Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Churchill's Granddaughter!
We got to meet Winston Churchill’s granddaughter today! One of the professors in our program has been teaching a WWII class and a Winston Churchill class all semester and he’s been trying to get in touch with Celia. I didn’t take the classes, but I’ve heard all about them from the kids that did. It was great hearing the stories she had to share about this amazing man! She was his oldest grandchild and knew so much about him. It was neat being able to meet someone who had a different perspective on this famous political leader.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Easter in Barcelona
Our flight left Luton around 13:40. The easybus ride and everything went smoothly. Once we got to the airport and checked in and made it through security, I got some food from Pret because it’s the most amazing place ever! We arrived in Reus around 16:45 and caught a bus to Barcelona. Once the bus dropped us off, we had to find our hostel. We had a decent idea of where to go, but the streets aren’t always labeled that great. We found this map, but the thing was in Braille! Who would have thought?! Once we got to the hostel and were checked in and settled down, we decided to head to get some dinner. We had no idea where to go, so we walked and happened upon a place called Tapa Tapa. Tapas are the most amazing thing in the world. They’re tiny portions of amazing food and I love that you can get lots of different things and still not spend too much. The sangria was phenomenal and we bought 4 pitchers of it for the 8 of us. Yumm!
Saturday morning, some of us woke up and got breakfast (cereal) and when everyone was ready, we headed towards Las Ramblas. The street was so busy! There were birds, bunnies, and turtles in cages for people to buy. The street performers were so cool and some were really good! We found this food market along Las Ramblas and went inside to get some lunch. The produce stands were so cool. The fruit was fresh and cheap. I got a carton of strawberries for 1 euro. We also got baguettes and headed towards the end of Las Ramblas and the pier. We sat along the water and ate our lunch. We walked along the pier for awhile and just enjoyed the weather. We saw the boats in the marina and looked at the stalls along the water. There were people selling knock-off purses and sunglasses. We got to see a really cool mariachi type band that played some music. We finally made it to the beach and by the time we got there, the weather was getting a little cloudy and cool. We all just took pictures for awhile along the water! After we got bored at the beach, we headed towards the Olympic village and the rings. There was another market there, but it was basically a garage sale of junk and I didn’t buy anything. For dinner that night, we went to a place called Café and Te. The food was good, I got tortellini (I know, right?) because it wasn’t really Spanish cuisine.
Easter Sunday, we woke up and headed to Catholic mass. Not only was it my first catholic mass, but it was in catalan and I couldn’t understand a thing. Half of the group was catholic though so it made it easier to understand what was going on. After mass, the weather wasn’t looking too appealing so we went back and changed into warmer clothes and headed out for the day. We really wanted to do a boat cruise and I had read about one online. As we went to buy the tickets, a man came up and said that it was a bad cruise for the price and that the boat didn’t even go out of the harbour. We had a tough time deciding what to do since Rae and Shelby had already bought their tickets. We ended up splitting the cost of their tickets and we took another cruise. The one we took was amazing and we had a great time drinking sangria and just talking. It would have been so cool if the weather was nicer, but we survived! When we got off the boat, Mike (another boy in our program) had told us that the Picasso museum was free on Sundays. We headed over there and saw a ton of Picasso’s works. Seeing the progression of his work over the years helped me appreciate it more than if I had just seen a few pieces of his. I know it’s cliché, but I really like his blue period, even though it’s a bit depressing. There were a few pieces in the collection that really stood out to me too, but I don’t remember the names of them…oops. After the museum, everyone was tired, wet, cold, and hungry. There was a little tension as we tried to find a place to eat. We ended up on this side street at a little café and most of us got tapas. We headed back to Tapa Tapa for our Easter dinner though! The food was just that good! We went out for Jake’s birthday to a club called Catwalk. It took us awhile to find it, and once we did, they tried to charge us an 18 euro cover, even though we had tickets for free entry. As we were walking away, I said something to one of the workers about how our hostel had told us to come here and stuff and they ended up letting us in for free; thank goodness because there was no way I was going to pay an 18 euro cover! Once we got inside it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people there and we danced a ton!
Monday morning we decided to do a Gaudi day. We walked towards La Sagrada Familia and saw some of his other works along the way. The fact that Sagrada is still not complete and it was started over 100 years ago astonishes me! I can’t believe it’s the most visited construction site in the world! The intricacy in the building is phenomenal and it looks amazing. We didn’t pay to go in it, but the outside was incredible! We took the metro to Parc Güell and looked around for awhile. All of Gaudi’s works remind me of the City Museum because of the mosaics and whimsical fantasy world. I would love to have seen the inside of the houses and his other stuff, but it didn’t happen. We sat at the park for awhile and got some sun. The weather was amazing so we decided to head back to the beach. We laid out for awhile and got some sun and played in the sand. For dinner we ate at a restaurant along the boardwalk and had some amazing risotto! It was perfect.
Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Las Ramblas one last time. We grabbed lunch at the outdoor market. I loved that market! The fruit was so fresh and inexpensive. They also sold fresh juices which were delicious! Once we all got what we needed, we headed towards the bus station. We were afraid that we’d miss the bus or it would be full, so we made sure to catch an early one. We caught the bus back to the airport and waited for awhile to catch our plane. We did a bit of duty free shopping since there was nothing to do but wait! The flight was pretty smooth and when we got back to London, I was so worn out that I just wanted to go to sleep!
Saturday morning, some of us woke up and got breakfast (cereal) and when everyone was ready, we headed towards Las Ramblas. The street was so busy! There were birds, bunnies, and turtles in cages for people to buy. The street performers were so cool and some were really good! We found this food market along Las Ramblas and went inside to get some lunch. The produce stands were so cool. The fruit was fresh and cheap. I got a carton of strawberries for 1 euro. We also got baguettes and headed towards the end of Las Ramblas and the pier. We sat along the water and ate our lunch. We walked along the pier for awhile and just enjoyed the weather. We saw the boats in the marina and looked at the stalls along the water. There were people selling knock-off purses and sunglasses. We got to see a really cool mariachi type band that played some music. We finally made it to the beach and by the time we got there, the weather was getting a little cloudy and cool. We all just took pictures for awhile along the water! After we got bored at the beach, we headed towards the Olympic village and the rings. There was another market there, but it was basically a garage sale of junk and I didn’t buy anything. For dinner that night, we went to a place called Café and Te. The food was good, I got tortellini (I know, right?) because it wasn’t really Spanish cuisine.
Easter Sunday, we woke up and headed to Catholic mass. Not only was it my first catholic mass, but it was in catalan and I couldn’t understand a thing. Half of the group was catholic though so it made it easier to understand what was going on. After mass, the weather wasn’t looking too appealing so we went back and changed into warmer clothes and headed out for the day. We really wanted to do a boat cruise and I had read about one online. As we went to buy the tickets, a man came up and said that it was a bad cruise for the price and that the boat didn’t even go out of the harbour. We had a tough time deciding what to do since Rae and Shelby had already bought their tickets. We ended up splitting the cost of their tickets and we took another cruise. The one we took was amazing and we had a great time drinking sangria and just talking. It would have been so cool if the weather was nicer, but we survived! When we got off the boat, Mike (another boy in our program) had told us that the Picasso museum was free on Sundays. We headed over there and saw a ton of Picasso’s works. Seeing the progression of his work over the years helped me appreciate it more than if I had just seen a few pieces of his. I know it’s cliché, but I really like his blue period, even though it’s a bit depressing. There were a few pieces in the collection that really stood out to me too, but I don’t remember the names of them…oops. After the museum, everyone was tired, wet, cold, and hungry. There was a little tension as we tried to find a place to eat. We ended up on this side street at a little café and most of us got tapas. We headed back to Tapa Tapa for our Easter dinner though! The food was just that good! We went out for Jake’s birthday to a club called Catwalk. It took us awhile to find it, and once we did, they tried to charge us an 18 euro cover, even though we had tickets for free entry. As we were walking away, I said something to one of the workers about how our hostel had told us to come here and stuff and they ended up letting us in for free; thank goodness because there was no way I was going to pay an 18 euro cover! Once we got inside it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people there and we danced a ton!
Monday morning we decided to do a Gaudi day. We walked towards La Sagrada Familia and saw some of his other works along the way. The fact that Sagrada is still not complete and it was started over 100 years ago astonishes me! I can’t believe it’s the most visited construction site in the world! The intricacy in the building is phenomenal and it looks amazing. We didn’t pay to go in it, but the outside was incredible! We took the metro to Parc Güell and looked around for awhile. All of Gaudi’s works remind me of the City Museum because of the mosaics and whimsical fantasy world. I would love to have seen the inside of the houses and his other stuff, but it didn’t happen. We sat at the park for awhile and got some sun. The weather was amazing so we decided to head back to the beach. We laid out for awhile and got some sun and played in the sand. For dinner we ate at a restaurant along the boardwalk and had some amazing risotto! It was perfect.
Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Las Ramblas one last time. We grabbed lunch at the outdoor market. I loved that market! The fruit was so fresh and inexpensive. They also sold fresh juices which were delicious! Once we all got what we needed, we headed towards the bus station. We were afraid that we’d miss the bus or it would be full, so we made sure to catch an early one. We caught the bus back to the airport and waited for awhile to catch our plane. We did a bit of duty free shopping since there was nothing to do but wait! The flight was pretty smooth and when we got back to London, I was so worn out that I just wanted to go to sleep!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
G20 Summit here in London
I know I haven't posted in such a long time, but I'm keeping track of everything so as soon as I have the time I'll post!
Here's a little bit about the protests going on today in London. The G20 Summit has become such a big deal here and people are protesting and demonstrating everything! We're trying to stay out of the "city" as much as possible, but it's really not that far from us...kind of scary! What I find interesting is there are only 19 countries in the G20 but the EU is also included so it becomes the G20. I honestly don't know how they're going to solve the economic problems in the 5 hour meeting they're having, but maybe it will work. It's a gorgeous day so I'm headed to the park! Check out this video though:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7975597.stm
Here's a little bit about the protests going on today in London. The G20 Summit has become such a big deal here and people are protesting and demonstrating everything! We're trying to stay out of the "city" as much as possible, but it's really not that far from us...kind of scary! What I find interesting is there are only 19 countries in the G20 but the EU is also included so it becomes the G20. I honestly don't know how they're going to solve the economic problems in the 5 hour meeting they're having, but maybe it will work. It's a gorgeous day so I'm headed to the park! Check out this video though:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7975597.stm
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Queen of England
I saw the Queen today! One of the girls in my program had heard there was going to be a processional for the Queen and the President of Mexico. Since I don’t have classes in the morning, I had some time to kill and me, Kendall, Dawn, April, Angela, and Joy went down to St. James’s Park and as we came out of the tube stop, we saw her motorcade. Some of us noticed her sitting in the car, but others were too busy trying to get their cameras out. We walked/ran to where the motorcade was headed and saw the processional all lined up and waiting for the Queen and the President. We asked a nearby bobby the best way to see her and the entire processional and he said we needed to go through the park and get to the “mall” towards Buckingham Palace. We ran completely through the park and got to the mall. There was hardly anyone behind the barricades. Either this wasn’t highly publicized or people don’t care about these types of things anymore. Regardless, we had an amazing view of the carriages and the entire processional. We saw the Queen again as she passed by and I really wanted to try a regal wave to see if she noticed me, but I thought that might be too much. Haha. It was really a great experience. Not many people can say they’ve seen the queen and I’m glad I got to experience it while I’m here.
After that incredible experience, I had a class field trip to the Linley Sambourne house here in Kensington. Linley Sambourne was a famous illustrator during the Victorian period here in London. He illustrated the book Water Babies and did many satirical illustrations for Punch Magazine back then. His home has been preserved completely and still contains all of the family’s possessions. This is unique because Sambourne was middle class, not aristocratic and middle class homes were rarely preserved. The field trip was so interesting and the guide was incredibly knowledgeable on the Sambourne family.
After that incredible experience, I had a class field trip to the Linley Sambourne house here in Kensington. Linley Sambourne was a famous illustrator during the Victorian period here in London. He illustrated the book Water Babies and did many satirical illustrations for Punch Magazine back then. His home has been preserved completely and still contains all of the family’s possessions. This is unique because Sambourne was middle class, not aristocratic and middle class homes were rarely preserved. The field trip was so interesting and the guide was incredibly knowledgeable on the Sambourne family.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Dublin, Ireland
We flew RyanAir to Dublin on Thursday evening. We arrived around 10:30 pm and quickly went through customs and caught a city bus to the city center. We didn’t know exactly where the hostel was, but we had a general direction and the address so we asked along the way. Some people knew where the hostel was and some didn’t. Half of our group hopped in a cab and went to the hostel and when Alicia, Dawn, and I tried to get a cab, the driver said it was too close and he gave us directions so we could walk. We ended up getting there like 5 minutes after the rest of the girls and we saved money too. We checked in and got situated and decided we needed a drink, badly! We walked towards Temple Bar (where we had just been) and went to a pub called The Porter House. There were three levels and they had a live cover band playing. We went to the bar and I noticed that there were “girly” drink specials. Dawn and I got Emerald Isles and Tir Na Nog drinks and they were delicious and only €5! We closed down the bar and headed back to the hostel. I showered and went to bed because I was exhausted!
Friday morning we tried to wake up early and get a good start on the day. We somewhat succeeded and were out of the hostel around 10. We started walking towards Dublin Castle and fell upon Christ Church and took a few pictures. Everything in Dublin is really compact so we were at Dublin Castle in no time. We took a guided tour of the castle. It was once used by the English Kings and Queens, but it’s now used by the Republic of Ireland’s government. The rooms were really interesting and I learned a lot. Once the tour was over we went to the gift shop and spent entirely too long there! I bought Emma’s Claddagh ring. It has the celtic trinity on it as well so I hope she loves it! I bought Grandma a shamrock charm too! Once we were all done, we walked to Trinity College and some of the other girls saw the Book of Kells. We grabbed Subway for lunch and saw the Molly Malone statue. We walked to Hard Rock Café so Molly could get a shirt and some other stuff. While we were outside, this man came up asking for money for lunch and none of us gave him any money so he called us bitches. How awful. Then we saw him shoot up or something in the corner of the alley so we quickly left! We had a short walk to Jameson Distillery. At Jameson they asked for volunteers of the whiskey tasting and I raised my hand and the guide picked me! I quickly remembered I don’t like whiskey that much so I gave the tasting baton to Dawn for her birthday! We went on the tour and it was so interesting. The difference between Jameson and Jack Daniel’s is huge! Jack is distilled once while Jameson is distilled 3 times and you really can taste the difference. When we got to the complimentary drink area, I had a Jameson and cranberry juice. Lynnsey got the Jameson and ginger ale, and Alicia got the Jameson and coke. All were good, but I liked the Jameson and ginger ale the best I think! Eleanor and Dawn did the tasting/comparison and got to try Jameson, Jack Daniel’s, and Johnny Walker Black Label. They both preferred the Jameson by far. I tried the Johnny Walker and I couldn’t even swallow it…yuck! Once they had a good buzz going we walked to the Guinness Storehouse! Liquor before beer of course! The storehouse was different because it was a self-guided tour which I didn’t like as much. Guinness was decorated really cool and they laid out all of the ingredients and had quotes along the walls talking about beer and the ingredients and stuff. We got a complimentary drink at Guinness as well and the bartender was so amazing. She was able to pour my beer and put a shamrock in the head of it somehow. It was amazing and I tried to take a picture of it. The Guinness in Dublin definitely tastes different than the Guinness here. They say the closer to Dublin you are, the better it tastes and I could agree with that. I could actually drink it in Dublin! After the tasting we went to the gift shop and I bought myself a shirt because I haven’t really gotten myself that much. We headed to a nearby pub for dinner and then walked back to the hostel. We checked into our new rooms and freshened up so we could go out to Temple Bar. Kendall had heard about this place called St. Johns something or another and we tried to go there, but it was 21 and up…not good. We walked a little further and found another pub to go to. We met some men and talked to them all night. Two of them were married with kids, but the one was still pretty forward with Lynnsey. They left and said if we saw them again it would be Serendipity. Well, we saw them again at Temple Bar. We rang in Dawn’s 21st at the Temple Bar! It was like 5 bars in one! We were pretty tired so we went home around one, but we got Hungry Harry’s drunk food!
Saturday was a LONG day! It started at 9:45 when the tour bus picked us up for our tour of the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. It was cold and rainy at first so I was not having it, but as we drove it got sunny and warmer. The man driving our tour bus provided us with tea and biscuits…how sweet! As we drove up into the mountains, our guide would point things out and tell us the history and stories of the area. We would often pull off to the side of the road and get out so we could take pictures and stretch our legs. The first stop we made gave us a great view of Dublin’s port. Unfortunately, it was rainy and foggy so we couldn’t see as much as we liked, but we still took pictures. Our next stop required a bit of hiking to get to, but it was worth it. We arrived at a lake surrounded by huge hills and our guide said the lake was formed when there were glaciers covering this area. We also stopped at Guinness Lake which is the lake on the Guinness family’s estate in the mountains. The wind was so strong I thought we were all going to be blown off the hill! We stopped in a small town which is the highest elevated town in Ireland, nice fun fact! Our driver also took us to a waterfall and dropped us off at the top so we could walk down the road to the bottom. It was very picturesque because there were sheep and a small farmhouse near the stream. Soon after, the driver took us to lunch which was kind of a rip off because they give you the choice of a restaurant or a coffee shop and you’re starving by this point, but the meals cost 15 euro which is really steep. After lunch we went to this little souvenir shop and I found a claddagh ring! That was one of the things I wanted from Ireland because its such a great symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. Next we headed to Glendalough (in Irish it means city between two lakes) which is GORGEOUS! It was founded by Saint Kevin as an early medieval monastery in the early 6th century. It was destroyed by English troops in 1398. There were a ton of grave stones everywhere with some remains of their churches and the only one completely still standing was Saint Kevin's Church. Our bus driver toured us through this area (on foot that is). Once he told us a little about it, he let us loose to go explore the area. He told us how to get to another water fall and a walking trail that would take us along the lakes. We took off and explored for a couple of hours. The weather was beautiful as well. We could have asked for better weather for that time of the year. It seemed to be very rare that we didn't get rain either. The bus driver was pretty much shocked. We told him it was because it was our friend Dawn's birthday. After exploring the area for a while, we headed back to the bus and went back to our hostel. We went out for Dawn’s birthday at Thunder Road Café, which is a lot like Hard Rock Café and uber-american. It was fun to celebrate and get some American food! I had a blue drink which matched my blue shirt, not on purpose, but still funny! We went to Porterhouse, which is another bar in the Temple Bar area, and listened to live music! Later that night we went back to the hostel to get our bags and then we caught a taxi to the airport and slept there for a few hours before we could catch our early flight back. It was an amazing trip with the girls and I loved how beautiful the country is.
Friday morning we tried to wake up early and get a good start on the day. We somewhat succeeded and were out of the hostel around 10. We started walking towards Dublin Castle and fell upon Christ Church and took a few pictures. Everything in Dublin is really compact so we were at Dublin Castle in no time. We took a guided tour of the castle. It was once used by the English Kings and Queens, but it’s now used by the Republic of Ireland’s government. The rooms were really interesting and I learned a lot. Once the tour was over we went to the gift shop and spent entirely too long there! I bought Emma’s Claddagh ring. It has the celtic trinity on it as well so I hope she loves it! I bought Grandma a shamrock charm too! Once we were all done, we walked to Trinity College and some of the other girls saw the Book of Kells. We grabbed Subway for lunch and saw the Molly Malone statue. We walked to Hard Rock Café so Molly could get a shirt and some other stuff. While we were outside, this man came up asking for money for lunch and none of us gave him any money so he called us bitches. How awful. Then we saw him shoot up or something in the corner of the alley so we quickly left! We had a short walk to Jameson Distillery. At Jameson they asked for volunteers of the whiskey tasting and I raised my hand and the guide picked me! I quickly remembered I don’t like whiskey that much so I gave the tasting baton to Dawn for her birthday! We went on the tour and it was so interesting. The difference between Jameson and Jack Daniel’s is huge! Jack is distilled once while Jameson is distilled 3 times and you really can taste the difference. When we got to the complimentary drink area, I had a Jameson and cranberry juice. Lynnsey got the Jameson and ginger ale, and Alicia got the Jameson and coke. All were good, but I liked the Jameson and ginger ale the best I think! Eleanor and Dawn did the tasting/comparison and got to try Jameson, Jack Daniel’s, and Johnny Walker Black Label. They both preferred the Jameson by far. I tried the Johnny Walker and I couldn’t even swallow it…yuck! Once they had a good buzz going we walked to the Guinness Storehouse! Liquor before beer of course! The storehouse was different because it was a self-guided tour which I didn’t like as much. Guinness was decorated really cool and they laid out all of the ingredients and had quotes along the walls talking about beer and the ingredients and stuff. We got a complimentary drink at Guinness as well and the bartender was so amazing. She was able to pour my beer and put a shamrock in the head of it somehow. It was amazing and I tried to take a picture of it. The Guinness in Dublin definitely tastes different than the Guinness here. They say the closer to Dublin you are, the better it tastes and I could agree with that. I could actually drink it in Dublin! After the tasting we went to the gift shop and I bought myself a shirt because I haven’t really gotten myself that much. We headed to a nearby pub for dinner and then walked back to the hostel. We checked into our new rooms and freshened up so we could go out to Temple Bar. Kendall had heard about this place called St. Johns something or another and we tried to go there, but it was 21 and up…not good. We walked a little further and found another pub to go to. We met some men and talked to them all night. Two of them were married with kids, but the one was still pretty forward with Lynnsey. They left and said if we saw them again it would be Serendipity. Well, we saw them again at Temple Bar. We rang in Dawn’s 21st at the Temple Bar! It was like 5 bars in one! We were pretty tired so we went home around one, but we got Hungry Harry’s drunk food!
Saturday was a LONG day! It started at 9:45 when the tour bus picked us up for our tour of the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. It was cold and rainy at first so I was not having it, but as we drove it got sunny and warmer. The man driving our tour bus provided us with tea and biscuits…how sweet! As we drove up into the mountains, our guide would point things out and tell us the history and stories of the area. We would often pull off to the side of the road and get out so we could take pictures and stretch our legs. The first stop we made gave us a great view of Dublin’s port. Unfortunately, it was rainy and foggy so we couldn’t see as much as we liked, but we still took pictures. Our next stop required a bit of hiking to get to, but it was worth it. We arrived at a lake surrounded by huge hills and our guide said the lake was formed when there were glaciers covering this area. We also stopped at Guinness Lake which is the lake on the Guinness family’s estate in the mountains. The wind was so strong I thought we were all going to be blown off the hill! We stopped in a small town which is the highest elevated town in Ireland, nice fun fact! Our driver also took us to a waterfall and dropped us off at the top so we could walk down the road to the bottom. It was very picturesque because there were sheep and a small farmhouse near the stream. Soon after, the driver took us to lunch which was kind of a rip off because they give you the choice of a restaurant or a coffee shop and you’re starving by this point, but the meals cost 15 euro which is really steep. After lunch we went to this little souvenir shop and I found a claddagh ring! That was one of the things I wanted from Ireland because its such a great symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. Next we headed to Glendalough (in Irish it means city between two lakes) which is GORGEOUS! It was founded by Saint Kevin as an early medieval monastery in the early 6th century. It was destroyed by English troops in 1398. There were a ton of grave stones everywhere with some remains of their churches and the only one completely still standing was Saint Kevin's Church. Our bus driver toured us through this area (on foot that is). Once he told us a little about it, he let us loose to go explore the area. He told us how to get to another water fall and a walking trail that would take us along the lakes. We took off and explored for a couple of hours. The weather was beautiful as well. We could have asked for better weather for that time of the year. It seemed to be very rare that we didn't get rain either. The bus driver was pretty much shocked. We told him it was because it was our friend Dawn's birthday. After exploring the area for a while, we headed back to the bus and went back to our hostel. We went out for Dawn’s birthday at Thunder Road Café, which is a lot like Hard Rock Café and uber-american. It was fun to celebrate and get some American food! I had a blue drink which matched my blue shirt, not on purpose, but still funny! We went to Porterhouse, which is another bar in the Temple Bar area, and listened to live music! Later that night we went back to the hostel to get our bags and then we caught a taxi to the airport and slept there for a few hours before we could catch our early flight back. It was an amazing trip with the girls and I loved how beautiful the country is.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Pisa and Roma, Italy
We arrived in Pisa with a little difficulty. We had previously purchased open-ended tickets so we could ride any train from Florence to Pisa, but we didn’t really know how those would work. I ended up asking a conductor and he said we needed to validate the tickets at a little box. As we all validated our tickets, we realized we had less than 5 minutes to board our train. I’m sure we were a sight to see, nine Americans with luggage in tow running towards a crowded train. We made the train, but had a little trouble finding seats and luggage storage for everyone. Thank goodness the train ride wasn’t long because it was crowded. Pisa is an interesting place. Without the tower, it would be nothing. From the train station, it’s a 15 minute stroll to the tower. There’s one road to take and not much to veer off to see. We enjoyed just playing around and taking funny pictures with the tower. Some of the girls kicked it, some tried to step on it, and some of us pushed it. A cute Japanese couple actually took our picture while we were taking pictures because they thought we were so amusing. Glad we made their day! After a decent amount of goofing off, we headed back to the train station, but not before getting some gelato! When we purchased the train tickets to Rome, the man said we could get on any train that day that was going to Rome, so we did. We were back to the station early (that’s a first) and boarded an earlier train than we had planned on. We’re riding through the gorgeous countryside of Italy and the conductor comes to collect our tickets. Oops! We’re actually riding a eurostar train, which is basically an express train, and our tickets aren’t valid for this train. He makes us pay an extra 12 euros each right there! I think it’s a way for them to charge tourists because another American came up to us and he had run into a similar problem, but he had a eurorail pass, and they still charged him. We got to talking with him and he’d been living in Phoenix for the last 15 years, but was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois and was a Cardinals fan, small world! If you’re ever in Italy and taking the train, watch out! That put a little damper on our happy moods, but we quickly got over it as we pulled into Rome! We had booked a hostel in advance and got there easily from the train station. We checked in and got settled. Six of us were staying in a dorm together while the other three got a private room since they were leaving earlier than the rest of us. We went to a tiny little restaurant near our hostel for dinner. The food was amazing like always, but when the bill came we had a bit of a language barrier. The two old men working knew little to no English and we knew zero Italian so we were confused about the bill, but it all ended up working out.
I was still unsure as we started our first day in Rome, but we got up and went to a nearby café that our hostel gave us coupons to use for breakfast. Cappuccino and croissants! Best breakfast ever, and I mean that in all seriousness. We all had different departure days from Rome so we thought it best to split up and allow everyone to do what they wanted in the city. Lynnsey, Molly, and I went to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. We paid for a guided tour of the Coliseum and Palatine Hill which was a great decision. I learned so much about both and it really allowed me to appreciate what I was seeing.
I was still unsure as we started our first day in Rome, but we got up and went to a nearby café that our hostel gave us coupons to use for breakfast. Cappuccino and croissants! Best breakfast ever, and I mean that in all seriousness. We all had different departure days from Rome so we thought it best to split up and allow everyone to do what they wanted in the city. Lynnsey, Molly, and I went to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. We paid for a guided tour of the Coliseum and Palatine Hill which was a great decision. I learned so much about both and it really allowed me to appreciate what I was seeing.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Florence, Italy
The train ride from Venice to Florence was gorgeous. The train was amazing and I honestly wish we could travel by train more often in the U.S. because it’s better than driving! We arrived late in the evening in Florence and had a short walk to the hostel. We had thankfully booked one in advance while we were in Venice. Marco, the owner of the hostel, met us and helped us carry our bags up to the rooms. He was so friendly and told us about a few restaurants he had connections with. In Italy, the restaurants charge for everything; there’s always a service charge and they charge you for water! The restaurants he recommended gave us free water and no service charge which was amazing. After we dropped off our bags and checked in, we went out to eat. The food was delicious (and so was the wine) but I don’t think you could have bad food in Italy!
The next morning, all 9 of us went out to explore. We went to a nearby outdoor market and immediately noticed differences between Venice and Florence. Venice had glass, masks, and lace all over the markets, but Florence had many more leather goods and clothing. The weather was pretty gloomy so we decided to explore the inside of a nearby church. Most churches are ornate inside and out, but this one in particular was very plain on the outside, not what we were accustomed to at all. We found out that there are two sides to Florence; the city and old Florence. We had only been on the city side so far so we crossed the bridge and began exploring old Florence. It’s amazing how crossing a bridge can take you back hundreds of years, but that’s exactly what it did. Ponte Vecchio is the famous bridge in Florence and I took tons of pictures of it. There are jewelry shops hanging off the bridge, but we didn’t go in because we couldn’t even think about affording any of it! Old Florence was so much nicer than the city area. I really got the “Tuscan” feel, even though the weather was blah. We arrived at the Piazza de Pitti, but it was too expensive to go into, so we walked around it hoping to get a view of the gardens. We were able to get a glimpse of parts and my pictures turned out pretty decent. Since we didn’t really know what else to see in Florence, or it was all too expensive, we decided to walk around to get a better view of the city. We ended up climbing this huge hill and got some amazing views of the city. While we were walking up the hill, we got to see some amazing homes and little Italian subdivisions. It definitely helped make the city more appealing. The rain and clouds were still putting a damper on our day and we decided to grab some lunch at the other restaurant Marco had suggested to us. After some amazing pizza, we walked to the Duomo, the famous cathedral in Florence. It’s the fourth largest cathedral in the world and the outside is exquisite, but the inside seemed to be missing something that other cathedrals have. It definitely wasn’t my favorite church to see. Next to the Duomo is a bell tower that you can climb for a few euros. We climbed 414 steps to the top. While we were climbing, the bells began to ring. They were deafening! We literally had to stop and cover our ears until they were done. It was intense! After that experience, we went back to the hostel to change out of our wet clothes and get ready for dinner. We enjoyed the restaurant so much the night before, we decided to go back again. The manager came out and greeted us and gave us two free appetizers and free dessert too! I could have gotten used to the hospitality the people have to offer! We went back to the hostel and packed up after dinner because we were heading to Pisa and Rome the next day.
The next morning, all 9 of us went out to explore. We went to a nearby outdoor market and immediately noticed differences between Venice and Florence. Venice had glass, masks, and lace all over the markets, but Florence had many more leather goods and clothing. The weather was pretty gloomy so we decided to explore the inside of a nearby church. Most churches are ornate inside and out, but this one in particular was very plain on the outside, not what we were accustomed to at all. We found out that there are two sides to Florence; the city and old Florence. We had only been on the city side so far so we crossed the bridge and began exploring old Florence. It’s amazing how crossing a bridge can take you back hundreds of years, but that’s exactly what it did. Ponte Vecchio is the famous bridge in Florence and I took tons of pictures of it. There are jewelry shops hanging off the bridge, but we didn’t go in because we couldn’t even think about affording any of it! Old Florence was so much nicer than the city area. I really got the “Tuscan” feel, even though the weather was blah. We arrived at the Piazza de Pitti, but it was too expensive to go into, so we walked around it hoping to get a view of the gardens. We were able to get a glimpse of parts and my pictures turned out pretty decent. Since we didn’t really know what else to see in Florence, or it was all too expensive, we decided to walk around to get a better view of the city. We ended up climbing this huge hill and got some amazing views of the city. While we were walking up the hill, we got to see some amazing homes and little Italian subdivisions. It definitely helped make the city more appealing. The rain and clouds were still putting a damper on our day and we decided to grab some lunch at the other restaurant Marco had suggested to us. After some amazing pizza, we walked to the Duomo, the famous cathedral in Florence. It’s the fourth largest cathedral in the world and the outside is exquisite, but the inside seemed to be missing something that other cathedrals have. It definitely wasn’t my favorite church to see. Next to the Duomo is a bell tower that you can climb for a few euros. We climbed 414 steps to the top. While we were climbing, the bells began to ring. They were deafening! We literally had to stop and cover our ears until they were done. It was intense! After that experience, we went back to the hostel to change out of our wet clothes and get ready for dinner. We enjoyed the restaurant so much the night before, we decided to go back again. The manager came out and greeted us and gave us two free appetizers and free dessert too! I could have gotten used to the hospitality the people have to offer! We went back to the hostel and packed up after dinner because we were heading to Pisa and Rome the next day.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Venezia, Italia
I've always wanted to go to Venice. The fact that the city is sinking is crazy, but every picture is so gorgeous. Venice is just as I imagined and everything I had hoped. Everywhere you look is a postcard.
We arrived in Venice Thursday night around midnight and it didn't seem like Italy at all while we were riding on the coach to town because it was dark and we couldn't see a lot. My friends that had arrived a day earlier booked a hostel for us and gave us directions to find it. We took the water bus since there are no cars in Venice. When I saw all of the canals and buildings, it finally hit me that I was in Venice. The bus was interesting because the driver just goes down the main canal and stops for a bit at each stop. The ticket cost about 6 euros, but in comparison to a water taxi (which costs 50-80 euros) it was a deal! There were 4 other girls with me and we got to our hostel and there was no one at the 24 hour reception desk. We rang the bell and stood outside for awhile, but no one came. We didn't know what to do (remember it's midnight) so we started to walk. Not more than 2 minutes later we run into this old Italian man walking his dog. He attempts to help us and gives us his phone so we could call the hostel, but no one answered. He tells us that he'll make sure we have somewhere to stay and we start to follow him because that's better than the alternatives of standing around or walking aimlessly. As we walk by our hostel, we ring the bell one more time and a person appears to let us in! We thanked our new Italian friend and checked into the hostel and went to bed. The hostel was more like a hotel. I shared a private 3 bedroom with Lynnsey and Kendall. The hostel provided breakfast in the morning too!
Friday morning (after reading our guidebook) we walked to St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco a Venezia). The pigeons are not a joke in the square. They're everywhere! I saw a little boy and he had food in his hands and the pigeons were all over him! I am not a fan of birds. We were taking pictures in the The basilica was beautiful, just like every church I've seen in Europe. We paid 4 euros to climb up to the top and I got some pretty shots of the water and the square. After the basilica we walked along the water. The weather was absolutely perfect. We had to move out of one hostel into another because there wasn't room at that hostel for the night. We decided to take a gondola ride because that's something that must be done while in Venice. There were 5 of us for a 40 minute ride we each paid 12 euros. Being on the water was so nice, especially since the sun was shining. We ate dinner outside at this little restaurant in an open square. The food was amazing! If I lived in Italy, I would seriously gain so much weight because all they eat are carbs! haha. While exploring during the afternoon, we ran into one of our professors and her husband and 2 year old. While we were talking to them, another 6 people from our program stumbled upon us. If we had tried to meet everyone at that spot at that time, it wouldn't have happened. Friday night we sat around our new room for awhile with everyone because we had a rooftop terrace (fancy!) and then we went out to see Venice at night.
Saturday morning we went to Rialto Market and did some souvenir shopping. I don't want to say everything I bought because they're surprises, but I bought myself a calla lily vase for 5 euros! It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad it made it home in one piece! Since we were leaving Venice, we sat on some steps along the canal and soaked up the sun. I think we all have vitamin d deficiencies from our lack of sunshine in London! We had a late lunch at the same restaurant as the day before because it was so good and really affordable. After our lunch, we got our luggage from the hostel and walked through Venice to the train station. We stopped along the way and bought some gelato for 1 euro! It's my true love. On our hike across Venice, some of the other girls' suitcases broke because the wheels and cobblestone don't get along well. We eventually made it to the train station and caught the train to Florence.
We arrived in Venice Thursday night around midnight and it didn't seem like Italy at all while we were riding on the coach to town because it was dark and we couldn't see a lot. My friends that had arrived a day earlier booked a hostel for us and gave us directions to find it. We took the water bus since there are no cars in Venice. When I saw all of the canals and buildings, it finally hit me that I was in Venice. The bus was interesting because the driver just goes down the main canal and stops for a bit at each stop. The ticket cost about 6 euros, but in comparison to a water taxi (which costs 50-80 euros) it was a deal! There were 4 other girls with me and we got to our hostel and there was no one at the 24 hour reception desk. We rang the bell and stood outside for awhile, but no one came. We didn't know what to do (remember it's midnight) so we started to walk. Not more than 2 minutes later we run into this old Italian man walking his dog. He attempts to help us and gives us his phone so we could call the hostel, but no one answered. He tells us that he'll make sure we have somewhere to stay and we start to follow him because that's better than the alternatives of standing around or walking aimlessly. As we walk by our hostel, we ring the bell one more time and a person appears to let us in! We thanked our new Italian friend and checked into the hostel and went to bed. The hostel was more like a hotel. I shared a private 3 bedroom with Lynnsey and Kendall. The hostel provided breakfast in the morning too!
Friday morning (after reading our guidebook) we walked to St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco a Venezia). The pigeons are not a joke in the square. They're everywhere! I saw a little boy and he had food in his hands and the pigeons were all over him! I am not a fan of birds. We were taking pictures in the The basilica was beautiful, just like every church I've seen in Europe. We paid 4 euros to climb up to the top and I got some pretty shots of the water and the square. After the basilica we walked along the water. The weather was absolutely perfect. We had to move out of one hostel into another because there wasn't room at that hostel for the night. We decided to take a gondola ride because that's something that must be done while in Venice. There were 5 of us for a 40 minute ride we each paid 12 euros. Being on the water was so nice, especially since the sun was shining. We ate dinner outside at this little restaurant in an open square. The food was amazing! If I lived in Italy, I would seriously gain so much weight because all they eat are carbs! haha. While exploring during the afternoon, we ran into one of our professors and her husband and 2 year old. While we were talking to them, another 6 people from our program stumbled upon us. If we had tried to meet everyone at that spot at that time, it wouldn't have happened. Friday night we sat around our new room for awhile with everyone because we had a rooftop terrace (fancy!) and then we went out to see Venice at night.
Saturday morning we went to Rialto Market and did some souvenir shopping. I don't want to say everything I bought because they're surprises, but I bought myself a calla lily vase for 5 euros! It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad it made it home in one piece! Since we were leaving Venice, we sat on some steps along the canal and soaked up the sun. I think we all have vitamin d deficiencies from our lack of sunshine in London! We had a late lunch at the same restaurant as the day before because it was so good and really affordable. After our lunch, we got our luggage from the hostel and walked through Venice to the train station. We stopped along the way and bought some gelato for 1 euro! It's my true love. On our hike across Venice, some of the other girls' suitcases broke because the wheels and cobblestone don't get along well. We eventually made it to the train station and caught the train to Florence.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Spring Break!
I'm in Italy right now! It's absolutely amazing and as soon as I have time to, I can't wait to tell you about it! For now though, I'm loving everything about this place, especially the gelato! haha. I arrive back in London late Friday night so hopefully I'll find time to post soon after that. Miss you all and I wish you were here to experience this with me!
Ciao!
Ellie
Ciao!
Ellie
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I've obviously been busy!
I know it's been entirely too long! I told myself I'd write all the time, but I've honestly been so busy that it's impossible to keep up. Sit back and prepare yourself...this is going to be a LONG post! haha!
So about three weeks ago I was getting ready for my trip to Wales! Tonight I'm getting ready for my trip to Italy! We'll start from the beginning though...
Monday, February 9th, my Tale of Two Cities class had a field trip to Greenwich. We took a ferry down the River Thames and got to see most of Greenwich. I stood over the Prime Meridian line at the Royal Observatory and got to be in 2 hemispheres at once (cool!) and we toured some of the other buildings in the area. I went to The Queen's House which isn't actually a house at all, but once was. Today it's more of an art gallery. Needless to say, I walked through that pretty quickly. We walked down to a chapel. All of the churches/cathedrals/abbeys here are amazing. They're all decorated so ornately and have so much detail and history. This chapel was of course gorgeous and I took entirely too many pictures of it like always! I was starting to run out of time and my professor had told us we should see the Painted Room; she was right. The Painted Room is so spectacular, I can't even describe how amazing it was when I walked in the room. They say it's comparable to the Sistine Chapel. It seems like every inch of the room is painted (it's not) and the detail is amazing. I can't imagine how someone starts a project of that magnitude. It's truly a special gift to be able to paint. I had to get back to London though because I had night class. Two of the girls in my International Business class had birthdays that week so our professor let us out of night class early! How exciting!
Tuesday, February 10th was April's birthday. We went to Ice Bar here in London. The entire bar is made of ice. When you walk in they give you this shiny blue cape that has gloves and a hood. One drink is included in the cover and I got an Emerald Fizz. It was Absolut raspberry, kiwi syrup, lime juice, and lemonade in an ice mug. It was pretty good, but drinking out of the ice mug was incredibly difficult!
Wednesday was our field trip to the British Museum. I'm not too keen on artifacts and historical things, but I found the museum interesting. With our program, we have guided tours of the museums and other field trips by the most amazing tour guides. They know absolutely everything in the world I think! The British Museum has a lot of Egyptian, Greek and English artifacts. I got to see the Rosetta Stone! The museum is also home to Cleopatra's mummy. I was kind of freaked out when we were in the mummy room though; they're just very creepy to me. After our field trip, me and some of my friends walked over to a tourist/gift shop. I was so excited. They had postcards for 10p (like 10 cents) and other fun stuff. I find it odd that I saw the Rosetta Stone (one of the most influential artifacts in uncovering Egyptian history) but I remember the gift shop we went to after. That's me!
Thursday, we went to see "The Taming of the Shrew" for my Shakespeare class. We hadn't finished reading the play though and the end of the performance shocked me. I had expected it to end like the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" which is a modern production. The live performance did not end like the movie. The end made Kate completely submissive to Pertrucio and he was abusive. I didn't like it, but it's how Shakespeare wrote it. There was one upside to the performance. They had a man act as though he was Jamaican because he was from the "islands" of Italy, where the play is set. It was absolutely hilarious.
For Valentine's Day, some of my roommates and I went to see "He's Just Not That Into You." It was such a great movie! If you haven't seen it (and you're a girl) I'd totally recommend it. Definitely a chick flick though. The movies here are pretty much like back home. They don't have previews really, but commercials before the film. You can choose sweet or salty popcorn. The soda doesn't have a ton of ice which is nice because I don't really like a lot of ice. Movies do premiere a little later here than in the states, but they're still the same. It costs about the same to go too so that's nice.
Fast forward a few days to Wednesday the 18th. For our field trip we went to Dover and Canterbury. It was my first castle experience! Dover was crucial to World War II and has always been a strong military point. There are tunnels on the grounds that were built during WWII, but we didn't have time to tour them. The "keep" was closed for remodeling so we didn't get to see what the prison had been like, but the grounds were nice. It was a pretty foggy/rainy day so it was hard to enjoy being outside. Our tour guide mentioned that if it had been a clear day, we would have been able to see France. That's so crazy to be able to see another country! I know that we see Illinois all the time, but another country?! I thought that was cool...even though we didn't see it. haha. In Canterbury, we toured the cathedral and I was amazed yet again by the beauty of the churches here in England. We were given free time in the town so me and some of my friends walked around a street market. I saw a British copy of Harry Potter and I almost bought it. I think it would be really great to have a set of the British versions, even though they aren't that different, the covers are and I'm such a fanatic that it makes sense to me! haha.
Thursday Mom came to visit! Best idea ever! It was so great! I picked her up from the airport around 6:45or 7...I don't remember. We came back to my place and immediately came up with a plan of attack. We decided to go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The palace is so close to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and Parliament, that we went to see those too, but just from a distance...we had to get pictures! So we watched the Changing of the Guard. There were bands, people on horses, and parades. They do this every other day in the winter and everyday in the summer. It took at least 45 minutes. Seems a little crazy to me, but it was enjoyable. There were 2 bands and it was almost a battle of the bands because one would play a song then the other would. The bands played Mamma Mia! I couldn't believe it...Dancing Queen, really? The funniest part was that the entire crowd started singing along. After that, mom and I went to High Street Kensington so she could see some of the stores and I needed to go to the library! We walked through Kensington Gardens for a bit and then I had class so mom came back to my flat while I learned all about Shakespeare. Thursday night we went to Covent Garden with my roommates and had Mexican! It was delicious...but we were 8 minutes late for Happy Hour. Bummer. The food more than made up for it though. I have a feeling that La Perla will become one of my favorite places because it was pretty cheap!
Friday morning mom and I had a VERY early flight. We left my flat around 4 (I think) and caught a cab (because the tubes weren't even running) to the bus station. There we caught a bus to Luton airport and checked in for our flight. The airport was great, but I know I slept the entire flight to Paris. We arrived and started sightseeing almost immediately. I thought it was really neat that the first thing I saw when I walked out of the metro was the Eiffel Tower. Our hotel was within a 25 minute walk to the tower so we decided to walk there. From the tower we went to a cafe and had the best cup of coffee ever! On to the Arc de Triumph, down the Champs de Elysee all the way to the Louvre. Absolute, without a doubt, longest walk of my life. Once we got to the Louvre, we waited until 6 to go in (so I could get in for free) and walked around for an hour and a half. We saw the Mona Lisa and the Crown Jewels and a ton of other stuff that I'm sure is very interesting.
Saturday we were so exhausted! We decided to go exploring regardless. Usually a great idea, but it wasn't working out for us. We walked along this street that had tons of shops and cafes and food. That was amazing. We tried to find this flea market. We honestly walked around for 2 hours trying to find it and we couldn't. Basically, we failed. We decided to go see Notre Dame. As we walk out of the Metro, I see a church spire so I walk that way. Wrong again. I made us walk around the entire island before we found Notre Dame. Oops. Mom would probably admit that it was better this way because we got to see more?! haha. We made it to Notre Dame and walked through. Again with these European churches. Absolutely gorgeous. We didn't make it up the tower though. We saw the Eiffel Tower lit up at night which was really pretty!
Sunday off to Versailles. We had to catch a train out of the city to get to Versailles, but it was completely worth it. We paid for a guided tour of Versailles and got to see some of the private rooms. There were only 2 other people on our tour because it was English so it was a very private tour which was nice. The palace is amazing. Everything is so elaborate and majestic. We also had a private viewing of the chapel where Marie Antoinette was married. After the guided tour, we got headsets and went on an audio tour of the staterooms. Just as we were getting to the Hall of Mirrors, my camera pretty much died. I was so upset. Hall of Mirrors? Dad would say that's perfect for me! The grounds at Versailles were really nice too even though it's winter and all of the fountains were covered and the grass wasn't very green. It was so cold outside so we decided to head back into Paris. We had a little time before our train came so we stopped in McDonald's across the street. It was 100% the nicest McDonald's I've ever seen. It was super modern and had a little cafe with cakes and cookies and coffees. We didn't get anything, but it was nice to see. When we got back to Paris, we went out to eat at the restaurant next to our hotel. I ordered Gambon?? Risotto. No one knew how to translate gambon to english so I was seriously nervous. It's shrimp, don't worry. It was amazing. Mom had french onion soup and chocolate mousse. I also had chocolate cake with custard. Best meal I've had in Europe, without a doubt. We walked to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night again. It's really pretty the way it "sparkles."
Monday was spent climbing the Eiffel Tower (with no line!) and a river cruise. By climbing the tower I really mean riding the lift. The views from the top were incredible, even though it was really cloudy and kind of rainy. I got to see so much of the city and since I had been to so many places, I could find them and see how far I had walked! The river cruise was neat. The boat was enclosed so that was incredibly appreciated! There were handheld audio guides to help explain the things we were seeing. In my Tale of Two Cities class, we constantly discuss Paris' history. It was nice to see all of the places we've talked about in class about the Revolution and other historical events. That's the great thing about being here. Seeing where the events we've learned about took place is amazing. It really helps me put things into context and get a visual of what's going on in history. Mom and I arrived back in London late Monday night and I immediately started in on all of the homework I had due for Tuesday.
Tuesday I was still catching up on homework so I sent mom off with a list of places, her oyster card (tube pass), and a map. I was in class from 2:30 until basically 8:30 (with a 45 minute break for dinner) and mom had explored so much while I was working hard! She went to Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Harrods! She walked around a lot too and found this cute pub not more than 3 blocks from our flat that we had never been to. After night class mom, me, and 2 of my roommates went out for a drink in a classic English pub.
Wednesday mom and I went to Piccadilly Circus (comparable to Times Square) and did a little souvenir shopping. We found some scarves (for me!) and hoodies for Emma and Dad. Around 12:30 mom and I headed back out to Heathrow and off she went. She's somewhere in the air right now, or maybe in customs in Chicago.
This afternoon when I got back, I researched a little for Italy. I walked to the library and met Lynnsey and we got some travel books on Venice, Florence, and Rome. Then we went shopping! I bought some new clothes for the trip to Italy. Our flight is at 7pm tomorrow (Thursday). We're planning on being in Venice Friday and Saturday, taking the train to Florence Saturday night and staying Sunday and Monday, Tuesday we plan on going to Pisa. Then off to Rome Wednesday through Friday. We arrive in London at 11:45 pm on Friday.
I promise to take tons of pictures and not wait so long to post next time! Miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
So about three weeks ago I was getting ready for my trip to Wales! Tonight I'm getting ready for my trip to Italy! We'll start from the beginning though...
Monday, February 9th, my Tale of Two Cities class had a field trip to Greenwich. We took a ferry down the River Thames and got to see most of Greenwich. I stood over the Prime Meridian line at the Royal Observatory and got to be in 2 hemispheres at once (cool!) and we toured some of the other buildings in the area. I went to The Queen's House which isn't actually a house at all, but once was. Today it's more of an art gallery. Needless to say, I walked through that pretty quickly. We walked down to a chapel. All of the churches/cathedrals/abbeys here are amazing. They're all decorated so ornately and have so much detail and history. This chapel was of course gorgeous and I took entirely too many pictures of it like always! I was starting to run out of time and my professor had told us we should see the Painted Room; she was right. The Painted Room is so spectacular, I can't even describe how amazing it was when I walked in the room. They say it's comparable to the Sistine Chapel. It seems like every inch of the room is painted (it's not) and the detail is amazing. I can't imagine how someone starts a project of that magnitude. It's truly a special gift to be able to paint. I had to get back to London though because I had night class. Two of the girls in my International Business class had birthdays that week so our professor let us out of night class early! How exciting!
Tuesday, February 10th was April's birthday. We went to Ice Bar here in London. The entire bar is made of ice. When you walk in they give you this shiny blue cape that has gloves and a hood. One drink is included in the cover and I got an Emerald Fizz. It was Absolut raspberry, kiwi syrup, lime juice, and lemonade in an ice mug. It was pretty good, but drinking out of the ice mug was incredibly difficult!
Wednesday was our field trip to the British Museum. I'm not too keen on artifacts and historical things, but I found the museum interesting. With our program, we have guided tours of the museums and other field trips by the most amazing tour guides. They know absolutely everything in the world I think! The British Museum has a lot of Egyptian, Greek and English artifacts. I got to see the Rosetta Stone! The museum is also home to Cleopatra's mummy. I was kind of freaked out when we were in the mummy room though; they're just very creepy to me. After our field trip, me and some of my friends walked over to a tourist/gift shop. I was so excited. They had postcards for 10p (like 10 cents) and other fun stuff. I find it odd that I saw the Rosetta Stone (one of the most influential artifacts in uncovering Egyptian history) but I remember the gift shop we went to after. That's me!
Thursday, we went to see "The Taming of the Shrew" for my Shakespeare class. We hadn't finished reading the play though and the end of the performance shocked me. I had expected it to end like the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" which is a modern production. The live performance did not end like the movie. The end made Kate completely submissive to Pertrucio and he was abusive. I didn't like it, but it's how Shakespeare wrote it. There was one upside to the performance. They had a man act as though he was Jamaican because he was from the "islands" of Italy, where the play is set. It was absolutely hilarious.
For Valentine's Day, some of my roommates and I went to see "He's Just Not That Into You." It was such a great movie! If you haven't seen it (and you're a girl) I'd totally recommend it. Definitely a chick flick though. The movies here are pretty much like back home. They don't have previews really, but commercials before the film. You can choose sweet or salty popcorn. The soda doesn't have a ton of ice which is nice because I don't really like a lot of ice. Movies do premiere a little later here than in the states, but they're still the same. It costs about the same to go too so that's nice.
Fast forward a few days to Wednesday the 18th. For our field trip we went to Dover and Canterbury. It was my first castle experience! Dover was crucial to World War II and has always been a strong military point. There are tunnels on the grounds that were built during WWII, but we didn't have time to tour them. The "keep" was closed for remodeling so we didn't get to see what the prison had been like, but the grounds were nice. It was a pretty foggy/rainy day so it was hard to enjoy being outside. Our tour guide mentioned that if it had been a clear day, we would have been able to see France. That's so crazy to be able to see another country! I know that we see Illinois all the time, but another country?! I thought that was cool...even though we didn't see it. haha. In Canterbury, we toured the cathedral and I was amazed yet again by the beauty of the churches here in England. We were given free time in the town so me and some of my friends walked around a street market. I saw a British copy of Harry Potter and I almost bought it. I think it would be really great to have a set of the British versions, even though they aren't that different, the covers are and I'm such a fanatic that it makes sense to me! haha.
Thursday Mom came to visit! Best idea ever! It was so great! I picked her up from the airport around 6:45or 7...I don't remember. We came back to my place and immediately came up with a plan of attack. We decided to go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The palace is so close to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and Parliament, that we went to see those too, but just from a distance...we had to get pictures! So we watched the Changing of the Guard. There were bands, people on horses, and parades. They do this every other day in the winter and everyday in the summer. It took at least 45 minutes. Seems a little crazy to me, but it was enjoyable. There were 2 bands and it was almost a battle of the bands because one would play a song then the other would. The bands played Mamma Mia! I couldn't believe it...Dancing Queen, really? The funniest part was that the entire crowd started singing along. After that, mom and I went to High Street Kensington so she could see some of the stores and I needed to go to the library! We walked through Kensington Gardens for a bit and then I had class so mom came back to my flat while I learned all about Shakespeare. Thursday night we went to Covent Garden with my roommates and had Mexican! It was delicious...but we were 8 minutes late for Happy Hour. Bummer. The food more than made up for it though. I have a feeling that La Perla will become one of my favorite places because it was pretty cheap!
Friday morning mom and I had a VERY early flight. We left my flat around 4 (I think) and caught a cab (because the tubes weren't even running) to the bus station. There we caught a bus to Luton airport and checked in for our flight. The airport was great, but I know I slept the entire flight to Paris. We arrived and started sightseeing almost immediately. I thought it was really neat that the first thing I saw when I walked out of the metro was the Eiffel Tower. Our hotel was within a 25 minute walk to the tower so we decided to walk there. From the tower we went to a cafe and had the best cup of coffee ever! On to the Arc de Triumph, down the Champs de Elysee all the way to the Louvre. Absolute, without a doubt, longest walk of my life. Once we got to the Louvre, we waited until 6 to go in (so I could get in for free) and walked around for an hour and a half. We saw the Mona Lisa and the Crown Jewels and a ton of other stuff that I'm sure is very interesting.
Saturday we were so exhausted! We decided to go exploring regardless. Usually a great idea, but it wasn't working out for us. We walked along this street that had tons of shops and cafes and food. That was amazing. We tried to find this flea market. We honestly walked around for 2 hours trying to find it and we couldn't. Basically, we failed. We decided to go see Notre Dame. As we walk out of the Metro, I see a church spire so I walk that way. Wrong again. I made us walk around the entire island before we found Notre Dame. Oops. Mom would probably admit that it was better this way because we got to see more?! haha. We made it to Notre Dame and walked through. Again with these European churches. Absolutely gorgeous. We didn't make it up the tower though. We saw the Eiffel Tower lit up at night which was really pretty!
Sunday off to Versailles. We had to catch a train out of the city to get to Versailles, but it was completely worth it. We paid for a guided tour of Versailles and got to see some of the private rooms. There were only 2 other people on our tour because it was English so it was a very private tour which was nice. The palace is amazing. Everything is so elaborate and majestic. We also had a private viewing of the chapel where Marie Antoinette was married. After the guided tour, we got headsets and went on an audio tour of the staterooms. Just as we were getting to the Hall of Mirrors, my camera pretty much died. I was so upset. Hall of Mirrors? Dad would say that's perfect for me! The grounds at Versailles were really nice too even though it's winter and all of the fountains were covered and the grass wasn't very green. It was so cold outside so we decided to head back into Paris. We had a little time before our train came so we stopped in McDonald's across the street. It was 100% the nicest McDonald's I've ever seen. It was super modern and had a little cafe with cakes and cookies and coffees. We didn't get anything, but it was nice to see. When we got back to Paris, we went out to eat at the restaurant next to our hotel. I ordered Gambon?? Risotto. No one knew how to translate gambon to english so I was seriously nervous. It's shrimp, don't worry. It was amazing. Mom had french onion soup and chocolate mousse. I also had chocolate cake with custard. Best meal I've had in Europe, without a doubt. We walked to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night again. It's really pretty the way it "sparkles."
Monday was spent climbing the Eiffel Tower (with no line!) and a river cruise. By climbing the tower I really mean riding the lift. The views from the top were incredible, even though it was really cloudy and kind of rainy. I got to see so much of the city and since I had been to so many places, I could find them and see how far I had walked! The river cruise was neat. The boat was enclosed so that was incredibly appreciated! There were handheld audio guides to help explain the things we were seeing. In my Tale of Two Cities class, we constantly discuss Paris' history. It was nice to see all of the places we've talked about in class about the Revolution and other historical events. That's the great thing about being here. Seeing where the events we've learned about took place is amazing. It really helps me put things into context and get a visual of what's going on in history. Mom and I arrived back in London late Monday night and I immediately started in on all of the homework I had due for Tuesday.
Tuesday I was still catching up on homework so I sent mom off with a list of places, her oyster card (tube pass), and a map. I was in class from 2:30 until basically 8:30 (with a 45 minute break for dinner) and mom had explored so much while I was working hard! She went to Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Harrods! She walked around a lot too and found this cute pub not more than 3 blocks from our flat that we had never been to. After night class mom, me, and 2 of my roommates went out for a drink in a classic English pub.
Wednesday mom and I went to Piccadilly Circus (comparable to Times Square) and did a little souvenir shopping. We found some scarves (for me!) and hoodies for Emma and Dad. Around 12:30 mom and I headed back out to Heathrow and off she went. She's somewhere in the air right now, or maybe in customs in Chicago.
This afternoon when I got back, I researched a little for Italy. I walked to the library and met Lynnsey and we got some travel books on Venice, Florence, and Rome. Then we went shopping! I bought some new clothes for the trip to Italy. Our flight is at 7pm tomorrow (Thursday). We're planning on being in Venice Friday and Saturday, taking the train to Florence Saturday night and staying Sunday and Monday, Tuesday we plan on going to Pisa. Then off to Rome Wednesday through Friday. We arrive in London at 11:45 pm on Friday.
I promise to take tons of pictures and not wait so long to post next time! Miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Weekend in Wales
There is no way I will be able to explain how incredible this past weekend was. Wales is cold, windy, muddy, rainy, smelly, and it's the most amazing place I have ever been.
We started the weekend by catching the train from London. Lynnsey and I arrived at the train station over an hour early so we went to get some coffee and almost missed our train because we were just sitting and talking! We did make the train though, but our seats weren't next to each other. I went to my seat and met a very nice man. He informed me that you don't actually have to sit in your seat and that the chances of someone checking your ticket were pretty low. So I went to find Lynnsey so we could sit with each other.
The train ride was gorgeous. We experienced all types of weather...snow, rain, wind, and sun. We arrived in Haverfordwest, Wales around 4:30 pm and had a couple hours to kill so we explored the town a bit. It was so quaint and picturesque. We took tons of pictures of this little church in the middle of town. Once we got cold, we found a pub and ordered some food and drinks. We moved on to another pub after that one. The rest of the group showed up around 6:30 so we met with them and got a ride to Preselli Venture.
Once we arrived, we were given our rooms and Lynnsey, Alicia, and I all shared the hats and barrels room. Lynnsey and I had a double bed lofted in the room and Alicia had a twin bed. They fed us almost immediately and it was fantastic! We had vegetable lasagna and some bread. We all hung out and talked and drank for most of the evening and soon headed to bed.
Saturday morning my group was assigned to hike. Anyone who's reading this knows how "outdoorsy" I am. We were given the option of a 7 mile hike or a 3.5 mile hike...I chose the 7! We walked all along the coast of Wales. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The cliffs are so high and you're so close to the edge walking along this tiny trail. The entire trail was muddy and had sheep poop all over, but the views more than made up for it. The pictures I took don't even do it justice. We completed the hike (we took longer than we should have and were about 30 minutes away from them calling the coast guard) and headed back to the lodge for lunch.
Saturday afternoon we went coasteering. This is the part that I was most nervous about. We were literally climbing along the cliffs and rocks along the Atlantic Ocean. The initial shock of going into the water knocks the breath right out of you. The guides said the water was 6 degrees celcius...probably around 50 degrees. We were in swimsuits and full winter wetsuits with booties and tennis shoes, gloves, and helmets. I did one jump from the cliffs and that was a big step for me. I don't know how high it was, but the rocks were enough to scare me. The tide was coming in so my group wasn't able to make it to the big jumps that most groups do, but we did get to climb around a ton. The cold doesn't really hit you until you're out of the water, changing alongside the road and you take your wetsuit off so you're only in your swimsuit. Then it's freezing. I honestly don't think I have ever been that cold. Saturday night we were all so exhausted from our activities that we pretty much showered, ate, and slept.
Sunday morning was our turn to sea kayak. The surfing group came along because the waves weren't big enough to surf. We actually got to go out on the Irish Sea (the group on Saturday had to go in a lake because the winds were too strong) and it was beautiful. The guides taught us how to paddle and steer and get out in case we capsized so we were pretty prepared. I was terrified of rolling over and not being able to get out of my kayak. We were strapped in with skirts so we stayed "warm" and dry. Warm seems to be a joke in Wales, especially when you're on the water. We had on swimsuits, fleeces, sleeveless wetsuits, shoes, windproof jackets, life jackets, gloves, and helmets. I absolutely loved kayaking. I think I caught on fairly easily and got the steering down. We actually saw some seals playing nearby and they stayed close the entire time we were out on the sea. Coming back we ran into some strong winds. It was nearly impossible to paddle into the harbor because the winds were coming off the cliffs. About half of us paddled ourselves in (I did!) and the other half had to walk in. I thought that Saturday had reached my cold tolerance, but today definitely topped it. The guides were so nice and once we all carried our gear back up to the trailers, they helped us strip off our wet clothes and put us in the vans so we could attempt to warm up. They have an amazing tolerance for cold weather.
We got back to the lodge and put on whatever warm/dry clothes we had left and packed up so we could get ready to head home. Our train left from Haverfordwest around 3:45. Lynnsey and I had purchased train tickets in advance and weren't going to get home until 2 am so we asked the conductor on the first train if we could just stay with the rest of the group and he worked it out all the way until Swansea. We had to ask the conductor at Swansea if we could ride with the rest of the group and thank goodness he let us. He was pretty hesitant, but he let us ride without paying the difference (that saved us about 50 pounds). We arrived in London around 9:45 and got back to our flat and couldn't have been happier! It's warm and dry here and it almost feels like home.
I wish my pictures did Wales justice. It's honestly the most spectacular place I have ever seen. Even when I was covered in mud or kayaking in the snow, it was one of the best times I have ever had. If I lived in Wales, I would spend everyday I could either in the ocean or on the coast (which is definitely not normal). When I told Mom about this trip, she thought I was crazy...who would have thought that I would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and climbing rocks; or sea kayaking in the Irish Sea; or doing a 7 mile hike covered in mud. This weekend was definitely a character building experience and I couldn't have been more blessed to see this beautiful place and experience the things I have. I cannot wait to go back to Wales!
Love from London,
Ellie
We started the weekend by catching the train from London. Lynnsey and I arrived at the train station over an hour early so we went to get some coffee and almost missed our train because we were just sitting and talking! We did make the train though, but our seats weren't next to each other. I went to my seat and met a very nice man. He informed me that you don't actually have to sit in your seat and that the chances of someone checking your ticket were pretty low. So I went to find Lynnsey so we could sit with each other.
The train ride was gorgeous. We experienced all types of weather...snow, rain, wind, and sun. We arrived in Haverfordwest, Wales around 4:30 pm and had a couple hours to kill so we explored the town a bit. It was so quaint and picturesque. We took tons of pictures of this little church in the middle of town. Once we got cold, we found a pub and ordered some food and drinks. We moved on to another pub after that one. The rest of the group showed up around 6:30 so we met with them and got a ride to Preselli Venture.
Once we arrived, we were given our rooms and Lynnsey, Alicia, and I all shared the hats and barrels room. Lynnsey and I had a double bed lofted in the room and Alicia had a twin bed. They fed us almost immediately and it was fantastic! We had vegetable lasagna and some bread. We all hung out and talked and drank for most of the evening and soon headed to bed.
Saturday morning my group was assigned to hike. Anyone who's reading this knows how "outdoorsy" I am. We were given the option of a 7 mile hike or a 3.5 mile hike...I chose the 7! We walked all along the coast of Wales. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The cliffs are so high and you're so close to the edge walking along this tiny trail. The entire trail was muddy and had sheep poop all over, but the views more than made up for it. The pictures I took don't even do it justice. We completed the hike (we took longer than we should have and were about 30 minutes away from them calling the coast guard) and headed back to the lodge for lunch.
Saturday afternoon we went coasteering. This is the part that I was most nervous about. We were literally climbing along the cliffs and rocks along the Atlantic Ocean. The initial shock of going into the water knocks the breath right out of you. The guides said the water was 6 degrees celcius...probably around 50 degrees. We were in swimsuits and full winter wetsuits with booties and tennis shoes, gloves, and helmets. I did one jump from the cliffs and that was a big step for me. I don't know how high it was, but the rocks were enough to scare me. The tide was coming in so my group wasn't able to make it to the big jumps that most groups do, but we did get to climb around a ton. The cold doesn't really hit you until you're out of the water, changing alongside the road and you take your wetsuit off so you're only in your swimsuit. Then it's freezing. I honestly don't think I have ever been that cold. Saturday night we were all so exhausted from our activities that we pretty much showered, ate, and slept.
Sunday morning was our turn to sea kayak. The surfing group came along because the waves weren't big enough to surf. We actually got to go out on the Irish Sea (the group on Saturday had to go in a lake because the winds were too strong) and it was beautiful. The guides taught us how to paddle and steer and get out in case we capsized so we were pretty prepared. I was terrified of rolling over and not being able to get out of my kayak. We were strapped in with skirts so we stayed "warm" and dry. Warm seems to be a joke in Wales, especially when you're on the water. We had on swimsuits, fleeces, sleeveless wetsuits, shoes, windproof jackets, life jackets, gloves, and helmets. I absolutely loved kayaking. I think I caught on fairly easily and got the steering down. We actually saw some seals playing nearby and they stayed close the entire time we were out on the sea. Coming back we ran into some strong winds. It was nearly impossible to paddle into the harbor because the winds were coming off the cliffs. About half of us paddled ourselves in (I did!) and the other half had to walk in. I thought that Saturday had reached my cold tolerance, but today definitely topped it. The guides were so nice and once we all carried our gear back up to the trailers, they helped us strip off our wet clothes and put us in the vans so we could attempt to warm up. They have an amazing tolerance for cold weather.
We got back to the lodge and put on whatever warm/dry clothes we had left and packed up so we could get ready to head home. Our train left from Haverfordwest around 3:45. Lynnsey and I had purchased train tickets in advance and weren't going to get home until 2 am so we asked the conductor on the first train if we could just stay with the rest of the group and he worked it out all the way until Swansea. We had to ask the conductor at Swansea if we could ride with the rest of the group and thank goodness he let us. He was pretty hesitant, but he let us ride without paying the difference (that saved us about 50 pounds). We arrived in London around 9:45 and got back to our flat and couldn't have been happier! It's warm and dry here and it almost feels like home.
I wish my pictures did Wales justice. It's honestly the most spectacular place I have ever seen. Even when I was covered in mud or kayaking in the snow, it was one of the best times I have ever had. If I lived in Wales, I would spend everyday I could either in the ocean or on the coast (which is definitely not normal). When I told Mom about this trip, she thought I was crazy...who would have thought that I would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and climbing rocks; or sea kayaking in the Irish Sea; or doing a 7 mile hike covered in mud. This weekend was definitely a character building experience and I couldn't have been more blessed to see this beautiful place and experience the things I have. I cannot wait to go back to Wales!
Love from London,
Ellie
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sightseeing In London
There's so much to do here! We're never bored in this place! That's probably why I don't write as often as I should!
Friday my roommates Alicia and Lynnsey and I went to see Cirque du Soleil. I have a huge appreciation for the time and effort those people put into their performances. Everyone is so close to perfection; it's incredible! My favorite part of the show is the diabolo act.
You can see it on you tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LU0XI3qZIw
Saturday we went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. I love outdoor markets because you never know what you may come across. I didn't buy anything today, but I have plans to go back soon! I did eat some churros though and they were delicious!
We also saw the home of George Orwell in Notting Hill which was nice. All over London are blue circle signs that indicate where some famous person lived or where some important event occurred.
Sunday was devoted to homework and getting as much done for the week as we could. (I think that's typical whether I'm home in the states or over here!) The campus pub had a super bowl party and it was so much fun. I missed all of the amazing food that we would usually have during the super bowl, but I survived. The part that bothered me the most is that they don't get the American commercials here. On the walk home from the pub we discovered quite a few inches of snow had accumulated and it was absolutely gorgeous!
Monday we woke up to 6 inches of snow, the worst snow London has seen in nearly 20 years. The city basically shut down because none of the public transportation was running. People couldn't get to work, students couldn't get to school, but everyone made it to the park like we did. I had been jealous of everyone back home getting a few snow days, but our snow day was fantastic! It was perfect snow for snowmen! I've never seen so many snowmen and snowball fights. It was great to see people out in Hyde Park enjoying the weather. The dogs were especially cute to watch. It was cold, but so beautiful! We came back and warmed up with some hot chocolate back in the flat!
Tuesday we had classes even though Imperial (the college we have class at) didn't. Many of the schools were still shut down because people come from all over the city. What I found odd was that school isn't really closed, but students are encouraged to make an attempt to come in during bad weather...that wouldn't work back home! After our afternoon classes we celebrated one of our roommate's 21st birthday with Chinese take out! After night class we went to a local pub and played battleship while we drank strawberry beer!
Today we went to Oxford! The area is absolutely gorgeous! There wasn't much structure in our field trip so we got to wander around. There were lots of shops and I got an Oxford sweatshirt for only 10 pounds! Harvey's was there too!
We walked to Christ Church where some of the scenes from Harry Potter (i.e. the great hall) have been filmed, but it didn't open until 2:30 and we had to be back at the bus by 3 so we didn't get to go in, but the outside was beautiful!
I'm done with class for the week since my class tomorrow is cancelled. We're going to see a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Thursday evening. It's off to Wales this weekend for sea kayaking and coasteering in the Irish Sea. Pray it's not too cold! There's a possibility for more snow tonight so pray for good weather too! Hopefully I'll get some great pictures of Wales.
Love from London,
Ellie
Friday my roommates Alicia and Lynnsey and I went to see Cirque du Soleil. I have a huge appreciation for the time and effort those people put into their performances. Everyone is so close to perfection; it's incredible! My favorite part of the show is the diabolo act.
You can see it on you tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LU0XI3qZIw
Saturday we went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. I love outdoor markets because you never know what you may come across. I didn't buy anything today, but I have plans to go back soon! I did eat some churros though and they were delicious!
We also saw the home of George Orwell in Notting Hill which was nice. All over London are blue circle signs that indicate where some famous person lived or where some important event occurred.Sunday was devoted to homework and getting as much done for the week as we could. (I think that's typical whether I'm home in the states or over here!) The campus pub had a super bowl party and it was so much fun. I missed all of the amazing food that we would usually have during the super bowl, but I survived. The part that bothered me the most is that they don't get the American commercials here. On the walk home from the pub we discovered quite a few inches of snow had accumulated and it was absolutely gorgeous!
Monday we woke up to 6 inches of snow, the worst snow London has seen in nearly 20 years. The city basically shut down because none of the public transportation was running. People couldn't get to work, students couldn't get to school, but everyone made it to the park like we did. I had been jealous of everyone back home getting a few snow days, but our snow day was fantastic! It was perfect snow for snowmen! I've never seen so many snowmen and snowball fights. It was great to see people out in Hyde Park enjoying the weather. The dogs were especially cute to watch. It was cold, but so beautiful! We came back and warmed up with some hot chocolate back in the flat!
Tuesday we had classes even though Imperial (the college we have class at) didn't. Many of the schools were still shut down because people come from all over the city. What I found odd was that school isn't really closed, but students are encouraged to make an attempt to come in during bad weather...that wouldn't work back home! After our afternoon classes we celebrated one of our roommate's 21st birthday with Chinese take out! After night class we went to a local pub and played battleship while we drank strawberry beer!
Today we went to Oxford! The area is absolutely gorgeous! There wasn't much structure in our field trip so we got to wander around. There were lots of shops and I got an Oxford sweatshirt for only 10 pounds! Harvey's was there too!We walked to Christ Church where some of the scenes from Harry Potter (i.e. the great hall) have been filmed, but it didn't open until 2:30 and we had to be back at the bus by 3 so we didn't get to go in, but the outside was beautiful!
I'm done with class for the week since my class tomorrow is cancelled. We're going to see a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Thursday evening. It's off to Wales this weekend for sea kayaking and coasteering in the Irish Sea. Pray it's not too cold! There's a possibility for more snow tonight so pray for good weather too! Hopefully I'll get some great pictures of Wales.Love from London,
Ellie
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Links to my photo albums!
Here are the links to my albums on Picasa. I haven't figured out if this works, so hopefully it does and you're able to see all of my pictures. I promise to keep taking pictures!
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1011?authkey=gkc4MzT1eJM&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1117?authkey=YIHH1D89OBg&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1723?authkey=GP6TVy4OTZE&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan2428?authkey=TnRpdFkDW_g&feat=directlink
Love from non-icy London,
Ellie
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1011?authkey=gkc4MzT1eJM&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1117?authkey=YIHH1D89OBg&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan1723?authkey=GP6TVy4OTZE&feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/elliefritz/LondonJan2428?authkey=TnRpdFkDW_g&feat=directlink
Love from non-icy London,
Ellie
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Some Pictures
The Roman Baths
The Roman Baths...you can see the steam!
Me in front of Stonehenge
Stonehenge!Loving London
I absolutely love London! It's amazing here. So far we've had mainly good weather (knock on wood) and we've been to really great places! We've been really cold here in our flat...turns out our heat wasn't working for a few days...oops!
The campus pub had an inauguration party and there were so many more Brits there than I had expected. When people find out we're from the U.S. they quickly turn the conversation to Obama and politics it seems. They're much more informed here about what's going on in the world and I wish our country could talk politics as easily as people do here. They're more interested in learning individuals' views rather than judging and defending their views which I think is important, especially when it comes to the world's current issues.
This week our field trip was to Bath and Stonehenge. I wasn't too keen on waking up early to look at some rocks. When you think about how long ago Stonehenge was constructed, it has much more appeal. The Roman Baths have been around for a very long time too and even though they're not in use today, it's neat to think how people in the past used these places. People still argue about the purpose of Stonehenge, and we'll never know for sure, but there are many things we'll never know. Some artifacts and other items have been found at the Roman Baths and there's a better picture of how people used the baths and why. Overall, the trip was much more interesting that I had expected, but it was a long day!
Today I toured St. Paul's Cathedral and it was the most gorgeous church I've ever been to. I was disappointed that I couldn't take pictures even though they wouldn't have done it justice. The inside is mainly mosaics and they sparkle in the sunlight. This is the church where Charles and Diana were married. We got to climb up to the Whispering Gallery and then further up to the Stone Gallery. The Whispering Gallery is inside near the dome. The Stone Gallery is outside the dome 53 meters up from the cathedral floor (173 feet) and it has some of the most gorgeous views of London. I did get to take many pictures up there.
In other news...I ran into some trouble with a travel company and my trip to Wales. They had charged me for the weekend and then Lynnsey and I got emails saying there wasn't enough room for us on the trip, but the rest of our friends were going. Fortunately, we were able to figure it all out and the company was really helpful! So I will be going to Wales for an "adventure" weekend where I'll be sea kayaking, coasteering, and hiking. It doesn't really sound like something I'd usually do, but most of my friends are going and how could you pass up an all inclusive trip to the coast in Wales?! We've also booked a flight to Ireland for the last weekend in March. We're looking at Italy for spring break, Scotland, Paris (probably with Mom), maybe Spain (I know someone in Seville that we could stay with) or Germany. It's more expensive than I thought to book trips. We've run into a few problems with the train and coach companies and availability, but for the most part it's working out.
We've met some interesting characters in our adventures around London. Some of my roommates have become good friends with some of the players on the campus football/soccer team. It's nice to be able to ask local people questions, especially when it comes to customs and stuff. One day we went out to lunch and ordered and the waitress brought our bill before we'd been served. They also don't enjoy doing separate checks here which is not fun to figure out when there's 10 people at a meal. Since the pound and 2 pound are coins, we find ourselves paying in change much more than we're used to. I hate carrying around change. Other than that, most things are similar, but there are certain times where we feel dumb for asking questions; we're just Americans though ;)
Get skype so we can chat! Find me under my name! It's free to download and free to chat.
Love from London,
Ellie
The campus pub had an inauguration party and there were so many more Brits there than I had expected. When people find out we're from the U.S. they quickly turn the conversation to Obama and politics it seems. They're much more informed here about what's going on in the world and I wish our country could talk politics as easily as people do here. They're more interested in learning individuals' views rather than judging and defending their views which I think is important, especially when it comes to the world's current issues.
This week our field trip was to Bath and Stonehenge. I wasn't too keen on waking up early to look at some rocks. When you think about how long ago Stonehenge was constructed, it has much more appeal. The Roman Baths have been around for a very long time too and even though they're not in use today, it's neat to think how people in the past used these places. People still argue about the purpose of Stonehenge, and we'll never know for sure, but there are many things we'll never know. Some artifacts and other items have been found at the Roman Baths and there's a better picture of how people used the baths and why. Overall, the trip was much more interesting that I had expected, but it was a long day!
Today I toured St. Paul's Cathedral and it was the most gorgeous church I've ever been to. I was disappointed that I couldn't take pictures even though they wouldn't have done it justice. The inside is mainly mosaics and they sparkle in the sunlight. This is the church where Charles and Diana were married. We got to climb up to the Whispering Gallery and then further up to the Stone Gallery. The Whispering Gallery is inside near the dome. The Stone Gallery is outside the dome 53 meters up from the cathedral floor (173 feet) and it has some of the most gorgeous views of London. I did get to take many pictures up there.
In other news...I ran into some trouble with a travel company and my trip to Wales. They had charged me for the weekend and then Lynnsey and I got emails saying there wasn't enough room for us on the trip, but the rest of our friends were going. Fortunately, we were able to figure it all out and the company was really helpful! So I will be going to Wales for an "adventure" weekend where I'll be sea kayaking, coasteering, and hiking. It doesn't really sound like something I'd usually do, but most of my friends are going and how could you pass up an all inclusive trip to the coast in Wales?! We've also booked a flight to Ireland for the last weekend in March. We're looking at Italy for spring break, Scotland, Paris (probably with Mom), maybe Spain (I know someone in Seville that we could stay with) or Germany. It's more expensive than I thought to book trips. We've run into a few problems with the train and coach companies and availability, but for the most part it's working out.
We've met some interesting characters in our adventures around London. Some of my roommates have become good friends with some of the players on the campus football/soccer team. It's nice to be able to ask local people questions, especially when it comes to customs and stuff. One day we went out to lunch and ordered and the waitress brought our bill before we'd been served. They also don't enjoy doing separate checks here which is not fun to figure out when there's 10 people at a meal. Since the pound and 2 pound are coins, we find ourselves paying in change much more than we're used to. I hate carrying around change. Other than that, most things are similar, but there are certain times where we feel dumb for asking questions; we're just Americans though ;)
Get skype so we can chat! Find me under my name! It's free to download and free to chat.
Love from London,
Ellie
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Shopping and socializing!
This weekend was filled with lots of socializing, exploring, and trip planning. Everyone in the program is as excited as I am about meeting new people and getting to know each other which is great. We're all trying to coordinate where we want to go so we can travel together and still see everything we want to see. Hopefully we'll be going to Italy and Greece for spring break. We booked our trip to Wales which is an all inclusive weekend in a lodge on the southwestern coast in a national park. I've seen pictures and I'm sure it will be amazing. Most of my roommates and new friends are going so I'm sure it will be fun no matter what. It's the weekend of February 6.
We've also been exploring the areas around us and we fell upon Harrods which is no more than a 15 minute walk from my flat...if only I could afford something! We also went to Oxford Street which has lots of great shopping. We went to TopShop, H&M, and Primark. I bought some great boots at Primark for 15 pounds! What a steal!
We've mastered the tube for the most part and use our oyster cards (passes) like the locals and rush through the lines. We've learned to stand on the right so we don't get stampeeded by the people in a hurry. The bus is still new and tricky and we've only taken it once.
We go grocery shopping entirely too much (like at least every other day). Tonight Dawn (one of my roommates) and I had chicken breasts and spinach ricotta tortellini. It was fantastic! I might get the hang of this cooking thing!
The weather here has been outstanding; much better than it has been in Saint Louis! I always carry an umbrella though because London is like Springfield and you never know what the weather is going to do! I've only been caught in a downpour once and even though I had my umbrella, I was completely soaked! Despite the random rain, I love it here!
I miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
We've also been exploring the areas around us and we fell upon Harrods which is no more than a 15 minute walk from my flat...if only I could afford something! We also went to Oxford Street which has lots of great shopping. We went to TopShop, H&M, and Primark. I bought some great boots at Primark for 15 pounds! What a steal!
We've mastered the tube for the most part and use our oyster cards (passes) like the locals and rush through the lines. We've learned to stand on the right so we don't get stampeeded by the people in a hurry. The bus is still new and tricky and we've only taken it once.
We go grocery shopping entirely too much (like at least every other day). Tonight Dawn (one of my roommates) and I had chicken breasts and spinach ricotta tortellini. It was fantastic! I might get the hang of this cooking thing!
The weather here has been outstanding; much better than it has been in Saint Louis! I always carry an umbrella though because London is like Springfield and you never know what the weather is going to do! I've only been caught in a downpour once and even though I had my umbrella, I was completely soaked! Despite the random rain, I love it here!
I miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Starting to Adjust
So far my first week has been great! My classes are fun and so far interesting. The course load isn't bad at all. We do quite a bit of reading which is fine with me. For our British Life and Culture class (BLC) we have to write a paper every week reflecting on our fieldtrip and lecture. We went to the Museum of London today. They had a really neat exhibit on the Great Fire of 1666. There were also exhibits on Roman London and Medieval London. Since London's been around so long, I would have thought the museum would have been bigger, but it was very small and we got through it in about an hour and a half taking our time.
I'm going to get a cell phone today so if you get a call from a random number please answer it because it's me! It's only 2 pence (3 cents) to call the U.S. and 20 pence (30 cents) to call here in the U.K. which I find odd! Tonight is cheap pints at the campus pub...1 pound 50 per pint so we're heading over there sometime. I'm making lots of friends and getting to know my roommates very well. We're mastering the tube and the streets successfully. Dad, we went to that Bagatelle place and it was AMAZING. It's less than 2 blocks from the flat and has some of the best french pastries! We had a mini Kings Cake for breakfast on our way to the museum. Yumm!
I miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
I'm going to get a cell phone today so if you get a call from a random number please answer it because it's me! It's only 2 pence (3 cents) to call the U.S. and 20 pence (30 cents) to call here in the U.K. which I find odd! Tonight is cheap pints at the campus pub...1 pound 50 per pint so we're heading over there sometime. I'm making lots of friends and getting to know my roommates very well. We're mastering the tube and the streets successfully. Dad, we went to that Bagatelle place and it was AMAZING. It's less than 2 blocks from the flat and has some of the best french pastries! We had a mini Kings Cake for breakfast on our way to the museum. Yumm!
I miss you all!
Love from London,
Ellie
Sunday, January 11, 2009
First Weekend Abroad...
This weekend has been so great! We arrived no problem at Heathrow and made it through customs. The flight was LONG, but I was able to sleep through some of it. I met some girls while waiting for the plane so it made time pass by much faster.
Once we arrived, we found out which flats we'd be living in. I'm living in #13 Manson Place Flat 11. This wasn't one of the flats that was mentioned in the program. There are 8 of us girls in one flat; 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's more spacious than the other flats with the program. Plus we have wireless and laundry on site! We're also closer to campus which is a huge plus because it's so cold here!
Yesterday, (Saturday) we went to campus and had a fish and chips lunch around 2pm. Then we walked over to the union where we have our classes and listened to one of the local bobbys (police) speak about safety in the area. It's mostly residential here and very wealthy at that so it's very safe. After the orientation there, we had an orientation with our building RA. There are other students here from other study abroad programs, but we haven't met any of them yet. After that we went out to a pub crawl with the rest of the students in the program.
Today, (Sunday) we had a bus tour of London and got to see some really great sites. We saw everything from London Bridge to Buckingham Palace. I'll upload pictures as soon as I can. As a flat we also did some grocery shopping which was quite an experience. Everything is much more expensive here, but I got all of my groceries for around 15 pounds...we also finally got a straightener for my hair! haha!
Classes start tomorrow so it should be interesting. I'll post again soon!
Love from London,
Ellie
Once we arrived, we found out which flats we'd be living in. I'm living in #13 Manson Place Flat 11. This wasn't one of the flats that was mentioned in the program. There are 8 of us girls in one flat; 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's more spacious than the other flats with the program. Plus we have wireless and laundry on site! We're also closer to campus which is a huge plus because it's so cold here!
Yesterday, (Saturday) we went to campus and had a fish and chips lunch around 2pm. Then we walked over to the union where we have our classes and listened to one of the local bobbys (police) speak about safety in the area. It's mostly residential here and very wealthy at that so it's very safe. After the orientation there, we had an orientation with our building RA. There are other students here from other study abroad programs, but we haven't met any of them yet. After that we went out to a pub crawl with the rest of the students in the program.
Today, (Sunday) we had a bus tour of London and got to see some really great sites. We saw everything from London Bridge to Buckingham Palace. I'll upload pictures as soon as I can. As a flat we also did some grocery shopping which was quite an experience. Everything is much more expensive here, but I got all of my groceries for around 15 pounds...we also finally got a straightener for my hair! haha!
Classes start tomorrow so it should be interesting. I'll post again soon!
Love from London,
Ellie
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Time to leave...
Tomorrow's the day I leave for London. I'm so excited, but really nervous! My flight leaves St. Louis around 3pm then I'll depart from Chicago around 9pm and arrive at 11am local time (5 am St. Louis). Hopefully the jet-lag won't be too bad. I'll post as soon as I get a chance and tell you all about my first experiences in London!
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