March 31st

Today, Adam, Danielle, and I went to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament & Big Ben, and Borough Market. I love visitors, except that I have to do the same things over and over again! Chris and Natalie came and met us in Borough Market. I tried Duck there! So adventurous of me, but I kept thinking of Donald and Daffy so I felt kind of bad...just kidding.

After Borough Market, the five of us went to the Portabello Market. The Portabello Market is one of London's most famous markets. It is one long street that stretches for blocks, but I loved it. We passed a waffle stand. Since Brussels, I had a chocolate covered waffle withdrawal and this was the first place that sold them in London! So, I indulged myself. So good, but nothing like the ones in Belgium. It's no wonder why they're called Belgian Waffles.

Early tomorrow morning, Chris and I leave for Rome/Florence. I can't wait.

March 30th

Today, my pledge brother Adam (from Madrid) came to town. To celebrate his arrival and Danielle's stay, Chris and I invited some of our friends from Wash U, including Pierce and Rachel to our apartment for a night out. We caught up, had a few drinks, and then went back to the Rocket. Before going to the Rocket however, we stopped at a rooftop bar to enjoy the nice weather. The Rocket ended up being a great night of American music, a few beers, and a ton of laughs.

Let's just say I requested three songs for the DJ to be played: Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus (which has become Chris and my abroad theme song ever since the sketchy pub crawl in Berlin), I Want You Back by Jackson 5, and All-Star by Smash Mouth. The DJ managed to get all three songs into his mix. That's right, it was that kind of night. I love Europe.

Danielle and I at the rooftop bar.

March 28th-March 29th

March 28th

Today my friend Danielle came to town. She got in during the afternoon while I was at work, so at 5 o'clock I rushed home and met her at my apartment. I got changed, grabbed a bite to eat, and then the two of us went back to the area of Canary Wharf, where I work, in order to meet some of my friends from work for a drink. I figured that it could be fun for Danielle to meet some British people and actually experience something different from the typical abroad experience.

We went to this pub overlooking an inlet on the River Thames called Via Forassa. We alled grabbed some pints and sat outdoors at a table. It ended up being really fun to see people from work let loose and enjoy themselves after work. By the time we were leaving, it was 9:30PM. Since Justin's birthday was at midnight, we headed to his apartment and then to a club called China White to help him celebrate.

China White ended up being a really posh club near Oxford Street, but it was full of Brits. We had a table and some bottle service, which ended up being really fun. Also, a ton of my friends from home were there to help celebrate. A few drinks later, I can definitely say Justin had a 21st birthday worth remembering. By the time I got home and to bed, it was 2:30PM.

March 29th

Today, work was rough. I was exhausted. To make up for it, I pounded coffee all day. Luckily, Danielle spent the day with Natalie while I was gone al day. By the time I got home, the two of us were exhausted and napped. We relaxed and Chris, Danielle and I hung out for the rest of the night.

Danielle and I at Via, with the building in Canary Wharf behind us

Justin and I at China White for his birthday

Danielle and I

This is Justin's friend Molly.

Definitely his 21st birthday...

March 27th

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I woke up at 5:45AM with Chris to go to the gym before work. After a great workout, I felt so refreshed and ready for the day. The first half of the day cruised by, I ran some supplier analysis on excel. At lunch, a few of us decided to sit outside since the weather was so nice. Finally some sun in England! Before today, it kind of seemed like I was in a Twilight movie and surrounded by pale vampires.

The second half of the day was a little rough. I ended up getting really tired once the day wore on, and I had to stay late in order to finish up some work for a deadline. When I got home, I instantly crashed on my bed and slept for a few hours. At this point in my semester, I'm starting to write more and more of my paper. Tonight I had to send out my survey link to around 1,900 people on Facebook. I'm hoping that I get a decent amount of responses so I don't have to find other people to bother about it. I can't wait to be done with this stupid dissertation. On another note, I'm going to Rome, Florence, and Pisa next week for spring break. I couldn't be more excited.

March 24th (Churchill War Rooms & the Tate Modern Museum)

Today was one of the more productive days I've had abroad. I woke up around 10:30AM feeling very refreshed. Josh (my suitemate) and I decided to go see the Churchill War Rooms. Before I came to London, this was one of the things that everyone I talked to recommended doing. Seeing as I love WWII history, I was pretty excited. Josh and I figured if we had enough time, we would also visit the Tate Modern Museum which holds an impressive collection of modern art. To be honest, I don't really like modern art, but my favorite artist, Salvador Dali, was supposed to have a few pieces in the museum.

We took the tube to the Westminster station. I love this part of London (it's where Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill War Rooms are all located). We arrived at the Churchill War Rooms and went down the stairs to the bunker. I was expecting flight after flight of stairs, thinking that the bunker would be deep below the ground. You can imagine my shock when I found out it was just in a basement of a building. I later found out that if a bomb hit directly, the rooms would be wiped out. This meant that if the Germans hit this bunker, it would have knocked out all of Britain's top officials in one swipe.

Walking around the rooms and tunnels ended up being really cool. They left most of the rooms as they were, so it was easy to get a feel for what it must have been like back in the day. This is where Churchill and his wartime cabinet directed WWII, and the stories behind each room were fascinating. By the time we got to the end of the tour, they walked us through the map room. This was my favorite part of the Churchill War Rooms because you could see where the British officials documented the wars on the walls. Each position of British troops as well as other allies and the opposition was documented via pins on the map. The map was covered with thousands of pins and pinholes. It's amazing to think of how the technology has advanced so much since then. The war rooms were quite the site and I loved it!

When we left, the weather was so nice that we decided to take a brief stroll through the park. Everyone was outside and lounging around, trying to take advantage of such a beautiful day. One old man was sitting on a bench and squirrels were across his lap, grabbing peanuts, and then heading to the trees. Josh and I grabbed the tube towards Tate Modern. We walked a few blocks until we finally came to the bankside of the river.

The Tate Modern Museum is located in an old warehouse. It was completely renovated and the inside was pretty cool. We took the escalator upstairs to look at some exhibits and enjoy the view from one of the balconies overlooking the river. I also asked some of the guides where to find Salvador Dali's work. As we searched, we walked through some of the exhibits. Let me preface my experience this by saying I have a great appreciation for artwork. 

Now let me say, this shit wasn't art. It was what I will refer to in this blog as "shart" aka shit art. The Tate Modern was probably the most disappointing experience I've had in London so far. One of the exhibits was actually a pile of dirty laundry (I guess because one of the hipster artists who designed it decided that doing laundry was so rare that it must be put on display). Another piece of art was just a black shower curtain. I know what you're thinking, there must have been some kind of hidden message or art that I missed. I literally stood next to this stupid shower curtain eying it down and meticulously searching for something, but there was absoutely nothing on it!! I thought it was actually pretty pathetic that people decided to put some of this stuff on display.

We finally stumbled upon the Poetry and Dreams section of the museum and saw some Piccasso exhibits. I also found Salvador Dali's piece, which was not one of my favorites by him. At that point, Josh and I decided to hang up our berets and leave the museum. We walked over the Millenium Bridge and past St. Paul's Cathedral. We jumped the bus back home. I napped for a few hours. When I woke up, I cranked out some of my dissertation which is coming along rather nicely.

One of the royal parks next to the Churchill War Rooms

Saturday in the Park (I think it was the 4th of July?)

A hallway inside the War Rooms

Churchill's personal hotline to the US President during WWII. This room was secret, even to those inside the bunker. The door was disguised as a bathroom that was always "occupied"

A concrete slab, reinforced with steel, laid over the bunker to protect from bombs

Josh listening to his audio guide

One of the rooms

Another bedroom for a top official

The Churchill's private dining room

Mrs. Churchill's room

A table for the top most officials meetings

The kitchen

The BBC Broadcasting station

This room held up to 11 secretaries

This room was meant to plan the defense of Britain from a possible German invasion

Concrete tunnel in the bunker

The Map Room

The Map Room

Look at all the little pinholes in this map. That's off the coast of the United States (where German U-Boats were sinking merchant vessels in the Atlantic)

Scoreboard as it last stands during the Battle of Britain

Churchill's room

Look at the stand for his cigars and the cigar bin next to his bed

Where Churchill made some of his rousing speaches

I really like this picture because of its "Britishness". It has Big Ben on the left, Parliament on the right, and a double decker in the foreground.

Some Spencer graffiti on the way to Tate Modern

People just love me I guess

The view of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millenium Bridge from Tate Modern

The River Thames

This was actually one of the few cool exhibits in Tate Modern. I decided to call this the Stairway to Heaven. In this case, heaven was refuge from the rest of the museum's exhibits.

This statue hung itself from the rafters. It beat me to it...

March 23rd

An interesting day at work. I finished a ton of tasks in the morning, but the afternoon was so boring, I couldn't wait for the weekend. That is, until I accidentally deleted a file from Citi's database around 4PM. I didn't think it was a big deal, until I emailed the head of sales asking for the backup copies and having him respond to me that it was Citi's mastercopy. At this point, I was freaking out that I had lost the entire sales division's contact and client lists for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Virtual Card Accounts. Luckily, I called the IT division and they were able to recall the deleted files, saving my ass. Crisis averted.

When I got on the tube home, it was so crowded that I was slammed up against the doors. At the London Bridge station, a gay couple squeezed on the train and somehow snaked their way in front of me. They happened to be rubbing up against me for the next few minutes, wreaking of scotch. On my other side, a couple was making out the entire way.  Let's just say I was hoping the train didn't stop short....

March 20th-21st

So after a great trip to Madrid and a productive Monday, what better way to celebrate then with the Flu! My friend Kevin from home is in town to visit this week, and I've been so sick I haven't been able to leave my apartment. Talk about bad timing. Yesterday, all I had to eat was a half bowl of Ramen noodles. I'm calling it my two day European Diet to make up for all the delicious and high calorie food I've scarfed down while being abroad. The good news is that I'm feeling much better now, just in time for him to leave for Barcelona. I'll see him again in two weeks though when I'm in Rome. For now, I'm going to bed real early to get up for work tomorrow. Keep calm and carry on!

March 15th-March 18th (Madrid)

 So far, I’ve been to seven countries during my brief time here in Europe. After seeing countless historical cities, I can tell you that Madrid is simply amazing. I’m not really sure what was the best part, the history, weather, food, architecture, mujeres, language, nightlife, sangria, or just how many people I knew in the city. Just to add, Spain has had by far the prettiest girls per capita than any other place I’ve been to. The lifestyle is so different than everywhere else I’ve been and it seems like the people move in slow motion. But after a long weekend, Madrid ties London as my two favorite cities abroad.

March 15^th

Chris and I left London midday. I took the day off work, slept in late and ran a few errands. When we left for the airport, the weather was beautiful. Figures that we leave London and the sun comes out. The flight to Madrid was pretty easy and I slept from the moment we took off until the wheels skidded against the Spanish soil. We landed around 8:30pm Madrid time and headed to our friend Rachel’s apartment, where the two of us were staying. Unlike other places, walking around the airport, I was thrilled that I could read the signs in Spanish. By the time we got outside the metro and finally hit los calles, I could tell you Madrid was already doing it for me. Not only was the weather perfect, but the streets were busy, the traffic was on the correct side of the street, and I could communicate people if need be.

 We found Rachel’s pretty easily. It was really good to see her and the few other Wash U girls she lives with in Madrid. Chris and I put our stuff down, and while the girls napped before going out, Chris and I got a quick bite to eat at a restaurant close by. When we returned to the apartment, our friend Remy was also visiting for Wash U’s spring break. After some pre-gaming, we all went to a bar called El Tigre and met up with our friends Will, Drew, another pledge brother of ours named Adam, some of their friends, and a few more Wash U people. Since everyone in Spain is on a delayed schedule, we didn’t even start heading to the bar until 1AM or the clubs until around 2-2:30AM. Each of our nights ended around 6:30AM. Rachel and I got some Mojitos, which came with some delicious tapas.  We also met up with some other friends Wash U guys, Jon, Jeff, and Mikey and two girls, Amanda and Lindsey. After catching up with everyone, we went to one of the famous 7 story clubs called Kapital. This place ended up being really cool, and each floor had a different theme/drink. By 4AM, I couldn’t stop yawning but my friends who were studying in Spain had no problem staying up this late. I ended up going to sleep around 6:30.

March 16^th

Today was one of the more productive days we’ve had in Europe. We woke up around noon to start exploring the city. We took the metro to the Puerta del Sol, which was this cool plaza in the middle of the city. We walked towards El Museo del Prado, which is one of the more famous museums in Madrid. Here, they have tons of really famous art from various artists including El Greco, Francisco de Goya, and Diego Velazquez. This museum was enormous and a bit overwhelming, but I really enjoyed walking through it and seeing some of the work I had studied in my Spanish classes over the years.

After that, we continued to walk throughout the city towards El Parque del Retiro. This is an enormous park that is full of plants, green spaces, statues, memorials, a pool with boating, stands, and other cool things. I really enjoyed this park, but I couldn’t believe how many people were there in the middle of a workday. We walked over to the Monument to Alfonso XII where we sat on the steps in the sun, overlooking the water. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the weather in Spain and just wearing a T-shirt around. At the steps, we met up with Drew’s friend from home, Charlie. Charlie, aka the Chazmanian Devil, ended up being a great asset. Since he had been studying in Spain, he was our acting tour guide and brought us, in an efficient route, through the rest of the city. We snaked through historical plazas, markets, and other cool areas until we ended up near the Palacio Real. The Palacio Real closed at 6PM, and since we were starting to get really hungry, we decided to stop quickly for some Tinto (A wine mixed with sprite) and some bocadillas. The food was awesome, but tiny. Not the best place for someone like me, who sustains himself on disgusting quantities of food that would be illegal in most countries. At this particular restaurant, you have to give your name and they give you the receipt to pick up your food. Upon telling them my name was Spencer, they spelled it “Espenser”. I love Spanish.

After our bite (literally, a bite), we went to take a tour of the Palacio Real. Unfortunately, the last tour was at 5PM, and we showed up at 5:08. No worries, we decided we’d come back tomorrow. We stopped by the front of the palace to snap a few pictures and see the Almudena Cathedral. After that, we walked the streets until we el Mercado de San Miguel. This reminded me of the many food markets in London, but was really cool to experience in yet another European country. After touring the market, we stumbled upon La Plaza Mayor, which is one of the more famous places in the city. In this square, there are dozens of performers who dress funny or perform for tips. There was one guy dressed as a baby, and he would cry and whine until you gave him money. This guy is the type of person who haunts your dreams. Talk about creepy; he looked like the child of the Joker from Batman and Beatle Juice.

After the Plaza Mayor, we walked through some more sites until we came upon Charlie’s favorite pastry shop. We all tried a few different Spanish desserts, including Torrijas, which is egg soaked bread, fried overnight and seasoned with Cinnamon. When we finished stuffing our faces, we walked outside and I saw a McDonald’s. Of course I stopped in to compare it to the other McDonald’s in each country. What can I say; I’m a growing boy. The fries were simply not as good. After this, we picked up some Cuban cigars and walked to these Egyptian ruins. The ruins are on a cliff overlooking the city and it’s a great place to watch the sunset. We sat down, lit up some stogies and soaked in the beautiful views around us. By the time the sunset, we hopped on the Metro back to Rachel’s for a power nap. We napped. That night, we went to a series of Tapas bars and tried all different types, including Chorizo, Jamón, Cod, Pollo, and a few more while also sampling some sangria and Spanish wine... so tasty! After that, we headed to another large club called Joy. In my opinion, this club wasn’t as cool as the first one, but it was still a fun and extremely late night.

March 17^th

Today is my half-birthday, twenty-one and a half, funny how time flies. In my honor, people across the world dress up in Green, drink a ton of Guinness, and celebrate in the streets. Chris and I started our day around 1 when we decided to take an English walking tour. This tour took us to most of the sites we saw the day before, but the tour guide walked us through the history and meaning behind each of the things, which made it a little more special. One of the highlights of the tour was stopping by the world’s oldest operating restaurant. Halfway through the tour, there was a break, so we left and met up with our friends. Teddy got in town today, so we met up with him too before walking around. We went back to the Palacio Real to get a tour of the inside. The Palacio Real is the largest palace in Western Europe. It has over 2,800 rooms. The tour only takes you through about 50 of the rooms, but I’m really glad we did because it was spectacular. Each room had its own theme and the most intricate details. After going inside the palace, we walked through the Royal Armory to see some of the weapons and armor that used to be used.

When we finished walking through the palace, we headed back to El Parque del Retiro to meet up with Adam, Jon, Jeff, and Mikey. The ten of us hung out on the steps, drinking some Sangria, eating some peanuts and taking in some sun. I can’t get over the lifestyle here. Everyone is so lazy and all they do is relax! Madrid is so different than London in everyway. After walking through the park, we went back to Rachel’s and napped. After our nap, we packed our stuff for the airport the next day, and left to meet the other guys at a restaurant. We all sat down and had a two-hour dinner. This was one of the favorite parts of my trip because it was so good to be with friends. One thing I’ve learned about touring Europe is that its no where you go or what you see, but who you go with. I’m glad I could have so many friends experiencing everything with me. After dinner, we again went out and returned to Kapital.

I had the best night. I ended up meeting a ton of people and having pretty extensive conversations in Spanish. My friends who were studying in Spain were surprised at how much I knew, so I have to give some props to all those Senoritas who attempted to correct my American accent in all of those Spanish classes over the years. Around 5AM, we all left the club to grab some late night food. We hung out awhile at a Kebab restaurant before saying goodbye to everyone. Teddy was headed back to Paris, Chris and I to London, Will and Drew to the States, and the other guys were staying in Spain. What a worldly crew!

March 18th

By the time we fell asleep, we were waking up an hour later to head to the airport. Early start to the day, but definitely worth the awesome weekend we just had. So glad I went but now I’m dreading that ever-looming research paper I need to write. Like the Spanish would say, I’ll get to it Mañana, Mañana. Ciao for now- Espenser (Imagine that in a silky smooth Spanish accent)

Plaza del Sol

Plaza del Sol

We thought this was a palace until my friend told me it was a Post Office. Oops!

Mueso del Prado

Chris, Will, Drew and I

Chris, Will, Drew and I

Museo del Prado

A Church next to el Museo del Prado

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro

Monument to Alfonso XII in el Parque del Retiro

Drew and I

Chris and I

Francisco de Goya outside of el Museo del Prado

Chris and Drew

Bacci ball in the park

Egyptian Ruins before sunset

Egyptian ruins before sunset

Top of the hill, near the Egyptian Ruins, before sunset

Palacio Real and the Almudena Cathedral

View of Madrid

Chris, Will, Drew, and I overlooking the city

Charlie, Drew, Will and I smoking some Cubans

Charlie, Drew, Will and I smoking some Cubans. Just ignore my hands in this one.

Spain's finest Bidet

Sunset

Sunset over the city

Egyptian Ruins after sunset

Imagine this old guy just flopping around in his little short shorts. Who doesn't love Europe??

The World's Oldest Operating Restuarant

Memorial for the 2nd Largest Terrorist Attack in Spain

A wedding at the Church

The wedding

Almudena Cathedral

Inside the Almudena Cathedral

Inside the Almudena Cathedral

Inside the Almudena Cathedral

Inside the Almudena Cathedral

The Organ Inside the Almudena Cathedral

Inside the Almudena Cathedral

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

View from the Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Palacio Real with the Almudena Cathedral in the background

Front door of the Palacio Real

Inside the Palacio Real, I had to sneak pictures inside

Inside the Palacio Real

Inside the Palacio Real

Teddy and Will

Teddy, Drew, Will, Chris, and I. We did this pose once at platform 9 and 3/4, so we started doing it all over Europe. You should see the looks we get from people as they pass by.

The Sig Ep boys outside the Palacio Real

My friend Mikey dancing with an old homeless guy in el Parque del Retiro

Sig Ep boys en los calles de Madrid (Will, Me, Adam, and Chris)

Top: Jon, Charlie, Drew, Teddy, Jeff, Adam

Bottom: Me, Chris and Mikey

Top: Chris, Charlie (Chazmanian Devil), Adam, Jeff, Will, Jon

Bottom: Teddy, Drew, Me and Mikey

Top: Chris, Charlie (Chazmanian Devil), Adam, Jeff, Will, Jon

Bottom: Teddy, Drew, Me and Mikey

Chris, Charlie, Mikey and Drew feeding the fish

The Wash U crew. Chris, Will, Mikey, Jeff, Jon, Adam, Drew, Teddy and I.

Crystal Palace in el Parque del Retiro

Look at that European flow. Mr. Flowmax

Street performers

ESPENSER!!!!!

Bocadillo y Tinto

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Almudena Cathedral

Almudena Cathedral

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Palacio Real

Chris, Drew, Will and I outside the Palacio Real

Almudena Cathedral

Old Town Square

Mercado de San Miguel

Inside el Mercado de San Miguel

Plaza Mayor

Street performer

Creep baby

Creepy baby with Chris. Look how scared he is!

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

Will, Chris and Drew in Plaza Mayor

Los Postres

Los Postres

So good! Chocolate with chocolate pudding in the inside