable, was important for us to see. BU is located in Kensington, the wealthiest area in all of London, and while I like feeling safe and secure walking around the streets at night, it is important that we recognize that all of London is not like that. I won't be rushing off to these parts at night again most likely, but I would like to be exposed to the other corners during my time here.
Tuesday was spent in class and doing homework, but then in the evening I went to see The Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House. It was a beautiful ballet and I was mesmorized by the elaborate costumes! I am unfamiliar with the ballet and so was surprised by the lack of plot and how so much of it was conveyed through hand signals! But the dancing was beautiful and it was really enjoyable! At one point, the ballerina playing Aurora stood on one toe and balanced as four men danced to her in turn and turned her around. It was astounding how long she stayed in that position!
Today I had my core class and we took a field trip to the Wellcome Collection in London. This is a medical museum, but they had an exhibition on identity, which fit in well with our topic in psychology. The exhibit was really interesting; it was called "Eight Rooms, Nine Lives" and consisted of eight different rooms based on different people and their expression of identity. There was one room with the diaries of Samuel Pepys and the diaries of normal, everday people of various ages. It was exploring whether a person could really ever write honestly in a diary, or if we are always writing with the intention of having someone else read it. Another room focused on the identity of a well known transgendered model, another on an actress, identical twins and others. The "Nine Lives" part was that the visitors were included in the exhibit through the use of mirrors. They had an interesting mirror that, instead of showing your reflection, taped you as you walked past. So in the moment you could not see yourself, but instead could see the person who had walked there a few minutes before you. It was really interesting looking into it and expecting to see yourself, but seeing someone else instead.
Tonight I went to see Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic Theatre. It was an amazing show! I had already seen the movie, but the acting was so well done that I was completley wrapped up in the story! It has inspired me to find student tickets to more shows this semester!
I am heading off to Paris tomorrow night and getting back on Sunday. I'm really excited! (especially for the museums!)
Monday, January 18, 2010
My First Weekend in London
I had a lovely first weekend in London! Friday night a bunch of us ventured to Soho and went to a nice Greek restaurant for dinner. Saturday two friends and I walked up to Notting Hill, about a 20 minute walk, for the famous Portobello Market. It was a very rainy day but the market was full of people and delicious looking foods! There were also all kind of trinkets and merchandise for sale. The area was really nice and I would have liked to explore more but torrential rain sent us and the market packing.
After this wet excursion I went to the British Museum. On the way I found the YMCA on Tottenham Court Road where my dad stayed when he was abroad in London. It was really nice to see a place that I had heard my dad talk about with fond memories and made home seem just a little bit closer to me.
The British Musuem, obviously huge with lots of amazing artifacts, was a great way to spend my rainy afternoon. I was really looking forward to seeing the Sutton Hoo Burial Helmet, which I had studied in art history, as well as the Parthenon marbles. The marbles were even more gorgeous in real life than I imagined. One of my favorite parts of sculpture is how the sculpters are able to make the clothes drape so delicately over the body, and the drapery on these marbles was stunning! The Rosetta Stone was also really interesting to see! I may go back during a weekday so I can get a less hassled look!
Sunday I went on a group trip through the program out to Windsor Castle and the Eton School. Windsor Castle is still one of the residences of the Queen and so is very well kept, with standing guards and everything. The Irish were on guard yesterday! Also Windsor Castle has Queen Mary's dollhouse, which was amazing! Everything is to scale and it is fully functioning, with electricity and gas! It was gorgeous, and incredibly detailed with everything from thrones to miniature crown jewels! The Eton School was also nice to see; it is the private (called public) school that Princes William and Harry attended.
It is now the start of the class week, but I have Paris to look forward to this weekend! :)
After this wet excursion I went to the British Museum. On the way I found the YMCA on Tottenham Court Road where my dad stayed when he was abroad in London. It was really nice to see a place that I had heard my dad talk about with fond memories and made home seem just a little bit closer to me.
The British Musuem, obviously huge with lots of amazing artifacts, was a great way to spend my rainy afternoon. I was really looking forward to seeing the Sutton Hoo Burial Helmet, which I had studied in art history, as well as the Parthenon marbles. The marbles were even more gorgeous in real life than I imagined. One of my favorite parts of sculpture is how the sculpters are able to make the clothes drape so delicately over the body, and the drapery on these marbles was stunning! The Rosetta Stone was also really interesting to see! I may go back during a weekday so I can get a less hassled look!
Sunday I went on a group trip through the program out to Windsor Castle and the Eton School. Windsor Castle is still one of the residences of the Queen and so is very well kept, with standing guards and everything. The Irish were on guard yesterday! Also Windsor Castle has Queen Mary's dollhouse, which was amazing! Everything is to scale and it is fully functioning, with electricity and gas! It was gorgeous, and incredibly detailed with everything from thrones to miniature crown jewels! The Eton School was also nice to see; it is the private (called public) school that Princes William and Harry attended.
It is now the start of the class week, but I have Paris to look forward to this weekend! :)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Today, Friday, was a free day! I finally got to catch up on some sleep and so now am fully awake and ready to explore!
Wednesday was the last day of orientation, so we had a lot of lectures. Most were interesting, and focused on art around London, this history of the Grand Tour, this history of the UK and British culture. It was a lot of information but was helpful, like why there is a Prince of Wales and what the difference is between England and the United Kingdom. The most interesting part was that about British culture. It was given by the professor teaching my "British Youth Culture" class later in the semester and he was very engaging! I'm looking forward to learning more about it!
Wednesday night the program held a comedy show in the main school building. The comedian was funny, and it was fun to hear some British comedy. The comedian worked well with the crowd, mostly making fun of the students which was very entertaining.
Thursday was the first day of class! Each class meets for 4 hours at a time, two times a week. Yesterday I had "Psychology and Social Issues" which seems really promising! The professor is very nice and is obviously knowledgeable about many different aspects of psychology (including art therapy!). The first half was a lecture, though he let us do most of the talking. The second half was a field trip to the Imperial College Science Museum down the street that includes a small psychology exhibit. We will be going on field trips to many other museums in the city throughout the semester which will be a great way to see London, get closer with the professor and the students in the class! It seems like it is going to be great!
After class I went to the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House. It is a tiny gallery with only two small floors but has some fantastic paintings. Manet's Bar at the Folies-Bergere was the main reason I wanted to visit, and it was breathtaking in person! I have studied this painting and seen it reproduced in books but was so impressed by the canvas itself. The Gallery also had another Manet, a boat scene, painted in unusually bright colors that was absolutely stunning. There were also an impressive selection of Kandinsky's, Cezanne's and a great van Gogh.
After seeing the Gallery, my friend Emily and I stood out in the cold waiting to see Vampire Weekend perform at Somerset House. The band was putting on a free concert to celebrate the release of their second album. They played on a balcony over looking the courtyard, where all the fans stood. It was great to see Vampire Weekend again, and in London, and hear some of their new songs!
After that (Thursday was a long day!) was a party put on by the program for the start of semester. It was in Covent Garden, a really trendy part of London. It was a great time! Half of the club was reserved for BU students and there was a lot of dancing and was a great way to meet people I had not bumped into yet.
And that brings us to today! I had a meeting with the BU internship placement team and I am officially going to be interning with an organization called Solace Women's Aid. It looks like it will be a great experience and I am exciting to start in February!
Today I also went to the Victoria & Albert Museum, that is right around the corner from my flat. It was an absolutely amazing museum with so many things to see! It was a very interesting collection housing metal works, sculptures, tapestries, paintings, jewelry and fashion from different times periods and countries all over the world! I liked that it contained so many different types of things, as each room was new and exciting.
Wednesday was the last day of orientation, so we had a lot of lectures. Most were interesting, and focused on art around London, this history of the Grand Tour, this history of the UK and British culture. It was a lot of information but was helpful, like why there is a Prince of Wales and what the difference is between England and the United Kingdom. The most interesting part was that about British culture. It was given by the professor teaching my "British Youth Culture" class later in the semester and he was very engaging! I'm looking forward to learning more about it!
Wednesday night the program held a comedy show in the main school building. The comedian was funny, and it was fun to hear some British comedy. The comedian worked well with the crowd, mostly making fun of the students which was very entertaining.
Thursday was the first day of class! Each class meets for 4 hours at a time, two times a week. Yesterday I had "Psychology and Social Issues" which seems really promising! The professor is very nice and is obviously knowledgeable about many different aspects of psychology (including art therapy!). The first half was a lecture, though he let us do most of the talking. The second half was a field trip to the Imperial College Science Museum down the street that includes a small psychology exhibit. We will be going on field trips to many other museums in the city throughout the semester which will be a great way to see London, get closer with the professor and the students in the class! It seems like it is going to be great!
After class I went to the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House. It is a tiny gallery with only two small floors but has some fantastic paintings. Manet's Bar at the Folies-Bergere was the main reason I wanted to visit, and it was breathtaking in person! I have studied this painting and seen it reproduced in books but was so impressed by the canvas itself. The Gallery also had another Manet, a boat scene, painted in unusually bright colors that was absolutely stunning. There were also an impressive selection of Kandinsky's, Cezanne's and a great van Gogh.
After seeing the Gallery, my friend Emily and I stood out in the cold waiting to see Vampire Weekend perform at Somerset House. The band was putting on a free concert to celebrate the release of their second album. They played on a balcony over looking the courtyard, where all the fans stood. It was great to see Vampire Weekend again, and in London, and hear some of their new songs!
After that (Thursday was a long day!) was a party put on by the program for the start of semester. It was in Covent Garden, a really trendy part of London. It was a great time! Half of the club was reserved for BU students and there was a lot of dancing and was a great way to meet people I had not bumped into yet.
And that brings us to today! I had a meeting with the BU internship placement team and I am officially going to be interning with an organization called Solace Women's Aid. It looks like it will be a great experience and I am exciting to start in February!
Today I also went to the Victoria & Albert Museum, that is right around the corner from my flat. It was an absolutely amazing museum with so many things to see! It was a very interesting collection housing metal works, sculptures, tapestries, paintings, jewelry and fashion from different times periods and countries all over the world! I liked that it contained so many different types of things, as each room was new and exciting.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I am now on day three of London! Still getting used to the time change, but more used to everything here!
Yesterday, Monday, was fun. My roommates and I woke up fairly early and walked down to Harrod's! It was about a 10-15 minute walk from our flat. It was huge and much fancier than any store I have ever been in! Everything was beautiful and sparkly and I was very surprised by the full grocery store in the middle of it! The kids' section was fascinating! All the clothes were like gorgeous pieces that I wish I could enlarge! It was a great experience though and I'm going to have to go back for tea!
In the afternoon program sponsored a boat tour of London on the Thames which was a great way to get a first glimpse of some of the sights! We passed by Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, the Globe Theatre, City Hall, the Tower of London, the spot where the Mayflower took off from! It was a pretty long tour and we went from being in the center of London to the shipping areas where Charles Dickens went to get inspiration. Seeing the city transform like that was very interesting. I am excited to explore and get more familiar with all the sections. It was alos great timing becuase the boat went out when it was still light and then back when it was dark so all the fancy building lights came on! It was definitely a perfect introduction to London!
On this program we are in charge of cooking for ourselves, which I was not at all prepared for! But the food is not expensive over here. And the premade sandwiches are SO good. Back home I stay clear of them, since they are usually freezer burnt or soggy but over here they have actual veggies in them and are fresh! It was a great find!
Last night there was a pub night at Imperial College, which is right down the street from us. It is nice because BU has a partnership with them so all BU students get honorary membership to the college services. A bunch of us played darts with some British guys who helped us figure out the scoring. It was fun to interact with some local people! I think we will go back there, since the food and drinks were really cheap and being a block away is really convenient!
Last night there was a pub night at Imperial College, which is right down the street from us. It is nice because BU has a partnership with them so all BU students get honorary membership to the college services. A bunch of us played darts with some British guys who helped us figure out the scoring. It was fun to interact with some local people! I think we will go back there, since the food and drinks were really cheap and being a block away is really convenient!
It has been freezing cold here and cloudy every day. No rain yet though! And getting a hang of the money is not as bad as I expected it to be! Figuring out which coin is which is complicated but besides that the pound notes and coins are alright.
Today was the least exciting day so far. We are in orientation right now so today was filled with lectures. The British police came to talk to us (I can't lie, I thought of "Hot Fuzz") and we also had the beginning of our lecture series that is basically Britain 101. It is helpful though, since its going over some history and economics and other basic things we should know to be immersed in the culture. More of that tomorrow and then class starts on Thursday!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Maeve Hops the Pond!
I am officially here in London! The trip went smoothly, aside from turbulence and extremely crowded seats! Getting off the plane and working my way through the airport (with a buddy from the plane) didn't seem as monumental as I had expected it to. It didn't feel like a different country, and it is still hard to comprehend that I flew over the Atlantic Ocean last night!
The building where I am living, called the Crofton, is really nice. It is in a great neighborhood surrounded by embassies and museums. My room is huge, with a private bathroom complete with a shower! My roommates are great and we have made lots of plans to travel and see things around the city together. I've also seen my friend Emily who is living in the same building, and it is nice to have her close by.
Exploring the neighborhood has been so much fun. A block up the street is Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, as well as Kensington High Street that has a lot of shops I need to check out! But the part I've enjoyed most is looking down the alley's. They are all so quaint and I want to explore them all! I love the flower stands that are randomly placed along the streets, brightening the grey surroundings.
Tomorrow we are going to walk to Harrod's and then take a boat tour on the Thames which will go past most of the main attractions! I'm excited to see more but also excited to not be this tired anymore!
The building where I am living, called the Crofton, is really nice. It is in a great neighborhood surrounded by embassies and museums. My room is huge, with a private bathroom complete with a shower! My roommates are great and we have made lots of plans to travel and see things around the city together. I've also seen my friend Emily who is living in the same building, and it is nice to have her close by.
Exploring the neighborhood has been so much fun. A block up the street is Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, as well as Kensington High Street that has a lot of shops I need to check out! But the part I've enjoyed most is looking down the alley's. They are all so quaint and I want to explore them all! I love the flower stands that are randomly placed along the streets, brightening the grey surroundings.
Tomorrow we are going to walk to Harrod's and then take a boat tour on the Thames which will go past most of the main attractions! I'm excited to see more but also excited to not be this tired anymore!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Hi everyone! I am in the process of getting ready to fly out this Saturday and am starting to get more excited! Thanks for checking in (and I promise to have more exciting things to post once I actually get there!)
I will be living in a really nice part of London, off Kensington Gardens. The address is:
Room 26
Constable 1st Floor
The Crofton
14 Queen's Gate
Kensington, London
SW7 5EN
I will be living in a really nice part of London, off Kensington Gardens. The address is:
Room 26
Constable 1st Floor
The Crofton
14 Queen's Gate
Kensington, London
SW7 5EN
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
