Week 15: Recap

Wow I can’t believe it’s here. My flight leaves in a few hours and I’m scrambling to pack. Typical. As I put things in my already overstuffed suitcases I am reminded of everything I’ve done this semester. Triggered by the masquerade mask I bought in Venice to the Belgian chocolate I brought home from Brussels. But it wasn’t just about traveling. Looking through my old papers I also remember I was here for school, no matter how much I complained that “the studying part is really getting in the way of study abroad.”

Overall I’m so grateful I had this opportunity. Though I may have missed home and my friends there, and especially the fast pace of New York City, it was pretty cozy to have classes in one old Georgian house. I was also able to take some classes purely for fun (well I still had to keep my grades up of course, but not having think of how they fulfill requirements and doing them just because the subject was something I was interested in was pretty freeing).

I think studying abroad makes you notice and see things in a new way. There are too many things you take for granted in your daily life. For example, I noticed how efficiently the tube runs in London, Paris, and many other European cities, and I
can now think of ways to improve the MTA. However, I also see how strikes affect an entire country. I can see that all these countries in Europe have centuries if not millennia of history and how this affects culture and issues in society today.

Sorry this is rambly. Honestly, my semester is impossible to put into words and I say that in the best way way possible.

Week 14: London Bucket List

This weekend my friend who’s studying at NYU Paris came to visit and it was a chance for me to finish my London Bucket List too.  Here is a list of some highlights in London, which is definitely more than you can finish in 2 days.  Nonetheless, we still managed to hit up the majority of it while she was here.

• St Paul’s Cathedral – A historic site, where Princess Diana had her wedding and the funerals of many celebrated people took place.  The architecture is beautiful; it used to be in the style of a traditional cross cathedral with a spire but Sir Christopher Wren designed it with a dome after it burnt down in a fire.  Interestingly, the dome you see from the outside actually surrounds the dome that you see from the inside and has a painted ceiling.  This is so it looks taller on the outside.  You can climb the dome and see great views of the city.
• London Eye – Not much to say besides that it is a must-see because of the amazing views of the city.
• Westminster Abbey – Where coronations take place and also the site of many royal weddings like that of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
• Buckingham Palace – The Queen lives here, enough said.  Read more on my earlier blog post.  Also go see the Changing of the Guards.
• Tower of London – Holds the crown jewels and is rich with history.
• Globe Theatre – This is a reconstruction of the original theatre during Shakespeare’s time.
• Tower Bridge – One of the most iconic bridges in the world.  You’ll be lucky if you see it open (it’s a drawbridge), which I sadly did not manage to catch.
• Millennium Bridge – A footbridge that connects to South Banks over the Thames.  You can walk from St Paul’s right over to the Tate Modern or The Globe.
• Borough Market – Lots of good food.  Get the duck sandwich and mulled wine, mulled cider, or other mulled fruit drinks in the winter.
• Camden Market – Look at my earlier post to learn more; also lots of good food and shopping.
• Portobello Road Market – Look at my earlier post to learn more; antiques and flea market.
• 221B Baker St: Sherlock Holmes’ home/museum – Also look for the Sherlock Holmes tiles in the nearby Baker St tube station.
• Graffiti – There are works from some famous street artists around town, like Banksy and Mr. Brainwash.  A lot of it is quickly removed after they appear, but try to catch them as they pop up or if they’re lucky enough to be preserved behind plexiglass.
• Have tea – My friend and I went to Tea & Tattle, a cute little teashop below an independent bookstore and ordered afternoon tea.  You usually get a selection of sandwiches, scones (with clotted cream), and cake (try Victoria sponge) with your tea from a set menu, and it all feels very classy not to mention delicious.

View of St Paul’s Cathedral & Millennium Bridge from South Bank.

Also don’t forget all of the great museums in London, which are all free! (Except for various small specialty museums).  Look at my blog post for an overview.

Week 13: Best Food

Since I’m a foodie and I was lucky enough to travel all over Europe this semester, I thought I’d make a list of my favorite food from everywhere–you should definitely try any of these if you have the chance.

• UK: Fish and Chips – This is a classic, and so so good. I never really liked it before, thinking it was just a greasy mess, but nothing is like some real British fish and chips. Go to a quality place though, because I had some $5 fish and chips once while I was here and it was not fresh and was a greasy mess. Be sure to use lots of malted vinegar and tartar sauce. Restaurant recommendation: North Sea
• UK: Nando’s – You will see this chain restaurant all over London and you absolutely must go in at least once to try it. This fast-casual chicken place is convenient, a great deal, and absolutely delicious. It is supposedly of Portuguese origin and the flavors come from Peri-Peri sauce. Be sure to try the various sauces you can just grab from the counter–my favorite is lemon & herb. Also all of the sides are great too, and I recommend the peas and the sweet potato mash.
• Greece: Yogurt, both fresh & frozen – You’ve undoubtedly heard of Greek yogurt right? Well imagine how good it is in Greece! It probably just comes from the quality of the ingredients, but this is the best yogurt I have ever had in my life, and believe me when I say I’m a yogurt aficionado and have tried a lot of yogurt. The traditional Greek toppings are pretty interesting, but I would only try the candied fruits if you have a high tolerance for sweet things.

Frozen yogurt with traditional Greek toppings.

Week 12: Harry Potter Tour

This Friday I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour at Leavesden Studios with an NYU London programming event, and I have to say it was like I stepped into a dream come true. We had a chance to stand on actual sets constructed for the movies, look at thousands of carefully constructed props and costumes, get a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie, and even taste butterbeer!

Although I had been in the dining hall that inspired the Great Hall at Oxford before, now I got chance to walk through the actual set and see how the inspiration was brought to life. Now if you know me, you’ll know I got a little too excited about checking in to each section of the studio on Foursquare. For example, when I checked in to “Dumbledore’s Office” it was even marked as a college administrative building! It made the experience feel more real, as if everyone who visited decided to suspend all disbelief when they entered and treat everything as if it were the real thing. After seeing some more sets with all the props placed perfectly within such as Snape’s potions class, the Chamber of Secrets door, Gryffindor’s common room, and the Burrow, we took a break to get some butterbeer and take pictures with some huge props like the Knight Bus (which had a bus stop that looked like a real London bus stop–something I could appreciate now), the Ford Anglia, and Hagrid’s motorcycle. I have to say that butterbeer is absolutely AMAZING. Though the studio and Harry Potter world at Universal Studios only serve a cold butterbeer, a warm one a la the books’ many scenes in Hogsmeade in winter would have been perfect on this cold day. If I can try to describe it, it mostly tastes like cream soda with a butterscotch flavored cream at the top, and it’s that cream that you never want to stop eating.

My friend and I in the flying Ford Anglia!

When I walked into the room with the model of Hogwarts Castle, I was breathtaken. The model is actually pretty big, filling an entire room, though of course the fraction of the size of what a real castle should be. It was gorgeous though and we had done it–we had reached the real Hogwarts. This is the model they actually use to film exterior scenes, and it was just as grand as I expected. I honestly felt the magic in the room.

Then, we were able to walk along Diagon Alley and see the shops, and finally ended up inside the interior set of Ollivanders Wand Shop. Did you know that there is a wand box inscribed with the name of every person who was on the cast and crew of the Harry Potter movies? It was a great way to end the experience looking for some big names like J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson and appreciating all their work to make this wonderful world we all fell in love with.

Week 11: Travel Tips

Here are some travel tips I picked up with all the traveling I did and I hope it helps you out when you’re planning to travel!

• Sometimes it’s easier and faster just to travel by plane, especially with all the discount airlines out there. Check out skyscanner.com and put in the destination of ‘Everywhere’ and sort by price . Also check out easyjet.com and ryanair.com for two of the budget airlines that have great fares to almost anywhere in Europe.
• If you’re traveling to France or Brussels it will be fastest (and most comfortable) to go via train as it goes through the chunnel. Check out eurostar.com. Fares are as low as £30 one-way, which is a very good deal for a comfortable 2 hr train journey that leaves from King’s Cross/St. Pancras, which is walkable if you’re staying in NYU housing. However, you have to book early as fares go up quickly and then it might be cheaper just to fly. It is definitely worth it to go by rail though so keep your eye on those fares!
• Also check out megabus.com and nationalexpress.com for cheap buses. Use eurolines.com if you are not starting your journey in the UK–it is the same company as naitonalexpress but sometimes the fares can be cheaper if you match up the fares yourself across all 3 websites than buying a roundtrip journey.
• Hostels are the way to go, and definitely safe. I was a bit skeptical myself since I had never stayed in one (they don’t seem to be common in America but they’re all over Europe and this gives you a good variety to choose the best one). Hostbookers.com and studentuniverse.com has the cheapest prices (hostelworld.com is just slightly more expensive). Make sure to read the reviews to help you pick a safe and clean place. Most places have luggage rooms and lockers to keep your belongings safe while you’re out and you can usually even store your stuff before and after check-out times. Some give you locks but some don’t so it’s best to bring your own. Most don’t come with towels though so bring your own. Also don’t forget shower flops. Also just a tidbit: the hostels I stayed in in Portugal were the best ever. They were all so clean, had great amenities, had very friendly staff, and were on par with hotels in terms of quality. I don’t know what it was about Portugal, but I especially recommend the hostels there.
• I have been advised that in Amsterdam, however, hotels are better than hostels.
• It is often more economical to take an overnight bus since you save a night in hotel/hostel, as opposed to taking a flight where you’d be getting in late at night and don’t have much time to explore anyways.
• Aside from Heathrow, you can fly out from Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted. Most budget airlines do not fly from Heathrow so you will likely have to use the other 3 more out of the way airports. Heathrow is the only one where you can take either the city bus or tube to directly. For the other ones you usually have to take an airport shuttle such as easybus.co.uk or terravision.eu. This is annoying because you’ll have to go to a specific pick-up location. It is especially annoying if you’re flying out in the middle of the night or early morning because the tube will be closed and you’ll have to take a bus to the pickup location. Take the train if you can to the airport. Go to firstcapitalconnect.co.uk for trains to Gatwick or Luton out of King’s Cross/St. Pancras.

My early morning flight to Dublin on Ryanair.

 

Week 10: Preparation Tips

A corollary to my post on packing tips last week, that should help you keep a few things in mind to prepare before you come so you won’t be stranded without some necessary things when you arrive.

• Figure out what you’re going to do for a credit card/bank account. Get a no foreign transaction fee credit card (I’m currently using Chase Sapphire and I know Bank of America and Capital One are other good options.) You don’t need a chip credit card but it can get annoying (some automated machines, like at Tube refill stations, don’t take swipe cards so you have to wait for a person to process it for you at the counter and there’s not always someone there). I hear there’s currently a Bank of America travel card that actually has a chip, which seems pretty smart and now I wonder why all travel cards don’t have this feature. Get a bank account that won’t charge you ATM fees. Bank of America doesn’t charge you ATM fees if you use any bank in the Global ATM Alliance (e.g. Barclays in the UK, BNP Paribas in France, Deutsche Bank in Germany; but note there isn’t an alliance bank in every country and it also doesn’t apply to Barclays in France for example or BNP in the UK). Capital One is another option you can check out. I have friends who have to pay $5 every time they use the ATM with their regular bank card so figure this out beforehand!
• The rate for exchanging currency in cash before you leave the US is terrible (not to your advantage compared to actual market rates) so just bring a little. Once you get here you can withdraw local currency for a much better rate at ATMs (assuming you followed my last tip). I would also have a small amount of Euros ready, assuming you want to travel (I haven’t figured out what the cheapest option will be for me yet since I didn’t think about this beforehand and now don’t have access to any of my regular banks.)
• Figure out how you’re going to get from the airport to your dorm, or just find someone to share a pre-booked cab with like I did. I knew I wouldn’t able to take the Tube with all my luggage and figured enough people would have booked cabs already that I wouldn’t need to. It worked out for me and I suggest you definitely share since it’s pretty pricey and a cab definitely fits at least 2 people with a full load of luggage. However, where I saw people run into problems is when they had planned to share a cab with a friend who was getting in on a different flight. Usually there’s no way to contact your friend when you land since no one has a phone yet.

Week 9: Packing Tips

Now that I’ve gotten familiar with my set-up for the next 4 months, I wanted to share some packing tips for anyone studying in London, or anywhere really. I’ll probably do more of an all-around tips post later on, but I wanted to get this packing stuff down while it’s still on my mind. (Also I’ll admit I think this makes me feel better about some of the dumb packing choices I made that made lugging my 3 suitcases–1 of which was overweight–here more painful than it should be…haha)

Packing/Preparation Tips

• Do NOT bring appliances like hair dryers and straighteners. My roommate and I did not listen to this figuring that we had adapters and converters; my roommate’s hair dryer blew out completely even with the converter… Pro Tip/Exception: I am actually using my straightener here because I checked and my converter is compatible with my straightener’s wattage. My roommate’s hair dryer had a higher wattage, and I’m too scared to kill my own hair dryer forever since it doesn’t say on the appliance so always CHECK and you might be fine.
• NYU London’s SPEX club (Stern Political Economy Exchange) runs a rummage sale every semester (and SPEX is also present at a few other NYU global sites) and you can buy things for cheap like used hair dryers, straighteners, hangers (one of the biggest complaints was that our closets are too small and did not come with nearly enough hangers), laundry baskets, etc., and even used books. Pro Tip: do not buy hair dryers or straighteners at the rummage sale! They are much cheaper, not to mention new and including all the accessory parts, at a store called Argos. However, I did calculate the per hanger price here and it is worth it at the rummage sale. Also keep in mind that only so many additional hangers will fit in the tiny closets, and I think 5 hangers (sold together for £1 at the rummage sale) is the perfect amount.
• Check for your textbooks in the lounges of both Byron and Guilford since past residents usually leave them behind (and try do this before everyone else gets there!). Then check at the SPEX rummage sale. Definitely do not attempt to buy your books in the US before you come because even if you can’t find free books lying around I would say the book sale prices are still pretty reasonable. For custom textbooks you’re gonna have to decide if you want to chance it. Or ask someone who took the class here before.
  
• Bring a backpack and a lock for travel. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this, but now that I’m thinking of it you won’t have to.
• Minimize the toiletries you bring. I know this is common sense but I’ll tell you right now that the 2 most popular drugstores that you can find everywhere are Boots and Superdrug so you can even browse their websites and check to see if they have what you need, which chances are they will. Pro Tip: Superdrug tends to be cheaper, and both are in Brunswick, the nearest shopping center.
• If you are picky about your stationary bring your own. The paper size is different here (it’s difficult to find college/narrow-ruled paper), the holes are in different places (it’s a 4-hole punch), and thus the binders are also different. I wouldn’t really advocate bringing all that dead weight here when you can buy perfectly adequate substitutes, but just know that it’s useless to bring US-style binders without enough filler paper and vice versa.
• Consider shipping stuff here instead of going overweight on your luggage. You can have stuff arrive before you move in and NYU will accept it for you, unlike the policy in New York. However, keep in mind that you have to go to the academic centre to pick up packages, so if you have a lot of stuff you will need to factor in the cost of taking a cab or maybe bribing all of your friends to help you.
• Bring an umbrella! It promptly rained the first day I was here and I even brought an umbrella but just hadn’t thought about unpacking it yet.
• Check the weather and pack accordingly!!! The umbrella thing does technically fall into this and I knew it would rain a lot. But where I went wrong was packing too many summer clothes when it gets cold so much earlier here. Whoops…

Ok…will post more preparation tips that don’t have to do with packing next week. Stay tuned!

Week 8: Edinburgh

This weekend I went on  weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and to the nearby city of St. Andrews to visit my old friend who studies at the University of St. Andrews.  Scotland was beautiful!  It has both lovely scenery and very unique architecture.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, I did not venture to try haggis, which is sheep intestines and a famous dish of Scotland.  I was actually planning to try it, since I am pretty adventurous about food (the weirdest thing I’ve probably eaten is either kangaroo or crocodile, both of which I had in Australia), but I chickened out in the end.  We went on a walking tour, which was rather long at 3 hours in my opinion, but it was a great way to see the city.  This definitely caters to a younger crowd, and the guides actually had some really interesting facts and anecdotes that you won’t usually find the in the average brochure or bus tour—so check them out if you get a chance at SANDEMANs.  For example, our tour guide told a hilarious tale about how a few young Scotsmen decided to steal the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey as a symbol (it is usually placed under the Queen or King of England’s throne).  He told of all the trials and tribulations, such as the guys dropping the Stone and splitting it down the middle, the multiple attempts before they actually succeeded—none of which were stopped by the police, and the eventual return of the Stone only for Tony Blair to use it to his advantage when he was running for Prime Minister by promising to return it to Scotland if he were elected.  But when I read about this on an informational plaque while viewing the actual Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle, all it said was “the Stone of Destiny went missing for a period of time before it was returned to Scotland where it is located today.”  Talk about glossing over the details.

Edinburgh also is one of the places where JK Rowling lived, wrote, and got inspired to write Harry Potter.  There is a café called The White Elephant that claims to be where JK Rowling first wrote the first book, which may or may not be true since there are in fact many cafes where she used to write.  Also in the cemetery of Greyfriar’s Kirk (Church), you can find several gravestones which inspired some of the character names in Harry Potter, such as Riddle, McGonagall, and Moody.

St. Andrews is a beautiful beach town, where we got to explore a ruined cathedral and ruined castle.  It is also where Prince William met Kate Middleton, and there is a café in town, which marks where they met when they were both students.

My friend (who I was visiting) and I at the ruined St Andrew’s Cathedral.

Week 7: London Museums

London has a large number of museums you should definitely take advantage of.  In fact, most are free, with the exception of some of the smaller more specialized ones.

• National Gallery – Famous paintings, including Van Gogh (Sunflowers), Monet, Seurat, Van Eyck (The Arnolfini Portrait), Van Gogh (The Virgin of the Rocks) and much more.
• National Portrait Gallery – I think I like this better than the National Gallery, mostly because I really like the collection of modern portraits they have.  A current (free) exhibit features royal portraits.  There’s a head made of the artist’s blood and has to be displayed in a refrigeration device (weird but cool).  Also, I saw a special exhibit featuring the Queen, from official portraits to Andy Warhol’s take, and I loved it.
• Tate Modern – Very abstract.  The building is converted from an old power station, the Bankside Power Station,  and there are galleries on the underground floor in old oil tanks used by the power station.
• British Museum – So large that I definitely did not see all of it.  Holds the Rosetta Stone and many other historical relics from all over the world.
• Victoria & Albert Museum – The world’s largest museum on decorative arts and design.  I really loved the exhibits on fashion there.  Also cool exhibits featuring jewelry.  The current special exhibits were on ballgowns and Hollywood costumes, which both looked amazing but I unfortunately did not have a chance to see because of both the price and unlimited time I had–not to mention the masses of people in line or with pre-booked tickets.
• National History Museum – Has a giant dinosaur skeleton and is absolutely huge and full of interesting things (sadly I did not get to see it all).  The architecture is beautiful and I think worth checking out in itself.
• Bank of England Museum – You can pick up a gold bar (though it’s held in place behind bars) and see currency throughout the ages.

Columns at the entrance of the National History Museum.

Week 6: Dublin

This weekend I went on my first weekend trip outside the UK—to Dublin, Ireland—and went on the day trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury.  Throughout the week I also some events for Social Media Week, which I had been to in New York before.  It’s a yearly event held in multiple cities around the world all about Social Media, and focusing on its role in areas from marketing & advertising, to technology, to entertainment & culture.  Some of the most interesting panels I went to here were the ones that reflected on how social media was used in the 2012 Olympics.  I thought it was definitely a unique experience to be talking about it in London, hearings from people who both worked on and watched the Olympics in the host country, and so soon after the actual event.  I’m sure it will be a hotly discussed topic during New York’s Social Media Week this upcoming spring and I’ll be lucky to have 2 perspectives on it.

My favorite thing in Dublin was visiting the Guinness storehouse.  In fact, Arthur’s Day had just passed (in celebration of the creator Arthur Guinness), which would have been cool to see.  The tour showed you all the steps to producing and selling Guinness, from selecting the best ingredients to the iconic marketing campaigns.  Here’s some trivia: I bet you didn’t know that the Guinness Book of World Records was created by Guinness the beer company, because some employees at work were debating one day what was the fastest bird or some other random facts and one of them though, “why isn’t there a record of this available?”  Other cool things were that the storehouse is shaped like a giant Guinness glass (if you look from top to bottom, because the different floor levels are different sized circles that basically are cross-sections for the Guinness glass), the view at the top had a great view of Dublin, and I am now a “certified”

A friend learning to pour a glass of Guinness.

for learning how to properly pour “the perfect pint” of Guinness.