May 3, 2010
So, I’m sitting in Heathrow Airport, drinking a coffee, and watching the departures board for my terminal number to finally appear. I got here an hour before the airport even opened (4AM!) and have been waiting and reading my book and drinking too much coffee all morning. What a long day this is going to be. And seeing that I have no internet, by the time I post this, I will be home. So odd to think that this is all done. As my bus drove me to the airport this morning, a saw a few things that I saw the first day we got here. This funny memorial out in Hounslow and the Heathrow welcome sign. It seems like so long ago. And it doesn’t seem like the time flew by. I feel like I’ve been here forever. I’ve seen and done more things than I can remember and I wouldn’t change a thing.
These past couple of days, I’ve been traveling with Viv, visiting her many relatives in England. They were just amazing and so nice. Planned fun things for us to do, paid for every meal and our bed and breakfast stay. We had tea and lunch at a nice restaurant the first day we arrived (Friday). Fresh off the train from Edinburgh, they hugged and welcomed us like we’d been friends forever. Viv hadn’t actually seen them since middle school, but it didn’t matter. They live in Middlesbourough, which is about three hours north of London. The weather wasn’t always nice, but the area was very much like Madison, I thought. Quite a few people, but still felt like a small town. We ate at this great pub the first night. Viv and I split fish and chips! And then they introduced us to Ugly Dolls, which are these stuffed animals that are just the ugliest concoction of facial features and limps. My favorite was named Wedge Head. He was blue with a triangle shaped head and body, one eye and a huge smile. And all the kids collected them, so there were about a million to laugh at.
Saturday, we watched Viv’s cousin play football (I can finally start calling it soccer again soon) in the morning and then we all headed to York. Another beautiful English town! A huge cathedral to check out and a million little shops. We bought fudge, of course. And then our time came to an end. Viv is coming back next summer with her family for a few weeks, so she will visit these cousins again. But I had a hard time saying goodbye. They were so nice to us. I bought them a thank you card when I got back to London and I have to find a postbox to mail it today.
And yesterday, Viv and I just laid low in her aunt’s house for the day. It was a miserable day, weather-wise. Rainy, super windy, and cold, of course. Thanks for the send off England! We visited one last art exhibit at the Royal College of Arts. I can’t wait to get back to my art classes after a semester without. I actually had to write papers and take tests this semester!?! But at around 6, I said goodbye to Viv (she is staying for another few weeks) and then got on the Piccadilly Line tube headed for Heathrow. Once at Heathrow, I caught a shuttle to my hotel for the night. Slept pretty good, but had to get up this morning at 3AM… need more coffee.
So, this is my last post. Kinda sad, but exciting too. I feel like I’ve used those two words to describe everything these last couple weeks – sad and excited at the same time. I know I’ll be coming back someday, so I’m trying not to be too upset with leaving. God, I don’t even know what to say. Thanks for reading this crazy blog and following me on this crazy adventure. I plan on making some kind of a huge scrapbook this summer, and I think I’ll print all these entries out and put them in there. I guess I’ll see everyone in Ellsworth!
Goodbye London! I’ll miss you!
Love,
Kelly
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Hikes and Sights
April 30, 2010
Well, I’m on a train back to England. And it is really hard to type crammed in this seat with my computer turned down to absolutely zero contrast to conserve battery and the train rolling around on the tracks. But I have to tell you about Edinburgh. I loved it! Viv and I concluded on the last day of our vacation that it was the city of sights, smells, and stairs. My legs are exhausted, my sinuses clear, and I have more panoramic pictures on my camera than anyone should ever have. Back to England, a quick stop to visit Viv’s cousins, and then London. My absolute last day. And I’m not really sad. Just excited to get home. Ask me after a week of living with Judy’s constant questions, sharing a car with the fam (no Tube!), and no digestives and I might say otherwise. But for right now, I’m super excited to see everyone and just relax.
Okay, Wednesday was a busy day. We woke up early and met our friend Laurel from London and her mom, who were also in Edinburgh for the week. We hopped on a tour bus bound for the decommissioned Royal Yacht, Britannia. The yacht and the tour were pretty interesting. We sat in the sunroom where Queen Elizabeth loved to take her tea in the morning as she traveled the globe, saw the piano where Diana loved to play after supper, and ate fudge that was Prince Harry’s favorite. They still make it for all the tourists. It was delicious. After the tour, we sat down for tea at the restaurant aboard the ship. Laurel’s mom, Lisa bought us all lunch and it was so nice of her!
After the yacht, we split from Laurel and Lisa when Viv and I headed for the Palace at Holyroodhouse. Yes, that is all one word. I’ve been stumbling over the pronunciation all week. Anyway, this is the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh, but even better, this is where Mary, Queen of Scots lived during her crazy reign as queen. I’m reading a book about her right now, so it was pretty interesting to actually see some of the places described in the book. There was this massive bed that belonged to her second husband that was just ridiculously decorated. Pretty much gold, lace, stain and big rubies. And the gardens around the palace were so pretty. Too bad the wind was crazy and kept blowing up my skirt! Oh, and the ruins of this old abbey were the best part. Straight out of a movie. There was no ceiling, just old pillars, some stone walls, and a frame of a giant stained-glass window that had been blown out.
So we started to head back to our hostel after that tour, but then decided to climb Calton Hill for some reason. This hill, more like a mountain, sits right in the middle of town and has about a dozen monuments to people or battles on top of it. Panting and tired, we finally reached the top. It was amazing! We could see everything. The entire city, the sea, the rolling hills. B-E-A-UTIFUL! We had to sit down for a while to recover and enjoy the view. Probably the best part of our trip.
After that excursion, we headed back to the hostel to collect my laptop and headed to Starbucks for free internet! Of course, we watched Glee illegally off the web. We are addicted. And then ate some Indian food for supper. Pretty good day if you ask me!
All right, Thursday was pretty much the same things. More walking, more castles, and more Starbucks. We got to the Edinburgh Castle just as it opened and were the first ones in. What good tourists we are! The castle reminded me a lot of the Tower of London – a huge stole wall surrounding a bunch of little towers and courtyards. Everything revolved around war or the military. Not as exciting as the Mary Queen of Scots drama, but still good. Everyone there wore kilts and everywhere we went we heard the Scottish national anthem or bagpipes. How patriotic! More good views as we looked over the sides of the wall. Literally, this castle sits on the highest point in Edinburgh so you can see everything. Unfortunately, the wind was crazy, so in every pictures my hair is all over… not cool. After checking out the gift shop, we headed back to the hostel for some warmer clothes. Who knew Scotland was cold?
Next was a long hike to the west side of town for the Scotland Museum of Modern Art and the Dean’s Gallery. Both were good. I can honestly say, that I have gotten sick of looking at art. For now, at least. A long walk back followed by a nap and some coffee at Starbucks put me in a good mood. More free internet and then an early bed time.
And today, we are currently on our way to Darlington. I said goodbye to Edinburgh and Scotland. Hopefully, I’ll be back some day. But as of right now, I can only think about getting home. Have I mentioned how excited I am??
Love,
Kelly
Well, I’m on a train back to England. And it is really hard to type crammed in this seat with my computer turned down to absolutely zero contrast to conserve battery and the train rolling around on the tracks. But I have to tell you about Edinburgh. I loved it! Viv and I concluded on the last day of our vacation that it was the city of sights, smells, and stairs. My legs are exhausted, my sinuses clear, and I have more panoramic pictures on my camera than anyone should ever have. Back to England, a quick stop to visit Viv’s cousins, and then London. My absolute last day. And I’m not really sad. Just excited to get home. Ask me after a week of living with Judy’s constant questions, sharing a car with the fam (no Tube!), and no digestives and I might say otherwise. But for right now, I’m super excited to see everyone and just relax.
Okay, Wednesday was a busy day. We woke up early and met our friend Laurel from London and her mom, who were also in Edinburgh for the week. We hopped on a tour bus bound for the decommissioned Royal Yacht, Britannia. The yacht and the tour were pretty interesting. We sat in the sunroom where Queen Elizabeth loved to take her tea in the morning as she traveled the globe, saw the piano where Diana loved to play after supper, and ate fudge that was Prince Harry’s favorite. They still make it for all the tourists. It was delicious. After the tour, we sat down for tea at the restaurant aboard the ship. Laurel’s mom, Lisa bought us all lunch and it was so nice of her!
After the yacht, we split from Laurel and Lisa when Viv and I headed for the Palace at Holyroodhouse. Yes, that is all one word. I’ve been stumbling over the pronunciation all week. Anyway, this is the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh, but even better, this is where Mary, Queen of Scots lived during her crazy reign as queen. I’m reading a book about her right now, so it was pretty interesting to actually see some of the places described in the book. There was this massive bed that belonged to her second husband that was just ridiculously decorated. Pretty much gold, lace, stain and big rubies. And the gardens around the palace were so pretty. Too bad the wind was crazy and kept blowing up my skirt! Oh, and the ruins of this old abbey were the best part. Straight out of a movie. There was no ceiling, just old pillars, some stone walls, and a frame of a giant stained-glass window that had been blown out.
So we started to head back to our hostel after that tour, but then decided to climb Calton Hill for some reason. This hill, more like a mountain, sits right in the middle of town and has about a dozen monuments to people or battles on top of it. Panting and tired, we finally reached the top. It was amazing! We could see everything. The entire city, the sea, the rolling hills. B-E-A-UTIFUL! We had to sit down for a while to recover and enjoy the view. Probably the best part of our trip.
After that excursion, we headed back to the hostel to collect my laptop and headed to Starbucks for free internet! Of course, we watched Glee illegally off the web. We are addicted. And then ate some Indian food for supper. Pretty good day if you ask me!
All right, Thursday was pretty much the same things. More walking, more castles, and more Starbucks. We got to the Edinburgh Castle just as it opened and were the first ones in. What good tourists we are! The castle reminded me a lot of the Tower of London – a huge stole wall surrounding a bunch of little towers and courtyards. Everything revolved around war or the military. Not as exciting as the Mary Queen of Scots drama, but still good. Everyone there wore kilts and everywhere we went we heard the Scottish national anthem or bagpipes. How patriotic! More good views as we looked over the sides of the wall. Literally, this castle sits on the highest point in Edinburgh so you can see everything. Unfortunately, the wind was crazy, so in every pictures my hair is all over… not cool. After checking out the gift shop, we headed back to the hostel for some warmer clothes. Who knew Scotland was cold?
Next was a long hike to the west side of town for the Scotland Museum of Modern Art and the Dean’s Gallery. Both were good. I can honestly say, that I have gotten sick of looking at art. For now, at least. A long walk back followed by a nap and some coffee at Starbucks put me in a good mood. More free internet and then an early bed time.
And today, we are currently on our way to Darlington. I said goodbye to Edinburgh and Scotland. Hopefully, I’ll be back some day. But as of right now, I can only think about getting home. Have I mentioned how excited I am??
Love,
Kelly
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lions and Last Goodbyes
April 27, 2010
I’m in Edinburgh! I said goodbye to my flat, one of my roommates, my big suitcase, and London… well, I’ll be back in London on Sunday, but it just won’t be the same. Honestly, this entire week, I’ve been dreading leaving this amazing place. But now that I’ve packed everything up and moved out, I’m more resolved to coming home and having an awesome summer. Seriously, can’t wait for that flight out of Heathrow on Monday morning and seeing everyone when I get home. Ah, only one week. Well, six days now!
So, my last two days in London were pretty boring in comparison to all the crazy things I’ve done this semester. On Sunday, Viv and I arrived at Chelsea Old Town Hall at 11AM sharp for a local art fair. We paid our five pounds and had a really good time. A lot of local artists and galleries that loved to talk with us meager art students. Next, was Spitalfields Market. Again. I can finally say that I have worn out that place and I can’t find anything new to look at or buy. One of the vendor guys even recognized me…. But it was my last time. I said goodbye and headed for Brick Land. We ate Indian for lunch at Aladin. Again. Doing all my favorite things one last time. Problem is, I have too many favorites. Lunch was good. And so was shopping around Piccadilly afterwards. Souvenir shopping is so great. So many stupid things I’ll never use, but will look awesome on a shelf somewhere, collecting dust. Waterstones bookstore (the UK’s version of Barnes and Noble) sucked me in once again. Debated getting three books for the price of two (a special they run), but then I realized that I have absolutely no room in my backpack or suitcase. Had to leave them behind and settle for the other hundred books I bought here. No way my suitcase is making that 50 pound limit. It’s going to be interesting at that airport check-in desk on Monday morning…
So, after a full day of redoing the things I love, I packed. And it sucked. Dumb me put on some sad music and things just got worse from there. Not only did nothing fit, but I absolutely loathe packing. Does anyone enjoy it? It is comparable to how much I hate doing laundry. Ugh. But once packing was done, everything got a little better. I started to get excited to go to Edinburgh and then come home.
Monday… Not-Fun-Day. To begin with anyway. Viv and I hauled out overweight suitcases to her aunt’s house just outside of London. We are storing them there until we get back from Edinburgh. 70 pounds of clothes, books, and souvenirs + crowded Piccadilly Tube + hottest day since we’ve been here = one crabby, soar Kelly. Seriously, my calves and shoulders are still burning today. I’m a wimp. Anyway, we got to her aunt Janis’s house eventually. Not only did she take our luggage, but she fed us! Relatives are the best!
After that adventure, we were a bit tired so we planned to go back to our empty, quiet flat for some relaxing. However, Leicester Square called our name, mainly the half-price ticket booth, and we got off for a bit of a look at that night’s theatre offerings. We found 20 pound tickets! To Legally Blonde… Now, I did not really want to go to this musical. Not something I was really dying to see, but Viv and Hal were set, so I decided why not? It is our last night in London and I love musicals. This one can’t be that bad… We walk into the theatre and we find our seats. When we purchased them, the ticket guy told us we were on the upper circle, eight rows from the front. Great, right? Wrong. He failed to tell us that they were four rows from the very last, farthest back seats in the theatre, on the highest balcony. Could barely see. The actors were maybe a half-inch tall if I held out my hand and measured them between my thumb and first finger… So, at intermission, we moved up a bit and things got better. Now, just because our seats were bad, doesn’t mean the musical sucked. IT WAS AWESOME. Seriously so funny. The girl that played Elle was amazing and my favorite part was the FedEx guy. And they did this funny river dance and yodeled, I think. Ah, I almost died laughing. Even better than the movie, which I love by the way.
So, after the show, we did the last thing I wanted to do before leaving London. The thing I’ve been planning to do since the beginning and would have cried if I had missed it. We, mainly me, climbed up onto the giant lion statues in Trafalgar Square. Best night ever. I took pictures and just smiled my heart out. If I ever did anything worthy of note in London, it was climbing atop the lions… pictures will be on facebook soon!
Today, Tuesday, we got up early for our train to Edinburgh. I said goodbye to my trusty bunk bed. Always so creaky and rock hard. Goodbye to our room, 3C. Where everyone stopped on their way to their own room or the kitchen to say hello. And finally, 37 Hyde Park Gate, our flat. Seriously, best semester ever.
We got to King’s Cross in plenty of time, thankfully, because there was already a huge line for our train! One more goodbye before we went to stand in line, this one for Hal. She is flying out of London tomorrow to meet her parents in Florence. Going to miss her so much. Seriously the funniest, most entertaining, and most considerate person. Going to miss her. Until I see her all the time next semester in Madison!
Eventually we got on our train. The ride was long (four and a half hours) but good. I finished my latest British historical novel en route. I’m seriously obsessed. Philippa Gregory and Allison Weir, quit sucking me in! I don’t have time to sit around and read your books! I’ve got things to do, museums to see, pictures to take, lions to climb!
I’ve gotten so off topic this whole blog. I think it’s Edinburgh. There is something funny in the air here. No, I love Edinburgh. First, it is beautiful, of course. What British city/town isn’t? Everything is situated around this odd valley that houses the train station. There is the massive Edinburgh Castle and a hundred ancient, mesmerizing buildings surrounding it. So pretty! And we are located just by the Royal Mile, where the entire town in built up and there are all these different layers of streets and buildings and stairs. You enter a building on the street level, only to find out you are on the fifth floor and there is an entire alleyway or something below. I’m not sure how to explain it right, but it is really cool. And very easy to get lost in.
We found our hostel first thing and then set out to see the sights of Edinburgh. First, there was the Royal Mile. Mostly shopping and touristy stuff, which we skipped for the most part. Both of us can’t shop anymore. No money and no room in our suitcases. Next, of course, was the National Gallery of Scotland. Not as exciting as the one in London, but still good. I can never turn down free art. And after that, the Museum of Scotland. It is open late on Mondays so we thought, why not? Surprisingly, this one was pretty interesting. We saw a replica of the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots. I’m reading a book about her right now, so that was cool. Also, we saw a guillotine. So creepy. Beheadings are almost comical in the UK, but this was just chilling. And then we found a giant catapult. Seriously, this thing was huge! Three-stories tall! It was awesome until we found out it was actually some stupid engine for coal mining. I’m going to pretend I never heard that and go on believing it was a massive catapult.
After too many hours in museums, we ate supper. At a Mexican Restaurant. In Edinburgh. Why not? We thought there was absolutely no Mexican food on this whole island, but Mariachi (I that is what is was called) proved us wrong. And it was really good. Then, it was back to the hostel to change out of my shoes, which were killing me. With happy feet, we decided to go for a bit of a walk around town. Somehow, our walk around the neighborhood turned into a two-hour excursion across town. I’m so tired and sore and exhausted right now I could cry. But we have so much planned for the next few days, I’m going to have to suck it up. I love Edinburgh so far and I don’t want to miss anything!
Royal Yacht and more tomorrow!
Love,
Kelly
I’m in Edinburgh! I said goodbye to my flat, one of my roommates, my big suitcase, and London… well, I’ll be back in London on Sunday, but it just won’t be the same. Honestly, this entire week, I’ve been dreading leaving this amazing place. But now that I’ve packed everything up and moved out, I’m more resolved to coming home and having an awesome summer. Seriously, can’t wait for that flight out of Heathrow on Monday morning and seeing everyone when I get home. Ah, only one week. Well, six days now!
So, my last two days in London were pretty boring in comparison to all the crazy things I’ve done this semester. On Sunday, Viv and I arrived at Chelsea Old Town Hall at 11AM sharp for a local art fair. We paid our five pounds and had a really good time. A lot of local artists and galleries that loved to talk with us meager art students. Next, was Spitalfields Market. Again. I can finally say that I have worn out that place and I can’t find anything new to look at or buy. One of the vendor guys even recognized me…. But it was my last time. I said goodbye and headed for Brick Land. We ate Indian for lunch at Aladin. Again. Doing all my favorite things one last time. Problem is, I have too many favorites. Lunch was good. And so was shopping around Piccadilly afterwards. Souvenir shopping is so great. So many stupid things I’ll never use, but will look awesome on a shelf somewhere, collecting dust. Waterstones bookstore (the UK’s version of Barnes and Noble) sucked me in once again. Debated getting three books for the price of two (a special they run), but then I realized that I have absolutely no room in my backpack or suitcase. Had to leave them behind and settle for the other hundred books I bought here. No way my suitcase is making that 50 pound limit. It’s going to be interesting at that airport check-in desk on Monday morning…
So, after a full day of redoing the things I love, I packed. And it sucked. Dumb me put on some sad music and things just got worse from there. Not only did nothing fit, but I absolutely loathe packing. Does anyone enjoy it? It is comparable to how much I hate doing laundry. Ugh. But once packing was done, everything got a little better. I started to get excited to go to Edinburgh and then come home.
Monday… Not-Fun-Day. To begin with anyway. Viv and I hauled out overweight suitcases to her aunt’s house just outside of London. We are storing them there until we get back from Edinburgh. 70 pounds of clothes, books, and souvenirs + crowded Piccadilly Tube + hottest day since we’ve been here = one crabby, soar Kelly. Seriously, my calves and shoulders are still burning today. I’m a wimp. Anyway, we got to her aunt Janis’s house eventually. Not only did she take our luggage, but she fed us! Relatives are the best!
After that adventure, we were a bit tired so we planned to go back to our empty, quiet flat for some relaxing. However, Leicester Square called our name, mainly the half-price ticket booth, and we got off for a bit of a look at that night’s theatre offerings. We found 20 pound tickets! To Legally Blonde… Now, I did not really want to go to this musical. Not something I was really dying to see, but Viv and Hal were set, so I decided why not? It is our last night in London and I love musicals. This one can’t be that bad… We walk into the theatre and we find our seats. When we purchased them, the ticket guy told us we were on the upper circle, eight rows from the front. Great, right? Wrong. He failed to tell us that they were four rows from the very last, farthest back seats in the theatre, on the highest balcony. Could barely see. The actors were maybe a half-inch tall if I held out my hand and measured them between my thumb and first finger… So, at intermission, we moved up a bit and things got better. Now, just because our seats were bad, doesn’t mean the musical sucked. IT WAS AWESOME. Seriously so funny. The girl that played Elle was amazing and my favorite part was the FedEx guy. And they did this funny river dance and yodeled, I think. Ah, I almost died laughing. Even better than the movie, which I love by the way.
So, after the show, we did the last thing I wanted to do before leaving London. The thing I’ve been planning to do since the beginning and would have cried if I had missed it. We, mainly me, climbed up onto the giant lion statues in Trafalgar Square. Best night ever. I took pictures and just smiled my heart out. If I ever did anything worthy of note in London, it was climbing atop the lions… pictures will be on facebook soon!
Today, Tuesday, we got up early for our train to Edinburgh. I said goodbye to my trusty bunk bed. Always so creaky and rock hard. Goodbye to our room, 3C. Where everyone stopped on their way to their own room or the kitchen to say hello. And finally, 37 Hyde Park Gate, our flat. Seriously, best semester ever.
We got to King’s Cross in plenty of time, thankfully, because there was already a huge line for our train! One more goodbye before we went to stand in line, this one for Hal. She is flying out of London tomorrow to meet her parents in Florence. Going to miss her so much. Seriously the funniest, most entertaining, and most considerate person. Going to miss her. Until I see her all the time next semester in Madison!
Eventually we got on our train. The ride was long (four and a half hours) but good. I finished my latest British historical novel en route. I’m seriously obsessed. Philippa Gregory and Allison Weir, quit sucking me in! I don’t have time to sit around and read your books! I’ve got things to do, museums to see, pictures to take, lions to climb!
I’ve gotten so off topic this whole blog. I think it’s Edinburgh. There is something funny in the air here. No, I love Edinburgh. First, it is beautiful, of course. What British city/town isn’t? Everything is situated around this odd valley that houses the train station. There is the massive Edinburgh Castle and a hundred ancient, mesmerizing buildings surrounding it. So pretty! And we are located just by the Royal Mile, where the entire town in built up and there are all these different layers of streets and buildings and stairs. You enter a building on the street level, only to find out you are on the fifth floor and there is an entire alleyway or something below. I’m not sure how to explain it right, but it is really cool. And very easy to get lost in.
We found our hostel first thing and then set out to see the sights of Edinburgh. First, there was the Royal Mile. Mostly shopping and touristy stuff, which we skipped for the most part. Both of us can’t shop anymore. No money and no room in our suitcases. Next, of course, was the National Gallery of Scotland. Not as exciting as the one in London, but still good. I can never turn down free art. And after that, the Museum of Scotland. It is open late on Mondays so we thought, why not? Surprisingly, this one was pretty interesting. We saw a replica of the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots. I’m reading a book about her right now, so that was cool. Also, we saw a guillotine. So creepy. Beheadings are almost comical in the UK, but this was just chilling. And then we found a giant catapult. Seriously, this thing was huge! Three-stories tall! It was awesome until we found out it was actually some stupid engine for coal mining. I’m going to pretend I never heard that and go on believing it was a massive catapult.
After too many hours in museums, we ate supper. At a Mexican Restaurant. In Edinburgh. Why not? We thought there was absolutely no Mexican food on this whole island, but Mariachi (I that is what is was called) proved us wrong. And it was really good. Then, it was back to the hostel to change out of my shoes, which were killing me. With happy feet, we decided to go for a bit of a walk around town. Somehow, our walk around the neighborhood turned into a two-hour excursion across town. I’m so tired and sore and exhausted right now I could cry. But we have so much planned for the next few days, I’m going to have to suck it up. I love Edinburgh so far and I don’t want to miss anything!
Royal Yacht and more tomorrow!
Love,
Kelly
Sunday, April 25, 2010
St. George and Spitalfields
April 25, 2010
Well, I’ve put off writing this as long as possible. After I handed in my last assignments for class, I haven’t wanted to do anything that includes sitting around and actually thinking. It is so great to be in London and not be tied down with class and homework. Not that there ever was very much work to begin with, but now it just feels like vacation. These last couple days have been quite interesting. A lot of thing have happened that I didn’t expect, but overall it’s been good. Italy was canceled. I was a bit worried about catching my flight coming home after arriving back in London from Florence. If that makes any sense. I would have only had like three hours to switch airports, check my bags and do security. They are recommending you show up at least four-five hours early for your flight over here. It is still a bit crazy because of the volcano, but we’ve been having a great time in London. And, Viv and I found something to do during our down time… we are going to Edinburgh! Isn’t that awesome that I can just up and go to Scotland for the weekend if I want? It is so easy to travel here, never mind the volcano. Now, I just have to figure out how to pay for it… the train ride was relatively cheap and we will be staying with a few of Viv’s cousins along the way so it should be a pretty stress-free trip. I hope.
Okay, so Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much filled with studying, paper writing, and homework. The last of it for a while at least. My history final went well. Oh, on Wednesday, Viv, Hal and I went to an exhibit at the V&A filled with Grace Kelly’s dresses. It was really great to relax and walk around the gallery after all the craziness at the flat of everyone packing and frantically studying. So many dresses, purses, and hats. They even had a nice video showing on a wall with some highlights from her life. Well worth my four pounds! On Thursday, we had a last minute meeting with our advisers. They fed us sandwiches and we talked about flying out, traveling around Europe after, and cleaning up the flats. Luckily, because of the volcano, our landlords are letting us stay in our rooms until Wednesday April 28 to rebook flights and such. And we are taking full advantage of that.
And then on Thursday night, it hit me. Everyone was packing up and leaving and I got really sad. Part of me is super excited to come home and see everyone. But then the other half is in disbelief. I never want to leave London and I can’t imagine how this semester flew by so quickly. There are so many little things I will miss. Seriously, best semester ever. I hadn’t really had time to think about all this until Thursday night, because of that stupid volcano and exams. I just don’t really know what to think anymore. I’m going to enjoy my last days in London and Edinburgh. And get on that flight excited to come home. Even if I’m bawling the whole way there.
So, things got better on Friday. I had no plans except finishing a stupid art paper that I’d left for the last minute. But it was St. George’s Day here. It is like England’s, not Britain’s, national holiday – their 4th of July. They have parades and concerts and everyone sits outside pubs and drinks all day. It is great. Viv and I headed over to Spitalfields Market, again, to see this big show they had going on there. Everyone was dressed up in red and white and had the English flag hanging over their shoulders. This one really enthusiastic family was even dressed up as a bunch of knights! So, they planned to do this jousting tournament, but then the horse’s hair started to bother my eyes and we were lured away by the craft market, so we didn’t stick around for very long. It was fun to just see everyone dressed up, drinking beer, and having a good time.
After Spitalfields, we hit up Petticoat for a bit, but then headed across town to Trafalgar Square to see what was going on there. Supposedly, there was to be a big music festival going on, but when we got there… nothing. Turns out, we were a day early and the music was happening on Saturday. We missed the parade too, which happened earlier that morning. Way to go Kel and Viv…always planning ahead. We found a cheap shoe store and then a few books stores and were happy. There was also a Graphic Art Fair going on at Somerset House, right on the River Thames, so Viv and I walked through that. Once again, another great exhibit. After that, I went home to finish my stinking paper and then went to bed early, exhausted as always.
Saturday… I didn’t do anything. I went for a run in Hyde Park. Viv and I went to King’s Cross Station to buy our tickets to Edinburgh and I went shopping at Primark. I’m going to miss Primark. Pound shirts and absolute craziness… Walmart just isn’t the same. And after a day of nothing, we have a lot planned for today. Spitalfields again, it has become our Sunday morning ritual, followed by another art show and maybe a musical tonight. If we can find cheap tickets at the discount ticket office!
Back soon, I mean it this time.
Kelly
Well, I’ve put off writing this as long as possible. After I handed in my last assignments for class, I haven’t wanted to do anything that includes sitting around and actually thinking. It is so great to be in London and not be tied down with class and homework. Not that there ever was very much work to begin with, but now it just feels like vacation. These last couple days have been quite interesting. A lot of thing have happened that I didn’t expect, but overall it’s been good. Italy was canceled. I was a bit worried about catching my flight coming home after arriving back in London from Florence. If that makes any sense. I would have only had like three hours to switch airports, check my bags and do security. They are recommending you show up at least four-five hours early for your flight over here. It is still a bit crazy because of the volcano, but we’ve been having a great time in London. And, Viv and I found something to do during our down time… we are going to Edinburgh! Isn’t that awesome that I can just up and go to Scotland for the weekend if I want? It is so easy to travel here, never mind the volcano. Now, I just have to figure out how to pay for it… the train ride was relatively cheap and we will be staying with a few of Viv’s cousins along the way so it should be a pretty stress-free trip. I hope.
Okay, so Wednesday and Thursday were pretty much filled with studying, paper writing, and homework. The last of it for a while at least. My history final went well. Oh, on Wednesday, Viv, Hal and I went to an exhibit at the V&A filled with Grace Kelly’s dresses. It was really great to relax and walk around the gallery after all the craziness at the flat of everyone packing and frantically studying. So many dresses, purses, and hats. They even had a nice video showing on a wall with some highlights from her life. Well worth my four pounds! On Thursday, we had a last minute meeting with our advisers. They fed us sandwiches and we talked about flying out, traveling around Europe after, and cleaning up the flats. Luckily, because of the volcano, our landlords are letting us stay in our rooms until Wednesday April 28 to rebook flights and such. And we are taking full advantage of that.
And then on Thursday night, it hit me. Everyone was packing up and leaving and I got really sad. Part of me is super excited to come home and see everyone. But then the other half is in disbelief. I never want to leave London and I can’t imagine how this semester flew by so quickly. There are so many little things I will miss. Seriously, best semester ever. I hadn’t really had time to think about all this until Thursday night, because of that stupid volcano and exams. I just don’t really know what to think anymore. I’m going to enjoy my last days in London and Edinburgh. And get on that flight excited to come home. Even if I’m bawling the whole way there.
So, things got better on Friday. I had no plans except finishing a stupid art paper that I’d left for the last minute. But it was St. George’s Day here. It is like England’s, not Britain’s, national holiday – their 4th of July. They have parades and concerts and everyone sits outside pubs and drinks all day. It is great. Viv and I headed over to Spitalfields Market, again, to see this big show they had going on there. Everyone was dressed up in red and white and had the English flag hanging over their shoulders. This one really enthusiastic family was even dressed up as a bunch of knights! So, they planned to do this jousting tournament, but then the horse’s hair started to bother my eyes and we were lured away by the craft market, so we didn’t stick around for very long. It was fun to just see everyone dressed up, drinking beer, and having a good time.
After Spitalfields, we hit up Petticoat for a bit, but then headed across town to Trafalgar Square to see what was going on there. Supposedly, there was to be a big music festival going on, but when we got there… nothing. Turns out, we were a day early and the music was happening on Saturday. We missed the parade too, which happened earlier that morning. Way to go Kel and Viv…always planning ahead. We found a cheap shoe store and then a few books stores and were happy. There was also a Graphic Art Fair going on at Somerset House, right on the River Thames, so Viv and I walked through that. Once again, another great exhibit. After that, I went home to finish my stinking paper and then went to bed early, exhausted as always.
Saturday… I didn’t do anything. I went for a run in Hyde Park. Viv and I went to King’s Cross Station to buy our tickets to Edinburgh and I went shopping at Primark. I’m going to miss Primark. Pound shirts and absolute craziness… Walmart just isn’t the same. And after a day of nothing, we have a lot planned for today. Spitalfields again, it has become our Sunday morning ritual, followed by another art show and maybe a musical tonight. If we can find cheap tickets at the discount ticket office!
Back soon, I mean it this time.
Kelly
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Volcanoes and... absolutely nothing else, just volcanoes.
April 21, 2010
This is going to be brief… because I am freaking out. Stupid volcano is ruining everything. Not exactly how I thought my last week in London would go. But if things keep going the way they have been, I might be stuck in London until May 3rd! Not stuck, I’d be happy to stay in London a week longer, but I’d miss Italy. And part of me is so worried that this thing volcano is going to blow again (there is a sister volcano…) and I’ll get stuck in Italy if I go. Ugh. Every day we all wake up and immediately check if our flights are canceled or not. And then I check the BBC website for airport updates. We have to make like fifty plans for fifty different possibilities. It sucks. And I have history final and two papers due tomorrow! Yay!
So back to happier times before this giant invisible smoke monster above our heads ruined our lives. Sunday… we went shopping. At Spitalfields Market. Can’t get much better than that. And then we (Viv and I) went to see this really weird, but free art exhibit in Southwark. The entire room was pitch black and there were all these lasers around. It felt like a haunted house and I was terrified the entire time. Then, we came back to the flat to study. I had one exam, two papers, and a presentation all due the next day!
Monday… hmmm. I had that exam and presentation. Not fun, but now they are over with. But Monday night was much better. We took time off from studying and packing to eat at Sticky Fingers! It is this great American-style restaurant just off High Street Kensington that is owned by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. The entire place resembles a Hard Rock Café, but dedicated only to the Rolling Stones and mostly Bill Wyman… right. It was a lot of fun. On Monday nights, they have a bunch of half price specials or else I don’t think we’d ever been able to eat there. I had tomato basil soup and here, tomato soup is so thick, it is basically tomato sauce warmed up in a big bowl with a soupspoon. Yum!
Tuesday was a bit more exciting. We went to Harrod’s! And spent most of our time in the food halls looking at all the delicious grub. They didn’t play Willy Wonka as went up the escalators this time. The entire place was empty because we went rather early. The whole place was pretty sad and lonely. Like those times when you were a kid and you were terrified of getting locked in the department store when it closed at night. I was anyway! I remember losing my mom at Shopko once and sitting down with my “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelet in the electronics department and praying I would make it out before they locked up for the night. Nightmare! Off track… Harrods was good. After, we met for art history class at the Barbican, which is this really strange mix of buildings that serve all different purposes that are not related at all. For some reason, they lumped them all together and called them “The Barbican”. Sure. We saw an art exhibit there with live birds flying around, landing on guitars and cymbals hooked up to amps. These tiny birds making this huge noise as they sat around on the guitar string and ate birdseed out of the cymbals. It was pretty cool!
And that was pretty much my week. Boring, but busy at the same time. London was kind of a ghost town this whole week and weekend. Everyone stuck out that wants to get in and everyone stuck in that would rather be anywhere but here. If I could pronounce the name of that stupid volcano, I would. And then I’d rhyme it with a swear word and maybe write a hykoo about my frustration with volcanic ash. Ugh. So, I’ll probably be back soon or not for a while. Depends on if our flight leaves on Friday. We’ll see, we’ll see.
Cheers,
Kelly
This is going to be brief… because I am freaking out. Stupid volcano is ruining everything. Not exactly how I thought my last week in London would go. But if things keep going the way they have been, I might be stuck in London until May 3rd! Not stuck, I’d be happy to stay in London a week longer, but I’d miss Italy. And part of me is so worried that this thing volcano is going to blow again (there is a sister volcano…) and I’ll get stuck in Italy if I go. Ugh. Every day we all wake up and immediately check if our flights are canceled or not. And then I check the BBC website for airport updates. We have to make like fifty plans for fifty different possibilities. It sucks. And I have history final and two papers due tomorrow! Yay!
So back to happier times before this giant invisible smoke monster above our heads ruined our lives. Sunday… we went shopping. At Spitalfields Market. Can’t get much better than that. And then we (Viv and I) went to see this really weird, but free art exhibit in Southwark. The entire room was pitch black and there were all these lasers around. It felt like a haunted house and I was terrified the entire time. Then, we came back to the flat to study. I had one exam, two papers, and a presentation all due the next day!
Monday… hmmm. I had that exam and presentation. Not fun, but now they are over with. But Monday night was much better. We took time off from studying and packing to eat at Sticky Fingers! It is this great American-style restaurant just off High Street Kensington that is owned by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. The entire place resembles a Hard Rock Café, but dedicated only to the Rolling Stones and mostly Bill Wyman… right. It was a lot of fun. On Monday nights, they have a bunch of half price specials or else I don’t think we’d ever been able to eat there. I had tomato basil soup and here, tomato soup is so thick, it is basically tomato sauce warmed up in a big bowl with a soupspoon. Yum!
Tuesday was a bit more exciting. We went to Harrod’s! And spent most of our time in the food halls looking at all the delicious grub. They didn’t play Willy Wonka as went up the escalators this time. The entire place was empty because we went rather early. The whole place was pretty sad and lonely. Like those times when you were a kid and you were terrified of getting locked in the department store when it closed at night. I was anyway! I remember losing my mom at Shopko once and sitting down with my “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelet in the electronics department and praying I would make it out before they locked up for the night. Nightmare! Off track… Harrods was good. After, we met for art history class at the Barbican, which is this really strange mix of buildings that serve all different purposes that are not related at all. For some reason, they lumped them all together and called them “The Barbican”. Sure. We saw an art exhibit there with live birds flying around, landing on guitars and cymbals hooked up to amps. These tiny birds making this huge noise as they sat around on the guitar string and ate birdseed out of the cymbals. It was pretty cool!
And that was pretty much my week. Boring, but busy at the same time. London was kind of a ghost town this whole week and weekend. Everyone stuck out that wants to get in and everyone stuck in that would rather be anywhere but here. If I could pronounce the name of that stupid volcano, I would. And then I’d rhyme it with a swear word and maybe write a hykoo about my frustration with volcanic ash. Ugh. So, I’ll probably be back soon or not for a while. Depends on if our flight leaves on Friday. We’ll see, we’ll see.
Cheers,
Kelly
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wine and Whining
April 13, 2010
Last night was our farewell dinner… and I’m still in complete denial that I’m leaving here in a week. Where the heck did these four months go? It has been a pretty sad week around the flat – everyone rushing to do last minute things, packing, and kind of saying goodbye. And it all got worse last night. Mary and Damien, our program advisors, rented us a boat on the Thames for dinner. They fed us way too much food and way too much wine. We danced after we ate and after we danced, I bawled my eyes out like a baby. Oh, God, so embarrassing. I had way too much to drink (everyone did!) and then it hit me as we passed under Tower Bridge. I’m leaving. So freaking sad. Tears the whole way home. But then my feet started to hurt, so my tears turned into whining and then finally we got home and went to bed. Good night, but embarrassing. Good thing my camera died halfway through the night, so I don’t have any documentation…
And that has kind of been how the whole week has gone. Just in this pathetic, sad daze that makes everything worse. Every time I walk by something I love here, I’m upset because that is probably the last time I’ll see it. Ugh. So whiny right now. Gotta stop. Gotta enjoy this last week and go out on a good note! Yes.
We were busy on Sunday. A digital art show at the Victoria and Albert Museum was first thing. We got up early, waited in line for the museum to open, and were the first ones in the exhibit. Now, when I say early… the museum opened at 10. And we had to get there early because we waited for the last possible day to see the exhibit. It closed the next day. Always so on top of things. After the artsy fartsy stuff, we went to Wimbledon! And it was very different from what I thought it would be. Now, my knowledge of Wimbledon consists of the movie, Wimbledon with Kirsten Dunst and a few glimpses of the final match on that tiny TV in the Zimmer cabin up north as Grant watches it on 4th of July weekend… I didn’t really know what to expect, but that place was huge! Everything was green, too. Literally everything. We took a tour and saw all the big courts, the locker rooms, practice fields, this place called picnic hill, and the player’s café. All the minor courts were bundled together in pacts of three or four and there was no room to stand. Six feet between each court I think and the lady said they cram 200 people in there. In the heat in the middle of July? No thank you! But she did give us some tips on how to get tickets. We sat in the pressroom, in the very seat where they do all the interviews… I sat where Roger Federer sat. I think that was the only tennis guy I knew. Besides the Williams sisters. We saw a bunch of their outfits in the museum and Maria Sharapova’s golden shoes. Real gold on those babies. The gift shop was decent and we found some good stuff. And then headed back to London.
But we weren’t done for the day. We rode the tube up to St. John’s Wood and walked to a little place called Abbey Road. Saw Abbey Road Studios and the wall outside covered in signatures, Beatles lyrics and other messages in permanent marker. I wrote mine in highlighter. It was all I had. Walked across the cross walk to the annoyance of all the cars driving by. It was a busy intersection, but we did it anyway. And by this time, I was tired. There is some guy, I think George Shaw, who said, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life”. It is written on stuff all over this city. I think I agree with him. There is so much to do!
Monday and Tuesday were loaded with class and homework… ugh. Wednesday was Viv’s birthday! We ate dinner at this Korean place in Holburn. It was a great time. It was Viv’s 21st, which wasn’t that big of a deal here because she has been drinking in bars all semester. Woo hoo!
And yesterday I had more class and the going away dinner on the boat. Not a very exciting week after Sunday, but still good. I’m going back to Spitalfields Market tomorrow to pick up some gifts and just shop around. I just love that place. And then I’m going to see the Tower Bridge one last time. And maybe the Tate Modern, but we’ll see.
Back soon.
Love,
Kelly
Last night was our farewell dinner… and I’m still in complete denial that I’m leaving here in a week. Where the heck did these four months go? It has been a pretty sad week around the flat – everyone rushing to do last minute things, packing, and kind of saying goodbye. And it all got worse last night. Mary and Damien, our program advisors, rented us a boat on the Thames for dinner. They fed us way too much food and way too much wine. We danced after we ate and after we danced, I bawled my eyes out like a baby. Oh, God, so embarrassing. I had way too much to drink (everyone did!) and then it hit me as we passed under Tower Bridge. I’m leaving. So freaking sad. Tears the whole way home. But then my feet started to hurt, so my tears turned into whining and then finally we got home and went to bed. Good night, but embarrassing. Good thing my camera died halfway through the night, so I don’t have any documentation…
And that has kind of been how the whole week has gone. Just in this pathetic, sad daze that makes everything worse. Every time I walk by something I love here, I’m upset because that is probably the last time I’ll see it. Ugh. So whiny right now. Gotta stop. Gotta enjoy this last week and go out on a good note! Yes.
We were busy on Sunday. A digital art show at the Victoria and Albert Museum was first thing. We got up early, waited in line for the museum to open, and were the first ones in the exhibit. Now, when I say early… the museum opened at 10. And we had to get there early because we waited for the last possible day to see the exhibit. It closed the next day. Always so on top of things. After the artsy fartsy stuff, we went to Wimbledon! And it was very different from what I thought it would be. Now, my knowledge of Wimbledon consists of the movie, Wimbledon with Kirsten Dunst and a few glimpses of the final match on that tiny TV in the Zimmer cabin up north as Grant watches it on 4th of July weekend… I didn’t really know what to expect, but that place was huge! Everything was green, too. Literally everything. We took a tour and saw all the big courts, the locker rooms, practice fields, this place called picnic hill, and the player’s café. All the minor courts were bundled together in pacts of three or four and there was no room to stand. Six feet between each court I think and the lady said they cram 200 people in there. In the heat in the middle of July? No thank you! But she did give us some tips on how to get tickets. We sat in the pressroom, in the very seat where they do all the interviews… I sat where Roger Federer sat. I think that was the only tennis guy I knew. Besides the Williams sisters. We saw a bunch of their outfits in the museum and Maria Sharapova’s golden shoes. Real gold on those babies. The gift shop was decent and we found some good stuff. And then headed back to London.
But we weren’t done for the day. We rode the tube up to St. John’s Wood and walked to a little place called Abbey Road. Saw Abbey Road Studios and the wall outside covered in signatures, Beatles lyrics and other messages in permanent marker. I wrote mine in highlighter. It was all I had. Walked across the cross walk to the annoyance of all the cars driving by. It was a busy intersection, but we did it anyway. And by this time, I was tired. There is some guy, I think George Shaw, who said, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life”. It is written on stuff all over this city. I think I agree with him. There is so much to do!
Monday and Tuesday were loaded with class and homework… ugh. Wednesday was Viv’s birthday! We ate dinner at this Korean place in Holburn. It was a great time. It was Viv’s 21st, which wasn’t that big of a deal here because she has been drinking in bars all semester. Woo hoo!
And yesterday I had more class and the going away dinner on the boat. Not a very exciting week after Sunday, but still good. I’m going back to Spitalfields Market tomorrow to pick up some gifts and just shop around. I just love that place. And then I’m going to see the Tower Bridge one last time. And maybe the Tate Modern, but we’ll see.
Back soon.
Love,
Kelly
Monday, April 12, 2010
Museums and Maggie's
April 12, 2010
Of course I put writing this off until the very last minute. And now I can barely remember what I did this weekend. It has been so crazy. Nonstop running around, trying to cram everything in before we leave, saying goodbye to Mom and Grandma, and doing all the homework I left for the very end. Bah!
The last full day of Mom and Grandma’s visit was definitely the busiest of them all. We got up early and got on the tube, like always, and road across town to St. Paul’s Cathedral. After paying the admission charge, we just kind of wandered around, looking at the massive dome, the gold mosaics on the ceiling, and the hundreds of monuments lining the sides of the church. So much to look at! After a bit of time just sitting in the nave and cramping our necks looking up, we headed down to the crypt. Always my favorite part of these old churches. Lord Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington are buried down there – Britain’s big war heroes. The gift shop was okay… not enough books for my liking!
After St. Paul’s and a stop at the bathroom, we hopped on a bus toward Holborn and the British Museum. Because the museum is free, we thought we might splurge on the 4 pound audio guide. And let me tell you, that thing was intense. There was so much information on there, but it was a bit difficult to run. We listened to about 3/4 of the “Highlights of the British Museum” commentary before we had enough. Somewhere around the Egyptian mummies and the Viking chess set, we got tired and hurried through the rest of it. I think Grandma could have spent all day, maybe all week in that museum alone. Eventually we managed to drag her out, but then it was on to the British Library. Now, I hadn’t been there yet, so it was quite the adventure for all of us. They have a bunch of old pointless documents in this one gallery… let’s see, what did they have? The Magna Carta, Darwin’s Origin of Species, Beowulf, handwritten lyrics by the Beatles including Yesterday and I Want to Hold Your Hand, Bronte’s Jane Eyre, a few of Shakespeare’s plays, a Beethoven Sonata, and, my favorite, the original copy of Alice in Wonderland! Well worth the 5 pound taxi ride it took to get up there. We couldn’t figure out the bus system from the British Museum because they were doing all kinds of roadwork on Tottenham Court Road.
After our long day at the museums, we did a bit of shopping on Oxford Street. I showed Mom Primark… I don’t think she’ll be going in there anytime soon. Pushy teenagers, frantic moms, and big crowds just really aren’t her thing. Finally, we got on another bus headed for home. And Mom and Grandma almost didn’t make it off the bus. The doors closed just after me and they were stuck. Until the driver opened the front doors again. I almost lost them! After a bit of relaxing at the hotel, we hailed a cab and rode the five minutes to Kensington High Street and, more specifically, Maggie Jones’s restaurant. I’d been there before on a class trip, but it was all new to Mom and Grandma. The entire place is built out of old warped wood, the building has to be a few hundred years old. They have a million kitschy decorations on the wall and ceiling, including baskets full of grass and wheat hanging all around. It definitely has this country charm, especially noticeable when you throw in the hundreds of candles and lanterns that light the place. Talk about a fire hazard. Mom was freaking out the whole time we were there. One spark and the whole thing would go up in about fifteen seconds. But the food was good and quite expensive. Of course, Grandma wouldn’t let anyone else near the bill. I joked that I might have made money with Mom and Grandma here – buying me things, paying for my meals, giving me all their change when they left.
I forgot, so when we arrived at Maggie Jones’s, the host said he could seat us, only if we were out by 9PM. It was only 7:45, so we thought we would have plenty of time. Well, almost an hour later, we were finished eating, but still wanted dessert and our waiter hadn’t come to our table in quite some time. The host came up, a bit flustered, and asked if we were finished. Mom mentioned that we’d waited awhile for dessert, knowing we could fit it in before our time was up but no one came. The host offered us a compromise. He moved us downstairs, because someone had specifically requested our table, and brought us our dessert at that table. It was perfect and the desserts were delicious. I thought so anyway. But on the way downstairs, I heard the host yell into the kitchen, “Who left the ladies alone in the corner?” And before Mom and Grandma came downstairs, our waiter apologized, “Madame, I am so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Ah, they were so funny and considerate. Even when Mom accidentally elbowed the host in the stomach, he joked about it and gave us half our desserts for free. I just love Maggie Jones’s!
Saturday, Saturday. I packed up over half of my clothes in the morning to send home with Mom and Grandma. Somehow, my wardrobe at least doubled on this trip. Wonder how that happened? Anyway, I filled one of my suitcases and an extra on that Mom brought along. Now, I’ll only have one to worry about for my flight home. Poor Mom and Grandma had to haul my overweight luggage through the airport. Somehow, I think I got the better end of the stick. After packing, we ate breakfast downstairs and then I said goodbye as they got in their car for the airport. I’ll see them in three weeks, but it was still hard to say goodbye. I got a few texts from Mom during the day. One saying that all the bags got through check-in, none were too heavy. And then one saying they were on their plane! I’ll miss them soooo much! I won’t have anyone to share my stupid London fun facts with. Grandma won’t be there when I turn around to see if she made it through the ticketing machine at the tube station without any trouble! Mom not asking me if I’m all right every five seconds! I’ll be home in three weeks!
So, on Saturday, I thought I would have this great relaxing day inside. Doing a very little bit of homework, maybe watch a movie. But it was a beautiful day in the city and I just had to be outside. So I went for a run in Hyde Park. And after that, Viv, Hal and I got on the tube toward Piccadilly Circus, Regent and Carnaby Street. Viv and I checked out this exhibit dedicated to 50 years of Carnaby Street. It was kinda lame. But then we stopped at H&M and the day got a whole lot better. Next, we tried to get into the Royal College for Arts Van Gogh exhibit, but the line was massive and we didn’t want to wait. Instead, we popped into Fortum and Mason, this giant department store similar to Harrods, and bought cupcakes. Yum!
On the way home, we found a tiny arcade that was the length of an entire city block. Glass ceiling, only about 10 feet wide and lined with shops filled with jewels, neckties, hats, and chocolate. We even found a jewelry store in there that the queen shops at – her crest was over the door. Not that we could ever afford anything in there, but it was just fun to window shop. We also found sushi on the way home at a place called Itsu and it was delicious. After all this, we were a bit tired. I went to bed at 8:30 just exhausted.
Be back soon,
Love, Kelly
Of course I put writing this off until the very last minute. And now I can barely remember what I did this weekend. It has been so crazy. Nonstop running around, trying to cram everything in before we leave, saying goodbye to Mom and Grandma, and doing all the homework I left for the very end. Bah!
The last full day of Mom and Grandma’s visit was definitely the busiest of them all. We got up early and got on the tube, like always, and road across town to St. Paul’s Cathedral. After paying the admission charge, we just kind of wandered around, looking at the massive dome, the gold mosaics on the ceiling, and the hundreds of monuments lining the sides of the church. So much to look at! After a bit of time just sitting in the nave and cramping our necks looking up, we headed down to the crypt. Always my favorite part of these old churches. Lord Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington are buried down there – Britain’s big war heroes. The gift shop was okay… not enough books for my liking!
After St. Paul’s and a stop at the bathroom, we hopped on a bus toward Holborn and the British Museum. Because the museum is free, we thought we might splurge on the 4 pound audio guide. And let me tell you, that thing was intense. There was so much information on there, but it was a bit difficult to run. We listened to about 3/4 of the “Highlights of the British Museum” commentary before we had enough. Somewhere around the Egyptian mummies and the Viking chess set, we got tired and hurried through the rest of it. I think Grandma could have spent all day, maybe all week in that museum alone. Eventually we managed to drag her out, but then it was on to the British Library. Now, I hadn’t been there yet, so it was quite the adventure for all of us. They have a bunch of old pointless documents in this one gallery… let’s see, what did they have? The Magna Carta, Darwin’s Origin of Species, Beowulf, handwritten lyrics by the Beatles including Yesterday and I Want to Hold Your Hand, Bronte’s Jane Eyre, a few of Shakespeare’s plays, a Beethoven Sonata, and, my favorite, the original copy of Alice in Wonderland! Well worth the 5 pound taxi ride it took to get up there. We couldn’t figure out the bus system from the British Museum because they were doing all kinds of roadwork on Tottenham Court Road.
After our long day at the museums, we did a bit of shopping on Oxford Street. I showed Mom Primark… I don’t think she’ll be going in there anytime soon. Pushy teenagers, frantic moms, and big crowds just really aren’t her thing. Finally, we got on another bus headed for home. And Mom and Grandma almost didn’t make it off the bus. The doors closed just after me and they were stuck. Until the driver opened the front doors again. I almost lost them! After a bit of relaxing at the hotel, we hailed a cab and rode the five minutes to Kensington High Street and, more specifically, Maggie Jones’s restaurant. I’d been there before on a class trip, but it was all new to Mom and Grandma. The entire place is built out of old warped wood, the building has to be a few hundred years old. They have a million kitschy decorations on the wall and ceiling, including baskets full of grass and wheat hanging all around. It definitely has this country charm, especially noticeable when you throw in the hundreds of candles and lanterns that light the place. Talk about a fire hazard. Mom was freaking out the whole time we were there. One spark and the whole thing would go up in about fifteen seconds. But the food was good and quite expensive. Of course, Grandma wouldn’t let anyone else near the bill. I joked that I might have made money with Mom and Grandma here – buying me things, paying for my meals, giving me all their change when they left.
I forgot, so when we arrived at Maggie Jones’s, the host said he could seat us, only if we were out by 9PM. It was only 7:45, so we thought we would have plenty of time. Well, almost an hour later, we were finished eating, but still wanted dessert and our waiter hadn’t come to our table in quite some time. The host came up, a bit flustered, and asked if we were finished. Mom mentioned that we’d waited awhile for dessert, knowing we could fit it in before our time was up but no one came. The host offered us a compromise. He moved us downstairs, because someone had specifically requested our table, and brought us our dessert at that table. It was perfect and the desserts were delicious. I thought so anyway. But on the way downstairs, I heard the host yell into the kitchen, “Who left the ladies alone in the corner?” And before Mom and Grandma came downstairs, our waiter apologized, “Madame, I am so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Ah, they were so funny and considerate. Even when Mom accidentally elbowed the host in the stomach, he joked about it and gave us half our desserts for free. I just love Maggie Jones’s!
Saturday, Saturday. I packed up over half of my clothes in the morning to send home with Mom and Grandma. Somehow, my wardrobe at least doubled on this trip. Wonder how that happened? Anyway, I filled one of my suitcases and an extra on that Mom brought along. Now, I’ll only have one to worry about for my flight home. Poor Mom and Grandma had to haul my overweight luggage through the airport. Somehow, I think I got the better end of the stick. After packing, we ate breakfast downstairs and then I said goodbye as they got in their car for the airport. I’ll see them in three weeks, but it was still hard to say goodbye. I got a few texts from Mom during the day. One saying that all the bags got through check-in, none were too heavy. And then one saying they were on their plane! I’ll miss them soooo much! I won’t have anyone to share my stupid London fun facts with. Grandma won’t be there when I turn around to see if she made it through the ticketing machine at the tube station without any trouble! Mom not asking me if I’m all right every five seconds! I’ll be home in three weeks!
So, on Saturday, I thought I would have this great relaxing day inside. Doing a very little bit of homework, maybe watch a movie. But it was a beautiful day in the city and I just had to be outside. So I went for a run in Hyde Park. And after that, Viv, Hal and I got on the tube toward Piccadilly Circus, Regent and Carnaby Street. Viv and I checked out this exhibit dedicated to 50 years of Carnaby Street. It was kinda lame. But then we stopped at H&M and the day got a whole lot better. Next, we tried to get into the Royal College for Arts Van Gogh exhibit, but the line was massive and we didn’t want to wait. Instead, we popped into Fortum and Mason, this giant department store similar to Harrods, and bought cupcakes. Yum!
On the way home, we found a tiny arcade that was the length of an entire city block. Glass ceiling, only about 10 feet wide and lined with shops filled with jewels, neckties, hats, and chocolate. We even found a jewelry store in there that the queen shops at – her crest was over the door. Not that we could ever afford anything in there, but it was just fun to window shop. We also found sushi on the way home at a place called Itsu and it was delicious. After all this, we were a bit tired. I went to bed at 8:30 just exhausted.
Be back soon,
Love, Kelly
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sun and Salutes
April 8, 2010
Windsor on Wednesday! So we got up really early to catch the train out of Paddington by 10AM to try to avoid the lines. I just love Paddington Station – cheap train tickets, the buy-one get-one bookstore, Millie’s cookie stall, and our ever-faithful Platform 4. Grandma bought a Paddington bear and I think I’m going to have to, too. So we started out the day well. I think Mom said she was actually feeling awake that morning and finally getting used to the time change. No matter how tough you think you are, that change is difficult. It throws you completely off. Anyway, we bought some cookies, our tickets, the bear, and I bought a few books and we were off. Our train to Windsor was only about a half-hour and we had to transfer once. While we were waiting for our connecting train in Slough, a passing train drove through the station. And it scared the crap out of, I think, just about everyone. No warning or anything, just a 90 miles per hour train whipping by only a few feet from you. Like a bullet! I almost crapped my pants.
Eventually we got to Windsor. The connecting train from Slough was this tiny two-car passenger train and it was so cute. Just like a little Fisher-Price train set. And luckily, everything in Windsor is relatively close. The shopping, the castle, and the train station. I lead Grandma and Mom toward the castle. Like you could miss it. The thing dominates the town, sitting on this hill all old-looking and massive. Lazy me, didn’t want to do the two-hour tour all over again (and pay the 15 pounds), so I found a cozy chair in Café Rouge and read my book about Lady Jane Grey. She was actually queen of England for nine days before Mary I beheaded her. Great story! After about two and a half hours, Mom and Grandma came back tired and full of new info about the endlessly entertaining monarchy. They give you these great audio guides on tours here that have so much information. I think if you listened to all the commentary on the guide, it would take you all day to get through that castle.
We sat down for a bit and ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen… yum. Grandma bought a book about Windsor Castle, which was quite good. And we did a very tiny bit of shopping before catching the train back to London. Another busy, fun day. I might have to go into sightseeing detox after this week! What am I going to do when I don’t have my two students listening intently to all of my random facts about London? And I’m not constantly checking behind me to see if they are still there and okay? I think they might have to stay until I’m finished with my program and go to Italy with me afterwards. Good idea.
Well, Thursday was a bit less crazy. Which was good. We needed a day to relax. And boy, was it a beautiful day in London. The sun was out, it wasn’t windy, and it was probably the warmest day since I’ve been here. A whole 61 degrees! We met at Gloucester Station, like always, and road the tube to Knightsbridge. From there, we hopped over a block to Hyde Park. So so pretty. All the flowers are blooming and the grass is green. Everyone is out with their families! We ate at the Serpentine Kitchen, just off the Serpentine Lake. Well, I think it’s a lake. I haven’t quite figured out exactly what that body of water is. They just call it the Serpentine. Anyway, we ate breakfast and enjoyed the view over the water.
And then we saw the horse guard marching across the water. Grandma tried to take a picture from inside the café, but we realized we needed to get closer. After a bit of a walk, we found the guards doing some kind of exercise on this lawn area. We got some pictures, but they left shortly after we arrived. And then they came back! We started to walk toward Kensington Gardens when a man in a carriage passed us and then the horse guard did this funny salute thing for him. They kept marching around in circles, going faster and faster each time. It looked neat. Their armor shined in the sun and I didn’t get any hives from the horses!
After that excitement, we found the Diana Memorial, Kensington Gardens, the Round Pond, and eventually, Kensington Palace. I left Mom and Grandma there, to tour the palace, while I had this crappy thing called class. No, it wasn’t that bad, but I definitely would have rather been outside in the sun. After their tour and my lecture, we met up at the Stanhope Arms again. The guy behind the bar recognized me. Does that make us regulars? Mom had her favorite apple pie again. This one is definitely her favorite.
And tomorrow, we are doing all the stuff we haven’t done yet. Which includes St. Paul’s, the British Museum, and shopping on Oxford and Carnaby Streets. Sounds like a good day to me!
Cheers,
Kelly
Windsor on Wednesday! So we got up really early to catch the train out of Paddington by 10AM to try to avoid the lines. I just love Paddington Station – cheap train tickets, the buy-one get-one bookstore, Millie’s cookie stall, and our ever-faithful Platform 4. Grandma bought a Paddington bear and I think I’m going to have to, too. So we started out the day well. I think Mom said she was actually feeling awake that morning and finally getting used to the time change. No matter how tough you think you are, that change is difficult. It throws you completely off. Anyway, we bought some cookies, our tickets, the bear, and I bought a few books and we were off. Our train to Windsor was only about a half-hour and we had to transfer once. While we were waiting for our connecting train in Slough, a passing train drove through the station. And it scared the crap out of, I think, just about everyone. No warning or anything, just a 90 miles per hour train whipping by only a few feet from you. Like a bullet! I almost crapped my pants.
Eventually we got to Windsor. The connecting train from Slough was this tiny two-car passenger train and it was so cute. Just like a little Fisher-Price train set. And luckily, everything in Windsor is relatively close. The shopping, the castle, and the train station. I lead Grandma and Mom toward the castle. Like you could miss it. The thing dominates the town, sitting on this hill all old-looking and massive. Lazy me, didn’t want to do the two-hour tour all over again (and pay the 15 pounds), so I found a cozy chair in Café Rouge and read my book about Lady Jane Grey. She was actually queen of England for nine days before Mary I beheaded her. Great story! After about two and a half hours, Mom and Grandma came back tired and full of new info about the endlessly entertaining monarchy. They give you these great audio guides on tours here that have so much information. I think if you listened to all the commentary on the guide, it would take you all day to get through that castle.
We sat down for a bit and ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen… yum. Grandma bought a book about Windsor Castle, which was quite good. And we did a very tiny bit of shopping before catching the train back to London. Another busy, fun day. I might have to go into sightseeing detox after this week! What am I going to do when I don’t have my two students listening intently to all of my random facts about London? And I’m not constantly checking behind me to see if they are still there and okay? I think they might have to stay until I’m finished with my program and go to Italy with me afterwards. Good idea.
Well, Thursday was a bit less crazy. Which was good. We needed a day to relax. And boy, was it a beautiful day in London. The sun was out, it wasn’t windy, and it was probably the warmest day since I’ve been here. A whole 61 degrees! We met at Gloucester Station, like always, and road the tube to Knightsbridge. From there, we hopped over a block to Hyde Park. So so pretty. All the flowers are blooming and the grass is green. Everyone is out with their families! We ate at the Serpentine Kitchen, just off the Serpentine Lake. Well, I think it’s a lake. I haven’t quite figured out exactly what that body of water is. They just call it the Serpentine. Anyway, we ate breakfast and enjoyed the view over the water.
And then we saw the horse guard marching across the water. Grandma tried to take a picture from inside the café, but we realized we needed to get closer. After a bit of a walk, we found the guards doing some kind of exercise on this lawn area. We got some pictures, but they left shortly after we arrived. And then they came back! We started to walk toward Kensington Gardens when a man in a carriage passed us and then the horse guard did this funny salute thing for him. They kept marching around in circles, going faster and faster each time. It looked neat. Their armor shined in the sun and I didn’t get any hives from the horses!
After that excitement, we found the Diana Memorial, Kensington Gardens, the Round Pond, and eventually, Kensington Palace. I left Mom and Grandma there, to tour the palace, while I had this crappy thing called class. No, it wasn’t that bad, but I definitely would have rather been outside in the sun. After their tour and my lecture, we met up at the Stanhope Arms again. The guy behind the bar recognized me. Does that make us regulars? Mom had her favorite apple pie again. This one is definitely her favorite.
And tomorrow, we are doing all the stuff we haven’t done yet. Which includes St. Paul’s, the British Museum, and shopping on Oxford and Carnaby Streets. Sounds like a good day to me!
Cheers,
Kelly
Pies and Paddington
April 7, 2010
My time with Mom and Grandma is just flying by! Our week is almost up and they think they are leaving me on Saturday… Ha. Ha. We’ve done so much these past few days. Rode across the country on trains, visited too many churches, ate way too much pub food, and walked everywhere. I don’t know how Grandma is still going, I’m dead tired after every day! And we have a few last things planned for Friday and Saturday. They are going out with a bang!
I met Grandma and Mom at Gloucester Tube Station early on Monday morning and we got on the tube bound for Paddington Station. Once at the rail station, we bought our tickets to Oxford (we got the group rate!) and headed for our platform (number 4). After a bit of searching up and down the train for an empty car, we settled down for our hour trip out of London. It was quite a nice ride and we were in Oxford before we knew it. From there, we took a taxi to Grandma’s friend Cate’s home. And Cate was a great hostess. We sat around to chat for a bit, ate lunch, and then headed out to see the town and Oxford College. Cate knew so much about the town, the college, and its history. She was witty and very proud of her home. She should be a tour guide! Now, if I’m still going that strong by the time I’m 90, it will be a miracle. She was great. In the middle of this busy paved street there is a small patch of very old cobblestone. Cate told us that this marks the exact spot where martyrs were burned at the stake so long ago. We also saw a memorial to these people and a grand old church that once held a platform for trials and such, I think. I couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful stained-glass windows decorations and taking pictures. Finally, a church that allows visitors to take photos inside. Now, I’ll have exactly one church interior in my London photo album!
But churches and martyrs were not the only treat. We paid a pound to see inside this great old hall that used to be a library. All the windows were warped and it made the greenery outside look kind of magical. And conveniently, they filmed the infirmary scene from the first Harry Potter movie there. From HP we moved on to Cardinal Wosley, who we’ve heard so much about this week. Henry VIII’s wingman built Hampton Court and also started Christ Church, one of the many colleges that make up Oxford. We walked around the lawns surrounding the college and then walked down a very busy and tempting shopping street. And from about that point, we all got pretty tired. Another long day of walking and sightseeing.
We said goodbye and thanks to Cate and hopped on the train at around five. From Paddington, we took the tube to High Street Kensington and ate supper at the Prince of Wales Pub. And, of course, the food was great. Mom got another apple pie dessert. Conveniently, most of the pubs in London have the same menu and, therefore, they all have the same desserts. Hence, Mom’s apple pie parade through all the pubs we’ve visited. They are all a bit different, but comparable. We’ll see which one is the best by week’s end after about 50 more pub dinners. Yum!
Tuesday, Tuesday was a busy busy day. We got up early and met at Gloucester Station yet again. So nice to walk around the corner and see Mom and Grandma standing there smiling, waiting for me! I never want them or this nice weather to leave! We got going and arrived at Victoria station via tube a few minutes later. First stop was Westminster Cathedral, my favorite church in London. I’m not too sure why I love it so much, but there is something just really special and magical about the huge cathedral. The sparkly ceiling. The grand alter area. The many colorful mosaics. Oh, I love it.
Second, we walked to a rather stately home located on the west end of Westminster – Buckingham Palace. Have you heard of it? We joined the massive crowds surrounding the road in front of the palace to watch the changing of the guard. Basically, this ceremony is a bunch of guys in red coats marching to a cadence in and out of the palace gates. I’ve been putting off going to see the guard because they’ve been wearing these ugly gray coats all winter and we wanted the red coats. Well, we got them. Two whole groups/troops of guards in red marched by and we were happy.
Third, we walked around the side of Buckingham Palace to the Queen’s Gallery. This space holds works from the Royal Family’s personal art collection on season exhibitions. We saw a lovely show about Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. You need to watch “The Young Victoria”. I’ve watched it three times since I’ve been here. I’m in love. We all loved the gallery and the gift shop was good. Pounds well spent.
Fourth, I took Mom and Grandma to one of my favorite pubs – The Albert. I just love that place. Mom had the apple pie again. Her least favorite so far, I think. And from here, we split. I had class at the Tate Britain while Mom and Grandma headed toward Westminster to see the Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament. About an hour later, I raced out of class and met up with them at Westminster.
Fifth, we decided to hop on the boat that heads down the Thames because it was such a lovely day. The sun was still shining! A miracle in London! And I thought the boat was fantastic. We saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Waterloo Bridge (which was built completely by women during WWII) and about a dozen other bridges, the 3500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk they call Cleopatra’s Needle, and the HMS Belfast (an old warship which is now a wartime museum). About 45 minutes later, we arrived at Tower Pier and immediately took some pictures of Tower Bridge, Tower of London, and the funny looking city hall building across the river. The Tower of London gift shop is quite good so we spent some time there.
Sixth, after a few more pictures and some fun facts I’ve learned from my professors and tour guides, we hopped on the #15 bus toward Piccadilly Circus. The bus was packed because everyone is still on Easter break. Cool Britannia, a touristy store in Piccadilly, was also crazy busy, but we managed to find some good souvenirs to bring home.
Seventh, we ate. At a restaurant that Diana liked to bring William and Harry – DaMario’s. Good Italian food for the end of a good day.
I’m dividing this post in two. We’ve done soooo much and there is just too much to write.
Love,
Kelly
My time with Mom and Grandma is just flying by! Our week is almost up and they think they are leaving me on Saturday… Ha. Ha. We’ve done so much these past few days. Rode across the country on trains, visited too many churches, ate way too much pub food, and walked everywhere. I don’t know how Grandma is still going, I’m dead tired after every day! And we have a few last things planned for Friday and Saturday. They are going out with a bang!
I met Grandma and Mom at Gloucester Tube Station early on Monday morning and we got on the tube bound for Paddington Station. Once at the rail station, we bought our tickets to Oxford (we got the group rate!) and headed for our platform (number 4). After a bit of searching up and down the train for an empty car, we settled down for our hour trip out of London. It was quite a nice ride and we were in Oxford before we knew it. From there, we took a taxi to Grandma’s friend Cate’s home. And Cate was a great hostess. We sat around to chat for a bit, ate lunch, and then headed out to see the town and Oxford College. Cate knew so much about the town, the college, and its history. She was witty and very proud of her home. She should be a tour guide! Now, if I’m still going that strong by the time I’m 90, it will be a miracle. She was great. In the middle of this busy paved street there is a small patch of very old cobblestone. Cate told us that this marks the exact spot where martyrs were burned at the stake so long ago. We also saw a memorial to these people and a grand old church that once held a platform for trials and such, I think. I couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful stained-glass windows decorations and taking pictures. Finally, a church that allows visitors to take photos inside. Now, I’ll have exactly one church interior in my London photo album!
But churches and martyrs were not the only treat. We paid a pound to see inside this great old hall that used to be a library. All the windows were warped and it made the greenery outside look kind of magical. And conveniently, they filmed the infirmary scene from the first Harry Potter movie there. From HP we moved on to Cardinal Wosley, who we’ve heard so much about this week. Henry VIII’s wingman built Hampton Court and also started Christ Church, one of the many colleges that make up Oxford. We walked around the lawns surrounding the college and then walked down a very busy and tempting shopping street. And from about that point, we all got pretty tired. Another long day of walking and sightseeing.
We said goodbye and thanks to Cate and hopped on the train at around five. From Paddington, we took the tube to High Street Kensington and ate supper at the Prince of Wales Pub. And, of course, the food was great. Mom got another apple pie dessert. Conveniently, most of the pubs in London have the same menu and, therefore, they all have the same desserts. Hence, Mom’s apple pie parade through all the pubs we’ve visited. They are all a bit different, but comparable. We’ll see which one is the best by week’s end after about 50 more pub dinners. Yum!
Tuesday, Tuesday was a busy busy day. We got up early and met at Gloucester Station yet again. So nice to walk around the corner and see Mom and Grandma standing there smiling, waiting for me! I never want them or this nice weather to leave! We got going and arrived at Victoria station via tube a few minutes later. First stop was Westminster Cathedral, my favorite church in London. I’m not too sure why I love it so much, but there is something just really special and magical about the huge cathedral. The sparkly ceiling. The grand alter area. The many colorful mosaics. Oh, I love it.
Second, we walked to a rather stately home located on the west end of Westminster – Buckingham Palace. Have you heard of it? We joined the massive crowds surrounding the road in front of the palace to watch the changing of the guard. Basically, this ceremony is a bunch of guys in red coats marching to a cadence in and out of the palace gates. I’ve been putting off going to see the guard because they’ve been wearing these ugly gray coats all winter and we wanted the red coats. Well, we got them. Two whole groups/troops of guards in red marched by and we were happy.
Third, we walked around the side of Buckingham Palace to the Queen’s Gallery. This space holds works from the Royal Family’s personal art collection on season exhibitions. We saw a lovely show about Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. You need to watch “The Young Victoria”. I’ve watched it three times since I’ve been here. I’m in love. We all loved the gallery and the gift shop was good. Pounds well spent.
Fourth, I took Mom and Grandma to one of my favorite pubs – The Albert. I just love that place. Mom had the apple pie again. Her least favorite so far, I think. And from here, we split. I had class at the Tate Britain while Mom and Grandma headed toward Westminster to see the Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament. About an hour later, I raced out of class and met up with them at Westminster.
Fifth, we decided to hop on the boat that heads down the Thames because it was such a lovely day. The sun was still shining! A miracle in London! And I thought the boat was fantastic. We saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Waterloo Bridge (which was built completely by women during WWII) and about a dozen other bridges, the 3500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk they call Cleopatra’s Needle, and the HMS Belfast (an old warship which is now a wartime museum). About 45 minutes later, we arrived at Tower Pier and immediately took some pictures of Tower Bridge, Tower of London, and the funny looking city hall building across the river. The Tower of London gift shop is quite good so we spent some time there.
Sixth, after a few more pictures and some fun facts I’ve learned from my professors and tour guides, we hopped on the #15 bus toward Piccadilly Circus. The bus was packed because everyone is still on Easter break. Cool Britannia, a touristy store in Piccadilly, was also crazy busy, but we managed to find some good souvenirs to bring home.
Seventh, we ate. At a restaurant that Diana liked to bring William and Harry – DaMario’s. Good Italian food for the end of a good day.
I’m dividing this post in two. We’ve done soooo much and there is just too much to write.
Love,
Kelly
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tudors and Terrors
April 5, 2010
Okay. I’m back.
Saturday was a busy day. For Grandma and Mom’s first full day in England we traveled to the outskirts of London to Hampton Court Palace. We got up early to catch the train from Waterloo station headed southwest down the Thames. As soon as we got off the thirty-minute long train to Hampton Court, we saw the palace across the river. And that thing is huge. So many additions and renovations over the years have made it a rather grand patchwork display of different architectural styles. I only know this because of my History of London class. Thank you professor John Mackey.
We walked across the river and paid for our tickets. Mom was especially excited. A bit of history, a bunch of rooms that have been redecorated a million times, and spending time with her family = Judy’s favorite day out. We all had a lot of fun. First, we toured Henry VIII’s apartments. Henry really put Hampton Court on the map after he stole it from a minister that fell out of his favor. He held court there, inviting all of his friends – some thousand people in the peerage, is all. The palace was like a working hotel back then. The whole courtyard was filled with actors dressed up at courtiers and jesters, kings and queens. You could even rent a cape for the day as you toured the palace. We saw this family of five all dressed in red and green capes. The littlest boy has his cape, helmet and sword. Cutest thing ever.
We looked at the beautiful gardens from the warm rooms inside the palace. It was a cold and windy day. The gardens looked fantastic through the huge windows and the wood fireplaces felt so good. There were even people baking in the kitchens over the fires. They were dressed up, of course and the entire kitchen staff answered people’s questions in character. It was great. The gift shop was good. For most of the day we walked aimlessly around the huge complex, talking about monarchs and their crazy antics. You really couldn’t make some of that stuff up.
After about four hours, we were hungry and headed across the river for some food. A few plates of good Italian and we were back on the train home. Getting back to Waterloo, we didn’t head straight home. We got on the Northern line bound for Tottenham Court Road and some good used bookstores to fill our British history fix. Mom picked up an excellent book about the monarchy and we headed home.
Getting back to Kensington, we plopped ourselves into some comfy chairs at the Stanhope Arms Pub and relaxed. After a few rounds Grandma and Mom were dancing on the bar drunk. You know I’m kidding. We sat around, ate and looked at all of our purchases from the gift shops and bookstores. Good day.
And Easter Sunday. Not our typical holiday. It was definitely a London holiday and one to remember. First, we attended mass at the Brompton Oratory. It was quite good. The church was beautifully decorated and designed. I haven’t seen a church here that wasn’t! We sat right in front and could hear the wonderful children’s choir perfectly. Notably, the boys’ choir from that oratory sang on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. That was my favorite part. Mass at the oratory is held every hour, on the hour, every day from 8AM to noon. As soon as we finished, the next round of churchgoers was waiting anxiously in the back. We hurried out, got in our taxi, and headed to my flat.
Unfortunately, the boys in my apartment seem to be allergic to any form of cleaning or picking up, so our flat is always a disaster. Luckily, Hal, Viv, and I keep our room relatively clean so I can retreat to my bunk and ignore the mess in the living room and kitchen. I tried to hide it from Mom and Grandma when they walked in, but failed miserably. We got out of there as soon as possible, after Amy and I changed our shoes, and got on the bus just outside my building.
And what a day of adventures Easter 2010 became. Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be open or not, but we lucked out. We headed straight for the Tudor gallery and all the portraits of monarchs we learned about in Hampton Court. Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Shakespeare. We saw them all at their best. What a classy bunch. After that we had to pop into the contemporary gallery on the first floor and see the newly painted portrait of Princes William and Harry. I was happy to see Henry VIII’s beautiful scowl, but this just made my day…
Well informed and hungry, we caught a bus headed for Liverpool Station. And from there we walked to Brick Lane for some Indian food. Yes, we ate curry on Easter. I think I’ll start eating curry on Easter every year. Better yet, there should be a holiday dedicated solely to curry. Perfect. Anyway on the to Brick Lane, we walked passed Spitalfields Market. Remember Amy and I were there on Friday, but nothing was going on? Well, holiday or not, Spitalfields was alive and kicking that afternoon. We decided to come back after our curry fix.
Oh, I almost forgot. While we were at mass at the Brompton Oratory, there was this terror of a child sitting in front of us that wouldn’t sit still. His mom and dad yelled at him like fifty times, but he just wouldn’t stop. Once, he attempted to climb over his dad and his mom grabbed him. But she must have misjudged his weight or inertia or something because he accidentally fell right into her and they both went rolling out into the aisle. Literally, fell right out into the aisle. I almost died laughing. Well, karma came back to get me in the form of a sneaky curb in front of Spitalfields. After not seeing the curb, I literally rolled out onto the street in front of Spitalfields. Fell right on my ass, scuffed up my new shoes, and jammed my elbow into the cobblestone. Wonderful. And Mom wouldn’t let me forget it. Every two seconds, “Oh sweetie, are you sure you are okay?” Aaron, I feel for you. After three years of college, I’d forgotten about Mom’s million questions and constant worrying. I’ll be home this summer, so you won’t be alone.
Curry cheered me right up. Always does. After eating, we headed back to Spitalfields and shopped. This was probably the best market for Mom and Grandma – millions of crafts, clothes, purses, jewelry, and other knick-knacks. Terri, my mom said you would have loved this place. Should have come along! Grandma bought Amy and I some early birthday presents… hmm, wonder if she’ll remember this in July and September. Looks like we get double presents this year! Guess she just likes us best out of all her grandkids.
After shopping, eating, and walking around, we were dead tired. Again. We headed back across town to Kensington. We ended the day in our favorite pub, the Stanhope Arms. I think they might even consider us regulars by week’s end. Mom ate some good apple pie, Hal had Bangers and Mash, which is an English staple consisting of a few big pieces of sausage, mashed potatoes, and peas. Amy ordered fish and chips, but I stole about half. Good night.
And Amy left us this morning. At around 10AM we met for breakfast and she got on her train for Heathrow. I don’t think I could live this far from the family again. It is too hard seeing everyone leave me!
Oxford today with Mom and Grandma. We are meeting Grandma’s friend Cate, so that should be great! Be back tonight.
Love,
Kelly
Okay. I’m back.
Saturday was a busy day. For Grandma and Mom’s first full day in England we traveled to the outskirts of London to Hampton Court Palace. We got up early to catch the train from Waterloo station headed southwest down the Thames. As soon as we got off the thirty-minute long train to Hampton Court, we saw the palace across the river. And that thing is huge. So many additions and renovations over the years have made it a rather grand patchwork display of different architectural styles. I only know this because of my History of London class. Thank you professor John Mackey.
We walked across the river and paid for our tickets. Mom was especially excited. A bit of history, a bunch of rooms that have been redecorated a million times, and spending time with her family = Judy’s favorite day out. We all had a lot of fun. First, we toured Henry VIII’s apartments. Henry really put Hampton Court on the map after he stole it from a minister that fell out of his favor. He held court there, inviting all of his friends – some thousand people in the peerage, is all. The palace was like a working hotel back then. The whole courtyard was filled with actors dressed up at courtiers and jesters, kings and queens. You could even rent a cape for the day as you toured the palace. We saw this family of five all dressed in red and green capes. The littlest boy has his cape, helmet and sword. Cutest thing ever.
We looked at the beautiful gardens from the warm rooms inside the palace. It was a cold and windy day. The gardens looked fantastic through the huge windows and the wood fireplaces felt so good. There were even people baking in the kitchens over the fires. They were dressed up, of course and the entire kitchen staff answered people’s questions in character. It was great. The gift shop was good. For most of the day we walked aimlessly around the huge complex, talking about monarchs and their crazy antics. You really couldn’t make some of that stuff up.
After about four hours, we were hungry and headed across the river for some food. A few plates of good Italian and we were back on the train home. Getting back to Waterloo, we didn’t head straight home. We got on the Northern line bound for Tottenham Court Road and some good used bookstores to fill our British history fix. Mom picked up an excellent book about the monarchy and we headed home.
Getting back to Kensington, we plopped ourselves into some comfy chairs at the Stanhope Arms Pub and relaxed. After a few rounds Grandma and Mom were dancing on the bar drunk. You know I’m kidding. We sat around, ate and looked at all of our purchases from the gift shops and bookstores. Good day.
And Easter Sunday. Not our typical holiday. It was definitely a London holiday and one to remember. First, we attended mass at the Brompton Oratory. It was quite good. The church was beautifully decorated and designed. I haven’t seen a church here that wasn’t! We sat right in front and could hear the wonderful children’s choir perfectly. Notably, the boys’ choir from that oratory sang on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. That was my favorite part. Mass at the oratory is held every hour, on the hour, every day from 8AM to noon. As soon as we finished, the next round of churchgoers was waiting anxiously in the back. We hurried out, got in our taxi, and headed to my flat.
Unfortunately, the boys in my apartment seem to be allergic to any form of cleaning or picking up, so our flat is always a disaster. Luckily, Hal, Viv, and I keep our room relatively clean so I can retreat to my bunk and ignore the mess in the living room and kitchen. I tried to hide it from Mom and Grandma when they walked in, but failed miserably. We got out of there as soon as possible, after Amy and I changed our shoes, and got on the bus just outside my building.
And what a day of adventures Easter 2010 became. Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be open or not, but we lucked out. We headed straight for the Tudor gallery and all the portraits of monarchs we learned about in Hampton Court. Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Shakespeare. We saw them all at their best. What a classy bunch. After that we had to pop into the contemporary gallery on the first floor and see the newly painted portrait of Princes William and Harry. I was happy to see Henry VIII’s beautiful scowl, but this just made my day…
Well informed and hungry, we caught a bus headed for Liverpool Station. And from there we walked to Brick Lane for some Indian food. Yes, we ate curry on Easter. I think I’ll start eating curry on Easter every year. Better yet, there should be a holiday dedicated solely to curry. Perfect. Anyway on the to Brick Lane, we walked passed Spitalfields Market. Remember Amy and I were there on Friday, but nothing was going on? Well, holiday or not, Spitalfields was alive and kicking that afternoon. We decided to come back after our curry fix.
Oh, I almost forgot. While we were at mass at the Brompton Oratory, there was this terror of a child sitting in front of us that wouldn’t sit still. His mom and dad yelled at him like fifty times, but he just wouldn’t stop. Once, he attempted to climb over his dad and his mom grabbed him. But she must have misjudged his weight or inertia or something because he accidentally fell right into her and they both went rolling out into the aisle. Literally, fell right out into the aisle. I almost died laughing. Well, karma came back to get me in the form of a sneaky curb in front of Spitalfields. After not seeing the curb, I literally rolled out onto the street in front of Spitalfields. Fell right on my ass, scuffed up my new shoes, and jammed my elbow into the cobblestone. Wonderful. And Mom wouldn’t let me forget it. Every two seconds, “Oh sweetie, are you sure you are okay?” Aaron, I feel for you. After three years of college, I’d forgotten about Mom’s million questions and constant worrying. I’ll be home this summer, so you won’t be alone.
Curry cheered me right up. Always does. After eating, we headed back to Spitalfields and shopped. This was probably the best market for Mom and Grandma – millions of crafts, clothes, purses, jewelry, and other knick-knacks. Terri, my mom said you would have loved this place. Should have come along! Grandma bought Amy and I some early birthday presents… hmm, wonder if she’ll remember this in July and September. Looks like we get double presents this year! Guess she just likes us best out of all her grandkids.
After shopping, eating, and walking around, we were dead tired. Again. We headed back across town to Kensington. We ended the day in our favorite pub, the Stanhope Arms. I think they might even consider us regulars by week’s end. Mom ate some good apple pie, Hal had Bangers and Mash, which is an English staple consisting of a few big pieces of sausage, mashed potatoes, and peas. Amy ordered fish and chips, but I stole about half. Good night.
And Amy left us this morning. At around 10AM we met for breakfast and she got on her train for Heathrow. I don’t think I could live this far from the family again. It is too hard seeing everyone leave me!
Oxford today with Mom and Grandma. We are meeting Grandma’s friend Cate, so that should be great! Be back tonight.
Love,
Kelly
Wonka and Walking
April 5, 2010
Amy, Grandma, Mom, and I have been busy, busy all weekend and today we go to Oxford. I’m dead tired after our days full of walking and eating and seeing, but we aren’t stopping anytime soon. I can’t even say how much having these three here means to me. I didn’t realize how much I missed home and everyone there until this weekend. So nice to see a familiar face in this crazy city! Amy leaves this morning, but Mom doesn’t want to talk about it. We wish she were staying, but apparently, she has this crazy thing called a job… huh. I’m so spoiled after four months of traveling, touring, easy classes, and zero work. It is going to be a big adjustment back to Madison. I did get by presentation for history class over with and that was a relief!
For history class, we toured St. Paul’s Cathedral on Thursday afternoon. We couldn’t take any pictures inside, but that church was probably the biggest, most decorated, most grand church we’ve seen. Charles and Diana were married there. No big stained glass windows, but huge painted panels lined the walls and ceilings, statues of saints stood everywhere, and this massive dome dominated the center of the cathedral. It reminded me of the state capital in Madison, but this one is the second biggest is Europe. I just sat in a chair and looked up in amazement. Until my neck started to hurt.
After WWII, they decided that St. Paul’s was an appropriate place for a memorial for all the Americans that had died fighting alongside Britain in the war. So, at the very west end sits this rather decorated enclave that houses a giant book with all the deceased soldiers names. And behind it, a three-paneled window with 50 symbols comprising a border – one for each state. We found the little badger with ‘Forward’ written above it. After that, out history professor took us down to the crypt to see the tombs of a few of the people we’d studied. I kind of hurried out after we walked up to the top of the church to see the view because Amy was waiting back at my apartment. Her flight got in just as my class started, so she was probably napping, but I still wanted to see her as soon as I could!
We went to the Prince of Wales and ate some pub food that night with Hal. Amy had a few specific things she wanted to do while in London again. First of which were a Strongbow and some fish and chips. She’s definitely got her priorities straight! After our feast, we headed back to the flat after hunting down some Cadbury Creme Eggs at a convenience store. Yum!
On Friday, we woke early and traveled into the middle of the city via tube. Our intention was to give Amy a bit of a tour around the area known at Temple. This is where all the British lawyers, they call them barrister or solicitors here, have their offices. But, it was Good Friday and everything was closed. We were even going to sit on in a few court cases, but nothing was open. Shoot. Plan B – we headed across town to the East End, mainly Brick Lane for some Indian food. Yum. Whoever said English food sucks was way off. As soon as I get home, I’m going to have to find some good Indian food and a restaurant/bar that somewhat resembles a pub. Anyway, Brick Lane was amazing as always. We shopped a bit around Spitalfields, but the market wasn’t going to it wasn’t that exciting. Amy and I did find some glasses at this souvenir shop. Only five pounds!
After that, we headed down to the Thames, toward the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge just blew me away the first time I saw it and I insist on bringing everyone to see it at least once. I think Amy liked it. You can’t not like it. It’s awesome! We walked all the way across the bridge in an attempt to find Bridget Jones’s door, which is located somewhere near Borough Market in Southwark. After I forgot to write down the address, that adventure was a bust. We couldn’t find it, but we did see the market. It was filled with food stands and people. I’m definitely coming back! I’ll get to see beautiful views of my beloved bridge while shopping and eating on the riverbank… oh, perfect day.
We Tubed it back to Gloucester Road, our regular stop near our flat, and walked to meet Grandma and Mom at their hotel. I really can’t believe I haven’t seen them in three months! It feels like I’ve only been here a few weeks. But I’ve missed them so much. And everyone else! I can’t wait to get home and see you all! Anyway, after a bit of talking about their flight and cab ride, we headed out to find something to eat. We found the Bunch of Grapes Pub on Brompton Road. Mom and Grandma ordered fish, chips, and a Strongbow. That meal was great. I’m so used to sitting in my room, atop my bunk bed with my bowl of oatmeal. I’ve got to get out more.
We walked to Harrods next. I’ve been putting off this visit for the entire trip. All of my roommates that have gone to this crazy store advised that you set aside an entire afternoon to just look around and eat. It is like a museum of really nice stuff you could never afford and an entire floor dedicated to food. Seriously, the food court is huge and so intense. Mom compared it to Willy Wonka. Every inch of the hall is decorated – the walls, floors, doors, counters. The candy and sweets room leads into the exotic foods room which leads to the tea room and then to the meat and fish room. Amy picked up some cupcakes and we all just stared around in awe. Seriously felt like Charlie Bucket in the Chocolate Factory. As we where heading down an escalator, trying to find the bathroom, the Willy Wonka theme song started playing. So funny.
Next, we went to Knightsbridge Station to buy Grandma and Mom’s Oyster passes for the Tube and buses. We waited around for the #9 bus for a while, and it eventually came. We rode it all the way to Trafalgar Square, driving passed Green Park and Piccadilly Circus all lit up at night. We sat in the very front seats on the upper deck of the bus. It was great. When we got off at Trafalgar Square, we took some pictures and then headed down towards the Thames. The river at night is so beautiful with all the bridges and buildings lit up on either side. More pictures. Even I was tired from all the walking when we got on the tube headed home. Luckily, Mom and Grandma’s hotel is only about 100 feet from the tube stop. We hung out at the hotel for a bit before Amy, Hal, and I headed back to my flat for a good night’s sleep.
Okay, I’ll be back with more in a bit. Have a bunch of things planned for today and I still have to write about Saturday and Sunday. London’s calling!
Cheerio,
Kelly
Amy, Grandma, Mom, and I have been busy, busy all weekend and today we go to Oxford. I’m dead tired after our days full of walking and eating and seeing, but we aren’t stopping anytime soon. I can’t even say how much having these three here means to me. I didn’t realize how much I missed home and everyone there until this weekend. So nice to see a familiar face in this crazy city! Amy leaves this morning, but Mom doesn’t want to talk about it. We wish she were staying, but apparently, she has this crazy thing called a job… huh. I’m so spoiled after four months of traveling, touring, easy classes, and zero work. It is going to be a big adjustment back to Madison. I did get by presentation for history class over with and that was a relief!
For history class, we toured St. Paul’s Cathedral on Thursday afternoon. We couldn’t take any pictures inside, but that church was probably the biggest, most decorated, most grand church we’ve seen. Charles and Diana were married there. No big stained glass windows, but huge painted panels lined the walls and ceilings, statues of saints stood everywhere, and this massive dome dominated the center of the cathedral. It reminded me of the state capital in Madison, but this one is the second biggest is Europe. I just sat in a chair and looked up in amazement. Until my neck started to hurt.
After WWII, they decided that St. Paul’s was an appropriate place for a memorial for all the Americans that had died fighting alongside Britain in the war. So, at the very west end sits this rather decorated enclave that houses a giant book with all the deceased soldiers names. And behind it, a three-paneled window with 50 symbols comprising a border – one for each state. We found the little badger with ‘Forward’ written above it. After that, out history professor took us down to the crypt to see the tombs of a few of the people we’d studied. I kind of hurried out after we walked up to the top of the church to see the view because Amy was waiting back at my apartment. Her flight got in just as my class started, so she was probably napping, but I still wanted to see her as soon as I could!
We went to the Prince of Wales and ate some pub food that night with Hal. Amy had a few specific things she wanted to do while in London again. First of which were a Strongbow and some fish and chips. She’s definitely got her priorities straight! After our feast, we headed back to the flat after hunting down some Cadbury Creme Eggs at a convenience store. Yum!
On Friday, we woke early and traveled into the middle of the city via tube. Our intention was to give Amy a bit of a tour around the area known at Temple. This is where all the British lawyers, they call them barrister or solicitors here, have their offices. But, it was Good Friday and everything was closed. We were even going to sit on in a few court cases, but nothing was open. Shoot. Plan B – we headed across town to the East End, mainly Brick Lane for some Indian food. Yum. Whoever said English food sucks was way off. As soon as I get home, I’m going to have to find some good Indian food and a restaurant/bar that somewhat resembles a pub. Anyway, Brick Lane was amazing as always. We shopped a bit around Spitalfields, but the market wasn’t going to it wasn’t that exciting. Amy and I did find some glasses at this souvenir shop. Only five pounds!
After that, we headed down to the Thames, toward the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge just blew me away the first time I saw it and I insist on bringing everyone to see it at least once. I think Amy liked it. You can’t not like it. It’s awesome! We walked all the way across the bridge in an attempt to find Bridget Jones’s door, which is located somewhere near Borough Market in Southwark. After I forgot to write down the address, that adventure was a bust. We couldn’t find it, but we did see the market. It was filled with food stands and people. I’m definitely coming back! I’ll get to see beautiful views of my beloved bridge while shopping and eating on the riverbank… oh, perfect day.
We Tubed it back to Gloucester Road, our regular stop near our flat, and walked to meet Grandma and Mom at their hotel. I really can’t believe I haven’t seen them in three months! It feels like I’ve only been here a few weeks. But I’ve missed them so much. And everyone else! I can’t wait to get home and see you all! Anyway, after a bit of talking about their flight and cab ride, we headed out to find something to eat. We found the Bunch of Grapes Pub on Brompton Road. Mom and Grandma ordered fish, chips, and a Strongbow. That meal was great. I’m so used to sitting in my room, atop my bunk bed with my bowl of oatmeal. I’ve got to get out more.
We walked to Harrods next. I’ve been putting off this visit for the entire trip. All of my roommates that have gone to this crazy store advised that you set aside an entire afternoon to just look around and eat. It is like a museum of really nice stuff you could never afford and an entire floor dedicated to food. Seriously, the food court is huge and so intense. Mom compared it to Willy Wonka. Every inch of the hall is decorated – the walls, floors, doors, counters. The candy and sweets room leads into the exotic foods room which leads to the tea room and then to the meat and fish room. Amy picked up some cupcakes and we all just stared around in awe. Seriously felt like Charlie Bucket in the Chocolate Factory. As we where heading down an escalator, trying to find the bathroom, the Willy Wonka theme song started playing. So funny.
Next, we went to Knightsbridge Station to buy Grandma and Mom’s Oyster passes for the Tube and buses. We waited around for the #9 bus for a while, and it eventually came. We rode it all the way to Trafalgar Square, driving passed Green Park and Piccadilly Circus all lit up at night. We sat in the very front seats on the upper deck of the bus. It was great. When we got off at Trafalgar Square, we took some pictures and then headed down towards the Thames. The river at night is so beautiful with all the bridges and buildings lit up on either side. More pictures. Even I was tired from all the walking when we got on the tube headed home. Luckily, Mom and Grandma’s hotel is only about 100 feet from the tube stop. We hung out at the hotel for a bit before Amy, Hal, and I headed back to my flat for a good night’s sleep.
Okay, I’ll be back with more in a bit. Have a bunch of things planned for today and I still have to write about Saturday and Sunday. London’s calling!
Cheerio,
Kelly
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Primark and Phoenix
March 31, 2010
Kelsie left me… for France. At 5AM on Monday morning, she caught the tube to King’s Cross and then the Chunnel to Paris. I gave her a few tips for Paris, not that I know that much about the city. Everything is great there. You can’t not have fun. Kelsie, if you are reading this, you better have gone to the top of the Arc du Triomphe at night or we’re not friends anymore. Just kidding… I’m sure you are having a great time while I’m still here doing homework. Not really. I’m procrastinating. Doing every possible thing I can instead of working on my presentation for history class. I even did laundry! I must be desperate if I’m doing laundry… And now I’m here, writing this blog, which should take up a good hour. Perfect.
On Sunday morning, a big group of us headed across London to the east side and more specifically Whitechapel. We got off at Aldgate East and headed straight for Petticoat Lane Market. And we never looked back. I attempted to barter with the vendor guys but I’m no good at that. Linette, I need you! I bought a shirt and a dress. All the clothes in Petticoat in are either stolen from department stores or damaged so the department stores don’t want them anymore. You’ve got to be careful about what you buy and make sure you wash it before you wear it. There are racks and racks of clothes to sort through. It is so much fun.
Next, we headed over to Spitalfields Market. This one is a bit more legit. The entire complex was built over an ancient Roman burial ground by the Tudors and is a huge shopping center today. Why not? There are a few stores and restaurants surrounding the big arcade where the market lives on the weekends. Mostly crafts and accessories, I didn’t get anything here but a latte. Yum. After Spitalfields we found Diagon Alley from Harry Potter… not really, but we saw the place where they filmed it on our way to the bus stop. We also showed Kelsie a few of the spots in the East End that are synonymous with Jack the Ripper. The pub where he picked up his last victim. The place where they found the body of his second victim… scary! We got out of there fast. Not really, it’s a really nice area now, just not so much 100 years ago. We hopped on the double-decker at Liverpool station and sat at the top so Kelsie could see the town as we road to Piccadilly for more shopping. There was this terrible man in a wheelchair who kept yelling at the bus driver. He was so mean! Poor driver – just doing his job. I could never drive one of those huge buses. No one in this city knows how to drive. Except the cab drivers. And they drive like crazy people!
We got off at Piccadilly and headed to this huge, touristy shop called Cool Britannia. It is amazing. And hilarious. They have absolutely everything you could ever want with the Tube map, the Union Jack, or the Queen’s face on it… Seriously everything. We walked up Regent Street next. And then Carnaby Street to Oxford Circus. So much shopping! I love London! At Oxford Circus lives the biggest H&M I’ve ever seen. Seriously, death to my savings account every time I step into that store… Ugh. We headed down Oxford Street, stopping at a few stores on the way. Oxford, Regent, and Carnaby are the epicenter of shopping London, maybe Europe. You can’t walk down any of them without buying a million things. And at the end of Oxford Street sits the holy grail of cheap retail shopping: Primark. Nothing in that store is over 10 pounds, I swear. There are always about 10,000 people inside, but that is part of its charm – screaming, pushy girls and their boyfriends who were forced to tag along. I love it! I got four shirts, one dress, and a scarf for 14 pounds.
We got a bit worn out after Primark. Is there such a thing as too much shopping? I didn’t think so until that day. Exhausted, we headed across Hyde Park toward our flat. It was sunny and beautiful. Hal and I showed Kelsie the Marble Arch, the Serpentine (which is either a river, pond, or lake, and I can’t figure out which one), Kensington Gardens, the Diana memorial, and Prince Albert Memorial. Good end to a busy day I think.
We went out for ice cream, but then had an early night. I had to write a paper and Kelsie needed to leave the flat by 5AM the next morning. Somehow, our early night turned into pretty late one. Kelsie couldn’t sleep, I skyped my mom and the Campbells in the bathroom before finishing a paper. I love Skype! It was so good to see the Campbells! And Mom, of course.
And compared to Sunday, the last two days have been pretty boring. I’ve had class and homework. I’m pretty much ahead of schedule now so when Amy, Mom, and Grandma come I won’t need to do any class work while they are here. Way to go me.
Last night, Hal, Viv, and I did go to a concert in Camden. We saw a band called Phoenix that Viv especially loves, I like a few songs, and Hal was pretty much indifferent. Just went along for the experience. And it was amazing. At the beginning, we had to stand around for quite a long time, but when Phoenix finally came on, I had the best time. They played my favorite songs first and last. I danced, got completely crushed when the lead singer appeared in the middle of the crowd and started singing, and got beer spilled on me! Whooo!
Amy, Mom, and Grandma are coming tomorrow and Friday! So excited for that.
Love, Kelly
Kelsie left me… for France. At 5AM on Monday morning, she caught the tube to King’s Cross and then the Chunnel to Paris. I gave her a few tips for Paris, not that I know that much about the city. Everything is great there. You can’t not have fun. Kelsie, if you are reading this, you better have gone to the top of the Arc du Triomphe at night or we’re not friends anymore. Just kidding… I’m sure you are having a great time while I’m still here doing homework. Not really. I’m procrastinating. Doing every possible thing I can instead of working on my presentation for history class. I even did laundry! I must be desperate if I’m doing laundry… And now I’m here, writing this blog, which should take up a good hour. Perfect.
On Sunday morning, a big group of us headed across London to the east side and more specifically Whitechapel. We got off at Aldgate East and headed straight for Petticoat Lane Market. And we never looked back. I attempted to barter with the vendor guys but I’m no good at that. Linette, I need you! I bought a shirt and a dress. All the clothes in Petticoat in are either stolen from department stores or damaged so the department stores don’t want them anymore. You’ve got to be careful about what you buy and make sure you wash it before you wear it. There are racks and racks of clothes to sort through. It is so much fun.
Next, we headed over to Spitalfields Market. This one is a bit more legit. The entire complex was built over an ancient Roman burial ground by the Tudors and is a huge shopping center today. Why not? There are a few stores and restaurants surrounding the big arcade where the market lives on the weekends. Mostly crafts and accessories, I didn’t get anything here but a latte. Yum. After Spitalfields we found Diagon Alley from Harry Potter… not really, but we saw the place where they filmed it on our way to the bus stop. We also showed Kelsie a few of the spots in the East End that are synonymous with Jack the Ripper. The pub where he picked up his last victim. The place where they found the body of his second victim… scary! We got out of there fast. Not really, it’s a really nice area now, just not so much 100 years ago. We hopped on the double-decker at Liverpool station and sat at the top so Kelsie could see the town as we road to Piccadilly for more shopping. There was this terrible man in a wheelchair who kept yelling at the bus driver. He was so mean! Poor driver – just doing his job. I could never drive one of those huge buses. No one in this city knows how to drive. Except the cab drivers. And they drive like crazy people!
We got off at Piccadilly and headed to this huge, touristy shop called Cool Britannia. It is amazing. And hilarious. They have absolutely everything you could ever want with the Tube map, the Union Jack, or the Queen’s face on it… Seriously everything. We walked up Regent Street next. And then Carnaby Street to Oxford Circus. So much shopping! I love London! At Oxford Circus lives the biggest H&M I’ve ever seen. Seriously, death to my savings account every time I step into that store… Ugh. We headed down Oxford Street, stopping at a few stores on the way. Oxford, Regent, and Carnaby are the epicenter of shopping London, maybe Europe. You can’t walk down any of them without buying a million things. And at the end of Oxford Street sits the holy grail of cheap retail shopping: Primark. Nothing in that store is over 10 pounds, I swear. There are always about 10,000 people inside, but that is part of its charm – screaming, pushy girls and their boyfriends who were forced to tag along. I love it! I got four shirts, one dress, and a scarf for 14 pounds.
We got a bit worn out after Primark. Is there such a thing as too much shopping? I didn’t think so until that day. Exhausted, we headed across Hyde Park toward our flat. It was sunny and beautiful. Hal and I showed Kelsie the Marble Arch, the Serpentine (which is either a river, pond, or lake, and I can’t figure out which one), Kensington Gardens, the Diana memorial, and Prince Albert Memorial. Good end to a busy day I think.
We went out for ice cream, but then had an early night. I had to write a paper and Kelsie needed to leave the flat by 5AM the next morning. Somehow, our early night turned into pretty late one. Kelsie couldn’t sleep, I skyped my mom and the Campbells in the bathroom before finishing a paper. I love Skype! It was so good to see the Campbells! And Mom, of course.
And compared to Sunday, the last two days have been pretty boring. I’ve had class and homework. I’m pretty much ahead of schedule now so when Amy, Mom, and Grandma come I won’t need to do any class work while they are here. Way to go me.
Last night, Hal, Viv, and I did go to a concert in Camden. We saw a band called Phoenix that Viv especially loves, I like a few songs, and Hal was pretty much indifferent. Just went along for the experience. And it was amazing. At the beginning, we had to stand around for quite a long time, but when Phoenix finally came on, I had the best time. They played my favorite songs first and last. I danced, got completely crushed when the lead singer appeared in the middle of the crowd and started singing, and got beer spilled on me! Whooo!
Amy, Mom, and Grandma are coming tomorrow and Friday! So excited for that.
Love, Kelly
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Curry and Dippy
March 27, 2010
Kelsie is here! And after two and a half days of wandering around London, we are dead tired. I think Kelsie is taking a nap on the floor and I’m up here in my bunk, trying to remember all of the great things we’ve done. We’ve had a bit of trouble picking out exactly what we wanted to do for Kelsie’s weekend in London. There is so much to see and eat and experience! But I think we’ve done a good job with picking the best stuff!
Kelsie got in on Wednesday night. She rode a bus from the airport to Baker Street and I had a bit of trouble getting to that station… I got lost. But I soon found my way, her bus arrived right on time and we were on our way back to the flat. And of course, it was raining. Welcome to London.
We woke up at the crack of dawn on Thursday… Not really, it just felt like that. We had a lot to do and wanted to get going early. After showing her a bit of Kensington, we hopped on the Tube bound for Westminster. And this is where our grand walk began. We saw Westminster Abbey, Westminster Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Next we headed toward St. James’s Park and saw Buckingham Palace, Carlton House, the Wellington Arch (from a distance). Then, we headed down Admiralty Road toward Trafalgar Square and saw the National Gallery, Big Ben (from a distance), and a bunch of foreign embassies. After that, we walked to Leicester Square and Covent Garden where we stopped for a bit of a break before heading down toward the River Thames. We walked along the embankment for a while, seeing St. Paul’s, Millennium Bridge, Southwark, Temple, and King’s College. And lastly, before going to meet my history class, we took some pictures in front of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and stopped into the gift shop. And all that in four hours! We walked everywhere and it was great. It only rained like four times, but only a few drops each time, and it wasn’t too crowded anywhere we visited.
After all that, we met up with my history class for a bit of a field trip. A field trip on this program usually equals a short museum trip, walking around the town, or a meal. This time, we headed for the east side of London and, more specifically, a curry restaurant on Brick Lane… yum. I won’t start on my love of curry again, but my affections might have grown since I last raved about the Indian dish. I am in love with curry. And I think Kelsie is now too. It wasn’t the best Indian food I’ve had, but all four courses were still delicious! After our meal, our history professor led us on a bit of a tour through the East End and Kelsie tagged along. We learned a lot about the multicultural population around Brick Lane, the history of the area, and some major events that took place there. It has changed quite a bit over the years. The Jack the Ripper murders took place when the area was a hotbed for drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Just after WWII, immigrants flocked to the area because of its cheap housing and proximity to the city, where they worked. Today, it still has that very multicultural feel, it’s a bit poorer than most of the London boroughs, and is very popular with younger people who want to get out of the city. I loved it. But after an entire day of walking, I was dead tired after our little tour. We got on the Tube and headed home.
Kelsie, Hal, and I headed to the Gloucester Arms for Kelsie’s first pub experience on Thursday night. We ate chips and drank Strongbow. Perfect end to a great day.
On Friday we headed to tourist-favorite, always sunny town of Bath. This marked our last tour with our favorite guide Brit. I’m so sad. She may be a headache sometimes, especially after four hours of walking around in the rain or the longest bus ride of your life, with her cheerful voice constantly in your ear, but I love her. She made every trip we took so great with her little stories and suggestions. What is that movie where the girl says she is creating a memory?? Whatever it is, I’m creating a memory of all my favorite Brit quotes, funny stories, and great moments on the tours. What am I going to do in the future when I don’t have a personal tour guide in my ear, telling me all about the stuff I’m supposed to be looking at?? Bah! I’ll miss her.
Anyway, Bath was great. We toured the Roman Baths first, the town’s biggest tourist draw and possibly, the oldest bathtubs in all of the world. No, I don’t know about that last part, but these things were really old. They are supplied by a natural hot spring in the ground and have been a favorite of inhabitants of England for centuries, millennia! They are built of this sandy yellow stone, just like everything else in the town, and the water is this murky green. Just what I’d want to take a swim in, pea soup. Ha. It looked amazing though. Took a lot of pictures, drank a glass of bath water (yum), and bought a compass at the souvenir shop. Yes, I bought a compass. It was only 2 pounds, it hooks onto my backpack, and I really wanted one. I’m always backwards here. When the streets go every which way and you pop out of the ground in the form of a tube station not knowing which direction you are facing or which way is up… it was about time.
Next, we headed for a quick bite to eat at a little restaurant. I can’t remember the name, but it was decent. After that, Kelsie and I popped into Sally Lunn’s. Sally Lunn’s is this famous restaurant in the oldest building in Bath, apparently (I don’t know, they all looked pretty old), and they sell the “world famous” Sally Lunn Buns. Not only did they taste good, but Sally Lunn Bun is just fun to say. We were happy while we ate our buns walking the streets of Bath.
We headed up the hill toward the Jane Austen Centre after our food. The entire town of Bath sits in this little valley and buildings line both sides it. Anywhere you go, you’ll need to hike up or down some steep street. But it was fun. Reminded me of our adventures in Dublin… The Jane Austen Centre, because Jane Austen lived in Bath for a bit, was okay. They bookstore was well-stocked and they had a bunch of creepy mannequins dressed up as Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse. We headed for the shopping streets after enough of that. They had a bunch of street performers and vendors along the road. It was fun. We even found this bridge that was lined with shops. You wouldn’t even know you where on a bridge if you couldn’t see out the shops windows to the river below.
And then we got on the bus for the ride home. Three hours later, we got to our flat. Three whole hours it took us to get home… longest bus ride of my life. I just wanted to get home and lay in my bed. But no There was traffic and rain and anything else that could slow us down. The ride wasn’t without its highlights. We saw more English countryside, but this time, it was the rolling hills around Bath. So beautiful. And we saw Wales from a distance. I made a new workout playlist on my iPod and organized our weekend in my head. Pretty productive!
When we finally did get home, we rallied. I drank a bunch of coffee, Hal put on some music, and we all got ready for a night out on Londontown. We got on the Piccadilly line and got off at Piccadilly Circus, of course. We headed for a pub first, (I think Kelsie is hooked), ordered a few drinks, and just sat around to talk. Mid-pub drinking, we got a call from a few of our roommates who wanted to join us and we said we would meet them in Piccadilly Circus. So, we got out of the pub and stood on the street waiting. We people watched, drank (because you can do that on the streets here) and stared at the bright fluorescent signs of “the ‘Dilly”, as Hal calls it. While we waited, a girl walked by with a giant string of helium balloons. Don’t know why she had them, but she did. And Hal stole three of four off the chain. And then proceeded to suck all the helium out of them and talk like a five-year-old girl for the next half hour. It was hilarious at the time. This group of Asian kids on the corner thought so, too. They were just laughing and finally asked Hal if they could take a picture with her. I think that is the beginning of Hal’s fan base… When she makes SNL and tells helium balloon jokes that picture will be worth thousands… God, we were laughing.
And the night kind of fizzled from there. We ran into major congestion getting back on the Piccadilly line. There were literally hundreds of people trying to get through five ticket takers. It was frustrating and hilarious. I think I even yelled at a guy who tried to shove his way past me. When we finally did get on the Tube, we got off at Holborn and tried to get into this karaoke club. Yes, karaoke. I was so excited for a little Mamma Mia or some Amy Winehouse. But no. They wouldn’t let us all in because Kels forgot her ID and Hanna got her purse stolen on spring break. Bust. It was lame anyway. After that, we found a bar that was pretty empty before catching a taxi headed for home. It was a good night. I think Kelsie got a feel for nightlife in London. We always have more fun walking around on the streets than we do standing in a crowded bar and you never know what to expect. I just love London.
And today. Kelsie and I were a bit slow getting going today. Might have been those Strongbows last night. Anyway, eventually we got ourselves together and walked across the street to Hyde Park en route to Portobello Market. The day started off great. The park always puts a smile on my face. But then the sky opened up and it rained. Boo. It couldn’t stop us. We still had a wonderful day walking around looking at all the antiques, clothes, souvenirs, and other crafts on Portobello Road. I bought a couple scarves, a dress, and a shirt. All for 20 pounds! Kelsie bought a dress and a scarf too. We knew that tomorrow would also be a big shopping day so we tried to conserve.
Kelsie, Hal and I took a quick look at a few museums this afternoon. We toured the fashion department at the Victoria and Albert Museum and then saw Dippy the Dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum. Dippy is awesome. Best part of that whole museum.
Hal just went to buy some groceries and we are making a big meal for the three of us. Yay! I think we might go to a movie tonight, but not sure. We’ll see.
Be back soon!
Love,
Kelly
Kelsie is here! And after two and a half days of wandering around London, we are dead tired. I think Kelsie is taking a nap on the floor and I’m up here in my bunk, trying to remember all of the great things we’ve done. We’ve had a bit of trouble picking out exactly what we wanted to do for Kelsie’s weekend in London. There is so much to see and eat and experience! But I think we’ve done a good job with picking the best stuff!
Kelsie got in on Wednesday night. She rode a bus from the airport to Baker Street and I had a bit of trouble getting to that station… I got lost. But I soon found my way, her bus arrived right on time and we were on our way back to the flat. And of course, it was raining. Welcome to London.
We woke up at the crack of dawn on Thursday… Not really, it just felt like that. We had a lot to do and wanted to get going early. After showing her a bit of Kensington, we hopped on the Tube bound for Westminster. And this is where our grand walk began. We saw Westminster Abbey, Westminster Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Next we headed toward St. James’s Park and saw Buckingham Palace, Carlton House, the Wellington Arch (from a distance). Then, we headed down Admiralty Road toward Trafalgar Square and saw the National Gallery, Big Ben (from a distance), and a bunch of foreign embassies. After that, we walked to Leicester Square and Covent Garden where we stopped for a bit of a break before heading down toward the River Thames. We walked along the embankment for a while, seeing St. Paul’s, Millennium Bridge, Southwark, Temple, and King’s College. And lastly, before going to meet my history class, we took some pictures in front of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and stopped into the gift shop. And all that in four hours! We walked everywhere and it was great. It only rained like four times, but only a few drops each time, and it wasn’t too crowded anywhere we visited.
After all that, we met up with my history class for a bit of a field trip. A field trip on this program usually equals a short museum trip, walking around the town, or a meal. This time, we headed for the east side of London and, more specifically, a curry restaurant on Brick Lane… yum. I won’t start on my love of curry again, but my affections might have grown since I last raved about the Indian dish. I am in love with curry. And I think Kelsie is now too. It wasn’t the best Indian food I’ve had, but all four courses were still delicious! After our meal, our history professor led us on a bit of a tour through the East End and Kelsie tagged along. We learned a lot about the multicultural population around Brick Lane, the history of the area, and some major events that took place there. It has changed quite a bit over the years. The Jack the Ripper murders took place when the area was a hotbed for drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Just after WWII, immigrants flocked to the area because of its cheap housing and proximity to the city, where they worked. Today, it still has that very multicultural feel, it’s a bit poorer than most of the London boroughs, and is very popular with younger people who want to get out of the city. I loved it. But after an entire day of walking, I was dead tired after our little tour. We got on the Tube and headed home.
Kelsie, Hal, and I headed to the Gloucester Arms for Kelsie’s first pub experience on Thursday night. We ate chips and drank Strongbow. Perfect end to a great day.
On Friday we headed to tourist-favorite, always sunny town of Bath. This marked our last tour with our favorite guide Brit. I’m so sad. She may be a headache sometimes, especially after four hours of walking around in the rain or the longest bus ride of your life, with her cheerful voice constantly in your ear, but I love her. She made every trip we took so great with her little stories and suggestions. What is that movie where the girl says she is creating a memory?? Whatever it is, I’m creating a memory of all my favorite Brit quotes, funny stories, and great moments on the tours. What am I going to do in the future when I don’t have a personal tour guide in my ear, telling me all about the stuff I’m supposed to be looking at?? Bah! I’ll miss her.
Anyway, Bath was great. We toured the Roman Baths first, the town’s biggest tourist draw and possibly, the oldest bathtubs in all of the world. No, I don’t know about that last part, but these things were really old. They are supplied by a natural hot spring in the ground and have been a favorite of inhabitants of England for centuries, millennia! They are built of this sandy yellow stone, just like everything else in the town, and the water is this murky green. Just what I’d want to take a swim in, pea soup. Ha. It looked amazing though. Took a lot of pictures, drank a glass of bath water (yum), and bought a compass at the souvenir shop. Yes, I bought a compass. It was only 2 pounds, it hooks onto my backpack, and I really wanted one. I’m always backwards here. When the streets go every which way and you pop out of the ground in the form of a tube station not knowing which direction you are facing or which way is up… it was about time.
Next, we headed for a quick bite to eat at a little restaurant. I can’t remember the name, but it was decent. After that, Kelsie and I popped into Sally Lunn’s. Sally Lunn’s is this famous restaurant in the oldest building in Bath, apparently (I don’t know, they all looked pretty old), and they sell the “world famous” Sally Lunn Buns. Not only did they taste good, but Sally Lunn Bun is just fun to say. We were happy while we ate our buns walking the streets of Bath.
We headed up the hill toward the Jane Austen Centre after our food. The entire town of Bath sits in this little valley and buildings line both sides it. Anywhere you go, you’ll need to hike up or down some steep street. But it was fun. Reminded me of our adventures in Dublin… The Jane Austen Centre, because Jane Austen lived in Bath for a bit, was okay. They bookstore was well-stocked and they had a bunch of creepy mannequins dressed up as Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse. We headed for the shopping streets after enough of that. They had a bunch of street performers and vendors along the road. It was fun. We even found this bridge that was lined with shops. You wouldn’t even know you where on a bridge if you couldn’t see out the shops windows to the river below.
And then we got on the bus for the ride home. Three hours later, we got to our flat. Three whole hours it took us to get home… longest bus ride of my life. I just wanted to get home and lay in my bed. But no There was traffic and rain and anything else that could slow us down. The ride wasn’t without its highlights. We saw more English countryside, but this time, it was the rolling hills around Bath. So beautiful. And we saw Wales from a distance. I made a new workout playlist on my iPod and organized our weekend in my head. Pretty productive!
When we finally did get home, we rallied. I drank a bunch of coffee, Hal put on some music, and we all got ready for a night out on Londontown. We got on the Piccadilly line and got off at Piccadilly Circus, of course. We headed for a pub first, (I think Kelsie is hooked), ordered a few drinks, and just sat around to talk. Mid-pub drinking, we got a call from a few of our roommates who wanted to join us and we said we would meet them in Piccadilly Circus. So, we got out of the pub and stood on the street waiting. We people watched, drank (because you can do that on the streets here) and stared at the bright fluorescent signs of “the ‘Dilly”, as Hal calls it. While we waited, a girl walked by with a giant string of helium balloons. Don’t know why she had them, but she did. And Hal stole three of four off the chain. And then proceeded to suck all the helium out of them and talk like a five-year-old girl for the next half hour. It was hilarious at the time. This group of Asian kids on the corner thought so, too. They were just laughing and finally asked Hal if they could take a picture with her. I think that is the beginning of Hal’s fan base… When she makes SNL and tells helium balloon jokes that picture will be worth thousands… God, we were laughing.
And the night kind of fizzled from there. We ran into major congestion getting back on the Piccadilly line. There were literally hundreds of people trying to get through five ticket takers. It was frustrating and hilarious. I think I even yelled at a guy who tried to shove his way past me. When we finally did get on the Tube, we got off at Holborn and tried to get into this karaoke club. Yes, karaoke. I was so excited for a little Mamma Mia or some Amy Winehouse. But no. They wouldn’t let us all in because Kels forgot her ID and Hanna got her purse stolen on spring break. Bust. It was lame anyway. After that, we found a bar that was pretty empty before catching a taxi headed for home. It was a good night. I think Kelsie got a feel for nightlife in London. We always have more fun walking around on the streets than we do standing in a crowded bar and you never know what to expect. I just love London.
And today. Kelsie and I were a bit slow getting going today. Might have been those Strongbows last night. Anyway, eventually we got ourselves together and walked across the street to Hyde Park en route to Portobello Market. The day started off great. The park always puts a smile on my face. But then the sky opened up and it rained. Boo. It couldn’t stop us. We still had a wonderful day walking around looking at all the antiques, clothes, souvenirs, and other crafts on Portobello Road. I bought a couple scarves, a dress, and a shirt. All for 20 pounds! Kelsie bought a dress and a scarf too. We knew that tomorrow would also be a big shopping day so we tried to conserve.
Kelsie, Hal and I took a quick look at a few museums this afternoon. We toured the fashion department at the Victoria and Albert Museum and then saw Dippy the Dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum. Dippy is awesome. Best part of that whole museum.
Hal just went to buy some groceries and we are making a big meal for the three of us. Yay! I think we might go to a movie tonight, but not sure. We’ll see.
Be back soon!
Love,
Kelly
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Globes and Ghosts
March 24, 2010
I’m still stuck in my room. And I have been for the entire week!!! Not really, I did get out and get some fresh air, but mostly for class or a walk around the neighborhood. Stupid midterms, presentations, and papers… As of yesterday, we have to have all of our stuff packed up and moving out in a exactly a month… I only have a month left?!?! And I’m still trying to figure out everything I’m doing after the program ends. My roommate from Madison, Kelsie, is studying in Italy this semester and she’s coming to London today. We are going to talk about my few days in Europe after I leave London. Hopefully, everything will work out and I’ll get to see a lot of Italy and maybe France in that time.
Right now... it’s raining. But apart from the today and yesterday, it has been so nice weather-wise here. On Sunday, it was perfect. And we took advantage of it. Hal, Viv, and I packed up our homework and headed up to Hampstead Heath for a day of studying in the sun. Didn’t get much studying done, but my nose got sunburned! Mission accomplished. Before we left, I put on a sundress and put my sunglasses in my bag for the first time. I even debated not bring my coat along, but in the end, practicality won out and I brought it along. Never wore it, but laid it on the grass and sit on it in the park. We almost even packed a picnic, but decided we all just wanted to get there as soon as possible, so we left around 10 after a big breakfast.
Hampstead is about an hour combo walk and Tube ride from London. It is just a few miles north, but seems like a completely different world even though it is still considered London. Hampstead is known for being very eclectic and small town. It attracts a lot of artists and retirees. The place hasn’t changed since a bunch of poets and artist invaded during the Victorian ear. All right in the middle of this huge city. It reminded me of Greenwich or Brighton. London is so diverse!
We walked around the town for a bit before heading to the Heath, Hampstead’s main attraction. As we entered the Heath, which is really London’s idea of a park, I realized how different English parks are from American ones. In the States, you have the swing set and sandbox, maybe a baseball field, and a lot of open areas and trees. In England, a park is basically a big forest with miles and miles of trails, a bunch of old, hidden homes, and a few grassy hills. I felt like I was walking out the back door of my house, into the woods I used to build tee pees in. It was fun to meander through all the trails and see everyone with their dogs. Have I mentioned how much British people love their pets. Everyone owns a dog, I swear! Anyway, the trails were great, but super muddy. My new flats from Hastings didn’t stand a chance. Luckily they were black so I just washed them when we got home. Good as new!
So our little pack of five – Hal, Viv, Laurel, Julie, and I – have been obsessed with the English poet John Keats ever since we bawled our eyes out during the movie Bright Star. Seriously, I love the man. So, part of the huge pull of Hampstead is John Keats’s house. He lived there when he wrote his best works and his fiancé, Fanny, was his neighbor. Of course, we went to the house. It wasn’t anything special, but it still meant so much. He actually lived and wrote there. So cool.
After visiting the house and getting lost in the Heath, we finally found Kenwood House, which is this mansion at the north end of the park that holds banquets and weddings. I don’t think anyone actually lives there. We sat on the huge lawn out front, I ate my apple and bathed in the sun. Hence, the sunburn. It was amazing. As I was sitting there I decided that I’m getting married in Kenwood house and living in Hampstead, at least for a while.
Funnily, while we were eating at the café in Kenwood House, Laurel, Viv and Hal started freaking out. They whispered, “It’s Andy Circus, it’s Andy Circus.” And sadly, I had no idea who this was. They explained, even spelling out his name. Turns out Andy Serkis, who I found out plays Gollum on the Lord of the Rings, was having a day out with his family in Hampstead. Just like us! I kind of recognized him, but not really. He played the boss that dances to Thriller in 13 Going on 30. Hal and Laurel were freaking out. Laurel is a huge Lord of the Rings fan. Her obsession might even rival Amy and Grant’s LOTR Thanksgiving marathon.
After sneaking glances at Andy Serkis eating a sandwich for about a half hour, the birds attacked. Literally, a flock of pigeons descended on our table and I was out of there, leaving the end of my sandwich for them. I don’t think I’ve ever moved that fast in my life. The birds here just love to scare the crap out of all the tourists. Bah!
We walked back across the park after that and found Parliament Hill. This hill is known for its awesome view of London. And you can see everything from Hyde Park all the way over to Canary Wharf. It was amazing. There aren’t very many tall buildings in London, besides the Eye, that you can get this great view.
After that, I think we got lost again and then decided to go home once it started to get dark. I did laundry, made supper and did more homework. Yay.
Monday Monday.. I had class all day. But in the afternoon, for my theatre class, we got to tour Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Well, a replica of the original anyway. But they built it exactly as it was when it was constructed for the first time in 1599. It burned down several times, was commonly shut down for plague infestation, and eventually dismantled when Cromwell overthrew the monarchy and banned theatre in Britain. But, about 20 years ago, they brought it back. And funnily, the guy that made its revival so successful is from Milwaukee. His name is Mark Rylance and they love him over here. We had the pleasure of seeing him perform the lead in Jerusalem. They call him the new Laurence Olivier.
Anyway, the Globe was very interesting. It is so different from any theatre I’ve ever been to before. It is an open air theatre with a big stage on one side and room for 700 standing “seats” on the floor. It is perfectly round and four levels of seating surround the stage. It is hard to describe, but just look it up. I really wish we could see a production there, but the Globe is only open in the summer. It opens the day we leave… bummer. The gift shop was good.
Viv and I headed over to the Tate Modern, which is right next-door after our tour ended. We saw see an exhibition we’ve been planning to see by an artist named Van Doesburg. He basically invented graphic design. It wasn’t that great, but I’m glad I went. My graphic design teacher will be happy!
That night, we had the unfortunate opportunity of going to see a play called Ghost Stories for theatre class. I hate scary movies. I just don’t watch them or I won’t sleep for a week. I’m still terrified from watching Jaws when I was little. Luckily, Amy reassured her ten-year-old sister that if I didn’t sleep within a foot of the edge of the bed, I wouldn’t get bitten by the sharks under my bed. I’ve been sleeping in a ball in the middle of my bed ever since. Just kidding. But Ghost Stories was no joke. I was terrified the whole time. Everything was really loud and dark and spooky. And then for some reason, Hal, Viv, and I stayed up telling ghost stories to each other for like three hours. I got no sleep…
Yesterday, I finished one paper and went to class. Absolutely nothing exciting.
Today, Kelsie is coming! I have to get my presentation done and print off some stuff, but I’m so excited for her to be in London!
I’ll be back soon to fill you in on our antics. It is sure to be an exciting weekend.
Cheerio,
Kelly
I’m still stuck in my room. And I have been for the entire week!!! Not really, I did get out and get some fresh air, but mostly for class or a walk around the neighborhood. Stupid midterms, presentations, and papers… As of yesterday, we have to have all of our stuff packed up and moving out in a exactly a month… I only have a month left?!?! And I’m still trying to figure out everything I’m doing after the program ends. My roommate from Madison, Kelsie, is studying in Italy this semester and she’s coming to London today. We are going to talk about my few days in Europe after I leave London. Hopefully, everything will work out and I’ll get to see a lot of Italy and maybe France in that time.
Right now... it’s raining. But apart from the today and yesterday, it has been so nice weather-wise here. On Sunday, it was perfect. And we took advantage of it. Hal, Viv, and I packed up our homework and headed up to Hampstead Heath for a day of studying in the sun. Didn’t get much studying done, but my nose got sunburned! Mission accomplished. Before we left, I put on a sundress and put my sunglasses in my bag for the first time. I even debated not bring my coat along, but in the end, practicality won out and I brought it along. Never wore it, but laid it on the grass and sit on it in the park. We almost even packed a picnic, but decided we all just wanted to get there as soon as possible, so we left around 10 after a big breakfast.
Hampstead is about an hour combo walk and Tube ride from London. It is just a few miles north, but seems like a completely different world even though it is still considered London. Hampstead is known for being very eclectic and small town. It attracts a lot of artists and retirees. The place hasn’t changed since a bunch of poets and artist invaded during the Victorian ear. All right in the middle of this huge city. It reminded me of Greenwich or Brighton. London is so diverse!
We walked around the town for a bit before heading to the Heath, Hampstead’s main attraction. As we entered the Heath, which is really London’s idea of a park, I realized how different English parks are from American ones. In the States, you have the swing set and sandbox, maybe a baseball field, and a lot of open areas and trees. In England, a park is basically a big forest with miles and miles of trails, a bunch of old, hidden homes, and a few grassy hills. I felt like I was walking out the back door of my house, into the woods I used to build tee pees in. It was fun to meander through all the trails and see everyone with their dogs. Have I mentioned how much British people love their pets. Everyone owns a dog, I swear! Anyway, the trails were great, but super muddy. My new flats from Hastings didn’t stand a chance. Luckily they were black so I just washed them when we got home. Good as new!
So our little pack of five – Hal, Viv, Laurel, Julie, and I – have been obsessed with the English poet John Keats ever since we bawled our eyes out during the movie Bright Star. Seriously, I love the man. So, part of the huge pull of Hampstead is John Keats’s house. He lived there when he wrote his best works and his fiancé, Fanny, was his neighbor. Of course, we went to the house. It wasn’t anything special, but it still meant so much. He actually lived and wrote there. So cool.
After visiting the house and getting lost in the Heath, we finally found Kenwood House, which is this mansion at the north end of the park that holds banquets and weddings. I don’t think anyone actually lives there. We sat on the huge lawn out front, I ate my apple and bathed in the sun. Hence, the sunburn. It was amazing. As I was sitting there I decided that I’m getting married in Kenwood house and living in Hampstead, at least for a while.
Funnily, while we were eating at the café in Kenwood House, Laurel, Viv and Hal started freaking out. They whispered, “It’s Andy Circus, it’s Andy Circus.” And sadly, I had no idea who this was. They explained, even spelling out his name. Turns out Andy Serkis, who I found out plays Gollum on the Lord of the Rings, was having a day out with his family in Hampstead. Just like us! I kind of recognized him, but not really. He played the boss that dances to Thriller in 13 Going on 30. Hal and Laurel were freaking out. Laurel is a huge Lord of the Rings fan. Her obsession might even rival Amy and Grant’s LOTR Thanksgiving marathon.
After sneaking glances at Andy Serkis eating a sandwich for about a half hour, the birds attacked. Literally, a flock of pigeons descended on our table and I was out of there, leaving the end of my sandwich for them. I don’t think I’ve ever moved that fast in my life. The birds here just love to scare the crap out of all the tourists. Bah!
We walked back across the park after that and found Parliament Hill. This hill is known for its awesome view of London. And you can see everything from Hyde Park all the way over to Canary Wharf. It was amazing. There aren’t very many tall buildings in London, besides the Eye, that you can get this great view.
After that, I think we got lost again and then decided to go home once it started to get dark. I did laundry, made supper and did more homework. Yay.
Monday Monday.. I had class all day. But in the afternoon, for my theatre class, we got to tour Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Well, a replica of the original anyway. But they built it exactly as it was when it was constructed for the first time in 1599. It burned down several times, was commonly shut down for plague infestation, and eventually dismantled when Cromwell overthrew the monarchy and banned theatre in Britain. But, about 20 years ago, they brought it back. And funnily, the guy that made its revival so successful is from Milwaukee. His name is Mark Rylance and they love him over here. We had the pleasure of seeing him perform the lead in Jerusalem. They call him the new Laurence Olivier.
Anyway, the Globe was very interesting. It is so different from any theatre I’ve ever been to before. It is an open air theatre with a big stage on one side and room for 700 standing “seats” on the floor. It is perfectly round and four levels of seating surround the stage. It is hard to describe, but just look it up. I really wish we could see a production there, but the Globe is only open in the summer. It opens the day we leave… bummer. The gift shop was good.
Viv and I headed over to the Tate Modern, which is right next-door after our tour ended. We saw see an exhibition we’ve been planning to see by an artist named Van Doesburg. He basically invented graphic design. It wasn’t that great, but I’m glad I went. My graphic design teacher will be happy!
That night, we had the unfortunate opportunity of going to see a play called Ghost Stories for theatre class. I hate scary movies. I just don’t watch them or I won’t sleep for a week. I’m still terrified from watching Jaws when I was little. Luckily, Amy reassured her ten-year-old sister that if I didn’t sleep within a foot of the edge of the bed, I wouldn’t get bitten by the sharks under my bed. I’ve been sleeping in a ball in the middle of my bed ever since. Just kidding. But Ghost Stories was no joke. I was terrified the whole time. Everything was really loud and dark and spooky. And then for some reason, Hal, Viv, and I stayed up telling ghost stories to each other for like three hours. I got no sleep…
Yesterday, I finished one paper and went to class. Absolutely nothing exciting.
Today, Kelsie is coming! I have to get my presentation done and print off some stuff, but I’m so excited for her to be in London!
I’ll be back soon to fill you in on our antics. It is sure to be an exciting weekend.
Cheerio,
Kelly
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Caves and Waves
Saturday, March 20, 2010
This isn’t going to be a very happy post. I’m stuck in my room, writing a paper for history class, and the sun is shining through my window… ugh. Of all the days. This was one of our last free weekends in London. After this, we only have a month left (my heart just broke) and it feels like every day we have something going on. Literally, the iCal on my computer is packed, all colorful and busy with events and people visiting. I’m so excited! And this isn’t helping my current situation at all. The weatherman said today was supposed to rain and be really crappy… liar. And this is where I’ll be for the next 10 hours. Finishing papers, presentations, and studying a bit. Trying to get everything done before I run out of time.
So, aside from the gloomy study party that is going on in our room right now, the last few days have been great! On Thursday, I woke up and went for a run. It started raining just as I finished, thank God. History class soon followed and during a bunch of presentation from classmates, I realized how much I enjoy that class. Our professor is amazing. I think he knows absolutely everything there is to know about London, Britain, and possibly the whole of Europe. Man is a genius. In the UK, you have to go to college to get a degree in tour guiding (for real) and John, our professor, taught guides for quite a while. He knows all these little fun facts and stories that always make his class interesting.
After class, we all headed up Old Brompton Road to Knightsbridge where we were meeting for dinner with advisers. Quite a few students are out of town this weekend, so it was a much smaller group. We sat right by Mary, the lead adviser, who is quickly becoming my favorite person. She is hilarious. And never stops talking! She has a million stories to tell and always has good advise. She owns a cave in Turkey. Seriously, among all of her crazy real estate investments, she has a cave. We just laughed for a bit, until she showed us the pictures. Let me tell you, that is not what I think of when I picture cave in my head. The inside of it looks like a freaking cathedral! Big arches on the ceiling and huge wooden doors. Prettiest cave I’ve ever seen.
Anyway, after we made a bit of fun Mary for a bit, our food came. And then kept coming. It was a four-course meal and I was full by the second. But, oh my God, it was the best food I’ve had here and possibly in my whole life. It was Iraqi cuisine and I was a bit hesitant at first. They made us these kebabs of steak, lamb, and chicken. It tasted just like Dad grilled it on the grill out on the front porch. Yum! I’m learning how to make kebabs soon.
After that glorious meal, I was way too full to go to Harrods. I could barely walk myself home. When we did get back to the flat, I looked at my phone and realized it was 9:30! That meal took us four hours to eat! Ahh, but have a mentioned how good it was?
Early Friday morning, we met our lovely guide Brit for a tour of the site of the London Olympics in 2012. How cool it that? I was really excited for this trip and I wasn’t let down at all. We took the Tube east for about 45 minutes and got off at Bromley-by-Bow. I just love some of the Tube stop names! So bizarre. They are actually renovating and reorganizing the entire underground for the Olympics. It took us almost an hour to get out to the site, which is only a few miles east of central London. But my 2012, you will be able to get there in seven minutes!
Brit took us on a bit of a walk around the area surrounding the site. Newham, I’m not sure on the spelling, was a pretty poor, rundown area before all this excitement. It was home to a lot of industry and factories. It took them almost two years just to clean up the place to prepare it for renovations. There is this series of canals running through the center and they are going to be just great for the games. Houseboats, new business and apartments, and miles of boardwalks are popping up all along the waterway.
After a bit of a walk, we made our way onto the Olympic site, which, at this point, is basically a huge construction zone. And the whole thing has to be finished by January 2011… They have some major work to do! The Olympic stadium looked pretty close to finished, but Brit said it is only half done and that is only half of the finished stadium. It is going to be huge! The coolest part was the aquatic center… It has this roof in the shape of a giant blue stingray. It is beautiful. They built the roof first and are constructing the actual building and pools while that giant stingray sits on temporary supports. They are calling it “The Wave”. The biking area looks similar, but not as cool. That one is called “The Pringle”.
We had a bit of a look around from the view tube, the place where visitors can see the site. This small building with a tall lookout tower was built completely out of recycled dock containers. And they painted it bright lime green! In fact, the 2012 games are being called the Green Games because most everything constructed or used for the games is recycled. Some of the stuff they are using is so bizarre. I don’t’ know how you would think of it. They are also making major plans for post-Olympics. They obviously want to keep the site nice and in use, so there is a lot of thought going into that. I kind of zoned out when Brit was telling us about this. I was fascinated by the Wave.
After our Olympics tour was over, we headed to the docklands area of London, also known as Canary Wharf. It used to be, well, a giant dock, but now it is the new financial district of London. Huge, Manhattan-like skyscrapers right on the edge of the Thames River. It was all built within the last ten years, so everything is brand new, which is pretty rare in London. We also visited the Docklands Museum and the underground shopping mall… oh no. Below all the skyscrapers, there is this huge mall that connects all the buildings and the Tube Station. You don’t even have to walk outside if you don’t want. But, you have to walk by all of these shops with tempting window displays and sale signs. Let’s just say, the day ended on a happy note as we talked around for a few hours.
Well, there’s the past few days and I’ve gone an excellent job procrastinating for a few minutes. Back to my paper… I’ll be back soon! Whenever I get out of this dreaded flat…
Cheerio,
Kelly
This isn’t going to be a very happy post. I’m stuck in my room, writing a paper for history class, and the sun is shining through my window… ugh. Of all the days. This was one of our last free weekends in London. After this, we only have a month left (my heart just broke) and it feels like every day we have something going on. Literally, the iCal on my computer is packed, all colorful and busy with events and people visiting. I’m so excited! And this isn’t helping my current situation at all. The weatherman said today was supposed to rain and be really crappy… liar. And this is where I’ll be for the next 10 hours. Finishing papers, presentations, and studying a bit. Trying to get everything done before I run out of time.
So, aside from the gloomy study party that is going on in our room right now, the last few days have been great! On Thursday, I woke up and went for a run. It started raining just as I finished, thank God. History class soon followed and during a bunch of presentation from classmates, I realized how much I enjoy that class. Our professor is amazing. I think he knows absolutely everything there is to know about London, Britain, and possibly the whole of Europe. Man is a genius. In the UK, you have to go to college to get a degree in tour guiding (for real) and John, our professor, taught guides for quite a while. He knows all these little fun facts and stories that always make his class interesting.
After class, we all headed up Old Brompton Road to Knightsbridge where we were meeting for dinner with advisers. Quite a few students are out of town this weekend, so it was a much smaller group. We sat right by Mary, the lead adviser, who is quickly becoming my favorite person. She is hilarious. And never stops talking! She has a million stories to tell and always has good advise. She owns a cave in Turkey. Seriously, among all of her crazy real estate investments, she has a cave. We just laughed for a bit, until she showed us the pictures. Let me tell you, that is not what I think of when I picture cave in my head. The inside of it looks like a freaking cathedral! Big arches on the ceiling and huge wooden doors. Prettiest cave I’ve ever seen.
Anyway, after we made a bit of fun Mary for a bit, our food came. And then kept coming. It was a four-course meal and I was full by the second. But, oh my God, it was the best food I’ve had here and possibly in my whole life. It was Iraqi cuisine and I was a bit hesitant at first. They made us these kebabs of steak, lamb, and chicken. It tasted just like Dad grilled it on the grill out on the front porch. Yum! I’m learning how to make kebabs soon.
After that glorious meal, I was way too full to go to Harrods. I could barely walk myself home. When we did get back to the flat, I looked at my phone and realized it was 9:30! That meal took us four hours to eat! Ahh, but have a mentioned how good it was?
Early Friday morning, we met our lovely guide Brit for a tour of the site of the London Olympics in 2012. How cool it that? I was really excited for this trip and I wasn’t let down at all. We took the Tube east for about 45 minutes and got off at Bromley-by-Bow. I just love some of the Tube stop names! So bizarre. They are actually renovating and reorganizing the entire underground for the Olympics. It took us almost an hour to get out to the site, which is only a few miles east of central London. But my 2012, you will be able to get there in seven minutes!
Brit took us on a bit of a walk around the area surrounding the site. Newham, I’m not sure on the spelling, was a pretty poor, rundown area before all this excitement. It was home to a lot of industry and factories. It took them almost two years just to clean up the place to prepare it for renovations. There is this series of canals running through the center and they are going to be just great for the games. Houseboats, new business and apartments, and miles of boardwalks are popping up all along the waterway.
After a bit of a walk, we made our way onto the Olympic site, which, at this point, is basically a huge construction zone. And the whole thing has to be finished by January 2011… They have some major work to do! The Olympic stadium looked pretty close to finished, but Brit said it is only half done and that is only half of the finished stadium. It is going to be huge! The coolest part was the aquatic center… It has this roof in the shape of a giant blue stingray. It is beautiful. They built the roof first and are constructing the actual building and pools while that giant stingray sits on temporary supports. They are calling it “The Wave”. The biking area looks similar, but not as cool. That one is called “The Pringle”.
We had a bit of a look around from the view tube, the place where visitors can see the site. This small building with a tall lookout tower was built completely out of recycled dock containers. And they painted it bright lime green! In fact, the 2012 games are being called the Green Games because most everything constructed or used for the games is recycled. Some of the stuff they are using is so bizarre. I don’t’ know how you would think of it. They are also making major plans for post-Olympics. They obviously want to keep the site nice and in use, so there is a lot of thought going into that. I kind of zoned out when Brit was telling us about this. I was fascinated by the Wave.
After our Olympics tour was over, we headed to the docklands area of London, also known as Canary Wharf. It used to be, well, a giant dock, but now it is the new financial district of London. Huge, Manhattan-like skyscrapers right on the edge of the Thames River. It was all built within the last ten years, so everything is brand new, which is pretty rare in London. We also visited the Docklands Museum and the underground shopping mall… oh no. Below all the skyscrapers, there is this huge mall that connects all the buildings and the Tube Station. You don’t even have to walk outside if you don’t want. But, you have to walk by all of these shops with tempting window displays and sale signs. Let’s just say, the day ended on a happy note as we talked around for a few hours.
Well, there’s the past few days and I’ve gone an excellent job procrastinating for a few minutes. Back to my paper… I’ll be back soon! Whenever I get out of this dreaded flat…
Cheerio,
Kelly
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sunshine and Screaming
March 18, 2010
I SAW ROBERT PATTINSON LAST NIGHT AND I TOUCHED HIS HAIR!!!
I just couldn’t hold that in. I’m still dying. Ahhhhh.. Can I have a moment to breathe? That man is gorgeous. What a dreamboat…
Okay, my rant is over. For now. I’ll get to more on that adventure soon. My week started out relatively slow here in London. The weather has been perfect – like no coat, sunglasses and possibly sandals weather. I’ve been walking everywhere just be outside, even if it takes me twice as long to get where I’m going. I think I’ll wear shorts today… maybe.
On Tuesday morning we just sat around, did homework, and cleaned up our room a bit, which was getting quite dirty. Then, I had class in the basement of the building all our classes are in. While the sun was shining outside, I was stuck watching a movie about Henry Moore. Not cool. But before I knew it, class was over and I raced outside to take some pictures around the neighborhood and run to the grocery store. Here I thought Europe was going to have daylight savings time end like the US, but apparently not. What the heck? I was so excited for my extra hour of daylight everyday… no sunset until 7pm! But no, we don’t do that for three weeks! Bummer.
Anyway, the sun set too soon and then we left for our second play of the week. Just off Piccadilly Circus, we saw ‘Jerusalem’ and I absolutely loved it. Set in the present day, it’s about this band of hilarious gypsies that are getting kicked off their land. The entire show was very tailored for a British audience. If I hadn’t have been living here for the past three months, I don’t think I would have understood a single joke. Oh, all the quirky British things I’ve learned! And so much more to learn. I was very confused at some parts, but laughed anyway. Mostly at the guy with the funny laugh behind me. Our professor, who ended up sitting right beside me, said it was the best production he’d seen all season. He tried to help out when we were confused, but couldn’t stop laughing most of the time. It was great. But the absolute highlight of the night had to be when I dropped Hal’s binoculars that she rented for the show. The entire theatre was silent after a really sad, serious monologue on stage ended and then everyone heard this loud clanking as the binoculars fell down the stairs of the upper balcony… awesome. I think everyone heard me swear, too. My face was so red… good thing it was pitch dark. Vivian could not stop laughing,
When I got home, I uploaded a bunch of pictures to Facebook and Hal decided to change the song lyrics of every song that had the word ‘girl’ to ‘squirrel’… ‘One Less Lonely Squirrel’, ‘Good Squirrels Go Bad’, and ‘I Kissed A Squirrel’. Oh the stupid things we find to entertain us… what am I going to do without Hal and Viv when I get back?!? They aren’t staying in Madison for the summer! I’m going to miss them so much.
Wednesday, started off rather dull. I didn’t have any class, but Hal did. We headed out for the “Remember Me” premiere in Leicester Square at around 3pm. We planned on just feeling it out, because if there were too many people we didn’t want to stand around for hours and not see a thing. A bunch of girls from our flat were already there, with awesome spots, but the security guards wouldn’t let us into the area they were standing in. So, Hal and I decided we wanted to go to the Aquarium. On our way out of Leicester Square, we got the call that they were letting more people into the good standing area. We booked it, nearly running across the square. From that moment on, I became the crazy fan girl that screams and faints and possibly cries. Yep, that was me.
After about three hours of standing, which went my remarkably fast, the premiere started. And it was crazy. So many people and lights and screaming. When Robert Pattinson got out of his car, the place came alive. Literally, these girls turned into animals. But he was awesome about the whole thing. He signed autographs, took pictures, and gave interviews for almost two hours. All this while crazed teen girls chanted and screamed his name. And I was one of them! It was great. The girl beside me couldn’t stop crying.
After the premiere, Hal and I scanned through all the pictures we took and then we went online to look for more pictures. There is this great one of Rob and his costar on the carpet. You can see Hal and I in the background. It’s on my Facebook and it’s hilarious. We also watched the videos Hal took while we waited around the three hours. We made one every hour, on the hour. Slowly the crowd grows and everyone gets a bit more excited as we get closer to the start.
Also, there was a group of girls in front of us that had been standing in line for 32 hours… Geez, I thought my three was a bit fanatical. They are diehard. But, conveniently for us, they made a sign saying “We Waited 32 Hours for Robert Pattinson” and everyone wanted to interview them. It was insane. I think we were even on the BBC at one point. Now, that I look back on it, it all sounds so ridiculous. But it really was so much fun. Just to experience a movie premiere. And see Mr. Pattinson, of course. Did I mention that he is gorgeous.
Overall, a successful St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve been sitting around all morning studying for my history exam. No fun. But we are going to an Iraqi restaurant for dinner tonight with our program. I think we are heading to Harrods after to check out their 3D television. So excited.
I’ll be back soon!! We have entire weekend free here and we have so much planned!
Love,
Kelly
I SAW ROBERT PATTINSON LAST NIGHT AND I TOUCHED HIS HAIR!!!
I just couldn’t hold that in. I’m still dying. Ahhhhh.. Can I have a moment to breathe? That man is gorgeous. What a dreamboat…
Okay, my rant is over. For now. I’ll get to more on that adventure soon. My week started out relatively slow here in London. The weather has been perfect – like no coat, sunglasses and possibly sandals weather. I’ve been walking everywhere just be outside, even if it takes me twice as long to get where I’m going. I think I’ll wear shorts today… maybe.
On Tuesday morning we just sat around, did homework, and cleaned up our room a bit, which was getting quite dirty. Then, I had class in the basement of the building all our classes are in. While the sun was shining outside, I was stuck watching a movie about Henry Moore. Not cool. But before I knew it, class was over and I raced outside to take some pictures around the neighborhood and run to the grocery store. Here I thought Europe was going to have daylight savings time end like the US, but apparently not. What the heck? I was so excited for my extra hour of daylight everyday… no sunset until 7pm! But no, we don’t do that for three weeks! Bummer.
Anyway, the sun set too soon and then we left for our second play of the week. Just off Piccadilly Circus, we saw ‘Jerusalem’ and I absolutely loved it. Set in the present day, it’s about this band of hilarious gypsies that are getting kicked off their land. The entire show was very tailored for a British audience. If I hadn’t have been living here for the past three months, I don’t think I would have understood a single joke. Oh, all the quirky British things I’ve learned! And so much more to learn. I was very confused at some parts, but laughed anyway. Mostly at the guy with the funny laugh behind me. Our professor, who ended up sitting right beside me, said it was the best production he’d seen all season. He tried to help out when we were confused, but couldn’t stop laughing most of the time. It was great. But the absolute highlight of the night had to be when I dropped Hal’s binoculars that she rented for the show. The entire theatre was silent after a really sad, serious monologue on stage ended and then everyone heard this loud clanking as the binoculars fell down the stairs of the upper balcony… awesome. I think everyone heard me swear, too. My face was so red… good thing it was pitch dark. Vivian could not stop laughing,
When I got home, I uploaded a bunch of pictures to Facebook and Hal decided to change the song lyrics of every song that had the word ‘girl’ to ‘squirrel’… ‘One Less Lonely Squirrel’, ‘Good Squirrels Go Bad’, and ‘I Kissed A Squirrel’. Oh the stupid things we find to entertain us… what am I going to do without Hal and Viv when I get back?!? They aren’t staying in Madison for the summer! I’m going to miss them so much.
Wednesday, started off rather dull. I didn’t have any class, but Hal did. We headed out for the “Remember Me” premiere in Leicester Square at around 3pm. We planned on just feeling it out, because if there were too many people we didn’t want to stand around for hours and not see a thing. A bunch of girls from our flat were already there, with awesome spots, but the security guards wouldn’t let us into the area they were standing in. So, Hal and I decided we wanted to go to the Aquarium. On our way out of Leicester Square, we got the call that they were letting more people into the good standing area. We booked it, nearly running across the square. From that moment on, I became the crazy fan girl that screams and faints and possibly cries. Yep, that was me.
After about three hours of standing, which went my remarkably fast, the premiere started. And it was crazy. So many people and lights and screaming. When Robert Pattinson got out of his car, the place came alive. Literally, these girls turned into animals. But he was awesome about the whole thing. He signed autographs, took pictures, and gave interviews for almost two hours. All this while crazed teen girls chanted and screamed his name. And I was one of them! It was great. The girl beside me couldn’t stop crying.
After the premiere, Hal and I scanned through all the pictures we took and then we went online to look for more pictures. There is this great one of Rob and his costar on the carpet. You can see Hal and I in the background. It’s on my Facebook and it’s hilarious. We also watched the videos Hal took while we waited around the three hours. We made one every hour, on the hour. Slowly the crowd grows and everyone gets a bit more excited as we get closer to the start.
Also, there was a group of girls in front of us that had been standing in line for 32 hours… Geez, I thought my three was a bit fanatical. They are diehard. But, conveniently for us, they made a sign saying “We Waited 32 Hours for Robert Pattinson” and everyone wanted to interview them. It was insane. I think we were even on the BBC at one point. Now, that I look back on it, it all sounds so ridiculous. But it really was so much fun. Just to experience a movie premiere. And see Mr. Pattinson, of course. Did I mention that he is gorgeous.
Overall, a successful St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve been sitting around all morning studying for my history exam. No fun. But we are going to an Iraqi restaurant for dinner tonight with our program. I think we are heading to Harrods after to check out their 3D television. So excited.
I’ll be back soon!! We have entire weekend free here and we have so much planned!
Love,
Kelly
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Rocks and Research
March 16, 2010
And a week later…
I sure haven’t done very well with this blog this week. And the really sad thing is, I had the hardest time remembering what I did all week! It was only a few days ago! Anyway, this isn’t going to happen anymore. I’ll be here every few days like usual, no putting it off. It is midterm time here. But instead of midterms, I have like a million papers due! And a presentation and two exams… ugh. Especially not fun when the awesomeness that is London sits right outside my window… Well, my window actually faces the west side of the Dutch embassy, so I see people working at their cubicles all day, but still. It’s all out there, waiting for me and I’m stuck inside writing about the Great Fire and British politics… boo!
Somewhere in my foggy memory, I was able to remember that earlier this week was quite exciting. We went to Covent Garden on Wednesday! I left the flat around 11 and did some errands before meeting up with a few friends later. I stopped at the London Underground offices in St. James’s Park to do a bit of research for my history presentation, only to be callously escorted off the premises when I didn’t have a staff pass. They treated me like a terrorist threat! Seriously, freaked out when I got to the reception desk. I wanted to have a look around because the architect that designed that building also designed a lot of the tube stations. Two big guys in suits appeared on both sides of me and shepherded me out the door. I felt like an idiot. I bought a Cadbury Crème Egg and everything was better.
Oh, and before this researching disaster, I saw someone get hit by a car! I knew seeing a car accident of some kind was inevitable. London roads are a recipe for disaster… terrible drivers from all over the world, none of which ever learned how to drive on the left side or in a backwards car… zero crosswalks so pedestrians have to run for their lives when crossing the streets… the narrowest streets, seriously, two compact cars can barely fit… huge red double-decker buses that think they own the roads…and lastly, brave people riding their peddle bikes in the car lines. I haven’t decided yet if the bikers are courageous or just mad. End of story, I saw a man trying to cross the street and get hit by a little BMW. Scary! He was okay, but it looked like it seriously hurt. Broke the front window and everything. He rolled up over the car and fell off the roof. If it wasn’t so scary I might have laughed. He was fine! Up and walking in no time. These Londoners are tough.
After all this misadventure, I walked across town to Covent Garden and had a bit of a look around. I walked down Bond Street wide-eyed, of course. Great shopping, people watching, and something that is uniquely British. Or maybe, London-ish. I can’t describe it. This funny feeling that this place has so much history but has so much more to give. It never rests and everyone loves it. I found a theatre that was showing a play with Kim Catrall and Matthew MacFayden. I think I’m going to have to see that sometime. I love Pride and Prejudice. Seriously.
And then I found Covent Garden and fell in love. So many little shops and cafes. It is crammed into this old brick open-air arcade/building riddled with alleys and courtyards and huge windows in the ceiling. There is free entertainment in the center all the time and the street performers all over London are amazing. Seriously, better than what is on the radio here. In Covent Garden, there was this funny trio of balding, pudgy old guys singing “Sound of Music” songs. It was great! I listened for a bit, until I met up with Hal and Viv.
Next, we descended on the London Transport Museum for a bit more research for my presentation. But this assignment quickly turned into one the best trips to a museum we’ve had. And we’ve seen a lot of museums. First, the gift shop, which is the true indicator of a museum’s worth, was great. So many great books and funny souvenirs with tube maps on them. A book about the history of lawn gnomes? An alarm clock with the lady’s voice that announces the tube stops and disruptions asking you, very politely, to wake up? It was great. I’m definitely heading back to that shop before I leave. And the museum was phenomenal, too! They had all the old subway cars, steam engines, and double-decker buses for us to sit in and take pictures. It doesn’t sound like much, but Hal, Viv, and I spent the entire afternoon pretending to be the crabby bus driver behind the wheel or a petty society lady in her own coach on the old steam train. We even found a car that resembled the Hogwarts Express! So fun.
Thursday… I went for a run in Hyde Park, had history class, and did homework. Really boring day. And sadly, this pretty much sums up most of my weekend, except Saturday. Have I mentioned that homework it really hard to do here? It takes me twice as long and somehow the royal family, my love of the tube, and British swear words sneak into all of my papers… I’ve been brainwashed. I love London and I can’t help it!
Friday was only marginally more exciting. We went out with our program for Indian food. Oh yes, curry always finds its way into my essays too. I’m always craving it. Seriously, go to an Indian restaurant! But make sure it is good before you go because bad curry is just really sad. We ate at this place down the street called Bombay Brasserie. The food wasn’t the best, but the design and décor of the restaurant was impressive. It is located on the ground floor of this really expensive restaurant, so they are used to a pretty affluent clientele. I think our horde from Wisconsin left them a bit stunned. We all had a great time. I realized how many friends I’ve made here and how I’m going to miss them so much. But, then I realized that they all go to Madison! I have 50 new friends and it is going to be great. If I don’t make very many British friends, I’ll have all these awesome people. And when we get back to the states, we can go out for curry!
Saturday was Stonehenge, Serum, and Salisbury. YAY! We woke up at the ungodly hour of 6AM and got on the coach bus for our two-hour side to the southwest of England. I slept most of the way. Our regular tour guide, Brit, has this voice that just lulls you to sleep. That, a moving vehicle, a little warmth and sun in my face always puts me right to sleep. And I listened to my new iPod! A few hours later we crested one of England’s famous rolling hills and there was Stonehenge. It was beautiful. Brit made sure we didn’t expect too much. She said people are often disappointed because they expect it to be massive. She also said, we shouldn’t be upset if we don’t walk away feeling healed or spiritually cleansed. Apparently, the stones are supposed to have some spiritual power and people have sued the British government when they weren’t healed or properly moved... We had a good laugh before getting off the bus. And I was taken back when I finally stood right in front of it. It’s huge! And it gave me chills. Spiritually healed for sure! No, but I was amazed. It’s just a pile of rocks, but around it is this huge ditch dug thousands of years ago and bunch of burial mounds. The stones are something like 5000 years ago and they are originally from Wales. How the heck did they get them all the way over here? 200 miles away? Amazing! We took a lot of pictures and checked out the gift shop… not that great. After about an hour of marveling at rocks, we boarded the bus and got on our way. Brit told us that Stonehenge isn’t unique. There are hundred of stone circles like this all over Britain. Crazy! But Stonehenge will always have a little place in my heart. I loved it.
We drove around the countryside for a few miles before beginning to climb this pretty steep hill. Brit told us the whole thing was manmade... Geez these old Brits were determined. And strong! At the top, we found the remains of an old castle, and it looked right out of a movie. I think the guide said they’d filmed a few things here. We had a laugh when Hal started running around like a Teletubbie, convinced this was the place they filmed the scenes where they run around on the grassy hills. So funny. Aside from the Teletubbie hills, we found the old remains of a cathedral that had been dismantled to build a wall… what the heck? Brit said this place is the originally Salisbury, now called Old Serum, but everything was moved to new Salisbury a long time ago. Regardless, the remains of the giant fortress on the hill were amazing to run and climb on. Seriously, we are all five-year olds craving a jungle gym and some fresh air at heart. Brit knows how to please!
After that great time, we headed down the hill to Salisbury. Being Saturday, there was a great market going on and the town was alive! Like all English towns, all the inhabitants perk up a bit on the weekends. The coach driver dropped us off at the huge brick wall, which Brit informed us was called a close. So this is the wall that stole from that cathedral on the hill. Didn’t look too spectacular to me. But then I discovered what it held inside… Salisbury Cathedral! Tallest steeple in England. And completely covered in this beautiful stuff called scaffolding. Seriously, couldn’t see half the church! They are fixing everything for the Olympics, I swear. Anyway, I still managed to take about 100 too many pictures and walked away pleased. Never have I been deterred by a bit of construction! After a long look at the outside of the church, we headed for the market for lunch. It was the perfect day to sit outside, so we all ordered food from different places and ended up sitting outside this old pub. I shared stuffed mushrooms with Viv. Yum! And then, I found Oatmeal Road! Seriously, a road named after oatmeal? My Quaker Oats?!? My love oatmeal! We all laughed. But I forgot to take a picture! Bah.
A bit of looking around at the market soon turned into some seriously shopping. Like all good things do! But after a while, it was time to meet Brit for our tour of the inside of Salisbury Cathedral, so we headed back that way. Brit is expert on everything British. I don’t know how she remembers all these random facts and funny stories. She is a genius. And always so happy! I just know that if I were a tour guide, I’d probably snap at some stupid American asking too many questions or taking too many pictures. Brit is a godsend and she was in fine form at the Cathedral. She told us funny stories about almost all of the martyrs and saints that had statues on the façade of the church. Whether all these stories are fact or completely fake, no one can tell, but they are great fun to hear. Inside the cathedral we walked around for about an hour. Now, the inside of Westminster Abbey didn’t really amaze me and Westminster Cathedral has been my absolute avorite so far. Salisbury Cathedral fit somewhere in the middle. Probably my second favorite. It was so tall with so many arches and vaults and stained glass windows and monuments and tombs. There are pictures on facebook. I can’t describe it. I still can’t even believe I’m here!
My awe was broken when Hal cracked a joke, like always. Brit was telling a story about a man that was buried there. Apparently, the man went off the war and everyone thought he died. His best friend pressured the man’s widowed wife into marrying him, but she refused, insisting her husband was still alive. So, when the guy turned out to be alive, he was a bit pissed at his friend and wanted revenge. The story ended sadly, but in the middle of telling, I thought of that song, “My boyfriend’s back and your going to be in trouble…” I sang it quietly to myself and Hal heard. She then proceeded to change all the word to fit the story. It was hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing in this quiet, solemn church. So embarrassing.
After that humiliation, we saw England’s oldest clock, a bunch of old deteriorating flags that I thought were really cool, and the Magna Carta…! Holy crap, I saw the Magna Carta. Well it was one original copy of it. There are four in total and they are all written in Latin. Didn’t stand a chance of reading it, but seeing it was great! On our way to Windsor a while ago we passed through the fields of Runnymede were King John signed the Magna Carta nearly 1000 years ago. So much history everywhere. When a building or a document or a piece of art is from the 19th century, Brits just scoff. Only the 1800s!? That isn’t old! Heck, Grandma’s house is 100 years old and I thought that was miraculous.
After meditating over the Magna Carta, we all got back on the coach a bit reluctantly. What a great day it was. After another thorough nap on the bus, we got back to London around seven. And then we hit the town! We went to this blues bar called Ain’t Nothing But… (Blues Bar). Catchy right? We saw this guy called Jeremiah Marx and everyone went crazy. I guess he is a bit of a local celebrity here in London. I couldn’t understand a thing he said and it was so loud! But a lot of fun. We stayed for a while before headed out exhausted. I crashed in my bed around midnight and didn’t resurface until about 9 the next morning.
And on Sunday…. I did absolutely nothing. Except homework. And we went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D just off Piccadilly Circus. I thought the movie was okay. It was just nice to get out of the house after sitting around all morning on my computer.
And yesterday… was interesting. We talked about a lot of disturbing things in Contemporary Britain. Mostly the IRA bombing London for the past 40 years and the terrorist attacks on the tube in 2005. Oddly, all the Brits are terrified of guns, but they are accustomed to bombs. “I just went to work,” our professor said when we asked him what he did when the tube was bombed in 2005. He just found a tube line that was still operation and went to work! But he doesn’t like to watch movies with a lot of guns, especially if they are just owned by civilians. He thinks it is crazy that we should have a gun cabinet at home. So different! He said he was teaching a bunch of Wisconsin students in the 90s when a few IRA bombs went off outside the building… and that wasn’t the first time he’d nearly been hit! AH! It was eerie.
Anyway, after that downer, we went to a play in the West End for theatre class. We saw “Really Old, Like Forty-Five”. It was a comedy about age and dementia. It was hilarious, but also really sad at times. I almost died laughing when the play ended with this crazy lady holding a baby and saying, “I love turtles.” Look up “I Like Turtles” on YouTube. I almost peed my pants. And then proceeded to watch that and about a hundred other YouTube videos that night. Good night.
Aw, but I almost forgot. All that YouTube goodness came after I skyped my drunken family on vacation in Texas. Classic. That was great. Hal and I laughed about it the whole night. Apparently, I was just yelling into my computer and the whole flat could hear me. Our power went out, after someone blew a fuse (it happens all the time), and our first attempt at skype didn’t work so well with me being in the dark. But, we eventually got it running. I laughed the whole time. Mom and Linette cried. Derek bought a satchel. Dad, Gayl, and Scott were drunk in the background I think. I wrote on Amy’s Facebook wall after, that we can’t let them vacation without us. We miss them all too much and they were a complete mess. I love you guys!
Well, I have class now… ugh. And then another play tonight!
Cheerio!
Kelly
And a week later…
I sure haven’t done very well with this blog this week. And the really sad thing is, I had the hardest time remembering what I did all week! It was only a few days ago! Anyway, this isn’t going to happen anymore. I’ll be here every few days like usual, no putting it off. It is midterm time here. But instead of midterms, I have like a million papers due! And a presentation and two exams… ugh. Especially not fun when the awesomeness that is London sits right outside my window… Well, my window actually faces the west side of the Dutch embassy, so I see people working at their cubicles all day, but still. It’s all out there, waiting for me and I’m stuck inside writing about the Great Fire and British politics… boo!
Somewhere in my foggy memory, I was able to remember that earlier this week was quite exciting. We went to Covent Garden on Wednesday! I left the flat around 11 and did some errands before meeting up with a few friends later. I stopped at the London Underground offices in St. James’s Park to do a bit of research for my history presentation, only to be callously escorted off the premises when I didn’t have a staff pass. They treated me like a terrorist threat! Seriously, freaked out when I got to the reception desk. I wanted to have a look around because the architect that designed that building also designed a lot of the tube stations. Two big guys in suits appeared on both sides of me and shepherded me out the door. I felt like an idiot. I bought a Cadbury Crème Egg and everything was better.
Oh, and before this researching disaster, I saw someone get hit by a car! I knew seeing a car accident of some kind was inevitable. London roads are a recipe for disaster… terrible drivers from all over the world, none of which ever learned how to drive on the left side or in a backwards car… zero crosswalks so pedestrians have to run for their lives when crossing the streets… the narrowest streets, seriously, two compact cars can barely fit… huge red double-decker buses that think they own the roads…and lastly, brave people riding their peddle bikes in the car lines. I haven’t decided yet if the bikers are courageous or just mad. End of story, I saw a man trying to cross the street and get hit by a little BMW. Scary! He was okay, but it looked like it seriously hurt. Broke the front window and everything. He rolled up over the car and fell off the roof. If it wasn’t so scary I might have laughed. He was fine! Up and walking in no time. These Londoners are tough.
After all this misadventure, I walked across town to Covent Garden and had a bit of a look around. I walked down Bond Street wide-eyed, of course. Great shopping, people watching, and something that is uniquely British. Or maybe, London-ish. I can’t describe it. This funny feeling that this place has so much history but has so much more to give. It never rests and everyone loves it. I found a theatre that was showing a play with Kim Catrall and Matthew MacFayden. I think I’m going to have to see that sometime. I love Pride and Prejudice. Seriously.
And then I found Covent Garden and fell in love. So many little shops and cafes. It is crammed into this old brick open-air arcade/building riddled with alleys and courtyards and huge windows in the ceiling. There is free entertainment in the center all the time and the street performers all over London are amazing. Seriously, better than what is on the radio here. In Covent Garden, there was this funny trio of balding, pudgy old guys singing “Sound of Music” songs. It was great! I listened for a bit, until I met up with Hal and Viv.
Next, we descended on the London Transport Museum for a bit more research for my presentation. But this assignment quickly turned into one the best trips to a museum we’ve had. And we’ve seen a lot of museums. First, the gift shop, which is the true indicator of a museum’s worth, was great. So many great books and funny souvenirs with tube maps on them. A book about the history of lawn gnomes? An alarm clock with the lady’s voice that announces the tube stops and disruptions asking you, very politely, to wake up? It was great. I’m definitely heading back to that shop before I leave. And the museum was phenomenal, too! They had all the old subway cars, steam engines, and double-decker buses for us to sit in and take pictures. It doesn’t sound like much, but Hal, Viv, and I spent the entire afternoon pretending to be the crabby bus driver behind the wheel or a petty society lady in her own coach on the old steam train. We even found a car that resembled the Hogwarts Express! So fun.
Thursday… I went for a run in Hyde Park, had history class, and did homework. Really boring day. And sadly, this pretty much sums up most of my weekend, except Saturday. Have I mentioned that homework it really hard to do here? It takes me twice as long and somehow the royal family, my love of the tube, and British swear words sneak into all of my papers… I’ve been brainwashed. I love London and I can’t help it!
Friday was only marginally more exciting. We went out with our program for Indian food. Oh yes, curry always finds its way into my essays too. I’m always craving it. Seriously, go to an Indian restaurant! But make sure it is good before you go because bad curry is just really sad. We ate at this place down the street called Bombay Brasserie. The food wasn’t the best, but the design and décor of the restaurant was impressive. It is located on the ground floor of this really expensive restaurant, so they are used to a pretty affluent clientele. I think our horde from Wisconsin left them a bit stunned. We all had a great time. I realized how many friends I’ve made here and how I’m going to miss them so much. But, then I realized that they all go to Madison! I have 50 new friends and it is going to be great. If I don’t make very many British friends, I’ll have all these awesome people. And when we get back to the states, we can go out for curry!
Saturday was Stonehenge, Serum, and Salisbury. YAY! We woke up at the ungodly hour of 6AM and got on the coach bus for our two-hour side to the southwest of England. I slept most of the way. Our regular tour guide, Brit, has this voice that just lulls you to sleep. That, a moving vehicle, a little warmth and sun in my face always puts me right to sleep. And I listened to my new iPod! A few hours later we crested one of England’s famous rolling hills and there was Stonehenge. It was beautiful. Brit made sure we didn’t expect too much. She said people are often disappointed because they expect it to be massive. She also said, we shouldn’t be upset if we don’t walk away feeling healed or spiritually cleansed. Apparently, the stones are supposed to have some spiritual power and people have sued the British government when they weren’t healed or properly moved... We had a good laugh before getting off the bus. And I was taken back when I finally stood right in front of it. It’s huge! And it gave me chills. Spiritually healed for sure! No, but I was amazed. It’s just a pile of rocks, but around it is this huge ditch dug thousands of years ago and bunch of burial mounds. The stones are something like 5000 years ago and they are originally from Wales. How the heck did they get them all the way over here? 200 miles away? Amazing! We took a lot of pictures and checked out the gift shop… not that great. After about an hour of marveling at rocks, we boarded the bus and got on our way. Brit told us that Stonehenge isn’t unique. There are hundred of stone circles like this all over Britain. Crazy! But Stonehenge will always have a little place in my heart. I loved it.
We drove around the countryside for a few miles before beginning to climb this pretty steep hill. Brit told us the whole thing was manmade... Geez these old Brits were determined. And strong! At the top, we found the remains of an old castle, and it looked right out of a movie. I think the guide said they’d filmed a few things here. We had a laugh when Hal started running around like a Teletubbie, convinced this was the place they filmed the scenes where they run around on the grassy hills. So funny. Aside from the Teletubbie hills, we found the old remains of a cathedral that had been dismantled to build a wall… what the heck? Brit said this place is the originally Salisbury, now called Old Serum, but everything was moved to new Salisbury a long time ago. Regardless, the remains of the giant fortress on the hill were amazing to run and climb on. Seriously, we are all five-year olds craving a jungle gym and some fresh air at heart. Brit knows how to please!
After that great time, we headed down the hill to Salisbury. Being Saturday, there was a great market going on and the town was alive! Like all English towns, all the inhabitants perk up a bit on the weekends. The coach driver dropped us off at the huge brick wall, which Brit informed us was called a close. So this is the wall that stole from that cathedral on the hill. Didn’t look too spectacular to me. But then I discovered what it held inside… Salisbury Cathedral! Tallest steeple in England. And completely covered in this beautiful stuff called scaffolding. Seriously, couldn’t see half the church! They are fixing everything for the Olympics, I swear. Anyway, I still managed to take about 100 too many pictures and walked away pleased. Never have I been deterred by a bit of construction! After a long look at the outside of the church, we headed for the market for lunch. It was the perfect day to sit outside, so we all ordered food from different places and ended up sitting outside this old pub. I shared stuffed mushrooms with Viv. Yum! And then, I found Oatmeal Road! Seriously, a road named after oatmeal? My Quaker Oats?!? My love oatmeal! We all laughed. But I forgot to take a picture! Bah.
A bit of looking around at the market soon turned into some seriously shopping. Like all good things do! But after a while, it was time to meet Brit for our tour of the inside of Salisbury Cathedral, so we headed back that way. Brit is expert on everything British. I don’t know how she remembers all these random facts and funny stories. She is a genius. And always so happy! I just know that if I were a tour guide, I’d probably snap at some stupid American asking too many questions or taking too many pictures. Brit is a godsend and she was in fine form at the Cathedral. She told us funny stories about almost all of the martyrs and saints that had statues on the façade of the church. Whether all these stories are fact or completely fake, no one can tell, but they are great fun to hear. Inside the cathedral we walked around for about an hour. Now, the inside of Westminster Abbey didn’t really amaze me and Westminster Cathedral has been my absolute avorite so far. Salisbury Cathedral fit somewhere in the middle. Probably my second favorite. It was so tall with so many arches and vaults and stained glass windows and monuments and tombs. There are pictures on facebook. I can’t describe it. I still can’t even believe I’m here!
My awe was broken when Hal cracked a joke, like always. Brit was telling a story about a man that was buried there. Apparently, the man went off the war and everyone thought he died. His best friend pressured the man’s widowed wife into marrying him, but she refused, insisting her husband was still alive. So, when the guy turned out to be alive, he was a bit pissed at his friend and wanted revenge. The story ended sadly, but in the middle of telling, I thought of that song, “My boyfriend’s back and your going to be in trouble…” I sang it quietly to myself and Hal heard. She then proceeded to change all the word to fit the story. It was hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing in this quiet, solemn church. So embarrassing.
After that humiliation, we saw England’s oldest clock, a bunch of old deteriorating flags that I thought were really cool, and the Magna Carta…! Holy crap, I saw the Magna Carta. Well it was one original copy of it. There are four in total and they are all written in Latin. Didn’t stand a chance of reading it, but seeing it was great! On our way to Windsor a while ago we passed through the fields of Runnymede were King John signed the Magna Carta nearly 1000 years ago. So much history everywhere. When a building or a document or a piece of art is from the 19th century, Brits just scoff. Only the 1800s!? That isn’t old! Heck, Grandma’s house is 100 years old and I thought that was miraculous.
After meditating over the Magna Carta, we all got back on the coach a bit reluctantly. What a great day it was. After another thorough nap on the bus, we got back to London around seven. And then we hit the town! We went to this blues bar called Ain’t Nothing But… (Blues Bar). Catchy right? We saw this guy called Jeremiah Marx and everyone went crazy. I guess he is a bit of a local celebrity here in London. I couldn’t understand a thing he said and it was so loud! But a lot of fun. We stayed for a while before headed out exhausted. I crashed in my bed around midnight and didn’t resurface until about 9 the next morning.
And on Sunday…. I did absolutely nothing. Except homework. And we went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D just off Piccadilly Circus. I thought the movie was okay. It was just nice to get out of the house after sitting around all morning on my computer.
And yesterday… was interesting. We talked about a lot of disturbing things in Contemporary Britain. Mostly the IRA bombing London for the past 40 years and the terrorist attacks on the tube in 2005. Oddly, all the Brits are terrified of guns, but they are accustomed to bombs. “I just went to work,” our professor said when we asked him what he did when the tube was bombed in 2005. He just found a tube line that was still operation and went to work! But he doesn’t like to watch movies with a lot of guns, especially if they are just owned by civilians. He thinks it is crazy that we should have a gun cabinet at home. So different! He said he was teaching a bunch of Wisconsin students in the 90s when a few IRA bombs went off outside the building… and that wasn’t the first time he’d nearly been hit! AH! It was eerie.
Anyway, after that downer, we went to a play in the West End for theatre class. We saw “Really Old, Like Forty-Five”. It was a comedy about age and dementia. It was hilarious, but also really sad at times. I almost died laughing when the play ended with this crazy lady holding a baby and saying, “I love turtles.” Look up “I Like Turtles” on YouTube. I almost peed my pants. And then proceeded to watch that and about a hundred other YouTube videos that night. Good night.
Aw, but I almost forgot. All that YouTube goodness came after I skyped my drunken family on vacation in Texas. Classic. That was great. Hal and I laughed about it the whole night. Apparently, I was just yelling into my computer and the whole flat could hear me. Our power went out, after someone blew a fuse (it happens all the time), and our first attempt at skype didn’t work so well with me being in the dark. But, we eventually got it running. I laughed the whole time. Mom and Linette cried. Derek bought a satchel. Dad, Gayl, and Scott were drunk in the background I think. I wrote on Amy’s Facebook wall after, that we can’t let them vacation without us. We miss them all too much and they were a complete mess. I love you guys!
Well, I have class now… ugh. And then another play tonight!
Cheerio!
Kelly
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