Last Call

It's Wednesday night and I only have a few days until I return to the States. Like always, it's hard to believe I'm already at this point in the summer. I mean, it was already a shock when I realized it was August, but to think that in a few days I'll be back on US soil and back in suburbia -- it truly is surreal.

Once it reached the "one week left" point, I don't think that I really had a major shift in my decision making regarding how to spend the rest of my time in London. No, I wasn't going to sit in every night and start packing, but I wasn't going to go out and party until dawn either. I feel as though my last week here should feel natural and organic -- as if I was just like every other Londoner working and enjoying the summer -- because after all, I have started to feel as though I am a part of the city.

Me and Buzz Lightyear at Harrod's

Over the weekend, I spent Friday night with the interns around Shoreditch. On Saturday, I spent the day with another intern, Mimosa. We decided to venture back to Harrod's because she had some money to spend and well, quite honestly, I couldn't turn down another trip to Harrod's. Not surprisingly, I managed to see even more of the store, most of which I hadn't known had existed. We marvelled at all of the expensive things, and then later had a little treat at the Chocolate Bar. I do have to say, though, that although it was at Harrod's, ice cream still tastes the same -- but it is delicious either way. After Harrod's and left unsatisfied by the chocolate delights, we headed to Borough Market. Again, this was a repeat excursion for me, but I have discovered that here in London, you could go to the same place a hundred times and still find something new to learn or love about the experience. Mimosa and I shared an amazing duck sandwich, each got some sparkling rose wine, and later, watermelon slices. We got to sample cheese and look at the wide selection of food and drink. It was a delight for the senses -- the colors, tastes and smells were all amazing. To top off the afternoon at Borough, I, of course, had to have some more ice cream, only this time it was goat's milk ice cream, and it actually was really good (like I said, ice cream is always delicious.)

Enjoying a duck sandwich and some sparkling rose wine at Borough Market

Me and my yummy watermelon slice at Borough

After Borough Market, we headed back to the Nido to get ready for the night. Intrax organized a boat cruise trip for all of the interns, so we got dressed up and headed to the boat on the Thames. It was an interesting experience. The boat was filled with hen parties (bachelorette parties) and people dressed in costumes celebrating all sorts of occasions. In true Intrax intern fashion, we all had a fun time dancing, drinking and simply enjoying the fact that we were spending time together.

Me and Dan on the boat cruise

Kathryn, Mimosa and I

Will, Jessie and I...with an apprehensive Bri in the middle

Me and the other Dan

Sunday, I slept in and spent the afternoon around Carnaby Street and Oxford Street -- again, both repeat offenders and still, the experience was completely different than the others times I had been there. It was my first time in London really spending an afternoon completely alone. I had no plans to meet up with anyone and I just really had the time to wander around and do whatever I pleased. Yes, I have been alone in London before -- on the way to work, after work wandering around Covent Garden, some times here or there -- but not ever really to this extent, and this time, I felt like I knew my way around. I love the fact that I can walk through parts of London and not have to consult any signs. Sure, sometimes I get a little lost, but I manage to figure it out, and I think I didn't give myself enough credit before. I have actually been able to navigate fairly well. So I utilized my newfound knowledge of the city and walked around, purchased my last few souvenirs and head back to the Nido. Once back, my roommate Jessie, Mimosa and I decided to grab some dinner. It was unusually beautiful outside for London so we decided to capitalize on that and go to the Castle bar/restaurant and sit on their rooftop terrace. We caught up on our weekend and gossip, and just enjoyed the fact that we were able to sit outside at night and not even be cold.

On Monday, it was back to work and back to the hustle and bustle that comes with going to press. Our issue goes to print this week, so it always gets extra busy in the office. That night, I relaxed with some of the other interns. We went to Primrose Hill, which, if I remember correctly, is near or in Camden. Primrose Hill is a park and yes, as its name suggests, it is a hill, but the real reason why we went was not to simply hang out in a park at night and be a bit creepy. Primrose Hill actually has an amazing panoramic view of the London city skyline. Honestly, it was beautiful and the funny thing was, none of us could get a decent picture of it. All of us agreed that it's always the things which you can't capture with a photograph -- whether it be memories or amazing views like this one -- that are the things that are worth remembering. That's always the way.

Tuesday night I joined some of the other interns again and went to Camden after a day of work to have some dim sum. It was my first dim sum experience and it was amazing. There were only five of us, yet we ordered 33 dishes and yes, we somehow managed to eat all of them. We overestimated how much food we'd actually need and every time a dish came, we weren't sure how we were going to eat it -- but we did and it was great. With full bellies, we decided to walk around Camden, which I had never done before and I was sad that I hadn't. It was a really cool, eclectic sort of neighborhood. I thought to myself that I definitely wanted to come back and see Camden, and it's funny, because even though I have seen so many parts of London, it is still cool to know that if/when I do come back, there are still more things to see. London is always surprising me. Though we were full from dim sum, we grabbed some ice cream at a convenience store and continued our walk around the neighborhood before finally heading back to the Nido.

Tonight, after work, we had a networking event where our host companies were invited to join us at eOffice (where one of the other interns works) and have some time to socialize and meet each other's bosses and coworkers. Because my office had been so busy this past week, I didn't expect my coworkers to attend -- they usually end up staying late at the office to work on the issue so I figured that they would do that. I told them that they didn't need to worry about it, considering all of the work we had to do, but I was off to the event and would see them tomorrow. I'm not sure how long into the event it was, but I turned to the door at one point, and saw my boss and two other co-workers show up. I was pleasantly surprised and happy. It made me feel really good, because I know that they must have been tired from staying late, but they still wanted to come and support me. We shared a few drinks and a few jokes, and it made me feel very good about my time during my internship. Sometimes I doubted myself and my abilities as a member of the team, but the fact that they all came and all wanted to support me made me feel as though I did make a difference and they were glad that I was a part of the team too.

Even though things are quickly coming to an end, I cannot look back on any part of my summer and feel as though I haven't had a good time. I have so many stories to bring back home with me, and so many memories. There have been shared conversations, laughs and life lessons that I know I will never forget, and the thing is, with just about two days left, I am sure that I will still make a few more memories. That is the thing about London -- I feel like I have never stopped learning or having fun.

Harry Potter!.. and other things

The long awaited premiere of Harry Potter has finally come and gone -- and boy, was it good! I had completely forgotten that the premiere was coming up prior to Thursday night/Friday morning (midnight showing), but when I did remember, it felt as though I had a fun surprise during the week to look forward to.

Up until midnight on Friday, though, I still had to get about my daily business. During the week, I spent quite a bit of time at BA's headquarters sitting in on interviews and working on transcribing those interviews. Being able to work and then go to an interview really breaks up the day so it makes the day go by faster, and it actually can be really interesting. Since I've started working at Up to Speed magazine, despite not necessarily being interested in aviation, I have learned a lot about the industry. I guess I'm sort of getting a 2-for-1 deal as I'm simultaneously learning a lot about the magazine industry while also learning about aviation and the innerworkings of an airline.

I also spent some time at T5 again working on the "Voices" piece of our magazine, which requires us to go around the terminal and ask customers about their opinion on a particular topic for that month. Even though I consider "Voices" to be a part of the job that is slightly embarrassing, yet sometimes fun (due to the fact that people will reject me upon even saying hello and won't want to talk, the embarrassing part, but sometimes they have so many great stories and things to share, which is the fun part), I like being able to get out of the office for a while and walking around, maybe even hoping for a celebrity sighting. Last time I was at the airport for "Voices," Madonna passed through and we weren't paying attention. This time, however, the photographer noticed a shaggy-looking guy walking around with a guitar and claimed that he thought it was "Richard Daltrey" -- although, I'm assuming he meant Roger Daltrey, of The Who. My other coworker didn't think it was anyone famous, but I, using my powers of deductive reasoning, rationalized that it had to at least be some sort of celebrity for a few reasons: 1.) he was old, yet carrying around a guitar 2.) he had the rockstar shaggy haircut...and was carrying a guitar and 3.) he walked over to First Class to check in...with his guitar. The chances of someone being old, looking a bit like a homeless person with their long hair and grungy look AND going to First Class and not being a celebrity seem to be very unlikely, at least to me, and maybe that is largely stereotyping or maybe ignorant of me to suggest, but in this case, I thought the guy looked familiar and all of those reasons are pretty convincing. However, I suggested this mystery person to be Robert Plant, so the photographer took out his iPhone, googled Robert Plant, and wouldn't you know it? We had a match! It was a good celebrity sighting. Legendary.

I prepared for later in the week for my next celebrity sighting -- Harry Potter! We had plans to go out on Thursday for the midnight showing and we were all excited for Harry Potter, of course, but also because we were doing something so innately normal for us in a completely foreign country. It's weird feeling that normalcy and familiarity when you're across the Atlantic in a place you've never been before, but it was fun to get popcorn, candy and soda and feel like we were just down the street at our local theater (or should I say, theatre?). In true British fashion, though, we decided that we would head to the bar prior to Harry Potter so that we could chat and get even more excited about the premiere. We each had a drink, talked about how much we love London and then around 11:00 decided we were ready.

We got to the theater and grabbed all of the movie essentials: popcorn, candy, soda, ice cream. This time in true American fashion, we made sure to get the largest box of popcorn and the largest soda possible. The buzz of excitement was almost tangible at this point, so we headed into the theater, found our seats (they had assigned seats so we already knew where we were sitting) and anxiously awaited the final installment of the Harry Potter series.

The movie was phenomenal. I think it's difficult for any book, especially a series of books, to be translated onto the silver screen. The Harry Potter movies have been fairly accurate for the most part, although, sometimes they leave out things that I thought were more important, but as for being movies, they do a fantastic job of staying true to the dignity of the book. The final movie was no different -- in fact, I thought they masterfully handed something that was so important to the series: the finale. Even though we didn't get back to our rooms until about 3AM, we were all still wide awake following such a fantastic night.

Going into work Friday was not as bad as I thought it would be, considering that I only got about five hours of sleep. I grabbed a pane au chocolat in the morning before work and went on my merry way, feeling even a bit refreshed. Of course, Fridays are always tough because I feel like I am so close to the weekend, yet I have to wait for 5:30 to come around before I can start having some true weekend fun. I made it though, and when I got home from work, made myself a pathetic attempt at dinner and chatted with the rest of the interns in the kitchen.

We had decided that we would want to go back to Shoreditch for our Friday night festivities so we spread the word to anyone else who was coming along. We went to some place called Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, or something like that, which boasted two bars, a dance floor and DJ -- an unbeatable mix for what promised to be a good night. Some of the interns went to the bar next door to start, a place called Bluu, but they met up with us after and we pretty much all went to the dance floor together. The DJ was playing such a great mix of music -- there was some Def Leppard, Frankie Valli, Johnny Cash, Madonna and even some Rolling Stones -- and you might not think that all of those different musicians would work, but somehow it did and we were all laughing and having a great time.

Surprisingly enough, I did not go to another bar after that one, although most of the other interns did head over to the Lexington, as usual. The Lexington is great because it is a really chill venue and open until 4AM -- which is especially good when it is only a short walk away and you just want to get home by the end of the night. So some of the interns went there, some of us went home, and that was our Friday night.

For Saturday, we were supposed to go to Brighton, but we never really got our acts together and planned or confirmed anything, so we're spending another weekend with the lovely city. I'm not sure what today holds, though, as it is raining more so than usual and the best kind of exploring happens when it is sunny and you have nothing to stop you from walking all over the city, but a little rain never hurt anyone, right?

Issue to Print, Some Rocks, Bath & the Sniffles

Fourth of July was the beginning of the end for me -- in terms of feeling like my normal self. After going out for the 4th (in combination with my tiring weekend), I ended up coming down with a cold. Perfect! Exactly what you want when you only have 8 weeks to explore a new city and take in everything that you can in your spare time. So of course, that was depressing in and of itself, and also a new obstacle that I'd have to attempt to overcome so that I could maximize potential fun for the upcoming weekend. I tried my best to take it easy during the week -- coming home right after work and relaxing, staying in on Friday night with my roomie having a "How I Met Your Mother" marathon -- but here I am, almost a week later, and I still have a cough and the sniffles.

Don't worry though. I am soldiering on. This past week was an important one at work. Our issue was going to print so we had to do a lot of proof-reading and last minute tweaking to make sure that everything would look good and read well once published. While I had the luxury of going home at a normal time (ah, the life of an unpaid and sick intern), my co-workers stayed in the office late to make sure everything was ready. On Friday, we awaited to hear the public response to what we had produced. Seeing as though our magazine is for BA employees and is pretty much BA's magazine, many of the employees and people involved have something to say about the issue. Nevertheless, by Friday, we were all relieved that we had put out the issue and to celebrate, went out for lunch just our little staff.

We went to a Mexican tapas restaurant, apparently opened by one of the winners of Masterchef here in London. Even though I am not a die-hard Mexican food fanatic, I enjoyed the food and especially the fact that I got to spend some time out of the office with my co-workers. It certainly was an amusing lunch with our crew.

Friday night, like I said, I stayed in with my roommate to take it easy. We both weren't feeling that great and the following day, we had a group excursion to Stonehenge and Bath so we wanted to be well-rested and prepared -- especially seeing as though we had to be up and out of the Nido by 7:45AM (that's earlier than I have to leave for work...) Because of our night-in though, we woke up fairly refreshed and excited about leaving the city for the day.

Stonehenge! (Left to right: Matt, me, Kathryn and Dan)

It took about two hours to get to Stonehenge, and as the bus approached, we were told that we could already catch a glimpse of the famous landmark. I looked out the window and was a bit disappointed. "Wait, that's it?" It was a lot smaller than I had expected. You hear so much about Stonehenge and its mystery and you're expecting this larger-than-life arrangement of stones, and then when you actually get out and walk over to them, it doesn't seem as overwhelming as pictures would suggest. Don't get me wrong -- I am glad that I got to see it because I think it's one of those things where you have to go just to say you did. But to be honest, we really didn't need the alotted hour to walk around and take some photos. Most of us just hung out on the grass and were discussing how the ramifications of running through Stonehenge (it's roped off so you can't get too close) probably wouldn't be too bad considering there were more of us than guards and they might not be able to keep up with us. Of course, none of us were brave enough to test out our theory.

Jessie touching one of the amazing rocks at Stonehenge

Me and Stonehenge. BFFs

Stonehenge and some ominous clouds

After Stonehenge, we headed to Bath -- a stop on the trip that I was more excited about. I loved Bath. We had nice weather and as soon as we got off the bus, we went in search of food. I had lunch with some of the other interns outside. Afterwards, we strolled over to the park and hung out, eating ice cream and really just relaxing. It was so simple, yet so satisfying. Later, we checked out the Roman baths before heading back home again. It sounds like we didn't do that much, but truthfully, we spent the afternoon taking it easy. I found it to be a really nice way to spend the day. Sometimes running from tourist attraction to museum to the next tourist attraction lets you see the tourist attractions, yes, but doesn't let you see the city or town or whatever location you're in. Sometimes you just need to take it in at your own pace, doing things that you want to do, regardless of whether or not Rick Steve or Frommers thinks its a good idea.

At lunch in Bath. (Left to right: Dan, Jessie, Parker, Kathryn, Dan and me!)

The park at Bath, so picturesque!

Enjoying the park at Bath. Dan's enjoying the park too much.

Roman baths... at Bath

Roman baths

Kathryn commented that Bath makes her really feel like she's in Europe. It's because the Romans were there. Once again, another reason why Italians are so great. Making pretty cities (and people) all over the world.

Saturday night wasn't very eventful...I actually did go out, but I went home early because I am still trying to kick this cold. As of right now, I still have a cough...but hopefully that will disappear soon so I can move on and go back to doing fun things without feeling as though one of my internal organs is trying to escape.
Sunday was another good day. I spent the morning wandering around on my own near Oxford Street. I was in search of a dress for tea because later that night I would be going to the Ritz with a few of the other interns for high tea! After finding a dress that channeled a bit of Carrie Bradshaw and a bit of trophy wife, I headed back to the Nido and met up with my friend, Kathryn. We weren't sure what to do with the rest of our afternoon so we  both thought it would probably be a good idea to check out the National Portrait Gallery considering 1.) we were bored 2.) it's one of those things you need to see and the most important reason, 3.) it's free! A lot of the museums here in London are free, so that definitely makes being cultured a bit easier.

Kathryn and I at the National Portrait Gallery
with Trafalgar Square behind us.

We headed to Trafalgar Square where the National Portrait Gallery is located, walked around and checked out the paintings. Our favorites were the Van Gogh paintings and the Impressionists. After feeling like hoity-toity-museum-goers, we walked around Trafalgar Square and then towards Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. We both remarked about how we have been in London for about a month now and yet, we never see Big Ben or never really truly feel like we're in London sometimes because we're surrounded by buildings without any English personality or hint at the fact that we're in a place of culture and history. So we enjoyed our little aimless walk before heading back to the Nido, and grabbing some groceries at Tesco.

Big Ben! My British boyfriend.

I had to get back though because I had to get ready for tea! I went to the Ritz for high tea with three other interns -- Jessie, Matt and Jason. We put on our Sunday finest and felt like classy people. In our cab ride there, we went over all of the etiquette rules and were laughing because we were trying to figure out which one of us would be the one to spill or make a mess (Jason did that -- within the first five minutes...) Once we got there, we were glad that we splurged. It was expensive (40 British pounds which is roughly $60 give or take), but honestly, it was 100% worth it. It was unlimited top-ups so we got as much food as we wanted and as much tea as we wanted. And even though I don't drink tea (not really a fan), it was so delicious. It was a great experience, and with great people, it was even better. There was a harpist and it seemed like he was listening to our table because we joked and said that it would be great if he played "A Whole New World," and shortly after, he started playing it. Even though you would think high tea at the Ritz would be all quiet and snobby, we were laughing and having a ton of fun. Definitely the highlight of my weekend.

The Ritz! Where we had tea... So pretty!

Classy people at tea. (Left to right: Jason, Jessie, me and Matt)

In front of the Ritz. (Left to right: Jason, me, Matt and Jessie)

And now back to work! Today, I finally got to see the July issue of Up to Speed in print! It was exciting to see my name in the credits of the magazine and to see all of our hard work right in my hands. This week has the potential to be pretty great -- I have another trip to Heathrow coming up AND I finally get to see Harry Potter at midnight! Five hours before you folks in the US... Yes, be jealous.

Photo Shoot, Poutine and Nights Out

Oh, what a weekend it has been! I felt like it was my first true weekend to explore and see London as I wanted to see it. Last weekend was spent devoted to Paris, the weekend before that with a planned tour, and the weekend before that -- well, I was just clueless then and the city was just the big unknown to me at that point. This weekend, I felt like I was just another Londoner going out on the town after a hard week of work. However, Friday did not feel so much like work.

On Friday, I got to leave the office and spend the day with the art director and photographer doing photo shoots for the magazine. We were working on a feature about new BA employees, so we went to photograph four people in various places around Heathrow. I got to meet an business engineering apprentice, a pilot, a member of cabin crew and someone who is currently in a business graduate program. The day went by really quickly because I was able to see and learn so many new things. The first photos we took were taken where all of the engines are repaired and worked on. I had to wear a lovely fluorescent orange vest and some very fancy plastic goggles -- quite the fashion statement when paired with my red dress -- but I actually somehow forgot that I was wearing something so neon because I was distracted by all of the new things surrounding me. For the second set of photos, I got to go on board a 747 and I even got my picture take in the cockpit (I will upload a picture of that hopefully tomorrow) which was really neat. Later, we headed to Terminal 5 and then to the British Airways headquarters to take pictures around the office. Even though the photo shoot did not involve any of the glamour that you might expect (think Vogue or Elle), it was the most fun I've had at work since I've started.

Later that night, the other interns and I switched into weekend mode. Some of the interns went to Scotland, but those of us that decided to stick to the city, were ready to go out. And what better way to start the night than with Canada Day in Trafalgar Square?! One of the interns, Mimosa (click on her name to check out her blog!), is from Toronto, so she shared the info regarding Canada Day, and several of us were excited to join in the Canadian revelry. For the brief time we were in Trafalgar Square celebrating, I talked very loudly about how I was Canadian and loved hockey. I made sure not to mention anything about the Boston Bruins beating the Canucks in the Stanley Cup, though, for fear of inciting another riot, but I think I managed to blend in... Especially because there really weren't many Canadians there at all. Mostly just Brits looking for a good excuse to drink beer and party. And hey, isn't that what we were doing too? We joined in, getting some Canadian beer and eating some poutine! What is poutine, you may ask? Poutine is a genius medley of french fries, gravy and cheese. Yum! It pretty much is a heart-attack on a place, and it is DELICIOUS. Almost makes me want to really be Canadian.

So we ate our poutine, drank our Canadian beer, and enjoyed the Canadian spirit around us. I was hoping for a celebrity sighting, preferably in the form of Justin Bieber or Alex Trebek, but instead, we got Mike Myers, AKA Austin Powers and his many other personas. Sure, he's no Bieber, but I will take any celebrity sighting I can get. It was a good way to end our time at Canada Day and move onto another adventure for the night.

As we do every other Friday night, and as all the Brits do, we went to a pub to start our night. We headed to Leicester Square to some pub and grabbed some beer and cider and just started to talk. It was very chill, and very fun. I enjoyed being with a smaller group and not trying to find somewhere that all 28 interns total could agree on. We are a pretty diverse group, and I enjoy being with everyone, but there's just something about being with a smaller group of people. We spent quite a bit of time at that first bar -- I actually was able to drink two beers! Okay, ciders, but ciders are much tastier than beer anyway. Almost like a nice cold glass of Mott's apple juice, minus the fact that you're not having it with a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich...and there's alcohol in it.

We actually went to O'Neills again in Soho after our first pub. It was really loud and really crowded, but the music was great and we were all enjoying the night. I think it might have had something to do with all of that cider. All I know is that we all had a ton of fun, and are still talking about it even today.

Saturday was another day of fun-filled nonsense and adventures. Most of us slept in after our delightful night, but once we were up, we were looking for something new and exciting to do. My roommate, Jessie, and I went to the London Pride Parade, which was a LGBT pride parade and was pretty much one big moving party. We went and stood around Piccadilly Circus and watched the fun. I was jealous that I wasn't on one of the floats, because they were blasting some sweet tunes and really, you couldn't help but want to dance.

After the parade, Jessie and I walked around Covent Garden for a while before heading back to the Nido to get ready for yet another night of fun. For Saturday night, we decided to stay at least a little bit closer to the Nido in Islington at a pub called the Old Queens Head. There was a bar on the first floor and a dance floor on the second -- my kind of place. One of the interns bought everyone shots, so I had my very first tequila shot. I have to say, I actually didn't mind it, which is surprising considering that I consider myself a classy lady and would not ever buy myself a tequila shot. Later on, I also had my first Long Island Iced Tea, and that was also surprisingly tasty. Needless to say, I was in the mood for some dancing and lots of it. I headed to the dance floor with a few of the other interns, and broke out some of my signature moves like the "Shower" dance move and the "Flight Attendant" -- always a classic. Eventually, all of the interns ended up on the dance floor, and then when we headed back downstairs, the bar was closing so we decided to go to an old favorite, the Lexington.

I didn't stay there very long because, as I mentioned before, I had that wonderful Long Island Iced Tea and that pesky tequila shot, so I was pretty tired between that and all of the dancing. One of the other interns, Parker, walked me back to the Nido, and I went to bed.

For Sunday, I wanted to do something a bit more low-key and find a new part of the city. I ventured out with two of the other interns, Mimosa and Taylor, to Carnaby Street -- a cute little alcove of the city with some great boutiques and cafes. We walked around, going in and out of the shops and marvelling at how we always manage to find something new whenever we go out in the city. I realized that there are so many parts of London that I haven't seen yet that I still want to see, and I've already been here for three weeks! It definitely was a sort of exciting feeling, and I felt as though I had just arrived in the city again.

After that sort of revelation, we headed onto Regent Street and walked around in some more shops. It was the kind of girls' day that is always needed and necessary. No, we actually didn't come back hauling five bags each, but we chatted and gossiped, and it was very cathartic. Once we were done, we went back to the Nido. I went back and chatted with my roommate, catching up on everything that happened last night with her and what I did all day. Then, Mimosa, Kathryn and I went for a walk around Angel, another area of London that is close to where we live. Again, just a little exploration to see what is in the neighborhood. We grabbed some Mexican food at a place called Tortilla, and it was pretty much Chipotle in everything but name. We ate our burritos on the street, then went home and now here I am!

I wish I had more pictures to share with you, but I have to charge my camera, and that can sometimes be difficult with limited outlets and my lack of multiple adapters. With tomorrow being 4th of July, you can be sure that me and the rest of the interns will be out celebrating, so maybe, if I remember, I'll charge my camera before then and have something to share from the 4th across the pond. Wonder what the Brits think of 4th of July and if they think they're better off without us? I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow...

I Love Paris in the Summer When it Sizzles

I know, I know -- I've been slacking since my last post. The truth is, I have been jamming so much into each and everyday that I'm starting to drag a bit. Of course, my internship takes up the majority of my time, since after all, that is the reason why I am here in London in the first place. But, I don't want this experience to be just about my internship, so I am trying to remember to take some extra time after work to meander through Covent Garden, or spend more time with the other interns in our kitchen. The first week or two of my internship was difficult because I was trying to adjust to a new routine in a new place, so that was overwhelming. Now that I feel as though I've got the internship routine down, I am trying to start to plan more activities into my work days. I no longer consider it exhausting to leave work and try to navigate around the foreign streets of London on my own. Everything seems more familiar-- it's a nice surprise considering one of my initial anxieties about coming to London was not knowing how to get around.

So because of this increased familiarity, I have been feeling more at home, and in turn, going out, hanging out, and having more fun; hence, the lack of posts. Since my last post, my cousin has already came and left London, I spent the weekend in Paris, and battled the tourist crowds around Covent Garden amidst the sales. My cousin, Amanda, arrived in London on Tuesday morning, but we didn't get to hang out until later in the evening once I was back from work and she was back from the bus tour she went on. We went to dinner at an Italian place that is literally right next door to the Nido with a few of the other interns. It was nice to catch up with my cousin, especially because I haven't seen anyone from home in almost 2-3 weeks now. The next few days were similar. Amanda would go and explore the city during the day while I was at work, we'd meet up at night, hang out with some of the other interns, and do it all over again the next day. On Thursday night, though, we went to the Soho - Chinatown area to hang out at O'Neill's. It's pretty much like the bar I went to the first night, only expanded to two more floors and with a live band that night. It was very laidback and it was a fun way to show Amanda the pub scene, despite O'Neill's being a bit touristy.  We didn't stay out too late though, because the following morning we had to catch our train to..
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Paris! Yes, we took the train underwater to Paris on Friday morning from Saint Pancras International. We both pretty much slept for the entirety of the train ride, considering we spent the previous night at a pub and our train was at 7AM. We were sitting next to some chatty Americans from Las Vegas, and at that point, I realized why our country has developed our lovely reputation overseas. Luckily, I was able to drown out the girl's loud story about her wild night with my iPod, and eventually, even she shut up and tried to take a nap. Once we arrived in Paris, we found our hotel, freshened up, and prepared to see the city.

Armed with a map and our very minimal knowledge of the French language (limited to oui and merci, pretty much), we set across the city looking for all of the things you're supposed to see when you're a tourist visiting Paris. It wasn't as difficult as I had thought, though, and we were fortunate to have extremely nice weather. With the sun shining down and the buzz of Paris surrounding us, we walked along the Seine, spotting various famous monuments with each step. Some of the sights were close to each other, but we spent that entire first day literally walking from one end of the city to the other. It was exhausting, but also exhilirating to finally see all of those famous landmarks in person. And I have to admit, I didn't feel ashamed about being a tourist-- but that was mostly because there were SO many tourists in Paris. You couldn't walk two feet without bumping into someone with a fanny pack and a camera around their neck. I figured that since I did not do either of those things, and wrapped a scarf around my neck, I didn't seem as obnoxious as all of the other tourists. That day we walked around and saw pretty much everything -- the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysee, and probably some more things that I can't remember (it was overwhelming.) We finished our first day of exploration off with some crepes and headed to bed very early so that we would be ready for the next day.

If only life went so smoothly. At around 3AM, the fire alarm went off in our hotel. We put our flip flops on and bolted out of the door, only to find out that someone apparently set it off because they were smoking in their room. Thank you, nicotine addiction. Apparently, the disgusting habit outweighed that person's good sense, causing them to disrupt everyone's sleep. We went back to bed, and hoped that we would not have to deal with that again...We still woke up bright and early, though.

First thing we did Saturday was take the Metro to grab our museum passes that would allow us to skip ticket lines at all of the museums and sights, then hopped back on to go to Versailles. The Metro seemed confusing the first day that we were in Paris, but by the second day, we were able to understand it better. Despite its being in French, we actually were able to navigate without really getting lost. The only times we got lost were when we were walking around anyway, but even that wasn't so bad because we were seeing new parts of the city and as long as we were near the Seine or had the Eiffel Tower in our sight, we had an idea of where we were going.

Versailles was probably my favorite thing I saw when in Paris. I always find things like that amazing though-- the fact that actual people lived inside of that palace, so extravagantly and so indulgently, it truly blows my mind. I loved the Hall of Mirrors. Just as the room's name would suggest, it was a hallway with mirrors, but the windows opened up so you could see the gardens and there were chandeliers running down the hallway, with light reflecting everywhere. Plus, there's always that cool feeling -- the one where you feel as though you're walking through history. Marie Antoinette lived there, I mean, that's pretty cool.

After Versailles, the rest of the day was somewhat a blur. We grabbed baguettes for lunch and did some souvenier shopping, of course, but we also saw some more of the sights. We went on the Eiffel Tower and had an amazing view of the city. Later, we walked down the Champs-Elysee and had fun going in and out of all of the stores. I guess Paris is regulated to only have two sales per year, and wouldn't you know it, June is slated for one of those sales times! We laughed as we went in and out of the stores, all marked soldes out front, indicating the slashed prices we'd find inside. We were mostly just trying to kill time until the sun set so we could climb the stairs of the Arc de Triomphe to see the Eiffel Tower shine at night. Easier said than done, of course. We kept walking up and down the Champs-Elysee, and with each hour that passed, the sun still DID NOT SET. It was close to 10-10:30 before there was a sun set, so at that point we decided we'd just go and do it, and when we got up there, it was beautiful!

Shortly after, we went to bed and then soon enough, we were up and at it for another day. This time, we had a plan for the day, and knew exactly which sights we would be seeing. Of course, seeing as though this happened, now four days ago, I can't entirely remember the order and I'll probably leave out something that we saw, but I assure you, we finished off our "tour de France" with plenty of tourist attractions. We saw the Saint Chapelle, the Concierge (formerly a really bad prison where Marie Antoinette was kept before she was executed) and climbed to the top of the Notre Dame. After that, we went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa! We were both so exhausted at that point, so we literally went in, found the Mona Lisa and poked around at a few more paintings and sculptures, then left. But don't act so shocked, because I am willing to bet that plenty of other tourists go in there just for the Mona Lisa and leave... And we were tired!

At that point, we were exhausted and as much as we had fun, we were ready to get back to London. We grabbed our stuff and headed back to Gare du Nord to catch the train back to London. It felt good to be back. It's funny, because I don't, by any means, consider London my "home," but in that instance, coming back from a weekend in Paris, it felt nice to be back in my "own bed." Everyone loves a vacation, but there's no better feeling that returning and feeling comfortable again.

On Monday, after work, Amanda and I just hung around the Nido with the other interns. Tuesday was not much different. Although, after work, Amanda came and met me after work in Covent Garden so we walked around there, and then met up with my roommate Jessie and her friend for dinner at the Essex Serpent. Amanda had fish and chips, and mushy peas -- an English specialty! -- and I had bangers and mash -- another British dish. We shared some wine and had a good night, as it was Amanda's last in London. After spending time in Covent Garden, we headed back to the Nido and hung out with the other interns again. All of us played card games for hours. It was a ton of fun -- I forgot how much fun I could have without "modern" distractions (i.e. television, internet, our own rooms, air conditioning...). I know that makes me sound somewhat spoiled? But I don't know. I think people underestimate how much fun they can have when it's just you and your friends, literally just hanging out. We shared plenty of laughs that night.

The next morning, I sent Amanda off with a hug, went back to bed, and then to work. Later that night, the interns and I gathered in the kitchen and decided we needed to get tickets to the midnight showing of Harry Potter! Some of the interns went to the theater to buy them (we couldn't order them online since we don't have UK credit cards) while I went to a bar with another one of the interns, waiting for the others to meet up with us afterwards. It was a very chill night.

Another enjoyable night in London! Tomorrow, I'm off to Heathrow airport again -- this time, for a photo shoot! No, I'm not the subject of the fashion shoot. We are shooting some new employees at British Airways for Up to Speed. I'm very excited, not just because I'm getting out of the office, but because I get to see the whole photo shoot process. Very fun :)

The Notre Dame

A view of the Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Versailles

Hall of Mirrors... and tourists

Chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors

Paris at night

Marie Antoinette's bed

Paris!

Gardens at Versailles

View of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower

Moulin Rouge.. forgot that we saw that..knew I would forget something

The street leading up to the Pantheon. Yup, saw that too. Forgot about that as well...

Je'taime, Paris!

Touching a gargoyle from on top of the Notre Dame

Okay, so now that we're all up to date, hopefully, I can try to be more timely with my posts. I guess we'll just have to see...

I'll post more pictures from Paris when I have a chance. I couldn't post that many !

Work & Play

It has been a busy and tiring past few days. I finally feel as though I am getting used to work and the commute, but am still trying to figure out where I fit with my little staff. It was already a big enough accomplishment that I figured out what I was doing -- especially because I feel like I got thrown into my job. I didn't really have a prior interview with my boss or the company, and we had zero communication up until my first day. Cedar Communications is commisioned by outside companies, such as British Airways and Tesco, to produce publications to fit their needs, which is why within the large office, I work with a small group on Up to Speed. And I do really like my small staff, because my editor lets me look in on different parts of the process. I got to see how the layout is done and how the words I wrote for one feature get placed on the page stylistically. Right now, I'm working on a travel feature that my editor assigned me about Stockholm, so I sent our contact from Stockholm an email asking questions for the article. It's cool to be given that sort of responsibility, especially with my minimal experience.

Thursday and Friday of work both went off seamlessly -- although, I was still early both days. On Thursday, I went to Cafe Nerro this time (instead of Topshop...see, I am capable of choosing breakfast over shopping) and had a croissant to avoid the rain and avoid being in the office a half an hour early. I knew that the rest of my co-workers were already going to be coming in late anyway for their own reasons, so even if I went in early, I'd be alone. I worked on a few projects throughout the day, and then went back to the Nido, arriving there at 6PM and then eating, lounging and going to bed. I haven't yet mustered up the energy after work to venture more around Covent Garden, but I think that will be my plan for the upcoming weeks.

Friday was a similar day, except I made the mistake of telling a somewhat embarrassing and shameless story to my co-worker, which the rest of our little staff had to know and now I've been branded "that girl who spits." I think this deserves an explanation... So, my co-worker went and got some Skittles from the kitchen (? maybe the kitchen, I don't actually know where the Skittles came from now that I think of it) and asked me if I wanted some. I took a few and explained how I never eat the green and purple Skittles because I think that they're gross. With that information shared, I also went on to tell him about when I would go to the movies and buy Skittles, if I came across a purple or green one and ate it unknowingly, due to the fact that the movies are dark and not conducive to sorting out Skittles by color, I would just spit it out on the floor. Now, let me also add a disclaimer, because I want to assure you that I do not do this... anymore. I have since then realized that if I'm going to pay an arm and a leg for movie candy, then I don't want to be spitting half of it out on the floor. Also, for those of you who now think I am disgusting and do not want to sit next to me at the movies due to my former habit, I would like to just compare that my Skittle spitting might be gross, but there are lots of other gross and unsightly things that probably happen at the movies so I think you should really not hold it against me. With all of that said, I told my co-worker that story, and he found it hilarious --- so hilarious, in fact, that for the rest of the day, whenever he would ask if I wanted water, or a snack, or anything at all, he would say, "Oh, nevermind, you'll probably just spit it out on the floor." Yes, I was the running joke for the whole day. But! There is a silver living because apparently when they make fun of you, that means that they like you... At least, that's what my program coordinators told me, but they might just be saying that so I don't feel bad. Either way, the British love to tease each other and be sarcastic, so I figure if I'm in on the joke, even part of it, at least I'm fitting into the dynamic somehow. And I assured all of my co-workers that I will find something to make fun of all of them for too. Ah, the office and its inter-relationships.

After work on Friday and the Skittle spitting debacle, all of us interns planned on going out (of course.) Our on-site supervisor/support, Brian, from Intrax told us that he would pay for our first round of drinks, so obviously we were all game for going wherever he would be buying the drinks. I've learned that drinking after the work day, no matter which day it is (weekdays included), is a normal part of British culture. Going to the pubs and having a pint is not as stigmatized as it necessarily is in the United States. Many of my friends in the intern program have actually gone out for drinks with their coworkers either during the work day or after work.

So in the spirit of the culture in which we have been immersed, we too had to go out for after-work drinks together. Brian said that we could all meet at this bar called the Electricity Room in Shoreditch for drinks. I told my co-worker about this, and he said that Shoreditch would have a lot of "blokes in really tight jeans and hair shaped like a shark-fin," which I came to translate as what I would classify as a "hipster." I didn't think there were many hipsters at the Electricity Room, but it certainly was a cool bar. There was a giant peacock light on one of the walls, and downstairs was a dance floor that lit up in different colors -- my kind of dance floor. Of course, our walk to the Electricity Room was not without its snafus. It was pouring (big surprise there -- the rain seems to follow me) and the group I was with got lost. It took us forever to get there and when it's raining, any journey outside seems to double in its length and complications. With what little sense of direction we had, we finally made it there, and I'm pretty sure my shoes were filled with water. So much for that half hour of going-out preparation.

Me, my roommate Jessie, Eliza, Jane and Mimosa at the Electricity Room in Shoreditch.

The bar was fun though, and we certainly enjoyed our first round of drinks (everything is better when it's free!). We even ventured downstairs to check out the dance floor. But in true British (and restless 20-something) fashion, we wanted to go to another bar, so our giant group (there's about 28 of us) tried to figure out what we were doing next. Making decisions with a group of that size, especially with alcohol and the promise of more alcohol involved, is no easy task whatsoever. Needless to say, the group split up, and I found myself with the group that was looking for a new place to go.

Our search seemed to not be yielding many results, so me and a few of the other interns went back to the Electricity Room to see if that would just be a better fit for the rest of the night. We didn't really seem to be feeling it, so me and two of the other guys decided that we would probably just have more fun if we got some fried chicken and champagne and went back to the Nido. Perfect.

With that plan now mapped out, we had to figure out what bus to take home, how to get out of Shoreditch, and most importantly, how to get our fried chicken. I let the boys figure out the navigating  part, since I was just focusing on how great it would be to eat the fried chicken, but I did chime in when I saw a bus quickly approaching that said "via Kings Cross," the boys then confirming that we could take that bus. I was  proud of my accidental useful contribution.

Back closer to Kings Cross, we stopped off at the Chicken Spot and ordered ourselves some fried chicken, the perfect complement to champagne. However, our mission was thwarted when we found that the convenient store where we had planned on getting our champagne was closed. Luckily, as we have had to learn being in a new country, we were able to adapt. One of the guys, Parker, said that he had plenty of beer, so now it was fried chicken and beer! Slighty less classy, but just as tasty.

When we got back to the Nido, we got in our PJs, grabbed the beer and ate our chicken in our communal kitchen (each floor has its own kitchen, and since most of the interns take over the 6th and 7th floor, it's pretty much our own). Then we decided to watch Mean Girls. This does not sound as random as you might think. When we were on the bus home, prior to getting our chicken, Matt (one of the other guys I was with) and I were making various Mean Girls references, only to find that Parker had never seen the movie and had no idea what we were talking about. Because we found that to be a travesty for several reasons (Mean Girls is a classic, the movie is back from when Lindsay Lohan wasn't a crackhead, it's hilarious AND it is always quoted), we decided that Mean Girls would just have to get thrown into our fried chicken and beer mix.

We watched Mean Girls and as some of the other interns started to head back, they too came and joined our Mean Girls screening. It was a great end to a great night. And the fried chicken was great.

Saturday was a really fun day. At 9AM, we left the Nido for Cambridge to see the university and the town. The day was fun, despite the tour guide being a bit boring and the dark clouds and wind that would ever so often remind us that they were there with a sprinkle of rain and a gust of wind. For the most part, we had sunny skies the entire day. We toured the town, had lunch, and then were set free for a while -- time that me, my friends Kathryn and Jane, decided to spend looking into some of the shops, checking out the market and walking along the river.

One of the cool things about Cambridge is that they do this thing called "punting." No, it is not a football reference. It actually refers to the way that they direct the boats on the river -- similar to a gondola. You sit in the boat and this guy at the back balances and pushes a long stick into the river, which is very shallow, and pushes at the bottom to make the boat go wherever he wants it to go. Some of the interns did that, but I stayed on dry land for the afternoon.

After our day at Cambridge, we were all ready for another night out. Hoping that I wouldn't look like the group's chaperone again, seeing as though I did not really pack any sort of bar-hopping/chasing clothes and last time wore a cardigan out, my roommate Jessie and I went to H&M to pick up a few things. Once we had our outfits for the night, we made some dinner in the kitchen, and a group gathered there, getting ready for the night with some drinks and music.

Around 11PM, we finally went out. We decided to go to Soho and check out the scene there. We didn't really know where we were going, so the first bar we tried to get into turned out to be a gay bar, as chosen by one of the guys in the group who was very embarrassed at his mistake. Soho definitely is the place to go for the LGBT scene though, and they had a ton of really cool clubs and bars there. We did find a place called the O bar, which was pretty cool. As soon as we walked in, the shot girl came up to me and my friends Jessie and Kathryn, asking us if we wanted a shot. Trying to take in all that the city has to offer, we had to say yes. You don't turn down new experiences when you're abroad in a new city! We got some little glow bracelets, got some drinks and then went upstairs to more of a lounge type area where we sat on couches and just relaxed and talked. It was very fun and very laid-back.

Us at the O Bar: (left to right) Matt, me, Will, Jessie, Kathryn, Dan

In the mood for dancing after a few drinks, we wanted to see if we could find somewhere else in Soho to go. Unfortunately, the lines to get into the bars were getting pretty long and we couldn't decide on a place to go since none of us could agree on it (despite us only being a group of about seven at this point) so we walked around aimlessly for a while before agreeing to just head back closer to the Nido.

We ended up at Camino, the Spanish joint we had been to on one of our first night's, and grabbed a pitcher of sangria to seal off the night. We didn't spend too long there because that bar also closed pretty early and figured we'd finish the night out at Nido. We went back there, hung out in the kitchen, then went to bed. Another eventful evening.

So for today, I'm thinking Jessie and I are probably going to venture off around London for a while. I am in desperate need of doing laundry, especially because I took the whole "packing lightly" thing way too seriously so I'm already running out of clothes. Hopefully we can avoid some rain today and run some errands without getting poured on!

Remember to comment on posts if you have any questions or if there's anything you want to know about my trip, OR if you just want to hear more about something (i.e. what it's like living at the Nido, how do I feel about the tube, etc.)! I know I write a lot, but I want to write about stuff that you want to know about too!

Also, if you want to check out the Brit version of the Jersey Shore, a fellow intern shared this link:
http://www.robintabari.com/watch-tv-shows-online/watch-tv-shows-online/geordie-shore-tv-shows/
I haven't watched it yet... I wonder if they fist pump too?