Becoming a Londoner

Hello All!

I arrived in London Saturday and am finally starting to settle in a bit. After my third full day here, I am getting more accustomed to the area and culture. I am excited to call London my home for the next three months, as I will be interning for Upper Street Shoes of London.

So far, my main observations are about currency, fashion, and food. The current exchange rate (when getting pounds from Barclays) is about $1.75 per pound. Everything here is more expensive, and I was shocked when I was charged for water when I went and had Indian food for lunch on Sunday. 

The fashion scene here is extremely different from the states. All the men are a bit more proper (sweatpants and such are confined to actually exercising) and the ladies are much better dressed than the average American woman. Around campus in America, seeing running shorts, leggings, and yoga pants is the norm (which I often protest), but here, ladies wear black tights, a dress of sorts, boots or flats and a nice coat. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, and Prada bags seem to be common here, which is not surprising. These major brands that define luxury and create the most iconic handbags in the world should be common in a fashion capital.  

Finally, the food here is much better, which I was not expecting. The UK laws concerning chemicals in foods and requiring producers to label any genetic modifications have improved food taste and quality. All the breads and pastries are fresh, and many organic. The produce is fresh and bagged, not canned in preservatives. So far I have enjoyed making lox and bagels, seasoned chicken with green beans, and pasta with prawns and vegetarian bolognese sauce in my apartment kitchen! Tonight I treated myself to a GuyLian Original Praline, which was far creamier than chocolate in the States. The sweetness wasn't overpowering and the chocolate was of an overall higher quality.

I will be posting every day or so about my adventures in London and my travels around Europe!

Cheers!