I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello.

Well I have officially left London. I’m writing this post from a terminal in the Toronto airport where I already am missing my home in Islington. It just doesn’t feel right to not be the person with an accent. 

My last few weeks in London were incredible and bittersweet. It started to hit me that I’d be leaving this beautiful city after my school orchestra concert. My friend Cailey and I were wandering the streets at night finding our way back to our flat and then to one of our favorite pubs, cello in tow and in concert dress, when we made the realisation that this is what we’d miss.We had both resolved to come back and visit the UK in the future but it was the act of living in London and being a Londoner that will be hard to come by again. When you live here and aren’t rushed to see all the sites, you get to see the heart of the city. The random city streets, local pubs and restaurants, knowing the tube and local bus routes like that back of your hand, and looking the right way when crossing the streets. This is what you don’t get when you go on holiday.

I’m really glad I started coming to grips with things a few weeks before I left. That way, I began accepting the change I was about to go through and said my goodbyes to the incredible city. The ‘lasts’ began to build up: last late night train ride, last late night library session, last time atop a double decker with my cello, last time grocery shopping, last afternoon tea, last pub. It’s all a bit overwhelming to think about now. 

Studying abroad has been a truly incredible experience for me. When you go to DU, study abroad is something most people always just assume they’ll do but it’s so surreal for it to be over now. I remember the night I chose the City University programme: I had been channeling all of my efforts into setting up a program in South America and when it became apparent that that would not be feasible, I was a bit down. I put off making a decision about another programme until the last minute. I had only just decided on London when I had to narrow it down between two programmes, one whose application was due that night and one whose application was due in a few weeks. I called my good friend Calvin, and he came over to help me talk through my decision (big thanks to Calvin for that, by the way). I finally settled on City U and stayed up all night writing essays for my app. I spent the next day running around, getting signatures and handing in forms halfheartedly. Looking back, I am so thankful to sophomore Gill for going through that. Sometimes I look at blogs of my friends and fellow classmates who studied in amazing places and think of how different my experience would have been if I had chosen a programme in Africa or Italy. I know they would have been amazing and challenging in their own ways, but I am completely happy and fulfilled with my choice of City. This has been a perfect 3 months in all its excitement, opportunities, challenges, and imperfections. 

I spent my last week in London soaking it all in. Ice skating at the Tower of London, meandering through The Stables at Camden Market, eating all my favorite foods, getting a few last pints of my favorite beers, and just strolling around the beautiful streets of Islington. One of the experiences in this past week that really hit me was when I finally rode the London Eye. It’s something I had wanted to do ever since I came to London but I’m glad I saved it until the end. Andie and I went at night and saw London all lit up and sprawling in every direction as far as the eye can see. I felt really connected to London in that moment. I was able to see all the sites I’d seen and say one last goodbye to London.

I am going to miss hearing all the different languages every day and seeing all the amazing coats and shoes on people as they rush by. I’ll miss double deckers driving on the left-hand side and the tube recording saying ‘mind the gap’ every 5 seconds. I’ll miss clotted cream and pubs. But not together. And I’ll miss seeing Georgian houses lining the streets. But, after taking some advice from the Beatles, instead of saying goodbye, I’ll say hello. Hello to memories which will always hold a place in my heart and hello to the UK again sometime soon.

Now bring us some figgy pudding!

London at Christmastime is just wonderful. I’m so glad to be here right as the city’s getting all dressed up for the holidays. As a disclaimer, I will note that with the lack of Thanksgiving to mark an appropriate time to begin celebrating Christmas, London jumps the gun a bit with the Christmas decorating. But, now that it’s well into December, I feel alright about partaking in the general Christmasyness of the city.

Carolers at Trafalgar Square

So how does London do Christmas? I’m glad you asked. First, you need lots, and I mean lots, of Christmas trees. You find them in all of the normal suspects- Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s, but they also pop up in just about every nook and cranny of my school and even in my dorm. Next, you need lots of tasty Christmas drinks in festive settings. For example, I had a glass of mulled wine at the Renaissance bit of a Christmas fair I went to in Lincoln. Or, my personal favorite: hot spiced cider from my one of my favorite pubs, The Eagle. Another wonderful thing about Christmas in London is all the outdoor ice rinks that pop up around the city. There were ones all over including ones at the Natural History Museum, Sommerset House, and my personal favorite- the Tower of London. My friend Andie and I went ice skating at the Tower of London and it was incredible! We were skating in the moat of an 11th century castle. Only in London... 

Ice skaters at the Tower of London

Add sparkling Christmas lights in every neighborhood, and Christmas is definitely in the air. We even had a Christmas celebration in my dorm with mulled wine, mince pies, and a random group of the musicians living in Liberty Hall playing some holiday tunes. 

And whilst I’m on the topic of music, I guess this would be a good time to talk about Cello Christmas. Yes, Cello Christmas (a gift in its own, really). This is made up of a 16-piece cello orchestra playing Christmas carols. It’s quite a hoot really. It is an annual concert organised by my private teacher, Alice each year to raise funds for the local hospice. On top of playing carols, Julia and I played the Vivaldi Double which was tons of fun and the orchestra played some traditional English folk songs- when the audience started singing along, I couldn’t stop beaming. I believe the surprisingly high number of random people dressed up walking around London casually in their full Santa dress also merit a mention in this post. This was an enigma I never understood. 

I also got the chance to attend a small service at Westminster Abbey and a beautiful concert of carols at St. Paul's. While the service at St Paul's was grand and had had a real sense of tradition to it, the service at Westmister Abbey was also really cool because it was very quiet and intimate. I feel really lucky to have been able to attend both in two of the world's most historic and beautiful cathedrals. 

Well, that in a nutshell was my experience of Christmas in London. It was really wonderful to be here for that time of year but I am excited to be home to spend the holiday with my family. 

Just some bits and bobs

This title refers to one of my favorite colloquialisms that I’ve stumbled on here in London. And that is exactly what this post will be about: random things that I have meant to share that I haven’t been able to yet. So I apologize for the lack of cohesiveness that is about to ensue. 

First off, I guess I’ll talk about a recent revelation I’ve had: study abroad is like a relationship. London is my boyfriend. You see, it was love at first sight and we had this whirlwind of a time for the first month but now the honeymoon stage is over. Whilst I still am very much in love with London, certain things are starting to get under my skin a bit. Everything isn’t as perfect as it used to be. Well now that that super lame reference is done with, you get the point. You never really appreciate the conveniences you have in the US, but when they’re gone, you definitely notice. I basically can do two or three things a day here, like class and a concert, or rehearsal and a lesson, because things just take much longer. A few weeks ago it took me 5 hours to get from my flat to my lesson, have my lesson, and come back. I also cannot wait to sleep in a real bed with a real pillow. But I still very much love London and am enjoying my stay here so I hope this doesn’t sound like me complaining. I think it’s actually pretty cool to be able to live in another country for long enough that you start to get sick of it just a tiny little bit.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Hey! Being in London for the 5th was pretty cool. I learned a bit about Guy Fawkes in my history class and saw fireworks that night in Southwark. It was a really great show and it was free! Free in London is very special. I kinda think of the 5th as a day to celebrate that one time that London didn’t completely burn to the ground. And boy do they celebrate- I kept hearing fireworks for about a week after the 5th.

I’m not sure if I’ve written much about my cello teacher yet. She and Rich met at school in Indiana and she moved out to London to study with du Pre and just never went back! (hmm, planting some ideas in my head, Alice) Well Alice has been a bit like a mom, ahem, mum, to me over here. She’s always above and beyond accommodating for me which has just added so much to my experience here. If I studied with some random teacher through my school, I’m sure the relationship wouldn’t be as personal and I’m so grateful to study with her here! Oh yeah, she’s a great teacher and cellist, guess I should mention that too but I mean she studied with Starker and du Pre, it's pretty self-explanitory ;) I also joined the orchestra she’s in over here called the Bromley Symphony Orchestra. The conductor’s brilliant and the ensemble is really quite high quality so there’s another thing to be thankful for. 

Speaking of thanks, today is Thanksgiving! It was a bit sad to not be spending today with family but I still had a wonderful day. I had my Middle Eastern Music class this morning and we had a workshop with an Iraqi musician named Khya Mallami. I think it was a testament to how awesome the study abroad experience is that I spent my Thanksgiving learning about and improvising Arab art music. I just can't get over how cool that is. After that, my friend Toria and I (tried to) make Thanksgiving dinner. I think we did alright- no major disasters, everything tasted good. Just not as good as a mom making it of course. Or Grandpa’s mashed potatoes :)

The last bit (or is it bob?) that I’ll write about for now is my experience playing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. I got to read through Dvorak ‘New World’ with some members of the BBCSO as part of a community outreach program. It was quite a hike to their studios but a really lovely experience. I particularly enjoyed the conductor’s style and rehearsal technique. It was also cool to see lots of members from the community show up and see how excited they were. And why wouldn't you be? BBC Symphony? Come on, that's pretty awesome. 

Alright enough procrasti-blogging. Time to get some sleep and motivate myself to finish the massive amount of work I have left here. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Finland!

Hei hei from Finland! This past weekend I took a trip to Finland to meet up with my Aunt Cheryl who was there for ‘work’ ;) I flew in on Thursday afternoon to a cloudy and brisk Helsinki. After finding my way to the hotel, my aunt and I headed up to the Temppeliaukio Church to attend a concert. The circular Temppeliaukio Church is made from stone and sits underneath the ground. The ceiling is rounded and looks like it is spun from thin copper wires. Beautiful, simple, and inviting, this first stop proved to be a nice little taste of what the rest of my glimpse into Finnish culture would be like. 

On the program was the Brahms Violin Concerto, Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks Concerto, and Beethoven 4. The orchestra was a chamber group called the Kymi Sinfonietta made up of only 31 musicians. During the first notes of the concert, the beautiful, gentle opening tutti of the Brahms, I realized that in a perfect world, I would just travel the world, listening to different musics and ensembles. It’s so exciting to see how music can transcend borders but also carry its own distinct flavor in each new place. Put the touristy things on the back burner and drop me off at a concert hall. 

The violinist, Kyoko Takezawa, reminded me of a favorite piece of advice Rich likes to give. He says: “Brahms was a fat man. This is a fat man’s allegro.” Her interpretation was broad and indulgent. Every note was beautiful and lush- not a single harsh tone came from her Guarneri (hmm not too much of a stretch to imagine right?). The Stravinsky looked like pure fun to play, and the Beethoven was really dynamic.

The next day was a day trip out to Porvoo, a small, medieval town about 50 kilometers outside of Helsinki. The day was spent strolling through it’s cobblestone streets, wandering in and out of local stores. Let me just say that the Fins know how to do Christmas. I mean I hear Santa and his reindeer are from the Laplands, so it makes sense. All the stores were selling the most wonderful presents and decorations. Since Finland loses light so early in the winter (cars have their headlights on at 14:30), they have the most beautiful candles. Every shop had tons and tons of gorgeous candles and decorative candle holders. After a light lunch in a little cafe, it was back to Helsinki. That night we had dinner with my aunts friends and coworkers whom I got to know a bit over the course of the trip. Even though she kept teasing me about being stuck with the old bitties, it was a nice change of pace to have a different sort of company.

That brings us to my last day in Finland. We started the day off at a market by the water. My favorite purchase of the trip was from a man selling yarn in a booth there. It is a hat/scarf love child and is the warmest, coziest thing I’ve ever put on me head. His wife spins the wool and dyes it herself with dyes made from mushrooms and berries- pretty freaking awesome, Finland, pretty freaking awesome. On our way back from the market, we passed by two of Helsinki’s beautiful churches and one very, very large Christmas tree. We also finally triumphed in our quest to find Gloggi, courtesy of a man, his daughter, and his little food cart. In the front of the shed was one fire roasting chestnuts and one making candied almonds (smelled amazing!!) with a pot of Gloggi on in the back. So what is this mysterious Gloggi? Well I’m still not entirely sure. It was reminiscent of warm apple cider with berries, spices, and wine. It was cozy and very Christmas-y. Next we walked up to the Sibelius monument. Something like a forest of organ pipes, it was awesome to see a monument to this country’s beloved, rock-star status composer.

As we walked back along the water, we grabbed lunch at the most amazing little... well I’m not really sure what to call it. Nestled right along the water, it was a cafe about the size of a shack and was packed to the brim with coziness. It seems to me that the Fins like things cozy. We first ate outside- split pea soup and some sort of sausage from a grill on the back of a station wagon parked out front (delicious). Then we went inside for tea and pastries. I really can’t do this place justice- soft lighting, nice and warm, there were 3 or 4 dogs laying on the floor and a bunch of locals crammed in next to each other. There were loads of pictures, instruments, and china hanging from the walls and ceiling, each I’m sure with their own story to tell. If you were leaving the cafe with your hands full, there was a pulley system from behind the counter with a rope running across the ceiling to open the door for you. And when you wanted to come back in to return your plate, the handle was an axe wedged in the door. Packed to the brim with Finnish comfort, I spent the rest of the trip spending nice quality time with my aunt.

From what I saw, the Fins are warm, inviting, intelligent, and appreciate simplicity in life.  This was a great trip to open my eyes up to a very different and beautiful culture. But now, I must say I am ready to go home to London and all of its craziness. 

Brighton and Harrogate

So far I have taken two trips within England to a few very different places. They were both a beautiful and welcomed breath of fresh, clean, non-city air.

My first adventure was a day trip with my friend Cailey to Brighton- a seaside town in Sussex. First on the agenda: the Royal Pavilion. Actual first activity: getting mildly lost. The wonderful thing about small towns though is you can’t really get too lost so we managed to stumble across the Royal Pavilion after only looking like stupid tourists for a few minutes. The Royal Pavilion was definitely unlike anything I’ve seen in the UK so far. You kinda have to double check that you’re actually still in the UK when you see it. Its’ extravagant, Indian-inspired architecture is striking to say the least. The Royal Pavilion is the former seaside retreat of King George IV and is very extravagantly decorated on the inside. Now I will leave you to google images of that and spend my time describing tea. Yes. We in fact did have tea in a palace in England. And yes, it was fabulous. I had tea, hand-made soup and fresh bread. It was the kind of soup that you know has been simmering all morning whilst being stirred by the person who made the recipe. Across from me, Cailey enjoyed her scone and clotted cream- more on the wonders of clotted cream to come. Overall, it was the perfect brunchy-palacey-homemadey meal.

Next we wandered to the sea (Jack Johnson would be proud). It was a very beautiful beach but had a completely different feel to it. The white sands I am used to from Hawaii were replaced by pebbles and stones in beautiful shades of charcoal, white, and everything in between. The sunscreen scented air and inviting waters were replaced with chilly winds and waves that even sounded different when they washed up on shore. The whole soul of the sea was different there. 

After agreeing that we could spend all day there we forced ourselves on to destination #3- a hike... or shall I say trail walk?

45 minutes of countryside bus riding later, we hopped off and followed our little pamphlet trail guide. To give you an idea of how countryside-y it was, let me copy some of the directions from the pamphle (from the official tourism website)t: 

“turn right at the cattle grid and down the valley to Hope Gap”

“At Hope Gap turn left at the unfenced cliff edge.”

and my personal favorite from a lady on the bus “oh yes, it’s right up here past some sheep.”

And past some sheep we walked! Over mossy grass and along an unfenced cliff edge right on the sea. It was fantastic. We were right next to the Seven Sisters which are these seven beautiful chalky cliffs right along the sea. The trail spit us out right by this cute little pub which served the largest fish and chips I have seen since arriving here which is an impressive feat in itself. Thus ended our perfect teeny tiny little holiday to Brighton.

The next weekend I went to Harrogate with Toria and Nicole. Toria used to live in Harrogate so she and her mom helped us plan an awesome trip there! Harrogate is way up north, pretty close to York. Our first stop there was a beautiful old tea shop called Betty’s. We had the most wonderful afternoon tea there in this really nice room donned with chandeliers, flowers, and little melodies floating from the piano in the corner. Our three-teared platter included finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and little desserty things on top. I will now expound on the wonders of clotted cream. I do not know how life in America exists without it. It is the perfect topping for scones or really anything for that matter. And it’s name is appropriately frank. Eat too much of it and other things are bound to become clotted.

After tea at Betty’s and a good look around the gift shop, we headed out to Pately Bridge. When we got on the bus, we weren’t expecting fare to cost as much as it did and a nice gentleman behind us saw our surprised looks and offered to buy our tickets for us. This is a perfect example of the kindness and generosity of the people I have encountered further away from London. As lovely and helpful as Londoners are, it’s still a big, busy city and people are just trying to get to where they’re going. Life is much more relaxed outside of the city. While we didn’t actually do much at Pately Bridge, our bus ride was beautiful! More sheep and grassy hills and just plain ol’ gorgeous countryside. That night, we slept in real beds. This was a lovely treat seeing as my bed at school, while functional, is quite tiny and not super comfortable. The next day we went to the Turkish Baths, England’s first spa. It involved a steam room, and three heated rooms ranging from 40-70 degrees Celsius. That’s up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Each of these was interspersed with plunges into a super cold pool which lowered your body temperature, enabling you to be able to take in more heat. It was so relaxing and a nice treat to end the trip. 

So those were my two trips out of the city so far. They were both wonderful and welcomed retreats from busy city life. 

Things that I love about London

'ello all! It has been a while since I've updated and I've been keeping very busy. Between my Historic London class where we walk around London for two hours each week, and free time on the weekends, I've been seeing a lot of the city. Instead of running through all of the sites I've seen, some touristy and some not, I figured I'd make a list of things that I've come to love here. Because there are lots.

1. The diversity- London is incredibly diverse. There are over 300 languages spoken in London. I love going through my day hearing different languages, some that I can't even recognize. There is a huge population of international students at City University too so my classes are all made up of people from lots of different countries which provides lots of diverse perspectives. Basically, I love that as an American I feel like the minority. It's so refreshing to feel like I'm not living in my own teeny tiny world.

2. The transportation system- underground, overground, train, bus, bike. Yes, it's expensive, but it's easy and everywhere and everyone uses it. People even have little bikes that they can fold up and take inside once they get to their destination. Even though the tube closes frustratingly early and various lines are closed every weekend, it's impossible to not get to somewhere. If you have a map, you will get there. The Denver light rail needs to step it up...

3. The fashion- London fashion is amazing. It's this mix of elegance, and edge. I'm in love with women's shoes here. They're masculine but chic, strong and sophisticated. Fashion is so individual here unlike in the US how one specific trend can take over and everyone wears it the same way. And now that the weather is getting colder, you get to see all the beautiful coats. And if for some reason you don't get enough fashion on the streets, you can just pop into Harrods- a museum of a department store with pieces from ALL of the top fashion designers. You can easily get lost in there for a day perusing the genius and art of designers of the world.

4. The size- London is just massive. London and it's boroughs span over 600 square miles and has a population of over 7 million. I'm not much of a people watcher, but people watching here is so interesting. And in terms of the city itself, I don't think you could ever run out of things to do and see here.  

5. Scones and clotted cream- no explanation necessary. 

First week of modules

Hey guys! 1 week down, 9 weeks to go. I guess I should start by talking about some of the many differences in the British education system. For starters, it's MUCH more independent. Lecturers give you the topics of each class and expect you to come prepared using any means you deem fit. They usually give you a list of suggested reading which you can choose from. In one of my syllabi, the list was 8 pages long. You also only have class once a week, although some of my classes meet for 3 hours- aka REALLY LONG. And all of my 3 hour classes seem to fall over lunch so it's extra difficult to focus. Another difference is that you go into uni knowing what you want to study and you take courses in that specialty for your whole 3 years, unlike how we get a broad liberal arts knowledge at DU. So that means all of the kids in my International Politics module all really know their stuff and are super passionate about the subject, whereas I feel quite new to the subject. This is actually kinda nice once you get beyond the intimidation factor- it pushes me and brings about some really great conversation.

I had my orchestra audition which was slightly unnecessary because I am the only cellist in the orchestra. But I met the conductor who was very pleasant and I think it may be a good experience regardless. When I told my teacher here, Alice, about this she offered to have me play in her semi-professional orchestra, the Bromley Symphony. I had my first rehearsal with them last night and it was great! Really good quality musicians and a fantastic conductor. Apart from getting home at 23:30, I think I'll look forward to it every week (don't worry mom, very safe and well lit all the way home!)

After my orchestra audition, I attempted to find the football practice, however it was at a different venue this time. With very poor directions and no phone numbers, I hopped on the number 4 bus and rode for about 30 minutes. After lots of confusing....well confusion, I ended up in a really beautiful park. I asked a Turkish man with his young son if he knew where the pitch was and he said he thought it might be a bit further in but he was walking the same way so I walked with him and his son for a while. We had a really nice conversation while he played with his little boy. The boy picked his dad a flower and then rubbed it on his shirt, laughed and ran off. We went in separate directions and I watched as the man and son enjoyed their walk on the beautiful London day. You all probably know how much I hate getting lost- it usually puts me in an awful mood but this time, I was able to appreciate the beauty around me and shrug it off. I never made it to training but I was really proud of myself for turning a stressful situation into something positive.

I'm really starting to settle in here and keep learning things about myself and the world all the time. Next week I hope to add some pictures of the area I live in. Good night for now!

Orientation, BESL (British English as a Second Language), and football!

I had two days of orientation this week which gave me an incredible feeling of deja vu- I quite feel like a freshman again. Not exactly something one wants to repeat, but new campus, new classes, new registration process, a million and one questions- yep. Should've seen it coming. The City University campus is quite small and I am still pondering how they pack 22,000 students in there. It's located in Northampton Square, a really nice little park-like courtyard. Most of the buildings at uni (slang for university) are connected which I imagine will be nice when it starts raining and gets cold, but for now it has this magical effect where suddenly you look up and you're in a new building and you don't know how you got there. This also makes it more difficult to answer your million and one questions because you have to run all over campus for each one. But alas, I think I've figured most of it out for now.

Although there were a few difficulties with registering, I am really excited for my classes! I am taking World Politics, 19th Century Opera, Music of the Middle East, and two unique classes called Historic London, and Performing Arts in London. These are led by the same professor- an eccentric ball of energy with lots of really interesting facts to spew out. She led a small tour of the neighborhood by the uni packed full of great tidbits that you'd never get in a travel book. Historic London meets at a different location every week and we'll learn about English history which I'm really looking forward to as a way to appreciate and soak up the culture here. Performing Arts in London is the class I just cannot wait for- we're going to FIVE shows! A ballet, an opera, a Shakespeare production, a contemporary play, and a musical. I am so excited to know that I will actually get to see all of these productions because one of the things that drew me to London was it's appreciation for and abundance of performing arts.

I really like the area of my campus. If you walk in one direction for 10 minutes, you're at a tube stop and in a really busy city neighborhood. If you walk 10 minutes in a different direction, you end up in the beautiful, charming neighborhood of Clerkenwell. With it's whole-in-the-wall pubs and old apartments, each door a different, vibrant color, it is a quiet retreat from the busy London feel. I met up with my freshman roommate, Ilana, on Friday for dinner at pub in this area which was a wonderful experience. We were the only non-locals there. I sat contentedly between a table of business men discussing Much Ado about Nothing and a couple bikers drinking their pints while some guys played darts and another table read through a script. It was the perfect atmosphere.

Saturday was a day of exploring London on foot with my friend Elizabeth who is working in a small village in England for the year. Among the places we saw was the National Gallery- a beautiful collection of art, and free to the public! And today, I went to the first women's football training for the City club. It was quite fun although it has been far too long since I've played. Afterwards the team went out to a pub for pints. They said this was quite a typical thing to do. My body is going to have to adjust to this because a pint of beer on an empty stomach after running around for an hour was... unexpected. But the coach and the girls were really nice. The coach actually said their unofficial mascot was a moose he bought on 16th street during a visit to Denver (the official mascot is a carrot. I'm not kidding.) I just met a few people while making dinner in our hall kitchen, one a very sweet guy who surprisingly was a boxer on the German National Youth team. Overall, it's been a relaxing weekend of settling in. The calm before the storm, I expect.

Side note: British English is really different. It's really hard to understand sometimes and I feel like it is a completely different language at the moment. Well, that's all for now. I'm sure this week will bring lots of surprises and challenges. Cheers!

Love at first sight!

After only about 24 hours, I must say- I am in love. London is incredible and even thought I've just gotten here, I already feel at home! We got in yesterday evening and even though google maps took us a very confusing, roundabout way, I didn't mind a bit. We maneuvered the underground during rush hour traffic, walked through the busy streets bustling with bikers, taxis (the cutest ones you'll ever see), double decker buses, and lots of commuters, and got pleasantly turned around in neighborhoods lined with charming brick houses, each with different colored doors. Let me tell you, getting lost in London is actually enjoyable- because it means you get to talk to British people, and thus hear the most wonderful accents ever. I'm considering pretending to be lost throughout my entire stay here just so I can ask for directions and listen to the accent all the time.

Other notable moments here include finding the British version of Chipotle (a very comforting find only a 10 minute walk from my flat), orienting myself with the wonderful neighborhood, meandering around the neighborhoods with historic and beautiful government buildings, using my fob correctly on the first attempt, figuring out what a fob is, and moving into my modest but comfortable flat. Overall, London just has a great charm to it. The most ordinary things have me smiling all the time like the businessmen in suits riding bicycles down busy streets and the funny-sounding names of the stops on the tube. I know this term will bring it's challenges but I am really glad with my choice to study here and I think it will be an amazing three months! I begin orientation tomorrow and will hopefully get more of an idea of what I'm in for and meet the other students here. Thanks for reading!

España- un país increíble!

Hola desde España! Sorry in advance for this Suart Portman-length post but these past few days in Spain have been a whirlwind and there is much to write about! After 3 planes, 3 subway trains, and about 17 hours of travel, my mom and I finally arrived at our hotel in Madrid. Exhausted, we plopped down in a restaurant right outside of our hotel in Plaza Santa Ana. I'm slightly confused because I translated the name to mean something of a German brewery but our tapas seemed quite Spanish to me. Either way, we managed to order and eat with minimal English which was intimidating but everything here is delicious so it doesn't really matter if you actually know what you're ordering. After dinner, we walked around a bit and saw some of Madrid's beautiful, old European buildings lit up at night and headed back to our hotel to crash.

Friday was museum day. Madrid has an incredible amount of really fine museums, though none of which can compare to El Prado. El Prado is just massive and it seems like every room has a masterpiece in it. There were masterpieces by everybody who's anybody- Goya, Bosch, Ruebens, Titian, Velazquez, Renoir, El Greco, Caravaggio, Rembrandt... The list goes on and on. I thought it was really cool that even though they had a very diverse collection of art, there was a special emphasis and a lot of pride surrounding the Spanish art.  After El Prado, we walked around a park and made our way to El Centro de Arte Reina Sofia- Madrid's contemporary art museum. They had tons and tons of works by Picasso, Miro, and Dali including the museum's centerpiece- Guernica. There were pictures of Guernica in about five or six of its stages of completion. It was really interesting to see the changes that Picasso made and the amount of thought that he put into this piece (which is so big it takes up an entire room). Finally, we visited Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza- a museum based around a privately assembled collection. Works here included more Picasso, Gaugin, Goya, and Van Gogh. Although impressive in itself, I was on art overload and ready for some more tapas. We ate outside in Plaza Santa Ana next to a small playground, overflowing with adorable and energetic little Spanish kids. Complete with being serenaded by some busking accordion players, we headed back for the night to plan for the next day.

On Saturday, we got up at the crack of dawn- strike that 2 hours before the crack of dawn- to catch our train to Barcelona. Just FYI the nightlife is just starting to die down at 6am and there are some shady characters on the street. Our slightly disconcerting walk to the train station was more than worth our amazing stay in Barcelona. The 3 hour train ride was occupied by watching the gorgeous Spanish countryside and trying my best to follow Rango in Spanish as it played on the train's TVs. Our first order of business in Barcelona was the Catedral de Barcelona- a beautiful cathedral in the old city center. Next, we wandered around and arrived at Mercat de La Boqueria. This was a huge, bustling market with tons of amazing sights and smells. With over 300 stalls, there's barely any room to walk, adding to its appeal :) After buying some lunch here, we strolled down La Rambla (a street with lots of little vendors) to our metro station. We arrived at the modernista side of town with lots of incredible architecture designed by Gaudi- my favorite of which was La Pedrera. It's impossible to describe his work so check out my pictures. The roof was especially fun and had a great view of the city.

That night my mom and I saw a concert at Palau de la Musica Catalana. We had dinner before the concert outside the hall which included tapas, croquetas, and cava- a traditional Catalonian wine. Now to describe the concert- the hall was by far the most beautiful hall I've ever seen. I don't think there could be a more beautiful hall in the whole world. An amazing stained glass inverted dome is the centerpiece with ornate, modernista details in every corner of the hall. Our seats were up behind the stage next to the organ pipes which provided an awesome view and an interesting perspective of the musicians. The concert itself consisted of folk-inspired pieces. However, the first piece was a piece for solo organ by Bach. This program explains that this is "in order to rediscover the relationship of silence and the sublime beauty of the organization of sounds" (or so google translate, Catalan tells me). At each concert this season, they will have a moment of silence which blossoms into a work by Bach, "an act of purification to prepare us to move into the concert." Hell yeah, Barcelona is fucking awesome. I will try to keep this short but the rest of the concert was equally as awesome. All of the musicians entered at the same time by section. The acoustics were great and so was the conductor. And of course, it was infinitely interesting to watch the musicians.

The next day began with Gaudi's culminating masterpiece- La Sagrada Familia. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful and awe-inspiring thing I have ever seen. The front entrance is covered with sculptures of the crucifixion of Christ and as you walk in, there is a line drawing in the tile floor of the Palm Sunday procession. This entrance opens up to the beyond massive nave. The pillars split at the top to look like tree branches and the ceiling decorations look like stars. The building is so tall, it really does feel like you're looking up to heaven. A quote from Gaudi on the premises describes his inspiration from nature which you can see in almost every detail: "The great book, always open and which we should make an effort to read, is that of Nature." I really can't do this cathedral justice, so go check out some pictures for yourself. After this, we went to Parc Guell- a park with lots of Gaudi quirks hiding around every corner. Finally, a beautiful ride back to Madrid, and dinner at the historic Plaza Mayor -the site of Spanish inquisition trials and executions and bull fights. (Dinner was slightly more pleasant).

Tomorrow we're back to London. Lugging my luggage through the tube will surely be entertaining to locals. I will be posting pictures here (if I can figure out how) or on facebook. Miss you all so much! If you actually read all of this, props. Adios por ahora!

Here we go!

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading my blog! I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post, but I'm hoping I'll update weekly. As most of you know, I'll be spending the semester studying in London which I am beyond excited for! But first- it's vacation time!

My mom and I are currently in the airport waiting for our flight to Toronto from which we'll be hopping the pond to London and then straight to Madrid! I currently have four different currencies in my wallet- let me just reiterate how excited I am right now. My mom and I will be spending 3 days in Madrid and one day in Barcelona. Highlights to include lots of Picasso, equally as much tapas, practicing my Spanish (hopefully while avoiding any major embarrassment), attending a concert in the beautiful Palau de la Música Catalana and indulging in Gaudí's Modernista architecture. After our trip there, we'll fly back to London and get settled into my flat. After a few days of orientation, I finally start classes on the 26th.

So thanks again for reading. I'm so excited to have this time to travel with my mom and start this adventure!  More interesting posts and pictures to follow soon :)