Time for Goodbyes

Here it is: the final post. After an incredible 3.5 months of living in London and traveling around Europe, my semester abroad has come to an end. I have to make this post quick since I am leaving for Heathrow Airport in five minutes (!!!!), but I couldn't leave without one last Where in the World is Jenny? post.

I've seen some amazing places.

Prague, Czech Republic

Florence Italy

Rome, Italy 

Brussels, Belgium

Paris, France

Dublin, Ireland

I've made some amazing friends.

And I've enjoyed every second of exploring London.

Visiting Big Ben on the last day in London

Thank you to everyone who followed my adventures! I hope you loved reading about my time in Europe as much as I loved hearing your feedback. I feel like I've grown in many ways over the past few months, but I couldn't have enjoyed myself so much if I didn't know I had such wonderful friends and family waiting for me back home.

So, where in the world is Jenny going now?

Home.

Passover in London

Guess who has been getting her Jew on lately? This girl!

Last week, a few friends and I took a 45 minute tube ride out to Golders Green, an area of London known for its prominent Jewish community.

Golders Green Road

We imagined that the area would be full of traditional Jewish delis, but it actually had a huge variety of ethnic restaurants. The one thing they had in common: they all had signs out front that said they were certified as kosher.

"Kosher Indian"

Polish Delicatessan

Jewish...store?

Certified by the Kashrut Committee!

The smell of bread in the oven drew us into a few bakeries.

2 pounds and 25 pence for a large challah

The sprinkle cookies caught my eye, reminding me of the ones I see in Pincus Bakery when I visit my Grandma Vera in Cleveland. However, I figured they couldn't compare to those ones, so I decided to try a chocolate rugelach instead. The guy behind the counter gave me a funny look when I said I only wanted one piece. Just a little pre-dinner nosh! 

The four of us went to Dizengoff for dinner since it was recommended to us both by online sources and the guy-confused-by-my-single-rugelach-purchase from the deli. It was a cute establishment, with an older, middle eastern couple running it. The menu item "Hummus with falafel" sounded vague--does it come with a pita?--so I asked the man what that meal entailed. He gruffly replied, "You know. Hummus. With falafel." Ah yes, now I understand, thank you waiter.

Afterwards we stopped in a grocery store to stock up on some Passover goods. The supermarket near my dorm has matzoh, but it is labeled as "Not Kosher for Passover." Am I the only one who finds that odd? Who are these people who are buying matzoh but not observing Passover?

I was pretty bummed about missing out on doing seder at home with my family. Fortunately, I was able to attend two wonderful seders here in London!

For the first night, I went to my step uncle's apartment in Notting Hill. Arthur and Annette hosted a beautiful seder at their flat for about a dozen people. I met people from England, France, Israel, and other countries. There were a few children there as well, and it was neat to hear the four questions being read with an English accent.

Seder at Arthur and Annette's flat

Arthur's seder plate

Because you can find family almost anywhere!

Arthur leading the seder

For the second night, the Chabad of South Kensington hosted a seder at Imperial College's dining hall. I attended with a bunch of my friends on the program. Of course, the food didn't even come close to the deliciousness of my seders at home, but it was fun to be with other college students. Since the meal ended at 11 PM and we had finals coming up, we left right after dinner.

So far, I've been really good about avoiding bread products, even when enjoying a picnic in Hyde Park! Most of my friends here are actually Jewish, so we packed up some matzoh and had a study break in the sunshine.

Hyde Park picnic

It's 75 degrees in London!

Matzoh crackers with cheese!

Now it's time for bed because I have finals tomorrow. I can't believe tomorrow is my last day as a college junior! Happy Passover everyone!

Side note: I know what you're all thinking. "But Jenny, weren't you attempting to try all the flavors at Ben's cookies before you left London? How will you finish now that you can't eat bread products??" Well, rest easy, because I officially completed my Ben's Cookies Challenge two days before the first night of seder! TADA! I'm so proud of myself :) The white chocolate and cranberry cookie is still my favorite. I certainly won't be craving cookies again for a while though...

April showers bring...April flowers?

This morning I went to Portobello Market for the last time. I ended up walking home instead of taking the Tube because I could not get over the wonderful smell of flowers in the air!! Spring has definitely arrived in London. Sure, my allergies are not super happy with all the pollen, but the new blooms sure make for a beautiful landscape. Maybe Kate Middleton can use some of these flowers in her wedding bouquet next week :-) I snapped a bunch of photos:

With the onset of warmer weather, it's going to be even harder to leave here in a week! 

Top o' the morning to ya, Ireland!

Where in the world is Jenny? Dublin, Ireland! 

I said see ya later to the United Kingdom, and I spent Friday night, Saturday, and half of Sunday in the land of leprechauns, potatoes, and Guinness. Dublin is my last major trip for the semester. I was extremely excited not only to see a new country, but also to see one of my best friends from home! Erin (whose name ironically means Ireland if you didn't know already) is studying in Dublin for the semester. This trip was different from my other ones because I was able to skip out on a hostel and just stay comfortably in Erin's dorm. I also wasn't too concerned about visiting the big tourist attractions in Dublin (there are not very many anyways). Instead, I spent time catching up with Erin and doing a few activities in Ireland.

Although I stayed with Erin, I flew into Dublin with four of my London friends: Lindsay, Suzanne, Allie, and Paige. Our flight was a bit stressful. We were on a time crunch and ended up sprinting to our gate. Fortunately, gate closing time apparently means when you start lining up, not when you can no longer board. Live and learn.

My friends went off to their hostel while I took a bus straight to Erin. She is living and taking classes at University College Dublin (UCD), located about 4 miles outside of the city's center.

After a glorious reunion, we ate a quick dinner at her dorm, hung out with some of her friends, and then took the bus into the city. Our first stop was Messrs Pub, where of course I had to try a Guinness beer. That drink is practically a meal, so rich and filling. I can only happily consume about a half pint of it.

Then we headed over to Porterhouse, a multi-story pub and another one of Erin's favorite nighttime haunts. The usual entertainment was present: a crowd-pleasing guitarist named Woodsy.

We stopped by one more bar but it was practically empty. Turns out Trinity College students usually populate that particular venue. However, Trinity's annual ball was taking place that night, as evidenced by all the finely attired girls and boys walking around the city. It was a great night, made even better by the fact I was with Erin!

The next morning, we got up bright and early to meet up with my London friends. The six of us took a day trip to Howth, a beautiful fishing town about a 30 minute train ride outside the city.

The town was absolutely breathtaking! I couldn't believe the scenery: looming cliffs, endless water dotted with sailboats, rolling green hills, and cute bed-and-breakfasts. We hiked up the little mountains and took in the fresh air. It was nice to get in an outdoorsy experience, since most of my trips involve city sights.



The whole group

Once again, I was mostly just happy to spend time with my best friend. Since we go to different colleges and tend to spend our summers interning away from home (Erin's working in Uganda this summer!), we're apart more than we're together. Yet somehow, we're still as close as ever! Don't you love those friendships?

Anyways, enough of the sappy stuff. On to the fishy stuff! We stopped for lunch at Beshoff Bro's for some quality fish and chips. Gotta have some fresh seafood when you're in a fishing town!

I parted with my London friends, and headed back to UCD with Erin. Her study abroad program had gotten tickets to a rugby match, and Erin was able to snag an extra one for me! Funny enough, it was the Irish team (Leinster) versus the British team (Leicester). I followed the crowd and rooted for Leinster (don't tell the Queen!).

The game took place at Aviva Stadium. It was massive and completely packed.

Did I mention that we had SECOND ROW seats?

I had never seen a rugby match before, but I loved every second of it! It's a combination of football, soccer, and wrestling. The players had massive, muscular legs, and all had scratched, bloodied faces by the end of the game. Intense.

Cool pic, right?

Scrum

That's gotta hurt.

One of my favorite parts was when a kick took place. The entire stadium would go silent (with a few idiotic yells being shushed by the serious crowd), and then explode into cheers when the ball flew through the air. My video below contains clips of the home team entering the field, the silent kick, and a cheer: "G'wan the boys in blue!"

The game was thrilling until the very end, when Leinster came out victorious. After the game, Erin and I caught up over dinner, and then headed back to UCD for a good night's sleep.

Sunday morning, the weather was glorious. Seventy and sunny! I took the bus into the city on my own, met up with my London friends (sans Lindsay, who was too sick--boo Mono), and headed over to the famed Guinness storehouse! On the walk there, I saw some more of the city. Dublin is very small, especially compared to London, but the buildings are charming and the people are SO friendly.

Nothing like a tour of a brewery to start your morning on the right foot!

Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery in 1759, claiming ownership for nine thousand years. A bit excessive in my opinion. The self-guided tour was really fun! The storehouse is divided into several different floors, supposedly shaped like the world's largest pint glass. We learned about the ingredients, brewing process, advertising, transportation, and technique for pouring the perfect pint.

The top floor's Gravity Bar offers awesome, panoramic views of the city.

Once the tour was over, Erin met us in the city to drop off my luggage and say goodbye. On the way to meet her, we stopped at Queen of Tarts bakery for some delectable chocolate chip scones! And you thought you could get through a blog post without hearing some mention of a sweet treat ;-)

We arrived at the Aer Lingus terminal very early in order to avoid another stressful run through an airport. The weekend went by so fast, but I had a fantastic time! I may even go back one day. After all, I didn't make time to go to the Leprechaun Museum...

Side note: Tomorrow is my last day at my internship! Time flies! My co-workers kindly took me out for a goodbye lunch, and presented me with a Thank You card, Royal College of Art tshirt, "I love art" tote bag, and a sketchbook. I really couldn't have asked for a better internship placement!