London Saturated - A New Perspective

8 Sights of Prague

6 Reasons to Visit Iceland

1. The view of downtown Reykjavik from the top of a church tower.

2. The soothing sound of the Faxafoss waterfall.

3. The unique Blue Lagoon, and its relaxing flow of warm spring water.

4. The picturesque landscape and pure isolation of Icelandic nature.

5. Snow!

6. Friendly wild horses.

@alexabroad2014

Here are some photos from my Instagram account @alexabroad2014. It is strictly dedicated to documenting my adventures in London this fall. :-)

All denim riot

My first concern about studying abroad was if I would find anyone to get along with. Thankfully I quickly found friends just as silly, obnoxious, and adventurous as myself. Surprised at how fast it happened!

Soon, we purchased nosebleed tickets to the ‘Anna Nicole Smith Opera’ for only 15 pounds. All of us have a common interest for quirky things.

The seats were actually decent for the price! The opera was 2 hours long and was filled with humor and sadness, as expected.

We definitely stood out from the opera crowd that attended. While every guy wore a blazer with a tie and every girl had a dress on, we came dressed in all denim (head-to-toe). That’s right, we are a riot. An all denim riot.

It was actually a tribute to Anna Nicole Smith who started off her modeling career as the pin-up for the store Guess. The look this brand goes for is all denim head-to-toe. So an appropriate tribute for the opera right? The crowd before the show seemed to disagree as we did get stares and comments, but nothing the Cognac and champagne couldn't make us forget!

Afterwards we took a stroll down Chinatown, which was a block away. It was just as you expected, noodles and lights. I bought us pizza instead. After dinner we got harassed by gypsies who would make farting sounds in your face if you didn’t buy their flowers. Fun night!

Stratford upon Avon

One good reason to purchase the cultural package AIFS offers is the trip to Stratford upon Avon. Luckily, it was nice and gloomy that day to help enhance the eery tone of the chapels, old homes, and cemetery's we saw. The picture below is Shakespeare's home. No on lives there of course, but the countless number of tourists who visit it each day keep it alive. 

Down the block from Shakespeare’s home lies the Guild Chapel. Inside it is hollow, but one can’t deny the spiritual focus the silence provides you.

Next we visited Shakespeare’s grave inside the Holy Trinity Church. It was quite pretentious and cost 50 pence to view it. I found the gravestones that surround the church outside to be much more of a view as they did instill a sense of fear in me with there spooky demeanor; which was much more entertaining than viewing Shakespeare’s casket, boring much?

The highlight of the event for me was going down to the river and watching flocks of swans and mallards interact with another. This was a much needed moment of joy after the morbid morning. I also enjoyed my self a vanilla soft-serve with mint flavor. 10/10.

 

Foreign Transition

    
To clear my head, I make sure to take a walk every morning before class around the street I reside in. Amongst the many things I pass, the most cliché things about London always stand out. However, this time it is different because I have come face-to-face with the icons of the city. What makes these international symbols that are used to characterize London so unpredictable is their capability to remind me that I am in fact in another country. Seeing a red telephone booth or the Big Ben is simply picturesque and it induces a trance within me. This is what makes my experience strictly non-native.

 However, I have learned that regardless of cultural differences and red telephone booths, we are really the same. In my opinion, there isn't that crucial of a difference between this city and my hometown in California. For example, everyone has an ambition, a reason to wake up in the morning, people to see, and places to go...just like at home. Luckily, because of this observation my transition into the city has been quite effortless. Cheers.