# Studying at London Business School 1 October 8, 2012Kirsti Lee ![](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_038073.gif?itok=wm99ppVQ) MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School. > I was very excited to land in London on September 4. It marked the beginning of new friendships, exploration and self-discovery. I was very excited to land in London on September 4, 2012. It marked the beginning of new friendships, exploration and self-discovery. I flew red-eye and was greeted with a warm welcome from my host, a fellow London Business School MBA 2013 student. He gave me a tour of the school, and I got my photo taken for my ID. From the grin of my face in the photo, I was extremely happy to become a part of the LBS community. ![1MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038081.gif) London Business School has a small self-contained campus, but it happens to border one of London’s largest and most beautiful parks, Regent’s Park: ![2MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038082.gif) London pubs offer some of the tastiest ciders around. The cider (below) is an exotic combination of apple & black current. Apparently, some ciders are seasonal, and the one pictured is a very popular summer cider: ![3MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038083.gif) I had about 2 weeks to spend travelling before school started, so I used this time to visit my family in Paris. Immediately after getting off the Eurostar, I was lifted into a gastronomic heaven and feasted on fois gras, escargot, steak tartare, French onion soup and a whole host of wines and cheeses during my stay: ![4MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038084.gif) Macarons are very popular in Paris – they are a staple on the McDonald’s menu (below). Although these macarons may look as good as those offered in Parisian patisseries, they did not have the same consistency or taste. ![5MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038085.gif) From Paris, I travelled by train to Cannes, where I was greeted by fancy yachts and upscale shops. I felt a bit star-struck, and in the photo (below), I am beside Angelina Jolie’s handprint: ![6MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038086.gif) Next, I travelled to Cinque Terre, “The Five Lands,” which comprises of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. The beauty of Cinque Terre left me speechless. ![body 7 Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business article](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038075.gif) There is an option to travel by boat, train or hike from one city to another. I travelled by boat to the furthest city, Monterroso al Mare and spent a day soaking up the sun on the beach. That evening, I walked the “Via Dell’Amore” (the Way of Love), a pedestrian street overlooking the sea, which links the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. This was an easy 25-minute walk on a paved road that offered some amazing costal views. On this route, young lovers, wanting to seal their love, write their names on the padlocks and attach them to wire mesh: ![8MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038087.gif) Thinking that all hikes would be as easy as the one from the day before, I decided to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. I was not properly equipped for this hike, as it turned out to be a fairly strenuous 1.5-2 hour hike, with steep inclines. On this route, I also found some padlocks reminding me of “Via Dell’Amore.” As the hike drew to an end, I was greeted by Vernazza’s colorful harbor: ![9MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038088.gif) I continued with my obsession of coastal towns and took the train down through southern Italy, where I explored Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri. Positano was also very beautiful; however, its landscape was marred by a recent drought, leaving much of the land arid: ![10 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038089.gif) I absolutely loved the coastal town of Sorrento, known for its sea cliffs and limoncello liqueur. I only had a few hours to spend here, but plan to re-visit in the near future: ![11 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038090.gif) ![12 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038091.gif) ![13 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038092.gif) Having spent several years devoted to the study of Latin scriptures, I was very excited to explore the ruins of Pompeii, a city destructed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79: ![14 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038093.gif) In the last leg of my journey, I took a boat to Capri, which offered spectacular views, wonderful hikes, high-end shops and delicious granite (ice-slush). ![15 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038094.gif) ![16 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038096.gif) ![17 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038097.gif) From Capri, I took a bus to Anacapri, which sits at a much higher elevation. At Anacapri, I took a chair lift, not uncommon to those offered at ski resorts, and soaked in its beauty: ![18 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038098.gif) I ended my trip with a glass of limoncello – it was a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation. I am looking forward to my semester at LBS! ![19 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038099.gif)### View More MBA Global Student Blogs - [Four Weeks of Cheese and Wine](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/four-weeks-cheese-and-wine) - [Studying Abroad at London Business School](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/studying-abroad-london-business-school) - [Vive La France](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/erin-aarsvold-study-abroad) - [Semester Abroad in Shanghai](/node/7869) - [Study Abroad in London](/node/7689) - [Studying Abroad in Hong Kong at HKUST](/node/7508) - [Studying Abroad in Barcelona](/node/6383) - [Studying in Seoul](/node/6796) - [Studying at London Business School](/node/6288) - [Global Exchange Program in China](/node/6166) - [A Spanish Dream Come True](/node/5295) - [Semester in Hong Kong](/node/46447) - [A Semester Abroad in China](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/erica-birmingham-china3) - [Making a Social Impact in India](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/UAT_026290) - [Supporting Entrepreneurship in Chile](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/global/CON_031188)