DU Abroad

There are a lot of stereotypically British things: beans on toast, a proper cup of tea, the BBC, a Sunday Roast, queuing, a pint at the pub after work. Something British that speaks to me in particular is a nice, long, warm trench coat in the colder months.

Going to work? Trench. Going to uni? Trench. Going to the gym? Trench. Going to the pub? Trench. Seeing a show on the West End? Trench. Going to Sainsbury’s for five minutes for a carton of eggs? Trench.

More lights near Covent Garden — Another mandatory picture of more lights, this time not too far from Covent Garden.

The trench coat as we know it today has its origins in the early 1900s, created by Burberry just at the start of the first World War. Designed for British Army officers, it gained the name of the “trench” coat for its usage in the trenches during the war. After officers came home, it became a popular civilian staple.

While Brits are no longer wearing trench coats in actual trenches, they still weather the battles of London weather in November. Cold, windy, dark, depressing. So, on walks down Oxford Street or through Shoreditch, trench coats are a more common sight than a red double-decker bus.

After seeing everyone and their mom, dad, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, and grandpas, wearing a trench coat every day, I caved and bought one. I got mine from Abercrombie and Fitch, which is an American brand, but has a much nicer selection in the UK (not as many sweatshirts and sweatpants so beloved by Americans). I’ve been wearing it nonstop since I got it; it’s warm, and it makes me feel like I’m Sherlock Holmes on my way to solve a mystery on Bond Street. Here’s some advice for anyone interested in getting a trench coat: do not, and I repeat, DO NOT buy trench coats made of polyester. Paying for a coat that is mainly made of polyester is essentially like paying to wear a plastic bottle all day. And for over 100 quid, you are being ripped off by Zara or H&M for a coat that won’t even keep you warm. In a coat, look for at least 50%+ wool, and make sure it has a lining inside to trap heat and prevent it from having too much friction against your interior clothes. Anything above 80% wool is definitely going to be out of the price range for most university students, unless your parents are known for donating buildings to private schools for dachshunds in Kensington and Chelsea. Also consider the color; black might have the issue of getting white fibers/fuzz on it and need to be rolled with a lint roller more often, while white might have the same issue with dark spots. Mine is espresso brown, so if I spill a little bit of coffee or Diet Coke on it, no one will ever know.

me and cappuccino — Bar Italia in Soho. With the trench coat in question.

On coffee: please stop at Bar Italia in Soho’s little Italy if you are ever in London. Chef Anthony Bourdain said Bar Italia is “the best cup of coffee… or damn near close to it.” And it’s true. The cappuccino I had outside, in my new trench coat, enjoying the passerby, was so very marvelous. To be honest, coffee in London is… generally just okay. It feels like the concept of coffee, or like someone tried to make coffee without any actual coffee beans—it’s not horrible, but it’s not amazing either. I would argue that the coffee in America, and the rest of continental Europe, is better. Which is ironic, considering that the British colonized a vast majority of coffee-producing countries and somehow don’t quite know how to use the beans (same thing with spices; Brits aren’t exactly known for their tolerance of flavor-packed cuisine). But nonetheless, Bar Italia makes a memorable drink.

Across from Bar Italia is Ronnie Scott’s, a famous jazz club in London that has been operating since 1959. It has a mutually beneficial existence with Bar Italia: get an espresso before the show, sway to some jazz all night, exit the club and stumble across the street once more for their house tiramisu before hopping on the night tube home. A nice cappuccino and a night out helps to alleviate the cruelty of the world, even if only for a little while.

Tractors — Imagine my surprise when I walked out of Oxford Circus Station, only to see tractors rolling down Regent Street, honking their horns on full blast. With the unveiling of the government’s budget, a new proposal to introduce a 20% inheritance tax on agricultural land and businesses worth more than £1m from April 2026 obviously upset UK farmers. So, they took to the streets. I can’t remember the last time I saw a tractor, actually.

In other news, my birthday was just this last weekend! One only turns 20 in London once. I don’t have much to say other than that I feel prehistoric. But, I did receive a really sweet surprise from my flatmates, who ominously summoned me into the kitchen and presented me with a little set of cupcakes and a card they had gotten from Waitrose. I also bought my trench coat as a gift to myself in Battersea Power Station, and had a nice drink at a vinyl-cafe-bar-thing in Brick Lane. Not bad.

Thank you again for reading, and happy Thanksgiving!

Alexandra

When you go abroad, people will do everything they can to convince you not to let anyone visit you because it’ll be hard to leave them again. This is true, no doubt, but I’m here to tell you not to listen to these people. If you have the privilege and opportunity to get friends or family to visit you for a few days, do it.

My boyfriend and his mom visited me this past week. I have been looking forward to this for so long, but it was also bittersweet knowing that after they left, my experience would be nearly done. That second goodbye still hurts, I can’t lie about that, but it was worth it a hundred times over to be able to experience some of this with the person I love.

I’ve explained to people in my life how lonely I can be sometimes, especially in the mornings when I know I can’t talk to anyone at home until they wake up, which is the late afternoon for me. Having a week where I knew I never had to be alone was something I didn’t realize I really needed until I got it. They were here for a little less than a week and have given me some of my favorite abroad memories.

Here are some of the highlights from each day:

Day 1:

After a full travel day, they finally arrived in Scotland! I could tell how exhausted they were from the second I saw them, and remembering how I felt when I arrived, I decided to take it easy on them. We did a short tour of the University of Glasgow, where we took photos in the infamous cloisters, which are beautifully lit up for Christmas.

The university is a big tourist spot, so there are always dozens of people walking around and taking pictures even during the school day, which I find funny now that I was one of those people.

I then took them to my favorite little food spot, which I highly recommend to anyone in Glasgow, called Derby Lane. It was a hit, but they were almost too tired to get through the meal. The day ended there, and I let them go to bed early, knowing we had to be up with the sun in the morning to begin our 3-day Isle of Skye tour.

Days 2-4:

We woke up bright and early and made our way to the bus station to get picked up by our tour guides. While I’m not a huge fan of being stuck on road trips with touristy strangers, I really loved these tour guides and the little fun facts they kept giving us about Scotland.

We saw the classics: Glencoe, Loch Lomond, and Fort William in the Highlands, which I’ve seen before, but it was fun seeing them experience these things for the first time. We finally made it up to Skye at around dinner time to the town of Portree, where we would be staying for the next two nights.

I tried fish and chips for the first time, which I know was way overdue. I shockingly loved every bite. I found it funny seeing my boyfriend struggle with all the same stuff I did when I first got here, like not knowing you have to flip all the outlets on in order to charge anything, or realizing that the jokes about the food being bad here aren’t really jokes at all.

We spent the next day sightseeing and beginning to realize how beautiful the island truly is. I saw the first bits of snow on the tops of some of the mountains, and it was very foggy, which I hadn’t seen much of up until this point.

My favorite part of this entire trip was when we got to Sartle. It was so beautiful, but the wind was seriously almost strong enough to knock me over. I had always seen videos of people talking about how crazy the wind was, but actually experiencing it was so much fun. We were just laughing the entire time, having to scream to hear each other. I’ll never forget standing in front of this insanely gorgeous view while the cold wind froze a smile on my face.

We also saw one of the famous black sand beaches, where we found a crab and some shells as we walked along. We got lucky that it didn’t rain much over the days we were there, but the wind was once again almost too strong. We then saw a waterfall and got a perfect view of the sunset by the Old Man of Storr, which was just breathtaking.

For our final day there, we made our way back, hitting up a castle or two on the way. My boyfriend tried Irn Bru, which I’m surprised he really enjoyed, and we attempted to have a traditional Scottish breakfast at the hotel, but I fear I am not as brave as I wanted to be.

Our last stop was easily the best. Not too far from Glasgow, we found a little place with highland cows that you were able to feed grain to. I’m not even being dramatic when I say this was the best moment of my life. These cows were hungry, and one tried to bite my finger off, but I loved every second of it.

Day 5:

We went on an Outlander tour! My boyfriend has no idea what this show is, but his mom and I are raging fans. We took tours of many filming locations, including my favorite, Doune Castle. This time of year is really difficult for day tours since it gets dark at about 4 pm, but it was very fun, and I can’t wait to rewatch the show once again and be able to say I was there.

Day 6:

No Scotland trip is complete, of course, until you go to Edinburgh. We took the train to the Waverley station in Edinburgh to see the Royal Mile, Victoria Street, and the Christmas market, which had just recently been put up, and I hadn’t gotten to see yet.

We walked, and walked, and walked the streets with all those stairs and windy roads I’ve come to not be a big fan of. Something that I had seen a while ago on TikTok was this experience where you could make your own Harris Tweed purse. I have been obsessed and wanting to do it for months, so we booked a workshop! My boyfriend’s mom and I made our bags while he explored the city a little more until it got dark and became prime time to see the market. Thankfully, the admission was free, and since we went on a weeknight, it wasn’t too packed at all.

I might actually be braver than I seemed earlier because I tried haggis for the first time on some pizza. Everyone makes it out to be this nasty, scary thing, but I loved it! I can now happily say I have tried it and truly gotten that full Scotland experience.

We toasted some marshmallows and rode the giant Ferris Wheel before hopping back on the train to Glasgow and spending our last night together.

Day 7:

We woke up disgustingly early to ensure they could catch their flight. I had to keep reminding myself I would see him soon again, but saying goodbye to him wasn’t easier the second time. It also sucked knowing that he got to go home, and I still have a few weeks left. The FOMO was definitely at an all-time high.

I’m getting to the point where I’m feeling every emotion all at once and don’t quite know how to feel. I want to go home, but I also love it here and wish I could stay longer at the same time. Having a piece of home and getting to share experiences with my favorite person was something I am so glad I got.

I’ve learned to enjoy my own company and be content being alone and doing things for me, but having these pictures and moments with people I care about make it even better. While it was hard letting him go and not jumping on that plane with him back home, I am so glad I got the opportunity to show my boyfriend around my second home.

❤

The Trench Coat of Infinite Swag and Coolness

Nobody Prepares You to Say Goodbye Twice