For the first time in my life I traveled outside the United States of America (besides that one time I went to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls...but I don't really count that) to a wonderful place known as England. Although I wasn't there for very long, I was able to experience a lot with my University's fashion department. Behold Olivia's London trip 2k16.
Day 1:
I haven't flown since I was 3 years old and hardly have a memory of the experience so this was all new to me. I was quite apprehensive about flying but was equally as excited to arrive in England - thus my lack of sleep. Also, I was pretty stoked to try airplane food (weird, I know). Surprisingly enough, it was actually decent.
Day 2:
Being that I was on an overnight flight, by the time I landed in London it was 8 a.m.. I dropped my luggage off at the hotel and immediately hit the ground running with one hour of sleep to sustain me through a very long day. I took the tube to Covent Garden and explored around there for the day. I ended up going down an alleyway to a magical little area of colorful buildings and quaint shops known as Neal's Yard.
After that I went to an indoor market and did some wondering around until it was time to meet for dinner with the group. We ended up going to a rather formal restaurant in the business hub of London for fish and chips. Keep in mind none of us had showered for over 24 hours and were wearing comfortable clothes (i.e. leggings). Kinda awkward...
*Side note, one of my very first impressions about London was how different their toilets were. Was still not used to them even by the end of my stay. Also, the streets of London are extremely clean. NOTHING like New York City.*
Day 3:
I took a tour of Windsor castle, saw the Changing of the Guard and got reprimanded quite a few times for taking pictures inside the "Queen's weekend home".
From there on I took a bus tour to see major sights including Buckingham Palace, St. Jame's Park (where you can find extremely large pelicans just hanging out) and Westminster Abbey.
Later that night a group of us stumbled upon a club not too far from our hotel and had a blast. For some reason they played a lot of Sean Paul songs (aka that guy who sings "Temperature"). I don't know if he is a big deal over there or if the DJ was a big fan but definitely an unexpected choice in music.
Day 4:
Day four was definitely one of my favorite days. I started off my morning in Notting Hill at the famous Portobello Road Market. Street vendors and little shops lined the road with antiques, vintage clothes and food. I ended up meandering through the neighboring streets/tried not to get too lost looking at rows of homes. How could anywhere look so absolutely prefect?
After Notting Hill, we had a scheduled appointment with designer Jacque Azagury at his fashion house. Jacque was close with Princess Dianna and had many of his pieces worn by her up to the time of her death. He was very welcoming and friendly, offering personal insight to the fashion industry and how he came to be. Azagury was kind enough to let me take a picture with him but because I looked like a potato that will not be found anywhere in this article.
After regrouping back at the hotel, a bunch of us went to the London Eye for the evening. We could not have picked a better time to go. The sun was beginning to set but there was still enough light to see the surrounding city. The views from the Eye were remarkable and I would definitely do it again if I ever go back. Once the Eye ended me and two other friends ended up being true tourists by taking copious amounts of pictures near Big Ben. We kinda ended up having our own little photo shoot which is totally ridiculous, but hey when in London, right?
Even though I said I was going to take the tube back to the hotel and get some sleep, I ended up at a gay club in Soho with some friends. We paid the 5 pound cover and stayed for 5 minutes. It was kinda worth the fee though since I saw a drag queen perform "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse. Weird but good end to my night.
Day 5:
By the fifth day I wanted to chop my feet off because the God awful blisters my shoes gave me. I don't even care if they are ugly, at that point I would have done anything to be able to walk around in my Nike slides. I spent the morning at the Tower of London where our tour guide made everything very upbeat on the rather gray day. Within the Tower of London, I saw the Crown Jewels and was very tempted to try and take a picture but feared I would be banned from England. That was probably for the best.
Once our tour concluded, we had the afternoon free to do whatever we wanted. I grabbed lunch then headed to the Tower Bridge to walk across their glass floor exhibition. The glass walkway looked down on the bridge and River Thames so yeah it was a little freaky.
By the way if you are ever in London (or really any major city) beware of pickpockets and scammers. I came pretty close to what I believe to be a pickpocketing scheme but used my street smarts and got the hell away ASAP. Mamma didn't raise no fool.
After a rather eventful morning/afternoon, it was time for another group dinner at a more traditional English pub and then off to a show. My feet were very appreciative of the break during the three hour performance of "In the Heights". I am not one for musicals since I find them to be sort of cheesy but this show was phenomenal. Definitely not what I expected. The music was done by Lin-Manuel Miranda (AKA that guy who made "Hamilton" a thing) so the show was bound to be great.
Day 6:
The sixth and final full day in London was the definition of wondering around and getting lost. I started the day by taking the tube to Shoreditch with a friend in hopes to do some shopping but because of a bank holiday the area basically turned into a ghost town. Luckily Shoreditch had a lot of cool street art making the trip nearly worth my while.
Since Shoreditch was a bit of a flop we got back on the tube and went to Harrods. Harrods was absolutely overwhelming but in the best was possible. Anything you wanted to buy from a pair of Louboutins to a pineapple could be found in that department store. Just stunning.
As the day started to come to a close, we finished up our shopping, ate dinner and did some last minute sightseeing near Trafalgar Square and the Admiralty Arch.
Day 7:
Because of a morning flight, I had to be up and out of the hotel by 5:00 A.M.. This day was all travel and no fun. There was a mix up with my boarding pass and I'd rather not go into further detail because it was extremely nerve-wracking and stressful. By noon I was safely back on American soil and my trip was officially over. Until next time, peace out London.
Quick shout out to my hardworking parents and a scholarship that helped make my trip possible. I am very thankful and privileged to have had this experience.
