So if you couldn't tell from my Instagram posts, this past week I enjoyed an incredible vacation in London with my family. Our days were jam packed with many of the most touristy things you can imagine, and as each day went by, I fell more and more in love with everything London and the UK has to offer. I'm writing this post from a coffee shop (Fitzbillies by Pembroke of course) with four amazing friends that I've already met at Cambridge, and I cannot believe I've finished my first day of classes. However, I haven't had the chance to blog about my time in London, so I'll save my photos and updates about Cambridge for the next post. To my girl gang...I hope you're reading this, but you'll be featured soon ;)
As soon as we landed at London Heathrow, I could feel the excitement of everything I had been dreaming about for the last 8 months. The anticipation of getting to see London for myself often kept me up at night (actually googling pictures and videos of London kept me up). As we drove closer to central London, I was in complete awe at how beautiful this city truly was. Pictures just don't do it justice. Being the stereotypical Type A person that I am, on our first day in London I wanted to stick to the itinerary (shoutout to my also Type A mother for making the best schedule). Stop one was the Churchill War Rooms, so we hopped in a cab and we were greeted by a long line of tourists waiting to go into tiny underground war bunkers. Although I wanted to stick to the itinerary, the line would have taken up most of our already short first afternoon in London, so we began our impromptu walk. We stumbled upon Trafalgar Square, and continued on until we ended up at Covent Garden. If you know me, you know I love my planner and I love schedules, but seeing London this way allowed me to pick my head up from my itinerary planning app and actually see what was around me. Honestly, I'm glad our plans didn't work out because we ended up enjoying the kind of London experience that cannot be generated by an app. Once I let go of my ever so present need to organize and plan, I wasn't worried about trying to get to our next scheduled event at a specific time. This freeness allowed me to enjoy the energy and adrenaline that comes from not knowing what your next move. If I learned anything from my week in London, it's that the most genuine memories are not made in the planned time blocks of my itinerary. Instead, some of my favorite moments in London sprouted from the unexpected. One of my many reasons for choosing to study abroad in the UK (and admittedly my most silly reason) is that I am a royal family junkie, and I am obsessed with "The Crown" and "Downton Abbey". When I got to see Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards with my own eyes, my royal family-loving heart skipped a beat. I know it sounds silly to most, but this was one of the things I looked forward to the most about visiting London. Witnessing the pageantry and elegance of the ceremony seemed like something out of a television show. The overwhelming sense of tradition that tags along with this ceremony was breathtaking, and I couldn't help but even come to enjoy the mass of people who were bumping into me at every turn. One thing that I was worried about before coming to England was the food. For those of you who don't know, I have Celiac Disease so anything with gluten is off the table for me (I plan to write a post about traveling with Celiac). After I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease back in October, I struggled with transitioning to a gluten free lifestyle. In the first few months, I wrestled with the contradiction of not wanting to be a burden to others and speaking up for my own health and safety. Being a science student, I researched everything about the disease, and knew exactly what my body needed to function properly. However, when it came to voicing my restrictions to a waiter or anyone really, I couldn't find the courage to advocate for myself. If you know me, you know that I am proud of my ability to stand up for myself and others, but learning to speak up about having Celiac has taken me a lot more time than I expected. This trip allowed me to finally get to a place of being able to explicitly state my requirements and not be ashamed of being "difficult". After all, our difficulties make us who we are and grow us into the person we are supposed to be. I was finally able to break the chains of embarrassment I had put on myself about this disease. Whether this change came from the confidence I had in myself to take on an experience like studying abroad, or if it was the 8 months I've spent trying to come to terms with my situation, I'm not quite sure. One thing I am sure of, however, is that pushing yourself toward an experience that challenges you or even scares you, can produce the change you have been longing to see in yourself. However, I was thoroughly impressed with the gluten free options at EVERY single restaurant in London. This was my family and I's first time in London, so when it came to our meals we just trusted our gut and picked random trip advisor-reviewed restaurants around us whenever it was time to eat. Some of my favorites from the week were Flat Iron, Fumo, and the Butlers Wharf Chop House. All three of these restaurants were so aesthetic (yes girls, perfect pictures for the gram), and provided top notch dishes...all gluten free of course. Everyone in London has been so kind and accommodating which has made the transition of being abroad so much easier. Two words...Afternoon. Tea. My mom and I had tea at The Corinthia hotel and I was so excited to experience the tradition of a true afternoon tea in England. When I say it exceeded my expectations...it did that and more. The staff at The Corinthia was outstanding, and by no surprise, there was an AMAZING gluten free pastry menu that I was able to enjoy. The finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts were all prepared gluten free, and everything was so decadent that I had to ask our waiter if he had accidentally served me the regular options. As if the GF pastries and earl grey tea weren't enough to make me the happiest girl in the UK, I even got to enjoy tea one table over from one of my favorite actresses, Rebel Wilson (you're lying if you say you don't love Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids). Over and over again I was so impressed by the level of attentiveness I received while dining in London, and it truly made the experience so much less stressful for my family and I. These are just a few of the many incredible places I experienced during my week in London, and I couldn't possibly talk about them all without writing a novel. I was so lucky to have had a week in London to get used to the UK and get everything I needed to move into Cambridge. There were a couple moments while walking down the bustling streets of London where I looked at my surroundings and almost couldn't believe that I was here. Every day has felt like a dream, and I know my six weeks in the UK, studying at Cambridge, are just going to keep getting better and better. I have already met some of the most amazing people in my short time here, and I know many more trips to London are in my future. Cheers to six more weeks in Cambridge and so many more memories, GF scones, and English nights to come! XOXO, Loren
4 Comments
Mary Matrine
7/9/2019 10:17:39 am
Awesome post. So proud of you! Enjoy every minute❤️
Reply
NiNi
7/9/2019 11:19:17 am
So excited for you Loren! Now go get that Prince❤️❤️❤️❤️
Reply
Gma
7/10/2019 06:53:33 am
Love it!! keep those pictures and blogs coming. Love you
Reply
Lou Matrone
7/10/2019 09:56:41 am
Awesome!
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AuthorHello! My name is Loren, and yes that's Loren with an 'o' not 'au'. It's nice to virtually meet you all...welcome to my blog! Archives
August 2019
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