Blogs from South Kensington, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Our first formal tours of London were focused on Windsor Castle and on Hampton Court. The biggest difference between them is that Windsor was built as a fort and after creating the very fortified walls it was then embellished inside to be one of the homes of the king/queen. That needs to be contrasted with Hampton Court which was built as a palace for courtiers to have an elaborate lifestyle but being mildly fortified to resist any disorganized rabble but not to withstand an army. So those are the two main things we saw today. The skies were intermittently cloudy/sunny, but there was a wind which made it kind of cool today. Let’s start with breakfast. David had the classic English breakfast and Janet had the Continental Breakfast, both served in the hotel breakfast room. We ... read more

Poor Susan didn't find a raincoat she liked, or could afford, at Harrod's. Nothing under $700 cdn and of course the one Susan picked out was over $2000 cdn.. It doesn't rain in Windsor Ontario where Susan is from enough to justify that price. I'm quite happy wearing my fake Burberry I had made at the tailors in china. The food court had things i'venever seen before. A watermelon with yellow insides. White strawberries that are fully ripe. Blueberries that have been bred with strawberries to make a sweet hybrid. Went over to Topshop where Kate moss had her fashion line. It's like h and m. Since I am not tall. Or willowy none of the clothes could I even try on. They'd all have to be hemmed 2 feet. Plus the 60's hippy look is ... read more

Hello all! Well in exactly ONE week, I will be back in the United States of America. It is amazing to me how quickly time has gone by and I haven't regretted a moment here. This has literally been the most amazing trip I've ever taken and I hope to come back every year (if Mom and Dad will pay haha)! I've met some very interesting people and it really is amazing that I'm getting any school credit for this. London has taught me to appreciate home and Philly a little bit more. The things we already have available to us that I had taken for granted before this trip. Like the fact that we don't use mayo on EVERYTHING. Kidding, sort of. But really, I love it here. I feel like if I moved here ... read more

We went to Harrods for high tea. I don't like tea. I went for the experience. Harrods is a ridiculous store with everything you can possibly imagine in it. The food court looks like a willy wonka restaurant and the pet shop is filled with designer dog gear. The bathrooms had personal mirrors for everyone so everyone and all their friends could each have a stool to and shelf and mirror to do whatever needed to be done. The toy floor was my favorite. They had an entire room dedicated to stuffed animals and another room dedicated to dolls and interactive toys. I swear I'm an adult. The high tea menu was as follows: Freshly cut sandwiches: Cucumber Smoked ham and grain mustard Cheese and pickle Salmon and creamed cheese Egg mayonaise and cress Home baked ... read more

Ok, so the parents talked me into this. Olivia, this is all your fault. But here it goes, my venture into "blogging." This site will serve as the epicenter of my abroad experience. Throughout my time here in "Europe," I will catalogue my adventures, if you can call them adventures. I have Europe in quotation marks, because I have already learned that most people in the UK don't consider themselves Europeans. In fact, they don't like people from continent (specifically the French), mainly because none of them speak English. So no one truly enjoys traveling there. Well, that's what they told us at orientation at least, and so far I've found it to be the general consensus. Once I got here I realized that the room I got sucks. It's a set of bunk beds, one ... read more