#UK – #RamblersAbroad

London Calling

By Samantha Jurvich | March 10, 2019

When my best friend and I decided to go abroad at the same time, I was ecstatic. I’d imagined we’d meet in Paris for brunch or go to Ireland and explore the cliffs each weekend. It wasn’t until move-in got closer that i had to start being a bit more realistic. She was going to live in London, and I’d be in Rome. People always tell you that everything in Europe is so much more accessible than back in the States, but they tend to oversell it a bit, especially when you’re as far south as Rome. When I finally booked my tickets to London, a good month and a half into the semester, I was understandably excited. London would be my first flight in Europe, and I’d get to spend the weekend with my best friend. What more could you ask for?

I have to say, seeing a friendly face, especially your best friend’s, after months away really does live up to the hype. Although I’ve been loving my time here, the further I get into the semester, the more I start to miss family and friends from back home and the comfort of a familiar culture in the city. In that respect, London was exactly what I needed.

London is a big city and the first I’ve been to in Europe. The atmosphere, while completely different from Chicago, reminded me more of my home city than Rome or Venice. It was, admittedly, nice to see some chains and stores I was familiar with; never has walking into a Starbucks been so therapeutic. Even the food – burgers, fries, tacos – was a nice call back to my life in the US.

The comfort of familiar things aside, London was a fascinating city in its own right. Travelling with a Londoner had its perks; she knew all of the best spots, foods we had to try, and how to get around on the Tube. We took a whirlwind tour, passing the Globe, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and countless double-decker buses in a matter of hours. The whole weekend was a balance of sightseeing and spending time doing the things my friend would usually do – going to pubs, the Borough market, hanging out around Soho. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip – something to cheer me up with the dread of midterms looming around the corner.

While London was a beautiful city that I’d wanted to experience since reading Harry Potter and listening One Direction as a child, by far the best part of the trip was seeing someone I loved and had missed since we went away. Even seeing Platform 9 ¾ couldn’t compare to laughing with her over pork sandwiches on the street. Being separated from loved ones can make studying abroad difficult, but it also makes the reunions that much sweeter.

Adventure is Out There!

By Taylor Lach | January 18, 2016

–Up (2009)

…and it’s up to you to go and find it!

What happens when you let a bunch of Theatre students roam around London on their own.

I’m posting from the pristine, pastoral, and impossibly populated city of London, England! It’s not yet registered that I’m here, and my laptop refuses to change time zones (much like my sleeping schedule), but it’s been almost a week and I’m here to report on all my adventuring.

I’m part of Fordham University (New York)’s London Dramatic Academy, which means I’m using Heythrop College (London)’s facilities, but Fordham University’s program while still remaining a Loyola Chicago student. If that doesn’t confuse you, you’re doing better than I. Our first few days consisted of orientation and grounds/neighborhood walks, and fortunately for me, we’re in the most beautiful(AND EXPENSIVE) neighborhoods in London: Kensington! We explored Kensington Gardens, which is where Prince William and Duchess Kate live (no big deal), where J.M. Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan (See the movie Finding Neverland), and where I WALKED AROUND. WHAT?! I also befriended a few swans. (Did you know every swan in London technically belongs to the Queen? Lucky Lady.) Our faculty-guided tour concluded at the Royal Albert Hall, named after the most well-rounded Prince of England; He organized the World’s Fair right there in Kensington known as the Great Exhibition. He was a fan of math, science, history, art….basically everything. That’s why the Albert Memorial across the street is such an ecclecticly-designed monument. He was a fan of everything, so the designers threw it all on there.

The next day, I had to pleasure of being let in on one of London’s greatest-kept secrets: The KILLER in the longest running play of all time, The Mousetrap. Mum’s the word, I made a promise I wouldn’t spoil the ending for anyone. Let’s just say I never saw it coming. It really was “premeire British,” as the LDA director Kathy put it; a real parlor-room mystery drama.

Finally, on Sunday, I did the tourist circuit around Westminster. I’ll need to go back to take it all in, one trip is definitely not enough, but it was beautiful! The buildings are older than the USA! And, of course, I popped into a phone booth for the required tourist picture. Unfortunately, it didn’t take me down into the Ministry of Magic like in Harry Potter…Then, I was reminded of my Loyola Honors Program repertoire when I visited the National Gallery’s Impressionist exhibit. There’s nothing like a little Manet to finish off your day of touring London.

I wish I had 10000000 words to keep retelling my adventures, but I have to get to my homework. (LOL I already have homework.) I can’t wait to post this weekend about my classes. Wish me luck!!

Cheers,

Taylor

Cambridge, Stonehenge, & Bath

By Megan Prokott | February 15, 2015

Hiya!

Coming to you LIVE frooooooom *drum roll* …. my bed in London, where I am sitting in a towel and enjoying my first relaxed day in years (jokes, but it really feels like it). The last two weeks have been so busy with fun things I’m not sure where to start…

Sunday, February 8th

8:15am: Taylor and I gave the rising sun a dirty look, packed ourselves sandwiches, and headed off for Kings Cross Station to take the train down to the quaint college town of Cambridge, England. Sounds easy and super organized right? Nope- our tour guide arrived two and a half hours late due to a snoozed alarm clock.

12:00pm: After a quick coffee and a promise of a partial refund from the travel company, about half of the group + our apologetic tour guide, Oliver, board a train and pull off into the countryside. The rough morning was all but forgotten once I saw the rolling green hills of the English countryside.

1:30pm: We arrive in Cambridge and set off on a walking tour of the historical and beautiful campus of Cambridge University. At the second oldest university in the country (rivaled only by Oxford) we saw the birthplace of football (aka soccer), the study spots of many royals and Isaac Newton, and also kind of froze our butts off.

Taylor and I promptly forgot about the PB&J’s in our bags and dipped into Aunties Tea Shop to warm up and grab lunch. We both opted for a full English breakfast, and happily scarfed it down (beans and all!). It is also important to note that this is the only place I have been able to procure syrup for my breakfast (*crowd gasps*). As we left the tea shop, complaining of our incredible full-ness, we got a whiff of fudge and essentially floated into a place called the Fudge Kitchen. I am not exaggerating when I say they made us try every flavor. Obviously, we bought some.

Post-food, we walked all over the town and saw everything there was to see.We headed down to the river to see the fuss about punting- essentially sitting in a boat while someone uses a long stick to float you along, ala gandolas in Venice. It was all very cute to see, and the river was very picturesque.

Overall, it was a day well spent and I would recommend a day visit to anyone! (However, don’t use the International Friends travel company..)

During the week, I spent my personal version of a perfect day shopping down Oxford Street and sitting in the sunny Hyde Park with a book, I went to the Wallace Collection for class and spent the afternoon admiring Rococo and Dutch art, and some friends and I went to a food design presentation by a chef who has worked in all five of the best restaurants in the world (he taught me how to shave an avocado). I also had a great time in a bar called Waxy O’Connors, where the only question is, which came first, the bar or the tree? Here I discovered the most delightful drink called a snakebite- grenadine, cider, and beer all in one! Finally, I explored the eclectic and adorable bars and streets of Shoreditch with my friend TW as we waited to meet up with some very lost friends from Loyola Rome. This last night went a little later than anticipated, and when I crawled into bed at 1:30am, my sleep was more like a nap…

Saturday, February 14

4:01am: My silent alarm I had set on my FitBit went off all too soon, and by 4:45 am, we were off and moving towards Stonehenge!

8:00am: Turns out, waking up at the crack of dawn was worth it for the perks- We were able to weave our way through the strange, prehistoric monument instead of viewing it from 50 feet away with the rest of the public. Stonehenge was easily one of the strangest things Tourist Meg has seen here. Not only is there no real explanation for why or how these massive rocks are here, but it is also in the middle of nowhere. In fact, as I wandered around the stones, I made friends with a rogue sheep that seemed to have escaped from a mysterious location. The sun behind the clouds made for a really beautiful morning and it was definitely worth the trip.

We then made the hour drive up to Bath, England from Stonehenge and arrived just in time to make like hobbits and eat second breakfast. The town of Bath itself was very central and homogenous in look. There were stores, musicians, and authentic food everywhere you looked! We took a tour of the Roman Baths, which are exactly what they sound like. The Romans settled the town decades ago, and utilized the natural hot springs to create beautiful, luxurious equivalents of todays spas. It was very cool to see how creatively engineered the entire place was, and I was incredibly tempted to jump in. After our tour, we had just enough time to people watch (some of the pictures being taken near the main baths could entertain you for hours), explore the river and bridges, and grab some ice cream!

Overall, a great experience and one I would not hesitate to repeat.

Next week- Amsterdam!! I am beyond excited to experience the city again, so stay tuned 🙂

Megan

Authentic London

By Megan Prokott | February 7, 2015

Hello my lovely readers!

Well, I’m making a go of becoming a true Londoner and I think I’m making some real progress! I’ve started to feel true annoyance at those who stand on the wrong side of tube escalators (the left side is reserved exclusively for those willing to risk their lives on the incredibly long and steep escalators to be on time), I now wear scarves as stylized, belted blankets in order to fend off the damp chills of February, and I have tried every type of cider I can think of at every type of pub. I also eat sandwiches multiple times a day, I am addicted to Cadbury chocolate Oreo bars (& had a moment of genuine panic at the Cadbury ban in America), and I have blown the dust off of my two years of Deutsch, much to the entertainment of a few German friends. But perhaps, most importantly, I have finally started discovering the fun, authentic, and commonplace pasttimes of my British neighbors!

Midway through the week, I ventured out to appease on of my favorite guilty pleasures at an independent bookstore. The London Review Bookstore is the most wonderful place- no one tried to rush me out the door once I found what I was looking for, there are chairs in the basement to sample your reading material, and, most charmingly of all, I happened in on one of their monthly Late Night shopping events and was offered a complimentary glass of wine for my trouble. It was the perfect way to spend a Wednesday night.

I also spent quite a lot of time at the V&A Museum with my sister, which is often skipped during short visits to London; however, Taylor and I both found the museum and its exhibits to be truly incredible- so much so that we will be headed back soon to see what we didn’t have time for.

On a slightly more important note, we also tried our first authentic dessert at the beautiful cafe. The scone I ate (my first one!) certainly would have been life-altering, had the stain glassed windows and luxurious atmosphere of the cafe itself hadn’t already done it. Not to mention I almost shed a tear at Taylor’s perfect Victorian sponge cake. 10/10 would recommend making this stop a priority.

Finally, I am a true sucker for the ambiance of a building; therefore, I have begun my search for the perfect study space.

So far the Reading Room of the Wellcome Center is taking first with its plush staircase littered with pillows and its interactive distractions. If you need a break from Tolstoy, there are truly terrifying dentistry tools to examine, straightjackets to try on, and a postcard table to tell your mom about all the fun you’re having.

A close second is the British Library, where one can ogle original Charlotte Bronte manuscripts, Leonardo Da Vinci notebooks, and unfinished Beethoven pieces. I just went through the rather rigorous process of getting my own Reading Pass this afternoon -I had high hopes that the countless esteemed individuals whose work is on display would give me the strength to focus on the “study” in study abroad 😉

Tomorrow I am heading off to Cambridge to see what else the UK has to offer! Stay tuned 🙂

-Megan

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