130 days ago, I arrived in London for the start of my semester abroad. It's easily been the quickest 130 days of my entire life.
It's been a fleeting 3 days in London after returning from my final trip abroad. I can't believe it, but this will be my last blog post for my semester in Europe. Before I write down some final thoughts about my experiences, let's play catch up.
On Sunday, after unpacking, blogging, and doing laundry, Eric and I headed to the evening prayer service at Westminster Abbey. I had passed by the outside of this famous church numerous times, but had not yet stepped inside. Usually visitors are charged an admission fee of 10 pounds (a bit pricey if you ask me), but if you go for a worship service, you are allowed to enter for free. The prayer service was a great way to see the inside of this gorgeous church! Afterwards, Eric and I headed to one last traditional English pub meal at one of our favorite London spots, The Blackfriar. It was as great as ever!
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| Side of Westminster Abbey |
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| Entrance to Westminster Abbey |
Yesterday, Eric and I had one last day of fun in London. Of course, it rained for a good portion of the day, but it wouldn't be London otherwise! We started the day with one last English breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants, Big Chill House, just down the road. After that, we hopped on the tube and headed to Kensington Gardens, which is attached to Hyde Park. We walked through the gardens outside the palace, and then took a short tour of Kensington Palace. After seeing Windsor Castle, everything else seems to pale in comparison, but apparently William & Kate still live in Kensington Palace for part of the year, so that's pretty exciting!
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| Kensington Gardens on a gloomy day |
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| Kensington Palace |
After visiting the palace, Eric and I rented Boris Bikes (Barclays rental bikes, a program started by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London) so that we could bike through Hyde Park to Oxford Street. Although it would have been nice to have a warmer and sunnier day, Hyde Park is still beautiful!
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| Biking through Hyde Park on a Boris Bike! |
Eric and I made it to Oxford Street and stopped at Primark, a huge (and cheap) department store, to make some last minute purchases. After that, we hit up Cool Britannia one last time to get some last-minute souvenirs, followed by dinner at Inamo, an Asian-fusion restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, with our friend Dave. It was a great way to end a great day!
Today I spent the majority of the day packing, which was surprisingly not as much of a challenge as I had anticipated. I didn't really accumulate too much during my time abroad, partly because most of my money was spent on traveling. For dinner, I joined by fellow BC London students for the Boston College Farewell Dinner at Fire and Stone, an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. It was a great last meal in London! I met some really great people from BC this semester and look forward to continuing those friendships back home.
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| Last tube ride! |
With that, I have a little over 12 hours until I board my US Airways flight back to Philadelphia. I truly cannot believe that the time has already come for me to return home. In some ways, it feels like I've been away for a year. In other ways, it feels like I just got here last week. Though I know I'll miss London, I am definitely ready to return home to my family and familiarity. Especially in light of all of my recent traveling, I am absolutely exhausted.
During my four and a half months abroad, I managed to make it to 3 continents, 11 countries, and 14 cities. I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Europe. I recognize that many people never get a chance to explore the world like this, and my experiences here will undoubtedly stay with me for the rest of my life. I was also so lucky to be able to share such incredible experiences with my boyfriend, Eric, and I know we'll always cherish the memories we made here.
During my time abroad I definitely learned a lot about myself. I had a lot of ups and downs, as I adjusted to a new country, a new school, and new people. But, after 130 days, I can wholeheartedly say that London has become another home to me. I'll miss heading to Piccadilly Circus for dinner, riding the tube all around the city (mind that gap!), shopping for my groceries at Tesco and Sainsbury's, hearing "Cheers"on a regular basis, having a pint of beer at an old-fashioned pub, and so much more.
To anyone who has followed by blog during my semester abroad, thank you. Writing this blog was a way for me to not only share my experiences here with friends and family back home, but also a way for me to reflect and remember for myself.
I'm already looking forward to being able to return to London in the future, and walk down now familiar streets. But for now, it's time to head back to America for a Philly summer full of family, friends, internships, and most importantly, my puppies, Sade and Coop.
So, until next time:
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