So, in my plot to avoid doing homework, I've update the blog and uploaded some photos! Success.
The pictures are on Facebook. They were giving me some trouble before, but you should be able to view them now.
Also, you should be able to comment on the posts on this blog if you want. I turned off some privacy settings, so have at it!
I'm going to bed! Class in the morning at 9!
GO SAINTS!!!!
Love, Kelly
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Castles and Bartering
January 24, 2010
Four more days in London have flown by. These first two weeks have been a whirlwind of Tube rides, museums, walking, laughing, learning, and zero sleep! I never want it to end!
But at the same time, it’s all starting to chaff a bit… I need a few days to myself to relax. Tonight, I’m not doing much. I think I’ll just sit around, drink some tea, and do some homework. I need to prepare for Amy and Kaydi’s arrival next week. I want to take them to everything and everywhere! Ah, they are going to love it.
This weekend was busy, but never overwhelmingly so. A trip to a few museums and the Union Pub filled up Thursday afternoon and evening. We visited the British Museum for my history class. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but that place is huge! And so beautiful. Everything in there is a treasure in itself. Artifacts, mummies, jewels, journals, armor, parts of entire buildings! We looked at the Roman Empire exhibit. They occupied Britain for a bit when London was called Londinium. Next, we headed across town to the Museum of London. Which is all about London, obviously. Again, took a look at a few Roman and Celtic artifacts found buried beneath London. I was really hoping to see the Black Plague exhibit, but it was closed for renovation. Interestingly, our history professor told us that they are constantly finding new things buried beneath London. Every time an old building is restored or a new Tube tunnel is dug, they bring in loads of archeologists to dig up the site. Just this summer they found the burial site of an old gladiator that fought at the amphitheatre over a thousand years ago. But upon further inspection, they discovered that it was a gladiatrix! A female that fought as a gladiator! We tried to see her at the British Museum, but she isn’t on display yet. Isn’t that cool? They are trying to get everything prepared for the Olympics coming here in 2012. They hope to have the gladiatrix and most of the museum work done for that, so there is a lot, and I mean a lot, of construction going on everywhere.
On our walk from one museum to the other, I had a chat with our professor John about the presentation I am to give for the class. He asked me if I would present on the branding and design of the Tube and red bus posters and logos. I’m actually excited for that. It should be very interesting. The Tube almost has its own identity here, it’s like a cousin you like some days (when it is on time) or really makes you angry at times (when your station is closed for repairs). They always have funny little reminders at the stations and in the railcars saying things like, “be kind to your neighbor”, “take care of this station” and “smile.”
Friday… was a disappointment. First headed out to Portobello Road in Notting Hill for the Portobello Market. It is filled with antiques, house wares, and a lot of scarves. The English love their scarves. The market was very fun, but unfortunately, it decided to rain the whole day, so that was kind of miserable. I’m still looking for a new pair of boots. Maybe I will find some shopping with Amy this week. Because I know we will be doing plenty of that! After the market, we walked home, all of us with soaked feet and socks. Wet feet and legs are inevitable here, I’ve decided. There is really no avoiding it.
That night we headed out to St. Martins In The Fields Chapel which is located just off Trafalgar Square. Yes, that is really the name of the church… On our tour last weekend, our tour guide mentioned something about St. James by the Wardrobe Church. Crazy names! Anyway, we descended on the church as a group to hear some classical music. Vivaldi’s Four Season to be exact. It was interesting for the first few minutes, but after the novelty of the church’s interior wore off, the music began to lull me to sleep. Two hours later, the concert ended. I was so tired.
Saturday was amazing. We went to Windsor, took a tour of Windsor Castle, and walked around the town. The town in itself is touristy, but very charming. Filled with little shops and restaurants, it would be very easy to just walk around for a day. And spend way too much money. Windsor is only about an hour train ride out of London, so we might be able to go back when I get visitors in the spring! But the best part by far was Windsor Castle. It sits very regally atop this hill, overlooking Windsor, the Thames, and the village of Eton. Wow. We couldn’t take pictures during our tour, but I took about 250 pictures outside. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world… and the very place the Queen calls home (apparently she doesn’t like Buckingham very much). We toured the staterooms where the queen entertains and socializes. Huge rooms with painted ceilings, gold trimmings, and rich fabric blanketing the walls. Furniture that cost more than my college education and thousands of paintings, most of them portraits, dominated every room. My favorite part? This great hall dedicated to the Royal Order of the Garter. Prime Ministers and Lords are all members of the order, but I’m pretty sure they don’t do much. It’s just for show. And a reason to party in this awesome dining hall. It was adorned with hundreds of plaques, each displaying the coat-of-arms of some duke, lord, or important public figure. Oddly, there were a few plaques that had been painted over and where now stark white. The tour guide said that these represented lords that had disgraced the nation. Their coats-of-arms remain to always remind them of their shame… I thought it was quite funny. Oh, and I loved St. George’s Chapel. Located inside the courtyard, inside Windsor castle. The queen’s sister, parents, and grandparents are buried there. And Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, as well!
What a long post this has become…
Sunday Sunday. Funday. We went to Petticoat Lane today. They have a clothing and textile market every Sunday and it is awesome. Located in Shoreditch on the other side of town, we had to ride the Tube for a bit, bit it was well worth it. You have to barter with the stall owners. Linette, you would love this place. I got three dresses for 20 pounds! Now if I could only find some boots…
Looking forward to this week, seeing Amy, and exploring London some more. Hal, Viv, and I have made a list of about 80 things we want to do… I think we’ve crossed about 20-25 off the list. That is great and all, but now we want to go back to do them all again!
Have a great week!
Love, Kelly
Four more days in London have flown by. These first two weeks have been a whirlwind of Tube rides, museums, walking, laughing, learning, and zero sleep! I never want it to end!
But at the same time, it’s all starting to chaff a bit… I need a few days to myself to relax. Tonight, I’m not doing much. I think I’ll just sit around, drink some tea, and do some homework. I need to prepare for Amy and Kaydi’s arrival next week. I want to take them to everything and everywhere! Ah, they are going to love it.
This weekend was busy, but never overwhelmingly so. A trip to a few museums and the Union Pub filled up Thursday afternoon and evening. We visited the British Museum for my history class. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but that place is huge! And so beautiful. Everything in there is a treasure in itself. Artifacts, mummies, jewels, journals, armor, parts of entire buildings! We looked at the Roman Empire exhibit. They occupied Britain for a bit when London was called Londinium. Next, we headed across town to the Museum of London. Which is all about London, obviously. Again, took a look at a few Roman and Celtic artifacts found buried beneath London. I was really hoping to see the Black Plague exhibit, but it was closed for renovation. Interestingly, our history professor told us that they are constantly finding new things buried beneath London. Every time an old building is restored or a new Tube tunnel is dug, they bring in loads of archeologists to dig up the site. Just this summer they found the burial site of an old gladiator that fought at the amphitheatre over a thousand years ago. But upon further inspection, they discovered that it was a gladiatrix! A female that fought as a gladiator! We tried to see her at the British Museum, but she isn’t on display yet. Isn’t that cool? They are trying to get everything prepared for the Olympics coming here in 2012. They hope to have the gladiatrix and most of the museum work done for that, so there is a lot, and I mean a lot, of construction going on everywhere.
On our walk from one museum to the other, I had a chat with our professor John about the presentation I am to give for the class. He asked me if I would present on the branding and design of the Tube and red bus posters and logos. I’m actually excited for that. It should be very interesting. The Tube almost has its own identity here, it’s like a cousin you like some days (when it is on time) or really makes you angry at times (when your station is closed for repairs). They always have funny little reminders at the stations and in the railcars saying things like, “be kind to your neighbor”, “take care of this station” and “smile.”
Friday… was a disappointment. First headed out to Portobello Road in Notting Hill for the Portobello Market. It is filled with antiques, house wares, and a lot of scarves. The English love their scarves. The market was very fun, but unfortunately, it decided to rain the whole day, so that was kind of miserable. I’m still looking for a new pair of boots. Maybe I will find some shopping with Amy this week. Because I know we will be doing plenty of that! After the market, we walked home, all of us with soaked feet and socks. Wet feet and legs are inevitable here, I’ve decided. There is really no avoiding it.
That night we headed out to St. Martins In The Fields Chapel which is located just off Trafalgar Square. Yes, that is really the name of the church… On our tour last weekend, our tour guide mentioned something about St. James by the Wardrobe Church. Crazy names! Anyway, we descended on the church as a group to hear some classical music. Vivaldi’s Four Season to be exact. It was interesting for the first few minutes, but after the novelty of the church’s interior wore off, the music began to lull me to sleep. Two hours later, the concert ended. I was so tired.
Saturday was amazing. We went to Windsor, took a tour of Windsor Castle, and walked around the town. The town in itself is touristy, but very charming. Filled with little shops and restaurants, it would be very easy to just walk around for a day. And spend way too much money. Windsor is only about an hour train ride out of London, so we might be able to go back when I get visitors in the spring! But the best part by far was Windsor Castle. It sits very regally atop this hill, overlooking Windsor, the Thames, and the village of Eton. Wow. We couldn’t take pictures during our tour, but I took about 250 pictures outside. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world… and the very place the Queen calls home (apparently she doesn’t like Buckingham very much). We toured the staterooms where the queen entertains and socializes. Huge rooms with painted ceilings, gold trimmings, and rich fabric blanketing the walls. Furniture that cost more than my college education and thousands of paintings, most of them portraits, dominated every room. My favorite part? This great hall dedicated to the Royal Order of the Garter. Prime Ministers and Lords are all members of the order, but I’m pretty sure they don’t do much. It’s just for show. And a reason to party in this awesome dining hall. It was adorned with hundreds of plaques, each displaying the coat-of-arms of some duke, lord, or important public figure. Oddly, there were a few plaques that had been painted over and where now stark white. The tour guide said that these represented lords that had disgraced the nation. Their coats-of-arms remain to always remind them of their shame… I thought it was quite funny. Oh, and I loved St. George’s Chapel. Located inside the courtyard, inside Windsor castle. The queen’s sister, parents, and grandparents are buried there. And Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, as well!
What a long post this has become…
Sunday Sunday. Funday. We went to Petticoat Lane today. They have a clothing and textile market every Sunday and it is awesome. Located in Shoreditch on the other side of town, we had to ride the Tube for a bit, bit it was well worth it. You have to barter with the stall owners. Linette, you would love this place. I got three dresses for 20 pounds! Now if I could only find some boots…
Looking forward to this week, seeing Amy, and exploring London some more. Hal, Viv, and I have made a list of about 80 things we want to do… I think we’ve crossed about 20-25 off the list. That is great and all, but now we want to go back to do them all again!
Have a great week!
Love, Kelly
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bad teeth and the Tate
January 20, 2010
Halfway through the week. And not much has happened!
Monday was filled with class, but the class subjects are so interesting the time just flies by. I think I am going to have a hard time readjusting to the course load at Madison after this semester. I only have about five hours of homework per week… in comparison to 20 or 30. Monday mornings I have Contemporary Britain. Throughout the course we will be covering a lot of social and political issues in London. Basically, we get together and chat about life in London. It is great. Over the weekend, our professor asked us to come up with a list of stereotypes about the UK. And in return, he would think of all his American stereotypes. No holding anything back. It was hilarious. We gave him the usuals. Brits have bad teeth. They are frumpy and crabby. But he threw us for a bit of a loop, putting a bit more thought into his list. First, he said Brits are astounded and a bit scared by our casual attitude toward guns. I never really thought about it. The police and constables here don’t carry guns. They carry these baton things and can run really fast. Instead, knives are a big problem here. He thought it was so bizarre that we might have a gun cabinet in our homes. Given, the only news Brits receive about gun activity in the US is school shootings. He also said that he views the US as a land of contradictions. We are so obsessed with health and fitness, but then we have so much obesity and fast food. We live to work, while Europeans work to live. Still trying to wrap my head around that one. It was all very interesting.
After class, we went for a bit of shopping outside our neighborhood. London is divided into zones. The most central past (where I’m living) is called Zone 1. Looking like a ripple, the zones increase as you travel farther and farther out of London. I think there are nine zones. Anyway, in order to find anything we can afford, we have to get out of zone 1. It is hard to find a bargain when your neighbor has a Ferrari parked outside and doesn’t have to worry about money. So, we headed out to Hammersmith (where Hugh Grant was born) and shopped for rain boots and a spring coat. I found one at this awesome store called Primark… Seriously, best store ever. But still no rain boots.
Tuesday is my art day. Viv, Hal, and I have an art history class and we are always traveling to museums as a class. All the museums and galleries here are free! We got on the Tube and headed over to the Tate Britain, a museum mostly dedicated to British artists. We saw a show by JMW Turner. It was interesting, a bunch of pretty landscapes, but not the most compelling thing I’ve ever seen. After class, we headed over to the contemporary and modern wings of the museum. Again, I was impressed with the collection. The museums are quick becoming my favorite part of this adventure. I just wish I would have paid a bit more attention in my art history classes last year…
After an afternoon at the Tate Britain, we hit the streets of London. We hiked it across Pimlico to an area by a busy Tube and bus station called Victoria. Right across the street sits the Westminster Cathedral. Not to be confused with Westminster Abbey in Westminster. This cathedral sits all by itself and it is magnificent. I finally picked up my camera cord from the place where we get our mail so I can finally load pictures onto facebook! They will be up sometime tonight, I promise. Anyway, we took pictures in front of the cathedral and went inside. They were doing some work on the interior, but it was still breath taking. So huge and decorated. And gold! Everything was gold. They were redoing the ceiling so it wasn’t lit and appeared to be pitch black. It actually resembled a night sky and was really beautiful.
Next, we walked across town, passing the New Scotland Yard, to Westminster again. That area is soooo cool. We tried to get there before it got dark, but failed. We got a bunch of awesome night shots. Again. But, it is still magnificent in the dark so I was fine. We also got to see all of the Parliament members leaving the office. They all look a bit crabby and distracted. Hal and I think we are going to try to go to church at Westminster Abbey on Sunday. We’ll see if they let us in. Our tour guide Brit said we should be able to go for free. She said, “They can’t make you pay to pray!” We took some pictures and headed down toward the Thames to find something to eat. We walked along the Embankment, which is similar to a boardwalk. Beautiful. It was even better at night because everything was lit up across the water. Along the river they have these permanently docked boats that serve as restaurants and bars. We didn’t eat there, but they look like a lot of fun.
We found a pub after a bit and I finally got fish and chips! Which is basically a whole battered and fried fish and French fries. So healthy... But soooo good. All of the pubs are named after a member of the royal family or some famous battle. We ate at the Princess of Wales. After eating, we headed to a play for my theater class. We saw “An Inspector Calls” and it was fabulous. I became a bit confused toward the end, but it had a pretty good message. I can’t wait to discuss it in class next Monday with our professor.
Today was dead boring. I caught up on all the homework I’ve been neglecting and took some pictures of the neighborhood. It was raining most of the day, so everyone just hung around the flat.
Tomorrow brings another trip to the British Museum. Hopefully I will make it past the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles this time. That place is huge! Friday we are going to see an outdoor concert with our group from Madison and Saturday we are visiting Windsor Castle! So excited.
I’ll be back soon.
Love, Kelly
Halfway through the week. And not much has happened!
Monday was filled with class, but the class subjects are so interesting the time just flies by. I think I am going to have a hard time readjusting to the course load at Madison after this semester. I only have about five hours of homework per week… in comparison to 20 or 30. Monday mornings I have Contemporary Britain. Throughout the course we will be covering a lot of social and political issues in London. Basically, we get together and chat about life in London. It is great. Over the weekend, our professor asked us to come up with a list of stereotypes about the UK. And in return, he would think of all his American stereotypes. No holding anything back. It was hilarious. We gave him the usuals. Brits have bad teeth. They are frumpy and crabby. But he threw us for a bit of a loop, putting a bit more thought into his list. First, he said Brits are astounded and a bit scared by our casual attitude toward guns. I never really thought about it. The police and constables here don’t carry guns. They carry these baton things and can run really fast. Instead, knives are a big problem here. He thought it was so bizarre that we might have a gun cabinet in our homes. Given, the only news Brits receive about gun activity in the US is school shootings. He also said that he views the US as a land of contradictions. We are so obsessed with health and fitness, but then we have so much obesity and fast food. We live to work, while Europeans work to live. Still trying to wrap my head around that one. It was all very interesting.
After class, we went for a bit of shopping outside our neighborhood. London is divided into zones. The most central past (where I’m living) is called Zone 1. Looking like a ripple, the zones increase as you travel farther and farther out of London. I think there are nine zones. Anyway, in order to find anything we can afford, we have to get out of zone 1. It is hard to find a bargain when your neighbor has a Ferrari parked outside and doesn’t have to worry about money. So, we headed out to Hammersmith (where Hugh Grant was born) and shopped for rain boots and a spring coat. I found one at this awesome store called Primark… Seriously, best store ever. But still no rain boots.
Tuesday is my art day. Viv, Hal, and I have an art history class and we are always traveling to museums as a class. All the museums and galleries here are free! We got on the Tube and headed over to the Tate Britain, a museum mostly dedicated to British artists. We saw a show by JMW Turner. It was interesting, a bunch of pretty landscapes, but not the most compelling thing I’ve ever seen. After class, we headed over to the contemporary and modern wings of the museum. Again, I was impressed with the collection. The museums are quick becoming my favorite part of this adventure. I just wish I would have paid a bit more attention in my art history classes last year…
After an afternoon at the Tate Britain, we hit the streets of London. We hiked it across Pimlico to an area by a busy Tube and bus station called Victoria. Right across the street sits the Westminster Cathedral. Not to be confused with Westminster Abbey in Westminster. This cathedral sits all by itself and it is magnificent. I finally picked up my camera cord from the place where we get our mail so I can finally load pictures onto facebook! They will be up sometime tonight, I promise. Anyway, we took pictures in front of the cathedral and went inside. They were doing some work on the interior, but it was still breath taking. So huge and decorated. And gold! Everything was gold. They were redoing the ceiling so it wasn’t lit and appeared to be pitch black. It actually resembled a night sky and was really beautiful.
Next, we walked across town, passing the New Scotland Yard, to Westminster again. That area is soooo cool. We tried to get there before it got dark, but failed. We got a bunch of awesome night shots. Again. But, it is still magnificent in the dark so I was fine. We also got to see all of the Parliament members leaving the office. They all look a bit crabby and distracted. Hal and I think we are going to try to go to church at Westminster Abbey on Sunday. We’ll see if they let us in. Our tour guide Brit said we should be able to go for free. She said, “They can’t make you pay to pray!” We took some pictures and headed down toward the Thames to find something to eat. We walked along the Embankment, which is similar to a boardwalk. Beautiful. It was even better at night because everything was lit up across the water. Along the river they have these permanently docked boats that serve as restaurants and bars. We didn’t eat there, but they look like a lot of fun.
We found a pub after a bit and I finally got fish and chips! Which is basically a whole battered and fried fish and French fries. So healthy... But soooo good. All of the pubs are named after a member of the royal family or some famous battle. We ate at the Princess of Wales. After eating, we headed to a play for my theater class. We saw “An Inspector Calls” and it was fabulous. I became a bit confused toward the end, but it had a pretty good message. I can’t wait to discuss it in class next Monday with our professor.
Today was dead boring. I caught up on all the homework I’ve been neglecting and took some pictures of the neighborhood. It was raining most of the day, so everyone just hung around the flat.
Tomorrow brings another trip to the British Museum. Hopefully I will make it past the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles this time. That place is huge! Friday we are going to see an outdoor concert with our group from Madison and Saturday we are visiting Windsor Castle! So excited.
I’ll be back soon.
Love, Kelly
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tea parties and art, art, art
January 17, 2010
What a weekend it has been. Nothing really happened, but it feels like I have done and learned so much. I only have class Monday through Wednesday, so I get a four-day weekend…it is going to be a rough semester for me academically obviously.
Thursday I slept in pretty late. Still haven’t totally adjusted to the time change. I decided to go for a run in the park across the street. It was a blast. Funnily, the park was pretty crowded for a Thursday at noon. I realized about halfway through my excursion that most of the people walking around were either ladies pushing strollers, people playing with dogs, older couples, or other runners. This mix of people really demonstrates how well off this area of London is. Nannies and hired dog walkers were everywhere! There were also a bunch of older men riding horses around for fun. Guess they took a day off work… I can’t really remember what we did Thursday night. Obviously, it wasn’t very exciting or I was roaring drunk. I think it was probably the former.
On Friday, all fifty students on the program walked to the Gore Hotel for high tea at 3PM. We had been warned ahead of time to come hungry, or I probably would have expected a cup of tea, some sugar and a biscuit. Drinking tea will never be the same again. First, the tables were set for what looked like a full course meal. We all sat and poured ourselves some tea. Then came the food. And it just kept coming. Scones, muffins, pastries, finger sandwiches, danishes…. Ahhh. So. Good. Halfway through my muffin, our coordinator politely asked if anyone was allergic to nuts. I looked at Vivian (who is also allergic), frowned, and raised my hand. Great, I thought. But after much arguing with the cooks, it was determined that nothing in the meal had any trace of nuts and we were fine. I really wouldn’t have done anything differently, regardless if there were nuts in there or not. It was that good. Best part: the scones. They are this funky, round pastry thing resembling really dense cake. You cut it in half and put jam on one side and cream on the other. Delicious. After about 3000 calories and two cups of tea I was stuffed. We all staggered back to our apartment in a sugar haze and napped.
Oh, now I remember what we did on Thursday. But first, Friday night was spent on the street of Westminster and Trafalgar Square. It is beautiful at night. I took a bunch of pictures but I can’t upload them yet! As for Thursday night, that was a bit more exciting. A bunch of us decided to go out to a club. They are very popular in Europe, unlike the United States. The boys even get up and dance here! So we all crammed onto the Tube (it is crazy on the weekends) and headed out to Soho, the younger, cooler part of London. We wondered into the club called Sketch. Terrible name, right? Anyway, the place was like something out of a movie. Or a dream. Everything was white and the bar was in this weird dome-shaped place. The bathrooms were outrageous. Every stall looked like a giant egg that you stepped into. But the place was empty. I guess we went too early or no one goes to that club on a Thursday. It didn’t matter, thought. We still had fun. After, we took the night bus home and crashed.
Saturday ended up being rather uneventful. We visited the British Museum, which started off great. I saw the Elgin Marbles, which I wrote a paper on last year. They are a bunch of statues and reliefs from the Parthenon. Also, we toured the mummy gallery, saw a bunch of artifacts and tools from the Roman Empire, and I found the Rosetta Stone! Ha, Ha. I took a picture with it. After the tour, I was really worn out. We decided to come back another day when we could appreciate it more. The guide told us that if you looked at every piece in the British Museum for thirty seconds, it would take you two years to see everything. We’ve got a lot of artifacts and antiques to look at in the coming months. Luckily, like the British Museum, all the museums here are free to the public, which is awesome. We can go back as many times as we want.
It rained all of Saturday. And we got lost a few times. Crappy day.
Today, however, was beautiful. Sunny and warm. I was so happy to finally see the sun. It has almost been a whole week, but it seems like ages. You really learn to appreciate blue sky and dry weather over here. To celebrate the nice day, Hal, Viv, and I went for a walk around the Thames. We crossed the Millennium Bridge (the one that gets ripped apart in the newest Harry Potter movie), took pictures of the skyline, and visited the Tate Modern Museum. It was amazing. I feel like I’ve been using that word a lot lately, but that is how I feel about everything here. Amazing! The Tate Modern blew my mind. I saw so many artists and pieces that I have been studying over the last few years. Seeing the work projected in the front of a classroom just doesn’t compare in anyway to witnessing it, experiencing it. I finally get why my art professors get to excited about some of this stuff. Loved it and I’m probably going to go back a few times.
Currently, I’m sitting at my dining room table, eating tomato soup, finishing some homework, and deciding what I want to do with my free time tomorrow afternoon. I think we are going to go shopping for rain boots or wellies, as they call them here. I learned my lesson on Saturday when my feet were soaked the whole day…
Have a great week and I’ll send post cards soon!
Kelly
What a weekend it has been. Nothing really happened, but it feels like I have done and learned so much. I only have class Monday through Wednesday, so I get a four-day weekend…it is going to be a rough semester for me academically obviously.
Thursday I slept in pretty late. Still haven’t totally adjusted to the time change. I decided to go for a run in the park across the street. It was a blast. Funnily, the park was pretty crowded for a Thursday at noon. I realized about halfway through my excursion that most of the people walking around were either ladies pushing strollers, people playing with dogs, older couples, or other runners. This mix of people really demonstrates how well off this area of London is. Nannies and hired dog walkers were everywhere! There were also a bunch of older men riding horses around for fun. Guess they took a day off work… I can’t really remember what we did Thursday night. Obviously, it wasn’t very exciting or I was roaring drunk. I think it was probably the former.
On Friday, all fifty students on the program walked to the Gore Hotel for high tea at 3PM. We had been warned ahead of time to come hungry, or I probably would have expected a cup of tea, some sugar and a biscuit. Drinking tea will never be the same again. First, the tables were set for what looked like a full course meal. We all sat and poured ourselves some tea. Then came the food. And it just kept coming. Scones, muffins, pastries, finger sandwiches, danishes…. Ahhh. So. Good. Halfway through my muffin, our coordinator politely asked if anyone was allergic to nuts. I looked at Vivian (who is also allergic), frowned, and raised my hand. Great, I thought. But after much arguing with the cooks, it was determined that nothing in the meal had any trace of nuts and we were fine. I really wouldn’t have done anything differently, regardless if there were nuts in there or not. It was that good. Best part: the scones. They are this funky, round pastry thing resembling really dense cake. You cut it in half and put jam on one side and cream on the other. Delicious. After about 3000 calories and two cups of tea I was stuffed. We all staggered back to our apartment in a sugar haze and napped.
Oh, now I remember what we did on Thursday. But first, Friday night was spent on the street of Westminster and Trafalgar Square. It is beautiful at night. I took a bunch of pictures but I can’t upload them yet! As for Thursday night, that was a bit more exciting. A bunch of us decided to go out to a club. They are very popular in Europe, unlike the United States. The boys even get up and dance here! So we all crammed onto the Tube (it is crazy on the weekends) and headed out to Soho, the younger, cooler part of London. We wondered into the club called Sketch. Terrible name, right? Anyway, the place was like something out of a movie. Or a dream. Everything was white and the bar was in this weird dome-shaped place. The bathrooms were outrageous. Every stall looked like a giant egg that you stepped into. But the place was empty. I guess we went too early or no one goes to that club on a Thursday. It didn’t matter, thought. We still had fun. After, we took the night bus home and crashed.
Saturday ended up being rather uneventful. We visited the British Museum, which started off great. I saw the Elgin Marbles, which I wrote a paper on last year. They are a bunch of statues and reliefs from the Parthenon. Also, we toured the mummy gallery, saw a bunch of artifacts and tools from the Roman Empire, and I found the Rosetta Stone! Ha, Ha. I took a picture with it. After the tour, I was really worn out. We decided to come back another day when we could appreciate it more. The guide told us that if you looked at every piece in the British Museum for thirty seconds, it would take you two years to see everything. We’ve got a lot of artifacts and antiques to look at in the coming months. Luckily, like the British Museum, all the museums here are free to the public, which is awesome. We can go back as many times as we want.
It rained all of Saturday. And we got lost a few times. Crappy day.
Today, however, was beautiful. Sunny and warm. I was so happy to finally see the sun. It has almost been a whole week, but it seems like ages. You really learn to appreciate blue sky and dry weather over here. To celebrate the nice day, Hal, Viv, and I went for a walk around the Thames. We crossed the Millennium Bridge (the one that gets ripped apart in the newest Harry Potter movie), took pictures of the skyline, and visited the Tate Modern Museum. It was amazing. I feel like I’ve been using that word a lot lately, but that is how I feel about everything here. Amazing! The Tate Modern blew my mind. I saw so many artists and pieces that I have been studying over the last few years. Seeing the work projected in the front of a classroom just doesn’t compare in anyway to witnessing it, experiencing it. I finally get why my art professors get to excited about some of this stuff. Loved it and I’m probably going to go back a few times.
Currently, I’m sitting at my dining room table, eating tomato soup, finishing some homework, and deciding what I want to do with my free time tomorrow afternoon. I think we are going to go shopping for rain boots or wellies, as they call them here. I learned my lesson on Saturday when my feet were soaked the whole day…
Have a great week and I’ll send post cards soon!
Kelly
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Coffee and personal space
January 13, 2010
Living Room
The living room is crazy right now. There are about fifteen people chatting away on their cell phones or watching television. There are actually about twenty people living in our flat. It is one narrow hallway with a million doors. Well, to be more exact there are six bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. It is crazy here when everyone is around (like right now), but usually you can find some place to be alone if you need to. It is a nice mix of people.
Since not much is happening this week, I’m going to offer some of my observations about London and Londoners.
The Brits aren’t as friendly as Americans. Or as personable. If I tried to start up a conversation with someone on the bus, they would probably give me the stink eye and move to the back of the bus. They don’t care a bit about invading your personal space on the bus or on the street, but don’t expect them to be friendly at all. They won’t even make eyes contact. The advisers said it would be difficult to make British friends. I am beginning to understand why. But all of our professors are very kind and sociable. They understand our struggle and are, therefore, overly nice at times.
The Brits love coffee. Or they think Americans can’t live without it. It seems as if all my British professors and advisers are forever offering us a cup or taking us on coffee breaks. They can probably see the bags under our eyes and the lack-of-sleep induced glaze over our eyes as try to adjust to the time change. I really didn’t think it would be this hard. Six hours? I can do that easy… wrong. I still haven’t caught up. If anything, I’m getting too much sleep now. I’m always tired at the wrong times. But I will adjust! They told us it takes a few weeks. No kidding.
The Brits love public transportation. And walking. They love walking anywhere and everything they can (just not when it is snowing outside, then they get a bit anxious). We have been walking everywhere. It is so easy to get on the Tube (the subway system) and go anywhere you like for a few dollars. You always end up somewhere new and interesting. Walking around here is amazing. One minute the block will be lined with crammed, brick apartments with shops below, and the next minutes, you find your self surrounded by the most modern, stunning buildings you have ever seen. It is incredible. The architecture is really a great mix of the old and the new. Like most everything about London.
The Brits love eating out. Or Londoners do anyway. Any kind of food you could ever want, you’ll find here and it will be amazing. The best you have ever eaten. I think next week, our coordinator is taking us to an Iraqi restaurant! There is a sandwich shop down the street that is cheap and really good. I mean really good. My favorite might be the tuna.
I’m a bit peeved because I can’t load my pictures from my camera to my computer yet. I forgot the sticking cord that connects the two and I’m lost without it. Thankfully, Judy pulled through and is sending it in the mail as we speak. Pictures are coming! I have so many to share.
I miss everyone so much. I am having so much fun, but at the same time, I wish everyone was here with me. London is just amazing. Everyone has to come here at least once.
This week, we have a few trips and event coming up. Tonight, we are going to Belgravia (a borough of London, there are 32 all together!). In Belgravia, we are going on a pub-crawl with our teachers. Yep. The bar/pub atmosphere is so different here. The pubs are always filled with a great mix of people. It is always interesting to see who will walk in the door. On Friday, we are having noon tea at the Gore Hotel. They told us the Rolling Stones once had an album release party there, but other than that, the hotel is very respectable and classy. And they invited a bunch of Wisconsin students for tea? Next Saturday, we are visiting Windsor castles and I think this weekend, a bunch of us are going to a market on Saturday to find junk and antiques. It will be great.
Have a great rest of the week and I’ll be back soon!
Kelly
Living Room
The living room is crazy right now. There are about fifteen people chatting away on their cell phones or watching television. There are actually about twenty people living in our flat. It is one narrow hallway with a million doors. Well, to be more exact there are six bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. It is crazy here when everyone is around (like right now), but usually you can find some place to be alone if you need to. It is a nice mix of people.
Since not much is happening this week, I’m going to offer some of my observations about London and Londoners.
The Brits aren’t as friendly as Americans. Or as personable. If I tried to start up a conversation with someone on the bus, they would probably give me the stink eye and move to the back of the bus. They don’t care a bit about invading your personal space on the bus or on the street, but don’t expect them to be friendly at all. They won’t even make eyes contact. The advisers said it would be difficult to make British friends. I am beginning to understand why. But all of our professors are very kind and sociable. They understand our struggle and are, therefore, overly nice at times.
The Brits love coffee. Or they think Americans can’t live without it. It seems as if all my British professors and advisers are forever offering us a cup or taking us on coffee breaks. They can probably see the bags under our eyes and the lack-of-sleep induced glaze over our eyes as try to adjust to the time change. I really didn’t think it would be this hard. Six hours? I can do that easy… wrong. I still haven’t caught up. If anything, I’m getting too much sleep now. I’m always tired at the wrong times. But I will adjust! They told us it takes a few weeks. No kidding.
The Brits love public transportation. And walking. They love walking anywhere and everything they can (just not when it is snowing outside, then they get a bit anxious). We have been walking everywhere. It is so easy to get on the Tube (the subway system) and go anywhere you like for a few dollars. You always end up somewhere new and interesting. Walking around here is amazing. One minute the block will be lined with crammed, brick apartments with shops below, and the next minutes, you find your self surrounded by the most modern, stunning buildings you have ever seen. It is incredible. The architecture is really a great mix of the old and the new. Like most everything about London.
The Brits love eating out. Or Londoners do anyway. Any kind of food you could ever want, you’ll find here and it will be amazing. The best you have ever eaten. I think next week, our coordinator is taking us to an Iraqi restaurant! There is a sandwich shop down the street that is cheap and really good. I mean really good. My favorite might be the tuna.
I’m a bit peeved because I can’t load my pictures from my camera to my computer yet. I forgot the sticking cord that connects the two and I’m lost without it. Thankfully, Judy pulled through and is sending it in the mail as we speak. Pictures are coming! I have so many to share.
I miss everyone so much. I am having so much fun, but at the same time, I wish everyone was here with me. London is just amazing. Everyone has to come here at least once.
This week, we have a few trips and event coming up. Tonight, we are going to Belgravia (a borough of London, there are 32 all together!). In Belgravia, we are going on a pub-crawl with our teachers. Yep. The bar/pub atmosphere is so different here. The pubs are always filled with a great mix of people. It is always interesting to see who will walk in the door. On Friday, we are having noon tea at the Gore Hotel. They told us the Rolling Stones once had an album release party there, but other than that, the hotel is very respectable and classy. And they invited a bunch of Wisconsin students for tea? Next Saturday, we are visiting Windsor castles and I think this weekend, a bunch of us are going to a market on Saturday to find junk and antiques. It will be great.
Have a great rest of the week and I’ll be back soon!
Kelly
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Diana's neighborhood and being broke...
January 9, 2010
My apartment
The last few days bought loads of new information. I learned so many things, and I have already forgotten half of it. Yesterday, we went on a walking tour of Kensington in the morning. We toured Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and a few of the surrounding streets and buildings that will be important to us. From the front step of our flat you can see Kensington Palace, home of Princess Diana after she left Prince Charles (or Chuck, as they call him here). The home is very modest compared to the street behind it (more on that in a minute), but it sits right in the middle of Kensington Gardens. It is beautiful, even in all this snow and cold. Kensington Gardens is the beginning of a series of joined parks and gardens that lead all the way to downtown London (or “the City”) and Westminster. Amazing. The gardens are filled with monuments and memorials. We even found the very place where J.M. Barry found inspiration for his play “Peter Pan”! There is a statue of Peter Pan, but it doesn’t look anything like the Disney version. Also, in the garden there is a statue of Prince Albert that is made of 3 layers of solid gold and a beautiful monument for Queen Victoria that just got a new nose job. Our hilarious tour guide London said that, “she was very much at her best.”
Next, we hit up billionaires’ row. Some of the houses sell for over £250 million (about $400 million, I think) and the whole street is lit by gaslight at night. And it is right around the block. I don’t know how we ended up with such a great location. I’m constantly feeling out of place. Everything is so over-the-top, but I’m not complaining! We also walked by a few more churches (minsters, as Simon kept calling them), palaces, and streets lined with fun, little shops.
After the tour, we had orientation in the building that all of our classes will be held in. It is about a ten minutes walk from our apartment, but is located on a very lively, busy street. Groceries, the Tube stop, and loads of shops are right around the corner. It is great. I’m excited to window shop!
Grocery shopping is confusing and frustrating. It is fun finding brands that look familiar, but they are called something completely different here (Lay’s = Walker’s?) Bizarre. And every time I find something I want, I have to convert the price into dollars. I’m getting much better at that, but it still takes a bit. Everything in this area is a bit more expensive than most of London. People who live in million dollar houses don’t really worry about spending on groceries, so we have to get thrifty. There are a bunch of “charity shops” around here. They are similar to consignment stores or the Goodwill and they are awesome.
Today, we went on a huge, four-hour tour of all of central London. We saw Westminster, the Thames, Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, and a lot of other amazing sights. Our tour guide, Brit, works for our program. She is always available to help us organize our own trips and tell us fun facts about London. She is hilarous and so helpful. I’ll be putting up pictures from the ride sometime in the next few days. I didn’t get many good shots because it was so cold today. They keep teasing us, saying we brought the terrible Wisconsin winter weather along with us. Everyone is freaking out here. Mary, our program director, said that the only thing Brits feel comfortable talking with strangers about is the weather. And boy, are they riled. Never have they had this many days of cold weather and snow. They grumble about it, but secretly I think they enjoy the change. I’ve seen a couple of smiles when the snow is falling!
After the tour, I felt a little less lost, but much more overwhelmed. There is so much to see and I don’t want to miss anything! I had my first, genuine pub experience tonight. A pub is not the same as a bar. The pub is more like a sports bar or family grill. Pubs are only open until 11, while bars are open later. The pub we found, Churchill Arms, could have been straight out of a movie. It was authentic and packed! The place was crazy! But we finally got out meals and Strongbow. We headed home afterward. Too cold.
Classes start on Monday! I have Contemporary Britain and Introduction of British Theater. We are also going to a play Monday night called Warhorse. It is suppose to be very good.
Here is some information for you guys.
Email: kaknutson2@gmail.com or kknutson2@wisc.edu
Address:
Kelly Knutson
Metrogate
3-7 Queen’s Gate Terrace
London SW75PE
United Kingdom
Phone number:
07909 124 533
Bye!
Kelly
My apartment
The last few days bought loads of new information. I learned so many things, and I have already forgotten half of it. Yesterday, we went on a walking tour of Kensington in the morning. We toured Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and a few of the surrounding streets and buildings that will be important to us. From the front step of our flat you can see Kensington Palace, home of Princess Diana after she left Prince Charles (or Chuck, as they call him here). The home is very modest compared to the street behind it (more on that in a minute), but it sits right in the middle of Kensington Gardens. It is beautiful, even in all this snow and cold. Kensington Gardens is the beginning of a series of joined parks and gardens that lead all the way to downtown London (or “the City”) and Westminster. Amazing. The gardens are filled with monuments and memorials. We even found the very place where J.M. Barry found inspiration for his play “Peter Pan”! There is a statue of Peter Pan, but it doesn’t look anything like the Disney version. Also, in the garden there is a statue of Prince Albert that is made of 3 layers of solid gold and a beautiful monument for Queen Victoria that just got a new nose job. Our hilarious tour guide London said that, “she was very much at her best.”
Next, we hit up billionaires’ row. Some of the houses sell for over £250 million (about $400 million, I think) and the whole street is lit by gaslight at night. And it is right around the block. I don’t know how we ended up with such a great location. I’m constantly feeling out of place. Everything is so over-the-top, but I’m not complaining! We also walked by a few more churches (minsters, as Simon kept calling them), palaces, and streets lined with fun, little shops.
After the tour, we had orientation in the building that all of our classes will be held in. It is about a ten minutes walk from our apartment, but is located on a very lively, busy street. Groceries, the Tube stop, and loads of shops are right around the corner. It is great. I’m excited to window shop!
Grocery shopping is confusing and frustrating. It is fun finding brands that look familiar, but they are called something completely different here (Lay’s = Walker’s?) Bizarre. And every time I find something I want, I have to convert the price into dollars. I’m getting much better at that, but it still takes a bit. Everything in this area is a bit more expensive than most of London. People who live in million dollar houses don’t really worry about spending on groceries, so we have to get thrifty. There are a bunch of “charity shops” around here. They are similar to consignment stores or the Goodwill and they are awesome.
Today, we went on a huge, four-hour tour of all of central London. We saw Westminster, the Thames, Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, and a lot of other amazing sights. Our tour guide, Brit, works for our program. She is always available to help us organize our own trips and tell us fun facts about London. She is hilarous and so helpful. I’ll be putting up pictures from the ride sometime in the next few days. I didn’t get many good shots because it was so cold today. They keep teasing us, saying we brought the terrible Wisconsin winter weather along with us. Everyone is freaking out here. Mary, our program director, said that the only thing Brits feel comfortable talking with strangers about is the weather. And boy, are they riled. Never have they had this many days of cold weather and snow. They grumble about it, but secretly I think they enjoy the change. I’ve seen a couple of smiles when the snow is falling!
After the tour, I felt a little less lost, but much more overwhelmed. There is so much to see and I don’t want to miss anything! I had my first, genuine pub experience tonight. A pub is not the same as a bar. The pub is more like a sports bar or family grill. Pubs are only open until 11, while bars are open later. The pub we found, Churchill Arms, could have been straight out of a movie. It was authentic and packed! The place was crazy! But we finally got out meals and Strongbow. We headed home afterward. Too cold.
Classes start on Monday! I have Contemporary Britain and Introduction of British Theater. We are also going to a play Monday night called Warhorse. It is suppose to be very good.
Here is some information for you guys.
Email: kaknutson2@gmail.com or kknutson2@wisc.edu
Address:
Kelly Knutson
Metrogate
3-7 Queen’s Gate Terrace
London SW75PE
United Kingdom
Phone number:
07909 124 533
Bye!
Kelly
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Fainting and Taxi Riding
January 7, 2010
London, Kensington, my bunk
Wow. What a long day it has been. Forty-eight hours ago I was frantically packing at home. Since, I’ve drank four tall coffees, eaten two horrible airplane meals, gotten a million bruises from my suitcases, found out that I absolutely love driving on the wrong side of the road, walked past a few palaces, and gotten five total hours of sleep. And there is so much more. I’ll start at the beginning.
After I landed in Chicago, I met up with my friends Hal and Vivian. We sat around in the terminal for a while and found a few other people that are in our program. That was nice. It got crazy when everyone from last night’s canceled flight showed up at our terminal, trying to get on our flight. We ended up departing almost an hour late, but we made up time in the air. The flight to London was, at best eventful, and at the very worst, an absolute nightmare. There were people puking and passing out all around me. The turbulence was insane. But I am very thankful we got out of O’Hare before the big snowstorm today. The flight went by pretty slowly, but the British lady next to me told me all of her favorite places in London and gave me some good advice. I don’t think I will ever forget that flight.
We made it through customs (the part of the trip I was most uneasy about) and we headed to the baggage terminal. It was a zoo. A really big room filled with way to many people. After finding my two huge, 50 lbs suitcases, we sat around for a while waiting for everyone’s luggage. One of Hal’s never came around the belt. Apparently, United lost a lot of luggage because the line to wait for help was fifty people long. We waited for an hour and then the lady told Hal that her luggage came on the previous flight and it should be here. They looked around for a while (there was random luggage laying everywhere), but it turns out someone accidentally took Hal’s luggage and we have to wait for them to return it… ugh.
But it all gets much, much better from here. The tax ride, with Viv, Hal, our new friend Becca, and I, was so fun. I thought so anyway. Everything is just so different across the pond. The houses are all made of red brick and crammed together. The advertisements and billboards are all hilarious and clever. The license plates are all yellow! And driving on the opposite side of the road is awesome. Best part yet.
Next, we found our apartment and are presently located between the Dutch Foreign Embassy and a royal family from Dubai. And Hyde Park is right across the street. I don’t think living in London gets any better than this.
Currently, we are all trying to take a nap and then it is off to orientation tonight.
I’ll be back tomorrow after my walking tour, a few errands, and a few more adventures on the streets of London.
Oh, and they asked us to write down a few goals for our time here. I’m taking mine very seriously.
1. Master the tube (subway) system and possibly the bus system
2. Do as many touristy things I can, followed swiftly by as many untouristy, secrets-of-London things as I can.
3. Get in a fistfight as a futbol match. I’ll settle for a bar fight
4. Find Diagon Alley and buy a magic wand from Ollivander.
Love,
Kelly
Terrorist Threats and GLEE
January 6, 2010
MSP Airport, Food court, table beside the Burger King
Well, I planned to write here last night, finding time to log some pre-departure thoughts between last-minute packing, mending clothes (thanks Mom), finding all of my important documents, and saying goodbye to everyone (I almost cried when everyone left the house around 10:30), but surprisingly, I just didn’t get around to it. Huh. I think one of my new year’s resolutions was to stop procrastinating… great start.
Oh well, I’m here now. Sitting at the airport, drinking a coffee, listening to the Glee soundtrack, and waiting for my flight to Chicago. I have three hours before my flight leaves… it isn’t even on the arrival/departure board yet. I’m that early. Thanks guy who tried to attack the Detroit airport last week and whoever was responsible for the huge lockdown yesterday at the Minneapolis Airport. My mom freaked out and we left the house at 8AM for my 1PM flight. Every five minutes a calming female voice comes over the speakers telling us that the security threat level is orange. No worries. But don’t you dare bring more than 3 oz. of liquid in your carry-on or it’s the body scanner and interview room for you…
Aaahh. Too much coffee this morning. I’m actually really looking forward to getting in the air. Usually I’m in a panic, sweating and worrying. But not today. Maybe it is because I don’t have my mother beside me asking if I’m all right every five minutes. She did wait in the airport until I got all the way through the security line. And then I cried when she left. Don’t tell or I don’t think she will let me travel without her anymore. Seriously.
As for how I’m feeling about all this, I don’t really know. I can’t really believe that it is finally here. I applied for the program almost a year ago today. I’ve been planning for so long, it still just seems like something I’m going to do someday. But it is actually here. In 14 hours I will be in London. Holy crap.
At the orientation they asked us to make a list of goals. And at the time I wrote something cliché like travel around Europe. Or don’t run out of money. Make friends. Have fun. Sadly, if you asked me that same question again today, I don’t think I could come up with anything better. I just don’t know what to expect. I have no idea. I do know that I’m never going to get an opportunity as awesome as this again, and I’m going to do as much as I can and enjoy every minute.
Well, I’m going to find my flight terminal now. Apparently there was a huge snowstorm last night in London and some flights are delayed or canceled. (For the British, a huge snowstorm amounts to about two inches of snow and temperature just below freezing.) Hopefully it won’t affect me, but you never know.
Best,
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