Day trip to Bath

Hey guys!

Yesterday we took a day trip to Bath, England to tour the Ancient Roman bath houses. Built between 60-70 AD, these houses were used by wealthy Romans as a center for spiritual retreat, leisure, and sport. The waters in the houses are some of the only natural springs in the British Isles. The self-guided walking tour was pretty lengthy, but definitely worth the trip if you ever find yourself in England and wanting to explore some history.

After lunch at a local pub-- I now HATE British fish and chips, by the way-- we ventured over to the Fashion Museum. Another self-guided tour, we walked through the evolution of women's fashion from dainty nightgown-like gowns, to corsets and full hoop skirts, to skin-baring ensembles.  My favorite part of the museum was trying on Victorian fashions. The ensemble that I tried on was so fetch, by the way. (The museum also featured a replica of J. Lo's infamous green Versace gown-- STILL BAD! LOVE IT).

The last stop on our trip was to the Therma Spa Bath Houses. The spa is the only one in Bath with access to the ancient springs which fill the baths and heat up the steam rooms. We paid for a two hour pass to two different heated baths and five different steam rooms. My favorite bath was located on the roof overlooking the beautiful scenery of the city of Bath which was gorgeous in the nighttime sky. Although it was cold outside, the water in the bath was heated to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit so it was enjoyable. The admission for two hours was pretty expensive, £26, but in my opinion worth the price for the experience. Again, if you ever travel to Bath, be sure to stop by the spa before you leave. And note that because of the city's popularity, the spa is also popular, so the the waiting time for entry to the spa can be pretty lengthy.

Take a look at some of the sights from our trip below!

In the ancient Roman bath house  

In the rooftop bath in the Therma Spa in Bath, England

Modeling Victorian fashion

My favorite ensemble in the Fashion Museum. Love mixed prints 

Trains, planes, and such. The life of a jetsetter.

A park in Bath

Bath Abbey

View of the main bath from the top floor

Beside the main bath

Roman pottery 

Roman coffin

Mosaic floor tiles

Remains of the sacred temple

The overflow system that the Romans constructed to manage the water running through the baths

View of the city from atop a hill

Gorgeous homes built around a central point and modeled after Stonehenge. Referred to as the Royal Crescent 

Hoop skirts in the Fashion Museum

London Town!

This weekend I took my first trip to London and I must say that it was AMAZING! London is only about 50 miles from Oxford, so the girls and I decided to make it our first European getaway. After a short Friday morning bus ride, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. Looking at our Hopstop directions in the middle of the busy sidewalk, we must have looked like tourists so some security guards were kind enough to point us in the direction of the Victoria Coach Station Tube Stop. (The "Tube" is the equivalent of a subway system in any major city). From there, we made our way to our hotel in West Central London to figure out the game plan for the day.

Since we didn't have a native Londoner in group, we decided that the best way to see as much as possible was to take a guided tour through Old City, London. For three hours-- in the freezing cold and wind, may I add-- we took a walk through history as we toured sights such as the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Bank of England, London Bridge, and countless thousand-year old churches, temples, and cathedrals. Our tour guide, a fabulous man by the name of John, was great and gave us history lessons on every site that we viewed. The most interesting tidbit that I learned was that Old City (City of London Corporation) and London as we know it today are actually two separate cities within London; Old City refers specifically to the part of the city that was founded and inhabited over two millennia ago while London refers to the entire city including the areas that developed around Old City. Because the British are fond of traditions as antiquated (and arguably, pointless) as they may be, there is even a tradition that bars the Queen of England from entering Old City London without explicit permission from the Lord Mayor of London. The two must meet at the boundary line of London and City of London Corporation where the Lord Mayor then offers the Queen the Pearl Sword signifying her admittance to the city. After walking along the River Thames, the tour ended at the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in 1078, which houses the Crown Jewels.

One thing to know about London in the winter is that when the sun sets, it is brutally COLD! The last leg of our tour left us freezing (and starving) so we quickly made our way back to the Tube so we could grab dinner near our hotel before heading out to experience London nightlife. A Spelman sister of mine who is currently studying law in London-- yes, we are international dwellers and travelers--  recommended a nightclub in Leicester Square called The Penthouse which welcomes an "urbanchique" crowd (quoting from the website, lol). The area where the club was located reminded me a bit of Times Square with throngs of people shuffling along, but more so resembled Las Vegas with its elaborate and seemingly out-of-place buildings illuminated by neon lights. The club was pretty nice, occupying three floors overlooking a beautiful view of the city, namely Big Ben and the London Eye. The DJ catered to the mixed crowd playing everything from hip hop, to dance, to pop, to Indian hip hop (LOL!).

The next day was even colder than the previous night and although I didn't think that was possible, the wind chill reminded me otherwise. We decided to keep our sightseeing adventures short (to stave off hypothermia) and decided just to go to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. Done every other day at 11:30 am, the changing of the guards is still a big to-do with the Palace band's formal procession, guards on horseback, and police on horseback directing the crowds. The policemen warned the crowd in about four different languages to watch their belongings because there were "thieves" in the crowd (such an outdated term!). The crowd outside of the gate was so large that it poured into the streets, everyone huddled to get a few pictures of the changing guards through the gates. After snapping a few pictures and taking in the grandeur of the Palace, we decided to do what we do best before heading back to Oxford-- SHOP! For all those interested in studying abroad or visiting the UK, beware: Primark (the clothing store) is the biggest thief there is!

Buckingham Palace

St. Paul's Cathedral 

The girls and I @ The Penthouse Nightclub

Greetings from the United Kingdom!

Hello, mates!

So after a 10 hour trans-Atlantic flight, a 60 minute bus ride through the English countryside, and a short cab ride later, I have finally arrived in Oxford, England, my home for the next four months! My friends and I-- I'll call them L and K-- arrived at our new residence at about 10AM English time, which is 5AM EST so you can imagine how sleepy we were, as the jet lag set in instantly.

After lugging in the 9 pieces of luggage between us, our first order of business was to check out our room and the rest of this fabulous English manor. Built around 1860, this house boasts three stories, approximately 20 bedrooms, a number of bathrooms, two kitchens, libraries, and a cute little patio complete with a plush, manicured lawn. L, K, and I are sharing a large room on the ground floor which has its own bathroom and a back door which opens to that cute little patio. (Aka the best room in the house-- lucky!).

Once we were done taking in our surroundings, we were famished so we decided to walk to the city square to grab a bite to eat. Along the way, about a mile-long walk, we were passed by a considerable amount of bicyclists. Not even in NYC have I ever seen that many people riding bikes as a mode of transportation! When we finally arrived in city center we, unfortunately, realized that most restaurants do not open until about 11:30AM for lunch. As hungry as we were, there was no way that we could have waited that long for food so we decided to grab food from a locally founded sandwich shop and cafe called "Pret A Manger." (New Yorkers, sound familiar?). On my many trips to NYC, I'd always seen this place but never had a desire to test it out. Founded by two English university students, Pret specializes in gourmet sandwiches to go with its distinguishing factor being that the sandwich are made fresh in store every few hours.

Making the mile-long trek back after lunched, the three of us literally crashed once we got back home and have slept pretty much the entire day. (The only reason I'm up now is because my body has reached nap capacity for the day). We did manage to take a break from sleep to attend an orientation to learn more about rules, regulations, and places to shop in Oxford. Because we were beat, we decided to call for delivery and opted for Indian takeout. Although the food was good, it was very pricey-- £30 for dinner for three (about $49 USD)-- so we definitely plan on cooking dinner for the remainder of the semester to save money.

Tomorrow, we will visit Stonehenge and  Avebury, two famous, ancient stone formations in England. I am super excited to see a piece of history that I read about as a child in person! I will be sure to update you all with pictures of it all as soon as I can!

Until then, cheerio, mates!