Mom & Dad visit: Day One

Iconic Sights, London, Nightlife, Photography

So I realize I haven’t posted in a few days. I promise I haven’t been slacking, I’ve just been so busy with things. So on Thursday, I went to the Press Complaints Commission with my journalism class where we talked about the code of privacy and the English press in terms of photography. Our class of 20 girls (and one guy, the poor thing) were hanging on edge to the lecture of one young and good-looking British man, but we kept ourselves mostly composed. Afterwards, I headed to a store called Neu and bought some necessities (black flats, cardigan, jeans, shirts), then sped home for my internship briefing. That night, a group of the usuals went to Vendome—this club with amazing decor and landscape design to die for. The dancing was fun but the free drinks are always the best part about knowing the right people. A good night.

Today, mummy and dad arrived! We went out for breakfast and then traveled to St. John’s Wood on the Jubilee Line to see Abbey Road and take the appropriate pictures of walking across it. Which was harder than I thought it would be–the road is really busy!

The studio and some graffiti from the wall outside it:

Dad taking a stroll.

And me!

Also to note: Kris Allen was there doing the same thing which was really cool. For the confused: he was the winner of the latest American Idol. I saw my first celebrity! (alas, I was too shy to ask him for one personally)

Then we went to Baker Street to browse the Beatles store and got to observe the outside of the Sherlock Holmes museum.

By that point Mom and Dad were exhausted so they went back to sleep and I took a trip to Westminster, where I walked from Parliament to Shakespeare’s Globe. Although they had no tickets left for the show that day, I bought myself an As You Like It programme and button. Went back, took a shower, then napped till dinnertime.

Parents in tow, I took them to Notting Hill Gate to walk down Portobello Road and peek through the antique shop windows. Eventually we found ourselves seated at the Earl of Lonsdale pub for a spot of dinner. I ordered Toad in the Hole, a traditional English dish of sausages laid in Yorkshire pudding with gravy and peas&carrots. It was really good! (I’m easy to please when it comes to Yorkshire pudding) Then we took the Tube to Westminster to see downtown at night–Big Ben and Parliament, the Eye, the bridges, Trafalgar Square.

I LOVED that the Eye was purple that night.

A collage of the fountain’s changing colors.

Back home, we stopped in Stanhope Arms pub (my usual spot) for some spirits and then went back to our respective rooms to recuperate.

Tomorrow: more time with Mum&Dad (where that will lead–only time will tell) and a bit of studying.

My room

Food, London

is no place to get work done. So I have nothing better to do but post again.

Can you believe that I left Boston for London to escape the rain? Apparently, it’s been legit raining there all the time and we’ve had straight sunshine for 4 weeks. Life is good!

Also, for real I need to diet. I swear, this is the last pack of digestives and I am DONE with the cookies and DONE with the eating every 5 seconds. I have been eating more here than I’ve ever done in my lifeeee. So after these 7 or so cookies that are left, I am going to eat nothing but MEALS and FRUIT and VEGETABLES and the last of these pretzels and am going to run a few times a week and do crunches in the park and everything. And if all else fails, I am going to literally throw out the snacks that I buy. And if THAT fails, I’m going to get my roommates to legit yell at me if they see me going for chocolate or cupcakes or croissants or Vanilla Chai Tea Lattés.

Ready set go.

Things I Need to Say Right Now

Lists, London, Reflections

– I absolutely cannot STAND class breaks at weird hours where people come down to the library and act as if they were at a party. It’s obnoxious and kills my concentration when I really, really need to get things done.
– British people don’t wear raincoats. This puzzles me. Although, if it rained all the time back home, I’d probably get sick of carrying one around too.
– The small pack of Digestives costs 99p. The big pack costs 68p. This doesn’t make sense to me, but it does make sense to my tastebuds. I really can’t believe I’ve eaten as much as I have already.
– My rainboots, or ‘wellingtons,’ are a big hit here. It makes me smile.
– People don’t talk on the Tube. And when they do, they are American. Well, obviously we’re seen as boisterous and loud when everyone else doesn’t SPEAK.
– Classes are so relaxed here compared to Boston. You have no idea how much of a relief it is that I get to spend 6/7 nights a week out.

V&A Museum

London, Museums, Photography

For class today we went to the National Portrait Gallery (Leicester Square) to see some Henry VIII and Elizabeth I portraits.

And it off-and-on POURED rain 🙂 Which means I got to wear my rain boots and amazing raincoat out. After class, Melissa and I browsed the Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses an odd arrangement of things, from ironworks to plaster castings to Rodin sculptures to Turner paintings to jewelry, costumes, persian rugs, silverware, etc. A selection:

Nice way to spend the afternoon. Did I mention Prince William visited the Natural History Museum yesterday and Melissa saw him? YEAH. WE LIVE ACROSS THE STREET.

Anyways, we did that for a while before coming back to chill. Then I went to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater at 19:30 to see As You Like It. Under an open roof, in the pouring rain, without an umbrella.

And it was brilliant. Absolutely lovely. The thing I love most about Shakespeare is that on stage, it is the easiest literature to understand. And the actors were funny, and having fun in the rain, and everything about it was just so delightful. It was the first time I actually went out into London alone and navigated the streets and stood by myself–it felt so exhilarating!

Updated To-Do

Lists, London

~~– pictures of Parliament at night~~
~~– drink a good pint at a historic English pub~~
~~– shop at Harrods~~
~~– ride on top of a double decker bus~~
– take a photo inside a red phonebooth
~~– stumble on a genuine Banksy~~
~~– stand on Platform 9 3/4~~
– attend a Westminster morning service
~~– take a picture with a palace guard~~
~~– Trafalgar Square~~
~~– Portobello Road~~
~~– Hampton Court Palace~~
~~– St. Paul’s Cathedral~~
– visit Liverpool
– ride in a black cab
~~– pay for the London Eye~~
~~– people-watch on the Tube~~
– find Gringott’s/Ministry of Magic phonebooth/Leaky Cauldron
~~– walk on the Millennium Bridge~~
~~– walk the Yorkshire countryside~~
~~– get caught in the English rain~~
~~– buy a Lindsay scarf~~
– run across Westminster bridge during the day
– run across Westminster bridge at night
~~– eat bangers & mash~~
– drink Primm
~~– visit Tate Modern~~
– tour Parliament

Thames River Festival

London, Markets

Today, I went to get my fixed camera! ❤ Then Melissa and I went to the Thames River Festival, which had all these really neat kiosks and stands that sold handmade jewelry and bags and accessories etc. It was BUSY.

I splurged and bought a £35 top that is gorgeous and adorable… and probably doesn’t fit me as well as the 6 foot tall girl who was selling it. But hopefully it will look cooler when I wear it back home. There were sand artists doing really cool things on the side of the Thames.

And we wandered through the streets and found some cool sightings. I found this Banksy-knockoff (unless it actually IS by Banksy, but you can never really tell) work of art on one of the walls.

We found and participated in a wine tasting which was alright, but earned me an ugly red stamp on the back of my hand. The London Bridge had lots of cool organic foods and halfway through turned into a hayloft. Kids were throwing bits of straw everywhere and making a mess. It was really bizarre.

At the end of the afternoon, a beautiful sunset over the Thames.

Then we took the Tube home only to rush to get ready to go out again for a free night out at a club called Pep-C, which turned out to be WAY BELOW the hype. It was full of well-dressed pretentious and unattractive people who either danced and were gross or looked okay but wanted nothing to do with you. So I pretty much left at midnight and called it a night. You live and learn, I guess, and I got a free night out of it. Pictures tomorrow, when I visit Brighton!

Egg & Peter Pan

London, Nightlife

Interview went wonderfully. Shopped at Primark and H&M. Got some cute stuff. Then went clubbing at Egg. Met Michael, a Londoner born Romanian who adores Tolkien and thinks 9/11 was a conspiracy. Talked about Romanian men being perverts but the country as a place needing to be traveled to. Also made a point of remembering my name = <3. Tall and skinny with swept hair to the side, covering most of his face, white t-shirt, tight jeans. Way back home was too cold. Took the bus but got off early. Met Jamie, a blonde and perfect looking gay 18 year old from Wimbledon who escorted us to Piccadilly Circus. He had a Waldo shirt on (he made it himself) and a big bulky brown suitcase from which he extracted a jean jacket for me to wear. He used to practice ballet, but hurt his back and couldn’t do it anymore, so now he works at a bar and will soon be going to Disneyland to be Peter Pan! (Side note: I later suspected he might have been lying to cover his real identity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Campbell_Bower). He kept jumping up and down and laughing at how American we were and how British people were just as rude and loud. People we meet here are SO exciting. I just wish I had more time with them other than a drunken night out or walking down the street.

Art, Class, London

For someone who’s never really avidly read British newspapers, I don’t know whether to be shocked or just plainly tickled and satisfied that they are still writing news about the Beatles.

And now, for the rest of the night, She Loves You will be on repeat in my head.

Lack of pictures will be made up for in words, so bear that in mind when you read these very long and mundane entries about nothing special.

So today I had my first AH388 class with Caroline—she’s lovely. She knows so much about such a broad range of art genres. She’s especially interested in the Dutch genre painters (which is really my favorite style) so I think we were made for each other. She took us to the British Museum where we saw the Rosetta Stone and the vast scene of low reliefs from the Parthenon. We spent about two hours there so I obviously am going back to see the rest of it. Sadly, no pictures, for reasons previously mentioned.

Then I had to take a trip to High Street Kensington just so the Sony Centre guys could tell me that I had to take my camera elsewhere. So I took the tube from High Street to Earl’s Court and back down to West Kensington and took a trip down a lower class part of the city to get to where I needed to be. £20 just so they could look at my camera. The outrage! Then I went back to my apartment to have lunch and do some reading and catch up on downtime. I took a very long nap and had dinner later (rice and a steak/mushroom/red wine pot pie) with people. And during the rest of the night, I
– iChatted with Eric and the rest of the family. Hi family!
– read some of my journalism readings
– surfed the net
– made a list of things to buy (againnn)
– wrote this entry

Really, I lead such a fabulous life.

Tomorrow: AH388 class with a trip to the National Gallery, then Buckingham Palace (for real this time), and maybe some shopping and a tiny homework sesh before possibly going out.

London, Nightlife, Pubs

Day was filled with book buying and class. Not so long after all. Grocery shopping, Hanging out with Antoine, cooking my curry for dinner, then drinking wine with roommates while getting ready for the party. Going to the party, taking pictures, getting drunk off three pints of Beck’s.

A few of the girls at Longacre, where the party started.

With Dave, our Social Programmes manager. He’s double parking!

Then we wandered off to Verve to get our free admission and shot then headed to O’Neills to dance with very British and German boys, one skinny blonde named Chris who twirled me all night. Good times.

Us closing out the place.

After they spit us out onto the street at 3, we walked around Piccadilly and eventually went home on a double decker. It’s four in the morning and I’m just realizing that I drank with my RA’s, screamed with my week-long friends, and danced with boys I couldn’t understand. Walking around dizzy on Piccadilly is the weirdest experience I’ve had to date. I’m sure it won’t be the last. The British are the best.

September 2nd

Geeky Obsessions, London

Today, it rained. London rain, I’ve learned, is inescapable. It gets into your boots and under your hood and around your wrists. But it is warm rain, and gentle.

Lectures today were from 9:15-4:30. Went to Harrods from 5-7 (which is literally RIGHT down the street from the Sorbonne), where we saw fake snow appear in seconds, siamese kittens from Thailand, a dollhouse that was 4 feet tall, Paddington bears of all sizes, a pool table selling for £1,000,000, authentic gelato, a personal magic act, and sparkling crystal chandeliers inlaid with gold. I didn’t spend a penny. Afterwards, we went to a Comic/more of a magic show at Harrington Gardens where our hosts spoon-fed us wine of all colors and glass sizes, complete with a plate of roast beef and horseradish and berry meringue pie. A good discussion was had involving Harry Potter tours across the UK, a hotel in Edinburgh graced with JKR’s signature, and more. When we arrived back at Sorbonne, we spent the night talking about hometowns, English football, computer labs, BU letdowns, and room comparisons. A shower, some internet, and soon bed. Tomorrow: first day of class. All in all, a full day.

Lindsey Olander

writer + editor

London