The London Life: Learning in London

I don't think any of my blog posts have included the reason I'm actually here! That would be school, not vacation. (All of us on the trip forget this on a daily basis, too.)

We're lucky enough to have a really relaxed schedule with professors whose focus is on us experiencing London, not sitting in a classroom every day. This makes for about 2-3 days of the week spent in class while the other 5 are open to traveling and exploring London itself.

So, Monday we didn't have class so we spent it doing a very touristy thing...eating lunch at a restaurant called Ye Old Cheshire Cheese. It's a classic restaurant that serves real British food, such as fish and chips and bangers and mash. I got a chicken salad, and you'll understand when you scroll down and see what bangers and mash look like.

It was delicious though, and we sat at the iconic table that Charles Dickens always sat at when he ate there. That alone made the price worth it :)

Tuesday was a day full of classes. And when I say "full", that term should be taken lightly. We started off our day at the Tate Modern Museum of Art for our collage art class. The museum was enormous and we barely saw a quarter of it. We will definitely be going back, especially after realizing that much of Pablo Picasso's work is kept there. I never thought I would see a Picasso or Matisse in person!

After the museum, the rest of the group headed off to the FSU classrooms for a music class I'm not enrolled in, and I met up with them after lunch for our writing class. It was an interesting class about the differences between the way men and women are advertised in travel guides. We have to journal about experiences we have with food and touristy sites in the city, and this gave us another perspective to look at. After, we went to Oxford Street (think a busy street in NYC) where we purchased Belgian waffles, covered in chocolate and whipped cream. My body died a little after I ate it all, but it was so unbelievably worth it.

Today, I was hit with either a massive allergy attack (think itchy eyes, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat) or the beginning of a cold plus mild allergies. Only time will tell. Either way, I was content staying in the flat and getting all of my homework and laundry done while constantly sneezing and clearing my throat. My friend Kristen decided to keep me company, which is either a really nice or really stupid gesture, depending on whether I have a cold or just allergies. I'll take what I can get though :)

Tomorrow I have my speaking class and then we're headed over to the Old Vic theater to see "The Real Thing". I don't know much about it yet, but hopefully it's a good one! It's supposed to be much more serious than "London Assurance", but it's very popular. I'm keeping my fingers crossed my head isn't so stuffed up tomorrow, but I'll just have to suffer through it if it is. I'm not missing another night of London theater for anything!

Pictures from the last couple of days...