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!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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.
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