Month: February 2017

It feels like it has been a while since I last wrote. I took off the week before last to focus on completing two extensive essays and an exam. I spent many hours that week in the school library; reading books on the Tudors, the Stuarts, and the artist, Francis Hayman. Luckily, once those those were all finished and turned in, I had more time to return to my attempt at exploring as much of London as I possibly can.

On Tuesday, I decided to head to East London in order to walk around and explore a part of London I haven’t spent much time in. The main area I was drawn to in the East was a borough called Shoreditch. Shoreditch is known for its younger crowds, hip restaurants, and its plethora of coffee shops. This sounded a lot like Portland to me so I wanted to explore it for myself. Another main attraction of Shoreditch that drew me to it was the amount of street art. While some of it, yes, was the expected spray-painted tags, as in every other place in the world, but most of it was beautiful art. The young, wayward artists responsible for the many scenes I saw have literally turned the streets into an enchanting gallery. It is colorful, whimsical, diverse, political, and moving; consisting of almost every subject imaginable. These artists should be considered just as coveted as every other new artists attempting to present their creativity and a carefully chosen piece of themselves to the world. They just choose to use a controversial medium to get people talking. I enjoyed seeing the many different styles of each artist and was even fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to witness one of these discreet artists in action. On my way back, I decided to take the long route so that I would be able to walk past the famous egg building. It is just as tall as it appears in the photos.

Thursday, my weekly museum trip day, I went to The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Since I was at the Gallery for a class, the majority of my time was spent analyzing a few specific paintings. After my class was over, I was able to walk through the other parts of the museum on my own. I knew before going that the Gallery holds a handful of Van Gogh paintings; including one of my favorites. It was easy to find the room that features Van Gogh because of the large crowd surrounding one of the walls. After patiently waiting to get a clear view of these paintings, I took pictures and left in awe. I couldn’t stop smiling. I realize that saying Van Gogh is your favorite artist is a cliche and sometimes scoffed at, but I cannot help it nor would I ever want to. Looking at his paintings instills specific feelings in me and draws out my emotions. He was an average man who suffered with his mental health yet was able to appreciate the beauty in the common objects and scenes of life; all of which I relate closely to. I can’t help but be drawn to the feelings I experience when standing so close to his work.

On Saturday, I decided to head out of London and go towards the sea. A friend and I took a train to the small town of Dover. We decided on Dover because we both really wanted to walk along the White Cliffs its so famous for. Upon arriving in Dover, we soon realized that it would be a bit of a hike to reach the Cliffs and the views we were so longing to see. The beginning of this hike was a little discouraging due to the steep incline. It was so steep that we were both almost crawling on all fours. This didn’t stop us though, as we were filled with laughter and excitement. We soon realized, once we reached the top of this first incline, how windy it really was. I would like to describe how strong the wind was, but I cannot seem to find the words to do it justice. It was like standing in a giant wind turbine, or like in one of the movies where the wind is able to hold  up a person leaning into it. It luckily added to the experience, rather than taking away from it as I feared. We were constantly in disbelief at the strength of the wind and were very amused by it. There is a small trail that winds along the natural curves of the cliff-side; sometimes going quite close to the edge. The views are really spectacular and the cliffs are as white as I imagined. The white of the cliffs contrasts the black of the sand below. I could sit on a bench along the path for hours looking out at the sea crashing against these cliffs. At the end of the trail is a quaint lighthouse that has been converted into a Tea house, overlooking the English Channel. To get a break from the constant pounding of the wind and to refuel after our walk, we each got ourselves a pot of tea and a treat. I’m not sure if I have ever felt more British than when I was sitting in that floral, wallpapered room drinking tea and eating my sausage roll. Once we were finished, we headed back into the weather and trekked back towards the train. On our way back, we were able to enjoy an amazing view of the castle. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to go explore it in person but I am happy to have had the chance to see it; even from a distance.

I have been loving having time to walk so much and to take advantage of every opportunity I have here; even if it has caused a stress fracture in my pinky toe. I wont slow down.

Ta ta,

Kaitlin

Another week come and gone. I have been expecting my school work to ramp up and it certainly has. Classes are becoming harder and deadlines are approaching. Luckily for me, I was able to squeeze in a couple of fun activities and adventures. This last Wednesday, I went with one of my friends to see the movie La La Land. We had both been meaning to see it for awhile but kept struggling to find the right time. The movie theater we went to was the nicest, while still affordable, I have ever been to. The seating was less cushioned, plastic, stadium seating and more rows of individual, or dual, couch-like chairs. Every movie theater should adopt seating like this. Before going to the movie, I had very few preconceptions of what La La Land was about or what to expect from it. The only things I had heard about it was how much everyone either loved it or found it overrated. I wanted to decide for myself. Throughout the movie, I was captivated not only by the story and the characters but by the cinematography. It was beautiful and artistic; nostalgic of old Hollywood films without being old fashioned. I had also heard that some people were put off by the musical aspect of the film. As a lover of musical theater and movies alike, I wasn’t worried. The songs were fantastic and unique. I felt like there was something for everyone. They were not what I believe many people would expect when they hear the word musical. Every song added to the story and felt necessary to the overall theme. It’s no wonder it has already won so many awards and will likely win many more. La La Land was a piece of cinema art.

The other great piece of my week was yesterday. Me and three of my friends went on a day trip to Cambridge, England. We left London at 8:30 AM by train and returned at 6 that evening. When we arrived at the station, I assumed that we would pull up to the town right near the University. I was wrong. The station is a little under half an hour away by foot. I wouldn’t normally be bothered by the walk, but it happened to be extremely cold and windy. I had planned on it being cold, and had layered accordingly, but was not prepared for it to snow most of the day. I pushed through; motivated by the excitement of seeing a beautiful town and campus. When we arrived in the center of town, we were greeted by a quaint street market. We had twenty minutes before our tours started so we had the chance to walk through the stalls. The group was split into two groups and we began our tours. Our guide led us to the many famous sights around the town and gave us quirky facts about each of the places. These facts made the tour much more enjoyable considering we were standing out in the snow and wind for an hour and a half. I didn’t know that the town of Cambridge actually consists of many different colleges, not just the one. Every Christmas, a choir in one of the chapels is broadcast around the whole world. Our guide told us that in the first song, every year, a choir boy is given a solo, but he doesn’t find out that he was chosen for it until five minutes before the performance. Apparently this is to stop the nerves. After our tour was over and my friends and I had eaten lunch, we had free time to walk the streets and the grounds of some of the colleges. Cambridge has so much charm flowing through it; you can find it in the narrow cobblestone streets, the small shops, the beautifully kept grass fields, the many weeping willows, and every immaculately designed stone building. There is so much history in this one small town; both in education and religion alike. I decided that I have to come back another time, when it is warmer in the spring, to go punting down the river in one of the boats or to sit under the canopy of branches of a weeping willow.

I had an amazing time and feel inspired to go on more day trips soon.

Ta ta,

Kaitlin

How has it already been five weeks? The phrase, “time flies when you’re having fun”, is an understatement. Time seems to zoom past at an impossible speed here. Perhaps it is because I have found a place I love dearly and have a seemingly unlimited amount of activities to do everyday. No matter the reason, it makes me slightly sad to know that my time here is limited.

This week, I returned to Harrods and the Victoria and Albert Museum. My last visits were too short and did not allow me to get the full experience of these places. My first stop was at the V&A museum, as it’s often referred to. This time, I got to wander through the different exhibits as aimlessly as I pleased. The jewelry room was absolutely amazing, though not usually the collection I actively seek out. Unfortunately, the museum does not allow pictures in that room but I recommend making the trip if you are able. The walls of the room are painted black and there is limited lighting. The only lights are the ones illuminating the priceless jewels and pieces in their glass cases. The curator made the perfect decision with the layout of this room because the way it is lit makes the jewels and precious metals dance, providing a feeling of wonder. You really feel like you’re surrounded by luxury. My favorite room, however, was the Cast Courts. This room contains casts of famous statues, sculptures, and architectural wonders; all presiding around the world. The casts are exact copies of the real pieces which allows the art to be seen by a lot more people. The magnitude of these pieces was surprising. When I previously saw photographs of the real ones, I did not realize how large they actually are.

Next, I returned to Harrods to explore the upper floors. The clothing there is beautiful. I loved walking through and getting to see the gowns and outfits made by  my favorite high-fashion designers. Harrods is more similar to a gallery of clothing than a store. The people who shop there are art collectors and the designers are the artists. I ended up getting lost in the labyrinth of the really expensive clothes. The lack of windows in the inner sections and the sheer amount of stuff makes it hard to leave quickly; though an effective strategy on their part.

I also visited the National Portrait Gallery this week. I went in with little expectations other than suspecting every piece of art would be of a person; due to its name. I didn’t know if I would like visiting a place that only contained a single genre of art but I ended up really enjoying walking through the different collections. They were not all the same, as I was worried they would be, but were actually all very unique depending on who was being painted and who was doing the painting.

The last historical destination I made it to this week was the Palace of Westminster. This is the companion building to Big Ben and is where the two houses of Parliament meet. I was able to tour the inside with one of my classes and it was like stepping back in time. I was also able to sit and listen to the House of Lords and the House of Commons speak in their respective chambers. The House of Lords is much more formal and ornately decorated than the House of Commons because it is where the Queen meets with Parliament when she visits this palace, and the House of Lords were, historically, superior (though I am sure the House of Commons would say otherwise). I really enjoyed listening to them discuss matters of the country and government, even if they were slightly less exciting than I was hoping. The House of Lords were discussing reform on the way future Lords would be appointed. The House of Commons discussed matters of parking. It was still exciting sitting in the same room where the most important decisions in the UK are made. Unfortunately, they are very strict on photographs. I would have loved to have a picture of the Queen’s throne in the House of Lords. It was one of my favorite experiences this past week. Later that same night I was invited to dinner by some new friends. The restaurant they made the reservation at ended up having a Michelin Star! As I am sure you can imagine, the food was spectacular and expensive, but worth the experience. After a delicious meal, we ended up going dancing at a Salsa bar which provided us with lots of laughs and some embarrassing dance moves.

This was a full week of exploration and priceless memories.

Ta ta,

~Kaitlin