Unfortunately, it is time to wrap this bad boy up. Teresa is already back in the States, for those who unfortunately haven't seen her yet. I do indeed miss having a roommate.
So Teresa, what did we learn these last few months?
Well, to mind the gap first of all. There is no windier place in the world than the Highlands. London is the best place to see musicals/plays. It only takes me three at the Heineken Brewery. The French really are snooty. Roundabouts are everywhere.
Oh, and London is 1000x better than any other city. Period.
Cheers, mates.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
One Week Left ....
I'll take a few minutes from what I should be actually doing (5 essays, plus studying for a final?!) and update, although nothing of severe excitement has happened in the last week. Most of us are scrambling to get our work done; time for being tourists has just about run low.
Last Tuesday night, as a class we went to see a production of Oliver! on Drury Lane (I'll spare you any Muffin Man jokes). It was almost impossible for Dr. Beynon to get our whole class tickets. Mostly because Fagin was played by Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) who was great, as expected, and brought a brush of comic relief and got more empathized with from the audience (as opposed to the book). After the show, Shannon, Teresa and myself bought matching FAGIN'S GANG tshirts and wore them to class the next day. All the while, the soundtrack was uninvitingly playing over and over in my head.
Friday, I went to Camden market for the first time. Awesome clothing of a rather punk/hippy-ish genre. Remind me never to visit markets by myself - always best to get a second opinion other than the vendor's. I tried on a grey tunic with a wide belt and ended up buying it. Teresa says that it looks good on me (apparently), but it really isn't my style.
After that episode, Teresa and I dolled ourselves up and got ready to see Les Miserables, my birthday gift to Teresa. We got to our local underground station and were shocked at how packed it was. Mind you, we rarely (if ever) rode the tube on a Friday night, because we were usually always out of town. But the Piccadilly line is used to get to Heathrow airport, so it was jammed with weekend travelers. Two trains passed through before we squeezed our way onto the third one. Once off the tube, we were able to breathe (and be blinded by the lights). It took us awhile to find the theatre, but when we did, the people at the box office were not able to find our reserved tickets - not under Teresa's name, my name or our school's (whom we booked our show tickets through for discounts). This had happened once before when we went to see Phantom, they didn't have a ticket for Teresa even though she paid for one. Even though Teresa had a reference number and our seat numbers, the reference number didn't even exist in the system and the seats were already occupied for the night. After thanking them for being patient with us, we walked back to the tube station with absolute lividity - Teresa, especially. That was like 80 pounds down the drain.
I booked again for another showing for this Thursday night through Ticketmaster (a little more money, but damn better seats) while Teresa wrote the secretary of our school an email. She better be able to get the money back. Losing her tickets twice is just ridiculous.
Enough ranting for now. Shannon left for Scotland yesterday while Teresa and Rebecca left early this morning for a day trip to Bath. I don't know what was in the air, but I managed to wake up earlier than usual both yesterday and today. I got ready this morning and rode the tube to Marylebone Station where they have a walking Beatles tour. The tour guide was Richard, highly gifted in Beatleology and owns the Beatles cafe in London, and the group was of about 15 people (primarily Americans). It was quite interesting - we started at the station itself (it's where the opening scenes of A Hard Day's Night was filmed) and we saw a few flats owned by Ringo and Paul, the Indian restaurant in the movie Help! (someone remind me to buy that movie when I get home) and of course, Abbey Road herself. Pictures are already up in my Picasa page.
When I got back to the flat (carrying lunch) I was still cold from the tour. The weather was sunny and warm one minute, and cloudy and rainy the next (thank you, bipolar London weather). I closed both windows, turned our heater on and brewed some tea .... I'm barely warming up now. Right now, I should get at least one essay done and study for my communications final.
Cheers,
Laura
Last Tuesday night, as a class we went to see a production of Oliver! on Drury Lane (I'll spare you any Muffin Man jokes). It was almost impossible for Dr. Beynon to get our whole class tickets. Mostly because Fagin was played by Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) who was great, as expected, and brought a brush of comic relief and got more empathized with from the audience (as opposed to the book). After the show, Shannon, Teresa and myself bought matching FAGIN'S GANG tshirts and wore them to class the next day. All the while, the soundtrack was uninvitingly playing over and over in my head.
Friday, I went to Camden market for the first time. Awesome clothing of a rather punk/hippy-ish genre. Remind me never to visit markets by myself - always best to get a second opinion other than the vendor's. I tried on a grey tunic with a wide belt and ended up buying it. Teresa says that it looks good on me (apparently), but it really isn't my style.
After that episode, Teresa and I dolled ourselves up and got ready to see Les Miserables, my birthday gift to Teresa. We got to our local underground station and were shocked at how packed it was. Mind you, we rarely (if ever) rode the tube on a Friday night, because we were usually always out of town. But the Piccadilly line is used to get to Heathrow airport, so it was jammed with weekend travelers. Two trains passed through before we squeezed our way onto the third one. Once off the tube, we were able to breathe (and be blinded by the lights). It took us awhile to find the theatre, but when we did, the people at the box office were not able to find our reserved tickets - not under Teresa's name, my name or our school's (whom we booked our show tickets through for discounts). This had happened once before when we went to see Phantom, they didn't have a ticket for Teresa even though she paid for one. Even though Teresa had a reference number and our seat numbers, the reference number didn't even exist in the system and the seats were already occupied for the night. After thanking them for being patient with us, we walked back to the tube station with absolute lividity - Teresa, especially. That was like 80 pounds down the drain.
I booked again for another showing for this Thursday night through Ticketmaster (a little more money, but damn better seats) while Teresa wrote the secretary of our school an email. She better be able to get the money back. Losing her tickets twice is just ridiculous.
Enough ranting for now. Shannon left for Scotland yesterday while Teresa and Rebecca left early this morning for a day trip to Bath. I don't know what was in the air, but I managed to wake up earlier than usual both yesterday and today. I got ready this morning and rode the tube to Marylebone Station where they have a walking Beatles tour. The tour guide was Richard, highly gifted in Beatleology and owns the Beatles cafe in London, and the group was of about 15 people (primarily Americans). It was quite interesting - we started at the station itself (it's where the opening scenes of A Hard Day's Night was filmed) and we saw a few flats owned by Ringo and Paul, the Indian restaurant in the movie Help! (someone remind me to buy that movie when I get home) and of course, Abbey Road herself. Pictures are already up in my Picasa page.
When I got back to the flat (carrying lunch) I was still cold from the tour. The weather was sunny and warm one minute, and cloudy and rainy the next (thank you, bipolar London weather). I closed both windows, turned our heater on and brewed some tea .... I'm barely warming up now. Right now, I should get at least one essay done and study for my communications final.
Cheers,
Laura
Sunday, March 22, 2009
York
Sunday night, it is now. Don't ask me why I'm starting to type like Yoda.
The trip to York was fun, particularly on Saturday morning when we went to Fountains Abbey, ruins of an old church with a forest and meadows. It was like a giant playground for us to take pictures in.
The previous evening, Friday, was when we were supposed to tour York minster (looks just like Westminster Abbey), but they screwed up our scheduled time, so we had to wait until Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, we went to Jorvick, the site of an old Viking village. We shopped around and ate at an Italian restaurant after that. Our visit to York Minster was excruciating, since most of the group opted to walk up to the top of the tower - 275 steps on the narrowest staircase in all of Europe. Definitely not for the claustrophobic or those with vertigo. I think I'll forgo the buns of steel workout, thanks.
After that event, Teresa and Courtney stayed for the evensong service while Shannon and I shopped around that area some more. We went into this dress boutique that was nothing but womens' 50's clothing; I mean, all the way down to the bras and garter belts. Shannon tried on and bought the cutest dress, red with white polka dots. She looks like a Leave It to Beaver housewife. All she needs to complete the outfit are peeptoe heels, pearls and a vacuum. It looked really cute on her.
For dinner, we were starving so we absently decided on a Tex-Mex place, (apparently we were starving that badly). I had a pizza, while Teresa and Shannon ordered the fajitas. No flavor, as per usual in England, but loaded with the scariest spices ever. Ick. That was also the place where I had my first tequila shot with Shannon. According to her, it was lousy liquor, but it worked fine for me.
Today, we had our usual English breakfast at the hotel, but this time they included blood pudding. Yes, I tried it - it tasted like burnt squishy sausage. Shannon insists we never speak of it again.
On the way back to London, we stopped at Castle Howard, a more modern house with amazing gardens. Or I am sure they would look amazing once everything's in bloom. The one thing about coming to England this time of year, I have to leave before everything blooms. Maybe that's a good thing, my sneeze reflex can only take so much.
Until next time,
Laura
The trip to York was fun, particularly on Saturday morning when we went to Fountains Abbey, ruins of an old church with a forest and meadows. It was like a giant playground for us to take pictures in.
The previous evening, Friday, was when we were supposed to tour York minster (looks just like Westminster Abbey), but they screwed up our scheduled time, so we had to wait until Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, we went to Jorvick, the site of an old Viking village. We shopped around and ate at an Italian restaurant after that. Our visit to York Minster was excruciating, since most of the group opted to walk up to the top of the tower - 275 steps on the narrowest staircase in all of Europe. Definitely not for the claustrophobic or those with vertigo. I think I'll forgo the buns of steel workout, thanks.
After that event, Teresa and Courtney stayed for the evensong service while Shannon and I shopped around that area some more. We went into this dress boutique that was nothing but womens' 50's clothing; I mean, all the way down to the bras and garter belts. Shannon tried on and bought the cutest dress, red with white polka dots. She looks like a Leave It to Beaver housewife. All she needs to complete the outfit are peeptoe heels, pearls and a vacuum. It looked really cute on her.
For dinner, we were starving so we absently decided on a Tex-Mex place, (apparently we were starving that badly). I had a pizza, while Teresa and Shannon ordered the fajitas. No flavor, as per usual in England, but loaded with the scariest spices ever. Ick. That was also the place where I had my first tequila shot with Shannon. According to her, it was lousy liquor, but it worked fine for me.
Today, we had our usual English breakfast at the hotel, but this time they included blood pudding. Yes, I tried it - it tasted like burnt squishy sausage. Shannon insists we never speak of it again.
On the way back to London, we stopped at Castle Howard, a more modern house with amazing gardens. Or I am sure they would look amazing once everything's in bloom. The one thing about coming to England this time of year, I have to leave before everything blooms. Maybe that's a good thing, my sneeze reflex can only take so much.
Until next time,
Laura
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Plays/EuroDisney
Our updates have gotten sparse as of late, school is winding down fast and we find ourselves with more to do than we've got time for . I'm finding semi-salvation with Twitter, it makes do in the time between posts. As Curt Smith says, "Twittering = fewer words more often; blogging = more words less often."
Last Tuesday night, we went as a class to see "Austentatious", a musical based on Jane Austen. I wasn't sure what to expect, having grown up with Jane Austen fans in my family. It's about a small group of people who try to put on a play based on Pride & Prejudice. It was actually a cute, simply musical ... and about half the play I spent doubled over, crying from laughing so hard. I really want to take my mom and aunt to see it when they come to London, but the play closes at this venue in a few days, hopefully I can find it at another location soon.
Wednesday night, a group of ten of us went to see "We Will Rock You" ... a musical based on Queen and their music. The songs were all from Queen, the plot was futuristsic, set in a time when everything is cyber/Matrix-y and all rock music/instruments are banned. I shudder to think of such a time ... oh wait, I practically live in it. But I loved the musical, even if the plot was a little under ... but it did rekindle my love of Queen music and appreciate Freddie Mercury all the more.
Yesterday, six of us took a Eurostar train to Paris again, just to go to Disneyland for the day. The park is on the outskirts of Paris, so we payed a hefty sum for a cab to get there. We didn't trust the Metro at this point. We made it there right after the park opened, and got a deal on tickets for students. We got a bite to eat before mapping out what we wanted to go on and skipping down Main Street. We managed to make really good time, riding all the rides we wanted, the longest we had to wait was 45 minutes. The only ride we couldn't get on was Hollywood Tower of Terror due to technical difficulties. It is less hyped up than the Anaheim park, less rides, but that equates to less people. We all enjoyed ourselves, and set aside a few hours at the end to go shopping. I didn't splurge much, just a few things for my niece and baby brother, and a few things for myself. We managed to make it back to the train station in time for our train, after going to British customs and security (hopefully the last time I have to put up with those stuffy people).
My Disneyland pictures are up ... enjoy!
Now unfortunately begins the two-week cram session of getting all my papers done, and preparing for class to end. The light at the end of the tunnel - my aunt and mom will be arriving in London!
Last Tuesday night, we went as a class to see "Austentatious", a musical based on Jane Austen. I wasn't sure what to expect, having grown up with Jane Austen fans in my family. It's about a small group of people who try to put on a play based on Pride & Prejudice. It was actually a cute, simply musical ... and about half the play I spent doubled over, crying from laughing so hard. I really want to take my mom and aunt to see it when they come to London, but the play closes at this venue in a few days, hopefully I can find it at another location soon.
Wednesday night, a group of ten of us went to see "We Will Rock You" ... a musical based on Queen and their music. The songs were all from Queen, the plot was futuristsic, set in a time when everything is cyber/Matrix-y and all rock music/instruments are banned. I shudder to think of such a time ... oh wait, I practically live in it. But I loved the musical, even if the plot was a little under ... but it did rekindle my love of Queen music and appreciate Freddie Mercury all the more.
Yesterday, six of us took a Eurostar train to Paris again, just to go to Disneyland for the day. The park is on the outskirts of Paris, so we payed a hefty sum for a cab to get there. We didn't trust the Metro at this point. We made it there right after the park opened, and got a deal on tickets for students. We got a bite to eat before mapping out what we wanted to go on and skipping down Main Street. We managed to make really good time, riding all the rides we wanted, the longest we had to wait was 45 minutes. The only ride we couldn't get on was Hollywood Tower of Terror due to technical difficulties. It is less hyped up than the Anaheim park, less rides, but that equates to less people. We all enjoyed ourselves, and set aside a few hours at the end to go shopping. I didn't splurge much, just a few things for my niece and baby brother, and a few things for myself. We managed to make it back to the train station in time for our train, after going to British customs and security (hopefully the last time I have to put up with those stuffy people).
My Disneyland pictures are up ... enjoy!
Now unfortunately begins the two-week cram session of getting all my papers done, and preparing for class to end. The light at the end of the tunnel - my aunt and mom will be arriving in London!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Amsterdam!
It's Monday afternoon, just finished lunch (Ramen as per usual). This morning we had our British Literature class, discussing Mrs. Dalloway and watching The Hours. Last night we got home from Amsterdam around 10:30 ... Teresa and I have to agree that Amsterdam was quite better than Paris. I plan on keeping this the censored version of my trip to save anyone embarrasment or blackmailing, anyone who wants the details I can give them to you one-on-one.
Friday morning, the usual protocol - Catch the coach at Great Portland Street station, drive to Dover, catch the ferry, land in Calais. This time was better than Paris, because for one thing, our group was half the size of that last week, so everyone got there own seat. Makes for better naps on the drive to Dover. Our guide was Rob, whom I've met before and is really nice. Our driver was Paul, who was an eccentric British combination of Disco Stu and Chef from South Park. It was better this time around because it was a smaller group of us - Paw, Rebecca, Shannon, Jenn, Teresa and myself.
The drive from Calais to Amsterdam was fairly flawless. Right after arriving in central Amsterdam, we got on yet another boat tour. Jenn and I were going nuts on this boat (she was dying for a cigarette and I was just anxious for food). And this boat was so low and encased in glass, we couldn't really see anything. Finally, we got out and grabbed the luggage from the coach and walked to our hostel. Since it was a smaller tour group, Rob let us switch our roommates around - it ended up that Paw and Rebecca roomed on their own, and the other four of us shared another room. The 'lobby' of this hostel was the bar Belushi's, loud and hopping at night.
After settling in, we went out and walked around, admiring the view, so to speak. Out hostel was in the middle of the Red Light District, and anyone who knows anything about the Red Light District has some clue as to what I'm talking about it. I had really no inclination before I came here, but I really got no shock factor at all. Some of the time I kept on getting flashes of one of the first scenes in Pulp Fiction - yeah, you know the one.
Breakfast served the next morning left more to be desired, but we were on our coach again to a town on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where they have a tourist area that shows you how they make clogs and cheese. Thrilling, no? They had samples of said cheeses, and the pesto was my favorite. We were back in Amsterdam by around 1:00PM, and we were dropped off by the area of museums, which was about a mile away from the Heineken Brewery. We spent over an hour in that place, engaging in the activities they had to offer and got a couple of free glasses of beer. I had never had Heinken before, it wasn't too bad. Afterwords, we ended up walking in what we thought was the way to the hostel, but in fact it was the opposite way. A taxi saved us, luckily, and dropped us off right in front of the building. We all napped for a few hours to be able to stay up later, then we went out in search of food. We found a Chinese place where I ordered a huge steaming plate of chicken fried rice, yum! We went in and out of some cafes/bars, looked inside some shops and just peered in the windows of others before getting a drink in Belushi's and heading up to our room.
The next morning was the same with breakfast, except this morning they had mini-Baguettes which I feasted on. We packed up our stuff and headed to Brugge, a cute town in Belgium known as the "Venice of the North." We were given a couple of hours to eat lunch and do whatever. We were told by Rob of this pub that serves lunch and has a huge menu - 25 pages of beer, 3 pages for food (you can sense the priorities). I had tomato soup and a cherry-flavored beer, which was okay. Teresa had an extra-sweet peach beer which pretty much just tasted like sparkling cider, I call that cheating. We headed around looking Belgian waffles for dessert. Shannon and I had the sundae - Belgian waffle, two scoops of ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream. It was more like a Heart Attack in a Haagen-Daaz Take-Away Dish dessert. We walked back to the coach to drive to Calais, on the way we stopped at a chocolate factory then a wine outlet for last minute purchases.
The ferry ride back to England was hell, we were caught in a storm and the ferry was rocking back and forth pretty badly. It was very rough, and poor Teresa and Shannon were getting seasick very badly. Even myself, I never get motion/air/seasick, but towards the end I was feeling nauseous. Not to mention a huge group of German kids were being extremely loud and obnoxious and were making fun of those who were getting sick. I seriously wanted to punch the lot of them, but in the meantime Rebecca and I cursed them with impotence and a lifetime of sexual frustation. That'll teach them. Midway through the ferry ride, I heard not one, but two Tears for Fears songs on the intercom (Shout and Mad World), and for a split second had a panic attack that someone hacked into my iTunes account.
I uploaded my pictures onto my pictures page, anyone who wishes to see any *other* photos that I may or may not have, let me know. ;)
Friday morning, the usual protocol - Catch the coach at Great Portland Street station, drive to Dover, catch the ferry, land in Calais. This time was better than Paris, because for one thing, our group was half the size of that last week, so everyone got there own seat. Makes for better naps on the drive to Dover. Our guide was Rob, whom I've met before and is really nice. Our driver was Paul, who was an eccentric British combination of Disco Stu and Chef from South Park. It was better this time around because it was a smaller group of us - Paw, Rebecca, Shannon, Jenn, Teresa and myself.
The drive from Calais to Amsterdam was fairly flawless. Right after arriving in central Amsterdam, we got on yet another boat tour. Jenn and I were going nuts on this boat (she was dying for a cigarette and I was just anxious for food). And this boat was so low and encased in glass, we couldn't really see anything. Finally, we got out and grabbed the luggage from the coach and walked to our hostel. Since it was a smaller tour group, Rob let us switch our roommates around - it ended up that Paw and Rebecca roomed on their own, and the other four of us shared another room. The 'lobby' of this hostel was the bar Belushi's, loud and hopping at night.
After settling in, we went out and walked around, admiring the view, so to speak. Out hostel was in the middle of the Red Light District, and anyone who knows anything about the Red Light District has some clue as to what I'm talking about it. I had really no inclination before I came here, but I really got no shock factor at all. Some of the time I kept on getting flashes of one of the first scenes in Pulp Fiction - yeah, you know the one.
Breakfast served the next morning left more to be desired, but we were on our coach again to a town on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where they have a tourist area that shows you how they make clogs and cheese. Thrilling, no? They had samples of said cheeses, and the pesto was my favorite. We were back in Amsterdam by around 1:00PM, and we were dropped off by the area of museums, which was about a mile away from the Heineken Brewery. We spent over an hour in that place, engaging in the activities they had to offer and got a couple of free glasses of beer. I had never had Heinken before, it wasn't too bad. Afterwords, we ended up walking in what we thought was the way to the hostel, but in fact it was the opposite way. A taxi saved us, luckily, and dropped us off right in front of the building. We all napped for a few hours to be able to stay up later, then we went out in search of food. We found a Chinese place where I ordered a huge steaming plate of chicken fried rice, yum! We went in and out of some cafes/bars, looked inside some shops and just peered in the windows of others before getting a drink in Belushi's and heading up to our room.
The next morning was the same with breakfast, except this morning they had mini-Baguettes which I feasted on. We packed up our stuff and headed to Brugge, a cute town in Belgium known as the "Venice of the North." We were given a couple of hours to eat lunch and do whatever. We were told by Rob of this pub that serves lunch and has a huge menu - 25 pages of beer, 3 pages for food (you can sense the priorities). I had tomato soup and a cherry-flavored beer, which was okay. Teresa had an extra-sweet peach beer which pretty much just tasted like sparkling cider, I call that cheating. We headed around looking Belgian waffles for dessert. Shannon and I had the sundae - Belgian waffle, two scoops of ice cream, maple syrup, whipped cream. It was more like a Heart Attack in a Haagen-Daaz Take-Away Dish dessert. We walked back to the coach to drive to Calais, on the way we stopped at a chocolate factory then a wine outlet for last minute purchases.
The ferry ride back to England was hell, we were caught in a storm and the ferry was rocking back and forth pretty badly. It was very rough, and poor Teresa and Shannon were getting seasick very badly. Even myself, I never get motion/air/seasick, but towards the end I was feeling nauseous. Not to mention a huge group of German kids were being extremely loud and obnoxious and were making fun of those who were getting sick. I seriously wanted to punch the lot of them, but in the meantime Rebecca and I cursed them with impotence and a lifetime of sexual frustation. That'll teach them. Midway through the ferry ride, I heard not one, but two Tears for Fears songs on the intercom (Shout and Mad World), and for a split second had a panic attack that someone hacked into my iTunes account.
I uploaded my pictures onto my pictures page, anyone who wishes to see any *other* photos that I may or may not have, let me know. ;)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Paris!
Friday - Caught the coach outside the Great Portland Street station. The group was almost 40 of us - 11 of which were from my school group. The coach drove about two hours to Dover, an English port city .. I slept pretty much the entire way. You would too after only four hours of sleep. The coach was loaded onto a ferry, we ventured to the top deck for lunch. I looked in the ferry shop, where they sold almost every brand of perfume. I didn't partake. After a few hours, the ferry docked in Calais in France, we boarded the coach again for a three hour drive to Paris. Once in Paris, we drove around the Arc de Triomphe (which is in the middle of the biggest/scariest round-about in the world). We parked at a dock for sightseeing tours on the River Seine, right in front of the Eiffel Tower. Our tour guide Yan met us then, he was such a cool guy. We took an hour-long boat ride, which was kind of pathetic. All the sites I wanted pictures of were on the opposite of where I was on the boat.
After the boatride, we paid 10 euros to go to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. Poor Teresa and her fear of heights, she made it to the very top! It was just around dusk when we were at the top, and we missed the lighting of the tower. After going back to ground level, we walked back to the coach while trying to hoard off the gypsy/street vendors who will bug you to buy their souveniers to no end. We drove to the hotel, I roomed with Teresa of course. Our room decor was awesome - it was like a modern/60s mod/Austin Powers motif. We rested before going to Japanese food with the others, which turned out to be awful. Like typical French food - horrible food in tiny quantities for a ridiculous price. I was too tired to complain, so I went back to the room and changed into my jammies and watched French TV.
Saturday - Woke up, showered, went down to breakfast - scrambled eggs, sausage, baguettes, juice and coffee. I haven't had coffee since I left the States (I've been drinking only tea in England), I wasn't disappointed. We loaded to the tour bus, to visit the Sacre Coeur church (almost pure white), souveneir shops (where I started my search for a figurine of the Opera House), and then the Moulin Rouge (looks nothing like the movie). After getting some lunch, we went on the bus again to visit Notre Dame. Now I'm starting to get Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack stuck in my head. We looked inside and took pictures, but didn't go to the top this time (line was too long). Looked at a line of street vendors' booths, still nothing with the Opera House.
On the coach again, we went to Palace and Gardens of Versailles which Teresa was super excited for. We spent an hour looking inside the Palace - I seriously was about to lose my baguette/Sprite lunch from all the gold/floral print decor. There was not a blank spot of wall in that entire place. To quote Lewis Black - 'I never really understood why the people of France chopped off Marie Antoinette's head, now I f---ing get it.' Outside we went into the gardens - which were completely dead. Teresa and I walked around for another hour and took pictures before heading back to the coach. The coach drove us back to the hotel, it was dinnertime and we were starving and our feet were killing us. We walked across the street to an Italian restaurant (a trip to France, and we eat Italian food). My tummy was happy and filled with spinach/ricotta tortellini. Back to the room and watch the Disney channel in French before going to sleep.
Sunday - Usual routine again with the waking up with showering and breakfast. Then we went to our rooms to pack our suitcases and vacate the room. On the coach, we found ourselves being few of the non-hungover people on the tour. We drove to the Louvre Museum, and it being the first Sunday of the month, it was free! We really just wanted to see the Mona Lisa, and a few others. We just went to one of the three wings and walked up and down some stairs and down some halls before realizing we passed by the Mona Lisa which was in one of the side rooms. You would think it was the paparrazi in there taking photos of the celebrities in there. The painting was roped off for 10 feets, everyone was taking pictures of it. My photos kept getting glare because the painting is behind bulletproof/vision-proof glass. Still an amazing site to see.
Once outside the Louvre, Shannon and Teresa wanted to spend the last hour getting lunch before we had to go back to the coach. At this cafe, you could down this opposite street the Opera de Paris, the site I really wanted to see. I opted to walk down the street (barely under a mile) to get a good picture of it. Walking back down the street, I popped into more souveneir shops, still finding no figurine. Finally, I found a shop that sold mostly porcelein/figurines. Finally, finally, FINALLY I found an Opera House figurine for only 10 euros! I was a happy little tourist.
On the coach, we journeyed back to Calais for the ferry. Before going to the port, we made a pit stop at a wine/beer/cheese joint. Shannon got a bottle of rose wine from Germany, Teresa got a bottle of white zin from France, I got a bottle of red wine from Italy. Each cost like 2 euros. Onto the ferry, after going through the border control with our passports (we didn't have to show our passports to get into France). Finally we docked in Dover, England and I slept all the way home on the coach. We made it to the flat at 10PM, where we found that Paw and Rebecca (our flatmates who didn't go to Paris), made Teresa a birthday cake. So sweet!
My legs are hurting, I'm still tired and, more importantly, my mouth and throat hurt from trying to talk in French. I will agree with anyone who say that France is overrated. Maybe they're snobby as well, but anyone I interacted with was really nice to me.
Just when I thought I've enough of Paris for the next few years of my life, right now we're booking EuroStar tickets to go to Disneyland in Paris next week. Egads!
After the boatride, we paid 10 euros to go to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. Poor Teresa and her fear of heights, she made it to the very top! It was just around dusk when we were at the top, and we missed the lighting of the tower. After going back to ground level, we walked back to the coach while trying to hoard off the gypsy/street vendors who will bug you to buy their souveniers to no end. We drove to the hotel, I roomed with Teresa of course. Our room decor was awesome - it was like a modern/60s mod/Austin Powers motif. We rested before going to Japanese food with the others, which turned out to be awful. Like typical French food - horrible food in tiny quantities for a ridiculous price. I was too tired to complain, so I went back to the room and changed into my jammies and watched French TV.
Saturday - Woke up, showered, went down to breakfast - scrambled eggs, sausage, baguettes, juice and coffee. I haven't had coffee since I left the States (I've been drinking only tea in England), I wasn't disappointed. We loaded to the tour bus, to visit the Sacre Coeur church (almost pure white), souveneir shops (where I started my search for a figurine of the Opera House), and then the Moulin Rouge (looks nothing like the movie). After getting some lunch, we went on the bus again to visit Notre Dame. Now I'm starting to get Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack stuck in my head. We looked inside and took pictures, but didn't go to the top this time (line was too long). Looked at a line of street vendors' booths, still nothing with the Opera House.
On the coach again, we went to Palace and Gardens of Versailles which Teresa was super excited for. We spent an hour looking inside the Palace - I seriously was about to lose my baguette/Sprite lunch from all the gold/floral print decor. There was not a blank spot of wall in that entire place. To quote Lewis Black - 'I never really understood why the people of France chopped off Marie Antoinette's head, now I f---ing get it.' Outside we went into the gardens - which were completely dead. Teresa and I walked around for another hour and took pictures before heading back to the coach. The coach drove us back to the hotel, it was dinnertime and we were starving and our feet were killing us. We walked across the street to an Italian restaurant (a trip to France, and we eat Italian food). My tummy was happy and filled with spinach/ricotta tortellini. Back to the room and watch the Disney channel in French before going to sleep.
Sunday - Usual routine again with the waking up with showering and breakfast. Then we went to our rooms to pack our suitcases and vacate the room. On the coach, we found ourselves being few of the non-hungover people on the tour. We drove to the Louvre Museum, and it being the first Sunday of the month, it was free! We really just wanted to see the Mona Lisa, and a few others. We just went to one of the three wings and walked up and down some stairs and down some halls before realizing we passed by the Mona Lisa which was in one of the side rooms. You would think it was the paparrazi in there taking photos of the celebrities in there. The painting was roped off for 10 feets, everyone was taking pictures of it. My photos kept getting glare because the painting is behind bulletproof/vision-proof glass. Still an amazing site to see.
Once outside the Louvre, Shannon and Teresa wanted to spend the last hour getting lunch before we had to go back to the coach. At this cafe, you could down this opposite street the Opera de Paris, the site I really wanted to see. I opted to walk down the street (barely under a mile) to get a good picture of it. Walking back down the street, I popped into more souveneir shops, still finding no figurine. Finally, I found a shop that sold mostly porcelein/figurines. Finally, finally, FINALLY I found an Opera House figurine for only 10 euros! I was a happy little tourist.
On the coach, we journeyed back to Calais for the ferry. Before going to the port, we made a pit stop at a wine/beer/cheese joint. Shannon got a bottle of rose wine from Germany, Teresa got a bottle of white zin from France, I got a bottle of red wine from Italy. Each cost like 2 euros. Onto the ferry, after going through the border control with our passports (we didn't have to show our passports to get into France). Finally we docked in Dover, England and I slept all the way home on the coach. We made it to the flat at 10PM, where we found that Paw and Rebecca (our flatmates who didn't go to Paris), made Teresa a birthday cake. So sweet!
My legs are hurting, I'm still tired and, more importantly, my mouth and throat hurt from trying to talk in French. I will agree with anyone who say that France is overrated. Maybe they're snobby as well, but anyone I interacted with was really nice to me.
Just when I thought I've enough of Paris for the next few years of my life, right now we're booking EuroStar tickets to go to Disneyland in Paris next week. Egads!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stonehenge & Salisbury
This three-day trip we were just on as a class is quite a mouth-full: Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's digs), Warwick Castle, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral (thankfully not the hometown of the TV dinner steak).
Monday morning, bright and early, we drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where our B&B was. First we detoured to Shakespeare's mother's house (complete with animals), then the house of Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife, of course). We checked into the bed&breakfast after, I roomed with Teresa and Rebecca. Our room was so cute - pale green with thistle, and our own bathroom. I just love British bed&breakfasts, they smell good too. We hung around for awhile, doing our own thing - some of us ate lunch at the nearest pub. Fish&chips and Strongbow for me, as usual. At 8:00, we went to see 'The Tempest' done by the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was good, considering I'm not good at deciphering Shakespeare with a visual text. After the play, some of us went get some Italian food - bruschetta and cheesecake for me. And a few sips of Jenn's primotivo. Then back to our rooms and into bed, or at least we tried. Teresa and I were kept awake by this mother and teenage daughter screaming at each other outside.
Woke up the next morning, showered and went downstairs for some English breakfast - eggs, toast, baked beans, tomatoes, sausage, bacon, orange juice and tea. I loved the food, especially the sausage and tomatoes. And luckily I'm one of the few tea drinkers of our group, so I got the whole pot to myself. Our coach took us to Warwick Castle, it was more recent than some of the castles we've seen. By myself, I walk along one of the paths to the top of the towers, but ended up tripping on air and slamming my knee on the ground. It's still swollen. I figured best to stay away from angled paths below 100 degrees (consult your high school geometry). I spent the rest of the time in the peacock garden, then tagging along with some of the other girls for a chicken/tomato baguette.
After that little excursion, we toured around Stratford - saw where Shakespeare was buried at Trinity Church, his birthplace and some gardens that belonged to his daughter. After that we were free to explore the rest of the town. Some of us went to get afternoon tea (a little less sophisticated than Kensington), then we shopped some. I found some cute skinny jeans that actually fit for 15 pounds. After, we went to another Italian place for time - I had pizza this time. Back to the room, hopefully for a better night's sleep.
Next morning - up, shower, pack up suitcase and English breakfast again. We loaded the coach, then headed to Stonehenge. Amazing sight, yet similar to Big Ben in that it's not as big as I expected. Circled around it, took some picures, then back onto the coach. Then we went to the town of the Salisbury to visit the Cathedral. The only interesting part of this one was it had the original Magna Carta.
Back at the flat now - tomorrow we have class, then we have to get ready and pack for Paris this weekend!
Monday morning, bright and early, we drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon, where our B&B was. First we detoured to Shakespeare's mother's house (complete with animals), then the house of Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife, of course). We checked into the bed&breakfast after, I roomed with Teresa and Rebecca. Our room was so cute - pale green with thistle, and our own bathroom. I just love British bed&breakfasts, they smell good too. We hung around for awhile, doing our own thing - some of us ate lunch at the nearest pub. Fish&chips and Strongbow for me, as usual. At 8:00, we went to see 'The Tempest' done by the Royal Shakespeare Company. It was good, considering I'm not good at deciphering Shakespeare with a visual text. After the play, some of us went get some Italian food - bruschetta and cheesecake for me. And a few sips of Jenn's primotivo. Then back to our rooms and into bed, or at least we tried. Teresa and I were kept awake by this mother and teenage daughter screaming at each other outside.
Woke up the next morning, showered and went downstairs for some English breakfast - eggs, toast, baked beans, tomatoes, sausage, bacon, orange juice and tea. I loved the food, especially the sausage and tomatoes. And luckily I'm one of the few tea drinkers of our group, so I got the whole pot to myself. Our coach took us to Warwick Castle, it was more recent than some of the castles we've seen. By myself, I walk along one of the paths to the top of the towers, but ended up tripping on air and slamming my knee on the ground. It's still swollen. I figured best to stay away from angled paths below 100 degrees (consult your high school geometry). I spent the rest of the time in the peacock garden, then tagging along with some of the other girls for a chicken/tomato baguette.
After that little excursion, we toured around Stratford - saw where Shakespeare was buried at Trinity Church, his birthplace and some gardens that belonged to his daughter. After that we were free to explore the rest of the town. Some of us went to get afternoon tea (a little less sophisticated than Kensington), then we shopped some. I found some cute skinny jeans that actually fit for 15 pounds. After, we went to another Italian place for time - I had pizza this time. Back to the room, hopefully for a better night's sleep.
Next morning - up, shower, pack up suitcase and English breakfast again. We loaded the coach, then headed to Stonehenge. Amazing sight, yet similar to Big Ben in that it's not as big as I expected. Circled around it, took some picures, then back onto the coach. Then we went to the town of the Salisbury to visit the Cathedral. The only interesting part of this one was it had the original Magna Carta.
Back at the flat now - tomorrow we have class, then we have to get ready and pack for Paris this weekend!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Of Hemispheres and Tea Leaves
Today was quite an adventure in itself. Teresa and I got up at 9AM, which is impressive for me on a weekend. We were joined with Rebecca, Shannon and Laura K. for our outing. We were running around in circles trying to find a working tube route to Westminster Pier (a good portion of the tube lines are down on the weekends for maintenance). We finally made it to the pier for the 10:40 boat to Greenwich. We had nice commentary on the boat ride, and saw a different view point of the London treasures. The weather was amazing; it was around 50 degrees, but it was sunny, light breeze and felt like 73 degrees.
At Greenwich, we were starving so we stopped at the first place we found - Desperado's, a Mexican/Italian/British food place. We prepared ourselves for disappointment based on what we've heard of flavored meals in England. We were actually very impressed - my penne with chicken in cream sauce was excellent. We had an appetizer of chips with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. We were in heaven.
After lunch, we managed to burn off the calories by trying to find the Royal Observatory. To get to it, we crossed through the beautiful park and trekked up Britain's answer to Heart Attack Hill. The Prime Meridian was somewhat impressive, and we topped off the trip by touching the world's oldest rock (4.5 billion years old).
We made a side-trip to the Queen's-House-Now-Turned-Museum, the only fact I found impressive about it was a scene in Sense & Sensibility was filmed in it. We managed to high-tail it back to the pier for the boat back to Westminster. Less commentary than before, but it did include banter against the Scots.
We did a roundabout again in the available tube lines to Kensington Park for high tea at the Orangery. We barely made it into the building before they closed. I ordered the orangery tea - a pot of Earl Gray, cucumber sandwiches, scone with jelly, and a slice of orange cake. Lovely.
We rode the tube home, and I scurried to three different grocery stores before finding mapel syrup for dinner (French toats and fruit). We just finished watching Shaun of the Dead (another zombie movie) while I typed this journal.
Monday we leave as a class for Stratford-On-Avon, we arrive back on Wednesday. The Friday after that, Teresa and I are off to Paris! We're quite a global duo. Cheers until then!
At Greenwich, we were starving so we stopped at the first place we found - Desperado's, a Mexican/Italian/British food place. We prepared ourselves for disappointment based on what we've heard of flavored meals in England. We were actually very impressed - my penne with chicken in cream sauce was excellent. We had an appetizer of chips with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. We were in heaven.
After lunch, we managed to burn off the calories by trying to find the Royal Observatory. To get to it, we crossed through the beautiful park and trekked up Britain's answer to Heart Attack Hill. The Prime Meridian was somewhat impressive, and we topped off the trip by touching the world's oldest rock (4.5 billion years old).
We made a side-trip to the Queen's-House-Now-Turned-Museum, the only fact I found impressive about it was a scene in Sense & Sensibility was filmed in it. We managed to high-tail it back to the pier for the boat back to Westminster. Less commentary than before, but it did include banter against the Scots.
We did a roundabout again in the available tube lines to Kensington Park for high tea at the Orangery. We barely made it into the building before they closed. I ordered the orangery tea - a pot of Earl Gray, cucumber sandwiches, scone with jelly, and a slice of orange cake. Lovely.
We rode the tube home, and I scurried to three different grocery stores before finding mapel syrup for dinner (French toats and fruit). We just finished watching Shaun of the Dead (another zombie movie) while I typed this journal.
Monday we leave as a class for Stratford-On-Avon, we arrive back on Wednesday. The Friday after that, Teresa and I are off to Paris! We're quite a global duo. Cheers until then!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Cambridge!
Where did I leave off ... oh yeah, Valentine's Day weekend. It was fun just hanging around here (or chillaxing ... yeah E, I went there). Pizza, Smirnoff Ice and chocolate cake were our friends, plus some games of Uno made for a cool evening. The girls went out to karaoke later in the evening, and anyone who knows me knows that I don't do that. Perish the thought. I stayed home and went to bed, after getting acquainted with Mrs. Dalloway.
Sunday wasn't much until I hopped onto the tube and went to Shepard's Bush to find the Westfield Mall where a store called Evan's is. I have to visit this place for my perception of plus-size culture in London for my ethnography project (I'm lazy - Google it). This mall is the biggest mall I've been in my life - 260 stores from Prada to Disney to Uggs to Tiffany&Co. It took me thirty minutes to find this place, but it seems worth it - a cross between Torrid and Lane Bryant, but cheaper. Juan was interested in this mall, and wants to go with me one of the times I go again .. and possibly make me try on outfits he picks out. Fine with me!
Monday, I napped after class. Naps are nice.
Tuesday evening we saw the musical - Teresa's much anticipated - Spring Awakening. Our class had mixed reactions, but I loved it. Give me a shocker on stage any day.
Wednesday - napped again after class. Wasn't feeling too hot.
Thursday after class we did an Oliver Twist (took a passage from the book and followed the specific streets). All was fine until this Brit out of nowhere grabs Sarah (the most gentile girl in our group) and started harassing her for no reason. Luckily Alicia and Jenn Z. jumped to her aid, but still, all of us had the pants scared off of us. Luckily no one was hurt ... ? After the walk, Shannon, Teresa and I went to Primark, a store that reminds me of WalMart on Christmas Eve. In other words - a getmethehelloutofherebeforeigettrampled kind of place. Afterwords, we were starving and wanted to the Hard Rock Cafe. We searched the Marble Arch/Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus, took two tubes and a bus ride. Still no luck. Finally we settled on TGI Fridays, where I had another much-deserved junebug, burger and onion scoop appetizer. My tummy was happy.
Today was our trip to Cambridge University. If I had to choose between Cambridge or Oxford, I would be stumped .. both are pretty amazing. We ate at the dining hall at Selwyn College -fish and chips for me! Then we had a two-hour walking tour of a couple of the colleges. The whole time I was freezing my butt off - best not forget my jacket next time.
PS - Jealous much of Teresa getting to meet James McAvoy? :D
Sunday wasn't much until I hopped onto the tube and went to Shepard's Bush to find the Westfield Mall where a store called Evan's is. I have to visit this place for my perception of plus-size culture in London for my ethnography project (I'm lazy - Google it). This mall is the biggest mall I've been in my life - 260 stores from Prada to Disney to Uggs to Tiffany&Co. It took me thirty minutes to find this place, but it seems worth it - a cross between Torrid and Lane Bryant, but cheaper. Juan was interested in this mall, and wants to go with me one of the times I go again .. and possibly make me try on outfits he picks out. Fine with me!
Monday, I napped after class. Naps are nice.
Tuesday evening we saw the musical - Teresa's much anticipated - Spring Awakening. Our class had mixed reactions, but I loved it. Give me a shocker on stage any day.
Wednesday - napped again after class. Wasn't feeling too hot.
Thursday after class we did an Oliver Twist (took a passage from the book and followed the specific streets). All was fine until this Brit out of nowhere grabs Sarah (the most gentile girl in our group) and started harassing her for no reason. Luckily Alicia and Jenn Z. jumped to her aid, but still, all of us had the pants scared off of us. Luckily no one was hurt ... ? After the walk, Shannon, Teresa and I went to Primark, a store that reminds me of WalMart on Christmas Eve. In other words - a getmethehelloutofherebeforeigettrampled kind of place. Afterwords, we were starving and wanted to the Hard Rock Cafe. We searched the Marble Arch/Oxford Circus/Piccadilly Circus, took two tubes and a bus ride. Still no luck. Finally we settled on TGI Fridays, where I had another much-deserved junebug, burger and onion scoop appetizer. My tummy was happy.
Today was our trip to Cambridge University. If I had to choose between Cambridge or Oxford, I would be stumped .. both are pretty amazing. We ate at the dining hall at Selwyn College -fish and chips for me! Then we had a two-hour walking tour of a couple of the colleges. The whole time I was freezing my butt off - best not forget my jacket next time.
PS - Jealous much of Teresa getting to meet James McAvoy? :D
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Last night and today were monumental! We went to see Spring Awakening and it was absolutely amazingly fantastic. The story was moving, music was powerful, and the set was almost dreamlike even in its simplicity. It was certainly controversial in its issues but great none-the-less and I felt that the nudity was done in a vulnerable and beautiful way. They had some seating on the stage and the cast sat among the audience and I was so envious. I want to see it again and hopefully sit closer this time. I was awed by the young actors performances and enjoyed the guy who played Melchior but I fell in love with Moritz(Iwan Rheon) and Hanschen(Jamie Blackley). . . aah . . . they were just too cute.
Then today to say goodbye to one of the girls in our program we went to see Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy (known for his roles in Narnia, Becoming Jane, Penelope, and Wanted) and it was the greatest moment so far of my trip. He did a phenomenal performance and the stuttering for the part was adorable. It was well worth the money to see this emotionally charged play. When it was over we hung around the stage door and he came out to sign autographs. I had him sign my program and he touched my hand when I got it back and said with a smile "Cheers Love" before I left. He was just so nice and very down to earth when he was talking to everyone. He was talking in his native accent. . . gosh I love those Scottish men! Katelyn, Jen, Shannon, and I felt like teeny boppers with all our squealing but we just couldn't help ourselves. The only thing that would have made the day even better would have been if Rob Pattinson had suddenly showed up which wouldn't be so weird since he has been spotted in Soho which is where the theatre was located. We ended our day having a group dinner at an Indian restaurant to say goodbye to Katelyn and wish her luck when she gets back to Fresno. She's going to have great stories to tell and pictures to show.
Tomorrow were going shopping to buy me a new outfit because we're going dancing at Escape Saturday night. Its a gay bar in Soho and some of the girls have already been and say its tons of fun. Shannon is picking out my outfit, doing my hair and makeup. She likes to think of me as her own personal life size barbie. This Friday another fieldtrip this time to Cambridge and I'll be buying yet another sweatshirt. It should be tons of fun, hopefully as great as when we went to Oxford and saw all the Harry Potter stuff and the Windsor castle tour where the Queen drove up and they changed the from the union jack to her flag.
We also booked our trip to Paris for the 27th of February and can't wait. We are also going to be going to Amsterdam( whoohoo the red light district) the weekend after that and then I'm trying to plan a trip to Ireland. I have to remember that while I'm travelling I have to get many projects done as well so wish me tons of luck. Love you all!
Teresa Vargas
Then today to say goodbye to one of the girls in our program we went to see Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy (known for his roles in Narnia, Becoming Jane, Penelope, and Wanted) and it was the greatest moment so far of my trip. He did a phenomenal performance and the stuttering for the part was adorable. It was well worth the money to see this emotionally charged play. When it was over we hung around the stage door and he came out to sign autographs. I had him sign my program and he touched my hand when I got it back and said with a smile "Cheers Love" before I left. He was just so nice and very down to earth when he was talking to everyone. He was talking in his native accent. . . gosh I love those Scottish men! Katelyn, Jen, Shannon, and I felt like teeny boppers with all our squealing but we just couldn't help ourselves. The only thing that would have made the day even better would have been if Rob Pattinson had suddenly showed up which wouldn't be so weird since he has been spotted in Soho which is where the theatre was located. We ended our day having a group dinner at an Indian restaurant to say goodbye to Katelyn and wish her luck when she gets back to Fresno. She's going to have great stories to tell and pictures to show.
Tomorrow were going shopping to buy me a new outfit because we're going dancing at Escape Saturday night. Its a gay bar in Soho and some of the girls have already been and say its tons of fun. Shannon is picking out my outfit, doing my hair and makeup. She likes to think of me as her own personal life size barbie. This Friday another fieldtrip this time to Cambridge and I'll be buying yet another sweatshirt. It should be tons of fun, hopefully as great as when we went to Oxford and saw all the Harry Potter stuff and the Windsor castle tour where the Queen drove up and they changed the from the union jack to her flag.
We also booked our trip to Paris for the 27th of February and can't wait. We are also going to be going to Amsterdam( whoohoo the red light district) the weekend after that and then I'm trying to plan a trip to Ireland. I have to remember that while I'm travelling I have to get many projects done as well so wish me tons of luck. Love you all!
Teresa Vargas
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy V-Day!
It's the least favorite day of the year, but at least there's chocolate . . .
Wednesday morning, we had a mini-field trip to the Globe Theatre, beautiful place and our tour guide was an actor there and did a great monologue for us. I got a t-shirt that says THOUGHT IS FREE ... so me, right? Yay for Shakespearean clothing.
Thursday, I got my box my mommy sent me - enough Ramen noodles and Fiber1 bars to last until the end of the semester. Yay! Thursday night was another girls night - 9 of us went to TGI Friday's in Piccadilly Circus, yummy drinks and ribs for me. After dinner, we trolleyed along to Shepard's Bush for a movie - He's Just Not That Into You. An epitome of a 'chick flick' if I ever saw one.
Yesterday, it was an early rise for a field trip to Oxford University and then Windsor Castle. Oxford is a bloody big school, but beautfiul. Could the term 'old school' be applied in a non-literal sense? Most of us got excited to see the dining hall, staircase and hallway where parts of the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed. At Windsor, two minutes after we arrived, someone said that the Queen herself was just driving up to the Castle. I didn't get to see her or her car, but that's kind of cool to think about. Most of us were in a hurry to get back, so we just saw Queen Mary's doll house and doll collection. This doll house was taller than my brothers and wider than our bathroom. Then we saw some of the royal apartments, looked in the gift shops, then managed to get lost. We realized we were on the opposite side of the castle than our coach was.
After we got back, we made reservations at La Casa D'Italia, where we had Italian last time. Our history professor, Bob, treated us *all* ... how nice of him! I sat across from him and Jenn, our wine connoisseur. Bob also digs wine, so he ordered four different kinds of red wine. I haven't developed a taste for wine yet, but suffice to say, I think I developed a whole pallet for it in just one dinner. I had gnocchi for dinner, delicious!
Tonight, we're just chillaxing in the flat ... I got frozen pizzas for dinner, Teresa got cookies, and Shannon is making a cake. Maybe a slasher movie? The day isn't over yet ...
PS - I added a link section on the sidebar, including to the page of my photos of London. I've already added new ones from this week's events. Enjoy!
Wednesday morning, we had a mini-field trip to the Globe Theatre, beautiful place and our tour guide was an actor there and did a great monologue for us. I got a t-shirt that says THOUGHT IS FREE ... so me, right? Yay for Shakespearean clothing.
Thursday, I got my box my mommy sent me - enough Ramen noodles and Fiber1 bars to last until the end of the semester. Yay! Thursday night was another girls night - 9 of us went to TGI Friday's in Piccadilly Circus, yummy drinks and ribs for me. After dinner, we trolleyed along to Shepard's Bush for a movie - He's Just Not That Into You. An epitome of a 'chick flick' if I ever saw one.
Yesterday, it was an early rise for a field trip to Oxford University and then Windsor Castle. Oxford is a bloody big school, but beautfiul. Could the term 'old school' be applied in a non-literal sense? Most of us got excited to see the dining hall, staircase and hallway where parts of the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed. At Windsor, two minutes after we arrived, someone said that the Queen herself was just driving up to the Castle. I didn't get to see her or her car, but that's kind of cool to think about. Most of us were in a hurry to get back, so we just saw Queen Mary's doll house and doll collection. This doll house was taller than my brothers and wider than our bathroom. Then we saw some of the royal apartments, looked in the gift shops, then managed to get lost. We realized we were on the opposite side of the castle than our coach was.
After we got back, we made reservations at La Casa D'Italia, where we had Italian last time. Our history professor, Bob, treated us *all* ... how nice of him! I sat across from him and Jenn, our wine connoisseur. Bob also digs wine, so he ordered four different kinds of red wine. I haven't developed a taste for wine yet, but suffice to say, I think I developed a whole pallet for it in just one dinner. I had gnocchi for dinner, delicious!
Tonight, we're just chillaxing in the flat ... I got frozen pizzas for dinner, Teresa got cookies, and Shannon is making a cake. Maybe a slasher movie? The day isn't over yet ...
PS - I added a link section on the sidebar, including to the page of my photos of London. I've already added new ones from this week's events. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Finally
I feel so bad for not blogging in such a long time but I really do have a good excuse. I have been very stressed out at trying to find a subject for our communication ethnography project. It has been very frustrating picking one that my professor thinks is exciting enough. I have written a couple of proposals and he finally picked the one that he liked the best. I will now be spending an abnormal amount of time looking at people in Hyde Park around the speaker’s corner and talking to them about free speech in London. This project will be tons of fun . . . not. Oh well at least the paper isn’t due till the end of March.
Well I had a fabulous time in Scotland and am certain that I will be going back again before I leave here. Even though I got really sick there it was still a memorable trip. We left early in the morning on Friday and had to walk to the station since none of the transportation was running so early in the morning. The train ride was about 5 hours and not bad at all. I spent my time talking to LL (Laura K.), drawing in my journal, and listening to my iPod. We had a bus tour of Edinburgh after we arrived then spent a little time getting use to our accommodations at the B&B.
We ended exploring before we had lunch at an Italian restaurant and some really yummy desert. LL and I chose to have dinner at Wannaburger which has been the closest thing to a real hamburger I’ve seen over here. We then decided to take a haunted cemetery walk at ten and had so much fun. I don’t believe in ghosts but still found the walk to be kind of creepy. She basically locks you in a dark cemetery while she tells scary stories. LL was chosen to be put in a mausoleum by herself and tell us if it was safe or not. Nothing happened but it was still entertaining and LL claims to have pictures of the ghosts. We got out of there around ten but got lost and didn’t get back to our room till after 12. We then had to get up before 7 for our highland tour.
The highlands were amazing and absolutely beautiful but I had eaten something at breakfast that didn’t agree with me and all the curvy driving made me completely ill. Not to mention that they don’t sell any saltines or pretzels because they try to use as little as salt as possible. It wasn’t until we got to Loch Ness, with all that open space and fresh cool wind blowing, that I felt loads better. That night I staid home while the girls went out to dinner and watched Robin Hood the Disney version on Laura’s laptop.
The next day we spent the day at the castle and I picked up lots of souvenirs and then had lunch. I forgot to pick up Rebecca Jean’s gift so sent the others ahead of me and walked to the royal mile for shopping. I had only about 20 minutes to get back to the B&B from the royal mile before the bus left without me so I sprinted the whole way. But I ended up getting lost and was certain that the bus was going to leave me behind in Scotland because I was already 10 minutes late. Luckily for me they were still there and Laura was very relieved. The train ride back was slow because it was snowing and for safety reasons we couldn’t go fast on the tracks. It was my first time seeing snow fall from the sky and all I can say is that I don’t enjoy it. The tubes were closed when we got back to London and we got the last bus of the evening at around 11:30 at night, then still had to trudge through the snow to get to our flat. I was still not feeling great so I staid home but everything was closed and the next day classes were cancelled.
We headed to Rochester Castle and Canterbury on our fieldtrip for Friday. I almost lost my life on the wet narrow stone steps of the castle but other than that it was fun. We had lunch at a fish n’ chips shop but I had chips and nuggets. This Friday were going to Oxford and doing . . . I’m not sure yet but it will probably involve another amazing architectural wonder. Well I must finish my homework, decide what to make tomorrow for dinner, and get ready for our tour of the Globe Theatre in the morning. I miss everyone and love to all!
Teresa Vargas
Well I had a fabulous time in Scotland and am certain that I will be going back again before I leave here. Even though I got really sick there it was still a memorable trip. We left early in the morning on Friday and had to walk to the station since none of the transportation was running so early in the morning. The train ride was about 5 hours and not bad at all. I spent my time talking to LL (Laura K.), drawing in my journal, and listening to my iPod. We had a bus tour of Edinburgh after we arrived then spent a little time getting use to our accommodations at the B&B.
We ended exploring before we had lunch at an Italian restaurant and some really yummy desert. LL and I chose to have dinner at Wannaburger which has been the closest thing to a real hamburger I’ve seen over here. We then decided to take a haunted cemetery walk at ten and had so much fun. I don’t believe in ghosts but still found the walk to be kind of creepy. She basically locks you in a dark cemetery while she tells scary stories. LL was chosen to be put in a mausoleum by herself and tell us if it was safe or not. Nothing happened but it was still entertaining and LL claims to have pictures of the ghosts. We got out of there around ten but got lost and didn’t get back to our room till after 12. We then had to get up before 7 for our highland tour.
The highlands were amazing and absolutely beautiful but I had eaten something at breakfast that didn’t agree with me and all the curvy driving made me completely ill. Not to mention that they don’t sell any saltines or pretzels because they try to use as little as salt as possible. It wasn’t until we got to Loch Ness, with all that open space and fresh cool wind blowing, that I felt loads better. That night I staid home while the girls went out to dinner and watched Robin Hood the Disney version on Laura’s laptop.
The next day we spent the day at the castle and I picked up lots of souvenirs and then had lunch. I forgot to pick up Rebecca Jean’s gift so sent the others ahead of me and walked to the royal mile for shopping. I had only about 20 minutes to get back to the B&B from the royal mile before the bus left without me so I sprinted the whole way. But I ended up getting lost and was certain that the bus was going to leave me behind in Scotland because I was already 10 minutes late. Luckily for me they were still there and Laura was very relieved. The train ride back was slow because it was snowing and for safety reasons we couldn’t go fast on the tracks. It was my first time seeing snow fall from the sky and all I can say is that I don’t enjoy it. The tubes were closed when we got back to London and we got the last bus of the evening at around 11:30 at night, then still had to trudge through the snow to get to our flat. I was still not feeling great so I staid home but everything was closed and the next day classes were cancelled.
We headed to Rochester Castle and Canterbury on our fieldtrip for Friday. I almost lost my life on the wet narrow stone steps of the castle but other than that it was fun. We had lunch at a fish n’ chips shop but I had chips and nuggets. This Friday were going to Oxford and doing . . . I’m not sure yet but it will probably involve another amazing architectural wonder. Well I must finish my homework, decide what to make tomorrow for dinner, and get ready for our tour of the Globe Theatre in the morning. I miss everyone and love to all!
Teresa Vargas
Monday, February 9, 2009
Cadbury Chocolate and Movie Nights
Rochester Castle was ... so-so. Okay, it was bloody cold and dank, and the staircases were a death trap.
On the flip side, Canterbury Cathedral was absolutely beautiful, and we had the sweetest lady from northern England as our tour guide. Ask me about Thomas Beckett, that's mostly who we were told about. Afterwords we walked around the town and got some fish and chips. Canterbury is a cute place, we could have spent hours browsing the shops, but time was of the essence.
This weekend was spent only in the flat, working on homework. How thrilling, no?
This Saturday is Valentine's Day, or as it should be - Singles Awareness Day. Not sure what the plan is yet. I just plan on eating more Cadbury chocolate - the best chocolate substitute I can find for See's.
Right now, all our roomies have finished dinner and are curled up around the TV. We're watching PS I Love You - with rolls of toilet paper since we have no tissues. How pathetic is that.
On the flip side, Canterbury Cathedral was absolutely beautiful, and we had the sweetest lady from northern England as our tour guide. Ask me about Thomas Beckett, that's mostly who we were told about. Afterwords we walked around the town and got some fish and chips. Canterbury is a cute place, we could have spent hours browsing the shops, but time was of the essence.
This weekend was spent only in the flat, working on homework. How thrilling, no?
This Saturday is Valentine's Day, or as it should be - Singles Awareness Day. Not sure what the plan is yet. I just plan on eating more Cadbury chocolate - the best chocolate substitute I can find for See's.
Right now, all our roomies have finished dinner and are curled up around the TV. We're watching PS I Love You - with rolls of toilet paper since we have no tissues. How pathetic is that.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Snow Days & Zombies
Scratch that last bit in that last entry where I said the snow looked lovely outside our train window. Once we got back to London, the tube station was shut down and barely made it to the last bus to take us by our flat. And we ended the evening with trudging through the heavy snowfall with our bags to get back to the Sienna Building. So much for my first snow fall being glamourized.
Monday, we were still tired and not feeling well, so Teresa and I played hooky and slept in. Turns out that half our class didn't show up anyways, so we didn't miss much. Most of the day was spent watching news updates on the weather - the heaviest snow London has seen in almost 20 years, trains, buses, and airports shut down, classes cancelled.
Tuesday, our class was cancelled. There was much celebration with cups of cocoa and the makings of snowmen. Meanwhile, I decided to indulge in more photography with the snow as my muse.
Back to school on Wednesday, and we fall back onto our usual routine. This week was our last week for our art class (*sniff*), we ended by visiting the Tate Modern museum. My enjoyment was the Dali paintings and pop art rooms.
Tonight was our free night for dinner, so the seven of us splurged and defrosted some pizzas and baked some brownies while watching 28 Days Later. Nothing more fun than getting your tummy full while watching a violent zombie movie.
Tomorrow is the Rochester/Canterbury trip. Should be fun!
-L
Monday, we were still tired and not feeling well, so Teresa and I played hooky and slept in. Turns out that half our class didn't show up anyways, so we didn't miss much. Most of the day was spent watching news updates on the weather - the heaviest snow London has seen in almost 20 years, trains, buses, and airports shut down, classes cancelled.
Tuesday, our class was cancelled. There was much celebration with cups of cocoa and the makings of snowmen. Meanwhile, I decided to indulge in more photography with the snow as my muse.
Back to school on Wednesday, and we fall back onto our usual routine. This week was our last week for our art class (*sniff*), we ended by visiting the Tate Modern museum. My enjoyment was the Dali paintings and pop art rooms.
Tonight was our free night for dinner, so the seven of us splurged and defrosted some pizzas and baked some brownies while watching 28 Days Later. Nothing more fun than getting your tummy full while watching a violent zombie movie.
Tomorrow is the Rochester/Canterbury trip. Should be fun!
-L
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Edinburgh, Scotland
The four of us (Teresa, Laura K., Rebecca and myself) are finally on the way back to London, and there is WiFi on this train. What a better way to pass by the time than to blog about our adventure in Scotland.
Day 1 - Tagged along with Kim and Courteney (who were frolicking along to Belgium) to find the train station at Kings Cross. We found it okay, but since I was quite weary since the buses hardly run at 5AM and the tube wasn't open yet. We met up with our tour group and got on the train in time. I slept most of the way and listened to the trusty iPod. We arrived in Edinburgh around 11:10AM, and boarded a coach for a two-hour tour of Edinburgh. Our guide was Robin, who was so adorable, and wore his kilt and played the bagpipes. Can I just say that I love the bagpipes and was looking for a CD in Scotland, but I'll just download single songs.
After the tour, we went to our B&B which was very quaint and very ... British. The four of us were rooming with two girls studying in Oxford. After settling in, we explored to streets before finding an Italian restaurant for a late lunch. I had ravioli and Pinocchio the Clown for dessert ... with a very phallic-looking cone. I took a picture for proof. After, we just shopped around, then we headed back to our room. Rebecca and I stayed behind, while Teresa and Laura went on one of the haunted graveyard tours. Normally I would've happily joined in, but I wasn't feeling well and was tired. Good thing too, because they were lost for about two hours afterwords before finally finding our place.
Day 2 - Woke up and got ready for a day in the Highlands. First there was breakfast - I had tea, juice, sweet rolls (I ate a bunch since I probably never see them again. Oh, sob!), and a crossaint with Nutella spread. I loved the breakfast, especially the tea. On the bus to the Highlands, our tourguide/bus driver was Fred who wore his kilt. Our first stop was a little village whose name escapes me, but they had Hamish the Highland 'Coo'. He's quite the tourist attraction. We fed him vegetables and posed for pictures. Heading through the Highlands, we got out of the coach a few times for pictures. I never have seen Mother Nature at her best before - the Highlands are so beautiful. They are much better to look at though, I have never felt such strong winds in my life. I could easily have been blown over.
We finally see Loch Ness, no monster though, just one big lake. Whilst driving along, our driver was playing Last of the Mohicans and other songs with bagpipes, and I was a happy puppy. We toured around Uruquart Castle, some of us trying to take photographs or taking refuge from the strong winds. We boarded a small cruise ship (because we just weren't cold enough ... try to follow that logic), and went along the Loch Ness. Boarded the coach again, and drove back to Edinburgh.
Teresa wasn't feeling well all day, so she stayed behind in the room while the rest of us went to another Italian place and brought Teresa back some Subway. Read some Oliver Twist, then it was bed time.
Day 3 - Woke up around 8AM, went down to breakfast and had more sweet rolls and tea before checking out. The four of us set out to tour Edinburgh Castle for a few hours, still freezing our arses off. With a few hours to spare before meeting our train, we found a TGI Friday's and were in heaven. We miss American food and what did I get? Chicken fingers and fries.
Walking around Edinburgh and not being familiar with the streets takes a while out of your day, so we hightailed it to our B&B, grabbed our bags and got on the coach headed to the train station. Which brings us to our present circumstances, in which Teresa is listening to my Alice Cooper playlist on my iPod.
It was indeed a fantastic trip, we had loads of fun. I could easily spend a week in Edinburgh, I just loved this city. I like better than London, to some degree - less crowded, more lowkey, less snooty people. Plus, they have kilts and bagpipes, icing on the cake for me.
On the train now ... and it's snowing outside our window. :)
Pictures are being uploaded as we speak. Keep checking for mor
e.
Day 1 - Tagged along with Kim and Courteney (who were frolicking along to Belgium) to find the train station at Kings Cross. We found it okay, but since I was quite weary since the buses hardly run at 5AM and the tube wasn't open yet. We met up with our tour group and got on the train in time. I slept most of the way and listened to the trusty iPod. We arrived in Edinburgh around 11:10AM, and boarded a coach for a two-hour tour of Edinburgh. Our guide was Robin, who was so adorable, and wore his kilt and played the bagpipes. Can I just say that I love the bagpipes and was looking for a CD in Scotland, but I'll just download single songs.
After the tour, we went to our B&B which was very quaint and very ... British. The four of us were rooming with two girls studying in Oxford. After settling in, we explored to streets before finding an Italian restaurant for a late lunch. I had ravioli and Pinocchio the Clown for dessert ... with a very phallic-looking cone. I took a picture for proof. After, we just shopped around, then we headed back to our room. Rebecca and I stayed behind, while Teresa and Laura went on one of the haunted graveyard tours. Normally I would've happily joined in, but I wasn't feeling well and was tired. Good thing too, because they were lost for about two hours afterwords before finally finding our place.
Day 2 - Woke up and got ready for a day in the Highlands. First there was breakfast - I had tea, juice, sweet rolls (I ate a bunch since I probably never see them again. Oh, sob!), and a crossaint with Nutella spread. I loved the breakfast, especially the tea. On the bus to the Highlands, our tourguide/bus driver was Fred who wore his kilt. Our first stop was a little village whose name escapes me, but they had Hamish the Highland 'Coo'. He's quite the tourist attraction. We fed him vegetables and posed for pictures. Heading through the Highlands, we got out of the coach a few times for pictures. I never have seen Mother Nature at her best before - the Highlands are so beautiful. They are much better to look at though, I have never felt such strong winds in my life. I could easily have been blown over.
We finally see Loch Ness, no monster though, just one big lake. Whilst driving along, our driver was playing Last of the Mohicans and other songs with bagpipes, and I was a happy puppy. We toured around Uruquart Castle, some of us trying to take photographs or taking refuge from the strong winds. We boarded a small cruise ship (because we just weren't cold enough ... try to follow that logic), and went along the Loch Ness. Boarded the coach again, and drove back to Edinburgh.
Teresa wasn't feeling well all day, so she stayed behind in the room while the rest of us went to another Italian place and brought Teresa back some Subway. Read some Oliver Twist, then it was bed time.
Day 3 - Woke up around 8AM, went down to breakfast and had more sweet rolls and tea before checking out. The four of us set out to tour Edinburgh Castle for a few hours, still freezing our arses off. With a few hours to spare before meeting our train, we found a TGI Friday's and were in heaven. We miss American food and what did I get? Chicken fingers and fries.
Walking around Edinburgh and not being familiar with the streets takes a while out of your day, so we hightailed it to our B&B, grabbed our bags and got on the coach headed to the train station. Which brings us to our present circumstances, in which Teresa is listening to my Alice Cooper playlist on my iPod.
It was indeed a fantastic trip, we had loads of fun. I could easily spend a week in Edinburgh, I just loved this city. I like better than London, to some degree - less crowded, more lowkey, less snooty people. Plus, they have kilts and bagpipes, icing on the cake for me.
On the train now ... and it's snowing outside our window. :)
Pictures are being uploaded as we speak. Keep checking for mor
e.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another Day
With so many reading assignments and journal entries my days have started to blend into each other. Its been many days since my last entry and I have done lots but Laura pretty much summarized all the stuff in her last post. I did go to a church called Hillsong with my flat mates Rebbecca, Pa, and Kaelyn. It was raining and we ended up walking home because the trains in the tube station stopped working. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home finishing Moll Flanders and listening to music. Pa, our best cook, made dinner that night and we all enjoyed white rice, garlic bread, and ribs. That's right I said ribs!
We went to the V&A (Victoria and Albert) museum on Monday for our art class and I sketched some of the jewelry and sculptures. It was lovely and I really want to go back when I have more time. After a couple of hours we went to shopping and I bought a tshirt for 3 pounds. We then went back to the greatest place in London MORRISONS! I have never been so happy to have a real grocery store in all my life. I picked up some stuff and made salad, cheesy bread, with vegetarian chili for dinner. YUM.
Today we confirmed our plans for Scotland this weekend. We're going to have a blast touring Edinburgh and the highlands. Laura #1, Laura #2, Rebbecca, and myself our looking forward to those three days. I also picked out my ethnographic project subject and its all to do with theater/Broadway/west end.
We are also going to see Every Good Boy Deserves Favour tonight and tomorrow night we'll be seeing Phantom of the Opera. Then on Thursday night some of us will be taking a journey to TGI Fridays and consume potato skins. We'll got to go and start Oliver and finish my discussion with Laura on finding a song I can hate. Any suggestion? Sorry disco duck doesn't work, I find the tune catchy. Bunches of Love.
Teresa Vargas
We went to the V&A (Victoria and Albert) museum on Monday for our art class and I sketched some of the jewelry and sculptures. It was lovely and I really want to go back when I have more time. After a couple of hours we went to shopping and I bought a tshirt for 3 pounds. We then went back to the greatest place in London MORRISONS! I have never been so happy to have a real grocery store in all my life. I picked up some stuff and made salad, cheesy bread, with vegetarian chili for dinner. YUM.
Today we confirmed our plans for Scotland this weekend. We're going to have a blast touring Edinburgh and the highlands. Laura #1, Laura #2, Rebbecca, and myself our looking forward to those three days. I also picked out my ethnographic project subject and its all to do with theater/Broadway/west end.
We are also going to see Every Good Boy Deserves Favour tonight and tomorrow night we'll be seeing Phantom of the Opera. Then on Thursday night some of us will be taking a journey to TGI Fridays and consume potato skins. We'll got to go and start Oliver and finish my discussion with Laura on finding a song I can hate. Any suggestion? Sorry disco duck doesn't work, I find the tune catchy. Bunches of Love.
Teresa Vargas
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Westminster Abbey + Obligatory Flu
It's been a few days, but our homework has been piling up unfortunately. Teresa went to church this morning with some of our roommates, while I am curled up in bed with a cold. Yes, it's been going from student to student as of late, and I'm the latest victim.
Thursday night, almost the whole student body, plus our two professors, went to this Italian restaurant by our flats. The best Italian food ever ... and the family that owns it were so much fun, and fun to listen to. A few of the males even danced with some of the females from our group. They bid us all a ciaobello on the way out.
Friday, we went to Westminster Abbey. No photography was allowed, unfortunately. Beautiful architecture and beautiful (if that's not the most morbid word of choice) tombs and effigies. A definite must-see in London if you ever come here.
Yesterday, we did homework and then we found a cinema playing 'Twilight', we saw it with our flatmates Shannon and Rebecca. Prices were not so different than the US in the concession stand, but we got a student discount. The cinema was in a shopping centre, so we explored afterwords. In no time, we found the *HOLY GRAIL* of grocery stores. All the stores we've been using in our neighborhood is like the illegitimate child of a 7-11 and a Kwik-E-Mart. But this one was an actual, honest-to-Buddha SaveMart/Vons/Food4Less replica. So we were in heaven, especially in the cereal and chocolate aisles. I found items for my night to make dinner (I improvised with pesto, chicken, tomatoes and pasta).
Next weekend, Teresa and I are planning on a three-day trip to Edinburgh and the Highlands. Yay for Scotland!
-L
Thursday night, almost the whole student body, plus our two professors, went to this Italian restaurant by our flats. The best Italian food ever ... and the family that owns it were so much fun, and fun to listen to. A few of the males even danced with some of the females from our group. They bid us all a ciaobello on the way out.
Friday, we went to Westminster Abbey. No photography was allowed, unfortunately. Beautiful architecture and beautiful (if that's not the most morbid word of choice) tombs and effigies. A definite must-see in London if you ever come here.
Yesterday, we did homework and then we found a cinema playing 'Twilight', we saw it with our flatmates Shannon and Rebecca. Prices were not so different than the US in the concession stand, but we got a student discount. The cinema was in a shopping centre, so we explored afterwords. In no time, we found the *HOLY GRAIL* of grocery stores. All the stores we've been using in our neighborhood is like the illegitimate child of a 7-11 and a Kwik-E-Mart. But this one was an actual, honest-to-Buddha SaveMart/Vons/Food4Less replica. So we were in heaven, especially in the cereal and chocolate aisles. I found items for my night to make dinner (I improvised with pesto, chicken, tomatoes and pasta).
Next weekend, Teresa and I are planning on a three-day trip to Edinburgh and the Highlands. Yay for Scotland!
-L
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Museums!
I'm going to stop keeping track of the days, it'll make this mother go slower than it already is.
The past weekend was our first days off. I did absolutely nothing except sleep in (!!!) and do homework. On Monday, we discussed Moll Flanders (meh) in my lit class, then our Art Tours class met and then looked in the British Museum at the Egyptian and Greek wings. I got some really nice photography in, some of which I posted on deviantArt.com ... no mummies yet, though, sorry!
Monday night we went to a pub around the corner for my roommate Kaelyn's birthday. It was a cool place, but I only stayed for one drink (my new friend Strongbow).
After class Tuesday, we went to Madame Tussaud's famous Wax Museum. It was free for Americans since they were unveiling the Obama statue and the inauguration, which they were playing on a big screen in the politicians wing. I got some awesome photos in again.
Tuesday night was the play "Complicit", starring Richard Dreyfus and directed by Kevin Spacey. Aside from being starstruck by two of my favorite actors, the play was really good. It was simple - barely any scenery, only three actors. It had dark elements as well - it dealt with post-9/11 journalism and torturing overseas. I was hoping to Kevin Spacey afterwords, but no such luck ... only until my roommate told me he was actually sitting three feet *BEHIND* us! O_O
I have to leave for class now, bye!
The past weekend was our first days off. I did absolutely nothing except sleep in (!!!) and do homework. On Monday, we discussed Moll Flanders (meh) in my lit class, then our Art Tours class met and then looked in the British Museum at the Egyptian and Greek wings. I got some really nice photography in, some of which I posted on deviantArt.com ... no mummies yet, though, sorry!
Monday night we went to a pub around the corner for my roommate Kaelyn's birthday. It was a cool place, but I only stayed for one drink (my new friend Strongbow).
After class Tuesday, we went to Madame Tussaud's famous Wax Museum. It was free for Americans since they were unveiling the Obama statue and the inauguration, which they were playing on a big screen in the politicians wing. I got some awesome photos in again.
Tuesday night was the play "Complicit", starring Richard Dreyfus and directed by Kevin Spacey. Aside from being starstruck by two of my favorite actors, the play was really good. It was simple - barely any scenery, only three actors. It had dark elements as well - it dealt with post-9/11 journalism and torturing overseas. I was hoping to Kevin Spacey afterwords, but no such luck ... only until my roommate told me he was actually sitting three feet *BEHIND* us! O_O
I have to leave for class now, bye!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday 19th
Ya ya, whatever Laura. Its not my fault that I have been having trouble getting online this weekend. Anyways The Tower of London was awesome! My presentation with Shannon on the Ravens went very well. The Ravens are the most well kept animals outside of a zoo I have ever seen. I mean they have their own kitchen! The legend goes that if the Ravens ever leave the White tower will fall, the monarch will fail, and a horrible disaster will befall london. They clip the wings of these seven ravens to ensure that never happens. Just remember don't touch them, their not nice pets but rather nasty little buggers.
We ended up staying about six hours just exploring, taking pictures, and just soaking it all in. We took a tour with a beefeater/yeoman and he made the history of the place come alive. Not to mention he was totally funny and had all of us laughing. I have to say that my favorite part was seeing the crown jewels. It totally blew my mind that I was just a sheet of glass away from such wealth. It was like a dream, the crowns and scepters were magnificent and unlike anything you can imagine. So sorry though I have no pictures of the brilliant jewels. We weren't allowed to photograph them but I got really great post cards of my favorite pieces. To end a great day we found a Ben and Jerry's and I had a little taste of home with Chunky Monkey.
Today I had school and then we went to the British Museum and I got to see amazing exhibits. On this visit we focused on Egyptian, the Pantheon, and Greek & Roman Sculptures. I was in heaven looking at all that classical art (my favorite time period!). Cameras been messing up so I hope that all my pictures will come out. I'm still trying to figure out how to transfer my picts to the computer, so bear with me. Soon you will have pictures to go to the stories.
Well got to finish reading Moll Flanders, will update soon with more stories of my London Experience. Tons of Love!
Teresa Vargas
We ended up staying about six hours just exploring, taking pictures, and just soaking it all in. We took a tour with a beefeater/yeoman and he made the history of the place come alive. Not to mention he was totally funny and had all of us laughing. I have to say that my favorite part was seeing the crown jewels. It totally blew my mind that I was just a sheet of glass away from such wealth. It was like a dream, the crowns and scepters were magnificent and unlike anything you can imagine. So sorry though I have no pictures of the brilliant jewels. We weren't allowed to photograph them but I got really great post cards of my favorite pieces. To end a great day we found a Ben and Jerry's and I had a little taste of home with Chunky Monkey.
Today I had school and then we went to the British Museum and I got to see amazing exhibits. On this visit we focused on Egyptian, the Pantheon, and Greek & Roman Sculptures. I was in heaven looking at all that classical art (my favorite time period!). Cameras been messing up so I hope that all my pictures will come out. I'm still trying to figure out how to transfer my picts to the computer, so bear with me. Soon you will have pictures to go to the stories.
Well got to finish reading Moll Flanders, will update soon with more stories of my London Experience. Tons of Love!
Teresa Vargas
Friday, January 16, 2009
London - Day 7&8
Sorry Teresa, but I still have you outnumbered in blog posts. Catch up if you can.
Update about WICKED - the seats were really good (19 pounds ... brilliant!), and the show was amazing as could be expected. Didn't differ at all from the American version.
Today we visited the Tower of London, first as a school group for presentations and then we were free to wander as we wanted. We (Rebecca, Teresa and myself) ended up spending six hours there, and I am SICK of STAIRS! Between the midget staircases in the towers and walking up the stairs to my flat, I pine to be at sea level elevation for the rest of my days.
I put up more pictures of the visit. Note, that I'm colder than I look in the last picture. X[
Dinner's ready. Later!
Update about WICKED - the seats were really good (19 pounds ... brilliant!), and the show was amazing as could be expected. Didn't differ at all from the American version.
Today we visited the Tower of London, first as a school group for presentations and then we were free to wander as we wanted. We (Rebecca, Teresa and myself) ended up spending six hours there, and I am SICK of STAIRS! Between the midget staircases in the towers and walking up the stairs to my flat, I pine to be at sea level elevation for the rest of my days.
I put up more pictures of the visit. Note, that I'm colder than I look in the last picture. X[
Dinner's ready. Later!
Finally Blogging
Yay, this is my first official entry in the blog. It took me forever to figure out how to get on, oh well. Being in London is way different than anything in Fresno, California. I have never felt like such a odd ball as I do here. There are so many different people and cultures that blend together to give London a bustling feeling. I am slowly trying to figure out the travel system and how all the roads connect, hopefully I get it before I leave.
Well everyone in the London Semester is really nice and are doing things together. Wednesday a group got tickets to see Wicked in West End. It was amazing and then last night was supper fun! A couple of us girls got together in flat 2, had a couple of drinks and watched Nottinghill. It was great hanging out and just enjoying a good chick flick. Today we are going to tour the Tower of London. I have to present on the Ravens and why they are so important to the Tower and London itself. It should be very eventful. Well got to go, I'll blog later. Tons of Love and miss everyone in Fresno.
Teresa Vargas
Well everyone in the London Semester is really nice and are doing things together. Wednesday a group got tickets to see Wicked in West End. It was amazing and then last night was supper fun! A couple of us girls got together in flat 2, had a couple of drinks and watched Nottinghill. It was great hanging out and just enjoying a good chick flick. Today we are going to tour the Tower of London. I have to present on the Ravens and why they are so important to the Tower and London itself. It should be very eventful. Well got to go, I'll blog later. Tons of Love and miss everyone in Fresno.
Teresa Vargas
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
London - Days 5&6
Classes got started on Monday. I love the British Theatre and Literature classes, but the communications/culture ethnography are going to make me want to bash my head in. Art should be fun, I'm hoping.
After class yesterday, three of us walked to find a Tesco (very descent grocery store), it's a few miles opposite our school. It was a long walk (took us almost two hours to get there and back to our flat). Only this morning I pointed out to Teresa there is one not even a block away from our school in the opposite direction. We'll get the hang of it eventually.
Last night we saw a production of "Loot" by Joe Orton which was a very British comedy, that very dry wit. I liked it ... my kind of humour.
I only had a few minutes to type this . . . a group of twelve of us are about to leave to see today's matinee of WICKED!!!!! (19 pound tickets ... but I'll wait until I see the seats before I make judgement of that discount)
After class yesterday, three of us walked to find a Tesco (very descent grocery store), it's a few miles opposite our school. It was a long walk (took us almost two hours to get there and back to our flat). Only this morning I pointed out to Teresa there is one not even a block away from our school in the opposite direction. We'll get the hang of it eventually.
Last night we saw a production of "Loot" by Joe Orton which was a very British comedy, that very dry wit. I liked it ... my kind of humour.
I only had a few minutes to type this . . . a group of twelve of us are about to leave to see today's matinee of WICKED!!!!! (19 pound tickets ... but I'll wait until I see the seats before I make judgement of that discount)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
London - Day 4
Today was quite fun, we got to be tourists for the first time. We had about a three-hour coach guided tour of the main sites of London. Our bus was small and crowded, hence the steam on the windows in some of my pictures.
We were able to get out of the coach for some up close & personal pictures of sites such as Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral and Kensington Park. We'll get our own tours of most of these places individually soon enough.
The amazing architecture, the great preservation of history ... it's all so much to take in at once. Thankfully I'm here for quite a while longer.
After the tour, a group of us took the tube (first time for me!) to Notting Hill Gate to look around. I found some cute, small souvenirs and even tried some Irn Bru. A smaller group of us broke off to go back at the flat, and Pa made some excellent stir fry for dinner. Teresa is still out, visiting a church, I believe.
Here are my pictures from today:
LONDON TOUR.
We were able to get out of the coach for some up close & personal pictures of sites such as Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral and Kensington Park. We'll get our own tours of most of these places individually soon enough.
The amazing architecture, the great preservation of history ... it's all so much to take in at once. Thankfully I'm here for quite a while longer.
After the tour, a group of us took the tube (first time for me!) to Notting Hill Gate to look around. I found some cute, small souvenirs and even tried some Irn Bru. A smaller group of us broke off to go back at the flat, and Pa made some excellent stir fry for dinner. Teresa is still out, visiting a church, I believe.
Here are my pictures from today:
LONDON TOUR.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
London - Day 2&3
Our flat situation is pretty descent. After getting assigned our rooms and getting our keys, we settled in our rooms. Teresa's and my room is probably no bigger than 10'x10'. There's room for our stuff, and our bathroom is a good size. We just have to high-step it in and out of the bathtub, otherwise we could end up with a nasty fall.
Right after, we had a short walking tour of the surrounding area, including eating areas, tube stops and markets. A group of 8 of us ate a small lunch, made a couple of grocery stops for the basics. We made it back to the flat, Teresa and I unloaded our suitcases. At 3:00, we had the manager of the flats talk to us about rules and maintenance. Right after, I started snoozing off on the sofa despite being told to stay awake as long as possible. After awhile, I could not take anymore of it. I went to sleep and passed out at around 4:30 PM. Teresa followed suit soon after.
We both woke up around midnight, only because a) the phone was ringing and b) we were boiling in our room. We turned the heater down, cracked our door open and went back to sleep. The alarm woke us about at 5:00AM and we got ready and chilled for a few hours.
Two of our flatmates Pa and Rebecca joined us for a walk around the neighborhood. We found more stores, a few parks, a library and a hospital while walking around for two hours in the freezing cold. We got back to the flat, Teresa and I curled up with a movie, then Teresa opted to go do some more walking, while I opted for a nap. I woke up to Teresa coming back in quite giddy. She told me she walked all the way to Westminster, the Queen's chapel, and other neat attractions.
We just had dinner of pasta and bread. Our food has been good; don't worry, I haven't been starving. Yet.
Tomorrow, we're having a half-day coach tour of London. I'll update again with pictures.
Right after, we had a short walking tour of the surrounding area, including eating areas, tube stops and markets. A group of 8 of us ate a small lunch, made a couple of grocery stops for the basics. We made it back to the flat, Teresa and I unloaded our suitcases. At 3:00, we had the manager of the flats talk to us about rules and maintenance. Right after, I started snoozing off on the sofa despite being told to stay awake as long as possible. After awhile, I could not take anymore of it. I went to sleep and passed out at around 4:30 PM. Teresa followed suit soon after.
We both woke up around midnight, only because a) the phone was ringing and b) we were boiling in our room. We turned the heater down, cracked our door open and went back to sleep. The alarm woke us about at 5:00AM and we got ready and chilled for a few hours.
Two of our flatmates Pa and Rebecca joined us for a walk around the neighborhood. We found more stores, a few parks, a library and a hospital while walking around for two hours in the freezing cold. We got back to the flat, Teresa and I curled up with a movie, then Teresa opted to go do some more walking, while I opted for a nap. I woke up to Teresa coming back in quite giddy. She told me she walked all the way to Westminster, the Queen's chapel, and other neat attractions.
We just had dinner of pasta and bread. Our food has been good; don't worry, I haven't been starving. Yet.
Tomorrow, we're having a half-day coach tour of London. I'll update again with pictures.
London - Day 1
Finally, my first update. Hopefully this will be a regular thing.
Smooth sailings on the airplane ride, after a tearful good-bye to my mother and aunt. I went through security questionably quickly. Teresa and I got a bite to eat by our gate, then proceeded to board. We were also sitting next to each other on the plane, a blissful twist of fate. My favorite part is when the plane takes off, ironically Teresa's not-so-favorite part. Ate a pasta dish on the plane, listened to some music. I managed to sleep a few hours, woke up after dark (thus proceeds the I-don't-know-what-day-it-is phase). The rest of the plane ride is boring and long, just basically consisting of me watching a map video of our flight progress and eating a questionable breakfast.
We landed at around 6:15 AM, went through customs, grabbed our luggage okay, waited for the coach to take us to the flat.
Dinner's ready, I'll write about the first actual day here later.
-L
Smooth sailings on the airplane ride, after a tearful good-bye to my mother and aunt. I went through security questionably quickly. Teresa and I got a bite to eat by our gate, then proceeded to board. We were also sitting next to each other on the plane, a blissful twist of fate. My favorite part is when the plane takes off, ironically Teresa's not-so-favorite part. Ate a pasta dish on the plane, listened to some music. I managed to sleep a few hours, woke up after dark (thus proceeds the I-don't-know-what-day-it-is phase). The rest of the plane ride is boring and long, just basically consisting of me watching a map video of our flight progress and eating a questionable breakfast.
We landed at around 6:15 AM, went through customs, grabbed our luggage okay, waited for the coach to take us to the flat.
Dinner's ready, I'll write about the first actual day here later.
-L
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