The way the Internship Program is structured, I take two classes from Monday-Thursday, one class session a day, for four hours each. Oh yeah, you read that right. I'm a champion. The reason the classes are so long is because we're basically taking a semester's worth of material in five weeks, before moving on to our internships. Everything has to be condensed to basically fit within ten or so class meetings. But on the bright side, those marathon classes meeeean... free Fridays!
For those of you at Fordham who have ever had Wednesdays off from class, I know you know that soul-liberating feeling you get on Tuesday after classes end, when you realize you can make plans for that evening, sleep late the next day, and take a much-needed mid-week break from academic life the next day. It's the best part of the week!
My London roommates and I echoed these feelings on Thursday night, and decided to venture out the next day for some sightseeing in Piccadilly Circus. Come and see what adventures we got up to!
For those of you not familiar with London spots, Piccadilly Circus is a major tourist spot in the West End, close to a lot of shopping, entertainment, and theatre. As a New York girl, I would compare it to Times Square.
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| "Found myself in the city near Piccadilly..." One Republic actually knew I'd be studying abroad now, and timed their song release accordingly. Betcha didn't know. :-P |
M&M WORLD LONDON!!!
One of my roommates actually worked in Mars Corporation's HR department this summer (Mars is the company that makes M&Ms), so she had been hearing about the store all summer. It just had its grand opening in July, so she really wanted to come and see how everything turned out! And of course I didn't mind making that stop... I mean, come on. Me and chocolate? Do you even have to ask?
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| You enter and exit the store through a giant double-decker bus! |
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| I know, too amazing! They had all other London-themed decor, too-- Green Princess M&M, Orange Football player M&M, and of course, the best of all... |
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| Beatles M&Ms. 'Nuff said. |
After we got our kid-in-a-candy-store fixes, we continued walking around. Our next stop was the National Gallery, a free art museum with an amazing collection. They had such beautiful pieces from all different countries and time periods. I really enjoyed the religious images, they were thought-provoking and so incredibly crafted. If you ever find yourself in London, I definitely recommend a visit.
We took our own tourist walk through the city, hitting all the big sites-- Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey, to name a few! Then we decided to call it a day. Our tired feet agreed!
But the roommate adventures don't stop there! The next morning my roommate Jennifer and I ventured to Windsor Castle, through a day trip program offered at a discount price through the BU Social Programme. Save some money and be a princess for the day? We were game.
The castle was absolutely beautiful, and it's so easy to see why it would be the Queen's favorite residence. The architecture is just incredible, inside and outside, and the greens and gardens are so peaceful.
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| Yeah, I could get used to that. |
Part of Windsor estate is St. George's Chapel and the Albert Memorial Chapel. The Chapel looks like a palace in itself, especially around the windows and roof. It was just as amazing inside, but no photos allowed!
As a big fan of the recent movie The King's Speech, it's been so interesting to learn more about the current Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I, while being here. They ruled as World War II was tearing through Europe and England, and royal family's history in that time period, and how they responded to the war, is just fascinating. The current Queen's parents are actually buried in the chapel above, and they have their own private chapel area where they were laid to rest.
We also saw Queen Mary's dollhouse, an incredibly intricate Victorian style doll house, completely furnished and with rooms including servants quarters, dining halls-- even a linen closet. It is huge and gorgeous, but was never meant to be played with-- it was a masterpiece for display. In addition, we took an audio tour through the palace, and saw all the amazing galleries, drawing rooms, and sitting rooms. It's so big and grand inside, I wish I could live there, too!
Then we took a walking tour with the Blue Badge tour guide through the Windsor village (I have to say, it's a little disconcerting to be looking at a beautful castle on one side of you, and then turn around and see a McDonald's, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut all on one street. Bah, our consumer culture). We made our way down to see Eton College, one of the most prestigious all-boy colleges in England. Any Harry Potter fans out there? Justin-Finch-Fletchley had his name down there before deciding to go to Hogwarts... yeah. I went there.
After our walk, Jen and I decided it was time for a much needed snack break! We walked back into the Windsor village, where she found a little pastry shop and saved us a table outside, while I went next door for some ice cream! I had a little friend join me for ice cream, let me introduce you to him...
Meet Cuppy!
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| Cuppy way back in the beginning of September, getting ready to go to the airport! He looks pretty excited to study abroad, don't you think? |
This is Cuppy, the Traveling Cupcake. He was a Bon Voyage gift to me from my sister Tara, and is here in London to accompany me on my adventures (and to take plenty of pictures!) Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Flat Stanley, and you've got Cuppy. We've had fun adventures so far, and in honor of a great appreciation for ice cream shared by my sister and me, I thought it was only suitable for Cuppy to share my snack. You'll definitely see Cuppy pop up in more of my photos! He's very excited to travel :)
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| Cuppy and I enjoying our ice cream in a chocolate cone! |
After snacks, we headed back to the tour bus for the drive back to South Ken. It was a great weekend with the roomies, and hopefully the first of many more to come!
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