February 23, 2010
Another rainy day in London… I will never again fret over the few days of downpour Madison gets during the semester. Walking across campus with a wet backpack and jeans is nothing compared to traipsing across this city in soaked socks, torrential winds, and freezing rain. And the weather isn’t even the worst part! It’s the huge puddles of muddy street water you accidentally step in, the person that hits you in the face with their umbrella, or the bus that drives into a huge puddle and splashes you with a wall of water… that has actually happened a few times. I swear, the taxis do it on purpose. Ah, rainy days! But what would London be without the endless overcast and misty rain? It just wouldn’t be London. I’m adjusting to the rain. I love London so much, that I refuse to acknowledge that it has any faults, horrible weather included.
It wasn’t all rain and gloom these past few days. There was a bit of dry, sunny weather and even a few stars! But more on that later. On Sunday morning, Viv, Hal and I headed out for one of our always interesting walking adventures across London. They are fast becoming my favorite way to spend free time in this city. Just exploring and walking everywhere. It’s all so accessible. Something new and exciting is always just a few blocks away. We took the tube to Tower Hill and crossed Tower Bridge for the first time. We have almost been here for two months and I finally made it to the bridge that is so iconic to London. And it was huge! Everything was just big and substantial and in your face. No flimsy wire holding this thing up. Big, steel bands painted bright blue swept across the bridge, holding it together. We got a bunch of pictures and it was great.
After, we headed down to the Design Museum! I’ve been really excited for this visit, but it turned out to be a bit underwhelming. There were only two galleries and one was dedicated to an industrial designer that reminded me of my dreaded graphic design teacher from last semester… I got out of there fast. The lower gallery housed the British Design Award winners of all categories. They had so much cool stuff here, and we really enjoyed this show. There was this huge palette of about 100 mini plastic penguins that turned and followed you around as you walked by. And they had really creepy eyes. Ugh, so freaky. There was so much stuff there, I couldn’t describe it all. We hung out for a while, checked out the gift shop, and then headed out into the gloom.
Next was the Fashion and Textile Museum. Another let down… My Benson’s Map and Guide only gave these museums one star. Guess we should listen to Benson from now on. He knows what he is talking about apparently. After that bust, we headed toward the Thames and Hay’s Galleria, which is this huge arcade with shops and restaurants. They really love glass-ceiling arcades in London. You get to enjoy the outdoors without the rain and wind! Perfect! We sat down for a coffee, recharged, and plotted the rest of our excursion.
We hit up another famous bridge next. Heading north over the Thames, we crossed London Bridge! I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but funnily, the original London Bridge was bought by a billionaire from Arizona. He dismantled it and shipped it out to the desert as a tourist attraction. They built a new one a year later… bizarre, huh? Anyway, we crossed the New London Bridge and found the monument to the Great Fire of 1666 on the other side. The Fire burned down three-fourths of the city, but only like 12 people died or something like that! The monument is this huge tower you can climb, built right on the site of the origin of the fire (an old bakery).
Ah, and the adventure continues… we traveled to the Mansion House, where the mayor of the city of London lives, the Royal Exchange Building, and the Bank of England. We kept wondering until we stumbled upon St. Paul’s. I guess you can’t really stumble upon that church because it is so massive, but we found it and were blown away once again. That thing is so impressive. The second largest dome in the world! It puts all other churches to shame. I hope to go inside when Mom and Grandma come to visit. I’m just itching to see the stained glass.
After St. Paul’s, we trekked across Temple once again and ended up at Somerset House, again, hoping to see a few celebrities or designers hanging out before a show for London Fashion Week. The place was dead! We were a bit confused and didn’t really know what was going on. We left, after taking a few pictures, of course. And we noticed the area was pretty crowded, just not around Somerset House. We followed the crowd and they led to the Royal Opera House. The BAFTA'S! The British version of the Academy Awards. So cool. We knew it was going on, but we thought we had missed the red carpet or it would be too crazy so we wouldn’t bother. It was crazy. Madness! But we weren’t too late for the red carpet. We saw the stars! Not really, we saw where they were going to be walking… in about three hours. And we didn’t want to stick around that long. So we decided to go home and watch on TV because we didn’t have that great of a spot anyway. On our way to the tube, we did see that girl from Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights… can’t remember her name, but her dress was really cute. And we saw Matthew Goode from Leap Year. We is so tall. And gorgeous!
The night didn’t get much better than that. We did homework and got ready for school the next day.
Monday, Monday… BILLY ELLIOT!!!! Finally! I’ve wanted to go to this musical soooo badly since we got here and we finally went for a pound trip with our program. I laughed, I almost cried, and I sat on my feet the entire time because I was in the very back behind a super tall guy… But nothing could have stopped me from enjoying that performance. It was so British! Aww, I just loved it. And, of course, I had to watch the movie as soon as I got home. I’m only ten minutes in because I fell asleep, but I’m going to finish it before spring break! Before Billy Elliot I had class. Nothing exciting to talk about there. And the same for today. My art history class was really boring. I think I might just be distracted by the upcoming holiday. Spring Break!!! In France! I can’t wait!
I’ll try to stop in before we leave! Have a good week!
Love,
Kelly
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
London according to Miss Amy Knutson
Hello! I asked Amy to write something for the blog about her trip. Just reading this made me laugh and miss you so much more, Amy. Here is her entry...
In my short life, I have been fortunate enough to do one of my favorite things very frequently, travel. I have taken pictures with my favorite Disney characters, gotten food poisoning from bean curds in Ghana, toured former concentration camps in Buenos Aires, stayed in a Grecian mountain village with my Grandma, got rip-roaring drunk on a family cruise in Washington D.C. and got engaged in the mountains of Vail, Colorado, and while all of these vacations were great memories they couldn’t have been great without the people I was lucky to be with. London was no different because I was there with my sister.
I am sad to say that London and I didn’t start off on the greatest foot. I have taken my fair share of sleepless 8 hour plane rides before, but when your traveling companion sleeps almost the entire flight and you are struggling for ten minutes of shut eye, your ability to see the bright side of things severely diminishes. However, Joanna was gracious enough to meet us at the train station with her apartment keys, so I could take a much needed nap. Three hours later we wake up and get ready. Down the four flights of stairs and who should be standing outside our door but Kelly. I was so excited I almost cried. The next seven days were a whirlwind of lots of walking, bone-chilling cold, cobblestone sidewalks, museums, Strongbow and chips.
Our first full day Kelly took us around to the staple sights one has to see in London. Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Leicester Square, Big Ben, the London Eye and Millennium Bridge were all on our walking tour. Kaydi and I were having our first experience with the London weather, that while is usually at a balmy 34 degrees can feel like negative 34 with the dampness in the air. So by 1:00 pm we needed to get inside and get some food. We found a pub on the river, which for Kelly’s memory is called Doggert’s, that had a 5 pound lunch and Strongbow on tap. Somehow in our attempt to get warm with alcohol we somehow managed to get a little drunk. Neither Kelly nor I can figure out how it happened, but it is London so why not.
That night we checked out some bars, not pubs, around Trafalgar and Leicester Squares. London is usually super-expensive especially in Zone 1, but being the bargain hunters we are, we somehow got 4 drinks and 3 appetizers for 14 pounds. At Zoo bar there was a Harry Potter look alike whose rhythm was slightly off beat and in our state late in the evening, watching him try to dance entertained us for about an hour.
Thursday was my favorite day. We found the Peter Pan statue (to those who know me you know why this was such a big deal). We toured a Kensington Palace which was great because not only did many of the rooms look like they had during Queen Victoria’s childhood, but they had Princess Diana’s dresses!! Yeah Dresses!!! Moving on, that night we sat around the Victoria pub and did my favorite thing in London: drank Strongbow, chatted and ate chips. Seriously, I wish there were more pubs with that atmosphere in the US. Although, Legends is pretty fantastic.
Friday, the day of my debacle. After an amazing Italian dinner Jo, Kaydi and I went to a bar and met Sir David Frost’s son. Yes, that Sir David Frost from the amazing interviews he did with President Nixon. That guy. However, instead of believing that this young man was the son of an icon, I proceeded to make fun. I believe my answer to his, “I’m David Frost’s son” was “Yeah, my name is Amy Obama and my boyfriend is Robert Pattinson” Smooth, especially when I got home and found a family picture online that confirmed that was a smooth move. Haha, now I can laugh but at the time I was mortified.
However, my mortification was quickly eclipsed by Aladin, this amazing BYOB Indian place on Brick Lane Kaydi, Jo, Hal, Viv, Kelly and I trekked to on Saturday. So good, my mouth is watering right now. I have already scoped out the best Indian spots in MSP to visit very soon. Kelly mentioned the “Kelly from Coronation Street” incident which was bizarre. After that we proceeded to dance the night way until 3 o’clock in the morning. However, Jo and I got a little detoured on the night bus at which did not get us to Paddington until 4 am. Oops.
Sunday involved another dinner adventure in Thai food at the Churchill Arms, again it was amazing. Now I just have to convince Grant that there are Thai and Indian cuisine choices that he would like, a lot harder than it sounds. Monday finally rolled around, I was happy to come home to my own bed, but I wanted to bring Kelly with me. We have gone three solid months without seeing one another before, but it seems that much harder when there is an ocean between us. Monday night Kelly, Hal, Kaydi and I sat down for one more Strongbow (or three) before we left. I agree with Kelly the London pub scene is much better than the US bar scene. Maybe if Century just hung up some pictures of old British royalty and served chips we could all pretend. But until than I will miss London and my sister.
Cheers!
Amy
In my short life, I have been fortunate enough to do one of my favorite things very frequently, travel. I have taken pictures with my favorite Disney characters, gotten food poisoning from bean curds in Ghana, toured former concentration camps in Buenos Aires, stayed in a Grecian mountain village with my Grandma, got rip-roaring drunk on a family cruise in Washington D.C. and got engaged in the mountains of Vail, Colorado, and while all of these vacations were great memories they couldn’t have been great without the people I was lucky to be with. London was no different because I was there with my sister.
I am sad to say that London and I didn’t start off on the greatest foot. I have taken my fair share of sleepless 8 hour plane rides before, but when your traveling companion sleeps almost the entire flight and you are struggling for ten minutes of shut eye, your ability to see the bright side of things severely diminishes. However, Joanna was gracious enough to meet us at the train station with her apartment keys, so I could take a much needed nap. Three hours later we wake up and get ready. Down the four flights of stairs and who should be standing outside our door but Kelly. I was so excited I almost cried. The next seven days were a whirlwind of lots of walking, bone-chilling cold, cobblestone sidewalks, museums, Strongbow and chips.
Our first full day Kelly took us around to the staple sights one has to see in London. Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Leicester Square, Big Ben, the London Eye and Millennium Bridge were all on our walking tour. Kaydi and I were having our first experience with the London weather, that while is usually at a balmy 34 degrees can feel like negative 34 with the dampness in the air. So by 1:00 pm we needed to get inside and get some food. We found a pub on the river, which for Kelly’s memory is called Doggert’s, that had a 5 pound lunch and Strongbow on tap. Somehow in our attempt to get warm with alcohol we somehow managed to get a little drunk. Neither Kelly nor I can figure out how it happened, but it is London so why not.
That night we checked out some bars, not pubs, around Trafalgar and Leicester Squares. London is usually super-expensive especially in Zone 1, but being the bargain hunters we are, we somehow got 4 drinks and 3 appetizers for 14 pounds. At Zoo bar there was a Harry Potter look alike whose rhythm was slightly off beat and in our state late in the evening, watching him try to dance entertained us for about an hour.
Thursday was my favorite day. We found the Peter Pan statue (to those who know me you know why this was such a big deal). We toured a Kensington Palace which was great because not only did many of the rooms look like they had during Queen Victoria’s childhood, but they had Princess Diana’s dresses!! Yeah Dresses!!! Moving on, that night we sat around the Victoria pub and did my favorite thing in London: drank Strongbow, chatted and ate chips. Seriously, I wish there were more pubs with that atmosphere in the US. Although, Legends is pretty fantastic.
Friday, the day of my debacle. After an amazing Italian dinner Jo, Kaydi and I went to a bar and met Sir David Frost’s son. Yes, that Sir David Frost from the amazing interviews he did with President Nixon. That guy. However, instead of believing that this young man was the son of an icon, I proceeded to make fun. I believe my answer to his, “I’m David Frost’s son” was “Yeah, my name is Amy Obama and my boyfriend is Robert Pattinson” Smooth, especially when I got home and found a family picture online that confirmed that was a smooth move. Haha, now I can laugh but at the time I was mortified.
However, my mortification was quickly eclipsed by Aladin, this amazing BYOB Indian place on Brick Lane Kaydi, Jo, Hal, Viv, Kelly and I trekked to on Saturday. So good, my mouth is watering right now. I have already scoped out the best Indian spots in MSP to visit very soon. Kelly mentioned the “Kelly from Coronation Street” incident which was bizarre. After that we proceeded to dance the night way until 3 o’clock in the morning. However, Jo and I got a little detoured on the night bus at which did not get us to Paddington until 4 am. Oops.
Sunday involved another dinner adventure in Thai food at the Churchill Arms, again it was amazing. Now I just have to convince Grant that there are Thai and Indian cuisine choices that he would like, a lot harder than it sounds. Monday finally rolled around, I was happy to come home to my own bed, but I wanted to bring Kelly with me. We have gone three solid months without seeing one another before, but it seems that much harder when there is an ocean between us. Monday night Kelly, Hal, Kaydi and I sat down for one more Strongbow (or three) before we left. I agree with Kelly the London pub scene is much better than the US bar scene. Maybe if Century just hung up some pictures of old British royalty and served chips we could all pretend. But until than I will miss London and my sister.
Cheers!
Amy
Madness and Meridians
February 21, 2010
Our day trip to Greenwich on Saturday began with chaos and stress, but actually turned out to be a wonderful day. Much like everything that we have done here lately. It never actually works out exactly as we planned, but the spontaneous stuff is usually the best part. London just has so many options, so much to do, you are never bored!
Hal, Viv and I woke early to catch the tube down to Westminster Pier to meet our group. We walked the few blocks to Kensington High Street station and when we got there, we realized the line we needed to take, the District Line, was closed from that stop for the weekend… crap. So after a bit of freaking out, Hal managed to find us a round-about loop to get to Westminster just in time. I was so scared we were going to miss our tour and our trip to Greenwich, but after all that mess, we arrived in plenty of time.
And I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this day for the world. Everything was perfect. Once again, the weatherman predicted cold and rain. It was sunny and warm and perfect. From now on, I’m going to assume the weather will be the exact opposite of what the BBC weatherman says… Moving on, we met our huge group by the pier and all hopped on one of the Thames River tour boats. Grandma and Mom, we are doing this when you guys are here. It is a perfect way to see the river and the city! We passed Parliament, St. Paul’s, the Tate Modern, the Tower Bridge, and so many other wonderful things. I think I took about 200 pictures just on the boat trip to Greenwich!
We passed Canary Wharf, which is the newer section of London built about 10 years ago on old docklands to the southeast of central London. It has a few big skyscrapers and a bunch of cool apartment buildings lining the river. This was the first time I’d seen Canary Wharf, so that was fun. I definitely want to go back sometime.
Then our boat docked at Greenwich, and we had a bit of a tour from Brit. She is amazing. She knows so much and is always so excited about all of the places we visit. If I were a tour guide, I think I would forget everything or get really sick of visiting the same places over and over again. But in the UK, you have to get a special degree from university to be a tour guide, so Brit knows her stuff. I don’t know how she doesn’t forget it all.
After a bit of a chat with Brit, we headed right into the middle of Greenwich. It is was very similar to Brighton in that is felt very much like a small town, but it is located right in the middle of the huge city of London! This place is so diverse, I’ll never get over it. Greenwich market was thriving because it was a Saturday and markets are huge here on the weekends. Brit also showed us the old Royal Naval Hospital and Church, which is now Greenwich University. A bunch of classic, column-lined buildings surrounding this giant grassy lawn, overlooking the river. Beautiful. The dining hall has this really famous painted ceiling and a guy dressed up as Samuel Pepys (a guy who kept a diary during quite a few famous events in London’s history) reading a few of his entries to an audience. It was great to hear and great to look at. There also is this white square building called the Queen’s House located to the north, but there was a wedding going on so we couldn’t tour it today. Brit said that no queens have ever actually lived there for very long. Henry VIII loved Greenwich, but this house was built after his reign.
The end of our tour brought us to the Greenwich Royal Observatory atop this huge hill. The walk up was killer, but the view at the top was worth every step. You could see the whole of London and beyond. After a good look and some pictures, we got in line to straddle the prime meridian. Being able to stand in both the western and eastern hemispheres at the same time… what a dream. And then my camera died. Perfect. I was pissed. Luckily, Hal saved the day and took pictures for me. We hung out around the observatory for a while, before heading back down to the market for lunch. On our walk, we passed a huge park they are using for the equestrian grounds for the 2012 Olympics. Cool, right? It just looked like a big grassy lawn now, but I’m sure it will be great in two years.
After eating a delicious meal at an Indian restaurant, we hit up the market. It was small, but it was also one of the best I’ve been to. I bought some souvenirs and gifts for you guys! I keep seeing things I want to buy for everyone back home, and I tell myself I’ll come back to buy them at the end, but I need to start getting on that before I forget everything or run out of time. Postcards will be in the mail soon. I found some hilarious ones at a post office close to our flat. You’ll enjoy them.
Back to Greenwich. Next, was the National Maritime Museum. We saw a bunch of old battle ships, old maps and compasses, some art, statues, and a lot of buried treasure. It was so cool. And it was free admission! We caught the boat back to Westminster after and headed home happy and tired from our long day.
The pictures are up on Facebook as of last night, so check those out! I have one most post, too. That will be coming soon.
Love,
Kelly
Our day trip to Greenwich on Saturday began with chaos and stress, but actually turned out to be a wonderful day. Much like everything that we have done here lately. It never actually works out exactly as we planned, but the spontaneous stuff is usually the best part. London just has so many options, so much to do, you are never bored!
Hal, Viv and I woke early to catch the tube down to Westminster Pier to meet our group. We walked the few blocks to Kensington High Street station and when we got there, we realized the line we needed to take, the District Line, was closed from that stop for the weekend… crap. So after a bit of freaking out, Hal managed to find us a round-about loop to get to Westminster just in time. I was so scared we were going to miss our tour and our trip to Greenwich, but after all that mess, we arrived in plenty of time.
And I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this day for the world. Everything was perfect. Once again, the weatherman predicted cold and rain. It was sunny and warm and perfect. From now on, I’m going to assume the weather will be the exact opposite of what the BBC weatherman says… Moving on, we met our huge group by the pier and all hopped on one of the Thames River tour boats. Grandma and Mom, we are doing this when you guys are here. It is a perfect way to see the river and the city! We passed Parliament, St. Paul’s, the Tate Modern, the Tower Bridge, and so many other wonderful things. I think I took about 200 pictures just on the boat trip to Greenwich!
We passed Canary Wharf, which is the newer section of London built about 10 years ago on old docklands to the southeast of central London. It has a few big skyscrapers and a bunch of cool apartment buildings lining the river. This was the first time I’d seen Canary Wharf, so that was fun. I definitely want to go back sometime.
Then our boat docked at Greenwich, and we had a bit of a tour from Brit. She is amazing. She knows so much and is always so excited about all of the places we visit. If I were a tour guide, I think I would forget everything or get really sick of visiting the same places over and over again. But in the UK, you have to get a special degree from university to be a tour guide, so Brit knows her stuff. I don’t know how she doesn’t forget it all.
After a bit of a chat with Brit, we headed right into the middle of Greenwich. It is was very similar to Brighton in that is felt very much like a small town, but it is located right in the middle of the huge city of London! This place is so diverse, I’ll never get over it. Greenwich market was thriving because it was a Saturday and markets are huge here on the weekends. Brit also showed us the old Royal Naval Hospital and Church, which is now Greenwich University. A bunch of classic, column-lined buildings surrounding this giant grassy lawn, overlooking the river. Beautiful. The dining hall has this really famous painted ceiling and a guy dressed up as Samuel Pepys (a guy who kept a diary during quite a few famous events in London’s history) reading a few of his entries to an audience. It was great to hear and great to look at. There also is this white square building called the Queen’s House located to the north, but there was a wedding going on so we couldn’t tour it today. Brit said that no queens have ever actually lived there for very long. Henry VIII loved Greenwich, but this house was built after his reign.
The end of our tour brought us to the Greenwich Royal Observatory atop this huge hill. The walk up was killer, but the view at the top was worth every step. You could see the whole of London and beyond. After a good look and some pictures, we got in line to straddle the prime meridian. Being able to stand in both the western and eastern hemispheres at the same time… what a dream. And then my camera died. Perfect. I was pissed. Luckily, Hal saved the day and took pictures for me. We hung out around the observatory for a while, before heading back down to the market for lunch. On our walk, we passed a huge park they are using for the equestrian grounds for the 2012 Olympics. Cool, right? It just looked like a big grassy lawn now, but I’m sure it will be great in two years.
After eating a delicious meal at an Indian restaurant, we hit up the market. It was small, but it was also one of the best I’ve been to. I bought some souvenirs and gifts for you guys! I keep seeing things I want to buy for everyone back home, and I tell myself I’ll come back to buy them at the end, but I need to start getting on that before I forget everything or run out of time. Postcards will be in the mail soon. I found some hilarious ones at a post office close to our flat. You’ll enjoy them.
Back to Greenwich. Next, was the National Maritime Museum. We saw a bunch of old battle ships, old maps and compasses, some art, statues, and a lot of buried treasure. It was so cool. And it was free admission! We caught the boat back to Westminster after and headed home happy and tired from our long day.
The pictures are up on Facebook as of last night, so check those out! I have one most post, too. That will be coming soon.
Love,
Kelly
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Beaches and Georges
February 20, 2010
Coffee is my best friend! Ah, I wouldn’t have survived this weekend without it. Well, I probably would have survived, just not ever happily. We had two day trips this weekend and a lot of other stuff going on. Crazy weekend! And crazy week coming up… spring break starting Thursday! Bah!
Okay, so on Friday morning I loaded up on coffee after waking up way earlier than I cared for, hopping on a coach bus for two hours, and driving through the crazy streets of London. All fifty of us Wisconsinites headed down to the coast for a day in Brighton. And I fell in love. Brighton is beaches, shopping, palaces and museums. My perfect vacation. We lucked out with the weather. It was forecasted to be pretty cold with possibilities of rain/snow… the dreaded sleet! But we didn’t see a drop until we were on our way home, cozy and tired inside our warm bus. Ah, what a great day. Brighton in south of London and right off the English Channel. A small town feel only 50-minute from London by train. It is really great.
We started off our day driving along the beach before we all hopped off the bus at the giant Brighton Pier. Seriously, that thing is huge. It has an entire amusement park at the end and about a zillion shops lined on either side. We took loads of fun pictures and had a blast for the first few hours of our trip there. The beach is not one you would like to swim in or lay out to catch some sun. There is no sand, but rather these sharp, gray rocks and really cold water. I guess it is February. It just looked so nice and inviting when we drove up, but it was cold. Trust.
At 1PM, we headed a few blocks into the city, away from the water, to meet our tour guide/program advisor Brit for a tour of the Royal Pavilion. This huge, Indian-style palace was built by one of the King Georges (seriously, there is like eight), so he had a nice place to stay when he visited his mistress. Brighton used to be a really small fishing village on the cliffs until King George built this ridiculous pavilion and then the upper classes flocked there for holiday. They also thought a bath in seawater did the body good, so many rich people came to Brighton to heal their bodies ailed from eating too much and doing so little… poor babies. Soon, Brighton was booming and today, it still feels like a small town by the sea. It reminded me a lot of Madison for some reason. A lot of small shops and nice people!
We couldn’t take pictures in the Royal Pavilion, but the interior was very extravagant. Everything was painted and decorated in the oriental style. There chandeliers in that place were monstrous, sparkly, and held up by giant dragon statues on the ceiling. Wow. We also toured the grand kitchen, which was my favorite part. I’m not sure why. It was interesting to see all the old equipment and ovens. I wish we could have taken pictures…
But my favorite part of the trip was the Lanes. They are this crazy block of narrow alleys that are lined with shops, restaurants, and pubs. And when I saw narrow, I mean a few shoulder lengths, I can touch both side if I stretch by arms out at both sides narrow. But so fun! It is so easy to get lost in that maze because there is no order. Everything is crazy. We got lost. We found fudge. We were happy.
And then we got on the bus to come home. And it snowed/rained. I feel like I haven’t done Brighton justice with this small post. It was great fun and I definitely want to go back before I go home. We never seem to have enough time on these day trips. The time flies by because there is so much to do and we always have fun.
Hal and I nailed down our spring break plans after we got back from the coast. We scaled back a bit. On Thursday afternoon, we are taking the Chunnel (the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel) to Paris, staying there until Monday, and then coming back to England. I think we are staying in a B&B in Rye or Dover for the remainder of the vacation. Just relaxing on the coast. Having to do nothing! Our friends Julie and Laurel are doing all this with us. I think it will be great. We just have to find a place to stay in Dover! Can’t wait.
Love,
Kelly
Coffee is my best friend! Ah, I wouldn’t have survived this weekend without it. Well, I probably would have survived, just not ever happily. We had two day trips this weekend and a lot of other stuff going on. Crazy weekend! And crazy week coming up… spring break starting Thursday! Bah!
Okay, so on Friday morning I loaded up on coffee after waking up way earlier than I cared for, hopping on a coach bus for two hours, and driving through the crazy streets of London. All fifty of us Wisconsinites headed down to the coast for a day in Brighton. And I fell in love. Brighton is beaches, shopping, palaces and museums. My perfect vacation. We lucked out with the weather. It was forecasted to be pretty cold with possibilities of rain/snow… the dreaded sleet! But we didn’t see a drop until we were on our way home, cozy and tired inside our warm bus. Ah, what a great day. Brighton in south of London and right off the English Channel. A small town feel only 50-minute from London by train. It is really great.
We started off our day driving along the beach before we all hopped off the bus at the giant Brighton Pier. Seriously, that thing is huge. It has an entire amusement park at the end and about a zillion shops lined on either side. We took loads of fun pictures and had a blast for the first few hours of our trip there. The beach is not one you would like to swim in or lay out to catch some sun. There is no sand, but rather these sharp, gray rocks and really cold water. I guess it is February. It just looked so nice and inviting when we drove up, but it was cold. Trust.
At 1PM, we headed a few blocks into the city, away from the water, to meet our tour guide/program advisor Brit for a tour of the Royal Pavilion. This huge, Indian-style palace was built by one of the King Georges (seriously, there is like eight), so he had a nice place to stay when he visited his mistress. Brighton used to be a really small fishing village on the cliffs until King George built this ridiculous pavilion and then the upper classes flocked there for holiday. They also thought a bath in seawater did the body good, so many rich people came to Brighton to heal their bodies ailed from eating too much and doing so little… poor babies. Soon, Brighton was booming and today, it still feels like a small town by the sea. It reminded me a lot of Madison for some reason. A lot of small shops and nice people!
We couldn’t take pictures in the Royal Pavilion, but the interior was very extravagant. Everything was painted and decorated in the oriental style. There chandeliers in that place were monstrous, sparkly, and held up by giant dragon statues on the ceiling. Wow. We also toured the grand kitchen, which was my favorite part. I’m not sure why. It was interesting to see all the old equipment and ovens. I wish we could have taken pictures…
But my favorite part of the trip was the Lanes. They are this crazy block of narrow alleys that are lined with shops, restaurants, and pubs. And when I saw narrow, I mean a few shoulder lengths, I can touch both side if I stretch by arms out at both sides narrow. But so fun! It is so easy to get lost in that maze because there is no order. Everything is crazy. We got lost. We found fudge. We were happy.
And then we got on the bus to come home. And it snowed/rained. I feel like I haven’t done Brighton justice with this small post. It was great fun and I definitely want to go back before I go home. We never seem to have enough time on these day trips. The time flies by because there is so much to do and we always have fun.
Hal and I nailed down our spring break plans after we got back from the coast. We scaled back a bit. On Thursday afternoon, we are taking the Chunnel (the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel) to Paris, staying there until Monday, and then coming back to England. I think we are staying in a B&B in Rye or Dover for the remainder of the vacation. Just relaxing on the coast. Having to do nothing! Our friends Julie and Laurel are doing all this with us. I think it will be great. We just have to find a place to stay in Dover! Can’t wait.
Love,
Kelly
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunny and the city
February 18, 2010
Man, another week gone by! We are over five week into our fifteen week program… where did the time go? I feel like I begin every post with this same dilemma. I just don’t want this wonderful time to end! But I should enjoy it while I’m here and not worry about it ending so soon.
This week was…good. Nothing too exciting happened. But there are plenty of adventures to come this weekend with day trips to Greenwich and Brighton. And London Fashion Week beginning tomorrow! So excited. We have set aside plenty of time to people/celebrity watch around Hyde Park and the show tents. I plan on getting some homework done during that time, too… yeah, right.
In contrast to the crazy weekend coming up, Wednesday was relatively relaxed. I only had class for a few hours and then Hal, Viv, and I roamed the streets, took a bunch of pictures, and saw a few things we’ve wanted to see. First, I went for a run in the morning. And it felt sooo good. The sun was out and I ran all around. Hyde Park was stuffed with people enjoying the one day of good weather this week. It was really a perfect morning. The Queen’s guard was even practicing around the park. I ran far away from them… didn’t want my eyes to swell up! Thanks allergies. I stopped by the Serpentine Gallery, which is located right in the middle of the park, to see an installation by an artist we are studying for my art history class. After reading a few plaques and signs around the gallery, I found out that Princess Diana was a big fan of the gallery and used to hold parties there all the time!
Got back on the Tube for a long ride to the Embankment. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the tube. And I don’t really know why. It’s always crowded, smelly, and jerks you around every which way, but was so happy to ride it again. I might have even smiled when it showed up at the station. It is so uniquely London. The city would be nothing without the underground. Along with my happy, homecoming mood, Viv, Hal and I headed to the Thames. Did I mention it was sunny today? It was so beautiful, I almost didn’t wear a jacket. We walked along the Thames for a bit, visiting the Victoria Embankment Gardens. We made our way slowly west, toward the Somerset House.
Oh, I almost forgot. I lost my map on the way to the tube station! It was this really cool pocket book with maps and places of interest and tons of information. I was completely lost without it, I almost cried. Pretty sure Hal and Viv got tired of me sulking for the entire afternoon. I was so sad! Our advisors gave it to us the first week here and I’d marked a bunch of things in it, notes and such… And nobody else ever carries theirs’ around like I do, so we were lost, of course. I was so sad until I found the exact same one in a post office! It didn’t have all of my markings, lists, and places checked off that we’d visited, but at least I have a map again. I’ll just have to go back in and mark it all up like my old one!
Back to our afternoon adventure. We finally found the Somerset House. Which is awesome, by the way. We didn’t get to learn much about it because the information desk and all tours were canceled because London Fashion Week is being held there this weekend! We had no idea, until we saw the big signs for Somerset House and it said ‘Fashion Week Ahead’ below. Crazy! We did get to walk around the huge building for a bit. It has this big courtyard in the middle, that usually has those funny, dancing fountains of water that shoot out of the ground, but they were covered by the catwalk tents. We actually got to see the red carpet area and everything set up for this weekend! We are definitely heading back there to people watch this weekend. And I’m bringing my camera. We plan on going back to Somerset House after Fashion week to tour the house and the gallery inside.
After our misadventures at Somerset House, we headed toward this part of town called Temple. It used to be home to the Knight Templar. They built a beautiful church called Temple Church and from then on, the area was known as Temple. The area is filled with huge, Victorian style buildings, mostly offices and banks. But there are also green, green gardens and a beautiful view of the River Thames. So pretty. We took few pictures by the church, a red telephone booth, the river, and were on our way. We also passed the Royal Courts of Justice. Amy, I wish we had visited this when you were here! It was like this massive castle right in the middle of the street! And it went on and on. Taking up the entire city block. We couldn’t go inside because some big court case was going on (there were news cameras and everything outside), but we got some pretty good pictures from the front entrance. After a bit more wondering, we headed home for supper and homework.
Along with my history class, I visited the National Portrait Gallery and Banqueting House this afternoon. First, we ascended on the Banqueting House in a massive herd. Seriously, I feel to bad for the people working at these places when thirty loud Americans walk in the door, crowding the place and asking bizarre questions. They always look so scared. The Banqueting House, located right beside Parliament in Westminster, was magnificent. It is used for official functions given by the government or the Queen. It was built by Henry VIII, but rebuild several times after that. King Charles I was beheaded right outside and the entire ceiling of the banqueting hall is painted like the Sistine Chapel. My neck hurt after looking up for so long.
Next, we headed over the National Portrait Gallery by Trafalgar Square. We were there as a class to check out the Tudor Collection (Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Mary I), but were allowed to wonder to our heart’s desire after a short lecture from our professor. We found so many recognizable faces there. Queen Elizabeht, Charles Darwin, Mary Queen of Scots, the Bronte Sisters, David Beckham, Liz Taylor, Prince William! It isn’t the artists that are famous in this gallery, but the people portrayed. So many famous monarchs and other important people to Great Britain. It spans all the way from the Tudor Period (~1500) to the present. So many faces. So much fun! We had a blast. My favorite was great drawing of Winston Churchill. We headed out into the rain after that and onto the tube, headed for home. Ever since, I’ve been sitting on my bunk, planning for spring break and doing homework.
Off to Brighton and the coast tomorrow. I’ll see the English Channel for the first time! See you soon.
Love, Kelly
Man, another week gone by! We are over five week into our fifteen week program… where did the time go? I feel like I begin every post with this same dilemma. I just don’t want this wonderful time to end! But I should enjoy it while I’m here and not worry about it ending so soon.
This week was…good. Nothing too exciting happened. But there are plenty of adventures to come this weekend with day trips to Greenwich and Brighton. And London Fashion Week beginning tomorrow! So excited. We have set aside plenty of time to people/celebrity watch around Hyde Park and the show tents. I plan on getting some homework done during that time, too… yeah, right.
In contrast to the crazy weekend coming up, Wednesday was relatively relaxed. I only had class for a few hours and then Hal, Viv, and I roamed the streets, took a bunch of pictures, and saw a few things we’ve wanted to see. First, I went for a run in the morning. And it felt sooo good. The sun was out and I ran all around. Hyde Park was stuffed with people enjoying the one day of good weather this week. It was really a perfect morning. The Queen’s guard was even practicing around the park. I ran far away from them… didn’t want my eyes to swell up! Thanks allergies. I stopped by the Serpentine Gallery, which is located right in the middle of the park, to see an installation by an artist we are studying for my art history class. After reading a few plaques and signs around the gallery, I found out that Princess Diana was a big fan of the gallery and used to hold parties there all the time!
Got back on the Tube for a long ride to the Embankment. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the tube. And I don’t really know why. It’s always crowded, smelly, and jerks you around every which way, but was so happy to ride it again. I might have even smiled when it showed up at the station. It is so uniquely London. The city would be nothing without the underground. Along with my happy, homecoming mood, Viv, Hal and I headed to the Thames. Did I mention it was sunny today? It was so beautiful, I almost didn’t wear a jacket. We walked along the Thames for a bit, visiting the Victoria Embankment Gardens. We made our way slowly west, toward the Somerset House.
Oh, I almost forgot. I lost my map on the way to the tube station! It was this really cool pocket book with maps and places of interest and tons of information. I was completely lost without it, I almost cried. Pretty sure Hal and Viv got tired of me sulking for the entire afternoon. I was so sad! Our advisors gave it to us the first week here and I’d marked a bunch of things in it, notes and such… And nobody else ever carries theirs’ around like I do, so we were lost, of course. I was so sad until I found the exact same one in a post office! It didn’t have all of my markings, lists, and places checked off that we’d visited, but at least I have a map again. I’ll just have to go back in and mark it all up like my old one!
Back to our afternoon adventure. We finally found the Somerset House. Which is awesome, by the way. We didn’t get to learn much about it because the information desk and all tours were canceled because London Fashion Week is being held there this weekend! We had no idea, until we saw the big signs for Somerset House and it said ‘Fashion Week Ahead’ below. Crazy! We did get to walk around the huge building for a bit. It has this big courtyard in the middle, that usually has those funny, dancing fountains of water that shoot out of the ground, but they were covered by the catwalk tents. We actually got to see the red carpet area and everything set up for this weekend! We are definitely heading back there to people watch this weekend. And I’m bringing my camera. We plan on going back to Somerset House after Fashion week to tour the house and the gallery inside.
After our misadventures at Somerset House, we headed toward this part of town called Temple. It used to be home to the Knight Templar. They built a beautiful church called Temple Church and from then on, the area was known as Temple. The area is filled with huge, Victorian style buildings, mostly offices and banks. But there are also green, green gardens and a beautiful view of the River Thames. So pretty. We took few pictures by the church, a red telephone booth, the river, and were on our way. We also passed the Royal Courts of Justice. Amy, I wish we had visited this when you were here! It was like this massive castle right in the middle of the street! And it went on and on. Taking up the entire city block. We couldn’t go inside because some big court case was going on (there were news cameras and everything outside), but we got some pretty good pictures from the front entrance. After a bit more wondering, we headed home for supper and homework.
Along with my history class, I visited the National Portrait Gallery and Banqueting House this afternoon. First, we ascended on the Banqueting House in a massive herd. Seriously, I feel to bad for the people working at these places when thirty loud Americans walk in the door, crowding the place and asking bizarre questions. They always look so scared. The Banqueting House, located right beside Parliament in Westminster, was magnificent. It is used for official functions given by the government or the Queen. It was built by Henry VIII, but rebuild several times after that. King Charles I was beheaded right outside and the entire ceiling of the banqueting hall is painted like the Sistine Chapel. My neck hurt after looking up for so long.
Next, we headed over the National Portrait Gallery by Trafalgar Square. We were there as a class to check out the Tudor Collection (Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Mary I), but were allowed to wonder to our heart’s desire after a short lecture from our professor. We found so many recognizable faces there. Queen Elizabeht, Charles Darwin, Mary Queen of Scots, the Bronte Sisters, David Beckham, Liz Taylor, Prince William! It isn’t the artists that are famous in this gallery, but the people portrayed. So many famous monarchs and other important people to Great Britain. It spans all the way from the Tudor Period (~1500) to the present. So many faces. So much fun! We had a blast. My favorite was great drawing of Winston Churchill. We headed out into the rain after that and onto the tube, headed for home. Ever since, I’ve been sitting on my bunk, planning for spring break and doing homework.
Off to Brighton and the coast tomorrow. I’ll see the English Channel for the first time! See you soon.
Love, Kelly
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ghosts and grand plans
February 17, 2010
Halfway through the week already!? Viv and I made all these grand plans for London on our way home from Ireland, but we haven’t done any of them yet. We realized that after spring break, our time here would be half over and we freaked out a bit. So, we packed this week with things we wanted to do in London (a few galleries, museums, theatre, and this cool place called the Temple), but we haven’t gotten to any of them! We’re still recovering from Ireland!
I had class all day on Monday… and I was soooo tired. We chatted about the House of Lords and the BBC in Contemporary Britain. It was interesting. Do you know that you have to pay a fee every year for TV in the UK? For just the basic channels! And then you pay for cable on top of that. But…. There are no commercials! How awesome is that?
On Monday night, we journeyed over to Covent Garden for a play called “Ghosts” for my theatre class. That area is great! So much going on at all times of the day. I plan to go back soon. Anyway, the play was so depressing. This lady’s entire life falls apart when her husband cheats, her orphanage burns, and then her son dies! Ugh. But next week we are seeing Billy Elliot!
Tuesday was an infamously rainy day in London. Sheets of rain falling at a slant due to the crazy wind. I believe I got just as soaked trying to control my umbrella in the wind than I would have without it. Rain and all, we met at the Tate Modern for my art history class. That was my third visit to the Tate. Not that I don’t love that place, I was just crabby because of the rain. But my day got better quickly. After the museum, a group of us headed back to Kensington to this place called My Old Dutch. They serve Dutch pancakes, which are really just huge crepes, loaded with toppings and goodness. Since today was National Pancake Day, we thought we would find some deals or something. London loves National Pancake Day. They have pancake races(?), eating competitions, and so much more all over the city. Every restaurant, no matter what the cuisine, finds a way to serve pancakes on this day. They love it. My Old Dutch was a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t have anything cool going on. Just a bunch of balloons outside. He headed down the street to Pizza Hut…totally different experience from a Pizza Hut in the states. It’s like a five-star restaurant here, but still cheap! Yum…
Today I went for a run in the morning. Hal, Viv, and I are heading into “the City” this afternoon. It is the really old part of London that now houses all the financial and business buildings. We are going to see the Temple. I’m not sure what exactly it is yet, but I’ll soon find out and let you know. We are also visiting Somerset House and the Guildhall Gallery. Can’t wait!
And spring break is right around the corner! We just got back from Ireland! This is one big vacation. I love it. Viv is going to stay with a friend in Germany for spring break, but Hal and I are heading to Paris and possibly Belgium and Germany. We’ll see how that all works out. Our friends Laurel and Julie are going to Paris with us for the beginning of the break, but then we are splitting apart. They are coming back here for a few days in Liverpool. Julie is a huge Beatles fan. Huge.
I’m also planning for Mom and Grandma’s trip in April! Only five weeks! Can’t wait.
Love,
Kelly
Halfway through the week already!? Viv and I made all these grand plans for London on our way home from Ireland, but we haven’t done any of them yet. We realized that after spring break, our time here would be half over and we freaked out a bit. So, we packed this week with things we wanted to do in London (a few galleries, museums, theatre, and this cool place called the Temple), but we haven’t gotten to any of them! We’re still recovering from Ireland!
I had class all day on Monday… and I was soooo tired. We chatted about the House of Lords and the BBC in Contemporary Britain. It was interesting. Do you know that you have to pay a fee every year for TV in the UK? For just the basic channels! And then you pay for cable on top of that. But…. There are no commercials! How awesome is that?
On Monday night, we journeyed over to Covent Garden for a play called “Ghosts” for my theatre class. That area is great! So much going on at all times of the day. I plan to go back soon. Anyway, the play was so depressing. This lady’s entire life falls apart when her husband cheats, her orphanage burns, and then her son dies! Ugh. But next week we are seeing Billy Elliot!
Tuesday was an infamously rainy day in London. Sheets of rain falling at a slant due to the crazy wind. I believe I got just as soaked trying to control my umbrella in the wind than I would have without it. Rain and all, we met at the Tate Modern for my art history class. That was my third visit to the Tate. Not that I don’t love that place, I was just crabby because of the rain. But my day got better quickly. After the museum, a group of us headed back to Kensington to this place called My Old Dutch. They serve Dutch pancakes, which are really just huge crepes, loaded with toppings and goodness. Since today was National Pancake Day, we thought we would find some deals or something. London loves National Pancake Day. They have pancake races(?), eating competitions, and so much more all over the city. Every restaurant, no matter what the cuisine, finds a way to serve pancakes on this day. They love it. My Old Dutch was a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t have anything cool going on. Just a bunch of balloons outside. He headed down the street to Pizza Hut…totally different experience from a Pizza Hut in the states. It’s like a five-star restaurant here, but still cheap! Yum…
Today I went for a run in the morning. Hal, Viv, and I are heading into “the City” this afternoon. It is the really old part of London that now houses all the financial and business buildings. We are going to see the Temple. I’m not sure what exactly it is yet, but I’ll soon find out and let you know. We are also visiting Somerset House and the Guildhall Gallery. Can’t wait!
And spring break is right around the corner! We just got back from Ireland! This is one big vacation. I love it. Viv is going to stay with a friend in Germany for spring break, but Hal and I are heading to Paris and possibly Belgium and Germany. We’ll see how that all works out. Our friends Laurel and Julie are going to Paris with us for the beginning of the break, but then we are splitting apart. They are coming back here for a few days in Liverpool. Julie is a huge Beatles fan. Huge.
I’m also planning for Mom and Grandma’s trip in April! Only five weeks! Can’t wait.
Love,
Kelly
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Seals and cliff views: Dublin day three
February 16, 2010
On Sunday, we woke to a knock on the door, some whispered swearing, and a bunch of rustling. I pulled out my earplugs and rolled over to find the three girls from France frantically packing across the room. Apparently, not one of their alarms went off and their taxi to the airport was waiting outside. They said a quick goodbye and were out the door. Viv and I were wide-awake after all the excitement and began getting ready for our busy day. We loaded all of our stuff back into bags and headed downstairs for continental breakfast and checkout. Once again, it was a beautiful day in Ireland.
First, we trekked across the area of Temple Bar to Trinity College. It was beautiful on a Sunday morning. Quiet while all the students were still sleeping and everyone else was at church. I wish we had had more time to take some tours of these places because I would have really liked to know more. I read a few Wikipedia pages before I went, but I didn’t really get my fill of facts.
With the sun still shining, we walked a bit farther to the DART train station, which would take us to Howth. Howth is a touristy fishing village, east of Dublin, on the cliffs, overlooking the Irish Sea. We boarded the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) Train and sat back for the ride. Wow, the DART wasn’t comparable to a Tube ride in the least. We got to sit down on the DART! And couldn’t smell the bad breath of the man standing not inches from you because you were crammed in like sardines. I even enjoyed the ride to Howth! It was nice to see some Irish countryside and the coastline.
Howth turned out to be exactly the kind of scenic place I think of when I think of Ireland. Quant, green, relaxing, and beautiful. Everything was perfect. I can’t even describe it. I’m so glad we went there! After getting off the train, we walked along the docks for a bit. Checking out at all the fish shops and restaurants and looking out on the bay. We happened upon this crowd of people looking over the water and taking pictures. I thought someone had fallen in because there was no railing or anything. Hal went to investigate and yelled back, “Seals!” There were wild seals in the water. And a lot of them, too. A couple of kids were feeding them and the seals were splashing and swimming in the water. Really cool. I took a bunch of pictures, but they kept moving!
Next, we took some pictures on the dock end and by the lighthouse. London seemed so far away out on that ledge. Everything was silent, still, peaceful. I needed this day so much. A day to do nothing but relax and explore. Little did I know, the relaxation wouldn’t last much longer. Now that I look back on my trip to Howth, I wouldn’t ever describe it as relaxing or calming. More as an exhausting, painful adventure that I wouldn’t take back for my life.
Here we go. Hal, Viv, and I decided to hike across the small peninsula that Howth sits on to see the cliffs on the south side. The town pretty much dominates the peninsula, so we thought we could follow a few city streets and make it there in no time. It looked like a reasonable distance on the map! We passed a nice church and a bunch of colorful pubs on the way. There was never a lack of something to look at. Very quickly, we realized this trek was going to be a bit tougher than we thought. The streets were almost straight up. It was crazy. After about five blocks my calves were burning. We took a break when the street divided into three sections. A road we thought would be the slowest, but least steep. A road that looked nearly vertical from the bottom, but also the shortest route. Or, a path that meandered through a wooded area, that twisted and turned, but didn’t look too steep. Hmm… we chose the wooded path. It seemed like a fun idea at the time. Bad choice. By the time we got out of the park, my inhaler was out, I was sweating through my clothes even though it was only 40 degrees, and I was dead tired. That path turned mean fast, but we didn’t turn back. The views from the top were pretty impressive. But we still had further to go until we reached the cliff.
After about an hour and half hike with our heavy backpacks and poor walking shoes (Viv was wearing heeled boots), we found the Summit Inn, a restaurant near the cliffs. We sat down for a much needed meal and glass of water. Refill please! I had a chicken wrap. It was delicious. But, we had places to be, cliffs to see, so we didn’t hang around very long. Back out onto the road, we encountered one more hill… by this time I was just immune. My whole body ached, but I was happy my pitcher of tap water! And we were almost there.
The cliffs… I don’t really know how to describe. It is kind of like the popular sites and buildings in London. I’ve seen them so many times on postcards and pictures, I knew what to expect, but I was blown away yet again. So beautiful. Breath-taking. Literally, I couldn’t breath it was so windy. Took a bunch of pictures of the lighthouse down below and of the sea. I also discovered the panoramic view on my camera. Awesome.
This is what I will always think of when I remember Ireland. Not the airport nightmare, not pubs in Dublin, and not shopping, but this peaceful, magical, untouched place. Ahhhh…
Well, the dream didn’t last long. We had to walk back. Luckily, it was downhill. We left Howth around 4 and headed for the airport. The Dublin airport was wonderful yet again. We didn’t wait in a single line. Not at the check-in, not in security. I got my bag checked yet again. I bought some hand sanitizer and they thought it was over the regulation 100 mL, but it wasn’t. Only 70 mL! I got to keep my Irish hand sanitizer, no worries! After security, we waited for our plane for a few hours, boarded on the tarmac again(!!!), and found seats by each other. This is how airport experiences and traveling should be. Stress free.
If only London Stansted could adopt this pain-free policy. Once again, the London Airport system inflicted its wrath. We waited in line at customs for over an hour. The guy behind us called it the “Queue of Doom”. (They love that word, queue, over here. They say it as much and as often as possible… seriously, it’s called a line. Just kidding, “Queue of Doom: it was.) They run a background check on everyone coming into the country. I passed. Because of this wait, we were late meeting our taxi, which was supposed to pick us up at 11:30PM. It was 12AM by this time, so we looked around for him at the arrivals gate. We even called the taxi office, but there was no answer. After about twenty minutes of searching, we resigned to taking a bus home because the driver had either left or didn’t come in the first place. We boarded the bus at 12:30… and an hour and a half later, we arrived at Victoria station. We hailed a taxi at Victoria to Kensington, only about 7 minutes. Best three pounds I’ve ever spent! Somehow, our 9:45 flight turned into getting home at 2:30… so tired at this point. I just wanted by own bed. Class in the morning at 9AM…
So, that was Ireland. Great vacation. Great first travel experience on my own. Great, great everything.
Be back soon,
Kelly
On Sunday, we woke to a knock on the door, some whispered swearing, and a bunch of rustling. I pulled out my earplugs and rolled over to find the three girls from France frantically packing across the room. Apparently, not one of their alarms went off and their taxi to the airport was waiting outside. They said a quick goodbye and were out the door. Viv and I were wide-awake after all the excitement and began getting ready for our busy day. We loaded all of our stuff back into bags and headed downstairs for continental breakfast and checkout. Once again, it was a beautiful day in Ireland.
First, we trekked across the area of Temple Bar to Trinity College. It was beautiful on a Sunday morning. Quiet while all the students were still sleeping and everyone else was at church. I wish we had had more time to take some tours of these places because I would have really liked to know more. I read a few Wikipedia pages before I went, but I didn’t really get my fill of facts.
With the sun still shining, we walked a bit farther to the DART train station, which would take us to Howth. Howth is a touristy fishing village, east of Dublin, on the cliffs, overlooking the Irish Sea. We boarded the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) Train and sat back for the ride. Wow, the DART wasn’t comparable to a Tube ride in the least. We got to sit down on the DART! And couldn’t smell the bad breath of the man standing not inches from you because you were crammed in like sardines. I even enjoyed the ride to Howth! It was nice to see some Irish countryside and the coastline.
Howth turned out to be exactly the kind of scenic place I think of when I think of Ireland. Quant, green, relaxing, and beautiful. Everything was perfect. I can’t even describe it. I’m so glad we went there! After getting off the train, we walked along the docks for a bit. Checking out at all the fish shops and restaurants and looking out on the bay. We happened upon this crowd of people looking over the water and taking pictures. I thought someone had fallen in because there was no railing or anything. Hal went to investigate and yelled back, “Seals!” There were wild seals in the water. And a lot of them, too. A couple of kids were feeding them and the seals were splashing and swimming in the water. Really cool. I took a bunch of pictures, but they kept moving!
Next, we took some pictures on the dock end and by the lighthouse. London seemed so far away out on that ledge. Everything was silent, still, peaceful. I needed this day so much. A day to do nothing but relax and explore. Little did I know, the relaxation wouldn’t last much longer. Now that I look back on my trip to Howth, I wouldn’t ever describe it as relaxing or calming. More as an exhausting, painful adventure that I wouldn’t take back for my life.
Here we go. Hal, Viv, and I decided to hike across the small peninsula that Howth sits on to see the cliffs on the south side. The town pretty much dominates the peninsula, so we thought we could follow a few city streets and make it there in no time. It looked like a reasonable distance on the map! We passed a nice church and a bunch of colorful pubs on the way. There was never a lack of something to look at. Very quickly, we realized this trek was going to be a bit tougher than we thought. The streets were almost straight up. It was crazy. After about five blocks my calves were burning. We took a break when the street divided into three sections. A road we thought would be the slowest, but least steep. A road that looked nearly vertical from the bottom, but also the shortest route. Or, a path that meandered through a wooded area, that twisted and turned, but didn’t look too steep. Hmm… we chose the wooded path. It seemed like a fun idea at the time. Bad choice. By the time we got out of the park, my inhaler was out, I was sweating through my clothes even though it was only 40 degrees, and I was dead tired. That path turned mean fast, but we didn’t turn back. The views from the top were pretty impressive. But we still had further to go until we reached the cliff.
After about an hour and half hike with our heavy backpacks and poor walking shoes (Viv was wearing heeled boots), we found the Summit Inn, a restaurant near the cliffs. We sat down for a much needed meal and glass of water. Refill please! I had a chicken wrap. It was delicious. But, we had places to be, cliffs to see, so we didn’t hang around very long. Back out onto the road, we encountered one more hill… by this time I was just immune. My whole body ached, but I was happy my pitcher of tap water! And we were almost there.
The cliffs… I don’t really know how to describe. It is kind of like the popular sites and buildings in London. I’ve seen them so many times on postcards and pictures, I knew what to expect, but I was blown away yet again. So beautiful. Breath-taking. Literally, I couldn’t breath it was so windy. Took a bunch of pictures of the lighthouse down below and of the sea. I also discovered the panoramic view on my camera. Awesome.
This is what I will always think of when I remember Ireland. Not the airport nightmare, not pubs in Dublin, and not shopping, but this peaceful, magical, untouched place. Ahhhh…
Well, the dream didn’t last long. We had to walk back. Luckily, it was downhill. We left Howth around 4 and headed for the airport. The Dublin airport was wonderful yet again. We didn’t wait in a single line. Not at the check-in, not in security. I got my bag checked yet again. I bought some hand sanitizer and they thought it was over the regulation 100 mL, but it wasn’t. Only 70 mL! I got to keep my Irish hand sanitizer, no worries! After security, we waited for our plane for a few hours, boarded on the tarmac again(!!!), and found seats by each other. This is how airport experiences and traveling should be. Stress free.
If only London Stansted could adopt this pain-free policy. Once again, the London Airport system inflicted its wrath. We waited in line at customs for over an hour. The guy behind us called it the “Queue of Doom”. (They love that word, queue, over here. They say it as much and as often as possible… seriously, it’s called a line. Just kidding, “Queue of Doom: it was.) They run a background check on everyone coming into the country. I passed. Because of this wait, we were late meeting our taxi, which was supposed to pick us up at 11:30PM. It was 12AM by this time, so we looked around for him at the arrivals gate. We even called the taxi office, but there was no answer. After about twenty minutes of searching, we resigned to taking a bus home because the driver had either left or didn’t come in the first place. We boarded the bus at 12:30… and an hour and a half later, we arrived at Victoria station. We hailed a taxi at Victoria to Kensington, only about 7 minutes. Best three pounds I’ve ever spent! Somehow, our 9:45 flight turned into getting home at 2:30… so tired at this point. I just wanted by own bed. Class in the morning at 9AM…
So, that was Ireland. Great vacation. Great first travel experience on my own. Great, great everything.
Be back soon,
Kelly
Malls and meandering: Dublin day two
February 16, 2010
Dublin, Day two… my idea of a perfect vacation. Museums, shopping, walking around, maybe a castle or two, and good weather. I’m happy.
Day two started off great. We woke up early, ate our free continental breakfast consisting of toast and frosted flakes, and sat down to plan our day. Shopping on Westmoreland and O’Connell Street was top of the list. We saw too many good shops to pass up on our bus ride in. Then, we decided we would head north to check out the Writer’s Museum and Hugh Lane Art Gallery. Lastly, we would eat at the Cobblestone, another good pub we read about. We got dressed and headed out.
On our way to all the shopping streets, we wondered south a bit and found St. Stephen’s Green. A park and surrounding area that has always been the more affluent area of central Dublin I think. That area was nice, but we were anxious to shop. After a few pictures in the park, we found Top Shop. And then we found A/Wear, and Penney’s and Schuh’s and too many other stores to count. I bought a dress and some other things. They barely fit in my bag for the trip home!
After a long day of shopping, Hal, Viv and I found this magical place called the Candy Café on our way to the Hugh Lane Gallery. I had a huge coffee. Still recovering from Thursday night’s lack of sleep. After that quick pit stop, we descended on the Hugh Lane Gallery, which we read was awesome. Didn’t disappoint. I won’t go on describing what paintings and things I loved here, because I’d probably put everyone to sleep, but trust. It was great. I bought two pocket books at the bookstore and walked away with a smile on my face. And I almost got run over by a car. Should probably look both ways before crossing. That might be smart.
So, we headed back to our hostel after that. We decided to take a new way home. Thinking we knew the city pretty well by this point. We didn’t get lost. We found the Ilac Mall. And then we found Jervais Mall. And Mary Mall. And H&M and another Top Shop. More shopping! And this place was crazy. It was literally a sea of people, moving in waves along this narrow street. I loved it.
Oh, I forgot. As we walked up Westmoreland Street this morning, there were street performers everywhere. One guy blowing huge bubbles, like four-foot bubbles, into the air. A man with a few dancing puppets playing Michael Jackson songs on his boom box. A group of young people playing in a string quintet. It was like a carnival! So fun.
On to dinner. Cobblestone wasn’t what we thought and Viv wanted to eat Italian. No luck there. Everything was booked for Valentine’s Day, but we found GBK. Gourmet Burger Kitchen. By the time we found some place to eat, I was so crabby and exhausted that I would have eaten my shopping bags. GBK was good. Hal found a girl she went to high school with who is studying in Paris for the semester. Crazy. After a Bulmer’s Pear Cider I was ready for bed.
Laying in my tiny hostel top bunk, I was starting to miss London. I missed the Tube and the crazy driving and crabby city dwellers. For the first time, I kind of thought of London as home. I feel like I’m finally getting myself settled in here. I know where I’m going (most of the time) and things are familiar to me. I’m going to miss it so much when I have to leave.
And that was day two in Dublin. A little less exciting than Friday, but still so much fun. To the coast and cliffs tomorrow!
Dublin, Day two… my idea of a perfect vacation. Museums, shopping, walking around, maybe a castle or two, and good weather. I’m happy.
Day two started off great. We woke up early, ate our free continental breakfast consisting of toast and frosted flakes, and sat down to plan our day. Shopping on Westmoreland and O’Connell Street was top of the list. We saw too many good shops to pass up on our bus ride in. Then, we decided we would head north to check out the Writer’s Museum and Hugh Lane Art Gallery. Lastly, we would eat at the Cobblestone, another good pub we read about. We got dressed and headed out.
On our way to all the shopping streets, we wondered south a bit and found St. Stephen’s Green. A park and surrounding area that has always been the more affluent area of central Dublin I think. That area was nice, but we were anxious to shop. After a few pictures in the park, we found Top Shop. And then we found A/Wear, and Penney’s and Schuh’s and too many other stores to count. I bought a dress and some other things. They barely fit in my bag for the trip home!
After a long day of shopping, Hal, Viv and I found this magical place called the Candy Café on our way to the Hugh Lane Gallery. I had a huge coffee. Still recovering from Thursday night’s lack of sleep. After that quick pit stop, we descended on the Hugh Lane Gallery, which we read was awesome. Didn’t disappoint. I won’t go on describing what paintings and things I loved here, because I’d probably put everyone to sleep, but trust. It was great. I bought two pocket books at the bookstore and walked away with a smile on my face. And I almost got run over by a car. Should probably look both ways before crossing. That might be smart.
So, we headed back to our hostel after that. We decided to take a new way home. Thinking we knew the city pretty well by this point. We didn’t get lost. We found the Ilac Mall. And then we found Jervais Mall. And Mary Mall. And H&M and another Top Shop. More shopping! And this place was crazy. It was literally a sea of people, moving in waves along this narrow street. I loved it.
Oh, I forgot. As we walked up Westmoreland Street this morning, there were street performers everywhere. One guy blowing huge bubbles, like four-foot bubbles, into the air. A man with a few dancing puppets playing Michael Jackson songs on his boom box. A group of young people playing in a string quintet. It was like a carnival! So fun.
On to dinner. Cobblestone wasn’t what we thought and Viv wanted to eat Italian. No luck there. Everything was booked for Valentine’s Day, but we found GBK. Gourmet Burger Kitchen. By the time we found some place to eat, I was so crabby and exhausted that I would have eaten my shopping bags. GBK was good. Hal found a girl she went to high school with who is studying in Paris for the semester. Crazy. After a Bulmer’s Pear Cider I was ready for bed.
Laying in my tiny hostel top bunk, I was starting to miss London. I missed the Tube and the crazy driving and crabby city dwellers. For the first time, I kind of thought of London as home. I feel like I’m finally getting myself settled in here. I know where I’m going (most of the time) and things are familiar to me. I’m going to miss it so much when I have to leave.
And that was day two in Dublin. A little less exciting than Friday, but still so much fun. To the coast and cliffs tomorrow!
Boarding passes and burning places: Dublin day one
February 16, 2010
After two days of packing, three days of travel, and one day of class, I’m back! And what a weekend it has been. First traveling experience without Linette or Mom making all the plans and guiding the way. But I think we did pretty well by ourselves. We definitely made some mistakes, learned from them, and had a lot of fun.
Thursday was unnecessarily stressful and just couldn’t seem to go by quick enough. My history test went okay. I couldn’t remember which King succeeded Elizabeth I… It was James I. I think I put Charles II. Ugh. Anyway, after that assault on my grade was over, it was back to the flat for packing, last minute planning, and sleep. I actually packed pretty light, stuffing enough for three days in Amy’s huge brown backpack. That thing is awesome. It holds everything, but things also get lost in there very easily. I don’t know how many times I had to lay that thing out on the ground and search for something. Usually by passport or ticket of some sort. In the airport, on the street… didn’t matter. There is no way to subtly dig into that bottomless pit.
Around 9PM, we finally laid down to sleep. But, of course, just like the first day of school, I was so anxious and excited that I couldn’t sleep a wink. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because before I knew it, my alarm sounded at 2AM…and we had to get up toe catch our hour taxi ride to the London Stansted Airport, which is pretty far north of London. After about four cups of coffee, no joke, I was mildly conscious. Awake enough to be terrified in the taxi to the airport. I know I feared for my life at some point. Way too fast on skinny roads, in the dark, with loads of other crazy drivers. Our taxi driver was 45 minutes late picking us up, so I think he felt that he had to make up that time or something. Someone should have told him that we had plenty of time, but we were all half-asleep in the back of that car, that none of us could get passed the fear-coma to say something to the driver. We thought we had plenty of time…
Oh, Stansted. Why can’t you just love me? From the moment we stepped out of the taxi and onto the departures entrance, Stansted kicked our ass time and time again. First, funnily, there is this big revolving door out front. But there were so many people cramming into this little space that the emergency breaks kept stopping the revolutions and it would freeze every inch of so… took us 10 minutes just to get in the door! But it only gets better. We found the line for RyanAir and waited. But only for about 20 minutes. Upon getting up to the counter, the lady gives me an annoyed look, rambles off some directions and points me to a bunch of computers. Huh? She explains again, slower this time, but also more irritated. Apparently, I’ve printed off the flight itinerary and not the boarding passes… and its 40 euros to print if you haven’t checked in online yet. Luckily, I’d already checked us all in online, so we just had to print out passes at the computer station. After a bit of complication with the printers and a nice Italian man, we get back in line with our passes. But by this time, it is 5:30 and the lines are a lot longer. Fifteen minutes go by before we start freaking out. Our flight leaves at 6:30. Where did all our free time go? We woke up at 2! Eventually, a nice RyanAir lady takes sympathy on us and approves our passes quickly, stamps our boarding passes, and sends us through to security.
Security… I’m always scared going through security, but I was sweating bullets here. They had to search my bag after the really loud alarm went off… And its now 6AM. Half-hour to go. First, the guard thinks it is something with my Advair. Nope, I’ve got asthma. He smiles like he doesn’t believe me, but then moves on. A nice lady comes to search my bag. Empties the entire contents out on a stainless steel table for everyone see. Undies and all! My waterbottle set it off. At least mine wasn’t full like Hallie’s. They had to search her bag and almost threw her waterbottle away until a nice man offered to empty it for her. By the time we get through security, we are utterly terrified of missing this flight. Briskly walking/running to our terminal. We make it. I think 15 minutes before it took off. I don’t even remember much of this part. I was just so happy to be there. So happy to see my plane on the ground, not in the air without me in it.
Cool fact: we boarded the plane right from the tarmac. Walked right outside, climbed the steps onto the plane, and chose our own seats. European flying is very different from stateside flying…
Flight was good. They have funny commercials going over the intercom every few minutes, which I though was funny, but annoying. Thank God for the iPod. The flight was only about 45 minutes and then we were in Dublin!! Customs in Dublin was a snap. And we took a coach bus from the airport to downtown that was only about half-hour and only 12 euro. Awesome!
The weather was perfect for our whole trip. Blue skies and sunny, sometimes a bit cold in the mornings and night. The whole of downtown Dublin is set on the banks of the River Liffey. Divided between north and south, each side has its own attractions and charms. As we drove down O’Connell Street into town, our bus driver described Dublin as a big little town. And after three days, I fully agree with that description. No towering skyscrapers or underground subway, instead cobblestone, narrow streets lined with historic buildings, friendly people, and excitement. Maybe it was just because it was Valentine’s Day weekend, but the city really felt alive, almost a carnival atmosphere the entire time we were there.
The bus dropped us off next to Trinity College and we started walking in the direction we thought our hostel was in. After a few blocks, I realized this was going to be very different from London. The street names change every block! With very few street signs to tell you where you are. We were immediately lost, of course. But we always seem to be lost in London, too…Maybe its us. After we found the River Liffey, we headed west along the river, knowing our hostel was somewhere down there.
The river is gorgeous. And I was so happy to have made it to Dublin, I was on a bit of cloud-nine after a Red Bull and a sandwich as we walked along the river. After a few more blocks, we noticed this huge, gray cloud hanging over us. And as we took pictures, our view of the river became all foggy. Only a few blocks from our hostel, we found a bunch of fire fighters, ladders, and fire trucks trying to put out this huge blaze that was eating up the city block. I’ll put up pictures of the fire and smoke on Facebook, but it was huge. To me, anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a burning building before.
Well, we finally made it to our hostel. Our fifteen-minute walk turned into an hour after we stopped to take pictures every two seconds. I took over 500 pictures this weekend! Crazy. Our hostel was crazy, too. Titled Four Courts Hostel, all the walls had murals and there was a huge spiral staircase running up the middle of the building. Free breakfast and Viv and I shared a bunk. After having to do the check-in dance to check in – the receptionist said it was like the chicken dance, but called the check-in dance…embarrassing – we changed clothes, relaxed a bit, but then headed back out for more.
We split for the afternoon. Hal went to tour the Guinness brewery. I decided that I’d had enough of that after the Coor’s Brewery in Colorado. So Viv and I headed across town to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. And we got lost on the way there, of course. But we eventually found it. The building is a converted hospital with this grand courtyard in the middle and four corridors on each side. The building was almost more interesting than the stuff they had on display. But the best part, was the gardens out back… Seriously, just like a movie set in Victorian England. Beautiful even in February.
Once we had our museum fill, we met up with Hal for a late lunch and then walked around the southern part of Dublin for the afternoon. We checked out Christ Church Cathedral, the City Hall, Dublin Castle, and Dubh Linn Gardens. My favorite part was Dublin Castle. Divided up into towers and other old buildings, part of it is painted in these bizarrely bright colors: green, yellow, red, blue. It was crazy, but also fun to look at. I thought it was interesting.
After a bit more wondering, we headed to the Porterhouse for dinner. We did a little research before our trip and found that this pub was one of the better ones. Too bad we were too tired to enjoy anything by this time. We ate dinner and headed back to our hostel for the best sleep of my life.
Thank God I brought my earplugs, because I don’t think I would have slept very well in our chaotic room without them. We met a bunch of other students. Most studying abroad, as well. Most American. In fact, most of the people out and about in Dublin were American. The city centre attracts a lot of tourists, but we were able to experience more of authentic Ireland when we headed out to Howth on Sunday.
And that was just day one…
After two days of packing, three days of travel, and one day of class, I’m back! And what a weekend it has been. First traveling experience without Linette or Mom making all the plans and guiding the way. But I think we did pretty well by ourselves. We definitely made some mistakes, learned from them, and had a lot of fun.
Thursday was unnecessarily stressful and just couldn’t seem to go by quick enough. My history test went okay. I couldn’t remember which King succeeded Elizabeth I… It was James I. I think I put Charles II. Ugh. Anyway, after that assault on my grade was over, it was back to the flat for packing, last minute planning, and sleep. I actually packed pretty light, stuffing enough for three days in Amy’s huge brown backpack. That thing is awesome. It holds everything, but things also get lost in there very easily. I don’t know how many times I had to lay that thing out on the ground and search for something. Usually by passport or ticket of some sort. In the airport, on the street… didn’t matter. There is no way to subtly dig into that bottomless pit.
Around 9PM, we finally laid down to sleep. But, of course, just like the first day of school, I was so anxious and excited that I couldn’t sleep a wink. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because before I knew it, my alarm sounded at 2AM…and we had to get up toe catch our hour taxi ride to the London Stansted Airport, which is pretty far north of London. After about four cups of coffee, no joke, I was mildly conscious. Awake enough to be terrified in the taxi to the airport. I know I feared for my life at some point. Way too fast on skinny roads, in the dark, with loads of other crazy drivers. Our taxi driver was 45 minutes late picking us up, so I think he felt that he had to make up that time or something. Someone should have told him that we had plenty of time, but we were all half-asleep in the back of that car, that none of us could get passed the fear-coma to say something to the driver. We thought we had plenty of time…
Oh, Stansted. Why can’t you just love me? From the moment we stepped out of the taxi and onto the departures entrance, Stansted kicked our ass time and time again. First, funnily, there is this big revolving door out front. But there were so many people cramming into this little space that the emergency breaks kept stopping the revolutions and it would freeze every inch of so… took us 10 minutes just to get in the door! But it only gets better. We found the line for RyanAir and waited. But only for about 20 minutes. Upon getting up to the counter, the lady gives me an annoyed look, rambles off some directions and points me to a bunch of computers. Huh? She explains again, slower this time, but also more irritated. Apparently, I’ve printed off the flight itinerary and not the boarding passes… and its 40 euros to print if you haven’t checked in online yet. Luckily, I’d already checked us all in online, so we just had to print out passes at the computer station. After a bit of complication with the printers and a nice Italian man, we get back in line with our passes. But by this time, it is 5:30 and the lines are a lot longer. Fifteen minutes go by before we start freaking out. Our flight leaves at 6:30. Where did all our free time go? We woke up at 2! Eventually, a nice RyanAir lady takes sympathy on us and approves our passes quickly, stamps our boarding passes, and sends us through to security.
Security… I’m always scared going through security, but I was sweating bullets here. They had to search my bag after the really loud alarm went off… And its now 6AM. Half-hour to go. First, the guard thinks it is something with my Advair. Nope, I’ve got asthma. He smiles like he doesn’t believe me, but then moves on. A nice lady comes to search my bag. Empties the entire contents out on a stainless steel table for everyone see. Undies and all! My waterbottle set it off. At least mine wasn’t full like Hallie’s. They had to search her bag and almost threw her waterbottle away until a nice man offered to empty it for her. By the time we get through security, we are utterly terrified of missing this flight. Briskly walking/running to our terminal. We make it. I think 15 minutes before it took off. I don’t even remember much of this part. I was just so happy to be there. So happy to see my plane on the ground, not in the air without me in it.
Cool fact: we boarded the plane right from the tarmac. Walked right outside, climbed the steps onto the plane, and chose our own seats. European flying is very different from stateside flying…
Flight was good. They have funny commercials going over the intercom every few minutes, which I though was funny, but annoying. Thank God for the iPod. The flight was only about 45 minutes and then we were in Dublin!! Customs in Dublin was a snap. And we took a coach bus from the airport to downtown that was only about half-hour and only 12 euro. Awesome!
The weather was perfect for our whole trip. Blue skies and sunny, sometimes a bit cold in the mornings and night. The whole of downtown Dublin is set on the banks of the River Liffey. Divided between north and south, each side has its own attractions and charms. As we drove down O’Connell Street into town, our bus driver described Dublin as a big little town. And after three days, I fully agree with that description. No towering skyscrapers or underground subway, instead cobblestone, narrow streets lined with historic buildings, friendly people, and excitement. Maybe it was just because it was Valentine’s Day weekend, but the city really felt alive, almost a carnival atmosphere the entire time we were there.
The bus dropped us off next to Trinity College and we started walking in the direction we thought our hostel was in. After a few blocks, I realized this was going to be very different from London. The street names change every block! With very few street signs to tell you where you are. We were immediately lost, of course. But we always seem to be lost in London, too…Maybe its us. After we found the River Liffey, we headed west along the river, knowing our hostel was somewhere down there.
The river is gorgeous. And I was so happy to have made it to Dublin, I was on a bit of cloud-nine after a Red Bull and a sandwich as we walked along the river. After a few more blocks, we noticed this huge, gray cloud hanging over us. And as we took pictures, our view of the river became all foggy. Only a few blocks from our hostel, we found a bunch of fire fighters, ladders, and fire trucks trying to put out this huge blaze that was eating up the city block. I’ll put up pictures of the fire and smoke on Facebook, but it was huge. To me, anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a burning building before.
Well, we finally made it to our hostel. Our fifteen-minute walk turned into an hour after we stopped to take pictures every two seconds. I took over 500 pictures this weekend! Crazy. Our hostel was crazy, too. Titled Four Courts Hostel, all the walls had murals and there was a huge spiral staircase running up the middle of the building. Free breakfast and Viv and I shared a bunk. After having to do the check-in dance to check in – the receptionist said it was like the chicken dance, but called the check-in dance…embarrassing – we changed clothes, relaxed a bit, but then headed back out for more.
We split for the afternoon. Hal went to tour the Guinness brewery. I decided that I’d had enough of that after the Coor’s Brewery in Colorado. So Viv and I headed across town to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. And we got lost on the way there, of course. But we eventually found it. The building is a converted hospital with this grand courtyard in the middle and four corridors on each side. The building was almost more interesting than the stuff they had on display. But the best part, was the gardens out back… Seriously, just like a movie set in Victorian England. Beautiful even in February.
Once we had our museum fill, we met up with Hal for a late lunch and then walked around the southern part of Dublin for the afternoon. We checked out Christ Church Cathedral, the City Hall, Dublin Castle, and Dubh Linn Gardens. My favorite part was Dublin Castle. Divided up into towers and other old buildings, part of it is painted in these bizarrely bright colors: green, yellow, red, blue. It was crazy, but also fun to look at. I thought it was interesting.
After a bit more wondering, we headed to the Porterhouse for dinner. We did a little research before our trip and found that this pub was one of the better ones. Too bad we were too tired to enjoy anything by this time. We ate dinner and headed back to our hostel for the best sleep of my life.
Thank God I brought my earplugs, because I don’t think I would have slept very well in our chaotic room without them. We met a bunch of other students. Most studying abroad, as well. Most American. In fact, most of the people out and about in Dublin were American. The city centre attracts a lot of tourists, but we were able to experience more of authentic Ireland when we headed out to Howth on Sunday.
And that was just day one…
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Overwhelmed and overspending..
February 10, 2010
Busy, busy week. For the first time since coming here, I feel like I’m not going to be able to cram all the sights, tours, excursions into my four month stay. I’m actually starting to worry that I’m not going to get to do it all. In the first few weeks, I was so overwhelmed and I started to make a list on my computer of all the little things I wanted to do. Some essentials like visit Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and go to Greenwich. But most were a little lest touristy, like have a picnic in Hyde Park, try blood pudding, and take funny pictures at the British Museum. We’ve done so much, but there is still a huge amount to do. I think I’m freaking out because we have been here a whole month already and the time has just flown by. It feels like it has only been two weeks! I’ve got to start planning better. Also, our spring break dilemma is adding to my worried state. Hal and I are having a hard time deciding where exactly we want to go. There are way too many options! And we can’t chose just one or two. Tentatively, we have it narrowed down to France, Belgium, and Germany. But that will probably change 15 times in the coming weeks before we go… Ah!
And the desktop on my computer is a mess. You can always tell I’m freaking out and overwhelmed when there are a million files on my desktop. Time to clean house.
Tuesday was a full day. I woke up and went for a run. It was a bit chilly, but with the new running pants I got for Christmas I was perfectly warm! It evens started to snow. Then I just got angry. The weatherman said this was the coldest winter here in over 15 years… the most snow in 20… I thought I got out of Wisconsin. Regardless of the harsh weather, my run was awesome. A lot of people out and about. Everyone here is training for the London marathon in a few weeks. Those runners are intense. They run in shorts and tee shirts! Crazy.
After my run, we had art history. We learned about JMW Turner, who is probably the most famous British artist. Probably, but I’m not sure. I’m really looking forward to next week’s class. We are going to the Tate Modern. Love that place.
We came back to the flat for supper after our lecture. But we only had a few free hours because at seven, our entire theatre class met for a night walk. Our professor, Brian (who is awesome), guided us around the Southwark, which is on the south side of the Thames. This bank used to be the home of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, The Rose (the Globe’s rival), and numerous other joints for entertainment. We learned about bear baiting when we crossed over Bear Bait Road. They used to bring bears into this arenas and bet on how many dogs it would kill. So sad. But it only got worse. We then found the side of an old brothel and the cemetery where all the girls were buried. And then it started to rain. I was happy to go home. It was fascinating to see the actual historic sights, but a bit unnerving. Such an odd juxtaposition between where the bear baiting arena used to stand and the Pizza Express and boardwalk that sits there now.
Today.. hmmm. I went shopping! I went looking for boots, but I think I got everything besides a new pair of shoes. I did get a few things for Ireland this weekend and a new scarf. I went shopping on Kensington High Street, which is a pretty spendy, posh shopping street. Needless to say, I had a hard time finding anything I could afford. Until I hit the H&M. I love H&M. Love it. After spending way too much, I headed home and am now going to start studying for my history test tomorrow. Also, I need to start packing for Ireland. I’m pretty sure this night is going to consist more of looking up cool sights in Ireland and less studying than I would like… So far, we are planning on visiting Trinity College, Dublin Castle, a few churches, Temple Bar, and of course, more shopping! I just printed off our boarding passes and booked a ride to the airport. We are set to go. I just gotta start packing!
I’ll probably won’t be back until Sunday evening after we get back. Our flight doesn’t get in until 11PM, but I’ll put pictures up as soon as I can!
Have a good weekend!
Love,
Kelly
Busy, busy week. For the first time since coming here, I feel like I’m not going to be able to cram all the sights, tours, excursions into my four month stay. I’m actually starting to worry that I’m not going to get to do it all. In the first few weeks, I was so overwhelmed and I started to make a list on my computer of all the little things I wanted to do. Some essentials like visit Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and go to Greenwich. But most were a little lest touristy, like have a picnic in Hyde Park, try blood pudding, and take funny pictures at the British Museum. We’ve done so much, but there is still a huge amount to do. I think I’m freaking out because we have been here a whole month already and the time has just flown by. It feels like it has only been two weeks! I’ve got to start planning better. Also, our spring break dilemma is adding to my worried state. Hal and I are having a hard time deciding where exactly we want to go. There are way too many options! And we can’t chose just one or two. Tentatively, we have it narrowed down to France, Belgium, and Germany. But that will probably change 15 times in the coming weeks before we go… Ah!
And the desktop on my computer is a mess. You can always tell I’m freaking out and overwhelmed when there are a million files on my desktop. Time to clean house.
Tuesday was a full day. I woke up and went for a run. It was a bit chilly, but with the new running pants I got for Christmas I was perfectly warm! It evens started to snow. Then I just got angry. The weatherman said this was the coldest winter here in over 15 years… the most snow in 20… I thought I got out of Wisconsin. Regardless of the harsh weather, my run was awesome. A lot of people out and about. Everyone here is training for the London marathon in a few weeks. Those runners are intense. They run in shorts and tee shirts! Crazy.
After my run, we had art history. We learned about JMW Turner, who is probably the most famous British artist. Probably, but I’m not sure. I’m really looking forward to next week’s class. We are going to the Tate Modern. Love that place.
We came back to the flat for supper after our lecture. But we only had a few free hours because at seven, our entire theatre class met for a night walk. Our professor, Brian (who is awesome), guided us around the Southwark, which is on the south side of the Thames. This bank used to be the home of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, The Rose (the Globe’s rival), and numerous other joints for entertainment. We learned about bear baiting when we crossed over Bear Bait Road. They used to bring bears into this arenas and bet on how many dogs it would kill. So sad. But it only got worse. We then found the side of an old brothel and the cemetery where all the girls were buried. And then it started to rain. I was happy to go home. It was fascinating to see the actual historic sights, but a bit unnerving. Such an odd juxtaposition between where the bear baiting arena used to stand and the Pizza Express and boardwalk that sits there now.
Today.. hmmm. I went shopping! I went looking for boots, but I think I got everything besides a new pair of shoes. I did get a few things for Ireland this weekend and a new scarf. I went shopping on Kensington High Street, which is a pretty spendy, posh shopping street. Needless to say, I had a hard time finding anything I could afford. Until I hit the H&M. I love H&M. Love it. After spending way too much, I headed home and am now going to start studying for my history test tomorrow. Also, I need to start packing for Ireland. I’m pretty sure this night is going to consist more of looking up cool sights in Ireland and less studying than I would like… So far, we are planning on visiting Trinity College, Dublin Castle, a few churches, Temple Bar, and of course, more shopping! I just printed off our boarding passes and booked a ride to the airport. We are set to go. I just gotta start packing!
I’ll probably won’t be back until Sunday evening after we get back. Our flight doesn’t get in until 11PM, but I’ll put pictures up as soon as I can!
Have a good weekend!
Love,
Kelly
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Running and Relaxing
February 8, 2010
Sickness is gone!! That cough didn’t stand a chance. There are a bunch of kids sick on the floor below us, but we are all on the mend now. When we first got here, Mary, our program advisor scared the crap out of all of us when she told us that the common cold was much more severe here. She said that it might hit us really hard because we weren’t used to the viruses over here. She said it was worse than the swine flu… I think she over exaggerated in a ploy to get us to eat healthy. Because after, we got a twenty minute lecture on eating something green at least once per week. Mary is so funny. She is like our London mom. Always looking out for us. And scaring the crap out of us.
On Friday, everyone made the hour trip to Oxford. I didn’t go. I stayed home, slept, and got healthy. But I guess if I had to miss a day trip this would have been it. Not the most exciting place, but I still would have liked to see the campus. They filmed a lot of sequences from Harry Potter there, apparently and there is so much history attached to that town. Hal and Viv enjoyed it, but they said it wasn’t great and the tour was pretty long and boring. I can always go some free weekend, I guess. It is only a short train ride away.
By Saturday I was feeling a lot better. I went for a long run around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The parks aren’t very pretty right now – a lot of dead leaves, bare trees, and mud – but they are glorious in the spring. I can’t wait! I ran past the northeast corner of Hyde Park by a place called Speaker’s Corner. On Sundays, crowds gather around and people can get up and make speeches, protests, sermons, whatever. I want to go. I don’t know if I’ll be making at speeches, but I’ll watch. I’ve heard it is very entertaining. There is also a huge grassy space on that side of the park and I want to have a picnic soon!
On Saturday night Hal and I joined our friends Laurel and Julie for a night in Leicester Square. We didn’t have any set plans, but we just wondered for a bit. We stopped by a few pubs, ate at the Hamburger Plus (sooo good), and then Laurel and I headed home. Julie and Hal stayed out for a bit longer. That area of town is so fun, especially at night. Tiny streets are lined with theatres, bars, restaurants, and shopping arcades. I love it. Covent Garden close, but I have yet to stop there. It is a huge open-air shopping center that used to serve at the vegetable market. Anyway, Laurel and I headed home on the night bus around 11PM. As we got to our front door, I realized I forgot my keys… stupid me. I could get in my apartment, but not in my room. And really stupid me, I told Hal to turn off her phone because it was dying. She might need it in an emergency, so I told her to save the battery… So I stayed up and talked to Laurel for a bit (she lives on the first floor), but then around 12:30 I headed up to my apartment. Viv was at her aunts for the weekend, but luckily, there were still some roommates awake and hanging out in the living room. I fell asleep on the couch until Hal came home. At 3:30AM. I don’t know how she stays out that late. I would be dead tired and probably sleepwalk home.
Ahh, the sun just came out! Happy Day!
Anyway, Sunday was laundry day. Which translates to wheeling my heaping pill of dirty clothes five blocks to the Laundromat in my suitcase, paying way too much to wash and dry them (almost $12!), wheeling them back, and then cramming them in my two-foot wardrobe that only has five hangers and one drawer.... Laundry sucks. The rest of the day was good. The weather was nice, but I had a bit of homework to do so I worked on that. That night, a bunch of our roommates stayed up to watch the entire Super Bowl. It started here at 11PM…and didn’t end until 3:30. And they had class in the morning at nine! I went to bed after I put a pound in some squares scoreboard thing they were doing. A guy from downstairs explained it to me, but I can’t remember how it worked. I didn’t win a thing!
Monday, Monday. Class! In Contemporary Britain we talked politics for a bit and then watched The Queen. Such a good movie. It moves pretty slow and gets tedious at times, but the acting is amazing. And it is always more exciting when you see places on screen you’ve seen in real life, real people, and events I’ve learned about since being here. After class, we all headed to Maggie Jones’s for a lunch as a big group. All 50 of us. It was one of our pound trips. Best pound I’ve ever spent on food. It was sooo good. At the restaurant was so authentic and quant. Like so many things in this city! I have mushrooms, chicken and bread and butter pudding. Yum! Oh, and tea, of course.
Pretty boring weekend I guess. Not much exciting going on this week, but on Friday I’m going to Ireland! I’m can’t wait. Hal, Viv, and I are heading to Dublin for three days. We got a hostel right downtown, but we have no other plans besides that. I’ve got to do some reading and researching. Sooo excited.
Well, I’ll be back soon. I’ve got a test on Thursday and a small field trip tonight to Waterloo, but other than that, this week is pretty dull. Have a good week!
Love, Kelly
Sickness is gone!! That cough didn’t stand a chance. There are a bunch of kids sick on the floor below us, but we are all on the mend now. When we first got here, Mary, our program advisor scared the crap out of all of us when she told us that the common cold was much more severe here. She said that it might hit us really hard because we weren’t used to the viruses over here. She said it was worse than the swine flu… I think she over exaggerated in a ploy to get us to eat healthy. Because after, we got a twenty minute lecture on eating something green at least once per week. Mary is so funny. She is like our London mom. Always looking out for us. And scaring the crap out of us.
On Friday, everyone made the hour trip to Oxford. I didn’t go. I stayed home, slept, and got healthy. But I guess if I had to miss a day trip this would have been it. Not the most exciting place, but I still would have liked to see the campus. They filmed a lot of sequences from Harry Potter there, apparently and there is so much history attached to that town. Hal and Viv enjoyed it, but they said it wasn’t great and the tour was pretty long and boring. I can always go some free weekend, I guess. It is only a short train ride away.
By Saturday I was feeling a lot better. I went for a long run around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The parks aren’t very pretty right now – a lot of dead leaves, bare trees, and mud – but they are glorious in the spring. I can’t wait! I ran past the northeast corner of Hyde Park by a place called Speaker’s Corner. On Sundays, crowds gather around and people can get up and make speeches, protests, sermons, whatever. I want to go. I don’t know if I’ll be making at speeches, but I’ll watch. I’ve heard it is very entertaining. There is also a huge grassy space on that side of the park and I want to have a picnic soon!
On Saturday night Hal and I joined our friends Laurel and Julie for a night in Leicester Square. We didn’t have any set plans, but we just wondered for a bit. We stopped by a few pubs, ate at the Hamburger Plus (sooo good), and then Laurel and I headed home. Julie and Hal stayed out for a bit longer. That area of town is so fun, especially at night. Tiny streets are lined with theatres, bars, restaurants, and shopping arcades. I love it. Covent Garden close, but I have yet to stop there. It is a huge open-air shopping center that used to serve at the vegetable market. Anyway, Laurel and I headed home on the night bus around 11PM. As we got to our front door, I realized I forgot my keys… stupid me. I could get in my apartment, but not in my room. And really stupid me, I told Hal to turn off her phone because it was dying. She might need it in an emergency, so I told her to save the battery… So I stayed up and talked to Laurel for a bit (she lives on the first floor), but then around 12:30 I headed up to my apartment. Viv was at her aunts for the weekend, but luckily, there were still some roommates awake and hanging out in the living room. I fell asleep on the couch until Hal came home. At 3:30AM. I don’t know how she stays out that late. I would be dead tired and probably sleepwalk home.
Ahh, the sun just came out! Happy Day!
Anyway, Sunday was laundry day. Which translates to wheeling my heaping pill of dirty clothes five blocks to the Laundromat in my suitcase, paying way too much to wash and dry them (almost $12!), wheeling them back, and then cramming them in my two-foot wardrobe that only has five hangers and one drawer.... Laundry sucks. The rest of the day was good. The weather was nice, but I had a bit of homework to do so I worked on that. That night, a bunch of our roommates stayed up to watch the entire Super Bowl. It started here at 11PM…and didn’t end until 3:30. And they had class in the morning at nine! I went to bed after I put a pound in some squares scoreboard thing they were doing. A guy from downstairs explained it to me, but I can’t remember how it worked. I didn’t win a thing!
Monday, Monday. Class! In Contemporary Britain we talked politics for a bit and then watched The Queen. Such a good movie. It moves pretty slow and gets tedious at times, but the acting is amazing. And it is always more exciting when you see places on screen you’ve seen in real life, real people, and events I’ve learned about since being here. After class, we all headed to Maggie Jones’s for a lunch as a big group. All 50 of us. It was one of our pound trips. Best pound I’ve ever spent on food. It was sooo good. At the restaurant was so authentic and quant. Like so many things in this city! I have mushrooms, chicken and bread and butter pudding. Yum! Oh, and tea, of course.
Pretty boring weekend I guess. Not much exciting going on this week, but on Friday I’m going to Ireland! I’m can’t wait. Hal, Viv, and I are heading to Dublin for three days. We got a hostel right downtown, but we have no other plans besides that. I’ve got to do some reading and researching. Sooo excited.
Well, I’ll be back soon. I’ve got a test on Thursday and a small field trip tonight to Waterloo, but other than that, this week is pretty dull. Have a good week!
Love, Kelly
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sickness and Amazingness.
February 4, 2010
I’m sick. Don’t worry Mom, I’m not that sick. Just enough to bug me. Runny nose and cough. Luckily, I had no class on Wednesday so I could just lay around. I watched a bunch of movies including Elizabeth, The Young Victoria (again), and Pride and Prejudice (again). All English movies… I’m obsessed. They are so much better with more context. I know the places and some of the back-stories. They may not always be the most accurate, but it was a decent way to spend the day. I think I even learned a few facts that will help me in my history class! Yet, I felt so bad just lying around all day. I’m in freaking London! And I’m just sitting on the couch… It was a good thing to do once. I’m rejuvenated and ready to go. Ready for more adventure. Bring it, London.
And then I woke up today crabby. Don’t know why, but everything just irked me. Through my annoyance, I realized that everything is just a bit backward here. The light switches switch down to turn the lights on. The locks turn left to lock. And if you haven’t heard yet, they drive on the left/wrong side of the road here… And then I got over my crabby mood and found all this kind of cute and charming. There is always something to remind me just where I am. Always something very British to make me smile. Or frustrate me!
Moving on. Today is Thursday. This weekend is packed, so I decided to check in before I get too overwhelmed and forget something or put off writing in here for a week…again. The day started off pretty great. Viv and I rushed down to the office to buy Billy Elliot tickets. We got ‘em! I’m probably in the nosebleeds, but I don’t care. I’m sooooo excited to see this musical. So excited.
Next, we grabbed the tube to Westminster and met our history class there. We toured Westminster Abbey along with our history professor John. He is fantastic. Full of dry, witty British humor and knows absolutely everything about the UK. I always enjoy class time and the class trips are great. Possibly, my favorite class. But we’ll see if this opinion stands after our first exam next week. Ugh.
Anyway, we toured Westminster Abbey. No pictures allowed, but I don’t think I could have captured the magnificence of that place in any amount of photos. Everything was over-the-top, loaded with history, and interesting to see. We walked around for about two hours. First, we hit up a few burial sights. It is quite quirky because they separate the burials by occupation. And people are buried everywhere! In the floors. The walls. The columns! Most of the burial sights are a big black slab amongst the tiles on the floor dedicated to some significant figure in British History. Kings and Queens. Poets and scientists. Radical politicians and saints. Each occupation has its own corner or hallway. We found Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, John Keets, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary I, Handel, Charles Dickens, and many more. Most I didn’t recognize, but a few were interesting to see. The abbey is actually full now, so they don’t accept any more… bodies? Our professor focused on the history of the abbey and a few funny stories about people buried there. The abbey was built over several decades. He showed us the different architecture throughout the church that I wouldn’t have noticed before. The church dated back to about the 10th century, I think. But the original building was demolished and rebuilt in the gothic style. They usually run out of money, halt construction for a few years, and then begin again a few decades later. My favorite part… Henry VII chapel in the back of the building. It is beautiful. Full of light, stained glass, and fan-vaulted ceilings. It was bombed in WWII, but restored with a memorial to deceased pilots in the back. Professor John liked that part, too, but I think his favorite was the coronation chair. It is this beat up, graffiti-ed, rotting chair that has been used since the 9th century I think (over 1000 years!) and we saw the place where all coronations have taken place since. Where Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and where Prince Charles will be crowned. The abbey was nearly empty, but it was hard to imagine 1500 people packed in the see the four hours ceremony. Yes, four hours. And the abbey’s layout isn’t suitable for such a theatrical event. Most attendants to the coronation won’t even be able to see the king/queen unless they are exiting or entering. But the building is magnificent regardless. Edward the Confessor, one of the first English kings and now a saint, is buried in the middle of the church. Its layout revolves around his tomb.
So much information… A bunch of us decided to walk home. It was actually a nice day out and it gave us time to digest and discuss. On the way to the abbey, while riding the tube, I almost felt like the novelty of the city was starting to wear off. I’m getting used to everything, and city life, British life isn’t as fascinating as it used to be. But just as that feeling sets in, I’m blown away by something new. And I love that feeling. Staring with a big grin or an amazed look on my face, stunned by some sight or fact. Getting really excited and taking a million pictures. I just love it. Just as I’m getting bored or settled in, London throws something new and fascinating at me. For example, as we walked home from the abbey, we saw Knightsbridge, a borough of London, lit up at night for the first time. The busy intersections, Harrods, the hotels, and Hyde Park. Wow. I love city life. I took a picture next to a huge poster of Emma Watson (Hermoine from Harry Potter) modeling for Burberry!
Day trip to Oxford tomorrow! Can’t wait.
Cheerio,
Kelly
I’m sick. Don’t worry Mom, I’m not that sick. Just enough to bug me. Runny nose and cough. Luckily, I had no class on Wednesday so I could just lay around. I watched a bunch of movies including Elizabeth, The Young Victoria (again), and Pride and Prejudice (again). All English movies… I’m obsessed. They are so much better with more context. I know the places and some of the back-stories. They may not always be the most accurate, but it was a decent way to spend the day. I think I even learned a few facts that will help me in my history class! Yet, I felt so bad just lying around all day. I’m in freaking London! And I’m just sitting on the couch… It was a good thing to do once. I’m rejuvenated and ready to go. Ready for more adventure. Bring it, London.
And then I woke up today crabby. Don’t know why, but everything just irked me. Through my annoyance, I realized that everything is just a bit backward here. The light switches switch down to turn the lights on. The locks turn left to lock. And if you haven’t heard yet, they drive on the left/wrong side of the road here… And then I got over my crabby mood and found all this kind of cute and charming. There is always something to remind me just where I am. Always something very British to make me smile. Or frustrate me!
Moving on. Today is Thursday. This weekend is packed, so I decided to check in before I get too overwhelmed and forget something or put off writing in here for a week…again. The day started off pretty great. Viv and I rushed down to the office to buy Billy Elliot tickets. We got ‘em! I’m probably in the nosebleeds, but I don’t care. I’m sooooo excited to see this musical. So excited.
Next, we grabbed the tube to Westminster and met our history class there. We toured Westminster Abbey along with our history professor John. He is fantastic. Full of dry, witty British humor and knows absolutely everything about the UK. I always enjoy class time and the class trips are great. Possibly, my favorite class. But we’ll see if this opinion stands after our first exam next week. Ugh.
Anyway, we toured Westminster Abbey. No pictures allowed, but I don’t think I could have captured the magnificence of that place in any amount of photos. Everything was over-the-top, loaded with history, and interesting to see. We walked around for about two hours. First, we hit up a few burial sights. It is quite quirky because they separate the burials by occupation. And people are buried everywhere! In the floors. The walls. The columns! Most of the burial sights are a big black slab amongst the tiles on the floor dedicated to some significant figure in British History. Kings and Queens. Poets and scientists. Radical politicians and saints. Each occupation has its own corner or hallway. We found Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, John Keets, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary I, Handel, Charles Dickens, and many more. Most I didn’t recognize, but a few were interesting to see. The abbey is actually full now, so they don’t accept any more… bodies? Our professor focused on the history of the abbey and a few funny stories about people buried there. The abbey was built over several decades. He showed us the different architecture throughout the church that I wouldn’t have noticed before. The church dated back to about the 10th century, I think. But the original building was demolished and rebuilt in the gothic style. They usually run out of money, halt construction for a few years, and then begin again a few decades later. My favorite part… Henry VII chapel in the back of the building. It is beautiful. Full of light, stained glass, and fan-vaulted ceilings. It was bombed in WWII, but restored with a memorial to deceased pilots in the back. Professor John liked that part, too, but I think his favorite was the coronation chair. It is this beat up, graffiti-ed, rotting chair that has been used since the 9th century I think (over 1000 years!) and we saw the place where all coronations have taken place since. Where Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and where Prince Charles will be crowned. The abbey was nearly empty, but it was hard to imagine 1500 people packed in the see the four hours ceremony. Yes, four hours. And the abbey’s layout isn’t suitable for such a theatrical event. Most attendants to the coronation won’t even be able to see the king/queen unless they are exiting or entering. But the building is magnificent regardless. Edward the Confessor, one of the first English kings and now a saint, is buried in the middle of the church. Its layout revolves around his tomb.
So much information… A bunch of us decided to walk home. It was actually a nice day out and it gave us time to digest and discuss. On the way to the abbey, while riding the tube, I almost felt like the novelty of the city was starting to wear off. I’m getting used to everything, and city life, British life isn’t as fascinating as it used to be. But just as that feeling sets in, I’m blown away by something new. And I love that feeling. Staring with a big grin or an amazed look on my face, stunned by some sight or fact. Getting really excited and taking a million pictures. I just love it. Just as I’m getting bored or settled in, London throws something new and fascinating at me. For example, as we walked home from the abbey, we saw Knightsbridge, a borough of London, lit up at night for the first time. The busy intersections, Harrods, the hotels, and Hyde Park. Wow. I love city life. I took a picture next to a huge poster of Emma Watson (Hermoine from Harry Potter) modeling for Burberry!
Day trip to Oxford tomorrow! Can’t wait.
Cheerio,
Kelly
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Goodbyes and Digestives
February 2, 2010
Amy and Kaydi left me today… wish they could have stayed for a month rather than a week! But after the craziness of last week, I’m relaxing for a few days, catching up on homework, and recovering from my food coma. Not a lot going on around here this week, but…
Olivia is in Australia! She got there almost a week ago. I talked to her on Skype. She lives in a castle… overlooking Sydney harbor… Jealous! And it is like 89 degrees there. Why didn’t I study in Australia??? Follow her blog at cheerstoolivia.blogspot.com. Also, my roommate Kelsie is in Milan, Italy this semester! I’m hoping to visit her at the end of my stay for a week or so. Her blog is welcometomilan.blogspot.com.
Mom and I have been trying to figure out a place for her and Grandma to stay in April. I think we are going to rent a small flat for those ten days or so. It seems like the best option because I guess London hotels are ridiculously expensive and the rooms are tiny! My program coordinator, Mary, is currently trying to help us find a place. She is great. Always full of advice. The advisors of this program have truly made this program so enjoyable and stress-free. I don’t know what I would do without them.
What else? I’m giving up Digestives. Have I mentioned these yet? They are the devil! Little cookie/biscuits that have milk chocolate on one side… ugh, sooooo good. I eat a whole pack when I get them.. Not good. I’m giving them up. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Oh, that reminds me. Last night, Hal and I met Amy and Kaydi at the Victoria pub for a drink before they had to leave. It was a great time. We just sat around, chatted about their flight in the morning, what they thought of London, and, of course, Amy and Grant’s wedding. Then, I said goodbye to Amy for three months! And proceeded to buy an entire pack of Digestives, ate the whole thing on the tube ride home. Last time. Seriously.
Today… boring. Didn’t do anything of interest except made spaghetti with mushrooms for dinner and went to Art History at two.
I’ll be putting a bunch of pictures on Facebook soon of my adventures with Amy and Kaydi. Keep an eye out!
Love you!
Kelly
Amy and Kaydi left me today… wish they could have stayed for a month rather than a week! But after the craziness of last week, I’m relaxing for a few days, catching up on homework, and recovering from my food coma. Not a lot going on around here this week, but…
Olivia is in Australia! She got there almost a week ago. I talked to her on Skype. She lives in a castle… overlooking Sydney harbor… Jealous! And it is like 89 degrees there. Why didn’t I study in Australia??? Follow her blog at cheerstoolivia.blogspot.com. Also, my roommate Kelsie is in Milan, Italy this semester! I’m hoping to visit her at the end of my stay for a week or so. Her blog is welcometomilan.blogspot.com.
Mom and I have been trying to figure out a place for her and Grandma to stay in April. I think we are going to rent a small flat for those ten days or so. It seems like the best option because I guess London hotels are ridiculously expensive and the rooms are tiny! My program coordinator, Mary, is currently trying to help us find a place. She is great. Always full of advice. The advisors of this program have truly made this program so enjoyable and stress-free. I don’t know what I would do without them.
What else? I’m giving up Digestives. Have I mentioned these yet? They are the devil! Little cookie/biscuits that have milk chocolate on one side… ugh, sooooo good. I eat a whole pack when I get them.. Not good. I’m giving them up. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Oh, that reminds me. Last night, Hal and I met Amy and Kaydi at the Victoria pub for a drink before they had to leave. It was a great time. We just sat around, chatted about their flight in the morning, what they thought of London, and, of course, Amy and Grant’s wedding. Then, I said goodbye to Amy for three months! And proceeded to buy an entire pack of Digestives, ate the whole thing on the tube ride home. Last time. Seriously.
Today… boring. Didn’t do anything of interest except made spaghetti with mushrooms for dinner and went to Art History at two.
I’ll be putting a bunch of pictures on Facebook soon of my adventures with Amy and Kaydi. Keep an eye out!
Love you!
Kelly
Amy and Kaydi!
January 27, 2010
Has it really been an entire week? Wow. Sorry for being so late with these updates. I think I’ll just start writing a little something at the end of every day because it is impossible to remember everything I did after a week! And what a week it has been… Amy and Kaydi are here! I’ve spent way too much money, gained at least five pounds, and had sooooo much fun! I’ll take you through my crazy week.
Monday… class was very tedious only because I knew Amy and Kaydi were coming and I was so excited. In Contemporary Britain we talked about British politics. Snooze…but we got to ask a lot of questions about the royal family, lines of succession, and scandals in the monarchy. It was great fun! There is a lot of debate here about abolishing the monarchy. Some Brits see it as a complete waste of money and attention, but others just love the Queen. She is the “Head of State” here. Which means she has to approve every bill, reside over a lot of fancy functions, and chat with the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoons over tea. She doesn’t have any real power. She can’t refuse to sign a bill or pardon criminals, but I think she is important all the same. And most people here really love her. Abate, she is a bit boring and her husband is a jerk... Prince Phillip isn’t looked upon as fondly as the Queen here in Britain. They all think he is a bit of a jerk.
That night, we traveled to Piccadilly Circus to a comedy play called 39 Steps, based on the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Boy, do they love Hitchcock here. Everything is named after him! There is a Hitchcock classroom at my school. Anyway, the play was hilarious and quite inventive. The cast only had four actors, but they embraced the small number. The same person would play five different characters in the same scene. I am beginning to understand why theatre is so loved in London. Every play we have seen has been unique and so well done.
We visited the National Gallery on Tuesday for my Art History class. I couldn’t concentrate on anything because I was so excited for Amy and Kaydi. I’ll just have to make another trip back soon. The National Gallery is located right off Trafalgar Square and I’m in that area quite often, so that shouldn’t be too difficult. We did see the “Mona Lisa” of Great Britain, as our professor called it. Sadly, I didn’t recognize it. And I’ve had four semesters of Art History! Maybe I should start paying more attention. After the gallery, I met up with Amy, Kaydi, and Kaydi’s cousin, Joanna. Jo lives right across Hyde Park from me, in Paddington, so it isn’t a very long tube trip at all. Hal and Viv met us for dinner at Nando’s, which was nice. The food was amazing. You never run out of interesting, delicious food in this town. This might be the death of my diet… We chatted for a while, the older girls shared a bottle of wine, and then my roommates and I headed home. They had class in the morning and planned our big trip for the next day…
Wednesday! We saw the sights. We hit up Trafalgar Square first. Saw Big Ben from a distance, found the mall leading to Buckingham Palace, and bunch of other beautiful buildings in that part of town. It is always unsettling to see these really familiar sights. You’ve seen them a million times in pictures, post cards, and posters, but they always blow you away. Or are really underwhelming (Buckingham Palace….). Next, we headed up to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) to check on some cheap tickets for a musical and see the area. That place is in its prime at about 11PM, when all the pubs close and everyone is heading to the bars around there, which never close. Literally, I don’t think they ever close. We found a really good shop for touristy British stuff. It was great. They had everything from piggy banks to soap with red telephones booths on them. I think we need to head back there before Amy and Kaydi leave! Next, (yes there is more, this was a very good and long walk) we stumbled onto Westminster after I almost got us lost. Took a few pictures of Westminster Abbey and Parliament, which I found out was originally a residence for monarchy called the Palace of Westminster long ago. Then, we crossed the Thames. How I love the Thames. It is always freezing cold, super windy, and raining when I’m around that river. I can’t wait for spring! Across the water from Westminster sits the London Eye. The Eye is this huge ferris wheel, and I mean huge, biggest ferris wheel you’ve ever seen, that goes really slow (it takes about 30 minutes to get once around), and it looks over all of central London. But of course, the London fog and rain set in and we couldn’t see much. It was still good to do at least once. Mom, we might have to skip this one in April… I don’t think a giant glass ball 300 feet in the air is really your thing.
For lunch, we sat down at a pub to dry off and warm up. It was right on the river and very cozy, but I can’t remember the name. Amy and Kaydi ordered a bottle of wine, I had a few Strongbows and we were great for the rest of the day. Don’t know how we ended up semi-drunk at noon on a Wednesday, but it happened. To me anyway! I needed a nap, so after that we all went home. Wednesday night we headed back out to Leicester Square to find the allusive bars that never close. Not that I could ever stay out until dawn. I’m always tired by like 11PM and ready for my cozy bed. Joanna had a coupon for 50% off appetizers and drinks so sat down for a few and just chatted. At this bar called Zoo Bar, everyone was avidly watching a football match. I don’t really get the appeal. Sooo boring. Until someone scores a goal and then fights break out amongst the fans. Not really, but they do get into it. We are going to a football match through my program. Maybe it will be more exciting from the stands.
Thursday we took a tour of Kensington Palace. Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret (the Queen’s sister), and Princess Diana all lived here for a time. The palace isn’t lavishly decorated and ornate like Windsor was, but it was beautiful all the same. They had a collection of Diana’s dresses on display (my favorite part), and we toured a few of the rooms used by monarchs. It was a nice morning. We walked around Kensington Gardens a bit before our tour. We found the Peter Pan statue again. Love him. But then I had class. Who thought it would be a good idea to make us study while we are over here? Just kidding, I really shouldn’t be complaining. I love all of my classes, but not while Amy and Kaydi are shopping at Harrods and I’m learning about the history of London. After class, Hal, Viv, and I met up with Amy and Kaydi at a small pub by Joanna’s flat called Victoria, after the Queen, of course. Victoria is fast becoming my favorite monarch! Anyway, we sat down for some chips (French fries) and a pint of Strongbow. Yum! What am I going to so when I come home and they don’t have Strongbow on tap?? I think I’ll manage. We chatted. Amy got roaring drunk. Just kidding, that was last night… No, I’ll let her tell that story. We had a lovely time at the pub. I wish pubs and that atmosphere was more popular in the states. For some reason, the Century Saloon just doesn’t have the same appeal…
Friday was exhausting. It rained, so we ventured to a few museums and those wear you out sooooo fast. I don’t know what it exactly is, but I’m always dog-tired walking out of there. Needing a nap and time to digest all these new sights and new information. First, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to art and design. Love that place. We found the jewelry room… my God, it was crazy. Tiaras, rings, necklaces worth more than my life! Wow. But my favorite is still my Black Hills gold ring that Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday. Wear it everyday! Off track again and I’m rambling…Back to museums. We went to the Natural History Museum next. Saw a T-Rex. Really, he was awake and everything when we went. Got to pet him and feed him… No, but it was still fun to see the bones. Sadly, the huge room with all the mammals was closed. I think Amy was disappointed. She missed the big blue whale! I’ll take pictures when it reopens in March for you, Am.
Friday night included more walking, eating and surprisingly, no drinking! We (Hal, Joanna, Amy, Kaydi, and I) went to an Italian dive and had the best carbonara ever. Diet = dead. Sooooo good though. We chatted and generally just had a good time. That is my favorite thing to do in London. Not the museums, not the tube, not the plays, but just sitting around, talking, eating, and having a good time.
Saturday was freezing… I mean freezing. I don’t think I’ve ever been that cold. We toured an area called Little Venice because of the canal that runs through it. Very charming, but I was just miserable. Thank God for my Uggs. I didn’t think I would need them here, but my toes would be popsicles without them. We (the student in my program and I) went on a boat tour down the canal. We floated around for about an hour, but only traveled about two miles. We passed by the London Zoo and a bunch of expensive, fancy houses, and then ended up in Camden. Camden is famous for the Camden Street Market held there every weekend. We were all a bit tired and cold from the tour, so we just ate and went home. I think I’ll go back when it is spring, but I wanted to get warm and see what Amy and Kaydi were up to. That night (last night) we went for Indian food. Indian cuisine is amazing and very popular here in London. We found this place called Aladin over in Shoreditch. Shoreditch is known for being the up-and-coming, younger area of London. It is definitely a change from Kensington. Anyway, Aladin was delicious. Mom and Grandma, I’m taking you there when you are here! The food is soooo goood. I got Chicken Tikka Masala. I have no idea what that means, but it was great. Yum!! After, we wondered for a bit. At one bar, this lady came up to us and whispered, “Kelly from Coronation Street is just over there.” And she pointed across the bar. Amy, Kaydi,, and I look at her like she is talking a different language. We had no idea who Kelly from Coronation Street was. Jo filled us in. Coronation Street is a popular soap opera here and some lady named Kelly was at the bar. Amy ran into a bit of a celebrity too, but she can tell that story. I was so confused when she was telling me, I’d never get it right.
Well, that was this week. Today, we are going to Buckingham Palace and doing a spot of shopping! Good day.
Cheerio!
Kelly
Has it really been an entire week? Wow. Sorry for being so late with these updates. I think I’ll just start writing a little something at the end of every day because it is impossible to remember everything I did after a week! And what a week it has been… Amy and Kaydi are here! I’ve spent way too much money, gained at least five pounds, and had sooooo much fun! I’ll take you through my crazy week.
Monday… class was very tedious only because I knew Amy and Kaydi were coming and I was so excited. In Contemporary Britain we talked about British politics. Snooze…but we got to ask a lot of questions about the royal family, lines of succession, and scandals in the monarchy. It was great fun! There is a lot of debate here about abolishing the monarchy. Some Brits see it as a complete waste of money and attention, but others just love the Queen. She is the “Head of State” here. Which means she has to approve every bill, reside over a lot of fancy functions, and chat with the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoons over tea. She doesn’t have any real power. She can’t refuse to sign a bill or pardon criminals, but I think she is important all the same. And most people here really love her. Abate, she is a bit boring and her husband is a jerk... Prince Phillip isn’t looked upon as fondly as the Queen here in Britain. They all think he is a bit of a jerk.
That night, we traveled to Piccadilly Circus to a comedy play called 39 Steps, based on the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Boy, do they love Hitchcock here. Everything is named after him! There is a Hitchcock classroom at my school. Anyway, the play was hilarious and quite inventive. The cast only had four actors, but they embraced the small number. The same person would play five different characters in the same scene. I am beginning to understand why theatre is so loved in London. Every play we have seen has been unique and so well done.
We visited the National Gallery on Tuesday for my Art History class. I couldn’t concentrate on anything because I was so excited for Amy and Kaydi. I’ll just have to make another trip back soon. The National Gallery is located right off Trafalgar Square and I’m in that area quite often, so that shouldn’t be too difficult. We did see the “Mona Lisa” of Great Britain, as our professor called it. Sadly, I didn’t recognize it. And I’ve had four semesters of Art History! Maybe I should start paying more attention. After the gallery, I met up with Amy, Kaydi, and Kaydi’s cousin, Joanna. Jo lives right across Hyde Park from me, in Paddington, so it isn’t a very long tube trip at all. Hal and Viv met us for dinner at Nando’s, which was nice. The food was amazing. You never run out of interesting, delicious food in this town. This might be the death of my diet… We chatted for a while, the older girls shared a bottle of wine, and then my roommates and I headed home. They had class in the morning and planned our big trip for the next day…
Wednesday! We saw the sights. We hit up Trafalgar Square first. Saw Big Ben from a distance, found the mall leading to Buckingham Palace, and bunch of other beautiful buildings in that part of town. It is always unsettling to see these really familiar sights. You’ve seen them a million times in pictures, post cards, and posters, but they always blow you away. Or are really underwhelming (Buckingham Palace….). Next, we headed up to Leicester Square (pronounced Lester) to check on some cheap tickets for a musical and see the area. That place is in its prime at about 11PM, when all the pubs close and everyone is heading to the bars around there, which never close. Literally, I don’t think they ever close. We found a really good shop for touristy British stuff. It was great. They had everything from piggy banks to soap with red telephones booths on them. I think we need to head back there before Amy and Kaydi leave! Next, (yes there is more, this was a very good and long walk) we stumbled onto Westminster after I almost got us lost. Took a few pictures of Westminster Abbey and Parliament, which I found out was originally a residence for monarchy called the Palace of Westminster long ago. Then, we crossed the Thames. How I love the Thames. It is always freezing cold, super windy, and raining when I’m around that river. I can’t wait for spring! Across the water from Westminster sits the London Eye. The Eye is this huge ferris wheel, and I mean huge, biggest ferris wheel you’ve ever seen, that goes really slow (it takes about 30 minutes to get once around), and it looks over all of central London. But of course, the London fog and rain set in and we couldn’t see much. It was still good to do at least once. Mom, we might have to skip this one in April… I don’t think a giant glass ball 300 feet in the air is really your thing.
For lunch, we sat down at a pub to dry off and warm up. It was right on the river and very cozy, but I can’t remember the name. Amy and Kaydi ordered a bottle of wine, I had a few Strongbows and we were great for the rest of the day. Don’t know how we ended up semi-drunk at noon on a Wednesday, but it happened. To me anyway! I needed a nap, so after that we all went home. Wednesday night we headed back out to Leicester Square to find the allusive bars that never close. Not that I could ever stay out until dawn. I’m always tired by like 11PM and ready for my cozy bed. Joanna had a coupon for 50% off appetizers and drinks so sat down for a few and just chatted. At this bar called Zoo Bar, everyone was avidly watching a football match. I don’t really get the appeal. Sooo boring. Until someone scores a goal and then fights break out amongst the fans. Not really, but they do get into it. We are going to a football match through my program. Maybe it will be more exciting from the stands.
Thursday we took a tour of Kensington Palace. Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret (the Queen’s sister), and Princess Diana all lived here for a time. The palace isn’t lavishly decorated and ornate like Windsor was, but it was beautiful all the same. They had a collection of Diana’s dresses on display (my favorite part), and we toured a few of the rooms used by monarchs. It was a nice morning. We walked around Kensington Gardens a bit before our tour. We found the Peter Pan statue again. Love him. But then I had class. Who thought it would be a good idea to make us study while we are over here? Just kidding, I really shouldn’t be complaining. I love all of my classes, but not while Amy and Kaydi are shopping at Harrods and I’m learning about the history of London. After class, Hal, Viv, and I met up with Amy and Kaydi at a small pub by Joanna’s flat called Victoria, after the Queen, of course. Victoria is fast becoming my favorite monarch! Anyway, we sat down for some chips (French fries) and a pint of Strongbow. Yum! What am I going to so when I come home and they don’t have Strongbow on tap?? I think I’ll manage. We chatted. Amy got roaring drunk. Just kidding, that was last night… No, I’ll let her tell that story. We had a lovely time at the pub. I wish pubs and that atmosphere was more popular in the states. For some reason, the Century Saloon just doesn’t have the same appeal…
Friday was exhausting. It rained, so we ventured to a few museums and those wear you out sooooo fast. I don’t know what it exactly is, but I’m always dog-tired walking out of there. Needing a nap and time to digest all these new sights and new information. First, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum dedicated to art and design. Love that place. We found the jewelry room… my God, it was crazy. Tiaras, rings, necklaces worth more than my life! Wow. But my favorite is still my Black Hills gold ring that Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday. Wear it everyday! Off track again and I’m rambling…Back to museums. We went to the Natural History Museum next. Saw a T-Rex. Really, he was awake and everything when we went. Got to pet him and feed him… No, but it was still fun to see the bones. Sadly, the huge room with all the mammals was closed. I think Amy was disappointed. She missed the big blue whale! I’ll take pictures when it reopens in March for you, Am.
Friday night included more walking, eating and surprisingly, no drinking! We (Hal, Joanna, Amy, Kaydi, and I) went to an Italian dive and had the best carbonara ever. Diet = dead. Sooooo good though. We chatted and generally just had a good time. That is my favorite thing to do in London. Not the museums, not the tube, not the plays, but just sitting around, talking, eating, and having a good time.
Saturday was freezing… I mean freezing. I don’t think I’ve ever been that cold. We toured an area called Little Venice because of the canal that runs through it. Very charming, but I was just miserable. Thank God for my Uggs. I didn’t think I would need them here, but my toes would be popsicles without them. We (the student in my program and I) went on a boat tour down the canal. We floated around for about an hour, but only traveled about two miles. We passed by the London Zoo and a bunch of expensive, fancy houses, and then ended up in Camden. Camden is famous for the Camden Street Market held there every weekend. We were all a bit tired and cold from the tour, so we just ate and went home. I think I’ll go back when it is spring, but I wanted to get warm and see what Amy and Kaydi were up to. That night (last night) we went for Indian food. Indian cuisine is amazing and very popular here in London. We found this place called Aladin over in Shoreditch. Shoreditch is known for being the up-and-coming, younger area of London. It is definitely a change from Kensington. Anyway, Aladin was delicious. Mom and Grandma, I’m taking you there when you are here! The food is soooo goood. I got Chicken Tikka Masala. I have no idea what that means, but it was great. Yum!! After, we wondered for a bit. At one bar, this lady came up to us and whispered, “Kelly from Coronation Street is just over there.” And she pointed across the bar. Amy, Kaydi,, and I look at her like she is talking a different language. We had no idea who Kelly from Coronation Street was. Jo filled us in. Coronation Street is a popular soap opera here and some lady named Kelly was at the bar. Amy ran into a bit of a celebrity too, but she can tell that story. I was so confused when she was telling me, I’d never get it right.
Well, that was this week. Today, we are going to Buckingham Palace and doing a spot of shopping! Good day.
Cheerio!
Kelly
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