July 25, 2007
London, England
Today in class we had to write another DBQ--it was not cool. After class I met the rest of the scholars at the Apollo Victoria to try to score some student tickets to the night showing of Wicked. We had failed at this attempt on Monday, and were determined to get our student seats this time. While we were buying our tickets, this man walked up with a sixty-five pound ticket (one hundred and thirty dollar seat!!), and asked if anyone wanted it. I laughed, and muttered under my breath "for free?"
He heard me, and said "yes."
I jumped at the chance and snatched the ticket, thanking him repeatedly. I was thinking, "wow...I am going to get to see Wicked twice in one day, all for only twenty-five pounds!! Rebecca was also thinking about grabbing the ticket, and Julia seemed interested as well. Rebecca told me to take it. I told Julia that she could have it if she really wanted it, assuming that we were still all going to see the show that night as well.
So a little bit disappointed, I made my way to Tesco to do some serious grocery shopping (Since my room has become the 3rd floor hang out everyone has been eating my food), and then went back to the dorm to cook dinner. When I got back I realized that Lindsey was already making dinner, and she made some vegetable soup in a broth that was quite tasty, although not quite as good as Mom's homemade soup!! I contributed to the meal by making garlic bread. By the time we were done eating, we were just about late for Wicked. So we all changed in about two minutes and headed off to the Apollo Victoria theatre for one amazing show. Whoever played Alfaba had one of the best voices I have ever heard. The show was great, with the best sets/costumes/special effects I have ever seen, probably barely edging out The Lion King. I was so glad I got to see the show, and would recommend it to anyone...but if you come to London I would recommend Billy Elliot over Wicked. They are both also really family friendly shows.
Alright, I am so tired I feel delirious so I am going to get going, but tomorrow I really should be updating a lot!!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Out on the wiley, windy moors...
July 24, 2007
London, England
Today we did not really have class, but instead a Jack the Ripper walk. We spent a solid three hours walking around London's East End, looking at the locations of Jack the Ripper's murders, as well as places of residence and hang outs that his victims frequented. About halfway through the tour, we went to a pub where the Ripper's youngest victim, Mary Jane Kelly, was believe to had had her last drink. It was 11:30 AM...but our instructor encouraged us each to buy a drink and take a short walking break. So I sipped a Pimm's with lemonade as I wandered around this nearly ancient pub, reading the "Jack the Ripper" history that the pub had recorded on its walls.
We finished walking art just after one, and I raced to St. Paul's Cathedral to meet Julia for our climb to the top. We got sandwiches from Marks and Spencers and dined on the cathedral steps. I must say that, after nearly a month and a half in Europe, 424 consecutive steps felt like almost nothing. We didn't even need to take a break as we ascended stair after stair. The cathedral itself is an architectural marvel. The intricacy with which it was designed is magnificent. The views from the top of the Cathedral, however, are really something else. We had a panoramic view of the entire city, and chose the perfect day to do it. It did not rain the whole time we were on the observation deck (I am getting quite used to rain, by the way)!! I must say that the thing that shocked me the most about the view from St. Paul's was the vast amount of evident construction going on around the city. For a city that is entirely built up, I was shocked to see ten or twelve cranes in any direction I looked. I took pictures of the cranes to document this surprise. Another shocking, yet neat, thing that I found was that looking down upon the public square right next to St. Paul's Cathderal, the entire square looked like a miniature model, one that would be displayed in the museum. Even the people, in motion, looked like they were part of this model. It was really fascinating to Julia and me.
Julia and I made a pit stop at Sainsbury's on our way back from the Cathedral, where we finally found Kinder's Hungry Hippos, which we had been longing to try since hearing about them, well...since Julia told me about them--she has been wanting to try them for longer. I love Kinder schokolade, and it reminds me of the time I spent in Germany in high school. As we were in the checkout line at Sainsbury's, I heard "Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy. Come home. I'm so cold. Let me in-a-your windoooow." I paused, listened for a second, then looked around, hoping that Gabby, Emily, or anyone else from Mr. Bizal's AP English class would somehow be in the store. The stage was set for me to have one of the biggest laughs of my life, but unfortunately there was nobody there for me to share the experience with--Julia has not even read Wuthering Heights. I waited in the check-out line, letting Kate Bush's shrill voice flood my mind with memories of AP English. To hear this song playing on an everyday public radio station was easily one of the craziest moments I have experienced yet here in Europe.
That being said, the rest of the day was routine. Dinner (pasta), and then my room was flooded with students from Michigan and Arizona.
London, England
Today we did not really have class, but instead a Jack the Ripper walk. We spent a solid three hours walking around London's East End, looking at the locations of Jack the Ripper's murders, as well as places of residence and hang outs that his victims frequented. About halfway through the tour, we went to a pub where the Ripper's youngest victim, Mary Jane Kelly, was believe to had had her last drink. It was 11:30 AM...but our instructor encouraged us each to buy a drink and take a short walking break. So I sipped a Pimm's with lemonade as I wandered around this nearly ancient pub, reading the "Jack the Ripper" history that the pub had recorded on its walls.
We finished walking art just after one, and I raced to St. Paul's Cathedral to meet Julia for our climb to the top. We got sandwiches from Marks and Spencers and dined on the cathedral steps. I must say that, after nearly a month and a half in Europe, 424 consecutive steps felt like almost nothing. We didn't even need to take a break as we ascended stair after stair. The cathedral itself is an architectural marvel. The intricacy with which it was designed is magnificent. The views from the top of the Cathedral, however, are really something else. We had a panoramic view of the entire city, and chose the perfect day to do it. It did not rain the whole time we were on the observation deck (I am getting quite used to rain, by the way)!! I must say that the thing that shocked me the most about the view from St. Paul's was the vast amount of evident construction going on around the city. For a city that is entirely built up, I was shocked to see ten or twelve cranes in any direction I looked. I took pictures of the cranes to document this surprise. Another shocking, yet neat, thing that I found was that looking down upon the public square right next to St. Paul's Cathderal, the entire square looked like a miniature model, one that would be displayed in the museum. Even the people, in motion, looked like they were part of this model. It was really fascinating to Julia and me.
Julia and I made a pit stop at Sainsbury's on our way back from the Cathedral, where we finally found Kinder's Hungry Hippos, which we had been longing to try since hearing about them, well...since Julia told me about them--she has been wanting to try them for longer. I love Kinder schokolade, and it reminds me of the time I spent in Germany in high school. As we were in the checkout line at Sainsbury's, I heard "Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy. Come home. I'm so cold. Let me in-a-your windoooow." I paused, listened for a second, then looked around, hoping that Gabby, Emily, or anyone else from Mr. Bizal's AP English class would somehow be in the store. The stage was set for me to have one of the biggest laughs of my life, but unfortunately there was nobody there for me to share the experience with--Julia has not even read Wuthering Heights. I waited in the check-out line, letting Kate Bush's shrill voice flood my mind with memories of AP English. To hear this song playing on an everyday public radio station was easily one of the craziest moments I have experienced yet here in Europe.
That being said, the rest of the day was routine. Dinner (pasta), and then my room was flooded with students from Michigan and Arizona.
Second Week of School
July 23, 2007
London, England
This morning we had a quiz in my class, and I was not at all prepared, having had to miss Thursday's class. Luckily it did not count, because it was really tough. Our instructor just told us that we should know the answers to all of the questions on the quiz before the final exam. We also spent time studying the five canonical victims, some of the suspects, and the police case.
After class I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where I took a tour before doing somem self-exploration. I thought the museum was pretty neat, and was really excited to see that they had a Canova statue. There was not a whole lot of artwork there that I recognized, but the museum has an extensive collection, and their I would definitely recommend its two English Galleries, as well as its collection of Casts.
I went back to the dorm to make some dinner, before helping the rest of the group plan its excursion to Edinburgh. I was very tempted to return to Edinburgh, but decided that I should really try to look at some more stuff around the area, so am going to take a couple of day trips this weekend instead.
I had decided that I was going to try to read a good chunk of Harry Potter tonight as well, but just after I settled down to read some I was interrupted by Freya and Allie (they both go to the University of Michigan). We ended up hanging out until the wee hours of the morning again.
London, England
This morning we had a quiz in my class, and I was not at all prepared, having had to miss Thursday's class. Luckily it did not count, because it was really tough. Our instructor just told us that we should know the answers to all of the questions on the quiz before the final exam. We also spent time studying the five canonical victims, some of the suspects, and the police case.
After class I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where I took a tour before doing somem self-exploration. I thought the museum was pretty neat, and was really excited to see that they had a Canova statue. There was not a whole lot of artwork there that I recognized, but the museum has an extensive collection, and their I would definitely recommend its two English Galleries, as well as its collection of Casts.
I went back to the dorm to make some dinner, before helping the rest of the group plan its excursion to Edinburgh. I was very tempted to return to Edinburgh, but decided that I should really try to look at some more stuff around the area, so am going to take a couple of day trips this weekend instead.
I had decided that I was going to try to read a good chunk of Harry Potter tonight as well, but just after I settled down to read some I was interrupted by Freya and Allie (they both go to the University of Michigan). We ended up hanging out until the wee hours of the morning again.
Some reading time at last.
July 22, 2007
London, England
I finally got a good amount of sleep, and did not wake up until around noon today. I got out of bed, took a shower, grabbed my book and my umbrella, and headed to the park. It was finally time to spend some uninterrupted time with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I spent about five hours reading in the park, but only read about thirty pages an hour because of how frequently I would pause to watch the wild fowl frolicking in the pond or the squirrels rapidly ravaging the walnuts that passersby tossed their way.
After spending the bulk of my day at the park, I headed back to the dorm to make some pasta. After dinner, my new Michigan friends came and hung out in my room until almost 2 in the morning.
Overall, it was a pretty relaxing day.
London, England
I finally got a good amount of sleep, and did not wake up until around noon today. I got out of bed, took a shower, grabbed my book and my umbrella, and headed to the park. It was finally time to spend some uninterrupted time with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I spent about five hours reading in the park, but only read about thirty pages an hour because of how frequently I would pause to watch the wild fowl frolicking in the pond or the squirrels rapidly ravaging the walnuts that passersby tossed their way.
After spending the bulk of my day at the park, I headed back to the dorm to make some pasta. After dinner, my new Michigan friends came and hung out in my room until almost 2 in the morning.
Overall, it was a pretty relaxing day.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Birthplace of Collegiate Education
July 21, 2007
Oxford, England
I boarded my bus to Oxford at nine AM, and lost myself in Harry Potter for almost an hour...until my eyes caught a glimpse outside the window as I was turning a page. We were driving through the countryside, but just ahead were dozens and dozens of beautiful Gothic spired.
Brittany, whom I met backpacking in Paris, greeted me at Gloucester Green and was ready to give me a complete tour of Oxford, and it was all access, considering she has an Oxford Faculty ID Card. We looked at Christchurch, saw the Great Hall from Harry Potter, which is a dining facility that Christchurch students ACTUALLY eat in. We went to Magdalene, which was one of my favorites, and walked around before taking a path to see deer in the countryside. We ended up walking this path all the way down, and it was one of the most beautiful walks I have taken in my life.
Then we went back into civilization, if you can call it that. With a couple dozen ancient schools, the oldest dating from 1249, Oxford made me feel like I was living a few hundred years ago. We looked at a couple more schools, such as Corpus Christi (where it started to rain), Mansfield, and Pembroke, and then we went to lunch. I got a panini, surprise surprise. Then we went to Moo Moos, World Famous Milkshakes that are too tasty for words. They have over 200 flavours. I got the flavour of the day, which was Rasberry with some chocolate cookie thing. It was fantastic. After lunch we tried to get into the Bodleian library, but the part I really wanted to see was closed. We looked at a few more schools, and then Brittany showed me the school she has been staying at for her research, St. Hughes. It is on the outer edge of Oxford, and a bit newer than many others, but still beautiful. And her room was HUGE. I think it was probably about 250 sq. feet, all to herself.
Then we went to dinner at The Eagle and the Child, formerly known as the Bird and the Baby, the frequent hang out of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein. We ate in the room that the two met and argued in, and I had Hunter's Chicken, which has nwo became my favorite pub dish of all time. After this, we went to another place with a good view and split a pitcher of Pimm's, before going to another bar that Brittany wanted to show me. It was a ton of fun, but it rained the whole afternoon and evening, and my whole ride back to London.
I arrived back in London at about 10, just in time for Julia's 21st birthday celebration, which was also a ton of fun!!
Unfortunately I am still way behind in Harry Potter, but it was super cool seeing some of the places that are used in the movie and reading a bit of the book in Oxford!!
Oxford, England
I boarded my bus to Oxford at nine AM, and lost myself in Harry Potter for almost an hour...until my eyes caught a glimpse outside the window as I was turning a page. We were driving through the countryside, but just ahead were dozens and dozens of beautiful Gothic spired.
Brittany, whom I met backpacking in Paris, greeted me at Gloucester Green and was ready to give me a complete tour of Oxford, and it was all access, considering she has an Oxford Faculty ID Card. We looked at Christchurch, saw the Great Hall from Harry Potter, which is a dining facility that Christchurch students ACTUALLY eat in. We went to Magdalene, which was one of my favorites, and walked around before taking a path to see deer in the countryside. We ended up walking this path all the way down, and it was one of the most beautiful walks I have taken in my life.
Then we went back into civilization, if you can call it that. With a couple dozen ancient schools, the oldest dating from 1249, Oxford made me feel like I was living a few hundred years ago. We looked at a couple more schools, such as Corpus Christi (where it started to rain), Mansfield, and Pembroke, and then we went to lunch. I got a panini, surprise surprise. Then we went to Moo Moos, World Famous Milkshakes that are too tasty for words. They have over 200 flavours. I got the flavour of the day, which was Rasberry with some chocolate cookie thing. It was fantastic. After lunch we tried to get into the Bodleian library, but the part I really wanted to see was closed. We looked at a few more schools, and then Brittany showed me the school she has been staying at for her research, St. Hughes. It is on the outer edge of Oxford, and a bit newer than many others, but still beautiful. And her room was HUGE. I think it was probably about 250 sq. feet, all to herself.
Then we went to dinner at The Eagle and the Child, formerly known as the Bird and the Baby, the frequent hang out of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein. We ate in the room that the two met and argued in, and I had Hunter's Chicken, which has nwo became my favorite pub dish of all time. After this, we went to another place with a good view and split a pitcher of Pimm's, before going to another bar that Brittany wanted to show me. It was a ton of fun, but it rained the whole afternoon and evening, and my whole ride back to London.
I arrived back in London at about 10, just in time for Julia's 21st birthday celebration, which was also a ton of fun!!
Unfortunately I am still way behind in Harry Potter, but it was super cool seeing some of the places that are used in the movie and reading a bit of the book in Oxford!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Thousands of years of stoney history, in the pouring rain.
July 20th, 2007
London, Stonehenge, and Bath
Today was my first day trip out of London. The other four scholars and I headed to South Kensington at 8 AM, where we were picked up by our Anderson Tour bus at close to 9. It was pouring rain from the time we woke up until late in the evening.The drive from London to Stonehenge took about two hours, and would probably have been scenic had the visibility been more than about six feet. When we arrived at Stonehenge, we got our audio tours, and were told we had about forty to forty-five minutes before the bus left. I was sporting my Windwall, and still freezing. It was probably about fifty degrees, maybe a little less, and the wind was beating down at seemingly unprecedented speeds.
It was really cool seeing Stonehenge, and I immediately thought of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, just as I had the night before, so it was extremely ironic to me when the last track on the audio guide read a passage about Thomas Hardy's heroine who met her fate at Stonehenge. Seeing Stonehenge was really neat, and I think it is something that everyone who comes this way should see once, but I do not have any desire to go back until I am either with my family or with the family I will probably build in the future. It is a true marvel, and thinking about how some of those stones were erected is truly perplexing, considering how long they have been here for. The audio guide offers some interesting theories that are really entertaining. Guests to Stonehenge are also afforded wonderful photo opportunities, as no one is allowed to go within about fifty or sixty metres of the structure. This means that pictures taken there will not be filled with strangers. I also think that going on such a crappy weather day meant that the volume of visitors was extraordinarily low.
Alas, forty-five minutes was all that was needed. I wish I had the chance ot listen to all of the extras on the audio guide, but aside from that small wish there really would be no need for anyone to remain at Stonehenge for longer than a half hour or forty-five minutes, unless they were in the midst of some cultural celebration or were trying to transfer the stones to a painted canvas. I am glad that I finally went to Stonehenge though.
After Stonehenge, we drove another hour or so to bath. Along the way, our tour manager pointed out several interesting things, and we found out that Sting and his wife and children live just a few minutes from Stonehenge. Madonna and Guy Ritchie also have a place in the countryside there.
The puddles we rode through on the way from Stonehenge to Bath splashed water to the very top of the bus windows. Julia was FREAKED out.
We got to bath and the view was ridiculous. The city is situated perfectly, and is a Gothic lovers' heaven. After driving through row and row of identical-faced architectural marvels, we arrived at the site of the ancient Roman Baths. We took a very neat tour of the baths and the museum that has been built up around them. The baths have not been cleaned or anything since discovered, and are pretty filthy up close, but it is so cool to put your hand over the water and feel the contrast between the 100+ degree water and the 50 degree air.
After the museum, we set off to hit all three gastronomical splendours that our tour manager suggested. We started with a baguette from some award winning shop. I had a delicious panini. Then we went to Sally Lun Buns, a quaint little restaurant with a bun recipe that dates from the year 1100. We had the most ridiculous waitress to ever work in the industry. I do not even want to write an account about her rudeness and neglectful attitude. Needless to say, we did not leave a tip at all. The buns were marvelous, although I suspected that they had to have been in order to have drawn people for more than 900 years.
After Sally Lun, we went to the San Francisco Fudge Factory. I know, San Francisco, in England. But it was the best fudge I have ever had. They have a "fudge of the day," and hand out free samples. It's amazing!! I also got to try caramel fudge for the first time in my life.
The drive back, which should have been an hour to an hour and a half, took nearly five. The bus driver had actually driver longer than he was legally allowed to, and we were all forced to get off at the same stop and find out own way home. Apparently the rain that fell from the sky this day was much more than Londoners are used to. We later found out that there were major tube delays, and many trains were canceled due to the flooding of railroad tracks. As there was a tube stop nearby, it was not a problem at all. On the way back, we passed twenty-six breakdowns, an incident (accident), and apparently every tour bus driver in the land was facing the same problem ours was. Upon exiting, I tipped both the driver and manager a pound, and it seriously made both of their days. I love the power that tipping wields over here.When we got back, there was not much time before Rebecca and I had to leave for the Harry Potter release party. We went to the Waterstone's at Trafalgar Square, along with THOUSANDS of others. We had to wait in line until 1 to get out books, but luckily we met a very pleasant London couple in line to talk to about Harry Potter, the UK, and the States for the entire time. It was a ton of fun.
I came back to my dorm room, read one page of Harry Potter, then decided I should get some sleep before really getting into the book, since I had to wake up pretty early for Oxford in the morning.
Monday, July 23, 2007
July 19th, 2007
London, England
Today was our meeting with the Lord Mayor, so the five of us with the VOL/BREF were excused from the class for the day. We decided it would be a good day to try to get Wicked tickets, so we went to the box office at ten, having been told the afternoon before that if we got there shortly after the box office opened we would get great student tickets, but unfortunately due to the long queue that had already formed by ten AM, the ticket agent informed us that they were going to be selling out that day, and that there were no student tickets available.
So we headed over to the theatre where Billy Elliot was playing. Rebecca, Leah, and I bought tickets to see Billy Elliot, and the others went back to the dorm.
We got dressed and headed to our meeting with the Lord Mayor, but unfortunately there were some sort of major tube delays. We left the dorm with plenty of time to spare, but due to the tube delays, we were forced to run from the Aldgate tube stop to Guildhall, where the City of London's Council Meeting was to be held. We ran the entire way (we even ran past some joggers on our way), in strictly formal attire. It was pretty comedic, so much so that I actually busted out the camera and took pictures of Leah and Lindsay running. It turns out that the Lord Mayor got caught up in traffic, and his car dropped him off late as well. The Lord Mayor and those accompanying him were decked out. I felt like I had time-traveled to the 18th century and was meeting George Washington and a couple of his cronies. They had the wigs, the staffs, the whole shebang.
The meeting ended up being quite boring, and I was more than ready by the time it was over. After the meeting and some pictures with the Lord Mayor, we went to the art gallery. The art gallery was an experience, and I would have never paid to go in there (the Lord Mayor's assistant got us in for free). There was an old amphitheatre at the bottom of the museum, which was probably the coolest part. There was also a statue that reminded Juli and I a bit of a hilarious work of art we ran into at the Louvre. SO we took pictures with it. Unfortunately, somewhere in the juggling of looking for this picture on my camera to show the others who did not get why we found th is statue funny at all), I lost my spare camera battery. :(
We got lunch and a smoothie near the Aldgate Station, and then Lindsay, Leah, and I took a detour to King's Cross Station where we staged a photo op at Platform 9 3/4. By the time we got back, it was nearly dinner time. I made some pasta, and then we headed off to Billy Elliot.
Billy Elliot is now my third favorite show of all time. It was INCREDIBLE, and I must say I was a bit envious of the thirteen year old lead, because he was living out what would have been my dream when I was younger. What I would give to be in a show like that (too bad I can't sing). Every time I go to a show, I get a bit nostalgic about my acting experience. I definitely miss it, and would undoubtedly try out for UAs productions if they were not reserved only for theatre majors. The show was great. Leah cried, and proclaimed emphatically at the end of the show that it was the best she has ever seen. Rebecca and I both thoroughly enjoyed it as well. I am excited to see some more.
After Billy Elliot, Leah and I headed off to Cavanaugh's to meet several others for another evening of great live music. It was a ton of fun, and I think it is safe to say that I will have spent every Thursday in London at Cavanaugh's by the time I leave here. It is a ton of fun!!
London, England
Today was our meeting with the Lord Mayor, so the five of us with the VOL/BREF were excused from the class for the day. We decided it would be a good day to try to get Wicked tickets, so we went to the box office at ten, having been told the afternoon before that if we got there shortly after the box office opened we would get great student tickets, but unfortunately due to the long queue that had already formed by ten AM, the ticket agent informed us that they were going to be selling out that day, and that there were no student tickets available.
So we headed over to the theatre where Billy Elliot was playing. Rebecca, Leah, and I bought tickets to see Billy Elliot, and the others went back to the dorm.
We got dressed and headed to our meeting with the Lord Mayor, but unfortunately there were some sort of major tube delays. We left the dorm with plenty of time to spare, but due to the tube delays, we were forced to run from the Aldgate tube stop to Guildhall, where the City of London's Council Meeting was to be held. We ran the entire way (we even ran past some joggers on our way), in strictly formal attire. It was pretty comedic, so much so that I actually busted out the camera and took pictures of Leah and Lindsay running. It turns out that the Lord Mayor got caught up in traffic, and his car dropped him off late as well. The Lord Mayor and those accompanying him were decked out. I felt like I had time-traveled to the 18th century and was meeting George Washington and a couple of his cronies. They had the wigs, the staffs, the whole shebang.
The meeting ended up being quite boring, and I was more than ready by the time it was over. After the meeting and some pictures with the Lord Mayor, we went to the art gallery. The art gallery was an experience, and I would have never paid to go in there (the Lord Mayor's assistant got us in for free). There was an old amphitheatre at the bottom of the museum, which was probably the coolest part. There was also a statue that reminded Juli and I a bit of a hilarious work of art we ran into at the Louvre. SO we took pictures with it. Unfortunately, somewhere in the juggling of looking for this picture on my camera to show the others who did not get why we found th is statue funny at all), I lost my spare camera battery. :(
We got lunch and a smoothie near the Aldgate Station, and then Lindsay, Leah, and I took a detour to King's Cross Station where we staged a photo op at Platform 9 3/4. By the time we got back, it was nearly dinner time. I made some pasta, and then we headed off to Billy Elliot.
Billy Elliot is now my third favorite show of all time. It was INCREDIBLE, and I must say I was a bit envious of the thirteen year old lead, because he was living out what would have been my dream when I was younger. What I would give to be in a show like that (too bad I can't sing). Every time I go to a show, I get a bit nostalgic about my acting experience. I definitely miss it, and would undoubtedly try out for UAs productions if they were not reserved only for theatre majors. The show was great. Leah cried, and proclaimed emphatically at the end of the show that it was the best she has ever seen. Rebecca and I both thoroughly enjoyed it as well. I am excited to see some more.
After Billy Elliot, Leah and I headed off to Cavanaugh's to meet several others for another evening of great live music. It was a ton of fun, and I think it is safe to say that I will have spent every Thursday in London at Cavanaugh's by the time I leave here. It is a ton of fun!!
July 18th, 2007
London, England
Today school was exciting...I wrote a DBQ!! My mind was flooded with memories of APUSH Junior year, and I longed to sit in Mrs. Burcham's classroom once again as my head filled with historical knowledge, really though!!
After school, I went to H&M again, because everything changes each day. I have never been such an avid shopper before. Then I went on a West End Walk that was super cool, but I had already seen most of what we saw since I basically live in the West End. Then I went to the park and read for a bit, came back to the dorm and researched my Oxford trip before going on the best run of my life. So the night before I had spent two hours in the parks, and stretched my horizons past St. James to Green Park. Well, tonight I started in St. James, as always, made my way to Green Park, and after spending a half hour or so at Green Park, I wanted more park. So I found a map, and ran to Hyde Park, which is gorgeous, and SO massive. I also ran through the Kensington Gardens. I took a break in Hyde Park to do a few sit ups, but aside from that I was either walking, running, or jogging for four hours straight. When I came back I felt amazing!!
On my way back through the parks, when passing Buckingham Palace, I saw CNN cameras and some cameramen filming, but they hadn't barricaded anything off. I ran past them and ducked out of the camera's way, and then I was like...wait a minute, I like CNN, and so I made a bit of a circle and then jogged past them, hoping that my presence would be broadcast on CNN News for a second or so. I never did find out what happened to the Queen, but that night Rebecca and Lindsay were in my room and we discussed the Royal Family, which I realised I did not know that much about at all. Once they left, I did some more research on my own. And ended up not going to bed until 3...
It was a good day though, and I did not have to wake up until almost 9 the next morning.
London, England
Today school was exciting...I wrote a DBQ!! My mind was flooded with memories of APUSH Junior year, and I longed to sit in Mrs. Burcham's classroom once again as my head filled with historical knowledge, really though!!
After school, I went to H&M again, because everything changes each day. I have never been such an avid shopper before. Then I went on a West End Walk that was super cool, but I had already seen most of what we saw since I basically live in the West End. Then I went to the park and read for a bit, came back to the dorm and researched my Oxford trip before going on the best run of my life. So the night before I had spent two hours in the parks, and stretched my horizons past St. James to Green Park. Well, tonight I started in St. James, as always, made my way to Green Park, and after spending a half hour or so at Green Park, I wanted more park. So I found a map, and ran to Hyde Park, which is gorgeous, and SO massive. I also ran through the Kensington Gardens. I took a break in Hyde Park to do a few sit ups, but aside from that I was either walking, running, or jogging for four hours straight. When I came back I felt amazing!!
On my way back through the parks, when passing Buckingham Palace, I saw CNN cameras and some cameramen filming, but they hadn't barricaded anything off. I ran past them and ducked out of the camera's way, and then I was like...wait a minute, I like CNN, and so I made a bit of a circle and then jogged past them, hoping that my presence would be broadcast on CNN News for a second or so. I never did find out what happened to the Queen, but that night Rebecca and Lindsay were in my room and we discussed the Royal Family, which I realised I did not know that much about at all. Once they left, I did some more research on my own. And ended up not going to bed until 3...
It was a good day though, and I did not have to wake up until almost 9 the next morning.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Can somebody please explain to me the weather in Western Europe?
July 17th, 2007
London, England
After staying out later than I intended to last night, I needed a caramel macchiato to jumpstart my day, so I went to the Starbucks that is literally three doors down from my dorm and did just that. I took the Tube to school, where we had our first real lecture before taking a mini field walk around the Marylebone area, where many "Jack the Ripper" suspects once lived. It was nice.
After the walk, I went to lunch at a delicious sandwich shop with a few of my classmates, and had a great schnitzel sandwich on Ciabetta bread. Then I went to Anderson's and booked my tour to Stonehenge and Bath, before FINALLY getting a haircut at a hair salon nearby. Then I made a trip to the post office and went back to H&M to attempt to try on the clothes I wanted to try on the day before. Well, this H&M is so big and popular that they apparently change everything every day. The racks were completely different, and yesterday's clothes had disappeared. I did, however, still manage to find a couple of things.
On the tube ride home, I was reading Jack the Ripper: A Definitive History, and all of a sudden a spider starts to crawl down the page I am on...as if it appeared out of thin air. Well, spiders are one thing that really creeps me out and I was extremely startled. I jumped, and slammed the book shut. The tube was relatively crowded, and everyone tried real hard not to laugh at me (I was not with anyone I knew, so it was all strangers), but some of them didn't quite make it. People laughed at me until I got off at my stop, and even then a couple that got off at the same place as I did could not stop laughing.
After swinging by the dorm, I headed to the park to read some of Jack the Ripper's history for awhile, and to read Roy Porter's "London: A Social History." I came back from reading, made some pasta, made a Facebook photo album, and then went back to the park for a run. I ran/walked for about two hours straight. It was incredible!!
London, England
After staying out later than I intended to last night, I needed a caramel macchiato to jumpstart my day, so I went to the Starbucks that is literally three doors down from my dorm and did just that. I took the Tube to school, where we had our first real lecture before taking a mini field walk around the Marylebone area, where many "Jack the Ripper" suspects once lived. It was nice.
After the walk, I went to lunch at a delicious sandwich shop with a few of my classmates, and had a great schnitzel sandwich on Ciabetta bread. Then I went to Anderson's and booked my tour to Stonehenge and Bath, before FINALLY getting a haircut at a hair salon nearby. Then I made a trip to the post office and went back to H&M to attempt to try on the clothes I wanted to try on the day before. Well, this H&M is so big and popular that they apparently change everything every day. The racks were completely different, and yesterday's clothes had disappeared. I did, however, still manage to find a couple of things.
On the tube ride home, I was reading Jack the Ripper: A Definitive History, and all of a sudden a spider starts to crawl down the page I am on...as if it appeared out of thin air. Well, spiders are one thing that really creeps me out and I was extremely startled. I jumped, and slammed the book shut. The tube was relatively crowded, and everyone tried real hard not to laugh at me (I was not with anyone I knew, so it was all strangers), but some of them didn't quite make it. People laughed at me until I got off at my stop, and even then a couple that got off at the same place as I did could not stop laughing.
After swinging by the dorm, I headed to the park to read some of Jack the Ripper's history for awhile, and to read Roy Porter's "London: A Social History." I came back from reading, made some pasta, made a Facebook photo album, and then went back to the park for a run. I ran/walked for about two hours straight. It was incredible!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Back to School
Monday, July 16th, 2007
London, England
So, my "holiday" ended yesterday. I am no longer backpacking around Europe, without having to worry about spending any time on school.
I woke up far to early this morning, to take the tube to the University for orientation. Orientation took a couple of hours, and we got a ridiculous amount of papers, found out about day and weekend trips that the school is sponsoring, heard all about safety and security, etc. Then we headed off to our classes for the first time.
I am taking Jack the Ripper's London: Myth, Reality, and the Victorian Metropolis. It seems like it will be a great course, but it will be very demanding. The instructor said that, since it is a full semester course, crammed into three weeks, it is going to be "pretty rigorous." We have to do a twenty-five minute group presentation with power point, write a research paper on one of four topics, and we will have a written final exam at the end of the three weeks. We are taking three field trips, one of which I will be missing due to my meeting with the Lord Mayor on Thursday. The syllabus had a list of some fourteen recommended reading books, a few of which are mandatory.
After class, the head of the program threw another pub bash, this time with plenty of free food and drink, really close to campus. I went for a couple of hours, before realizing it was almost four PM and I had a lot to do before businesses started closing down.
After the pub, I headed to the library (Actually two libraries) to avoid buying as many books as I could. I found seven of the books I needed at the library, checked them out, threw them in a bag, and headed to H&M, where I FINALLY purchased an umbrella!!
I came back, cooked pasta yet again (five straight nights now), went on the computer for a bit, went running with Leah for well over an hour, went to Sainsbury's so she could get some groceries, and then we had a laundry party.
Four of us combined our laundry and spent FOUR hours washing and drying. There was a serious lack of machines and these machines were rickety and slow. But we kept ourselves occupied with conversation, European chocolate, and popcorn. I read form one of my "Jack the Ripper" novels, and we all talked about movies and nonfictional books that we liked and did not like. It was a good time, but had we known that it was going to take us four hours to do our laundry, we would have started before ten PM!!
At 2, I folded my laundry, got online, read for a bit, then crashed for a solid five hours before waking up for day two of school!!
London, England
So, my "holiday" ended yesterday. I am no longer backpacking around Europe, without having to worry about spending any time on school.
I woke up far to early this morning, to take the tube to the University for orientation. Orientation took a couple of hours, and we got a ridiculous amount of papers, found out about day and weekend trips that the school is sponsoring, heard all about safety and security, etc. Then we headed off to our classes for the first time.
I am taking Jack the Ripper's London: Myth, Reality, and the Victorian Metropolis. It seems like it will be a great course, but it will be very demanding. The instructor said that, since it is a full semester course, crammed into three weeks, it is going to be "pretty rigorous." We have to do a twenty-five minute group presentation with power point, write a research paper on one of four topics, and we will have a written final exam at the end of the three weeks. We are taking three field trips, one of which I will be missing due to my meeting with the Lord Mayor on Thursday. The syllabus had a list of some fourteen recommended reading books, a few of which are mandatory.
After class, the head of the program threw another pub bash, this time with plenty of free food and drink, really close to campus. I went for a couple of hours, before realizing it was almost four PM and I had a lot to do before businesses started closing down.
After the pub, I headed to the library (Actually two libraries) to avoid buying as many books as I could. I found seven of the books I needed at the library, checked them out, threw them in a bag, and headed to H&M, where I FINALLY purchased an umbrella!!
I came back, cooked pasta yet again (five straight nights now), went on the computer for a bit, went running with Leah for well over an hour, went to Sainsbury's so she could get some groceries, and then we had a laundry party.
Four of us combined our laundry and spent FOUR hours washing and drying. There was a serious lack of machines and these machines were rickety and slow. But we kept ourselves occupied with conversation, European chocolate, and popcorn. I read form one of my "Jack the Ripper" novels, and we all talked about movies and nonfictional books that we liked and did not like. It was a good time, but had we known that it was going to take us four hours to do our laundry, we would have started before ten PM!!
At 2, I folded my laundry, got online, read for a bit, then crashed for a solid five hours before waking up for day two of school!!
The Tower.
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
London, England
Typing on an American PC is almost pure bliss. Anyway, I started off this morning on a nice run in St. James' Park, and I went longer than I have any other day before, so that was good. I came back, showered, made a sandwich, and then met the other scholars to head off to tour the Tower of London, for real this time.
We got to the Tower of London a bit after one, took a tour with a Yeoman Warder, looked at the Crown Jewels (including the world's largest known diamond--530 karats), and then it started pouring (there has been surprisingly little rain so far while I have been in London). We looked at the White Tower and the Royal Armouries' Collestion, the ravens outside of the White Tower, the Medieval Palace where Walter Raleigh was held captive for years and years, the Bloody Tower where two young princes mysteriously disappeared several centuries ago (it was some big conspiracy that Shakespeare wrote Henry V about), went inside the Lower Wakefield Tower where we saw a bunch of medieval torture tools, saw the prisoner graffiti in the Beauchamp Tower, Traitor's Gate, and the Scaffold Site where a number of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded.
It was really interesting, and something that I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting London. We spent several hours there.
After coming back, I made some pasta and got another Cadbury McFlurry before the time came to go meet other students at a pub evening put on by the University. I met several students, mostly from the U.S. but some from England and Germany as well. it was a great time.
I came back, and crashed, since we needed to be at the University this morning for orientation.
London, England
Typing on an American PC is almost pure bliss. Anyway, I started off this morning on a nice run in St. James' Park, and I went longer than I have any other day before, so that was good. I came back, showered, made a sandwich, and then met the other scholars to head off to tour the Tower of London, for real this time.
We got to the Tower of London a bit after one, took a tour with a Yeoman Warder, looked at the Crown Jewels (including the world's largest known diamond--530 karats), and then it started pouring (there has been surprisingly little rain so far while I have been in London). We looked at the White Tower and the Royal Armouries' Collestion, the ravens outside of the White Tower, the Medieval Palace where Walter Raleigh was held captive for years and years, the Bloody Tower where two young princes mysteriously disappeared several centuries ago (it was some big conspiracy that Shakespeare wrote Henry V about), went inside the Lower Wakefield Tower where we saw a bunch of medieval torture tools, saw the prisoner graffiti in the Beauchamp Tower, Traitor's Gate, and the Scaffold Site where a number of Henry VIII's wives were beheaded.
It was really interesting, and something that I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting London. We spent several hours there.
After coming back, I made some pasta and got another Cadbury McFlurry before the time came to go meet other students at a pub evening put on by the University. I met several students, mostly from the U.S. but some from England and Germany as well. it was a great time.
I came back, and crashed, since we needed to be at the University this morning for orientation.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Running Alongside Royalty
Saturday, July 14th, 2007
London, England
This morning I woke up and ate an apple before my run in the park with Julia. This time I circled three or four times, running by Buckingham Palace every time. It was great. Unfortunately the crowd was VERY crowded, as it is a Saturday and there were tourists galore, but it was still a great work out, and so beautiful. I was telling Julia afterwards how lucky we are to have the chance to run by something like the Buckingham Palace every morning.
After the run I shaved, showered, and made myself a sandwich. Then we set off toward the Tower of London. When we got there, we waited in a line that did not look that bad. After about an hour, we discovered that we were going to miss the last guided tour of the day, which is something that we both really wanted to do. We decided to come back tomorrow, and fortunately were able to buy tickets in advance at a shop a bit later. We did not want our tube trip over that way to be a waste, so we walked the Tower Bridge, snapped some shots, explored the area, and on our way back, we were stopped because the bridge was raising to let a pirate ship pass. It was so cool to see. I did not have a lot of time left on my camera, but I took a video and hope it captured the event well.
We tubed back to Victoria Station, and then I showed Julia where Argos was and we went in so she could try to get a hair straightener and a blowdryer for cheap. She was able to.
On the way back to the dorm, we stopped by McDonald's to try the Cadbury Caramel McFlurry, which is divine.
I updated my journal, and then the five of us sat in Leah's room and talked for a good hour or so. I finally started uploading pics (I am way behind), and then tonight we went to a great pub and I finally tried Pimm's, which is really good!!
I need to get some rest, because I am waking up real early to run tomorrow!!
London, England
This morning I woke up and ate an apple before my run in the park with Julia. This time I circled three or four times, running by Buckingham Palace every time. It was great. Unfortunately the crowd was VERY crowded, as it is a Saturday and there were tourists galore, but it was still a great work out, and so beautiful. I was telling Julia afterwards how lucky we are to have the chance to run by something like the Buckingham Palace every morning.
After the run I shaved, showered, and made myself a sandwich. Then we set off toward the Tower of London. When we got there, we waited in a line that did not look that bad. After about an hour, we discovered that we were going to miss the last guided tour of the day, which is something that we both really wanted to do. We decided to come back tomorrow, and fortunately were able to buy tickets in advance at a shop a bit later. We did not want our tube trip over that way to be a waste, so we walked the Tower Bridge, snapped some shots, explored the area, and on our way back, we were stopped because the bridge was raising to let a pirate ship pass. It was so cool to see. I did not have a lot of time left on my camera, but I took a video and hope it captured the event well.
We tubed back to Victoria Station, and then I showed Julia where Argos was and we went in so she could try to get a hair straightener and a blowdryer for cheap. She was able to.
On the way back to the dorm, we stopped by McDonald's to try the Cadbury Caramel McFlurry, which is divine.
I updated my journal, and then the five of us sat in Leah's room and talked for a good hour or so. I finally started uploading pics (I am way behind), and then tonight we went to a great pub and I finally tried Pimm's, which is really good!!
I need to get some rest, because I am waking up real early to run tomorrow!!
Harry Potter in London!!
Friday, July 13th, 2007
London, England
Julia and I went running this morning in St. James Park and Green Park, right by Buckingham Palace. It was so cool!! I think I am going to go do it almost every day.
After running, Julia wanted to go shopping again, so I went BACK to Tesco, and I bought fresh fruit outside and then more pasta sauce and cereal inside. It was 11 pounds or something--I think I am good on groceries for quite some time now.
I made pasta for a third night in a row, but this time I added basil and crushed red peppers to my healthy living red sauce, and it was delicious.
After dinner, Rebecca and I went to Leicester Square for Harry Potter at the Odeon. This cinema has no air conditioning, and the bathrooms are in the theatre itself, not in the lobby or anything. There is a curtain, and they show both commercials and previews before the movie. After the previews are over (there was one for Wicked!!), the curtains close and then reopen one more time before the movie starts. People clap wildly like they are at a show. The movies are something else here. I guess it makes a bit of sense why they cost about five times as much as they do in the states. Oh, I forgot to mention that I also preordered my Harry Potter book and I am going to a midnight signing next Friday night!! Anyway, it was so cool watching the Order of the Phoenix fly over the Thames literally a five minute walk from where I am staying. Even the part with the telephone booth elevator got me all excited. It made me want to go find that telephone booth and test it out!!
So while I definitely do not want to spend the money to see another movie here, it was worth it for Harry Potter!! I had a great time, and really enjoyed the movie as well. A critic here said that the movie is good enough to satisfy HP fans, but no good enough to convert those who are not already obsessed with Harry Potter. I do not think this could have been said any better.
So this was yesterday, which means that I am now just about updated here!!
London, England
Julia and I went running this morning in St. James Park and Green Park, right by Buckingham Palace. It was so cool!! I think I am going to go do it almost every day.
After running, Julia wanted to go shopping again, so I went BACK to Tesco, and I bought fresh fruit outside and then more pasta sauce and cereal inside. It was 11 pounds or something--I think I am good on groceries for quite some time now.
I made pasta for a third night in a row, but this time I added basil and crushed red peppers to my healthy living red sauce, and it was delicious.
After dinner, Rebecca and I went to Leicester Square for Harry Potter at the Odeon. This cinema has no air conditioning, and the bathrooms are in the theatre itself, not in the lobby or anything. There is a curtain, and they show both commercials and previews before the movie. After the previews are over (there was one for Wicked!!), the curtains close and then reopen one more time before the movie starts. People clap wildly like they are at a show. The movies are something else here. I guess it makes a bit of sense why they cost about five times as much as they do in the states. Oh, I forgot to mention that I also preordered my Harry Potter book and I am going to a midnight signing next Friday night!! Anyway, it was so cool watching the Order of the Phoenix fly over the Thames literally a five minute walk from where I am staying. Even the part with the telephone booth elevator got me all excited. It made me want to go find that telephone booth and test it out!!
So while I definitely do not want to spend the money to see another movie here, it was worth it for Harry Potter!! I had a great time, and really enjoyed the movie as well. A critic here said that the movie is good enough to satisfy HP fans, but no good enough to convert those who are not already obsessed with Harry Potter. I do not think this could have been said any better.
So this was yesterday, which means that I am now just about updated here!!
My first time in an igloo.
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
London, England
Today was a heck of a day. I woke up at 9 AM, walked to Leicester Square with Rebecca to get Harry Potter tickets, and planned on coming back to run with Julia but we got back so late that Julia had already gone running and come back. You can walk for hours and not even know it in this city because everything around you is so nice to look at. Anyway, we bough tickets for Friday night at 8:40, and they were nearly 20 pounds a piece, that's almost 40 dollars!! I refuse to ever pay so much money for movie tickets again. It is funny though, because different seats are different prices and your tickets have a seat row and number on them and everything.
When we finally got back, I showed the other scholars where Tesco is and of course couldn't leave without buying more. I found a 3 kg bag of pasta for one pound. I was stoked--it's Fusilli and it looks really good. I spent about ten more pounds on groceries, but I have been cooking just about every meal. I also got some more water.
After Tesco's, we went looking for show tickets for tonight. We went to the Apollo Victoria, where Wicked is playing, and also went to look at the theatre with Billy Elliott, and then we went back to Leicester to find out prices on other shows. We decided we got a late start looking so we would wait to see a show. We got lunch at Garfunkel's, and I ordered an American Hot Pizza, which is definitely not American. It was funny. It was actually pretty good, in contrast with what many people say about London food.
After looking for tickets, we went towards Oxford Street and the girls went into several stores. I found an H&M and made a couple of small purchases.
When we got back, I made myself some pasta, and it was freaking delicious. The pasta, the sauce, everything was tasty. I was proud of myself, and decided that I would be eating a whole lot of pasta in the coming days.
Later on, Julia and I met up with some of her friends who are doing the FIE internship here for the summer. We went out to an Ice Bar, and it was an experience:
You need a reservation. You only have forty-five minutes inside. It is in the heart of London, right next to Picadilly Circus. You walk in and they put a royal cape over you, with a hood, gloves, the whole shebang. Your receipt entitles you to one drink from the Igloo Bar, and your drink comes in a glass made of us. Everything inside is made of ice, from the clear ice London signature telephone booth, to a map of the city, to the ice brick walls. It was sooo neat.
Afterwards, we went back to the Kensington area, where we went to a pub for the remainder of the evening. There was a live band, and I had such a good time. I tried a Strong Bow for the first time, and danced the night away. Somewhere in there I ran into Elle, and she screamed as she dropped her lime on the floor and gave me a hug. I had NO idea she was out here. It was crazy!!!
After a long night out of fun, Julia and I bussed our way back to Victoria Station, before making our way home.
I crashed pretty hard, and got a good seven or so hours of sleep before it was time to wake up and go running once again!!
London, England
Today was a heck of a day. I woke up at 9 AM, walked to Leicester Square with Rebecca to get Harry Potter tickets, and planned on coming back to run with Julia but we got back so late that Julia had already gone running and come back. You can walk for hours and not even know it in this city because everything around you is so nice to look at. Anyway, we bough tickets for Friday night at 8:40, and they were nearly 20 pounds a piece, that's almost 40 dollars!! I refuse to ever pay so much money for movie tickets again. It is funny though, because different seats are different prices and your tickets have a seat row and number on them and everything.
When we finally got back, I showed the other scholars where Tesco is and of course couldn't leave without buying more. I found a 3 kg bag of pasta for one pound. I was stoked--it's Fusilli and it looks really good. I spent about ten more pounds on groceries, but I have been cooking just about every meal. I also got some more water.
After Tesco's, we went looking for show tickets for tonight. We went to the Apollo Victoria, where Wicked is playing, and also went to look at the theatre with Billy Elliott, and then we went back to Leicester to find out prices on other shows. We decided we got a late start looking so we would wait to see a show. We got lunch at Garfunkel's, and I ordered an American Hot Pizza, which is definitely not American. It was funny. It was actually pretty good, in contrast with what many people say about London food.
After looking for tickets, we went towards Oxford Street and the girls went into several stores. I found an H&M and made a couple of small purchases.
When we got back, I made myself some pasta, and it was freaking delicious. The pasta, the sauce, everything was tasty. I was proud of myself, and decided that I would be eating a whole lot of pasta in the coming days.
Later on, Julia and I met up with some of her friends who are doing the FIE internship here for the summer. We went out to an Ice Bar, and it was an experience:
You need a reservation. You only have forty-five minutes inside. It is in the heart of London, right next to Picadilly Circus. You walk in and they put a royal cape over you, with a hood, gloves, the whole shebang. Your receipt entitles you to one drink from the Igloo Bar, and your drink comes in a glass made of us. Everything inside is made of ice, from the clear ice London signature telephone booth, to a map of the city, to the ice brick walls. It was sooo neat.
Afterwards, we went back to the Kensington area, where we went to a pub for the remainder of the evening. There was a live band, and I had such a good time. I tried a Strong Bow for the first time, and danced the night away. Somewhere in there I ran into Elle, and she screamed as she dropped her lime on the floor and gave me a hug. I had NO idea she was out here. It was crazy!!!
After a long night out of fun, Julia and I bussed our way back to Victoria Station, before making our way home.
I crashed pretty hard, and got a good seven or so hours of sleep before it was time to wake up and go running once again!!
Chunneling from London to Paris
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Chunnel Time
I had breakfast and said goodbye to my hostel mates, most of whom had just checked in in the last day or two, but also to Danielle, who I had been with for the past five or six days. I really love backpacking alone because it gives you such a good chance to meet so many cool people from all over the world.
In the security line at the train station, Julia pointed out this girl's passport. It looked so cool, and I wondered if it was from South Africa or something. Until I looked more closely at the girl who was holding it. I turned to Julia and said, "I think I know that girl. I think her name is Brooke." It wasn't a passport, but a passport cover. And sure enough, I knew the girl that it belonged to. She came up to me and we laughed about what a small world it was for all of one minute before the security lady rudely told me to grab my bag and move on. I met Brooke at Student Government camp a couple of years ago, and I don't think I have seen her since summer camp last year. It's crazy!!
Anyway, it was kind of cool traveling beneath the English Channel, but a bit uneventful. It was just like going under a river, except for a really long time. Julia lent me a book to read on the tube ride, which was pretty exciting, since I have only read one very small big since arriving in Europe nearly a month ago. We arrived at Waterloo, and took the tube to Victoria Station, where we walked to the dorm. Julia's luggage connector broke, as well as one of her suitcase handles, so that sucked. We checked in, got into our rooms, which are very nice!! Our building is beautiful, an 1800s brick building, but the paint color inside is very tacky, a different pastel on each floor. My room is green. I am on the third floor, which would be the fourth floor by American standards. I look out at a nice brick wall. Julia is on the second floor and has a nice view, but she got some crappy furnishings in her room.
After settling in, we went grocery shopping at Tesco's. I loaded up on pasta, sauce, cereal, fruits, vegetables, Mars Planets, and water--sure that my bill would be outrageous. It was all only fifteen plans. So amazing!! The walk back was rough, because the way the water had to be carried both of us had our circulation cut off. Our fingers were purple by the time we got back to the dorm. A bit after we got back, we met the other scholars. The five of us went to a pub for dinner and a drink, then we walked along the Thames until we found Leicester Square. We wandered around, looking for a midnight showing of Harry Potter--they don't exist here!! We finally got some gelato, sat down in the park, and then headed back to the dorm. We got back around midnight, and I finally unpacked, finishing at around two. I DESPERATELY need to do laundry.
Chunnel Time
I had breakfast and said goodbye to my hostel mates, most of whom had just checked in in the last day or two, but also to Danielle, who I had been with for the past five or six days. I really love backpacking alone because it gives you such a good chance to meet so many cool people from all over the world.
In the security line at the train station, Julia pointed out this girl's passport. It looked so cool, and I wondered if it was from South Africa or something. Until I looked more closely at the girl who was holding it. I turned to Julia and said, "I think I know that girl. I think her name is Brooke." It wasn't a passport, but a passport cover. And sure enough, I knew the girl that it belonged to. She came up to me and we laughed about what a small world it was for all of one minute before the security lady rudely told me to grab my bag and move on. I met Brooke at Student Government camp a couple of years ago, and I don't think I have seen her since summer camp last year. It's crazy!!
Anyway, it was kind of cool traveling beneath the English Channel, but a bit uneventful. It was just like going under a river, except for a really long time. Julia lent me a book to read on the tube ride, which was pretty exciting, since I have only read one very small big since arriving in Europe nearly a month ago. We arrived at Waterloo, and took the tube to Victoria Station, where we walked to the dorm. Julia's luggage connector broke, as well as one of her suitcase handles, so that sucked. We checked in, got into our rooms, which are very nice!! Our building is beautiful, an 1800s brick building, but the paint color inside is very tacky, a different pastel on each floor. My room is green. I am on the third floor, which would be the fourth floor by American standards. I look out at a nice brick wall. Julia is on the second floor and has a nice view, but she got some crappy furnishings in her room.
After settling in, we went grocery shopping at Tesco's. I loaded up on pasta, sauce, cereal, fruits, vegetables, Mars Planets, and water--sure that my bill would be outrageous. It was all only fifteen plans. So amazing!! The walk back was rough, because the way the water had to be carried both of us had our circulation cut off. Our fingers were purple by the time we got back to the dorm. A bit after we got back, we met the other scholars. The five of us went to a pub for dinner and a drink, then we walked along the Thames until we found Leicester Square. We wandered around, looking for a midnight showing of Harry Potter--they don't exist here!! We finally got some gelato, sat down in the park, and then headed back to the dorm. We got back around midnight, and I finally unpacked, finishing at around two. I DESPERATELY need to do laundry.
July 10th
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
Paris, France
This morning Julia and I went to Pere Lachaise, the largest cemetery I have ever laid eyes on, and a cemetery that is where countless artists, musicians, and other celebrities were laid to rest. Thank goodness we got a map, because otherwise the cemetery would not have been navigable at all. It hardly was anyway. We missed a number of celebrities as it was. We saw the tombs of Jim Morrison, Gericault, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Delacroix, Ingres, Richard Wright, Camille Pissaro, Georges Seurat, and more. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the boxes that house the ashes of Isadora Duncan and Max Ernst. We also missed a number of others we wished to see, simply because we looked for several minutes in many areas without finding their headstones. This cemetery was beautiful--I cannot even explain how beautiful it was. People probably pay millions to be buried there, and while we were there construction/restoration was being done on a number of tombs.
It was quintessential cemetery viewing weather, as a light misty rain fell on us the entire three hours we wandered through the cemetery. Upon leaving the cemetery, Julia tried a crepe with honey (something that I unfortunately did not try while in France), and then we went to a grocery store to get some baguette, cheese, and jam. We went back to Isabelle's where we feasted on typical French food and watched some of the strangest movie I have ever seen. It is called "Very Bad Things," and I would only recommend it to anyone in a very demented state of mind.
Julia and I wanted to go shopping for souvenirs and gifts, but unfortunately all of the souvenir shops close down in the rain and neither of us was really able to get gifts in Paris for any of our family or friends.
I went back to Montmartre to meet up with Geiler and give him the game plan for the rest of the night. We ended up grabbing some wine and going back to the Eiffel Tower one last time. We sat on the grass in front of the tower for a good three hours before repeating the routine of walking Julia back and metroing our way home via line 12.
I packed up, and tried to rest up for the day of travel that lay ahead of us.
Paris, France
This morning Julia and I went to Pere Lachaise, the largest cemetery I have ever laid eyes on, and a cemetery that is where countless artists, musicians, and other celebrities were laid to rest. Thank goodness we got a map, because otherwise the cemetery would not have been navigable at all. It hardly was anyway. We missed a number of celebrities as it was. We saw the tombs of Jim Morrison, Gericault, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Delacroix, Ingres, Richard Wright, Camille Pissaro, Georges Seurat, and more. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the boxes that house the ashes of Isadora Duncan and Max Ernst. We also missed a number of others we wished to see, simply because we looked for several minutes in many areas without finding their headstones. This cemetery was beautiful--I cannot even explain how beautiful it was. People probably pay millions to be buried there, and while we were there construction/restoration was being done on a number of tombs.
It was quintessential cemetery viewing weather, as a light misty rain fell on us the entire three hours we wandered through the cemetery. Upon leaving the cemetery, Julia tried a crepe with honey (something that I unfortunately did not try while in France), and then we went to a grocery store to get some baguette, cheese, and jam. We went back to Isabelle's where we feasted on typical French food and watched some of the strangest movie I have ever seen. It is called "Very Bad Things," and I would only recommend it to anyone in a very demented state of mind.
Julia and I wanted to go shopping for souvenirs and gifts, but unfortunately all of the souvenir shops close down in the rain and neither of us was really able to get gifts in Paris for any of our family or friends.
I went back to Montmartre to meet up with Geiler and give him the game plan for the rest of the night. We ended up grabbing some wine and going back to the Eiffel Tower one last time. We sat on the grass in front of the tower for a good three hours before repeating the routine of walking Julia back and metroing our way home via line 12.
I packed up, and tried to rest up for the day of travel that lay ahead of us.
July 9th
Monday, July 9th
Paris, France
This morning Julia and I returned to the Louvre, and by the time we left after a second Louvre session we still had not seen close to everything. Today we looked at a lot of statues, and saw Venus de Milo (Aphrodite), the head dating from before 2,000 B.C., Mary Magdalene, and my favorite, Cupid and Psyche. Cupid and Psyche is now my favorite work of art. I spent about ten minutes admiring the masterful sculpting of that piece, and could have spent longer. It captures true love in such a meaningful way.
We met Geiler outside the Louvre and went to grab some lunch. We went back to the place where Julia and I paid an outrageous amount of money for water and where I got just a handful of fries for 4E50 (who knows why?). While we were eating, it started to sprinkle. We needed some shelter, and diverted our course to the Centre Goerges Pompidou, a museum of modern art. DO NOT GO HERE!! Just as we got there, it started to pour, and we were forced to spend a decent amount of time inside.
We left and went by the Notre Dame, so that Geiler could check it out. After this, we went to Sainte Chapelle, a chapel with the most beautiful set of stained glass I have ever seen. After walking up the spiral stairs into the top chapel, the viewer comes face to face with meters and meters of stained glass, telling the stories of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is just about the neatest thing ever, and there wasn't even a lot of sun coming through the windows.
At night, we went back to the Eiffel Tower so that Geiler could see it sparkle. We set on the grass in front of it for awhile, and then called it a night a bit after midnight so that we could get Julia home and still make it back to our hostels via the metro (Geiler's hostel was one stop away from my flat).
Paris, France
This morning Julia and I returned to the Louvre, and by the time we left after a second Louvre session we still had not seen close to everything. Today we looked at a lot of statues, and saw Venus de Milo (Aphrodite), the head dating from before 2,000 B.C., Mary Magdalene, and my favorite, Cupid and Psyche. Cupid and Psyche is now my favorite work of art. I spent about ten minutes admiring the masterful sculpting of that piece, and could have spent longer. It captures true love in such a meaningful way.
We met Geiler outside the Louvre and went to grab some lunch. We went back to the place where Julia and I paid an outrageous amount of money for water and where I got just a handful of fries for 4E50 (who knows why?). While we were eating, it started to sprinkle. We needed some shelter, and diverted our course to the Centre Goerges Pompidou, a museum of modern art. DO NOT GO HERE!! Just as we got there, it started to pour, and we were forced to spend a decent amount of time inside.
We left and went by the Notre Dame, so that Geiler could check it out. After this, we went to Sainte Chapelle, a chapel with the most beautiful set of stained glass I have ever seen. After walking up the spiral stairs into the top chapel, the viewer comes face to face with meters and meters of stained glass, telling the stories of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is just about the neatest thing ever, and there wasn't even a lot of sun coming through the windows.
At night, we went back to the Eiffel Tower so that Geiler could see it sparkle. We set on the grass in front of it for awhile, and then called it a night a bit after midnight so that we could get Julia home and still make it back to our hostels via the metro (Geiler's hostel was one stop away from my flat).
Friday, July 13, 2007
July 8th
Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Paris, France
This morning I weather.comd the weather in France, and the forecasted high temperature was in the 70s and the chance of rain was 10%, and it was supposed to rain in the evening if at all. I decided that I should be fine without my coat or the rain jacket, as Julia and I set off to spend the day at Versailles.
When we got there the weather was beautiful, and because we had museum passes we only had to wait in line for about a half hour instead of two plus hours. In line, Julia ran into somebody she knew-it was crazy!!!
Versailles is a MUST SEE for anybody going to Paris. It was my favorite out of everything I saw while there. The intricate architectural design and first-class artwork that covers the walls of the palace are simply mindblowing. The gardens are something else altogether. After roaming through dozens of the chateau's rooms, and seeing art such as David's "Coronation of Napoleon," we went outside to the gardens. We grabbed a bite to eat, both of us buying and eating all of our food while Julia waited almost an hour to go to the bathroom. The men's room had absolutely no line. Then we sat on the steps before one of the central fountains to save some good seats for the water show. Then it started.
First it was sprinkles, and it quickly turned into torrential downpour. I feel like I have used that term a lot to describe the rain here, but it is because there is no better way. We thought maybe it would blow over, but the clouds looked dark and dense for miles and miles. We watched the water show in the rain, and then we went to see Marie Antoinette's two dwellings that she occupied after the riot at the Chateau. It rained the entire time, and we walked in it for kilometers. Julia was in flip flops, but she had an umbrella. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a single t-shirt, which was soaked through in all of five or six minutes. Once the rain started a bit after noon, it did not stop until 8 in the evening.
The grandeur of Versailles is so far unparalleled in my eyes. It is a disgusting display of wealth that was taken from the common man in a time when royal families were so bored they had nothing better to do than to see how much money they could take from the people of their country before the people finally revolted. But the result of this historical phenomenon is pure beauty, and that is why Versailles was my favorite place in the Paris area.
Julia and I took the train back to her place, where we planned on buying some food and cooking dinner. Much to our dismay, the supermarket near Julia was closed because it was Sunday. I went back to my hostel and partook in a Mexican feast with my hostelmates (all of whom had a craving for Mexican food). I will admit that I did not share in this hankering feeling, but I played along and made myself a quesadilla.
I am finally getting caught up...just five full days behind now!!
---Jason
Paris, France
This morning I weather.comd the weather in France, and the forecasted high temperature was in the 70s and the chance of rain was 10%, and it was supposed to rain in the evening if at all. I decided that I should be fine without my coat or the rain jacket, as Julia and I set off to spend the day at Versailles.
When we got there the weather was beautiful, and because we had museum passes we only had to wait in line for about a half hour instead of two plus hours. In line, Julia ran into somebody she knew-it was crazy!!!
Versailles is a MUST SEE for anybody going to Paris. It was my favorite out of everything I saw while there. The intricate architectural design and first-class artwork that covers the walls of the palace are simply mindblowing. The gardens are something else altogether. After roaming through dozens of the chateau's rooms, and seeing art such as David's "Coronation of Napoleon," we went outside to the gardens. We grabbed a bite to eat, both of us buying and eating all of our food while Julia waited almost an hour to go to the bathroom. The men's room had absolutely no line. Then we sat on the steps before one of the central fountains to save some good seats for the water show. Then it started.
First it was sprinkles, and it quickly turned into torrential downpour. I feel like I have used that term a lot to describe the rain here, but it is because there is no better way. We thought maybe it would blow over, but the clouds looked dark and dense for miles and miles. We watched the water show in the rain, and then we went to see Marie Antoinette's two dwellings that she occupied after the riot at the Chateau. It rained the entire time, and we walked in it for kilometers. Julia was in flip flops, but she had an umbrella. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a single t-shirt, which was soaked through in all of five or six minutes. Once the rain started a bit after noon, it did not stop until 8 in the evening.
The grandeur of Versailles is so far unparalleled in my eyes. It is a disgusting display of wealth that was taken from the common man in a time when royal families were so bored they had nothing better to do than to see how much money they could take from the people of their country before the people finally revolted. But the result of this historical phenomenon is pure beauty, and that is why Versailles was my favorite place in the Paris area.
Julia and I took the train back to her place, where we planned on buying some food and cooking dinner. Much to our dismay, the supermarket near Julia was closed because it was Sunday. I went back to my hostel and partook in a Mexican feast with my hostelmates (all of whom had a craving for Mexican food). I will admit that I did not share in this hankering feeling, but I played along and made myself a quesadilla.
I am finally getting caught up...just five full days behind now!!
---Jason
Saturday, July 7th
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
Paris, France
Today we started off early again, and regretted it later on. We met at Marie d'Issy, a station that was a bit out of the city, at the end of my metro line, to check out Rodin's house and a museum of his sculptures. After taking a bus after the metro, and then walking a ways and asking for directions and a hospital, we finally arrived at the estate where Rodin resided, only to discover that the doors did not open until almost 1. We had about two hours to kill, so we wandered around for a bit and then tried to restructure our itinerary for the rest of the trip.
It was really neat to see so many of Rodin's sculptures (I had no idea just how many there were). We got to see "The Thinker" and "The Burghers of Calais," which were the only two that I could have named off the top of my head before we went. As far as his house went, we were only allowed on the ground floor, which meant that all we got to see was his kitchen and dining room. It was cool though.
After the museum, we went to this incredible pastry shop by the metro station and both ate a sweet croissant and a raspberry pistachio nut tart that was better than I can even explain. I ate far too many sweets in Paris.
Then we met one of my hostel mates, Danielle, at the catacombs. The catacombs were pretty neat--twenty meters underground and just filled with bone art and skull designs, such as hearts and crosses. We learned about all the innocent people whose bones were transported from a graveyard to the catacombs, and the creation of the catacombs themselves was interesting.
Once we finished at the catacombs, which took a lot longer than we thought it would, Julia and I scurried off to the Musee d'Orsay, to try to see what we could there before closing time. The Musee d'Orsay was really really neat--three stories filled with Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Realism, and Sculpture works. I got to see a number of works by a number of artists that I studied in my Art History course last semester. It was so neat. We could have spent longer there, but were lucky enough to see just about everything we wanted to before we left.
Julia came back to my hostel to check her e-mail and we snacked on some cheese and crackers, where we also met the latest arrivals, a guy from Belgium and two guys from Norway. The Norwegians were really cool, and we played cards with them for awhile before inviting them out with us to the Moulin Rouge area.
We took the metro to Pigalle, and this is where things get real crappy. I thought Friday night was bad, but on Saturday night we were caught by the metro police, caught for pretty much no reason at all. Apparently if you are a visitor on the metro and you buy a week long pass, you need to go to the ticket window and get this tourist pass to fill out and keep with you at all times. And if you use single tickets, you must always keep them with you for the duration of your ride, as they can be checked. These two things are not posted widely and one would never know, because a week pass works without a tourist pass, and people throw tickets on the ground all over the place after using them to enter a station. Despite our efforts to make the metro police understand why we were confused, we were both fined significantly. And these ladies had no mercy whatsoever.
We were pretty upset and had spent so much money on the fine that, once we got out of the metro station, we decided to call it a night. We took the metro about forty-five minutes back to Julia's place, I walked her home, then took the metro all the way back to Montmarte. It was not the greatest night, but I think it was better than the night before because at least this time I had someone to laugh about it with later on.
Paris, France
Today we started off early again, and regretted it later on. We met at Marie d'Issy, a station that was a bit out of the city, at the end of my metro line, to check out Rodin's house and a museum of his sculptures. After taking a bus after the metro, and then walking a ways and asking for directions and a hospital, we finally arrived at the estate where Rodin resided, only to discover that the doors did not open until almost 1. We had about two hours to kill, so we wandered around for a bit and then tried to restructure our itinerary for the rest of the trip.
It was really neat to see so many of Rodin's sculptures (I had no idea just how many there were). We got to see "The Thinker" and "The Burghers of Calais," which were the only two that I could have named off the top of my head before we went. As far as his house went, we were only allowed on the ground floor, which meant that all we got to see was his kitchen and dining room. It was cool though.
After the museum, we went to this incredible pastry shop by the metro station and both ate a sweet croissant and a raspberry pistachio nut tart that was better than I can even explain. I ate far too many sweets in Paris.
Then we met one of my hostel mates, Danielle, at the catacombs. The catacombs were pretty neat--twenty meters underground and just filled with bone art and skull designs, such as hearts and crosses. We learned about all the innocent people whose bones were transported from a graveyard to the catacombs, and the creation of the catacombs themselves was interesting.
Once we finished at the catacombs, which took a lot longer than we thought it would, Julia and I scurried off to the Musee d'Orsay, to try to see what we could there before closing time. The Musee d'Orsay was really really neat--three stories filled with Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Realism, and Sculpture works. I got to see a number of works by a number of artists that I studied in my Art History course last semester. It was so neat. We could have spent longer there, but were lucky enough to see just about everything we wanted to before we left.
Julia came back to my hostel to check her e-mail and we snacked on some cheese and crackers, where we also met the latest arrivals, a guy from Belgium and two guys from Norway. The Norwegians were really cool, and we played cards with them for awhile before inviting them out with us to the Moulin Rouge area.
We took the metro to Pigalle, and this is where things get real crappy. I thought Friday night was bad, but on Saturday night we were caught by the metro police, caught for pretty much no reason at all. Apparently if you are a visitor on the metro and you buy a week long pass, you need to go to the ticket window and get this tourist pass to fill out and keep with you at all times. And if you use single tickets, you must always keep them with you for the duration of your ride, as they can be checked. These two things are not posted widely and one would never know, because a week pass works without a tourist pass, and people throw tickets on the ground all over the place after using them to enter a station. Despite our efforts to make the metro police understand why we were confused, we were both fined significantly. And these ladies had no mercy whatsoever.
We were pretty upset and had spent so much money on the fine that, once we got out of the metro station, we decided to call it a night. We took the metro about forty-five minutes back to Julia's place, I walked her home, then took the metro all the way back to Montmarte. It was not the greatest night, but I think it was better than the night before because at least this time I had someone to laugh about it with later on.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Paris
We got a pretty early start this morning, at the Hotel des Invalides, which was commissioned by Napoleon to quarter the best of his troops. The building was pretty cool, but the reason that most visitors flock to see this place is because Napoleon's tomb is housed in a crypt underneath the hotel. And who knows why so many people want to get so close to the bones of this guy that we study as being such a treacherous creature? Well, I was one of them. Napoleon's tomb is huge, but it is not really all that pretty, in my opinion. In addition to the tomb, we stopped by the museum at the Hotel and got to see models of a bunch of ancient areas of Paris. It was really cool.
After Invalides, Julia and I grabbed some lunch, on-site, and while I was eating my ham and cheese baguette, Julia spotted a pigeon flying around in the kitchen of this restaurant. A closer look showed us that there were actually two dirty birds chilling in this kitchen. I think I figured out the perfect weight loss solution for anyone looking, because I lost my appetite instantly, and I don't even have a weak stomach.
We took the metro to Notre Dame after Invalides, which was absolutely beautiful. Gothic architecture at its finest. After going inside the cathedral and walking all around the outside, we went in the crypt beneath the church which showed what that part of Paris looked like thousands of years ago. It was pretty neat.
After Notre Dame and the crypt, we went by some of the street vendors, and we saw postcards for cheaper than 1 Euro for once (postcards are ridiculous here), and so we bought some, but as we looked at them closely we discovered some serious faults in these postcards. Anyway, we saw a bunch of really cool things in this area, and decided that we would come back on the last day to do some souvenir and gift shopping. Unfortunately it rained so hard on the last day that these vendors weren't even working, so I left Paris almost empty-handed.
We walked from Notre Dame to the Pantheon, which was one of the coolest things I had seen yet. Not the Pantheon itself, but the crypt underneath it. Yes, there are crypts underneath EVERYTHING In Paris. It is crazy. As a philosophy major, it was really cool to see this massive crypt where Jean-Jacques Rousseau and just about every other French philosopher one could thing of is housed. There are several others housed under the Pantheon as well, such as the Curies, Hugo, and many other authors and scientists that I cannot think of at the moment. It is also cool because the crypt is not close to being finished. There were at least as many open plots as there were utilized ones, so notable French figures will continue to be memorialized here for most likely hundreds of years to come.
After the Pantheon, Julia and I got gelato. I had a serious craving for some, and we walked by a shop that looked really good. It was. We got our gelato, and sat on a fountain in front of a church while we ate it. Julia is the slowest eater I have ever met, but for some reason I was able to make my gelato last a bit longer than she was. This was shocking to me, and really exciting for her. Typically I would order twice as much food as her, and finish it in half the time. It is kind of absurd.
We parted ways here and decided that we would meet up later at the Eiffel Tower because I had yet to see it sparkle at night. Back at the hostel, my hostel mates and I made a delicious feast of grilled chicken, string beans, and basil pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes. Each of us contributed (I made the string beans!!), and the food was seriously so delicious. If you read this shortly after I write it, my default picture on Facebook is actually of this meal.
After dinner I met Julia at the Eiffel, and it was sooo cool to see the Eiffel sparkle. Afterwards, we went toward the modern Bastille Opera where we were to meet Emily at a local hang out. After more than an hour of searching, and being misdirected by locals, we never found the place she was at. I took Julia back to Isabel's, and then bolted for the metro, sure that I would make it. It was 1:!5, and the metro was supposed to run until 2 on the weekends. But no, the metro closes whenever the heck it wants to close.
I went to another metro station--also closed. I went to like three bus stations looking for a night bus into Montmarte, and decided that these night buses that people speak of actually do not exist. I ended up having to take a taxi all the way back (20 Euro), all because I was being a nice guy and walking Julia back to her place. I was able to hail a cab after fifteen minutes of watching cab after cab fly by me. My taxi driver must have been the great great great great granddaughter of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. She sat perched over her steering wheel, and her shoulders and ears were in perfect alignment with one another. When I told her Montmarte in every pronunciation I could think of, she finally goes "ohhh Monmartrgrhrigrhgrha," trying to make me feel stupid. I showed her my address, and stopped talking to her. About five or six minutes into the taxi ride, she started muttering "notaxi, notaxi, notaxi." I said huh, and did not know if she meant that she was not really a taxi driver, or if her shift was over and she wanted me to get out and find another taxi to take me the rest of my home. Thinking it might be the second, and knowing the word "new" in French, I replied "Taxi Nouveau," to which she cackled at for about three and a half minutes before saying nothing more until we were in Montmartre.
After taking the most round-about-way imaginable, she pointed at my street, Rue Custine, motioning for me to get out. I was under the impression she would drop me off directly in front of my flat, but I guess I was wrong. I was unfamiliar with the part of Custine she pointed at, but complied and finally found my way home.
This was probably the first serious downer night of my trip. I just wish that somebody had been in the taxi to experience it with me.
Paris
We got a pretty early start this morning, at the Hotel des Invalides, which was commissioned by Napoleon to quarter the best of his troops. The building was pretty cool, but the reason that most visitors flock to see this place is because Napoleon's tomb is housed in a crypt underneath the hotel. And who knows why so many people want to get so close to the bones of this guy that we study as being such a treacherous creature? Well, I was one of them. Napoleon's tomb is huge, but it is not really all that pretty, in my opinion. In addition to the tomb, we stopped by the museum at the Hotel and got to see models of a bunch of ancient areas of Paris. It was really cool.
After Invalides, Julia and I grabbed some lunch, on-site, and while I was eating my ham and cheese baguette, Julia spotted a pigeon flying around in the kitchen of this restaurant. A closer look showed us that there were actually two dirty birds chilling in this kitchen. I think I figured out the perfect weight loss solution for anyone looking, because I lost my appetite instantly, and I don't even have a weak stomach.
We took the metro to Notre Dame after Invalides, which was absolutely beautiful. Gothic architecture at its finest. After going inside the cathedral and walking all around the outside, we went in the crypt beneath the church which showed what that part of Paris looked like thousands of years ago. It was pretty neat.
After Notre Dame and the crypt, we went by some of the street vendors, and we saw postcards for cheaper than 1 Euro for once (postcards are ridiculous here), and so we bought some, but as we looked at them closely we discovered some serious faults in these postcards. Anyway, we saw a bunch of really cool things in this area, and decided that we would come back on the last day to do some souvenir and gift shopping. Unfortunately it rained so hard on the last day that these vendors weren't even working, so I left Paris almost empty-handed.
We walked from Notre Dame to the Pantheon, which was one of the coolest things I had seen yet. Not the Pantheon itself, but the crypt underneath it. Yes, there are crypts underneath EVERYTHING In Paris. It is crazy. As a philosophy major, it was really cool to see this massive crypt where Jean-Jacques Rousseau and just about every other French philosopher one could thing of is housed. There are several others housed under the Pantheon as well, such as the Curies, Hugo, and many other authors and scientists that I cannot think of at the moment. It is also cool because the crypt is not close to being finished. There were at least as many open plots as there were utilized ones, so notable French figures will continue to be memorialized here for most likely hundreds of years to come.
After the Pantheon, Julia and I got gelato. I had a serious craving for some, and we walked by a shop that looked really good. It was. We got our gelato, and sat on a fountain in front of a church while we ate it. Julia is the slowest eater I have ever met, but for some reason I was able to make my gelato last a bit longer than she was. This was shocking to me, and really exciting for her. Typically I would order twice as much food as her, and finish it in half the time. It is kind of absurd.
We parted ways here and decided that we would meet up later at the Eiffel Tower because I had yet to see it sparkle at night. Back at the hostel, my hostel mates and I made a delicious feast of grilled chicken, string beans, and basil pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes. Each of us contributed (I made the string beans!!), and the food was seriously so delicious. If you read this shortly after I write it, my default picture on Facebook is actually of this meal.
After dinner I met Julia at the Eiffel, and it was sooo cool to see the Eiffel sparkle. Afterwards, we went toward the modern Bastille Opera where we were to meet Emily at a local hang out. After more than an hour of searching, and being misdirected by locals, we never found the place she was at. I took Julia back to Isabel's, and then bolted for the metro, sure that I would make it. It was 1:!5, and the metro was supposed to run until 2 on the weekends. But no, the metro closes whenever the heck it wants to close.
I went to another metro station--also closed. I went to like three bus stations looking for a night bus into Montmarte, and decided that these night buses that people speak of actually do not exist. I ended up having to take a taxi all the way back (20 Euro), all because I was being a nice guy and walking Julia back to her place. I was able to hail a cab after fifteen minutes of watching cab after cab fly by me. My taxi driver must have been the great great great great granddaughter of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. She sat perched over her steering wheel, and her shoulders and ears were in perfect alignment with one another. When I told her Montmarte in every pronunciation I could think of, she finally goes "ohhh Monmartrgrhrigrhgrha," trying to make me feel stupid. I showed her my address, and stopped talking to her. About five or six minutes into the taxi ride, she started muttering "notaxi, notaxi, notaxi." I said huh, and did not know if she meant that she was not really a taxi driver, or if her shift was over and she wanted me to get out and find another taxi to take me the rest of my home. Thinking it might be the second, and knowing the word "new" in French, I replied "Taxi Nouveau," to which she cackled at for about three and a half minutes before saying nothing more until we were in Montmartre.
After taking the most round-about-way imaginable, she pointed at my street, Rue Custine, motioning for me to get out. I was under the impression she would drop me off directly in front of my flat, but I guess I was wrong. I was unfamiliar with the part of Custine she pointed at, but complied and finally found my way home.
This was probably the first serious downer night of my trip. I just wish that somebody had been in the taxi to experience it with me.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Le Louvre
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Paris, France
Julia and I met pretty early this morning at the Metro station by the Louvre, where I found a place to eat a crepe quickly. It was my first Paris Crepe, and it was darn good. After I ate, we headed off toward the Louvre.
Ohhh the Louvre. We started off our day at the Louvre with some good old Starbucks, and while we drank our caramel macchiatos, we discussed our favorite artists and art work. I raved about Poussin, my favorite artist to date. Well as soon as we kicked off our roaming of the Louvre, starting on the top floor, we ran into three or four rooms filled with work of just Poussin. The Louvre is also loaded with Jacques Louis David, another of my absolute favorite artists. We spent a good five or more hours looking around, and did not even see all the paintings we wanted to see, so we decided then and there that we would have to come back. Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa, and no, she was really nothing special. If that painting was one I were to walk by, not knowing how popular it was, I would not even take a second glance at it. And the rumors about it possibly being a self-portrait or a homosexual lover of Da Vincis cannot be true, because up close it really does not look manly at all. Another one of the coolest things we saw today at the Louvre was Nike, the goddess of War, perched high on a ship.
After the Louvre, we set off in search of lunch, where we each had a delicious chicken panini and paid 3 Euros 50 for a few ounces of water. My french frieds (there were nineteen of them) were four fifty. The panini itself was less than that.
After lunch, we set off for the Arc de Triumph. As we could see it from the Louvre, we decided to walk. It ended up taking well over an hour (the arch is so thick that it looks a lot closer than it is at all times), and when we got there there were guards everywhere and it did not look like anyone had gone up or anything. We took a few pictures, hit up a few shops on the Champs-Elyess, and called it a day.
I went back to the hostel, where I met the new arrivals, a couple of girls who go to school at Emory, and I hung out with them for a bit before taking the Metro toward the Moulin Rouge to meet up with Emily Ward. We went to a bar right next to the Moulin Rouge and she told me everything good and bad about Paris. It was a lot of fun.
After a couple of hours talking at the bar, we said our goodbyes and I went back to the hostel to crash.
I am finally updating this thing--I am only a week behind now!!
Paris, France
Julia and I met pretty early this morning at the Metro station by the Louvre, where I found a place to eat a crepe quickly. It was my first Paris Crepe, and it was darn good. After I ate, we headed off toward the Louvre.
Ohhh the Louvre. We started off our day at the Louvre with some good old Starbucks, and while we drank our caramel macchiatos, we discussed our favorite artists and art work. I raved about Poussin, my favorite artist to date. Well as soon as we kicked off our roaming of the Louvre, starting on the top floor, we ran into three or four rooms filled with work of just Poussin. The Louvre is also loaded with Jacques Louis David, another of my absolute favorite artists. We spent a good five or more hours looking around, and did not even see all the paintings we wanted to see, so we decided then and there that we would have to come back. Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa, and no, she was really nothing special. If that painting was one I were to walk by, not knowing how popular it was, I would not even take a second glance at it. And the rumors about it possibly being a self-portrait or a homosexual lover of Da Vincis cannot be true, because up close it really does not look manly at all. Another one of the coolest things we saw today at the Louvre was Nike, the goddess of War, perched high on a ship.
After the Louvre, we set off in search of lunch, where we each had a delicious chicken panini and paid 3 Euros 50 for a few ounces of water. My french frieds (there were nineteen of them) were four fifty. The panini itself was less than that.
After lunch, we set off for the Arc de Triumph. As we could see it from the Louvre, we decided to walk. It ended up taking well over an hour (the arch is so thick that it looks a lot closer than it is at all times), and when we got there there were guards everywhere and it did not look like anyone had gone up or anything. We took a few pictures, hit up a few shops on the Champs-Elyess, and called it a day.
I went back to the hostel, where I met the new arrivals, a couple of girls who go to school at Emory, and I hung out with them for a bit before taking the Metro toward the Moulin Rouge to meet up with Emily Ward. We went to a bar right next to the Moulin Rouge and she told me everything good and bad about Paris. It was a lot of fun.
After a couple of hours talking at the bar, we said our goodbyes and I went back to the hostel to crash.
I am finally updating this thing--I am only a week behind now!!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The Eiffel Tower
So after my lqst post; I crashed...but not for long enough. I was awakened qt qround ' when my roommates stumbled in, and really did not sleep ,uch from then until I got out of bed at 8.
I went to Paris Nord Train Station to pick up Julia, and this time she was actually on her train. We took a taxi to the place she is staying, which is EXTREMELY nice, and then after grabbing a typical French sandwich for lunch (while we were at this restaurant, we saw a live dog walk across the bar...in the restaurant), she came out to Montmarte since I had to move into a new flat. On the taxi ride to her place, we drove through the tunnel that Prncess Di crashed in, and the driver pointed out exactly where the car hit and ricocheted twice, and there is some sort of makeshift memorial under there.
When I got to the hostel I got to meet my new hostel mates, a guy from Canada, a gal from Australia, a guy from California, and three gils from Spain. They all seemed pretty cool, but I really only hung out with the Canadian and Australian.
Anyway, I get to my new room, a sixth story flat in a great location, and find out that while I booked a three-person room in Paris, I was put in an eight-person. So I guess I will probably not be doing much sleeping in Paris. Whatever, I claimed my bed (the middle in a triple bunk), put my bags down, and julia and I set off to see Paris.
We decided that we would first see the Eiffel Tower, and I was not sure quite what I would think of it to be honest. From a distance, it didn't look so grand, and it is, afterall, the nost photographed object/building/structure in the world, so everyone knows al,ost exactly what it loosk like. I thought it would be a bit surreal, finally seeing it in person. And it was. As Julia and I ascended from the metro station, I couldn't believe my eyes. We took pictures every few feet, until at last we were under this najestic structure. Gustave Eiffel's creation is really something that I wish everyone gcould get a chance to see. As Julia and I were climbing the metro steps, it was quite sunny. Ten minutes later, under the Eiffel Tower, we were not only struck with windblown drops of rain, but with pellets of hail as well. Julia suggested coming back another day, but I knew the storm (which I was reveling in) would pass. And unfortunately, it passed far too quickly. When we reached the top of the tower, I was glad that it was not raining and clear for the view and picture taking purposes. But when the wind started blowing again, I could not help but be excited.
Julia and I went to the inside observation deck, but when the storm churned full force again, I had to go back up. I was one of a few brave people at the top of the Eiffel Tower, as full on hail began to fall from the clouds that I was nearly standing in. It was incredible. Anyway, we went to the end of this grassy area for a photo op.
After the Eiffel Tower experience, which was absolutely incredible; we walked across the street to this building that we figured had to be some government building or something. We walked up some pretty intense stairs that gave us an INCREDIBLE view of the Eiffel Tower. Exhausted, we sat and stared at it forever. Some caricature artist came over and, even after my refusal, started to sketch me. I told him I did not want it, and finally asked him how much it costs. He said "Whatever you want to pay me." I cannot explain how ugly this caricature drawing turned out to be. I felt like I was being nice handing him a 5 Euro note before he turned the page in his sketchbook and showed me his normal price of 50. My eyes dropped, and I tried not to laugh. He told me that he would give me a discount and it would only cost me thirty. I told him that I asked him the price and he told me whatever I wanted, and after a few minutes arguing, he walked away aith my five. While Julia and I were sitting in this plaza, we saw some crazy kids rollerblading backwards down these massive steps (not just the number, but these steps are like a foot tall each. Other teens took boards of wood from a nearby construction site and sledded down these steps. It was a lot of fun to watch, but it is also hard to believe that nobody got hurt.
I went to Paris Nord Train Station to pick up Julia, and this time she was actually on her train. We took a taxi to the place she is staying, which is EXTREMELY nice, and then after grabbing a typical French sandwich for lunch (while we were at this restaurant, we saw a live dog walk across the bar...in the restaurant), she came out to Montmarte since I had to move into a new flat. On the taxi ride to her place, we drove through the tunnel that Prncess Di crashed in, and the driver pointed out exactly where the car hit and ricocheted twice, and there is some sort of makeshift memorial under there.
When I got to the hostel I got to meet my new hostel mates, a guy from Canada, a gal from Australia, a guy from California, and three gils from Spain. They all seemed pretty cool, but I really only hung out with the Canadian and Australian.
Anyway, I get to my new room, a sixth story flat in a great location, and find out that while I booked a three-person room in Paris, I was put in an eight-person. So I guess I will probably not be doing much sleeping in Paris. Whatever, I claimed my bed (the middle in a triple bunk), put my bags down, and julia and I set off to see Paris.
We decided that we would first see the Eiffel Tower, and I was not sure quite what I would think of it to be honest. From a distance, it didn't look so grand, and it is, afterall, the nost photographed object/building/structure in the world, so everyone knows al,ost exactly what it loosk like. I thought it would be a bit surreal, finally seeing it in person. And it was. As Julia and I ascended from the metro station, I couldn't believe my eyes. We took pictures every few feet, until at last we were under this najestic structure. Gustave Eiffel's creation is really something that I wish everyone gcould get a chance to see. As Julia and I were climbing the metro steps, it was quite sunny. Ten minutes later, under the Eiffel Tower, we were not only struck with windblown drops of rain, but with pellets of hail as well. Julia suggested coming back another day, but I knew the storm (which I was reveling in) would pass. And unfortunately, it passed far too quickly. When we reached the top of the tower, I was glad that it was not raining and clear for the view and picture taking purposes. But when the wind started blowing again, I could not help but be excited.
Julia and I went to the inside observation deck, but when the storm churned full force again, I had to go back up. I was one of a few brave people at the top of the Eiffel Tower, as full on hail began to fall from the clouds that I was nearly standing in. It was incredible. Anyway, we went to the end of this grassy area for a photo op.
After the Eiffel Tower experience, which was absolutely incredible; we walked across the street to this building that we figured had to be some government building or something. We walked up some pretty intense stairs that gave us an INCREDIBLE view of the Eiffel Tower. Exhausted, we sat and stared at it forever. Some caricature artist came over and, even after my refusal, started to sketch me. I told him I did not want it, and finally asked him how much it costs. He said "Whatever you want to pay me." I cannot explain how ugly this caricature drawing turned out to be. I felt like I was being nice handing him a 5 Euro note before he turned the page in his sketchbook and showed me his normal price of 50. My eyes dropped, and I tried not to laugh. He told me that he would give me a discount and it would only cost me thirty. I told him that I asked him the price and he told me whatever I wanted, and after a few minutes arguing, he walked away aith my five. While Julia and I were sitting in this plaza, we saw some crazy kids rollerblading backwards down these massive steps (not just the number, but these steps are like a foot tall each. Other teens took boards of wood from a nearby construction site and sledded down these steps. It was a lot of fun to watch, but it is also hard to believe that nobody got hurt.
Julia was exhausted from her travels, so we parted around 7 or so and I went back towards my hostel. I stopped at a pizzeria for dinner, where I witnessed a man smoking as he prepared my pizza. Health codes are obviously seriously different here than they are in the States. Anyway, my pizza turned out to be delicious.
I walked back to my flat and got to know the people I was staying with now a little better. I went out with them until about 2, at which time Stephen and I set off in search of food. We found an open bakery, and I saw that they had sour gummies. Stephen said that the sign on the gummies said they were not for sale at night time, and I was really confused. He speaks French, so he asked the workers and they confirmed what he had already told me. Why I could not buy some sour gummy treats at night is beyond me, but I couldn't, so I settled for a baguette and ate a bit of it on our way back to the flat. I finally went to bed a bit before three, sleeping on the middle bed in a triple bunk, approximately one foot above a Dominican man snoring louder than anyone I had ever heard before in my life.
I am a bit behind in these posts, but have decided that, day by day, I will try to write at least one day's worth. This was all Wednesday.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Perhaps My Most Exciting Day of Travel Yet
So I am in France, and the keyboard here is even more different from the one's in Americq than the German keyboard. My posts fro, here will have nu,erous ,istakes; and I apologize in advance.
Last night Julia, her sister Sonja, her sister's boyfriend Timo, two of her friends, and I went out as sort of a going away thing for ,e. It was q ton of fun, but I cz,e back qnd aqs not able to sleep for the life of ,e.
So Deutsche Bahn (The German Rail Corporation) decided to go on strike today. It was announced in advance, and so I ,qde plans to leave Mainz earlier than I had origially planned. The train I took fro, ?ainz to Koeln was outstanding, brand new and I practically had an entire co,part,ent to ,yself. I arrived in Koeln with an hour to spare, and so I planned on checking out the Koelner Do, (a giant cathedral I climbed in the summer of 2003). I walked to the doors only to find out that it was pouring buckets of rain outside. I went and grabbed a slice of pizza and one ,ore bit of German Ice Cream instead.
My second train experience was a bit different, as I sat at a table with three of the ,ost odorous beings I have ever encountered. Whenever the one ,an opened his ,outh, death breath filled the entire compartment. I believe I owe my survival to ,y excite,ent for Paris.
We arrived in Paris on ti,e, and I quickly figured out the metro (or so I thought). I met a hostel attendant at the ,etro station and checked into ,y hostel. which is actually a very nice flat in Montmarte.
After checking in, I sat off to try to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower before meeting Julia at the train station. Unfortunately, I did not see the Tour Eiffel. I got off at a nearby station, thinking I would see the world's most recognizable structure, but it apparently is not all that big. I wandered by foot for awhile, trying to find it.
When the time came for me to go meet Julia at the train station, I still had not found the dang Eiffel Tower. I resigned myself from my efforts, and headed to Paris Nord. When Julia's train arrived, I waited, and waited, and waited...but she never came. I stayed at the station for a bit over an hour, until the next train from London came. As I was waiting to see if she got off of that train, my phone rang. It wqs Julia's mom, infor,ing ,e that she was stuck in London for the night. Her ,o, had called earlier to tell me that there had been so,e suspicious luggage and that Julia had to stay in her aircraft for awhile after landing, but it ended up being six hours!! How terrible. I am going back to the airport at nine in the morning to hopefully actually meet Julia this time.
I came back to the hostel where I met one of my roommates outside, a girl fro, Rochester; New York. She was relieved that I hqd co,e because her key would not work. Well, it turned out, neither did ,ine. And her friend was locked in our room. She couldn't get out; we couldn4t get in. It toook nearly twenty ,inutes playing with the lock to get the door to open. That was fun. Then we went to try and open the window, and realized that our key for the window wouldn't work either. This really is a very nice hostel, I swear!! Our other two roommates are fro, Australia. They all seem really nice. We chatted for a bit, then the two girls fro, Rochester went out.
I a, going to try to get so,e sleep now; since I have to be at the train station in the ,orning and then I have to ,ove into another flat!!
---Jason
Last night Julia, her sister Sonja, her sister's boyfriend Timo, two of her friends, and I went out as sort of a going away thing for ,e. It was q ton of fun, but I cz,e back qnd aqs not able to sleep for the life of ,e.
So Deutsche Bahn (The German Rail Corporation) decided to go on strike today. It was announced in advance, and so I ,qde plans to leave Mainz earlier than I had origially planned. The train I took fro, ?ainz to Koeln was outstanding, brand new and I practically had an entire co,part,ent to ,yself. I arrived in Koeln with an hour to spare, and so I planned on checking out the Koelner Do, (a giant cathedral I climbed in the summer of 2003). I walked to the doors only to find out that it was pouring buckets of rain outside. I went and grabbed a slice of pizza and one ,ore bit of German Ice Cream instead.
My second train experience was a bit different, as I sat at a table with three of the ,ost odorous beings I have ever encountered. Whenever the one ,an opened his ,outh, death breath filled the entire compartment. I believe I owe my survival to ,y excite,ent for Paris.
We arrived in Paris on ti,e, and I quickly figured out the metro (or so I thought). I met a hostel attendant at the ,etro station and checked into ,y hostel. which is actually a very nice flat in Montmarte.
After checking in, I sat off to try to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower before meeting Julia at the train station. Unfortunately, I did not see the Tour Eiffel. I got off at a nearby station, thinking I would see the world's most recognizable structure, but it apparently is not all that big. I wandered by foot for awhile, trying to find it.
When the time came for me to go meet Julia at the train station, I still had not found the dang Eiffel Tower. I resigned myself from my efforts, and headed to Paris Nord. When Julia's train arrived, I waited, and waited, and waited...but she never came. I stayed at the station for a bit over an hour, until the next train from London came. As I was waiting to see if she got off of that train, my phone rang. It wqs Julia's mom, infor,ing ,e that she was stuck in London for the night. Her ,o, had called earlier to tell me that there had been so,e suspicious luggage and that Julia had to stay in her aircraft for awhile after landing, but it ended up being six hours!! How terrible. I am going back to the airport at nine in the morning to hopefully actually meet Julia this time.
I came back to the hostel where I met one of my roommates outside, a girl fro, Rochester; New York. She was relieved that I hqd co,e because her key would not work. Well, it turned out, neither did ,ine. And her friend was locked in our room. She couldn't get out; we couldn4t get in. It toook nearly twenty ,inutes playing with the lock to get the door to open. That was fun. Then we went to try and open the window, and realized that our key for the window wouldn't work either. This really is a very nice hostel, I swear!! Our other two roommates are fro, Australia. They all seem really nice. We chatted for a bit, then the two girls fro, Rochester went out.
I a, going to try to get so,e sleep now; since I have to be at the train station in the ,orning and then I have to ,ove into another flat!!
---Jason
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