Hello Blog-o-sphere! I am alive!
The past month in London has been amazing, not just because the city itself is amazing, but because I've been learning a lot about myself. First off, in Europe I really am entirely cut off from incoming monetary supplies. I'm used to working on campus and during the summer, so not getting a paycheck every other week is so....weird. But with that being said, it's reinforcing my desires to stick to budget, and it helps prepare me for the "real world", aka, this eminent life after college thing.
London is amazing, as I have said before. The people are not what you would expect them to be. They are extremely American friendly, for the most part. There are a couple of people who aren't entirely keen on Americans, but you tread quietly with them and move on. The mannerisms and dialectal differences they have towards things are intriguing. You must always say please. To stand in a line is to "queue". To be a "trencher" is to completely clear one's plate after a meal.
My favorite thing to do in London is to walk through Queen Mary's Gardens. When I walk through the gardens, it makes me feel as ifI am at peace in a place that is constantly in motion. The Gardens are more than just flower beds. In fact, they look like something that are designed out of a faerie tale. There are fountains, waterfalls, tall trees, (goes off into dream land). It's just such a peaceful place.
I've done tons of touristy things since being here. I've seen Buckingham Palace, Stratford, Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford, Leeds Castle, Canterbury, the Changing of the Guard, Platform 9 3/4, The Globe Theatre, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, and so many other things. My favorite places have to be Oxford and Bath. When you go there, you literally step into a different world. Oxford is a medieval city and college. There is no difference between them fo r each makes up the other. The gothic architecture envelops you and sucks you into the medieval world. Bath is impeccably preserved. Even though the Bathhouse is probably the closest I will ever get to Italy on this trip, I feel as though it is Britain's Little Italy.
Oxford Gate
The greatest part about living in London is the accessibility I can get to the rest of Europe. This past weekend, I went and visited my boyfriend in Krakow, Poland. Never in a million years did I think that I would go to Poland. But then again. never in a million years did I think that I would go and have a chance to live in London. Poland was definitely a culture shock for the first few hours. To go from an English speaking country to one where hardly anyone speaks English was a little unsettling, but once I navigated my way around the city and got my bearings I was perfectly fine.
I got to see many different sights. One of my favorite experiences was going to Wowel Cathedral and seeing the royal and religious tombs. A particularly awe inspiring moment was seeing Pope John Paul II's memorial tomb that was set up in part with his future canonization into Sainthood. I really don't know of anyone who didn't love Pope John Paul II, but coming into his Krakow made me appreciate it from all different aspects. Krakow was, and still is, a very important city in world history and religious history. Seeing that made me realize that not only am I in Krakow, but Krakow is bigger than it appears to be historically. And finally, for the very first time in tow years, I understood why my boyfriend was in love with this city, because I had fallen in love with it too.
Wowel Castle
There are many different things to do in Krakow. While I was there, I made the effort to experience it not from a touristy aspect, but from a cultural one. The food is to die for, and whoever tells you differently is a Russian. The people are kind, but still keep your wallet in your front pocket gents. Gypsies do exist, and some of them are just as fantastical as you can imagine. My favorite cultural experience....well there wasn't just one. I loved hearing the bugler from St. Mary's. I loved seeing all the cathedrals and I even lit a few candles in them. Iloved Wowel. I loved the lock bridge. I also loved going to this cut little place in Kazmirez (the Jewish District) on my last night there.
Alchemia is lit only by candles to this day. Inside is very eclectic, almost like being in a hodge podge of your grandmother's old furniture. At the bar, you can get all sorts of treats (ours was a chocolate cherry cake). The atmosphere is very much the same as it would have been in the old world, minus the disco/80's music that plays every now and then. You can tell that Alchemia is a place where people come to relax with friends, for the pub is always hopping. Yet it's my favorite pub in all of Europe (so far) because it seems to be one of the few places that, despite all the changes Poland has been forced to make, still remains untouched by time.
So Nate, and fellow bloggers, I am in love with Poland. I already have a second trip planned....theoretically. Isn't it amazing though how a visit that was entirely for selfish purposes, has kindled a love I never thought I'd have? Bath, Oxford, Krakow.....what else does Europe have in store? Only time will tell! 'Til the next blog.....Maybe on Ireland? 
Nate and I in Alchemia
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