My Very Own London Flat

So, for starters, I apologize for being MIA the last few weeks from the blogosphere. Between having Nikki to stay, the Olympics, oh yeah, and my dissertation I've been a bit busy. While all of those things that I've just mentioned are blog worthy topics, I will keep you wanting more by leaving those for a different post. Right now I want to show and tell you about my new flat!

I moved into the big city, London, a month ago now and it already feels like Egham was years in the past. I live in the southeastern bit of London, in an area called Charlton which for those of you not familiar with London is just east of Greenwich. I have my very own one bedroom flat and for the first time in my entire life I am living completely by myself. I have no roommates and don't have to share one iota of my space, and I'm loving it to bits. Let me give you a visual rundown of my place, thus far.

The outside of my flat-mine is the one with the open curtain on the second floor

gorgeous view from my sitting room

kitchen

kitchen

sitting room- I now have a tv in front of the fire place

nice, big bathroom

bedroom

As you can probably see, light is not a problem in my flat. It is nearly always bright and sunny which was something that I saw as of the utmost importance, since I do so much work from home. I also have a dishwasher which has made me one of the happiest people alive in London. It is a very rare thing to have in a one bedroom flat in London. I have all the major appliances including a washing machine (no dryer) and though I'm still waiting for some furniture (namely my dining table and chairs) to be delivered thanks to the slowdown during the Olympics, things are coming together. I love having more space to move around in and having multiple rooms to be in during the day. I love being able to do whatever I please and decorate how I like and not having to ask anyone for permission to do anything. In short, it has been quite a liberating process. I'm sure I will have more photos to post with updates of decorating and furniture, when that arrives, so I will be sure to keep you all posted via my blog. I love being in the city and having instantaneous access to so many wonderful and fun things. It really is a vast improvement from small town Egham and this flat is much more suited to my style of living. It has and continues to be a cool place to live.
Oh, and in case you haven't heard, I have a couch and an air mattress for anyone who wants to visit.

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Nearly a month ago now (already, eek!) I was blessed with a visitor from America, my dear friend Heidi. Heidi and I met on our semester abroad in London nearly three years ago and have remained friends ever since. When she decided to make the hop over the pond to see me and to make her first visit back to the UK, I was ecstatic. We both came to the quick conclusion that Cornwall was where our hearts most desired to visit and so a week in a cottage in St. Ives, along with a short stint in York (northeast England) and London, was just what the doctor ordered.

York was where we began our trip and for two and a half gloriously sun-filled days (a rarity this year, believe me in one of the wettest on record) wandering around the cobblestoned streets admiring the gorgeous cathedral city. The main highlights were walking along the ancient city walls, going to Yorkminster, visiting the Railway museum, and eating at Betty's cafe, a Yorkshire institution.

outside Yorkminster

At Betty's

Railway museum

view from the walls of York

 

After York we made the long trek down to St. Ives. It was two hours to London (standing most of the way) and then a layover in Paddington station and then a 6 hour train ride down to St. Ives. It was an exhausting day but the minute we got to St. Ives it was immediately worth it. We rented a local woman's cottage right in the heart of the town, and were so pleased with it the entire week. It was cozy, comfortable, and we really loved having a place of our own to come back to and relax each day.

entrance to the cottage

We spent our week wandering around the winding streets of St. Ives, hiking, eating, and taking small day trips around Western Cornwall. We managed to visit Penzance and see a play, Twelfth Night, at the Minack theatre with its incredibly breathtaking views of the Atlantic coast as a backdrop. We visited two art galleries, had an afternoon cream tea, ate cornish pasties (rhymes with sassy), and slept in. The only bummer was that it was cold, windy, and rainy periodically and despite having so many beaches around us, the thought of swimming in water that was at most 40 degrees fahrenheit kept us from entertaining the thought of traditional beach pursuits. The cold summer weather is one thing that I've had a hard time getting used to. It is late July and it is still risky to wear shorts or a dress without worrying that I will get cold as the highs are usually around 60 and damp. Despite the weather though we had a fabulous and relaxing time before heading back to London to conclude our vacation together.

The Minack Theatre

Afternoon tea breaks

The surfers' beach in St. Ives

pasties- a cornish speciality

Harbor of St. Ives

St. Michael's mount

14th century pub in St. Ives

London proved to be anything but relaxing; we were out from 9am to 10pm each day and our feet felt it. We had three days to reminisce together and ended up having an afternoon tea with a professor of mine from UST at Fortnum and Mason (highly recommended if you ever visit London), saw two more plays (Midsommer Night's Dream and One Man, Two Guvnors), had an indian meal, and visited old haunts from our Farringdon days. It was such a great time and really a magical way to end our trip where it all began for us three years ago. We finished off our last night in a pub on the Mall partaking in one last moment (for Heidi) of pure English bliss. 

Afternoon tea platter at Fortnum and Mason

The Emergence of Summer

Summer has begun to peek its head out in the south of England; the days are long, everything is firmly in bloom, and on a sunny day in England there is no other place that I would rather be.

To celebrate the beginning of the nice weather (because, let's face it, good weather is a transient phenomenon here) my dear friend Ming and I took a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens, or Kew gardens as they are better known. Kew is very near to the beautiful suburb of Richmond (which is where Hampton court palace is for those of you familiar with the UK) and the day we went was 70 degrees and sunny, utter perfection. The Kew facility itself is immense. We were there for nearly 6 hours and I think saw a fair amount of it, but at the expense of our legs. We wandered amongst the English roses (my favorite), relished in the indoor rainforest, and capped it all off with a tea break at a darling teahouse just outside of the gardens, dating all the way back to Henry VIII.

Main greenhouse for tropical plants

Kew Palace

The Maids of Honour teahouse

Another thing that I did to celebrate the onset of summer was to attend West End Live this past saturday. West End Live is a two-day event where the biggest musicals from the West End theatre district in London perform a few numbers for free to a crowd at Trafalgar Square. The event is lovely because you get a taste of a bunch of different shows in a unique atmosphere. People were singing along, cheering, and breaking out their fully stocked picnic lunch baskets. I have to say, I am very impressed by the British picnic-goer; he really knows how to make a picnic into a full on, all day affair!

Rachel met me and we hung together and then later of capped off our day at the London aquarium, which always makes me feel like a kid again. It was good fun and a beautiful day to be with friends in a city that continues to inspire and captivate me. I really believe that a day in London is the best of all days, no matter how mundane the activity is; a city as electric as this makes me feel that life can never go wrong.

Cast of Les Miserables

The Jubilee Weekend

I realize that I've been quite absent from my blog for a bit now due to an incredibly hectic/exciting last two months. The month of April was devoted utterly to essay writing and after finishing those up I basically then just went straight home for a visit to Fargo for a month. Before that though, I had probably the best thing possible to happen to me, I was interviewed for a PhD place at University College London (UCL) and just hours before my flight home to America I got my acceptance letter. Needless to say, it could not have been better timing! I then proceeded to spend 4 weeks taking a much needed break and just relished in the moment, spending as much time as possible with friends and family. My time at home was so refreshing and fun because I really am blessed to have THE best friends and family in the ND/MN area.

At the Thames Pageant

The Royal Flotilla

Royal Family

That's not all I've been up to though. I've only been back in Egham for two weeks now, but I haven't been idle (not surprising for me, eh?). June 2-5th brought with it the Queen's 60th jubilee celebrations in London and the UK and my friends and I were keen to participate in some way or other. We ended up visiting the capital to watch the London Thames Pageant which was a series of 1,000 boats of all sorts cruising down the Thames, the most spectacular being the royal family's giant yacht. It was gorgeous and we had good enough spots near the south bank across from St. Paul's cathedral to actually see each member of the royal family, including Kate, William, Harry, Charles, and the Queen, of course. It was a rainy, cold day but the patriotic spirit and general good cheer of those around us made it such a unique and wonderful day to be a part of. Though I'm not one to wish America had a monarchy (who does really?) I do appreciate its significance and wonderful tradition within Britain's history and current society, and I for one never want it to go. I also ended up visiting the Globe theatre, my favorite theatre in the whole world, and watched the most English of plays, Henry V.

Festive decor all throughout the city

Buckingham palace

Globe Theatre

To cap off a week of bank holidays and general festivities within England, Nikki and I decided to take a bike ride from our house to Windsor. The town is covered in Union Jacks and the tourists are back in full force. It was a lovely ride through the deer park and we lucked out to have a sunny day (rare at the moment) to enjoy being outside.

Leading up to the castle in Windsor

To all of those who are worried, "but when is she working?" don't fret. I have been steadily plunking away at my research and finding it immensely fruitful. My dissertation is focused on the Pre-Raphaelite journal "The Germ" and I am focusing on the idea of the artist as visionary as well as the journal itself as a visionary. I've already spent many days in the library and my advisor has given me the green light of approval. So basically now all I have to do is get on with it for the next three months! Wish me luck!