Tuesday, January 13, 2015

life in london

tonight i leave for SOUTH AFRICA (!!!)
and i can't believe it's real. i am so so excited
to see my parents and the amazing place they
live! since the flight itinerary is pretty long,
i've broken it up and have a little layover in
london tomorrow. let's hope all goes well
and i can pop out into the city, but either
way i will love to be back here where i lived
while interning at parliament a few years ago.

in honor of stopping through london town, 
i thought i'd share some pictures from when
i lived there. i didn't have this blog then,
so i've never shared these pictures and
now i'm all nostalgic. i hope i can get back
soon with chase, but for now here is my guide
to london, and some pictures of my life there:
the first day at my internship, just an american 
girl interning at the british parliament! :) ^^
the house i rented a room in -- right in wimbledon ^^
^^ my old street!
i walked through hyde park every sunday {rain or shine}
to get to church there at the prettiest building in the world. 
my oyster card {for the tube} had will & kate printed on it,
because i moved to london the month of the royal wedding...
so everyone was still in a tizzy about them- including me! ^^
^^ westminster station, my stop!
^^ big ben, one of my favorite sights. it was my view from
where i worked, where i got out of the tube each day, and
one day i even got to climb up inside it for the noon hour
strike. we had to wear soundproof headphones so that
it didn't damage our ears! one of the best moments of my life!
speaking of the royal family, i got to attend the queen's
jubilee while living there which meant i was at
buckingham palace for the first public appearance
the royal family on the balcony -- i spy will & kate! ^^

whitney, my roommate in london! ^^


i basically lived in all of the museums there-- they are
free, and so incredible. i would go to a new one each
sunday and spend hours, and then return frequently ^^

not a bad place for a lunch break ^^

cliffs of dover ^^

my mom came to visit for a few weeks and we crossed
the channel to my true love {paris} and visited my
host family that i lived with two years prior!

so fun to be with the augustin's again ^^

took some side trips to oxford, cambridge, bath, you name it.

did wimbledon for my second time, and it was even more
fun because i lived right in that neighborhood and was 
able to WALK to the tournament and walk home at night.

strawberries & cream at wimbledon = 
one of the best things in life.

i saw one of the most epic semi-final matches on
center court with djokovic winning ...

i got no shortage of flower deliveries from chase,
who i was dating long distance at the time...
he was good at dating from afar! :) ^^

^^ did my fair share of shopping on oxford street,
carnaby, and really most especially at primark :)
you also can't live in london without a longchamp.
visited stonehenge ^^
^^ frequented this place almost daily...
it is the most darling place in the world!
{like harrods for locals}
had many tea times ^^
walked abbey road... ^^




prime meridian! ^^
fell in love with the rose garden at regent's park...
seriously go there and just read the signs of
the rose names. it is a treat for every sense! ^^
lots of early mornings spent at borough ^^
^^ the best unknown museum in london ^^
^^ from the BBC to the rosetta stone, 
we saw all london had to offer!
it didn't fall down! ^^
parliament at sunset ^^
i loved you, london town..

it's good to be back! even if just for a quick stop.

cheerio!
xo

18 comments:

  1. Doing an internship abroad is one of the best decisions I made in university. It looks like you had an amazing experience as well. Have such a wonderful time with your parents!

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  2. These pictures are killing me!! London is my absolute favorite city that I've ever visited and I desperately want to go back! I hope you get a quick little escape to see some of your favorite places! And, of course, enjoy South Africa!!! Can't wait to read about it.

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  3. I love London! Luckily my parents are living there right now so we have an excuse to visit often. Your visit to the prime meridian looks much better than ours, when we went it was freeeezing!

    Courtney
    www.alkeksabroad.com

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    1. love that your parents live here! GREAT place to visit! :) xo

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  4. London is so amazing! One of my favorite cities! I swear you and I are on the same wave length sometimes, because I seriously have a post about London waiting to be published next week!! I realized that I only blogged about the food we ate in Europe, and not our actual trip!

    Amazing pictures! How awesome to spend a couple months there, especially during the Royal Wedding hoopla!! Can't wait to read about South Africa!

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    1. haha we definitely are on the same wavelength all the time and i LOVE it!

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  5. Wow!! Looks like another incredible experience! How neat you saw Will & Kate in person - I would be freaking out haha :) Hope you have a wonderful & safe trip to South Africa!!

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  6. I am so excited that you get to see your parents! Have an amazing time! :)

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  7. Loved seeing this post. It takes me back to our most wonderful adventure there. I am so glad you are coming here...tomorrow!!

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  8. I can't believe you're coming London again! I would LOVE to meet you. Your posts are always my favourite :)

    http://thelifeofastudenttraveller.blogspot.co.uk/

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  9. Oh my goodness, your post and lovely photos brought back so many memories, as well as your addition of tizzy and cheerio!! Glad you liked London so much and excited for you to return :)

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  10. These pictures are absolutely gorgeous! It's so much fun to look back at all one's travels. We made sure to go to Fortnum & Mason and pick up a biscuit tin!

    Have a blast with your parents :)

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  11. This is so cool!!! I have always wanted to go to London! What great memories.

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  12. Welllll now I need to go to here. Also, don't know why I zeroed in on this, but are you and your roomie wearing matching bow shorts in pink and green in that one photo? That makes me very happy if so. Because why not!

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  13. As a poli sci major, this entire experience sounds like such a dream. :) I adore London, what a lovely experience!

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  14. I was in London about 10 years ago and fell in love! I've been dying to take my husband back. Hopefully in a few years! What do you think is the best month to visit, weather wise?

    www.laviedehart.blogspot.com

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    1. ahh i am dying to take my husband back too!! i think fall is probably the very best, but anytime you go is fun -- summer is surprisingly cold and foggy!! hope that helps!

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