adventures across the kingdom

Well, it happened. I was struck by a British cold that refused to quit.

After about a week and half of the bugger, I adopted a stop-and-go cadence, so as to be rested and ready for any gallivanting opportunities that may present themselves. Last night, after a wildly fun afternoon, I'd finally had enough -- I quarantined myself in my room, snuggled beneath my duvet and sipped my favorite tea from an LSE mug gifted to me from a particularly lovely Wharton professor.

This morning, after a full night's snooze and a miraculous extra hour of sleep due to the annual clock change, I am healed!

Rested and ready for a new week, here's a peek into what the heck I've been up to whilst battling the fresher's flu:

UPenn's own Dr. Robertson in her posh new LSE digs!

Between lectures,  library marathons, and brewing tea (it's true), I've found a few groups of friends who are keen to explore this fantastic city with me. Here are just a few of our (mis)adventures over the past two weeks:

"The LLMs," as I lovingly call them, are a group of three fantastic women who are my foodie partners in crime (you'll recognize them in the Carpo photo from a previous post). Together we've thrown baking parties, explored many the cozy coffee shop, and went to Borough Market, pictured here!

The Market is celebrating its 1000th year, and it looks darn good for its age -- the area overflows with stalls of every culinary delight imaginable, from fresh produce to French cheese, from Indian spices to tabasco-infused chocolate (delicious, by the way). We sampled our way through the maze of offerings and picked our favorites to take home.

Let's be honest -- samples don't satiate.

One Monday evening, I donned my favorite red dress and joined a group of French and Australian women at a very cool venue near Camden: Koko, an old theatre-turned-club. We danced amid mask-clad gentlemen until our feet ached and the threat of Tuesday morning lectures whisked us home:

But, I promise, I've been doing some studying too:

One of my favorite study spots so far - the economics library at UCL

Yesterday, I even devoted my entire afternoon to the subject of vinology!

I took notes and everything!

A fellow American won tickets to the annual Bettane and Desseauve Wine Experience, a festival sponsored by two French wine critics. The event was held at the gorgeous Saatchi Gallery in Sloane Square, providing a lovely backdrop to several hours of glass clinking and wine tasting. Jenna wrote her Amherst thesis on French wine, so I enjoyed her reasoned reflections and studied insight as I happily sipped my way from Champagne to Saint-Estephe to Languedoc.

A brilliant installation to house the event, I think!

The Bordeaux Master Class we talked our way into ;)

Now, for a few single shots that capture some of my favorite moments here in London town:

Playing tourist from a double-decker bus, en route to a dinner party in Hampstead

An amazing canapé, crafted by a "great Dane" from my cohort :)

The LLMs at it again -- I'm an honorary law student these days!

So yes, I suppose I'm settling in well enough.

Today I'm typing away at a coffee shop on Villiers Street, and am thinking of relocating to a poetry library this afternoon for a new tempo of inspiration. What adventures have you found these days?

L