Meg's in London

Today's morning expedition was to the Chelsea in Bloom flower festival, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  Yes, I freaked out about the plants. The theme this year was "Out of This World," so the installations were all centered around space and astrology, featuring zodiac signs, tarot cards, planets, rocket ships and more. They even had succulents and air plants mixed into the displays. I couldn't help but wonder what they do with all the leftover plants...my flat could use some. :) For dinner, we went out for a curry! We chose a restaurant in Kensington called Chakra. It was a quaint little restaurant tucked off a cobblestone street near High Street Kensington station. The food was yummy, but we're also looking forward to trying Dishoom and some of the more famous places soon. Enjoy the photos! The holy grail. Murgh Malai Tikka at Charka. Love, Megan

We had a recovery day this Sunday. After sleeping in late, Zoey, Haleh, and I took a trip to Aldi to stock up on some cheap groceries. I got the basics including some of the most red bell peppers I've ever seen in my life. Also grabbed a box of muesli to try - safe to say I'm a fan. This evening, our cohort traveled to The Duchess Theatre to see The Play That Went Wrong . I'd rate it a 6/10. The comedy was much better in the second half. After wandering around Covent Garden, we headed in for the night to get ready for FDOC tomorrow! Pre-Aldi mirror selfie View outside South Kensington Station (storefront on the right is Gail's which has AMAZING sourdough and pastries) Love, Megan

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well back at home. <3 Finally got to sleep in today…it was so nice. The past few days have felt like the longest of my life. Breakfast this morning was English breakfast tea (of course) and some warm golden syrup flavored porridge which absolutely blew my mind. I’m glad I opted for the 6 pack at Waitrose last night. Headed to Hyde park with Caitlyn and Zoey this morning for a walk around. We stopped at Suzette for brunch and I tried a galette. It tasted like a savory crepe with ham, cheese, and an egg inside. Delicious. After a quick tube ride to the park, we explored the lawn, had a mini photo shoot with a telephone booth, saw giant swans on the pond (including a black one!), witnessed a biker gang, explored a random church that we passed (turned out to be the London Oratory), and got caught in the rain. Harrods was next on the agenda today. Kenwood Mall can be overwhelming sometimes, but this was a different level. We shopped around the toys section...

Hello! I started the morning bright and early with a jog to Kensington Park with Kiera. It was so gorgeous and peaceful – and we didn’t even get to see a glimpse of the whole park. I’m looking forward to picnics there this summer. I walked to Foundation House around 9:30am for orientation pt. 2. All the FIE kids were packed in line on the staircase waiting to get copies of our passports and boarding passes. I started chatting with some girls in line and ended up spending the rest of the day with them. We went shopping (I got bath towels!) and ended the night with a dinner cruise on the River Thames with the group. The tour brought us around all the main sights of London – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Canary Wharf, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, etc. – which was amazing to finally see. We explored downtown Waterloo for a bit and headed to our first proper British Pub. Seeing all the locals there was fun and the curious ones even came up to ask us questions about America....

5/14/26 Landfall in London Hello from London! I finally made landfall in London around 2pm today. After a five hour initial delay, the plane ride flew by with a warm butter chicken meal followed by a couple hours of deep sleep.  I made a grocery trip to Marks and Spencer with Elena and Kiera after orientation…the chocolate pudding met the hype (thanks, Mom!).  I’m halfway moved in to my room, and situated in a flat right next to my friends. Everything is super clean, but you can tell this is renovated 19th century homes. So beautiful and charming! Excited for orientation tomorrow! Love, Megan

Hello everyone! I'm currently sitting on my bedroom floor among piles of unpacked clothes as I write this first post...procrastination at its finest.  Welcome to Meg's in London -  I started this page with the goal of posting once a week to keep track of my time abroad. I'm so excited to share all my adventures with you! See you soon!