London, first as a tourist

My mom and aunt on the hop on
hop off tour bus

When I arrived in London, I did not arrive as a student - it was too early! I don't start actual coursework until September 22nd, and I arrived for the first time on the 7th. From the 7th to the 11th, my mom and I saw some sights and explored where I would be living and studying.

Day 1 // hopping on and hopping off...

My cousin Kelsey lives in Blackheath in Southeastern London with her significant other, Joe. We were not only excited to see them on our trip, but also her mother (my aunt) and my grandma! The two of them were traveling as well, and fortunately we were able to cross paths.

Grandma and I on the hop on hop off tour bus

On our first day, my mom and I took the "hop on hop off" tour bus in London with both of them. The bus definitely gets you from point a to point b, but it tends to take a while - London traffic is horrible. That's why the tube (London's highly sophisticated underground transportation system) is so nice.

We hopped on the bus in Waterloo (where my mom and I were staying) and rode it north across the Thames River, east past St. Paul's Cathedral, the "City" of London (the smaller sub-city that is home to the bustling financial district now but was once the Roman settlement, Londinium), and hopped off at Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. We didn't go inside any of the landmarks because we had a lot to see. This worked out well for me because now I have a taste and can further explore places that especially interested me over the next few months.

Tower Bridge

From the east side of the city, we hopped on a boat that took us west on the Thames all the way from Tower Bridge to Westminster. There we saw Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament - two amazing buildings that I would like to see again. We then moved on to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. Well - we tried to get to Kensington Palace, but at that point it was rush hour and the tour bus was moving at a sloth-like pace. We grabbed a snack, switched to the underground, and headed off to Blackheath to meet Kelsey and Joe for dinner. It was wonderful to have some of the family together where everyone was able to catch up and share their adventures.

Day 2 // UCL

Cats playing in the window
at Lady Dinah's

The morning of our second day had been planned since last Spring... which is when I made reservations for London's most popular cat café, Lady Dinah's. A cat café is exactly what it sounds like - people sitting around in a parlor drinking tea and eating finger food, surrounded by cats. I'm not kidding - I made the reservation about five months in advance because they were filling up so quickly! Lady Dinah's was a blast. Although we weren't able to pick up any of the kitties (Lady Dinah's is very responsible when it comes to caring for their cats - if everyone picked up the cats all the time, it would really disturb them), some came to us to play.

The main event of the day was seeing where I'll study and where I'll live! I will be studying in both the Anthropology Department and the Institute for Global Health at University College London, one of the University of London schools. I was fortunate enough to also receive student housing (apparently that can really be an issue) that is only about a 15 minute walk from campus. My mom and I walked from Lady Dinah's to my housing and then to my school. By the end, I was so excited to move in and start learning!

University College London - Main Entrance

Another building at University College London

Day 3 // More sights

Olivia and I

Only one other girl from my sorority back at UW is studying abroad during fall quarter, Olivia, and she happened to be visiting London right when I was! We got coffee in the morning, at Pret a Manger (the London equivalent of Starbucks - except I think it's better than Starbucks). It was so great to catch up with her and share our experiences so far. She's studying abroad in Granada, Spain for the full year and then graduating from UW at the end!

After I met up with Olivia, my mom and I visited the British Museum, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and Westminster Abbey. All were wonderful. The British Museum was so extensive - you could spend a week and not see everything.

Day 4 // Departure

Then came the day we had both been dreading...when we had to say goodbye. My mom's flight took off at 12:30pm for Boston where she would be meeting my dad and my brother for my cousin's wedding. My flight took off at 3:00pm for Frankfurt where I would be visiting my boyfriend, Jonny, who is studying abroad in Mannheim, Germany. We were both incredibly excited about our next, separate adventures (and of course being reunited with people we love), but we were so sad to leave one another.

I am incredibly thankful that I was able to travel around Europe with my mom. The experiences by themselves were amazing, but it was even more wonderful to be able to share them together.