I have been scouring my computer and my camera in an attempt to find pictures from my trip to Oxford, but all to no avail. I’m hoping that they will miraculously pop up at some point so I can share them, but suffice it to say that each picture depicted the picturesque town of Oxford blanketed in snow (like the one above that I salvaged from my iPhone). If you were alive/coherent during the last few weeks of December, you’re probably aware that the UK was insanely cold and snowy. I’ve heard time and time again from my British friends that snow is not standard in Great Britain, but my experience tells a different story. I’ve been in the UK during the past three winters and it snowed each and every time. This year was definitely more intense than I remember, though, and Oxford got it much worse than London.

I purchased a return ticket to Oxford by train for about £20 and left London at around 11A. With the train ride scheduled to take about an hour, I figured that would leave plenty of time to explore the city, check out the university and get a bit of a feel for the town. Note to self (and to others traveling in the UK during the snow): nothing works properly during inclement weather. About half way through our train journey, we stopped due to ‘engine issues’ and, after switching trains (and being delayed), arrived in Oxford about two hours after departure. I hadn’t expected sunshine and blue skies, but I certainly didn’t expect the ground to be blanketed in sheets of snow. It was absolutely freezing (even with my three shirts, leggings, pants, two pairs of socks, knee-high boots, scarf, gloves and coat). I am a wimpy West Coaster and, as such, it took me a while to acclimate and get used to moving my limbs in 20 degree weather. Soon enough, I was exploring the town, hitting the little shops and checking out the university.

Admittedly, it wasn’t a fair representation of the town. Students were gone for Christmas break and many stores were closing early due to the crazy snow. Despite the freezing temperatures, my overall feeling of the town was that it was quite… exquisite. There is a certain je ne sais quoi that you don’t get in a bustling metropolis like London. There’s a quaint feeling. While it’s comfortable and represents a community, it also exudes a scholarly aura. Even with school not in session, the university is the hub of the town and the old buildings give it an amazing feel; rather majestic. A primary objective for me was to decide whether or not I liked the town enough to live there for three years (or however long it would take to complete a PhD). My conclusion? I’m not entirely sure. It was quaint and amazing and beautiful and scholarly and all of those attributes that your mind conjures when you think of a prestigious university town, but it was also relatively quiet. While I’m sure it comes to life when students are present, it definitely doesn’t have all of the offerings (theatres, restaurants, lounges, etc. etc.) that London offers. I’m definitely happy that I made the trip there. Regardless of whether or not I have an opportunity to study at Oxford in the future, I did gain one extra bit from my day trip: the knowledge that my year in London was really an amazing/unique experience. If I had to go back and choose between LSE and Oxford for my MSc, I would choose LSE again in a heartbeat — not only for the education, but for the experience in its entirety. Conclusion: There’s really no city like London.

xoxo,

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xoxo,

After a very (very) long day, I reluctantly woke up (read: was woken up) at around 1015A, definitely the latest I’ve slept in in months. I was out the door around noon and headed out from L.’s Islington flat to Covent Garden to do some shopping. First stop? Aldo. Admittedly, my choice of shoes is rarely appropriate for long stretches of walking. My closet is made up of primarily 4 – 5″ heels and, while they’re pretty comfortable for an eight-hour work day, they’re not as comfortable when walking for miles on London’s cobbly roads. I knew Aldo would have some perfect walking boots and I walked out about fifteen minutes later with this glorious pair:

After a bit of shopping and meandering through Covent Garden, I made my way to LSE to do a bit of work (don’t judge!) and to pick up the prize money that came with the Titmuss Prize. While the winning the award itself was the truly amazing part, I have to admit, the bit of money helped take the edge off of paying £44 for the cap and gown rental. (Does anyone else find that a bit steep?)

After getting some work done, I made it back to L’s flat for a moment to get ready (in much warmer clothing) before heading out again. Though I missed it last year, I was dying to hit up Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland this year! A few LSEers met up at Hyde Park Corner at around 6P before heading to the skating rink for a 630P rendezvous. Who knew ice skating was so much fun? I honestly thought it was going to be a bit of a fiasco. Last time I was ice skating, it was less amazing than I had expected. I have some mad skills on roller blades, but that hadn’t translated into the same skillz on the ice rink. This time, however, I impressed even myself! By that, I mean that I didn’t fall once (!) and fairly successfully attempted skating backwards. Given more time, I would have surely been able to do a few flips and tricks, but we were only allotted an hour (sadly). After our skating sesh, we made some time to grab food and explore the markets! I have to admit, Christmas markets are one of my most favorite things ever. The market in Edinburgh last year was phenomenal, but London’s put that to shame! Food, art, crafts, kitchy gifts… so perfect!

Now, I’m happily responding to emails while sipping tea and munching on Starbursts.
Graduation is two short days away!

Love from London,

I’m pushing through the tiredness right now; my mind set on staying up until at least 10P before passing out for what is sure to be a long night’s sleep. My ten hour flight found me seated in a middle seat which made it rather difficult to get comfortable for long enough to actually rest. After landing at Heathrow at about 130P and making it through customs, A. and I were on the tube headed down to King’s Cross station. While she was a champ and decided to switch lines to get to her ultimate destination, I exited at King’s Cross and cabbed it for the remainder of the way. While I could have saved myself £7, the thought of carrying ridiculously heavy luggage up and down the tube station stairs made me want to die. When the cab made its way through Islington, L’s flat was like an oasis in the desert — finally,  finally a place with friends and a shower!

Coming into London was an interesting experience. Arriving at LHR honestly felt like coming home. Perhaps because I have seen the inside of LHR more than any other airport, there was a sense of comfort in being there. If I hadn’t been dragging 50+ pounds of luggage, I would have felt like I never left. While the 35 degree weather was a bit biting, it also quickly took me back to last year’s winter; walking the snowy streets of Covent Garden down to Trafalgar Square, listening to music and people watching.

After having had a mini catch-up sesh with L., I’m showered and definitely ready for some sleep. I’m so excited to be back in town with some of my best friends and even more excited for the crazy/fun week ahead! On the agenda: Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, LSE graduation and our after party, a day trip to Oxford and necessary trips to Borough, Spitalfields and Portobello Road for some Christmas goodies!

Check back in soon for pictures and stories!

xoxo from London,

Before my surprise return to sunny California, two of my friends and I decided to make the most of our last days in the UK with a day trip to Bath, Salisbury and the ever-perplexing Stonehenge. After looking at trains, coaches and even hiring a car for the day, we ended up booking a guided tour through Evan Evans tours. For a little under £60 each (with our student discounts), we saved the headaches of planning the day and got to check out Georgian Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge.

We left from Victoria Station at 8:45A and were in the city of Bath just a couple of hours later. I had heard repeatedly about how amazing the Georgian town was: a town that manages to blend history and a sense of calm with a dash of posh. We were given an hour and a half to explore the town and the baths ended taking up a good portion of our allotted time. The baths, of course, are a huge tourist draw for the city. The natural hot springs are famed for their ‘healing properties’ (for lack of a better description) in their ability to help sooth joint pain and body aches. The king’s visits to the baths (in the 13th – 14th century-ish, if my memory serves) helped catapult the city into elite territory. Though it’s fairly small and peripheral now, it was one of the places to be seen in the UK in centuries past. After we checked out the baths, we made our way to the Pump Room, apparently made famous by Jane Austen. While I’m not the hugest of Austen buffs, one of my travel mates was excited to pass through the glitzy Pump Room to grab a drink of (hot) water from the springs. Despite the fact that we were short on time, we managed to grab a quick lunch after leaving the Pump Room and glimpse the city’s shopping area. Within the short time we were there, the consensus was that Bath would have made a wonderful weekend trip. Two or three days to explore the area would have been much more appropriate (duly noted for my next trip to the UK).

After our time in Bath, we made our way to Salisbury. While the cathedral in Salisbury holds a great deal of history and a number of artifacts, it is probably most famous for housing the best-preserved version of the (original) Magna Carta. There are a grand total of four in existence, but the one in Salisbury was definitely in incredible shape considering it dates back to 1215.  We popped in to check it out first-hand (sadly, pictures are not allowed) and then spent the rest of our time in Salisbury enjoying afternoon tea in the refectory. Since I had yet to experience the institution that is afternoon tea in London, I was able to effectively tick two boxes in one go!

After our jaunt in Salisbury, we made our way to our final stop: Stonehenge! Everything inside of me said that Stonehenge alone would make for a rather boring day trip. While it’s a must-see historical site in the UK, it’s not very interactive. It was definitely awesome to see it, but I found myself supremely grateful for having made the stopover part of a larger daytrip. Alone, it wouldn’t have been worth the drive time from London. We snagged a few shots of the stones, listened to the history and made our way back to London shortly after.

All in all, it was a great way to cap off my time in the UK! I had been wanting to check out Stonehenge and finally got to see it! Add the Magna Carta, Bath, cathedrals and afternoon tea? Cha-ching! Perfect day trip!

xoxo from California,

Check out more pictures from Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge here.

Although it’s all over and my dad and sister are likely fast asleep in their cozy beds in Northern California, it was seriously awesome to have a bit of family time, even just for a couple of weeks. I hadn’t realized quite how much I missed having them around until they were here! I had a gift sent to them when they left (a package of my favorite pictures from our trip [95 of them] courtesy of snapfish.com) and am looking to send another package of memories shortly. We had talked about having four pictures from our trip blown up to 8 x 10s to be framed: one from each leg of the journey. That being said, I’ve been going through some of my photos to find my favorite picture from each trip. Here are some that I’m considering:

England

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever! So cute!

I have a number of other pictures of them in front of St. Paul’s but I like that they’re heading toward the church. Maybe in B&W?

Wicked was their favorite part of the London trip… though I wouldn’t pick this pic normally, it could be a good memory :)

Prague

In the Old Town Square enjoying hot dogs and beer? Quintessential Prague!

Tiff & I in front of the Vlatva River

Tiff & dad in front of Prague Castle!

Paris

Dad & Tiff in front of Sacre-Couer!

Tiff & I at the Eiffel Tower

Dad & Tiff at Notre Dame

Amsterdam

T walking by a canal in Amsterdam.

Dad & Tiff in the Rembrandtplein area.

The view from our room :)

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Alternatively, I’m thinking of doing one quintessential shot from each of the cities that we visited; no people, just something that capture the essence of the country. Here are the four I’m looking at:

England: I could (should?) probably use a picture of Big Ben, the National Gallery or St. Paul’s to capture England, but I absolutely love, love, LOVE this picture of two horseback-riding bobbies down by Buckingham. The colors are gorg!

Loving this picture of Tyn Church with a hint of a market stall in the foreground.

Without a doubt, my favorite picture from France: lunch.

I love this shot of Amsterdam: the buildings, the canals and even a hint of a bike seat!

What do you guys think? Which pictures should make it to 8×10 status for the fam?

Love from London,