Author Archives: jrm5580

Home from London.

I’m home from London and my study abroad experience is over. I originally thought it was bittersweet, because I missed my family and friends from home, but I’m starting to miss London more and more. I have no doubts in my mind that this was, hands down, the best experience of my life thus far. I made amazing friends, created memories that I’ll always cherish, exposed myself to new things and new people everyday, learned about other cultures, stepped outside my comfort zone, and began to understand the way the world works more than I ever had before. It’s so bizarre waking up in my own house in a small town in New Jersey, when I’ve been waking up in a busy city for the past four months. It’s absolutely insane how quickly time flew by, but I wouldn’t change a thing. To anyone still abroad or planning on studying abroad: make something of every moment you have. Know the city you’re in inside and out, stay out later, go out more than you usually do, explore new people and new things, travel — but don’t forget about the city you chose to study in. This experience has left me eager to return to Europe, and I have no doubt I will. There are lots of places I would’ve liked to travel to, but at the end of the day I chose to immerse myself in London as much as possible.


Location: Dumont, NJ

Tower of London.

I went on a tour of the Tower of London and loved it. The Tower of London is a historic castle that has served as an armory, a treasury, and still houses the Crown Jewels that are used during coronation ceremonies. The tour was led by the famous ‘beefeaters’ or Yeoman Warders who describe the history in a comedic fashion. 

DSC01801.JPG
DSC01840.JPG
DSC01821.jpg

Location: London, England

Oxford.

Recently, I visited Oxford, England. The town has beautiful architecture and there are lots of colleges. It was interesting to see the aesthetic differences between English universities, compared to American ones. Some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed in Oxford too, so that was cool! Here are some pictures of my day:

DSC02014.JPG
DSC01984.JPG
DSC01999.JPG

Location: Oxford, England

Markets.

London is full of food and clothing markets, worthy to explore. Thus far, I’ve been to Brick Lane, Borough Market, Camden Market, and Portobello Market. Brick Lane specializes in ethnic and worldly foods — specifically Indian which is a huge part of London culture. There’s also vintage clothes that are relatively cheap (cheap is a word I rarely use here). Borough Market is the mecca of food markets. They offer cheese, meats, olives, gnocchi, steak sandwiches, exotic burgers (kangaroo, elk, among others), empanadas, pastries, and much more at different stands. I wasn’t all that impressed with Camden Market. The food wasn’t very good and the clothing and merchandise were fairly average. However, Camden is a really cool area to be in. Going out in Camden at night is a great time and a great place to communicate with real Brits. Portobello Market has a lot of fun clothing. A friend of mine bought sequined shorts with the English flag on them. I’d definitely suggest it to fashion connoisseurs. 


Location: London, England

Bath and Stonehenge.

I took a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge on Saturday. Stonehenge is something you just have to see if you’re in England, but you only need to spend about an hour on the site. It has a mysterious history to it and it’s a pretty interesting thing to see. Bath is a beautiful area of England, completely different from London. It’s architecturally gorgeous and the Roman Baths are so cool. There are so many beautiful places in England; I wish I had the time to travel more and stay for extended periods of time. London is just so huge, I forget about everywhere else! On the way home from Bath I saw breathtaking views of English countryside and even Wales in the distance! I’m so happy I went, and I encourage anyone to visit Bath if they’re in England.

DSC01698.JPG
DSC01712.JPG
DSC01743.jpg
DSC01751.JPG
UK_Cotswolds_British_Countryside.jpg

Location: Bath, England

Things I’ll Miss.

As my time here is ending, I’m starting to get a bit sappy and reminiscent. I’m going to miss so much about London: the vibe of the city, the nightlife, the architectural beauty, British people, the theatre scene, the culture, the markets, the words and phrases that are used, the burgers surprisingly (sounds bizarre but the burgers are quite good here; there are stricter meat laws so the burgers must meet a certain quality), the accessibility to other countries, even the tube! I’ve also gotten incredibly close with people I’ve met through my program. Closer than I ever thought I would be. We’ve all just spent so much time together, as we live in extremely small and close quarters and we’ve done much traveling together. It’s going to be so strange not seeing them everyday when I go home. They’re from all over the country; some I probably won’t see for years! I’m from New Jersey and some of my closest friends are from Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and Minnesota. Luckily I’ve made some New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania friends. It’s going to be sad leaving them!

419661_2679815192021_1155512098_34478430_171030242_n.jpg
DSC00886.JPGDSC01382.JPG

Location: London, England

The Latest in London.

I’m soaking in as much London as possible since my trip ends on April 12th (dreading it). I’ve been spending a lot of my time outside since the weather is gorgeous, sightseeing and revisiting things I haven’t seen in a while. I went back to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower Bridge. I took a tour of Westminster Abbey (which I loved), walked along the River Thames and across the Tower Bridge, went biking in Hyde Park, and saw Matilda the musical. I went to Borough food market, out in Camden, Abbey Road, Soho, and Covent Garden.

DSC00979.JPG
DSC01462.JPG
DSC01397.JPG
DSC01470.jpg
DSC01521.JPG
DSC01524.JPG
DSC01539.JPG
DSC01586.JPG
DSC01603.jpg

Location: London, England

Brighton.

I recently took a day trip to Brighton, which is about two hours away from London. Brighton is completely different from London city life. Alongside the sea, there are attractions like the Royal Pavilion, restaurants, places to go out at night, shops, live music, and rides. It’s such a charming, eccentric town. I plan to go back and spend the night. 

546924_10150878548189606_570904605_12654311_1600984023_n.jpg

522909_10150878547844606_570904605_12654309_1804092232_n.jpg
547427_10150878540919606_570904605_12654267_796562974_n.jpg

Location: Brighton, England

My life lately…

Lately the weather has been beautiful! The other day after class I took a walk down Kings Road, a main avenue in Chelsea where I live. Kings Road is full of designer clothing stores, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and some pubs. I walked down a side street and found the prettiest flats, each a different pastel color. I also ventured aimlessly and found myself by the River Thames and walked along the Albert Bridge and into Battersea park.

DSC01346.JPG
DSC01356.JPG
DSC01362.jpg
DSC01365.JPG

Location: Chelsea, London