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Cheers, London.

It’s been one week since I waved goodbye to beautiful London town through the window of a black cab en route to Heathrow airport, but it feels like just yesterday. I can’t (and I refuse to) believe that my amazing semester abroad is officially over. It was a crazy, wonderful whirlwind of working 20 hours a week, going to class, eating, drinking, shopping and exploring one of the biggest cities in…

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#England #europe #interning and living in london #lessons from studying abroad #London #study abroad #Valirie Morgan

The "Made in Chelsea" guide to British life & culture

The “Made in Chelsea” guide to British life & culture

Never mind the fact that I’ve been living and working in London for almost four months now — I’ve learned everything I need to know about being British from scripted reality television show “Made in Chelsea.” Last night I watched the first episode of the show’s seventh season (or series, as they say here), and I have to admit that I’m hooked. Despite my shoddy Internet connection at the flat,…

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Several weeks ago (yes, I know I’m a huge procrastinator when it comes to blogging…) my parents came to visit me in London and whisked me away to Paris and Rome, where we spent a fabulous week trekking around to all the sights and enjoying the European lifestyle. Most of the week was spent in Paris, and the city completely stole my heart. I had the perk of traveling with my dad, who spent a year in college studying in France and can speak the language fluently — he says he’s rusty, but it didn’t seem that way to me! One of the best things about Paris was the carefree attitude and uniquely Parisian lifestyle that permeates all aspects of the city. I love how the chairs outside cafes are all turned to face the street, making for perfect people-watching and relaxing. Plus, people REALLY DO walk around carrying baguettes, which might be the greatest thing ever.

We stayed in a flat we found on AirBNB that was located in the heart of the Latin Quarter…literally STEPS away from the Notre Dame cathedral. The three of us had a fantastic time that was filled with lots of walking, plenty of cheese and wine, and absolutely perfect weather. I’ve captioned some of the highlights from the Paris leg of our trip in the gallery below:

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After our time in Paris was finished, we boarded a train for Milan and then took a sleeper train from Milan to Rome. Without going into too much detail, the sleeper train was quite an experience that involved close to zero hours of sleep but has proven very comical to look back on. Rome definitely had a different vibe than Paris, and the sheer magnitude of its ruins proved to be incredible. Our hotel was right across the street from the Italian Senate building, so we got a mix of modern politics and ancient history during our visit. Check out some of the highlights from Rome:

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Falling in love with Paris and Rome Several weeks ago (yes, I know I'm a huge procrastinator when it comes to blogging...) my parents came to visit me in London and whisked me away to Paris and Rome, where we spent a fabulous week trekking around to all the sights and enjoying the European lifestyle.

#falling in love with paris #France #Italy #Notre Dame #Paris #Piazza Navona #planning a trip to paris #Rome #Senato #study abroad #top places to visit in paris #travel #travel tips #Valirie Morgan #wanderlust

A few weeks ago, my classmates and I had the opportunity to head over to the Shoreditch area of London with our British Life & Culture professor for a tour of the city’s best street art. While some may view it as graffiti or vandalism, street art is a significant part of a city’s culture, and we were able to see some of London’s most vibrant and creative works of street art on our tour. Arguably the most famous work we saw was that of the iconic artist Banksy, whose two contributions to the city’s walls are protected from graffiti (ironic, right?) by plexiglass sheets. Take a look at some of the highlights from our tour in the gallery below!

A street art tour of London A few weeks ago, my classmates and I had the opportunity to head over to the Shoreditch area of London with our British Life & Culture professor for a tour of the city's best street art.

#a tour of London street art #Banksy #British Life and Culture class #England #graffiti #London #London street art #murals and art in London #Shoreditch #study abroad #united kingdom

Given that I’ve been MIA from the blog world for weeks now, you’re probably in a serious state of withdrawal from my witty humor and charming posts. But, hey, I’M BACK!!!! And I’ve got plenty of updates for my faithful followers (aka my parents – hi, guys).

The view from our hotel room.

Our sandals being finished by Mellissinos

Yummy chicken gyro

Abbey, me and Ciera overlooking Athens.

Drinks at Brettos, the oldest distillery in Athens

In front of the Parthenon

Two weeks ago marked the beginning of my spring break, which I spent in Greece with Abbey and Ciera. Our first stop was Athens, and when we arrived at the airport we headed straight to the metro station to catch the train that would drop us off in the central area of the city, right by our hotel. In true Murphy’s Law fashion, we quickly learned that there was a train strike occurring for the next few hours, and that it had started just before we got there! After a bit of wandering and a few fractured Greek/English conversations with airport staff, we decided to catch a taxi to the city center instead. We ended up being ripped off €10 because the cab driver refused to give us change, but it was a classic travel lesson we needed to learn and it could’ve been much worse.

We stayed at the Tempi Hotel, which was inexpensive and a bit rough around the edges, but its prime location far outweighed the negatives and we had an awesome view of the Acropolis/Parthenon from our room. All three of us were feeling a bit travel-weary and overwhelmed by the language barrier, so we sought help from our hotel staff to get a true taste of the city. Following their recommendation, we walked down the street to an authentic Greek restaurant. I have no idea what I ordered. All I know is that it was some kind of meat that looked hamburger-esque with a spicy yogurt sauce, onions and pita bread, of course. I set aside my picky eater tendencies and was pleasantly surprised by the meal – I’m trying to become more adventurous in the culinary department – baby steps, right? We had our first experience with ouzo, which is a traditional pre-meal liquor that is crazy strong and tastes like black licorice, and hated it (however, I did buy a mini bottle of ouzo as a souvenir because it had a cute little hat on it. Who could pass up tiny alcohol wearing a hat?). After our initial meal, the food only got better – lamb gyros, soutzoukakia (a saucy, meatball-type dish), chicken souvlaki, baklava – and the food aspect of Greek culture proved threatening to any dreams of a beach body, but it was well worth the calories!

I almost forgot to mention our motto of the week, which was inspired by an inquiry made by Abbey at a restaurant: “Excuse me, what is this?” It’s a phrase best said using a sassy tone, naturally.

The three of us powered through a rainy day with a visit to the Monastiraki Market, which offered authentic Greek items as well as those typical kitschy souvenirs. As we strolled through the main street of the market, a shop owner came out and asked us if we were Americans (is it really THAT obvious?!). We said yes, and he brought us into his store to show us a wall covered in business cards, organized by state, that he told us he collected during his time in the U.S. from Greek people who moved to America and set up successful businesses. He gave us each a Greek penny and kissed our cheeks, promising us that we would find “wonderful Greek boys” to marry before he sent us on our way! Our next point of business was to find Melissinos “The Poet,” an artist who makes custom leather sandals and whose previous customers include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sophia Loren, Sarah Jessica Parker and even John Lennon. We got sandals custom fitted to our feet and even got to watch Melissinos and his assistant finish the pairs off with their tools! This was our splurge purchase of the trip, but the entire experience was worth every Euro.

Our visit coincided with a festival that our hotel attendant described as a smaller version of Carnival, and the perk of that (other than the cultural spectacle, of course) was getting free admission to all the ruins sites! Climbing the Acropolis and walking amongst the ruins of the Parthenon was an incredible experience that really put into perspective thousands of years of history as well as the sheer power of mankind and society. The rainy weather cleared out and gave us a beautiful day to take in the amazing views of the city from atop the hill. As lovely as Athens was, my one negative impression of the city was all the graffiti – we found it on nearly every building, and even on a few of the small ruins sites around the city. It was disappointing to see graffiti with such frequency in such a historically revered city, but the sunny days had a way of hiding it and emphasizing the cool artifacts and buildings.

Me and Ciera representing Kappa Delta in Santorini next to a nautilus shell we found!

Our cute bed and breakfast-style hotel in Santorini.

With Abbey in the cable car!

Caldera the Dog, our unreliable guide, before he abandoned us.

Part Two of the trip began on Monday. We left Athens bright dark and early (it’s never exciting to be awake before sunrise…) and flew to Santorini, a Greek island located off the southern coast of the mainland country. We were greeted at the airport by George, the owner of our bed & breakfast, who was SO adorable and the personification of Greek hospitality as he gave us a tour of the best parts of the island, including a traditional Cretan bakery which we ended up visiting on a daily basis. After settling in and eating lunch at a local restaurant, we wandered over to the main area of the island and quickly realized that we were visiting Santorini in the off season – barely any shops, restaurants, bars or other attractions were open, and at times it seemed like we were the only people on the entire island! Nervousness about the situation set in after a few hours of exploring, so we found an open restaurant and talked about what we could do to improve our stay and, admittedly, our attitudes.

The next day proved much better thanks to some gorgeous weather! George drove us to Oia, the part of the island seen on postcards (picture those white-and-blue domed churches) and in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie (sadly, we didn’t find Kostos). Our original goal had been to find a hiking path from Oia to Fira that we had read about online, but it proved much more difficult to pick up the trail than we’d anticipated. We clambered up and down the walkways stacked along the cliffs of the Caldera and even found a dog, which we named Caldera. We asked Caldera the Dog to lead us to the hiking path (yes this is a real story), and after following him aimlessly for 10 minutes, he abandoned us and we never found the path. We DID find a bunch of beautiful spots for pictures; the entire day was a very shutter-happy adventure.

The weather didn’t hold out for our last day and it kept us from being able to ride the donkeys :( With not much else to do, we resorted to wandering (again) and as we trudged through rainy cobblestone streets, I caught a sign for free wine tasting out of the corner of my eye. The three of us made a spontaneous detour into the wine shop and got to taste a handful of different wines from several regions of the island, including the deliciously sweet dessert wine Vinsanto, which is made exclusively in Santorini. We ended up spending the remainder of the day in a restaurant and our hotel room, reminiscing about the week’s events and concluding what we learned about ourselves along the way.

Even though we were utterly bored at times in sleepy off-season Santorini, the entire trip (including our time in Athens) was so relaxing. We didn’t make a schedule and took it all hour by hour, and really learned how key flexibility is during travel and exploration. Our trip showed how true it is that the best experiences happen when you’re least expecting them and when you act spontaneously. I’ve definitely learned to treat everything as an opportunity and never turn down the chance for a new experience…an important mantra for any traveler!

Being Greek for a week Given that I’ve been MIA from the blog world for weeks now, you’re probably in a serious state of withdrawal from my witty humor and charming posts.

#acropolis #athens #greece #mellissinos the poet sandal maker athens #parthenon #pension stella santorini #santorini #santorini in the off season #study abroad #study abroad spring break travel #tempi hotel athens #Valirie Morgan #vinsanto wine

On a journey, not just a trip

Every day during my lunch break, I leave the office and walk around the streets near Oxford Circus. I love my lunchtime strolls not only because Regent Street is home to some of the world’s best window shopping displays, but because I can feel the true pulse of the city as I weave my way among thousands of Londoners.

Traveling has always been something I’ve enjoyed, but spending an entire…

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#british culture #getting the most out of travel #London #missouri journalism study abroad #rudimental feat ella eyre #study abroad #study abroad advice #travel #united kingdom #Valirie Morgan #wanderlust

The Directioner’s guide to London Just in case you weren't aware, I have an eternal obsession with One Direction. I also happen to be in love with the city of London (hence why I'm studying abroad here now!).

#1D guide tour of London #Directioners #Harry Styles #Liam Payne #Louis Tomlinson #Midnight Memories #Niall Horan #one direction #One Direction guide to London #One Thing #One Way or Another #Zayn Malik

My international weekend + staying busy in the UK

Pretty sure I’m about to set a new record for blog procrastination — but it’s justified (kind of) because studying abroad is a major time commitment! In the past couple weeks I’ve made my first international weekend trip, accomplished a lot at my…

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