Day Trip: Brighton

Today I went on a day tour to the southern coast of England with my roommates Anna, Danielle, Clare, and Jill. We booked through International Friends, which had been recommended to us by CAPA. The drive is approximately an hour and a half, and we traveled by van because the tour group was fairly small; in total, there were six international tourists, five CAPA girls, our guide, and the driver.

Brighton is a seaside resort town due south of London. Technically, it is now referred to as the city of Brighton and Hove. I had heard several things about Brighton, and the image I had of it in my head was fairly specific: a gaudy pier, a pebbled beach, and counterculture similar to Camden Town. Luckily for me, and for my readers, there is much, much more to Brighton than I had imagined.

The van unloaded us by the pebble beach and the main pier. I was immediately assaulted by powerful winds and light rain, and my friends and I were totally unprepared. We had one raincoat and two umbrellas between the five of us, and no heavy sweaters. However, we clutched our thin cardigans around our frail bodies, pulled our scarves tightly around our necks, fought to keep our umbrellas open until they were inverted, and soldiered on. This is England, after all. Stiff upper lip, and all that.

Our tour guide huddled us in a corner under an awning at the beginning of the pier while we waited to see if the rain would pass. It didn’t. Realizing that it wouldn’t do to waste our time shivering on the pier, the group agreed to make a dash for the Royal Pavilion and take shelter inside.

The Royal Pavilion, as you can see from the picture above, was built in an Indian architectural style when exoticism in art was becoming popular as a result of imperial expansion. It looks like an Indian palace transported to Britain, and according to our tour guide, it is the only building of its kind in the UK. The ornate interior was decorated in a style called chinoiserie, and I was very taken with it. I have seen interior design influenced by Chinese art, and I have seen individual paintings and ceramics from China, but never so many pieces in one place, presented with so much extravagance. I was in awe of the bamboo, the glass lotus flowers, and the gilded dragons! My favorite rooms were the banqueting hall (mostly because of the chandelier) and the state-of-the-art kitchen, but Danielle’s favorite was the sumptuous music room (mostly because of its thick carpet).

It was actually very appropriate that we visited Brighton after Bath because historically both cities boomed after becoming popular with royalty. Bath experienced a boom following a visit from Queen Mary in 1687. She took the waters at the spa to cure her infertility… and gave birth to a son ten months later. Thus, “taking the waters” at the spa became fashionable. During the 1750s, a man called Dr. Richard Russell began to advocate seawater over thermal water as a cure-all. Brighton experienced its boom. I think the history of the two cities gave a nice continuity to our touristy trips.

Anyway, back to the Pavilion at Brighton. The Royal Pavilion was the home of King George IV before he became Prince Regent and ultimately King. Our tour guide, Adam, explained that George had a poor relationship with his father, and moved to Brighton when he was only 21 years old. He met a woman named Maria Fitzherbert, who was majorly off limits as she was both a Catholic and a widow. But the naughty George IV decided to marry her anyway (unofficially), and she remained his mistress for several decades. The prince commissioned the architect John Nash to renovate his Brighton home, and it was super extravagant and awesome (see above). He lived there until Mad King George III (the one who lost America) was declared insane, and therefore unfit to rule, at which point he returned to London to rule as Prince Regent. His father kicked the bucket in 1820, and George IV ruled for ten years as King and then died. Sadly, he only visited Brighton twice during the last seven years of his life. The end.

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Now, being a girl who always does her research, I was aware of the Brighton Food and Drink Festival in September, and of the fact that today was the day of the Chili Festival. Being American, I had envisioned chili con carne – a thick stew with meat and beans, popular in Texas, often served with cornbread… But I had it wrong, friends – this was the Chilli Festival, hosted by Fiery Foods UK, and it was a celebration of any and all foods made with chillies. For whatever reason, chilli has a cult following in the United Kingdom, universally acknowledged to be a land of bland, hearty food. Go figure.

Anyway, the girls and I left the Pavilion and paid £2 to enter the Festival Ground in Victoria Gardens. We were immediately offered free Nando’s chicken and it was delicious. We knew we had come to the right place. We moved from booth to booth, tasting samples of chilli jellies, sauces, and chutneys. A near-death experience (Anna and I being tricked by a sadistic sample-man into eating the hottest sauce my tongue has ever met) impelled us into the Cider Tent, where we gulped down chocolate milk. Anna knows how we like sweets, so she ventured out into the rain for some churros with melted chocolate dipping sauce. Deee-lish. Continuing on in the rain, we pieced together a lunch from more free samples – chicken fajitas, tacos, etc – and listened to a string band. Jill even found a booth offering cupcakes made with chillies and chilli-vanilla ice cream! The festival might even have inspired me to watch the infamous chilli-eating contest aired on BBC, “Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley.”

Comfortably full of chilli-flavored foods, the girls and I headed into the North Laines. There were plenty of bohemian, countercultural shops and we were happy to shop there for a while. Only one purchase to report: Anna bought a grey sweater with two cats on it from Mama San. Cats are the latest fad in our flat :)

At 2:30, we climbed back into the van to embark on the second part of the tour: Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. We drove along the coastline for a while, past rolling green hills dotted with sheep, to reach Beachy Head. Undeterred by the gale force winds, we raced out towards the cliffs for a photo op. From our position, we seemed to be surrounded by the ocean in three directions. 

Beachy Head lighthouse in the background

We are not English, however, and were soon forced into the Beachy Head Country Pub for two glasses of Zinfandel and a diet coke. The ambiance was lovely - "rural charm and rustic character" with candles lit to soften the atmosphere. I should mention that the winds here have destroyed by umbrella, which I thought was fairly sturdy before coming to England. I now understand that I need inclement weather gear of a higher caliber altogether. If you can’t stand intense wind and almost constant light rain, tourism in England may not be for you (ditto the rest of the UK). But, although the good weather was sporadic, our laughter was constant, and that’s what’s important. Travel is all about being opportunistic, and you have to make the best of what you get!

Smile anyway!

After Beachy Head, it was onto the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk cliffs on the Sussex Heritage Coast in South Downs National Park. On the pebble shore were oval rocks made of chalk, collected and used to write our names on stones. I love places of unspoiled natural beauty, and the National Park offered me just that. I’d like to go back and hike the cliffs some day.

This has been a long blog post, I know – now I’m off to plan my Open House hits for tomorrow. I hope everyone else had as enjoyable a day as I did! Cheerio!

You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.

I love seeing inspirational quotes in unexpected places. It makes me think about life, love, happiness, and everything that makes us human. Here are a few that I've come across recently.

If you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind wanders. 

Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a million little things. 

As long as we have memories, yesterday remains. As long as we have hope, tomorrow waits. As long as we have love, today is beautiful. 

Day Trip: Stonehenge & Bath

When I began writing this blog post, I was so excited that it felt sort of silly. I began typing a manically happy review of my trip to Bath and Stonehenge. Upon re-reading, I became deeply emotional. And I began to question my happiness. And this is potentially very dangerous. Let me explain...

Two weeks into my semester abroad in London, and I am still practically euphoric at some point nearly every day. I love it here. I love my life. It's unbelievable. Unbelievable. See, there is a little voice in the back of my mind that keeps nagging me, trying to cast doubt, whispering that this incredible satisfaction can't last. 

Yes, I have been warned against the 'honeymoon stage' of study abroad, and the melancholy and frustration that, in theory, should be due within the next week or two. The culture shock/homesickness one-two punch is theoretically looming in the not-so-distant future. And the thought is worrisome. 

BUT I SAY NO.  I came to the UK prepared, and that includes mentally prepared. It will be a challenge - it already is - but I won't fall into despair in certain moments of vulnerability. When I can't count change to pay for my coffee (why is there a two cent coin but no quarter?)... During my 90 minute commute to work after early morning class on Friday... When Brits at the bar insist that my name is a boy's name. Yes, it sucks. But I've done this before - see France, spring of 2010. I struggled then, not always emerging victorious over sadness. But not this time. It won't always be perfect happiness, but it will be happiness. So now, strong and confident in my enthusiasm-realism balance, I can gush about Bath with no little voice undermining it :)

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For Saturday, the CAPA team planned a full day excursion to Stonehenge and Bath. Getting out of London to see the countryside sounded great, though it would require responding to my irritating alarm clock at 6:15 a.m. instead of unplugging it. Ugh. It would be worth it, right? My eleven roommates and I reluctantly left our beds, pulled on jeans and sweaters, and headed to the pre-arranged meeting point in the pale morning light and calm weather. 

The buses and our tour guides were waiting in South Kensington. As with our bus tour of London, CAPA had chosen Proscenium. They provide a good service - comfortable buses and knowledgeable Blue Badge guides. At 8:00 sharp, we drove west out of the city, past Fuller’s brewery and Twickenham rugby stadium. The stories of Roman times – Claudius, invasion, the tribes of Britain, Bodicea, Hadrian – provided the soundtrack for our exit of the city, concluding as we passed Richmond and merged onto the motorway.

  

The drive to Stonehenge, which massively predates Roman times, took nearly an hour and a half. It is the oldest of the old (even by English standards). As we neared the famous prehistoric monument, our guide explained in great detail what is known about the site, including the most recent discoveries and the mysteries that remain… I won’t go into it, but if you are curious, here is a link to the English Heritage website.  I had heard before going that visiting Stonehenge was overrated, but I disagree. The wind that morning was fierce, but the scene was very impressive. 

flatmates and stones

loving my Hunter wellington boots - thank you, AL & G Etz.

Our tour group only spent 45 minutes at Stonehenge, which was plenty of time to ponder its construction and to try to grasp how ancient the stones were. From Stonehenge to Bath, the drive was much more scenic. Despite the fall weather, the landscape looked as colorful and alive as during summer. I was excited to see a perched village near Limpley, which reminded me of France, as well as several pretty viaducts. (Stuart, our guide, mentioned that the viaduct that the Hogwarts Express traverses in Harry Potter is located in the Scottish Highlands – now, I want to visit Glenfinnan!)

Bath is charming. Beginning with the Roman baths was a smart idea - in doing so, we avoided most of the rainy weather that day. The indoor museum was unfortunately very crowded. Outdoors, however, the stately baths were waiting. They were incredible - the water is supposed to be very warm and rich in iron, but dipping your hands into it is out of the question. There was a wedding party inside, and the bride and groom were being photographed by the Great Bath, pictured below. 

All twelve roommates! My London family

The Roman baths

My friends and I used our free time that afternoon to search for lunch [Pasty Presto] and explore the city center. Later on, we gathered with the rest of the CAPA students at the Abbey. The Abbey's facade displays angels literally climbing the building towards heaven! From there, our tour guide led the group around Great Pulteney Street, the Circus, the Royal Crescent, and Royal Victoria Park, incorporating legends of the healing power of the waters and stories of the brazen architects John Wood Sr. and Jr. 

We boarded the bus at 3:45, and our timing could not have been better - it started to rain almost immediately after. I spent the return journey - a two and a half hour ride - admiring scenery, planning another visit to Bath, and napping. Some of the girls and I chose to go to O'Neils in Covent Garden last night, and we didn't return home until very late. I was at the Thames Festival all morning, but I don't think I'll make it back for the Night Carnival. I do plan on walking to the bridge in my PJs to watch the fireworks display - or pyrotechnics, as they're called here - later on. 

Cheers, friends. How was your weekend?

Vogue London Fashion's Night Out

What is Fashion’s Night Out? I think CNBC said it best: “late night shopping combined with champagne, give-aways and celebrity sightings.” FNO was an invention of Vogue magazine, intended to boost sales during a mega recession (in 2008). As far as I'm concerned, FNO is a night to waltz into high-end stores where I could have no intention of spending money and might, at any other time, have been despised by salespeople who work for commission - and be handed a free drink. 

In other words, it’s like Halloween for shopaholics: going door-to-door to various department stores, flagship stores, and other retailers expecting treats, i.e. cocktails.

  

Armed with three enthusiastic roommates, comfortable shoes, and indefatigable optimism, I boarded the Tube at Waterloo for Green Park.  We began our night at the bottom of frenzied Bond Street. Our first stop was Alexander McQueen.

We mingled among posh, fashionable Londoners and fellow dreamers (poor university students). We sipped purple cocktails in martini glasses. We admired the texture of the clothes, the smell of candles, and the visual displays. At one point, my sensory overload was so complete and overwhelming that I nearly cried. I had to grab onto a £1,150 Knuckle Box Clutch until I regained my composure. One of my roommates, Kristina, bought the signature FNO London t-shirt. 

Next stop: DKNY. More cocktails, more music, another give-away. We were quickly tempted back onto the street by rumors of champagne at Burberry. At an information booth, the volunteers directed us towards 21-23 New Bond St and offered us free Starbucks coffee. It was the ideal time for a coffee break, and we stayed outside for a while enjoying the weather that night, which was warm and mild. Ultimately, we re-entered the crowds of crazed fashionistas swarming in Burberry. My tall, blonde roommate Amy gravitated towards a luxurious lace trench coat, which she absolutely had to try on. She promptly lost her ability to speak simple English. Not surprising. 

In Longchamp, we sipped glasses of fizzy champagne before our first celebrity sighting in London - Gwenyth Paltrow leaving the opening of Coach's new store. 

At that point, it was getting late - stores were closing, and we needed to get home before the clock struck twelve (and the Tube shut down for the night). 

My darling readership,

Much as I would like to post every day, I have to admit that my everyday life will not always be as fantastic and interesting to you as it is to me. For example, today I attended a psychology class at the CAPA Center in South Kensington and then visited the Victoria and Albert Museum. Tomorrow I will be in class all day (studying international economics and British literature). On Thursday, I will be interning in Finchley. In general, la quotidienne (my daily life) isn't really thrilling enough to merit blogging.

HOWEVER. In lieu of posting in detail about my day-to-day, I will promise you some interesting posts later this week. Here's the line-up:

Thursday: Fashion's Night Out in London (Possible visits to Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Marc Jacobs)

Saturday: Day Trip to Stonehenge & Bath

Sunday: The Mayor of London's Thames Festival (an end of summer festival on the river bank, i.e. just out my front door)

Also, if you hear of anything interesting going on in London, please let me know! I would happily take suggestions on how to spend my time.

Cheers!

London Markets and Clubs for Beginners

9 of 12 roommates! All lovely [at the Blues Room]

The 12th! Arrived late, but was quickly forgiven :)

All right, so the title is slightly misleading - I can’t recall any of the clubs I visited on Thursday or Saturday night as vividly as the markets today. So instead of telling you about the Zoo or the Blues Room in Leicester Square, or others in Soho near Oxford Circus, I want to tell you about the various markets I explored today with my roommate Amy.

Primrose Hill, located just north of Regent’s Park, was the starting point for our CAPA tour towards the Camden Town Market. The walk from Swiss Cottage tube station to the park took our group past rows of bright, neatly kept houses.  I made new friends along the way from Mizzou and Michigan State.The first thing that struck me about Primrose Hill was the number of dogs in the park; I hadn’t realized before, but I haven’t seen more than one or two dogs in the city since my arrival. [Quick kisses to my pug and my two English springer spaniels back home.] Connecting the park and the market was Regent's Park Road: It was very picturesque and I felt drawn towards every inviting café (though, sadly, did not enter). Surprisingly, just across a bridge at the end of the road lay funky Camden Town (a distinctive neighborhood within Camden Borough, where Primrose Hill is also located).

At the top or Primrose Hill, experiencing our first London rain!

The stalls at the Camden Town Market were hit or miss, but although there were several generic punky booths, there were also plenty of truly original vendors offering idiosyncratic and unexpected treasures. The smell of fragrant Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and Italian food… the sight of burlesque, goth, 50s style, punk, and hippy/ethnic clothing… the pierced and tattooed youth. That's Camden Town. Several things caught my eye, and yet I couldn’t commit to buying anything in the drizzle and with limited funds. After three hours of weaving through crowds, being beckoned to by vendors, alternately enthused and puzzled by their wares, we found Chalk Road tube station and left for Shoreditch.

 Which one is my roommate, Amy?

 So many colors... (or should I say, colours...)

With my trusty London Fog umbrella 

Old Spitalfields Sunday Market is amazing. We exited Liverpool Station in the heart of the City and followed the streams of people headed towards the Victorian market hall. I still have a natural high from my delicious lunch and the amazing jewelry and clothing I saw this afternoon. I have five new Spitalfield Market obsessions:

1. My new bracelet by Gia London 
2. The Hungover Cookbook by Milton Crawford 
3. Crepeaffaire 
4. Traffic People 
5. A leather bracelet/necklace with a gold flying pig charm

In the late afternoon, I felt genuinely British when I began to crave afternoon tea. Too fatigued to even consider brewing the tea myself, but too poor to seriously consider afternoon tea at a café, I decided to buy my first box of Earl Grey at a Marks & Spencer in Liverpool Station. Now, lounging in my bed with my computer and a cuppa (cup of tea), I need to research the company where I will be an intern. I need to be brilliant at my interview tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

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Oh! And before I sign off, a quick shout out to Cirque Nova, who performed a piece called "Finding Epiphany" outside the National Theater on the South Bank at the Liberty Festival: London's annual disability arts festival. They were inspiring!

Overseas in Billy Shakespeare Land

Four days into my four months abroad, and I am finally making the time to sit down and write about my experiences in London. Why do I have to make the time? Because I am so busy exploring my new home and culture, of which I am quite enamored. Although every single moment here feels special to me, I’ll do my best to only report the “highlights.”

My flight here from Newark Liberty International went smoothly and we landed one hour earlier than expected (could it be that the UK is only a six-hour flight from New Jersey? It hardly seems possible…). I met one of my roommates, Kristina, at Heathrow and we split a cab to our newly renovated, centrally located apartment. Despite catching one single hour of sleep, I knew that my jet lag would only worsen if I gave into exhaustion. Instead, Kristina and I went out walking for three hours! I’ll just tell you that all of my roommates are lovely. In fact, several of us went to a nearby pub aptly named the Hole in the Wall, near Waterloo station, for a pint and some getting-to-know-you conversation.

Day 1, on Hangerford Bridge

Roommates, Kristina and Amy

Thursday was my first full day in London. Nothing too exceptional that morning, just a shower, a latte at Café Nero, and a new cell phone! It was a gorgeous, sunny day. My roommates - Anna, Danielle - and I went for lunch at a restaurant called the Sussex on St. Martin’s Lane. We ordered a pub sampler with fish and chips, mini meat pies, pickled onions, mushy peas, sausages, mashed potatoes, and battered and fried scampi. It was more impressive that I had been led to believe pub food would be. That afternoon, all CAPA students had a long orientation meeting, after which I went out with some of the girls living in Marylebone. Trying to return home from Oxford Circus after midnight was challenging because it was my first encounter with the bus system (the tube closes at midnight).

I began Day 3 with a handicap (hangover), but luckily was only required to sit through an internship orientation from 10-12. There is another student placed at the same office as me in northern London – named Amanda! We went out to lunch together at Wagamama, a local chain noodle restaurant. I gave into a nap that afternoon, but returned to South Kensington for an arrival reception: afternoon tea at the Regency Hotel. I am happy to report that I went all out: tea, scones with clotted cream, finger sandwiches (one smoked salmon, one ham and cheese), and a tiny fruit-topped cake. The speeches given by the CAPA team overseeing us in London made me feel protected and cared for – like I had fifteen cool new parents to look out for me and ensure that I enjoyed myself here.

At the fountain, with Amy, Evan, and Anna

That night, several of us left tea together to wander through Hyde Park. We laid on the grass in the center of the Princess Diana Memorial fountain until dusk, then slowly made our way to the Marble Arch to catch a bus towards home. However, the city was so enchanting at nightfall from the second story window of the bus that we alighted after Piccadilly and found ourselves in Trafalgar Square. The bronze lions guarding Nelson’s column were irresistible at night, and my roommate Amy, our friend Evan, and I climbed up onto the monument. Settled underneath a giant metal jaw, between the front legs of an immense lion, we watched the bustle of the square and admired the building that houses the National Gallery. Eventually, we hopped off our “playground” and set off down Whitehall. About midway down, a pub called the Clarence caught our fancy. It was small, with a young crowd, reasonably priced, and the hanging lamps over the bar were made of bowler hats! Perfect. We enjoyed some new beers and ciders, using our favorite free beer technique: claiming that we are Americans ignorant to the sophisticated beers on offer. The bartender, or a concerned British bystander, will request that we sample several beers on tap, or even the beer in their hand! Tee hee. I love it here.

After the Clarence, we continued our walk down Whitehall to hear Big Ben up in his clock tower. Across the bridge on the south bank, our friends were awaiting our arrival at the Hole in the Wall, where we happily joined them for a final half pint before turning in.

Today, we went on a three-hour guided bus tour of London. It would be useless to try to recall all of the information I absorbed from our tour guide; suffice it to say, the tour was fantastic, and my London bucket list has doubled in size.

Still no rain (I’ve probably jinxed it now), but with only that exception, London has turned out to be everything I expected it to be and more.