En Route to Primrose Hill

On the way to Primrose Hill - an amazing spot where you can see the beautiful sights of London laid out before your eyes, my friend and I walked across this awesomely colorful pedestrian bridge, and I couldn't resist stopping! It was the perfect fall day - the air was brisk and windy, and true to London fashion, a few drops of rain fell - but only a few! After climbing to the top of Primrose Hill we hit up a couple different bakeries to the delight of our stomachs. I ate a glittery cupcake and frolicked in a floral skirt. Read on for pictures and eventual outfit details, waaaaay at the bottom.

Favorite Looks: Emmy's 2013

The Emmy's were this past Sunday! I watched the broadcast a day late because I'm not home and was kind of disappointed this year in the actual show, but I did eat up all of the fashion that went down and was pleasantly surprised to see that some actual fun, exciting risks were taken! 

Amsterdam & Bruges

This weekend I took my second trip out of the UK! I went to Amsterdam, land of weed, prostitutes, and canals, and Bruges, home to the excellent movie with Colin, Brendan, and Ralph... my good friends. It was possibly the most fun I have had yet! Both cities were beautiful and I had my fair share of touristing (per usual).

Copenhagen

This past weekend I took an adventure with a few friends to Copenhagen. It was relatively spontaneous, and we didn't plan anything specific out. The general response when we told people what we were doing was "well what's in Copenhagen?" To tell the truth, we didn't really have an answer! However, we definitely found out once we got there and we had a blast.

Windsor, Bath, and Stonehenge

Sunday was approximately the longest day ever. It may even have felt longer than the day I arrived here. Combining a lack of sleep with minor illness (just a cold) and a 6AM wakeup time meant that I was dragging for most of the day and conking out on a bus as much as possible. It all paid off though as I saw some truly amazing sights!

A Tale of Two Markets

On Saturday we had our first exploration of two of London's many markets. The first was the notorious Portobello Market, which everyone has heard of and can't help but call to mind Hugh Grant and a quaint travel bookshop. The second was Broadway Market, much more off the beaten track and full of exciting pleasures and surprises.

Fall 2013 Nail Polish

Besides being a general shopaholic (lover of clothes, shoes, scarves, jewelry), I have the beauty bug. This has lately been all about nails! I am no nail art aficionado, but I do know my way around a good manicure. Fall is where I have the most fun (as with all fashion). I love how easy it is to take chances and how much a manicure adds to an outfit, whether it's a bold dark, an exuberant bright, or a blingy iridescent or glitter polish. Even pastels have an extra edge in fall, when they're normally put away; if brought out they seem as fresh as ever!

Royal Flush

Feeling obligated to be a massive tourist, I finally made my way to Buckingham Palace. Dusk has been a magical time of day for me here. My first visit to Kensington Gardens was made that much better by the mystical pink lighting surrounding everything. The same goes for this visit to Buckingham Palace! It was all tinged with the prettiest pink and orange light and there weren't so many people there that I couldn't breathe. After a relaxing walk around the Victoria Memorial, St. James' Park was the next stop! All of the luscious greenery and animals were impossible to resist and it was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had here to date.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Touristing

I don't think it's truly hit me that I'm living here for a semester yet. My area is beautiful! I'm still a bit in a haze, but I'm slowly but surely gaining ground and figuring out where I am. In the past few days we have been touristing like the best of them! I've explored a couple of museums, the Natural History Museum, and its neighbor, the Victoria & Albert Museum. (For the record, Kensington is all for Albert - the V&A, many statues, Exhibition Road, the Royal Albert Music Hall, etc.). You've heard this before, but it's especially awesome if you've forked over $12.00 to visit the Met - museums (most) are free! Not only are they free, they're top notch! They're chock full with all the wonders you could possibly want to see. The V&A has a really stellar fashion exhibit too, which was the icing on the cake of a great day of museum-going. Aside from the museums, I've also done a couple tours. My program set up a coach tour for one morning so we got to see quite a lot of central London in a very comfortable way with a brilliantly funny tour guide. We continued on after the coach tour with a guided tour (by the fabulous Lucy and her dog Ollie) of the area. We learned some of the nooks and crannies of the area and saw more of the park and some of the beautiful buildings, memorials, and pieces of art that are plentiful in Kensington!

Outside the Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum

Too many more pictures after the break!