Julia's Blog

This past weekend, five friends and I went to Edinburgh, Scotland. Of all the great things we did, climbing King Arthur's Seat was by far my favorite. It’s a mountain at the edge of the city with a royal view. After about a half hour of hiking, we reached what we foolishly thought was the top, only to see the true summit looming ahead. The second half of the hike was a series of stairs traversing the mountain, since it was too steep to just hike up. We finally reached summit (after many stops for picture opps) and were blown away by the beauty… it seemed like you could see all of Scotland! We hung out on top and took in the scenery, then began the climb down. After about 2 minutes we realized this was way harder than going up! We had accidentally gone down the wrong side and ended up butt-sliding half the mountain!! Once we got to the bottom and felt out of danger we were able to laugh about our stupidity.

My classes in London are going well. In my favorite class, Art History, our schedule can change at the drop of a dime, depending on what exhibits are opening. We recently went to an art auction, which was so cool - I felt very high society. Last Thursday we went to the Tate Modern to see a new exhibit, which was a crack in the large entrance hall. An artist actually came into the Tate and created a very real looking crack that ran through the whole space. Baffling as it was, it was very cool. I actually almost fell into the crack at one point when I wasn't looking down!

I’m still having the time of my life in London. I sometimes wish that I could stop having so much fun so that time wouldn't go by so quickly!

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Let me just preface by saying I don't do well with heights. Yesterday, with my Art History class, I walked up the 530+ stairs to get to the top of St Paul's Cathedral. The top gallery is an outside platform, two feet wide with a railing. Combine this with tons of people trying to pass by, let's just say I was trying to glue myself to the inside wall. But I did get the most amazing pictures. I was inspired (it was also a beautiful day) so I decided to walk home by following the Eye; I mean it looked very close by from the top of St Paul's! An hour and three miles later, I arrived at my room. Here's a pic from the top of St. Paul's -

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I've been in London a month now - the accents are much easier to understand. I started classes and am impressed by my professors and pleased with learning style. In two classes I’m the only American student, a novelty of sorts. Everyone is extremely helpful and answers my inane questions, like where to find utensils, how to get what the British call an "American" coffee, etc. The profs were all curious to hear about UVM. One class, 19th Century London, consists of “fieldwalks” - tours throughout the city. Another is Art History. Instead of looking at slides of famous art, we go to places like the Tate, the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the list goes on! This week we are climbing the 500+ stairs to the top of St Paul's Cathedral. The prof says there’s no better view in the city (no elevator either)!

I have class Mon- Thurs, so there’s time to travel on weekends. I’ve booked trips to Florence, Paris, the countryside, Scotland, Amsterdam, Switzerland, and Belgium, and after my program ends I’ll spend the holidays in Austria with an exchange student my family hosted for 6 months ! Thank you RyanAir, which is similar to Jet Blue in offering cheap flights.

After class most days my friends and I (who have become like a family) try to visit places in London to get the most out of our study abroad experience. Last week we went to the Kensington Palace to see the Princess Diana memorial before it closed. We also toured Westminster Abbey and we’ve meandered through many a museum. At night we usually all cook dinner together, meaning salad and either chicken or pasta since no one has much experience in the kitchen. On Saturday and Sunday there are fabulous markets all over the city - Portabello Rd is one of the most famous… I got an antique bracelet there to remind me of London. Yesterday I went to the Borough food market and spent a few hours walking through eating free samples… I’ll be back next Saturday.

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