New Art, My Start

25 February 2011 – Nothing makes you rethink your daily outfit selection quite like the wall of flashing cameras, fashion bloggers, designer-clad socialites, and models in desperate need of a cheeseburger (or six) standing between you and your two o’clock Medieval lecture. Fashion Week arrived by storm at Sommerset House, and with it, London’s already fashion-savvy public transformed overnight. Normal lectures were interrupted by the pulsating bass of the catwalk just outside The Courtauld’s doors. Witnessing the effect of the week’s festivities trickling into the style-choices of our Courtauld comrades (and ourselves), Anna and I scrounged up a few pounds from our photocopying-depleted wallets and found ourselves seated, second row, at this season’s Fashion Weekend and Review. Recovering from our exciting excursion in Oxford the day before, a night of fashion, food, and fun continued the cultural hype of a well-spent week in the UK. 

24 February 2011 – The semester has kicked into high gear. With only a few short weeks till the end of term, things have been busier than usual at The Courtauld. Recuperating from stacks upon stacks of readings, a Thursday trip to Oxford seemed to be the key to our academic woes. A short fifty minute train ride from Piccadilly Station, the day included a whirlwind tour of Blenheim Palace (birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and current home to The Duke of Marlborough), and a City and College tour by our lovely and highly informative French tour guide, Claire. Strolling beneath the Bridge of Sighs, walking in the footsteps of a young Jeremy Irons in “Brideshead Revisited,” and lounging in the green commons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (New College Cathedral), the day was entirely fulfilling and only the beginning of a whirlwind 72 hours…

12 & 13 February 2011 – Where better to spend Valentine’s Day weekend than in the hometown of the master of the female heart herself, Miss Jane Austen’s Bath? Catching an 6:30 a.m. train after a week of little sleep (thanks to frantic paper writing), this past weekend provided a much needed reprieve from the hustle and bustle of London. We rightfully fulfilled our tourist duties with grad tours of The Fashion Museum, the Royal Crescent, the Roman Baths, The Jane Austen Center and rounded out the tip by enjoying Evensong at Bath Abbey and a bun at the famous Sally Lunn’s. The cherry on the top of the Austen-filled weekend, the charming Oldfield’s B&B provided not only a cozy traditional English atmosphere and phenomenal hospitality, but a delicious breakfast of salmon and scramble, a sound night’s sleep, and the joys of a mold-free shower. Though returning without a Mr. Darcy of my own, the weekend rekindled the romantic spirit of an exhausted Austen fanatic reluctant to hop back on the train. If only mum could have come along for a weekend of Anglophilic bliss…

6 & 7 February 2011 – Happy Chinese New Year! Ringing in The Year of The Rabbit, this weekend was filled with firecrackers, vintage fashion sales and additional trips to The National Gallery and The V&A. Having little ‘dorm-time’ aside from the thirty-minute-meal, the beautiful and balmy London weather made for the perfect break from paper writing and library huddling. Culturally content and quite overwhelmed, our adventures were topped with a cinnamon chai from Café Nero – rounding out yet another exciting weekend in London Town.

3 February 2011 – Escaping from the bowels of the library to rest my Winckelmann-laden mind, a greater part of the day was spent basking in the brilliance of an incredible spring-like afternoon. A balmy 52 degrees with the sun brightly shining, Somerset House was ablaze with students and businessmen and women enjoying the warmth of this welcomed occasion. While nothing compares to the smell and the feel of a crisp January snowfall, there is something to be said for the sun-drenched streets of The Strand and public excitement it inspires – never has there been a more perfect day in London.

Skype                                                                                                                                  

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1. An online conversation service made possible by webcams and live feed images    

2. The epitome of digitized hands free conversation

3. The ultimate social comfort food for a semester abroad                                              

30 January 2011 – Braving the chill of a January morning, the brilliance of the winter sun overcame our academically-laden comas and introduced us to the vibrancy of the London market scene. Traveling through Sloane Square and Camden Markets, the smells of freshly picked produce, aged cheeses, spicy curries, sesame chicken, savory paella, homemade baked goods, fresh-pressed chai and a mish-mosh of craft-like wares led us from stall to stall. After a stressful week of heavy reading and response, a day of Heidi Pies, (a quintessential British pie with sweet potato, caramelized onions, goat’s cheese and spinach), fresh air and labyrinth-like wandering made for a well spent afternoon and a good night’s sleep. 

Doug Fishbone - Untitled

Not only does the London Underground provide its daily commuters with quick (usually) and efficient (most often) ways of traveling to-and-fro within the greater London area, but offers an ‘exhibition station’ (no pun intended) for the arts. Ranging from poetry and literary excerpts within subway cars to museum-like cyclical art exhibits on station, this city continues to impress this Midwestern college co-ed. Where better to be than a city that consistently exudes artistic pride?!

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2423.aspx

9 January 2011 – Alive and at the ready on what would usually be a lazy Sunday before the start of term, a brilliant blue sky had finally arrived, a good omen for a day well-spent at Windsor Castle. Touring the charming town of Eton, home to England’s prestigious Eton College, and making our way through the Royal State Apartments and the maze that is Windsor Castle, the day was a success, chalk-full of history and photographic exploration, topped with a lovely steak and ale pie and a side of mash. 

8 January 2011 – There is no better way to starting of a rather dreary morning in London than with a guided tour of the city’s amazing sights. Spending a delightfully entertaining 3 hours dodging the London traffic and masses of tourists, we received an all-encompassing visual and historical run-down of Western Europe’s greatest city. From Buckingham Palace and The Clock Tower (the proper name for ‘Big Ben,’ since Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower), to Westminster Abbey and Tower Bridge and even the infamous home of Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop on Fleet Street (Think Sweeney Todd, and yes, a McDonald’s stands in the exact spot today), the day was a whirlwind expedition of historical excellence.