A night at the Globe

Last Wednesday night, we saw an amazing performance at the Shakespeare Globe {I feel like I'm describing everything as amazing, but it truly all is!}. This open air theatre is a reconstruction of Shakespeare's 1614 performance venue and the plays are performed the same way they would have been 500 years ago - with no mics, no lighting effects, and with part of the audience standing in front of the stage.

The performance we saw actually wasn't one of Shakespeare's, but a newer play called Anne Boleyn. If it's been a while since you studied British history, Anne Boleyn was the second of Henry VIII's six wives and was beheaded for treason, adultery and witchcraft - all of which were likely false accusations. The performance wasn't only entertaining {funny, sad, thought provoking}, but also secretly educational...I learned more about the lives of Henry and Ann than I ever would have sought to on my own.

It seems like I'm picking up little nuggets of British history everywhere I go and am finding that the monarchy is actually really fascinating. Before going home, I'd really like to visit the Tower of London, which is where Anne Boleyn was executed {and where the crown jewels are kept!}. I also have a list of movies/TV shows to watch when I return. Among them, The Tudors, The Young Victoria, and The Madness of King George. I'm not sure, but I think I may be turning into an Anglophile.

But back to the Globe - if you ever find yourself in London during the summer, I HIGHLY recommend you seeing a show! So wonderful!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Join me for a day in my adopted neighborhood of Bloomsbury:

A breath of fresh air

Today we traded in the hustle and bustle of London for the quiet serenity of the English countryside. This was exactly what I needed - after several days of projects and 1am meetings for a class I'm taking back home, I've been left completely exhausted and in desperate need of a breather!

Our bus arrived at 8:30 am and we embarked on a two hour journey to Stonehenge. On our way, we saw rolling hills and many a bouncing sheep. Our Scottish tour guide, Sean, told us that England has more sheep than any other country besides New Zealand. However, the official number varies because the people who count them keep falling asleep. Ba-dum-ching! This was just one of the zingers Sean had for us today - he was a hoot!

Stonehenge was amazing and mysterious and all of the things you'd expect. I really wish someone would just tell me how it was formed, and why. I mean, I like a good mystery just as much as anyone else does - but only when it's solved in the end. You can't just leave me hanging! We were told that the smaller, interior stones came all the way from Wales and the larger stones, each of weighs about 25 tons, came from a quarry about 25 miles away. How on earth were they moved? Well personally, I don't think it was done on earth at all. I think it was done by aliens. Yep, that is the only plausible explanation. :)

After exploring the mysteries of Stonehenge, we hopped back on the bus and took a 30 minute drive to Salisbury, a charming little city in Wiltshire. While we were there, we took a tour of Salisbury Cathedral, which is absolutely gorgeous and supposedly one of the best examples of early English architecture. It also holds the best-preserved of the four original copies of the Magna Carter.

After the tour, we were unleashed to explore the city for a couple hours. But I was exhausted, so I quickly ate lunch, walked around for a few minutes and then returned to the cathedral to take a nap on the lawn {people do this here - I wasn't just being a weirdo}. It was an absolutely beautiful, sunshiny afternoon and this was by far the best part of my day. Luckily, the church bells woke me up when it was time to leave - otherwise I'd probably still be there snoozing!

A few snapshots from my day in the country:

Stonehenge and Salisbury - slide show

Writing postcards

We have a "photo focus" each day and today's was to tell a story in five pictures. Here's mine!

LETTER HOME - create a slideshow with music

Shopping

I've had the chance to soak up loads of culture over the past week and a half. Like on Friday when I visited the British Museum, the holder of tens of thousands of worldly artifacts {including the Rosetta Stone!} or today when I visited the Museum of London, which traces the city's history back to prehistoric days. But to tell you the truth, I don't want to talk about London's abundant cultural opportunities. What I really want to talk about is its abundant shopping opportunities.

I've decided that London's biggest danger isn't the pick-pocketers, or the insane drivers, or the manic pigeons. It's the stores, and all of the wonderful things held inside, that can you get you into trouble! But surprisingly, I've been a very good girl so far. Before embarking on this journey, I gave myself a daily budget and I'm pleased to report that a day hasn't gone by when I've used it all. Well, until this past Saturday that is. Bright and early that morning, I met some of my classmates for a traditional English breakfast {which was, er...interesting to say the least} and then we headed to Notting Hill to visit Portobello Road. And oh my word, it's like that place was made for me. Each Saturday, there's a massive market that goes on for two miles. It's mostly antiques, but there are also fruits and vegetables, second-hand books, etc. Plus, there are tons of actual stores selling clothing, jewelry, and an assortment of other fun things. It was EXTREMELY crowded, but that didn't deter me. In the end, I bought a dress, a necklace and a bag {to carry all of my souvenirs home with me!}

Later that afternoon, I made my way back to the Covent Garden market since my first trip was unsuccessful {see previous post about my getting lost}. I stopped by Lush, a seller of handmade and organic bath and body products, and I think I bought more creams and lotions than I can use in a year. But the salespeople demonstrated the products on me and they made my skin so soft - how could I possibly resist?

And after today's class, I visited the Mecca of all shopping destinations - Harrods. This high-end department store is situated on five acres of land, has seven floors and over 1 million square feet of selling space! Their motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique—All Things for All People, Everywhere and boy do they live up to it. I saw everything from chocolate truffles to seafood to puppies to pool tables for sale. All I bought were a few small gifts, but it was certainly fun to look at all of the mega-designer dresses {I'm talking seriously red-carpet worthy gowns} and do a little dreaming.

Here are a few pictures from Portobello Rd. I also spotted a library in Notting Hill and have decided that I'm going to get a job there. :)

Portobello Rd. - create a slideshow

London Underground

The London Underground {or the "tube" as the locals call it} is the world's oldest underground railway. And it amazes me. First of all, the stations are immaculate - which is pretty incredible considering the number of people who go through them every day. But even more astonishing is its complexity. The Underground's 11 lines serve all of Greater London, as well as a few outlying areas. There are 270 stations and the tracks total 253 miles, making it the second largest metro system in the world, after Shanghai's.

The first time I road the tube, I felt like I was about to go on a ride at Disney World. You know how you're waiting in line and you keep telling yourself that the end will be just around the corner? But then it just keeps going and going and going? That's how this feels. To actually get to the tracks, you have to go down escalators, run down stairs and navigate through a series of mazes. There's also a very amusement park feeling to the intercom announcements that remind passengers to "mind the gap" and "stay behind the yellow line."

If you'd like to go on a virtual tube ride, check out the video I made from a short trip between Holborn Station and Piccadilly Circus Station. It reminds me of one of those cheesy travel shows you'd find on PBS, and it was super fun to make. I especially enjoyed watching back the footage and seeing all of the odd looks I got!

A word of caution - if you suffer from motion sickness, this may not be for you.






References:

Transport for London (n.d.) London underground. Retrieved from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2625.aspx.

Time out London (2007) London underground's history. Retrieved from http://www.timeout.com/london/big-smoke/features/2814/London_Underground-s_history.html.

London in film

After you visit a city, isn't it funny how you start recognizing certain sites when they're featured in movies? I have a feeling that will be happening to me for quite a while after returning to the U.S.! Some of my favorite movies have been set in London, so for our podcast, I decided to count down my top five. There are so many choices, it was definitely hard to narrow down!

References

Internet movie database (n.d.) An education. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174732/.

Internet movie database (n.d.) The king's speech. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/.

Internet movie database (n.d.) Love actually. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314331/.

Internet movie database (n.d.) My fair lady. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/.

Internet movie database (n.d.) Sweeney Todd: The demon barber of fleet street. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/.

Credits:

This podcast features the song "Sprightly" available on GarageBand under fair use guidelines.

In wonderland

Question: How do you get an (aspiring) librarian immensely, unabashedly excited?

Answer: Take her to Oxford, England for a day!

Step 1: Visit Oxford University's Bodleian Library, which was erected in the fifteenth century and is one of the oldest of such institutions in all of Europe today. Show her up to the library's original wing - a gothic-style hall that is full of books dating back hundreds of years - and for the first time since arriving in England, she will actually gasp.

Image via The Guardian

Step 2: Tour Christ Church, one of Oxford University's largest colleges which counts Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) on its list of past students and faculty members. Ask Stuart Fleming, the organization's darling assistant custodian, to point out the various inspirations for Dodgson's work, as well as a variety of locations used in the Harry Potter films, and she will officially be smitten.

Christ Church

Christ Church. This MASSIVE tree was Dodgson's inspiration

for the jabberwocky in his poem of the same name

While at Christ Church, Dodgson developed a close friendship with the dean, Henry Liddell,

as well as his wife and children. One of the dean's daughters, Alice Liddell, became Dodgson's

inspiration for the heroine in Alice in Wonderland. Her family's home was on on the other side of this tiny door and she would often peer through the keyhole into a garden that she was forbidden from entering.

Christ Church. Staircase used in the Harry Potter films

Christ Church. Dining hall used in the Harry Potter films

Step 3: Throw in some shopping in the town's quaint shops. Shopping is always good.

Step 4: Hop over to the Story Museum, a project that is just underway and has a planned opening of 2014. Explain the organization's vision and its plans for exhibitions, performances and creative activities - she will begin making mental plans for a return trip.

Step 5: Make sure she enjoys a dinner at The Eagle and Child, an Oxford pub where the Inklings, a literary group that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, regularly met to discuss their writings between 1933 and 1949.

And that is all it takes.

♥ ♥

In the most delightful way

I knew today was going to be good when I walked outside and didn't need to break out my jacket. While I definitely do not miss the 100 degree temperature and suffocating humidity back home, this cool weather isn't really my thing either (am I being too picky? :). But today was absolutely gorgeous - there was a tiny hint of sun and we may have even reached 70 degrees!

To go along with this lovely weather, we enjoyed a nice change of pace today. Other than our usual 9am meeting time, we didn't have a strict agenda; no tour guides to meet and no appointments to make. Ahh, wonderful.

We started the day off by taking a long walk to Regent's Park; a 400 acre greenspace full of gardens, lakes and fountains. I've never seen a more gorgeous or immaculately kept park in my life, and I can't imagine how many people it must take to maintain it. And it's so peaceful that I nearly forgot that I was in the center of London.

After meandering through the park, we made our way to Primrose Hill {and when they say hill, they mean HILL! I practically needed my hiking boots}. From there, we had an amazing view of the city and it was the perfect place to slip off our shoes, eat some lunch and soak up a little bit of sun.

If you're a fan of the movie Mary Poppins, you might also remember that Primrose Hill is where the Banks children danced around while singing the song Let's go Fly a Kite - which is exactly what we did (yes, the flying and the singing!). Historically, I've been a horrendous kite-flyer, but this must have been my day because I actually did pretty well for once. Or maybe it was the fact that I had a Little Mermaid kite- flying is sort of like swimming in the air, right?

In the end, today was a little bit like Mary Poppins herself - practically perfect in every way. :)

London 2012

I became obsessed with the Olympics in 1996, when the summer games were held in Atlanta. You might recall that this was the year of the "Magnificent Seven"; those tiny little girls who won the United States their first ever gold medal in women's team gymnastics. Kerri Strug was my hero, and if you showed me the clip of her landing that final vault, despite having an injured ankle, I'm pretty sure I'd still tear up today. I attempted back handsprings on my mattress for days after that.

So naturally, I was very excited to see the construction site of the 2012 Olympics today. They'll be held in East London, which has historically been an industrial and slightly impoverished part of the city. Many of the improvements being made will last long after the Olympic Park is torn down, and it's hoped that the area will be revitalized as a result. The games kick off on July 27, 2012 - which is exactly one year, one week and one day away! I wonder if there's still time for me enter?

Eye do

Today we toured Westminster Abbey {which is as fascinating as it is gorgeous!}, saw a lunchtime concert at St. Martin in the Fields and then took a ride on the London Eye. The Eye is technically an "observation wheel." The capsules are enclosed and can hold up to 25 people. And unlike a ferris wheel, it moves very slowly - a full rotation takes about 3o minutes!

After boarding, we noticed a flurry of activity going on in the next capsule. As staff members busily hung garland, we wondered if it had anything to do with the smartly dressed group behind us. Sure enough, about twenty people in suits and dresses hopped on and a wedding ceremony began! I couldn't decide whether I should look at the views or the exchanging of vows, so I did a little of both and after they said "I do" we all clapped and they happily waved back at us.

I was curious how one would go about setting something like this up {you know, just in case I happen to meet someone in the next couple weeks} and decided to do some research. It turns out that this ceremony comes with a sky-high price tag - £2,700 {$4,300} and up! It includes two rotations on The Eye, flowers, champagne and a wedding coordinator. That's more than my entire budget for this trip, so I guess it's not in the cards for me...

Here are a few other fun tidbits about the London Eye:

A TEAM EFFORT

It took seven years and the skills of hundreds of people from five countries to make the London Eye a reality

A VIEW FIT FOR A QUEEN

You can see around 40KM (25 miles) from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day

FLYING HIGH

The London Eye welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers every year. You would need 6,680 fully booked British Airways Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets to move that number of fliers!

DING! DING!

The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. To put that figure into perspective, it's the same weight as 1,052,631 pound coins!

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

The circumference of the wheel is 424m (1.392ft) - meaning that if it were unravelled, it would be 1.75 times longer than the UK's tallest building - One Canada Square in Canary Wharf

TONNES OF FUN

The total weight of the wheel and capsules is 2,100 tonnes - or as much as 1,272 London black cabs!

UP, UP AND AWAY

The height of the London Eye is 135m (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other) making it the fourth tallest structure in London after the BT Tower, Tower 42 and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf

BLAST OFF

The spindle holds the wheel structure and the hub rotates it around the spindle. At 23 metres tall, the spindle is around the size of a church spire and, together with the hub, weighs in at 330 tonnes: over 20 times heavier than Big Ben

Source:

http://www.londoneye.com/ExploreTheLondonEye/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx

Sorry, we're Americans

We ventured out of Bloomsbury for the first time today and were able to glimpse some of London's greatest gems. St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace...there they were in all their magnificent glory. What made this whirlwind tour even better was the fact that we were accompanied by one of London's Blue Badge tour guides, so not only did we see the sites but we also learned loads of fascinating details. For example, did you know that Winston Churhill did not want a statue erected in his honor, complaining that "birds will do what birds do"? As it turns out, a statue eventually was built - but to avoid an undignified fate, electric current was run through it to keep the birds at bay!

Our last stop on the tour was Buckingham Palace, where we saw the changing of the guards. We spied two guards before the ceremony began and I wondered whether or not I should snap a photo. Everyone else was doing it, but I thought about how dreadfully annoying that must be for them {they're not just ceremonial guards, but actually skilled soldiers in the British Army}. At first, I told myself that I could take a picture when their backs were turned, but somewhere along the way I morphed into an obnoxious American tourist and began taking pictures right and left. I'm sure they must be used to this, but I still felt a little bad. Although...I really do like the photos!

I was in our neighboring flat yesterday and beside the building's door I saw a bag of unsorted trash with a note attached to it - "Sorry, we're Americans!" I've felt like apologizing for my American ways a lot lately. Like when we attract stares for being loud and annoying on busses or in restaurants. Or when I have to ask amused cashiers to help me count my money. Or when I'm taking a photo of something that is probably dull and insignificant but to me seems like the most fascinating thing on earth...or when I'm walking to the right when everyone else is walking to the left.

I mean, I even feel out of place in the grocery store. I went shopping this afternoon, and it was the most surreal experience ever {I wanted to take pictures, but I had to draw the line somewhere}. Obviously the variety of food is different than ours, but there are other differences as well. The eggs aren't refrigerated, everything is miniature sized and the freezers don't have doors. And you know that bottom rack attached to shopping carts? Well, the carts here do not come equipped with those, which is unfortunate because I realized that's where I'm accustomed to resting my foot. Every time I went to set my foot atop the non-existant bottom bar, it fell into nothingness. I bet I looked awesome. :-)

Anyway, during my two hour grocery excursion I had to go down every aisle and look at everything. As I examined a chocolate bar at the register, I imagined what it would look like to see someone studying a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and that made me laugh. I'm definitely a fish out of water here.

But on the other hand, I felt very European as I walked home with a baguette sticking out from my grocery bag. I pretended my name was Bridget, a girl from northern England who recently moved to London for university. And you know what? Someone actually stopped me to ask for directions to the British Museum. This pleased me for two reasons. 1: It made me think that perhaps I looked as though I belonged and 2: I was actually able to direct her!

Here's a short slideshow of some photos I took today. The quality isn't the best as most were taken from the bus - and when we got out, we had a very limited amount of time. Luckily, we'll be visiting most of these sites in the coming weeks, so I hope to get some better photos then!

London Bus Tour - flash slideshow maker

Don't rain on my parade

It's been a rainy weekend in London. Though the city is famous for its grey, drizzly days, I read that the annual rainfall is actually pretty unimpressive. In fact, it's less than the averages for New York, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and pretty much every other American city other than those in the Southwest. So why the reputation? Well, it's normal for the London skies to spit out a few sporadic showers before drying up and turning sunny{ish} for the rest of the day. So though the actual rainfall doesn't add up to much, the number of rainy days does. Tada!

We, however, haven't allowed this drizzly weather to get in the way of exploring. Our class was scheduled for a walking tour yesterday morning, but when that was cancelled we ended up having the day to ourselves. So a group of us girls decided to trek about a mile or so to Covent Garden, an outdoor market with tables of handmade goods, shoppes, restaurants and street performances. Unfortunately, I got districted by some sparkley things about two minutes after arriving and was separated from the group. This didn't worry me until I walked around for a couple minutes and began to realize how absolutely massive the place was; two stories, stalls in the middle and loads of shoppes and restaurants on either side {plus more booths spilling out the doors!}. After a frantic fifteen minute search, I began to wonder what I should do. Should I go back to the flat? Should I meet them at our next stop? No - I doubted my ability to make it to either of those places on my own {plus I didn't want them to worry about me!}. Finally, I thought back to what McGruff the Crime Dog taught me in second grade: if you get lost, go back to the last place you remember seeing your guardian and stay there. So that's what I did, and after about twenty minutes I was at last rescued. PHEW!!

The next stop on our tour was the Strand Hotel for afternoon tea. Though we arrived sopping wet and frizzy-haired, it felt so wonderfully girly to sip out of little tea cups and munch on finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a variety of scrumptious pastries. Afternoon tea on a rainy day - could it get any more quintessentially British? I think not.

The weatherman is forecasting rain for the next two days, but I don't really mind. I just need to get some new shoes...

Lessons in being British

Before I left for London, I tried to prepare myself by studying the differences between American and British culture. So I knew not to tip wait staff, to say "sorry" instead of "excuse me," and to expect showers with very poor water pressure. But now that I've arrived, I realize that I could live here a year and still learn something new every day. Here are a few of today's lessons:

1. If you ask for directions to the restroom/bathroom, no one will know what you're talking about. Instead, you must ask for the toilets or the loo. I can't bring myself to say the word toilets to a stranger (it just sounds so crass to me!) so loo it shall be.

2. Don't look for street signs - there aren't any! Street names are posted on the side of buildings instead. It took me quite a while to figure this one out.

3. When crossing traffic, make sure to glance at the ground for hints on which direction to look. The roads in London are chaotic! They go in circles, criss-cross, switch from two-way to one-way, etc.

3. If you want a glass of water with your meal, you have to specifically ask for tap water. Otherwise, you'll be presented with a $4 bottle of sparkling/still water instead. Yikes!

4. If you'd like something to go, you must order it "takeaway"

5. It's not unusual to see people drinking on the streets. I don't mean on a patio - I mean out in the open. I was really surprised the first time I saw this, but apparently the UK doesn't have an open container law (or maybe it's just really lax).

6. The Brits love their hats! Okay, I already knew this one but I was still excited when I saw this group walking down the street. Look closely and you'll notice that the gentleman is wearing a fascinator!

7. No matter where you are, you can walk half a block and find a place that sells tea. Drink a lot of it, because it's ah-mazing!

Arrival

I met London today, and she's just fabulous. After touching down at Heathrow Airport, I hopped in one of the city's iconic black taxi cabs and asked, "99 Great Russell Street, please!" which was really more like an excited proclamation than a request. I couldn't stop grinning as we wove thorough the charming little streets, and I bet the driver must have thought {insert Cockney accent here} "Yep, she's a first-timer aw right."

After checking in at the FSU Study Centre, I had to lug all of my baggage to our flat a few blocks away. I met my lovely roommates, then we all went back to the Study Centre for a welcome reception and a walking tour of our neighborhood. We're staying in Bloomsbury which is at the center of the city and was described to us as being like the Upper West Side of London - fancy!

After that, a group of us went out for Indian food, which was tasty, but super spicy!!! It's been an amazing day, but I'm positively EXHAUSTED and am so ready for bed. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Bloomsbury bound

Welp, this is it. I'm going to LONDON!! My bags are packed, my list has been double, nay, triple checked, my goodbyes have been said...and now the only thing left to do is sit on my couch and bite my nails. My plane lifts off in about 3.5 hours and I'll land in jolly good England at approximately 6am central time. I cannot believe that today is finally here. Oh, the wonderful things that await!

Betsy

Everyone, meet Betsy. She's a footloose and fancy free gal with a penchant for sixties fashion - and she's my subject for a photo project that we'll be doing. Betsy has her bags ready {luckily she packs lighter than I do} and is looking forward to seeing the sites, doing some shopping, and {fingers crossed} perhaps even bumping into a Jude Law look-alike. Hmmm. :)

Good luck, girl!

Everything! Plus some kite string

I’m not sure how I could know about this trip for eight months and still feel so woefully unprepared. I had such good intentions! I was going to master French. I was going to prepare an exhaustive and neatly organized list of everything to do and see in London. And darn it, I was going to rid myself of that awful caffeine addiction! {Note: A coke in Paris is supposedly quite expensive, and I can name loads of things I’d rather spend my money on}. But, here I sit two days before my departure with a long list of to-dos before me…and a Sonic Route 44 just to my left. Bad!

Okay, so yes. I knew that many of the items on my mental checklist were unrealistic. Becoming fluent in French? Obviously wasn’t going to happen. Giving up coke? Eh, debatable. But one thing that I truly HAD to do was pack - which was my big task for the weekend. Over the past few weeks I’ve been going through a process that I would describe as “pre-packing” which basically worked like this: 1. I'd suddenly think of an item to take with me and 2. I’d grab the item and toss it onto my couch. Pretty simple. But with my trip rapidly approaching {and with the pile quickly growing} I thought I should probably go ahead and make sure that it all fit inside my suitcase.

So here was my mission. To get all of this:

{The most random item I'm bring along?

A kite! (and string).

It was actually required...}

into this:

Yes, yes. I was aware that I was over-packing. But I have no idea what I’ll need, so I figured why not just bring everything? After I started putting things into my suitcase, though, I quickly discovered a wee problem. It wasn’t going to fit! Not even close! So I resigned myself to the sad fact that some of the more extraneous pieces of clothing would have to be left behind (sorry, loves!) and then tucked a bunch of odds and ends into my backpack and laptop bag. And TADA! - it all fit! My suitcase is stuffed to the max and I have ZERO space for the things I might buy during my travels, but…I can think about that later.

For now, I have a passport, a plane ticket, and a packed suitcase. Everything else? Well, I guess I’ll just wing it. :)

One lump or two?

{image via the graphics fairy}

Greetings and welcome to my humble blog! Whatever brings you by my neck of the woods, I invite you to cozy up and make yourself right at home.

Oh! I suppose a formal introduction is in order. I'm Christina and in four short days I'll be hopping over the pond to London, where I'll spend three weeks exploring the city with a gang of perfect strangers {though I'm positive we'll all become fast friends!}. Why am I doing this, you ask? Wellll, I'm pursuing my master's degree in library science and am participating in a study abroad program through Florida State University. We'll be focusing on multimedia design and production {photography, video, podcasting, social media, et cetera} and will learn how each of these tools can be incorporated into library settings to engage patrons more effectively.

This blog is one of our assignments and I'll be updating it regularly to share some bite-sized morsels of my London adventures. It's going to be delicious, so be sure to come back and visit me soon!

xo