Seeing Angela Lansbury!

Before I kicked it into overdrive and wrote a final essay this week, Monday was a day of fun.

I started out by spending my birthday discount at Anthropologie...picking up a few new essential pieces for spring! Sorry about that, bank account.

I, then, met my friend Ellie for dinner in Soho. Ellie and I met in our 'US Legislative Politics' class, but through Facebook friending, we learned that we have quite a lot of mutual friends in the States. It really is a small world. We went to Jackson and Rye which had a twist on some American classics. 

Our stomachs full, we went down the street to see 'Blithe Spirit.' 

I usually go and see musicals, so I was excited to change it up for a bit and see a play. Plus, Angela Lansbury is staring in this production of 'Blithe Spirit!'  She was returning to the West End after almost 40 years. The entire performance was great, and Angela nailed her part! For those Downton Abbey fans, the actor who plays Edith's missing boyfriend also starred in the play! 

After the show, Ellie and I attempted to get a selfie with her. We failed, but we had a few laughs trying to take one!

Angela Lansbury

It was a perfect way to start off spring break and a nice distraction from paper writing! 

Weekly Recap!

Besides my birthday happenings over the last week, I also completed another term of graduate school. Yes, you've done the math correctly! That leaves only one term left! Before we get to what I have planned over spring break, here's what else I've been up to over the past week!

Before my birthday party last weekend, I wandered through the Victoria and Albert Museum! I hadn't been inside to check out the exhibits since I studied abroad in 2010. 

Inside the V & A

I wondered around and checked out the fashion exhibit which showcased British fashion through the years. 

From there, I discovered the exhibit about theatre and concerts in London. I spent the majority of the rest of my time, there.

Costumes from the Lion King 

Vivien Leigh Archive 

War Horse 

On Sunday, the Pi Phi UK Alumnae Club and the KKG UK Alumnae Club hosted a Sunday Roast at a beer garden in Camden. Both of our sororities were founded at the same college in the US.

Tuesday was the big capstone presentation! My capstone group and I are officially done!

Capstone Team Post the Presentation 

Wednesday evening was full of excitement as Susannah and Nathan surprised Alyssa and I with birthday tickets to see 'Once' the musical! We both had no idea, and I had never seen the musical! It was an awesome performance! 

Once

Before the Musical

The rest of this past week was spent preparing for the ball and wrapping up another semester! Stay tuned for most posts!

How I Celebrated my 24th Birthday!

Well, my birthday came and went.

This new year is off to a great start!

I celebrated my birthday in style over this past weekend with a three-way birthday party! Two other girls in my program- Alyssa and Anni.

We started off with a casual get-together with a few of our close friends in the program before moving the celebrations to a club in Shoreditch. 

Birthday Girls 

It was a great time celebrating with friends from both within and out of the MPA program!

First Year Buddy

Brett and Me

These Kids

And on Monday- my actual birthday- I was prepping for the final capstone presentation. Yet, I got to grab a pint with Alyssa and Susannah at London's oldest Irish pub! 

It was an awesome way to ring in my birthday!

24th Birthday!!

Today, I turn 24. 

Yes...for those who aren't frequent readers or know me, my birthday is St. Patrick's Day!

Extra celebrations for all!

I'm excited that a new year is here. Being 23 has been tough...I'm not going to lie. The past year has been one of the most challenging from grad school to job applications to personal matters. But, I got through it and had a great time this past year! 

I can't wait to see what this year holds! 

24...here's to you!

Grad School Stress

Week two of the Lent term was anything but slow. 

I felt as if this entire week I was running around with my head cut off. 

One of the required courses for the MPA program ended this week with the final essay being due. It was a half-unit course with the majority of the work and classes being held last semester. The essay was 4000 words on crisis management. It was an interesting topic, but balancing everything with such a large essay was a bit difficult!  This past week, I also had a report for my capstone group project due, two group presentations, and regular work on top of all of that. 

Can we say that Katie needs a breather?

Because of my crazy week, I've been slow on posting on the blog and even doing tourist things in London. Even my social life slowed down this past week! 

But, I did go to a friend's birthday party on Thursday night! It was at the Roxy in Soho. I've been there a few other times before, and it's always a fun night out!

Jenny- The Birthday Girl!

Capstone Group 

On Friday before a capstone meeting, I had lunch with a fellow Pi Phi who recently found out about the UK alumnae club. She was unable to go to the happy hour earlier this week, so lunch in the city was the answer! We went to Alice near Bank. The food was great, but the view was much better:

The Gherkin

Yesterday, two of my friends hosted a "housewarming" party. They discovered they were both living in the same building after they had moved in! What a coincident! 

1st Year/ 2nd Year Buddy Combo 

The Trio

Today, I've been bogged down with a bunch of other work that I had no time to get to last week. Getting back to a normal is the goal this week, so expect regular posts! 

Halloween and a Birthday!

Happy Belated Halloween! 

And, Happy Official Christmas Season in London!!

The latter is the most important to me. Clearly. 

I'm not a fan of dressing up for Halloween. If you want me to decorate or bake something, then we can talk. But, dressing up is not my cup of tea. Now, Christmas...we can just keep talking about for days. The Christmas decorations have been going up for a few weeks in London, and without Thanksgiving over here, I can officially declare it time for all things Santa. 

Starting with my first red cup from Starbucks on Friday: 

Anyways, before I continue on my quest for all things Santa, time for the weekly, weekend recap! 

On Halloween, I had both class and a group meeting that cut into attending any Halloween parties I had been invited to. I grabbed dinner and drinks with the girls in Mayfair instead! 

Notice the normal clothes...

Yesterday, as I continue to try to be a tourist as much as I can in the city I call my home, I wandered around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. Stopped to say to Albert at the Albert Memorial, walked along the Serpentine, and also found the location of where the Crystal Palace once stood. Finding the exact location of the Crystal Palace site has been on the London bucket list forever! 

Location of where the Crystal Palace once stood

I also met up with my friend, Allison, yesterday. She is a first-year, but had never really explored the Knightsbridge area. And, let's just be honest. Everyone has to experience Harrods at least once! We topped our afternoon of exploring the legendary store with some macaroons from Laduree!

Last night, I went out and celebrated my friend, Naomi's birthday! She's in the same year as my program, so it was a lively evening with the MPA-ers! Even ran into a girl from Syracuse that we had briefly met once on campus, and now are connected in London due to the SU alumni club! It really is an orange world. #orangenation

#orangenation

BG and me

The Birthday Girl

Intern Love

Ringing in 23!

I turned 23 today!

It's hard to believe where a year goes and what happens in just a short period of time. The last year has been incredible, and I cannot wait to see what happens this year. 

For now, I leave you with some photos of my birthday celebration from last night!

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day too!

Prague Recap: Day Three

On our last day in Prague, we were determined to do several things still remaining on the list before we headed off to the airport.  One of the first things on the list was checking out the Charles Bridge, now during the day, and the area round it.  The Charles Bridge is one of the famous bridges in the city for numerous reasons including surviving the large-scale floods as well as for the Christian statues placed along the bridge. 

View from the Charles Bridge

View of Prague Castle from the Charles Bridge

After wandering around the bridge, looking at the various goods vendors were selling, we decided it was time for breakfast. Once refreshed with coffee, we found ourselves on the hunt for the famous John Lennon Wall. We did end up being lost for a little bit, but we discovered more churches as well as got to see more of a residential neighborhood because of it. Eventually, we stumbled upon the famous wall. 

John Lennon Wall 

Post John Lennon Wall, we grabbed a few Pilsners and sat along a canal. Before we headed to the airport, we walked along the river encountering many famous statues and just took in the nice weather. 

All in all, it was a great city break! It was the last weekend trip of the semester as the end of the term approaches and spring break begins. It was a great way to start birthday celebrations off! 

Prague Recap: Day One

Over the weekend, Jenny and I traveled to Prague for some early birthday celebrations! It's been a city I've dreamed of visiting for more years than I can remember. Full of history, color, culture, and food, I was not disappointed. 

We were able to grab an Expedia deal that allowed us to get BA flights out of Heathrow and a four star hotel within our student budget. Not too shabby, eh?  

To start our Friday, we headed out from our hotel to catch a view of Prague Castle from the river bank. We were within a two minute walk to the famous Charles Bridge.  While the city was foggy (good old London fog following us...), the views were still incredible. We got our first taste of the amazing city, and were ready to keep exploring. But, first lunch!

Our first lunch was traditional Czech food full of Pilsners! 

I settled for Czech goulash and bread dumplings. 

Once our bellies were full, we wandered around the Old Town Square to see the Astronomical Clock, the colorful buildings, and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.

Astronomical Clock  

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn 

Jenny and I had decided to purchase Hop On-Hop Off bus tickets. So, we started our 48 hour pass on that afternoon as well. I'm a huge advocate of the Hop On-Hop Off busses because you get more facts about the city, get to see things that you often would not see, and transport throughout the city. We were able to see sights such as the building used for the Bourne Identity, the Strahov Stadium, and the older buildings in Prague that are now used for the government and hospitals that we normally would not have had time to see (or find)! 

Strahov Stadium 

Once we rode around once, we hopped off to wander the bridges and the area around our hotel. We had booked a dinner river cruise for the evening, so we headed back to the hotel to get ready for that. 

The dinner cruise celebrated Czech heritage. Complete with Pilsners, a live band, and traditional food, Jenny and I had a great time on board. We were also able to grab numerous photos of Prague at night! 

Charles Bridge at Night

It was truly a great first night in Prague! Stay tuned for updates about the second and third day!