Oh the places you'll go...

It blows my mind how much there is to do and see in London. This city is absolutely massive. In the last seven days I've managed to already visit Parliament Square, Big Ben and Trafalgar Square, float down the River Thames under Tower Bridge and passed the London Eye, beheld St. Paul's Cathedral, toured the city of Westminster, had a beer in at least 10 pubs, shopped in Oxford Circus, been to the National Portrait Gallery and gotten lost in countless tube stops…..phew (takes breathe). And in between all of that there's been so much more exploring and sightseeing outside of London as well.

The best part about seeing all of these beautiful sites is getting to do it with the amazing girls that I've met here. It's so thrilling to be in a strange city, know no one and yet have so many people around you that you get to figure it all out with everyday. Give us a few more days; these interns are taking London by storm.

I feel so lucky to get to take in all of the culture and history that London has to offer. Yes it has been a bit on the rainier side this weekend but obviously we were all expecting that weather to make it's way back. Nonetheless, m

y list of things to tour and see grows longer every minute and I'm going to make sure I see everything I possibly can. I can't wait to get a closer look at Buckingham and Kensington Palace. A show in the West End is definitely at the top of my list as is the Harry Potter Warner Bros Tour.  Oh and a trip to Wimbledon is in the works this week before it ends--dad suggested that one as a must! 

If anyone else has any other London sightseeing to do's I'd love to hear them! At this rate, seven weeks just isn't going to be enough. 

Until later mates,

Jor

   

Welcome to Richmond

So it's saturday which means I have completed my first week of my internship here in London! And so far it's everything I could've imagined. My boss, Tatiana, is so talented at what she does and extremely cool on top of that.

Quick recap if you don't know what I'm doing: I am working as a fashion photography and marketing intern for Tatiana Porembova Couture Bridal, a couture wedding dress designer based in London.

Her shop is in an adorable village town called Richmond. It sits on the river near bundles of residencies, restaurants and shopping. Sounds perfect? It is. The commute is a bit of a ways from my apartment in Farringdon but after several attempts to figure out the best way to get there via public transport is to hop on the 243 double decker to Waterloo train station and take the overground rail right to Richmond. It's an easy ride and there site seeing along the way which makes the 45 minute travel actually enjoyable.

So far for Tatiana I have begun my critique and analyzation of her website and social media platforms. I am currently in the process of assisting in redesigning her web page and blog. I am also reinventing her social media presence and helping to reestablish her voice in the community. Her newest line of couture gowns is also in the works so in the next week or so we will be photographing the dresses and moving forward with marketing the line. In the meantime my job is all about research, creative thinking and running to get fabric samples when needed.

I can already tell that Tatiana and I are hitting it off and she's really trusting me with a lot of responsibilities which I plan to make the most of. This is definitely a situation in which I will get out what I put into it. I'll be doing a lot of different things that I love to do and hope that I can really help Tatiana grow her business. So we'll see how it goes!

Until later mates,

Jor

All We Need is Love and Coffee

As hard as I've tried, I've never been a morning person. Waking up is just not my cup of tea. And tea certainly does not wake me up. So naturally when I got to London I couldn't wait to find the perfect coffee shop to stop at to get that perfect morning pick me up. And oh boy did I find it!

Just around the corner from my apartment is the cutest little coffee shop I ever did see. I just so happen to pass by it walking home with my awesome roommate Kaleigh (seriously she's the coolest) and after one step inside I've been hooked. Fresh pressed espresso, creamy milk, brown sugar. Delicious is an understatement.

After talking to the sweetest owner (so British of course), we learned that this little coffee shop themed around love has only been open for just under a month. After handing me heaven in a cup--iced coffee that is--Kaleigh and I chatted with Daniel the owner who could clearly tell we were two young American girls lost int he world. With three sugars in our cup and two tips of advice for traveling in London we went on our way.

Obviously I've gone the last two mornings. He's even made me my own white chocolate iced mocha which I pride myself on introducing to his menu. And it's so much better than Starbucks. Gasp--I know.

Sorry to say Brits, tea is refreshing but this Florida girl needs her coffee--cream and sugar all mixed up with love.

Until tomorrow mates!

Jor


 
 
   

Adventures in London Town

Three days in London have come and gone and so far it's still unreal. There's so much to do and see and take in here and at times it's almost overwhelming. But I'm trying as hard as I can to soak it all in.

This first weekend was all about figuring out the lay of the land. Getting lost in my surroundings was a must and wandering the streets of Clerkenwell and Farringdon has really helped get a hold on exactly where I am. I found my local grocery stores and brought home the basics: pasta, fruit and wine. By the way, the brands here.. so weird. I've also discovered the local versions of Walgreens, Target and Starbucks. Here they have Boots with all of your beauty necessities. Argos is like shopping online at Target--literally ordering what you want on iPads and then they hand it over to you, so cool. And Starbucks, well it's still Starbucks.

I think I will still be finding myself giggling to myself about everyone around me talking in a real British accent.. not the one we've all been pretending to do our whole lives. It really is intriguing and entertaining to listen to them talk. Everyone is so polite and keeping asking me "you alright?" Come to find out it's their version of "whats up?" It's all just so proper.

Oh and Virgin Atlantic found my luggage (huge sigh of relief) and they're compensating all of the necessities I've had to buy. Muahaha. So I am all unpacked and settled in. I've even decorated with fresh flowers and a cozy blanket. The decorator in my is struggling hard to make my room homey so for now my shoes and jewelry are acting as innovative decor.

Tomorrow is my first day of work so I'm off to pick out my outfit catch some Zs! But for now, check out some of the fun and pretty sites I've stumbled upon right around where I'm living.

Until later mates,

Jor