Spotted: Roger Federer on Centre Court

What a week it has been! Probably the best so far in London.  Where do I even begin?  This week at work has been going really well.  My boss and co-workers are starting to warm up to me and we sit around our computers all day joking around.  I am enjoying the British sarcasm, and I get asked a lot of questions about my own culture.  My boss is giving a presentation soon for a company in the States that sells printing supplies.  His project was to redesign a printer server as well as furniture to go along with it.  His presentation will include these huge boards with 3-D renderings as well as a presentation.  I have been helping him design and put together the presentation and boards.  I even get to design a few things myself, which is great as I get to put my own design knowledge into use.  I can’t wait to see his finished models he has been working on!  If anything, he reminds me a lot of myself.  Very hardworking and a bit of a perfectionist.  But this could be a trend of designers?

On Thursday, I left work early as Jessie and I decided to tackle Wimbledon and go watch some tennis.  Little did we know, we found ourselves sitting center court in Wimbledon Park watching Rodger Federer and Adrian Mannarino.  Let’s start from the beginning of our journey.  After taking the tube all the way to Wimbledon we got off and had absolutely no idea where we were going.  A very nice, old gentleman with a tennis bag in his hands told us what bus to get on and where to get off.  Without his help, we would have been lost for another hour.  All we knew is that he had to get in the queue (line), but we had no idea where it began or how the whole process of getting tickets worked.  Clueless then, but now experts.  The queue for us started in a grass parking lot.

Just the beginning of the queue..

Of course, right after we got in line it started to rain, but fortunately the line was moving.   After an hour of waiting we got our ground tickets!

We got into the grounds!

Which allows you to go to any of the courts expect center, 1, and 2.  While in the grounds queue we heard Federer was playing on center that night so we hopped in the resale line to hopefully get center court tickets.  When people leave they can drop off their tickets, and Wimbledon will sell them back to people for 5 pounds and the money goes towards charity.  It was super risky, but the resale queue started to move.  We were about 20 people away from the ticket booth when a lady came up to us and said she had single tickets that were really good seats.  We said we would wait, but after her roll of her eyes and gave us a your-stupid-for-not-taking-these look we knew we couldn’t pass these up.  To our luck, we sat about 12 rows back from center court for only 19 pounds.

Most people who have center court day passes where I was sitting spent 800 pounds for their tickets.  I watched every second as Federer beat Adrian.  Best part: watching Federer jump 5 feet into the air and for the final point and slam the ball down.  What an exciting day I will never forget! 

The next day was an early morning with class and a field trip to the National Portrait Museum.  After the museum we headed to the TKTS office to grab discounted tickets for Dirty Dancing that night!   What an amazing show, and since it was in London it was spectacular.  Now I want to watch the movie again to compare! 

On Saturday, we hopped on a bus at 8:45 in the morning and headed out to Stonehenge.  For me, after studying about this work of art in multiple art history classes, I was beyond excited.  When we first arrived, I was surprised how large the stones were. 

It added more to the mystery of Stonehenge.  We walked all the way around Stonehenge and snapped a ton of pictures.  Unfortunately, you can’t go up to it anymore as they stopped that in the 1970s.  I must say, it was pretty neat but a one time thing for me personally as I would only really want to go back if I was going for the summer solstice which was this past week.

We then headed to Salisbury, a local town 8 miles away.  Let me tell you, this was England for you!  Cobble stone roads, nice people, and great food.  So of course we headed to the pub for lunch as Salisbury is known for 3 things.. wool, water canals, and beer.

After lunch, our tour guide took us to the Salisbury Cathedral.  I didn’t know what to expect but I was beyond amazed. 

This working church was beautiful; pictures cannot do justice.  The attention to detail in this gothic church was incredible as was the history behind it; I even got to see one of the original parts of the Magna Carta!  

I even had fun experimenting my with photography skills.  We then headed home to go out to a top rated club in the world as it says online! 

After a late start this morning, we headed to afternoon tea.  Oh boy, they weren’t kidding when it says it is a 5 star hotel.  Not only was the hotel gorgeous, but the food was too as well as being delicious.  It was nice to sit back and relax after a busy weekend, drink some authentic chai tea and eat some scrumptious food.  We were stuffed afterwards and headed back home.

My yummy chai tea.

Finger sandwiches at the bottom, cakes on second tier, and pastries on top!

And then they brought us more..

In the Lanesborough Hotel! (stuffed)

Tomorrow we are going to the Barenaked Ladies concert; I can’t wait!  Then this weekend I am off to Rome, I cannot tell you how excited I am to see the places I am only dreamed of going when reading my textbooks.  Look out for another jam-packed post to come later! Cheers!

Synopsis: Week Two (it's long, but there are plenty of pictures!)

Hello, from London!  Since I haven’t blogged in a week I figured this might be a good time to update you about what has been going on!  Let’s start with Monday..

Monday morning I got news that I didn’t get the job with the design firm I was talking too, but after talking with my placement manager about other options she got right to the phone and her computer to find me something as soon as possible.  Thomas Keen, a London designer, emailed an inquiry for my CV and portfolio and the next day I had an interview.  The interview went well as I started on Wednesday!  I work at Sabotage Design Ltd.  “We do everything,” Tom would say.  Everything from products, to interfaces, to the web, and more.  For example, I helped him this week with presentation boards for a printer server design and furniture design.  He will be going to the States to present their concept this week I believe.  My commute is only 30 minutes, if that, so not bad, and I am going in the opposite direction of traffic so I even get to sit on the Tube (a rarity when during rush hours)!  There are only 6 people in the workspace, including myself, and we all sit in a L shape formation working on our computers.  Tom says London is such a big city full of designers that when he needs help when he’s busy he just calls up someone.  Networking people, I believe in it and always will.  For example, for the printer server he is working with another designer, they were skyping for a half an hour back and forth trying to finalize their design by drawing pictures back and forth and making changes to the 3D modeling. 

Ok, ok enough about my job, though if you want to check out Sabotage’s website it is: http://www.sabotagedesign.co.uk/display/51/Thomas-Keen/

After the exciting news about my job, we had to celebrate of course.. so why not a pub crawl?   Three boys, Charlie, Charles, John and I set off to area: Westminster.  Besides the great tasting beverages, it was really interesting to see the variety of pubs and how relaxed they are.  We also got to see the city and talk to a few locals; we even went to the original pub: The Red Lion! 

One of the pubs!

Wednesday and Thursday were both 9 hour work days, man it’s a long day I think I’ll stick to the college lifestyle for now (don’t worry dad, I’ll “try” to graduate in 4 years..).  After two long work days I was extremely tired and rested up. 

Saturday was our next big adventure!  We had heard the markets in London were good, but I was not expecting what we saw.  Holy moly, I was in heaven.

First tip, don’t come full to one of these markets.. there is a ton of food and it is fresh so take advantage of it! And you name it, there was everything there including fruit, meat (like ostrich eggs), fresh bread and cheeses, sweets, smoothies, wine, beer, etc.  

I have seen nothing like it in the States.  My roommates and I want to go back sometime because there was so much to soak in at once!  We then hopped on the Tube to go back to the flat but decided to get off at the stop for Harrods; little did we know it wasn’t the stop, but instead we were in Oxford Circus which is like Michigan Avenue = shopping heaven (until you convert it from pounds to dollars).  It was just fun to go in the same stores as America, but they are extravagantly decorated.  After shopping we did some grocery shopping and went to a laundromat to do some laundry. Well there is a for my first time for everything, right?  What an experience..  

Couple of things to note, you can only use pounds or 20 pence coins, the dryer’s get really hot so watch out for shrinking, don’t ask the lady for help, she’s not a happy camper doing everyone else’s laundry that pays her. But hey, now I have clean clothes, sheets, and towels and it wasn’t that bad! 

Today, was a great day and still going! After figuring out the best places for breakfast in London, we headed out early to go try one of them.  Thank goodness we got there when we did because the line started to get really long but oh was it good.  Just see for yourself:

When we left the line was super long.. glad we got here early!

We then headed to the Marylebone Summer Fayre.  You want jewelry, clothes, more food, drinks, music? Perfect, you would have been in the right place.  It was a free fair that they closed off streets for, many vendors were there and the fair was to support teenage cancer treatments.   I even got to bargain and almost saved 10 pounds, but opted out of paying for the dress.  Though I bought a print!  I love it; I can not wait to hang it up in my room back home. 

Well this was a long one, sorry! But now you have an update! So what’s to come?  A super great week.  First Wimbledonstarts this week so we are going to try to go after work one week and buy tickets from someone leaving.  Also, I am going to see the musical Dirty Dancing!  On Saturday we are going to Stonehenge/Salisbury and Sunday we are going to afternoon tea!  Well till next time..

Oh yeah, and happy father’s day daddy!

Starting from where I left off from last time.. Friday morning we headed to the University of Westminster for our "How London Works" class.  Three hours of lecture.  Not the greatest of times especially when you are sleepy.  We ended up getting out early before our "How London Works" field trip at the National Martime Museum in Greenwich.  We took the Tube to the financial area and ate lunch.  London fun fact: if you "take away" it costs less than "eat in," but only by some change.  So we grabbed our pita lunch and sat in the middle of a mall on a bench like most workers were doing.  We headed to Greenwich for our field trip.  After thirty minutes in this museum, we done so we headed to the Queen's House next door which has been turned into a museum. 

The spiral staircase was a must see!

There were some interesting paintings and information including military training since the House turned into a military school for boys.  After a long day of listening, traveling, and sightseeing we headed back to South Kensington to rest up for the Queen's Parade, also known as the Trooping The Colour.

Since the Queen's Birthday is April 21st, they have a parade for her when the weather is nicer.. although it started to rain today.  It starts at 10:00 AM but you have to arrive early if you want a decent spot to see, recommendation: get there by 9:30 AM.  Also, we lucked out and picked the right side for which the queen came around the roundabout and no big deal, we watched Kate Middleton drive right past us about 8 feet away in a car.

The car Kate Middleton drove into Buckingham Palace!

From 10:00 to 10:20 their is a military section with music and the men were in their formal military outfits.  We saw it all: horses, guns, swords, police, the big hats, etc.

After the procession to Buckingham palace, which we stood right next too, there is a break from 10:20 to 10:40.  But then the music began to play again and out came carriages.  First up.. Kate Middleton again! Twice in one day!

William was on a horse for the procession, couldn't spot him out though.  Soon after came the Queen and her husband, his 90th birthday was just yesterday!

After we saw the Queen we needed to refuel so we hopped on a double decker bus, sat on the second level and whenever we saw a cute town we got off.

Well 30 minutes later.. we decieded we probably should get off before we got any furthur.  We walked down a cobble stone road and ate at a breakfast cafe.  Best idea ever.  After a satisfiying breakfast we headed to Oxford for some shopping.  We went into Primark which is like a Forever 21 but bigger and crazier.  Two levels, 20 minute wait for the dressing room, and you have to fight for yourself through that store.  It had everything! From dresses, to shirts, to shoes, to accesssories, to home decor.  You name it, they had it.  After a hour and a half, we all left satisfied with our purchases and headed back to the flat.  After a mini nap we went out to dinner at an Italian place down the street, we were there for 2 hours! But thats what the Brits do, they sit and enjoy instead of scafing down food like us Americans.   And the restaurant is our new favorite spot new where we are living.  Now off to bed to enjoy what brings tomorrow! Cheers.

How Much Can One Do in Three Days in London?

Hello mates. Well here in London it is has been quite busy with an enormous amounts of traveling around the city and sight seeing.  On Tuesday we had an orientation at the University of Westminster.  Here they went over our program and went into more details about our placements.  I spoke with one of the members of the EUSA staff regarding my unknown placement and she told me I would hopefully hear about something on Wednesday.  After the orientation we were given a couple of hours to go eat before we had to meet up at St. James' Tube station before a walking tour.  My roommate, Jessie, and I decided to try our first pub!

It was small, but so cute.  There were many work men and women inside enjoying lunch and a few beers before heading back to work.  When you walk into a new restaurant you never know how they are going to seat you.. so we figured out we paid at the bar even for food and go to pick our spot!  Tip: Londoners don't tip like Americans.  Usually only around %10 if they do! (I'm enjoying this, bam money saver!)  After our delicious lunch we meet up with our tour guide.  Boy did I see the whole city (well not really, but my feet felt like they did).  This was really useful as we figured out what sites we wanted to see more of or even see at all.  Below is my mini synopsis of our walking tour:

First stop: Westminster Abbey!  One can not get a full sense of what this building looks like until you are right there in front of it.  The detail is unbelievable and it is huge!  I think I also liked knowing that Kate and William got married in it about a little over a month ago.

Next we went to "Big Ben" and Parliament.  Also, the red telephone booths were everywhere!  If anything, what is so fascinating about London is the building are so old, ancient compared to America.  But instead of tearing down these buildings, they are preserving them making for a unique architecture experience.

This was our first sighting of a solider, and he was on a horse (what more could you ask for in your first sighting?) That's my roommate Jessie!

London Eye anyone? Fun fact for you all, where the gravel is where they planning to build the stadium for sand volleyball for the Olympics next summer.  This is also where the Queen will end during her parade on Saturday which we are going to!  Yes, I will see the Queen.

Buckingham Palace! Also the street the Queen will come down in for her Parade.  Doug, our great tour guide, gave us the perfect viewing spot for Saturday.

Shakespeare's Globe.. don't think I will be attending one of his plays because I am not a huge fan of Shakespeare, but you can take tours of the building with the guards which would probably interest me more. Welp, thats the end of our tour in pictures!  After 3 hours of walking, and taking pictures we were famished.  Before the tour ended, Jessie and I spotted a cute little cafe.  Once he said we done with the tour, we walked swiftly around the corner.  I won't even explain our thoughts about this place, have a look for yourself..

Salivating yet? It was so delicious, one has no idea. After a long day of walking we headed back to South Kensington, the area in which we live in and went to an italian rest for dinner.  Yet since we are still getting over jet lag we didn't eat until a little before 9 o'clock!  We headed back home as we had to get up early for a scavanger hunt the next morning.

After going to the EUSA office, we were given our list of clues and headed out to go find certain places in London.  It was a little difficult, but we ended up at Harrods.  We headed straight for the foot halls (Paw Paw this is for you).  Harrods is my new favorite place, more for window viewing though.

You can find literally everything here, including food.  It almost seemed unreal of how good the pastries looked.  After circulating the chocolates, I took a few chocolates home for an afternoon snack.  After to resting up, we got ready for EUSA's party at a local bar and restaurant called Foundation.  It was a really neat atmosphere with tons of good drinks and drink specials.  After several hours at Foundation we headed to a nearby pub and talked over some beers for an hour.  Since it was such a long day, we all came back to our apartment and went to sleep.

Today we got to sleep in, and after an hour from waking up I received an email regarding an interview for today! Little did we know, it was about an hour away, and we got lost.. but fingers crossed that I get the job!  More to come in the next couple of days including the Queen's Parade.

Before London, IN LONDON

Before I left, my family went to Charlie Gitto’s for dinner. My mother insisted on family pictures…

After giving in, we finished packing.  Thankfully, everything fit! The next morning we whisked away to the airport to fly to Detroit and then to London. 

After arriving in Detroit, they claimed my flight was delayed until 9:00 PM, as it was suppose to leave at 7:00 PM.  Yet, at 6:15, of course right after I pay for airport Internet, they go on the intercom to say the maintenance team has fixed the problem and we will be boarding shortly.  But hey, I got 6 bucks from Delta in food vouchers (see dad, I’m already saving money!).  After arriving in London, I went through immigration where the guy asked me so many questions.  I was getting kind of nervous he wasn’t going to let me through, but don’t worry.. I passed and went straight down to luggage and got BOTH checked pieces.  Ah thank you, thank you Delta for not loosing my luggage.  Afterwards, I navigated through the Tube to my stop and painfully walked my baggage to the building in which I am living in.  Before unpacking we went to Oxford and Regions streets, which had some awesome shopping places, but I am trying to resist the urge.  We ate lunch at a cute Italian restaurant and headed back to the flat.  After fully unpacking we headed to find miscellaneous stores and items.  Instead we found ourselves stumbling across more and more places.  (See below, Kensington Palace).  Now time to rest up from some of this jet lag!  Tomorrow is our foot tour of London, can’t wait for some picture taking time!

Now for a tour inside where I am living!  I live in South Kensington which is a very residential part of town, but there are cute coffee, and tons of Italian restaurants around.  I almost have my “bear”ings down, but I navigation but foot is a different experience than the U.S.  Our building is extremely nice compared to dorms at KU, we have carpet, a bathroom in our room, more space than needed for clothes even though 3 bags were filled to the absolute brim (I need to learn what the word “overpacking” means).  This is my little nook, one should know with my teddy bear, I have that set of drawers and the first armoire.

Here is an overview of our whole room, we have an amazing street view!

We have our little, tiny bathroom and a coat hanger perfect for our wet rain jackets as our first day has already been raining.

How awesome is this street view? Literally picturesque from “The Parent Trap”.  Down the street is our Tube station with the grocery store we have now been in 3 times.   On our mission to find miscellaneous items, we stumbled upon Kensington Park, which houses the Kensington Palace.  It is a beautiful park, perfect for running on a nice day. 

Its only been day one, but I am already loving living here.  More coming soon!