Leaving London...

August 7, 2007

London, England-Phoenix, Arizona

I woke up at 7 AM and went running with Lindsay. walked by Buckingham Palace and thru Green Park one last time, and then started jogging at Hyde Park. We really took it all in today, knowing that every glance we took at the landmarks and trees that had come all too familiar would be our last for far too long. We made a full loop around the Serpentine and through the gardens, and then walked briskly back to our destination. We made it back to the Victoria area 1t about 8:45, and I stopped at Boot’s to pick up some more of these special throat drops that my mom and sister wanted me to bring back.

When I got back to the Wigwam, it was nearly nine AM. I showered, and then had less than a half hour until we were supposed to meet to leave for the airport. I basically just threw everything into my suitcases, and finished just a few minutes late. I caught up with the others at the tube station, and after switching lines at South Kensington, we took the Underground nearly forty minutes to Heathrow (I have never stayed on one subway train for so long). We got off at Heathrow, and I discovered that British Airways only allows one carry on item per passenger on flights out of the UK, even though passengers entering can bring both a carry on bag and a personal item onto the aircraft. I was a bit miffed by this, but decided it would be worth it to pay for a third carry on bag…until the guy gave me my receipt for 120 pounds!! There was no way in heck that I was going to pay two hundred and forty dollars to check my garment bag. But I did need to get my bag back. As I was about to sign the receipt, an idea struck in my head—Leah’s purse would fit inside my garment bag, and then it could serve as her carry on. Luckily, she was willing to comply, and I felt really indebted to her and the others for helping me out. Hopefully I will not get a call from British Airways or anything telling me that I checked three bags and never paid for an extra one, because aside from this ridiculously expense my experience with the airline has been amazing.

We ate at Garfunkel’s, a tasty chain where we ate on our first full day in London, so that was fitting; starting and ending our study abroad experience at the same restaurant.

After this, I spent the rest of my money (pounds and Euros both) on candy to bring back to the family. I went to Starbucks (to really have my last Mango Passion Fruit Frappucino), and then we waited outside the gate until it is boarding time.

This brings me to right now, as I am sitting in an exit row on the airplane, with several feet of leg room in front of me, half-watching my personal television and half-updating my blog journal. What an incredible trip!!!!!!!!

Last Full Day in London

August 6, 2007

London, England

Last day in London. I am not ready to go. This morning I met Julia and Alex at nine to go take a tour of the Parliament Building—which was spectacular. We got our tickets without a problem, and were on our way just fifteen minutes after arriving to the Parliament site. We had a great tour guide, and it was so neat to find out the inner workings of the British government. This was a great tour that I would also recommend to anyone going to London (I should make a list of the musts and must-nots and give it to anyone I know going to London). The tour lasted seventy-five minutes and we seemed to get to see pretty much everything important in the Parliament building, and we got all of our questions answered. The tour ended in the old Parliament Chapel, building the 11^th century, and the only part of the original Parliament building that survived the fire that destroyed the rest of it in 1836 (which also surprisingly survived the blitz bombings of WWII. There was also an exhibition on slavery in Great Britain at the end of the tour, but we had to get going so I only got the chance to glance at it.

We ran straight from Parliament to the London Eye afterwards, where we had to wait in line for only fifteen minutes before taking our half hour loop around the world’s biggest Ferris Wheel. I was glad to do it once, but I would not say it is a must do (there are other great views of the city from St. Paul’s, Westminster Cathedral, and probably other tall buildings). It was fun nonetheless, and afterwards the three of us went to good old Mickey D’s to enjoy the tasty and the food that is much healthier than that that is baked in gallons of grease under the golden arches that line the streets of the States. I tried a Rolo milkshake, and it was grand.

After eating, we went back to the dorm to say our goodbyes to Allie and Freya, which was definitely pretty sad. I am so glad we met them and got to hang out with them as much as we did. After hugging Freya and Allie goodbye, we went to St. James Park to take some pictures in our favorite London place. We walked through the park, and on toward Trafalgar Square where Julia really wanted to take pictures with the giant lions that guard Horatio Nelson’s giant statue. Climbing up on top of those statues was a serious scare.

The weather today was not as sunny as the past few were, but it was certainly just as warm, if not warmer. After taking these pictures, I sought refuge in the air conditioned National Gallery, which was quite a treat. I saw so many paintings I had studied by artists such as Canaletto, Gauguin, Matisse, Gainsborough, Seurat, Turner, Vermeer, and more. I went through as many rooms as I could in the time I had there, and was fortunate enough to stumble upon Joseph Wright of Derby’s An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, one of my favorites, which was for some reason not even advertised as one of the Gallery’s highlight paintings (which should tell you just how good the collection there is). I am so glad I made it to the National Gallery, and would honestly put it in the same caliber of art collections as the Louvre.

I left the Gallery to go to Marble Arch and do some last minute London shopping (it is amazing how little I bought in the way of keepsakes, yet how full my bags were for the way back). After Marble Arch, I made a stop at Starbucks to grab what I thought would be one last Mango Passion Fruit Frappucino, since they are not available in the States. It was delicious. Then I went back to the dorm to say goodbye to Julia and Alex, who were heading off to Russia just a few minutes after I left them.

I then went back to St. James Park, where I planned on running after visiting with Lindsay, Rebecca, Leah, and Mia (a girl Leah met who had just arrived in London from a summer in Russia), but we ended up having a full scale picnic, with Pimm’s, wine, and all, so there was no way I was going to run after that. Once it started to cool down, we headed back to the Wigwam House (as we so affectionately call our dorm, Wigram House) to spend the rest of the evening in the 3^rd floor kitchen, which seemed to be our hangout of choice when we weren’t all in my room. We talked for a long time, and I brought all the rest of my crackers and chocolate into the kitchen in hopes that the others would gobble it up for me. After a few hours, the security guard came up to tell us that there were noise complaints (we were being loud and laughing a lot). We obviously did not want to piss anybody off, so we broke up the party and I went into Leah’s room where Mia showed me pictures from her study abroad experiences last fall and this summer. Since the moment she got here, she has been trying to convince me to study for a semester in Copenhagen, and her pictures made it pretty tempting. She also showed us pictures from some place in Italy (cannot remember the name for the life of me) and then some from Pompeii as well. I would like to go to both places.

I had a lot of fun looking at the pictures, but before I knew it the time was already 2 AM. Lindsay and I had agreed to go running at 7 AM, and I still needed to shower and wanted to start packing. I said goodnight to Leah and Mia and went to go shower. I grabbed some clothes and souvenir bags and started spreading them around the room, but did not physically put anything into my suitcases. After showering I went almost immediately to bed, and I fell asleep just about as soon as my head hit my pillow.

A University Rivaled by Almost None

August 5, 2007

Cambridge, England

I woke up exhausted, but was really excited about going to Cambridge. Ali said it was prettier than Oxford, and I would have to concur. There is just something about its setting on the River Cam and the way that each college flows together. Today was sunny and clear again (we are talking Arizona skies here, folks), but It was a tad too warm. By midday the temperature was in the mid-eighties, and that is just far too high for any place in England, as far as I am concerned. It was a gorgeous day though, and after eating an Ostrich Burger (it was quite tasty!!) and exploring for awhile, we decided to go punting on the Backs (the area of the River Cam that many of the colleges’ backs are situated upon. We asked how late they would run the boats, and they said definitely until six or seven because of how nice it was outside, so we decided we would come back and do it. We went to the Fitzwilliam Museum, which had a fantastic collection of art and is home to the Book of the Dead. Because of the damage to the papyrus pages of the book, it will only be displayed to the public until September, and it was really neat, so I was glad that I got to see it.

We left the museum, explored a bit more, and then headed for the Backs. I am so glad we made the decision to go putting. It was beautiful. Our guide was friendly, and we got the chance to hear all about Cambridge’s lengthy history as we glided through the water, passing weeping willows and traveling beneath bridge after bridge (we passed beneath seven bridges both ways on the trip, and saw the mathematical bridge). We also got to see the area where much of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed (which was really neat to me, because I knew that bits of some of the movies were filmed at Oxford and Arundel Castle, but I never knew that any of the series was filmed at Cambridge.

After punting, we went to Sainsbury’s because we were all in desperate need of water. Then we went looking around in some local shops. After this, we decided that we wanted to try to go to the oldest pub in London, and tried to get on an earlier bus back. We sat in the park by the station, and just reveled in the glory of all that is Cambridge. We people watched, played a game of cards, then the bus came and we were able to board the 7 O’clock and head back to London. Cambridge was INCREDIBLE!!

Back in London, we discovered that those who had not gone to Cambridge did not feel like going out, and it was Allie’s and Freya’s last night in London, so we all just hung out at the dorm instead. We spent awhile in the kitchen, trying our hardest to eat up the rest of the pasta, snacks, and chocolate I had had in my room for so long. We did a pretty good job, and I figured that by the time I left I would not have too much food to leave behind. We stayed up talking and reminiscing over the past four weeks late into the night, and then parted our separate ways for bed. I took a long shower (I am going to miss the water pressure here pretty bad) and then went to bed.

A Castle that is still very much in use

August 4, 2007

London and Windsor, England

Did I say the weather was perfect yesterday, because today’s may have been just a tad bit better. The sky was cloudless again today, but it was a few degrees warmer. I think it probably hit 77 or 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I woke up at 8:30 to try to go get Mary Poppins tickets with Rebecca, and we were successful. We got student tickets, so seats that were usually 42 pounds were only 25. After getting tickets, we went to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone. The Museum was really cool, one I will definitely have to go back to.

I went back to the dorm to meet Julia and Alex for Windsor Castle. We took the bus to Windsor, and the ride was really pleasant. Windsor was a nice town, and the Castle was so neat. Once again, we had free audio guides (free after paying a fifteen pound entrance fee), and they were really good. We saw everything except for the Queen’s Dollhouse, because the line was forty-five minutes long, but we were able to sneak a peak at it through a corner of one exhibit anyway. Windsor is a Castle I would definitely recommend, far better than most I have seen (and I have liked them all). The chapel is beautiful as well. The Queen was not at Windsor this weekend so we were able to walk around to see a bit of her private gardens, which are apparently not open much, so that was pretty special.

After touring the castle, we grabbed ice cream at a local sweet shop that looked marvelous, and it was. I ordered Poor Bears’ Delight (which is vanilla and honeycomb), and it is now one of my new favorite flavors. The cone was great as well.

Once we were back in London, I cooked up some pasta with a really hot chili pasta sauce, and then headed off to the Prince Edward Theatre to meet Rebecca…

Unfortunately, my expectations for Mary Poppins were far too high. Not only was it the worst show I saw in London, but one of the worst musicals I have ever seen. Now it wasn’t absolutely horrid, but it was definitely not worth the money. The music wasn’t that great, and some of the characters (including Mary Poppins herself) were really annoying. Bert was good, and the little children were not too bad. Other than that, the show was far less than spectacular. No wonder why it is Mary Poppins’ last summer in London.

After Mary Poppins, I was very tired and planned on going to bed, but was coaxed into going out by Freya and the Ushakova twins. So the three of them, Geiler, and I all went back to Camden Town, where we had celebrated Julia’s 21^st birthday. I am glad I went out because it was really my last chance and I definitely had a good time, but I was pretty tired in the morning.

First Impressions

So here is a short entry I wrote on my plane ride to Europe and also a few notes I jotted down on my laptop JUST after arriving in London on June 18. It is interesting to see how things have changed.

Flying over Greenland, I am beginning to believe I am in the top percentile of the world’s lightest sleepers. Exhausted, I have tried everything I can think of to fall asleep in the past few hours. Nothing has worked. While I am excited, it is not even excitement keeping me up. my mind is overactive, and when I tell it to go on a hiatus, it will not listen. After numbering sheep one to a hundred for the fifth time, my mind was actually MORE alert.

Looks like I will be starting off my journey on two full days with no shut eye, yay!

Anyway, I am super excited about the journey that lies ahead. Maybe staying in hostels will force me to learn how to sleep normally.

June 19, 2007

15:44

I am sitting on a bus right now, riding across the incredible city of London. We are cruising on the left side of the road, and the driver is seated on the right side of the car. It is so strange!! We have been driving by row after row of brownstones and townhouses that all look like they have been around for centuries.

This city reminds me of Boston, except I think that Boston was modeled after London, and London is a lot older…so I think by the time I leave I might like it even more… It is just incredible. And oh, so green!! I see signs for the grocery store Tesco, and old churches. Everything is incredible.

The flight went very well, save for the fact that there was a medical emergency while we were flying over Greenland. I saw this guy on the ground when I excused myself to use the toilet, and I thought we might have to make an emergency landing. Thankfully, we did not. And even more thankfully, he seemed to be alright. Immediately upon landing, some paramedics boarded the plane and took him off. We had to sit on the ground for quite awhile, and then we were shuttled to the main terminal.

So far the greatest similarity between London and the United States is that there are Starbucks and McDonald’s everywhere…but especially Starbucks. Yumm. I could really use one right now, considering I have been up for twenty-four hours and will be for quite possibly another thirty, unless I can manage to somehow slip out of a state of full consciousness on the bus to Edinburgh tonight.

Right now we are driving through what must be an incredibly nice part of London. These places of residence are extravagant, and it feels very safe.

Oh, and I can also already tell what a diverse city London is—something that definitely excites me!!

Haha, I just saw a porky little fellow (probably about 14), walking in a prep school uniform, looking like he was about to pass out from the heat, on the street outside. Okay, this must be an expensive neighborhood.

When we landed it was about 75. It feels like it’s in the 100s. The humidity is extreme, but the clouds do not look too threatening right now. According to the ten-day forecast, my plane decided to fly in on the warmest day of the next ten. I really hope that the weather will be in the forties and fifties in Scotland, like the meteorologists from both weather.com and weather.msn.com have predicted.

Well, I am now riding alongside the River Thames, and some incredibly modern looking structure (I think it is residential, but I am not sure). I better go soak up these views. I will try to right before too long, although these posts will not be up until my return to London. I feel like I should be taking pictures. It is so beautiful. But my camera is under the bus and I will have several more days here to take pictures in July and August.

I am leaving my laptop at the Wigram House, where I will be staying for the four weeks I am in London, and I will only be able to update my blog at internet cafes, Julia’s student apartment, and the like. I am STOKED right now!!!!!!!!

After writing this, I looked to a park in the right and saw many young men immersed in some sport that is definitely not popular in America.

Next thing I knew we turned onto Buckingham Palace Road, and I thought that was just about the coolest thing ever!!

British Seaside

August 3, 2007

Brighton, England

I woke up today after roughly three hours of sleep, and really did not feel like doing anything. Brighton had been the perfect destination to pick for that day. After the two-hour bus ride (which Freya and I spent sharing new music with each other) , we hopped off the bus and headed straight for the beach, just a few hundred metres away. It was absolutely breathtaking. I know that I have used that word a lot as of late, but it truly was not what I expected. The water was not dirty at all, but actually reminded me faintly of the crystal clear water one would find in the Caribbean, the pier had so much character, and the town just screamed “charming.” Freya, Julia, Alex, and I started walking along the pebble beach until we found the other girls, who had gotten there earlier. We just sat on the beach and took it all in until Geiler’s arrival. Lindsay had invented this game with the pebbles. Basically you take a pebble and chuck it at the rocks, and then watch the path it chooses to take. Personally, I found it more engaging than rock skipping. It was really interesting. We hung out on the beach for awhile, took several pictures, and then decided to get lunch (fish and chips for most, chicken and chips for me), which we took back to the beach to eat. After devouring a truly delicious seaside meal, we made our way to the Royal Pavilion and its surrounding area. The parks were extremely picturesque, and there was a museum there that was pretty neat. I was the only one who wanted to pay to go into the Pavilion (it’s written about very highly in 1,000 Places to See Before you Die), so I went in alone and the others waited for me. I am so glad I did. Of all the palaces, castles, churches, etc. that I have been in on this trip, it had my favorite interior. It was so unique in comparison with the rest. Most of the rooms had an Asian or Middle Eastern theme, and there was bamboo everywhere. The palace was still glitzy and the walls were still covered in gold, but it had an extraordinarily different air to it. I really enjoyed it, and the audio tour was a great way to learn all about George IV and his many wives and mistresses, as well as his family relations. It was also neat to hear what Queen Victoria thought about the palace (she was not a fan).

After the Pavilion, we walked around town a bit, through street markets and other shops. Most of the girls decided to get their palms read, while Geiler and I watched for awhile with boredom before wandering around. They all had fun, and for the most part they seemed to happily embrace the prophesies the palm reader had predicted for them. There was also a lady on the street giving holistic massages, and observing her give one had to be one of the strangest things I have ever seen (she reminded me of Phoebe because she cleansed this guy’s aura—she actually said that). She would massage him for a bit, then make him stand up and do some yoga-like stuff, and then she started to sing and dance in some unintelligible tongue while he just watched and let his body and mid be invigorated. This massage had to last a good half hour or so, because I went in a number of stores after watching for awhile and she still had the same patron when I was done with all of them.

Did I mention the weather was perfect this day? There was not a cloud in the sky, and the high was 70 while the low was 64. There was a light breeze off the Channel (I think it was the Channel), and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. While Brighton reminded me A LOT of San Diego (the weather and the feel of the town), I am sure in all actuality it was much more like Newport, Nantucket, or the Hamptons.

After wandering around for awhile, we went back to the beach for a bit before walking the pier and the boardwalk. The pier was sooo cool. It is extremely large and filled with rides that looked like a lot of fun, but were far too expensive to be justifiably enjoyable. After walking down the pier, Alex and I went to relax on the beach while the others explored so much. We lay down on the pebbles, soaking in their heat while enjoying the cool air emanating from the sea. We were deep in conversation when I heard a sputtering, spit noise. I turned and all of a sudden I see this nasty green and white stuff all around Alex’s mouth. She spits it out, and instinctively wipes her mouth on my jeans, and then my arm. A seagull decided to relieve itself while flying above her, and it was duly disgusting. After she fully realized what had actually happened, she ran down to the sea to wash off. I followed suit, since I now had bird doo on both my arm and my finger. My jeans, I decided, could wait until later.

After a bit more time on the beach, we gathered up some bread and cheese and had a picnic on the beach in front of the pier, while playing a new rock game—actually two. The first one I started, and it was throwing rocks at this plastic cup to see how far down the hill of pebbles you could make it go. Geiler decided to change the game to “fill up the cup with pebbles.” They were both a ton of fun. Then, at around 7, it started getting a bit chilly. Sometime around 7:P30, most of our group was too cold to stay on the beach, because of the wind and almost nobody (myself included) had brought a jacket or sweater. We walked back to the station, and waited for the bus to London. The ride home was a ton of fun, as Freya and I spent it exchanging riddles and playing “Twenty Questions.” Once back in London, we snacked for awhile in the kitchen and then I crashed.

British Seaside

August 3, 2007

Brighton, England

I woke up today after roughly three hours of sleep, and really did not feel like doing anything. Brighton had been the perfect destination to pick for that day. After the two-hour bus ride (which Freya and I spent sharing new music with each other) , we hopped off the bus and headed straight for the beach, just a few hundred metres away. It was absolutely breathtaking. I know that I have used that word a lot as of late, but it truly was not what I expected. The water was not dirty at all, but actually reminded me faintly of the crystal clear water one would find in the Caribbean, the pier had so much character, and the town just screamed “charming.” Freya, Julia, Alex, and I started walking along the pebble beach until we found the other girls, who had gotten there earlier. We just sat on the beach and took it all in until Geiler’s arrival. Lindsay had invented this game with the pebbles. Basically you take a pebble and chuck it at the rocks, and then watch the path it chooses to take. Personally, I found it more engaging than rock skipping. It was really interesting. We hung out on the beach for awhile, took several pictures, and then decided to get lunch (fish and chips for most, chicken and chips for me), which we took back to the beach to eat. After devouring a truly delicious seaside meal, we made our way to the Royal Pavilion and its surrounding area. The parks were extremely picturesque, and there was a museum there that was pretty neat. I was the only one who wanted to pay to go into the Pavilion (it’s written about very highly in 1,000 Places to See Before you Die), so I went in alone and the others waited for me. I am so glad I did. Of all the palaces, castles, churches, etc. that I have been in on this trip, it had my favorite interior. It was so unique in comparison with the rest. Most of the rooms had an Asian or Middle Eastern theme, and there was bamboo everywhere. The palace was still glitzy and the walls were still covered in gold, but it had an extraordinarily different air to it. I really enjoyed it, and the audio tour was a great way to learn all about George IV and his many wives and mistresses, as well as his family relations. It was also neat to hear what Queen Victoria thought about the palace (she was not a fan).

After the Pavilion, we walked around town a bit, through street markets and other shops. Most of the girls decided to get their palms read, while Geiler and I watched for awhile with boredom before wandering around. They all had fun, and for the most part they seemed to happily embrace the prophesies the palm reader had predicted for them. There was also a lady on the street giving holistic massages, and observing her give one had to be one of the strangest things I have ever seen (she reminded me of Phoebe because she cleansed this guy’s aura—she actually said that). She would massage him for a bit, then make him stand up and do some yoga-like stuff, and then she started to sing and dance in some unintelligible tongue while he just watched and let his body and mid be invigorated. This massage had to last a good half hour or so, because I went in a number of stores after watching for awhile and she still had the same patron when I was done with all of them.

Did I mention the weather was perfect this day? There was not a cloud in the sky, and the high was 70 while the low was 64. There was a light breeze off the Channel (I think it was the Channel), and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. While Brighton reminded me A LOT of San Diego (the weather and the feel of the town), I am sure in all actuality it was much more like Newport, Nantucket, or the Hamptons.

After wandering around for awhile, we went back to the beach for a bit before walking the pier and the boardwalk. The pier was sooo cool. It is extremely large and filled with rides that looked like a lot of fun, but were far too expensive to be justifiably enjoyable. After walking down the pier, Alex and I went to relax on the beach while the others explored so much. We lay down on the pebbles, soaking in their heat while enjoying the cool air emanating from the sea. We were deep in conversation when I heard a sputtering, spit noise. I turned and all of a sudden I see this nasty green and white stuff all around Alex’s mouth. She spits it out, and instinctively wipes her mouth on my jeans, and then my arm. A seagull decided to relieve itself while flying above her, and it was duly disgusting. After she fully realized what had actually happened, she ran down to the sea to wash off. I followed suit, since I now had bird doo on both my arm and my finger. My jeans, I decided, could wait until later.

After a bit more time on the beach, we gathered up some bread and cheese and had a picnic on the beach in front of the pier, while playing a new rock game—actually two. The first one I started, and it was throwing rocks at this plastic cup to see how far down the hill of pebbles you could make it go. Geiler decided to change the game to “fill up the cup with pebbles.” They were both a ton of fun. Then, at around 7, it started getting a bit chilly. Sometime around 7:P30, most of our group was too cold to stay on the beach, because of the wind and almost nobody (myself included) had brought a jacket or sweater. We walked back to the station, and waited for the bus to London. The ride home was a ton of fun, as Freya and I spent it exchanging riddles and playing “Twenty Questions.” Once back in London, we snacked for awhile in the kitchen and then I crashed.

Last day of School

August 2, 2007
London, England

It was the shortest session of school I have ever had, and it all ended today. I started off my day with a written exam. I managed to fill nine pages of interesting facts about Jack the Ripper. After this feat, I walked down Regent Street with Freya to H&M, where we met up with Julia and her sister, Alex. This was the first time I walked into the store without purchasing anything, a great accomplishment to be sure. We then attended the University of Westminster's Summer Session Farewell event near Goodge Street.

After feasting on English pub finger food, a group of us visited the Tate Modern in Southwark. We enjoyed the City Exhibition. I learned that Bombay is now referred to as "Mumbai" and rediscovered my desire to travel to Istanbul. I was excited to see a Mondrian painting in person as well. I was thoroughly enjoying the Minimalist collection (Andre, Judd, etc.) before my group had to drag me out.

Thursday nights have always been my favorite nights to experience London pub life. As usual, we ended up at Kavanagh's for another evening of live music. Although the band was dismal, we all had an excellent time drinking Kopparbergs, Pimm's, and Baby Guinness. Fortunately, I was able to guide us back to Victoria by using the NightBus. This meant that we didn't have to walk through Green Park at a ridiculous hour to return to Wigram. Although this was my last Thursday night in London, I shall always remember the good times I shared with good friends at Kavanagh's. This Thursday was probably the most fun of them all.

Freya must be thanked immensely for her contribution to this blog post, as it was written almost entirely by her.

A Welsch Experience

August 1, 2007
Cardiff and Caerphilly, Wales

I woke up way too early this morning, and met my partners from class and some of their friends for our trip to Wales. The bus ride was three hours long, and absolutely beautiful. We went through rolling hills, and across the bay into Wales. As soon as we got into Wales, everything looked really green. I think we went through a bit of marshland. We made a stop in Newport, then got off the bus in Wales, to be greeted by quite possibly the most disgusting public toilets I have ever encountered.

After arriving, we walked to Cardiff Castle, where we got on a hop-on, hop-off tour, my first one ever. We stayed on for one full cycle, which was about 55 minutes long. It was a beautiful morning, and the only time I felt chilly was when we were driving over the river and around the bay area. It was beautiful though. After one cycle, we got off at the Castle Cardiff, and bough tickets four a tour. The tour was not for an hour or so, so I went to Pizza Hut and ate their lunch buffet, having not eaten breakfast or lunch this morning. The tour was really nice, and this castle is also impeccably maintained. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed inside. The history of the castle was interesting, and the grounds were really nice as well. After the guided tour, we trekked up a tower (only 101 steps, but they were very steep). The views from there were really great ones of the city.

After the castle, we were trying to decide what to do because there is not much else to see in Cardiff. We decided to take a train to a countryside town called Bridgend, only to find out that there is nothing to do in that city after we bought our tickets. The guy at the train said, “What’s there to do in Bridgend?” He told us to go to Caerphilly instead. We went downstairs to try to exchange our tickets, and the lady asked us, “What’s there to do in Caerphilly?” We did not exchange our tickets and went back up the stairs, and the man asked us why we did not exchange. He called his friend over to confirm his belief that Bridgend is a nothing town. He also asked, “What’s there to do in Bridgend?” We told them we wanted to see rolling hills, wherever they may be. Alas, we exchanged our tickets and headed off to Caerphilly. It was a twenty-minute train ride, and when we got to Caerphilly we wondered what kind of decision we had made…until we found a fruit stand with some of the best fruit we have ever eaten in our lives. Then we walked a bit longer, and found the Caerphilly Castle, which is the second biggest castle in all of Europe (so probably also in the whole world). It was beautiful, and the backdrop was pure splendor, with stitched rolling hills all the way around. It really was an endearing place, much more charming than Cardiff.

We were only able to spend about an hour in Caerphilly before we had to take a train back to Cardiff. Back in Cardiff, we dined at good old Mickey D’s (I got a McFlurry), and then we headed to the bus station to go back to London. Right now I am on the bus and about to start the paper I need to write for my class.

Presentation Time

July 31, 2007

London, England

This morning I went to school at 9 to print my Power Point and make any final revisions to my paper. I was shocked to find out that “the Frenchies” were in the computer lab—they do go to the University of Westminster afterall.

Now some background on the Frenchies. The day we checked in to Wigram House, I met a couple of people in the kitchen. I asked them where they were from, and they said France. They didn’t ask me where I was from or say anything else. I smiled at them and left. The next day, somebody left their dishes in the sink without washing them. That night, there was a not on the door that said something about washing the dishes. Well, these two girls (there were three, but one seems to have disappeared), assumed it was me who did not wash my dishes and started giving me dirty looks. Things escalated, and there has been a silent war of sorts between the five or so of us that always eat our meals together and the two Frenchies. They have done many more rude things and written other notes since, and we always just laugh about it. We have speculated about what they have been doing here, certain that they were not in our program, and we have constantly been wondering when they are going back to France. Anyway, seeing them at the computer lab this morning was a shock to say the least, and had I been with Freya or Allie or Lindsay, we probably would have cracked up.

My presentation was this morning, and I think that it went quite well. The one right before ours was on prostitution in England in the mid-nineteenth century, and it far outshined the rest of the presentations. So it was not fun going after that one. I am glad to have the project over with, but kind of disappointed that it is only 20% of our grade, because of how much time it took up.

After school, the other scholars and I (sans Rebecca) went to lunch with Martin, the head of the program, and his many assistants. They mainly wanted to know if we had any suggestions for improving the program. The lunch lasted two and a half hours, and was complete with a sticky toffee pudding for dessert, which was my first and one of the best desserts I have ever had. One of Martin’s assistants, Rachel, reminded me of Kate Beckinsale. She was exactly the type of Brit I had hoped to meet on this trip.

After lunch, Julia and I went to the post office to get more stamps, and the line was ridiculously long. It was an experience entirely in itself. Then a great wave of exhaustion came over me, so strong in fact that I thought I might be able to actually take a nap. I went back to the dorm, got into bed, and tried to nap for almost two hours. It was a failed attempt, and I really should stop trying to nap altogether. It was a good rest nonetheless. I got out of bed, showered, then went for a run with Freya and Lindsay. We just ran through Green Park and St. James Park.

After the run, which was really good, the girls made some delicious sauce with turkey for our pasta. I added a bunch of crushed chili peppers, and it was probably the best pasta I have had here yet. After dinner, we all went to Sainsbury’s to get a Kopparberg. Then everyone came to my room, and I kicked them out promptly at eleven, only to lie restless in bed for a good few hours before falling asleep.

A Royal Affair

July 30, 2007

London, England

This morning in class we watched From Hell, which I thought was really good. It is really interesting to learn just how many movies have been produced about Jack the Ripper (26, in addition to several episodes of tv shows, etc.). They are all different, and because there are so many theories and no real evidence supporting any of them, the movies can really make the story be anything they want it to be. This particular film, starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, is about the Royal Conspiracy. There is a theory that Prince Edward was having an affair with a prostitute, and once the royal family found out about it, the Queen had the prostitute and all those who knew about the affair (the other prostitutes) killed. Anyway, I thought the movie was really good, although I am not sure how I feel about some of the elements of the theory it portrays.

After school I met Julia and Geiler outside Parliament, but we found out that there were no tours that day so Julia and I went to Buckingham Palace, which was really neat but really expensive. Taking a tour of a royal palace that is actually being lived in is so much different than anything else I have ever done. I suppose it would be a bit like taking a tour of the White House, but I am not sure. We got to see 18 state rooms, all of which were elaborately decorated. Afterwards, we were permitted to stroll through the palace gardens. I am really glad I took this tour, because Buckingham Palace is only open to the public for less than two months a year, and I was fortunate enough to be here during part of that. I have also seen it so much from the outside that I really wanted to see what it was like on the inside. It is truly marvelous.

After touring Buckingham Palace, I went running through Green Park and Hyde Park with Julia and Lindsay, and then went back to make some pasta again. After dinner, the people who had returned from Edinburgh came into my room to tell me all about it (I was happy to hear that they loved it, because I was slightly worried that I may have talked it up a bit too much), and then I kicked them out at about midnight so that I could get my presentation done. I felt like I was back at school, staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it.

The Birthplace of England's most Renowned Author

July 29, 2007

All over England again

Today was another early day. Allie, Rebecca, and I left for the Coach Station a bit early, as we had to go to see if we could get Rebecca a ticket for the day’s tour (she was unable to book online the day before). Rebecca was able to get one, and we set off for Warwick Castle.

Warwick is my favorite of the castles I have been to so far, maybe ever. It is really old, yet really well preserved. It was purchased by Madame Tussaud many years ago, and so in addition to the rooms looking like they used to, they have wax figures all around the castle, so it feels almost like you are observing medieval life. After walking through the castle, I climbed up to the top of a tower with a beautiful view. I was excited because it said it was over five hundred steps, and I was a bit disappointed by St. Paul’s 424, but by the time I went up and down I realized that Warwick must have meant more than 500 steps in total, up and down. That was a small letdown, as I didn’t even feel like I had gotten a work out, but the view from the top of the tower was breathtaking nonetheless. After climbing, I walked around and saw some bird show on the castle grounds, then I went to check out Boat Island (on the castle grounds). After this, I ran into Rebecca and Allie and we took pictures in the castle stocks and then got back on the bus to go to our next destination…

Stratford-upon-Avon. We went through the museum and then toured the house that Shakespeare was born in. It was really cool, but unfortunately pictures were not allowed. The house was old and beautiful, with some neat gardens in the back. Shakespeare was born into a fairly wealthy family, something that I had not known. After seeing the house, we grabbed lunch at a baguette ship and I had a Red Thai Chicken Baguette that was delicious. People always look at me funny when I ask for my sandwiches without mayonnaise on them. The lady I ordered from asked me if I was sure, because my sandwich would be really dry and the chicken might fall out. I thought this was funny, but insisted on not having mayonnaise. Bits and pieces of chicken did end up falling out of my sandwich, but it was not that bad. Then we walked around Stratford, going into a print shop and a magic shop, which is supposively on the grounds of the oldest known potion and spell-making place in the world.

After leaving Stratford, we took a scenic drive through the Cotswolds, and I decided that I would love to have a winter cottage in the Cotswolds. The Cotswold stone and thatched roof is aesthetically pleasing, and the rolling hills, which look like a patchwork quilt because of the way the squares are separated, are utterly breathtaking. I was trying to picture what the Cotswolds would look like in the snow, and I liked what I saw. Kate Winslet, among many others, live in the Cotswolds.

When we were near Oxford, our next destination, we encountered an incident and were forced to take a detour. It provided for more scenic driving, but also meant that we had less than an hour at Oxford. This was fine with me, because I had been there the weekend before, but I think a lot of people were upset. Oxford was just as pretty the second time around. And the streets that I had walked on just a week prior looks so different in the sun than they did in the pouring rain. Not sure if I mentioned in my blog yet that I was in England for London’s rainiest day ever, with more than ten centimeters recorded in one hour.

We got back to London at around 7, and I decided to do a bit of work on my power point after making some (surprise, surprise) pasta.

High Tea in Britain

July 28, 2007

All over England

Allie and I met at 7:45 this morning to go to the Victoria Thistle, where we got picked up for today’s excursion. The first place on the agenda, after a scenic drive through Greenwich, was Leeds Castle, which was really neat. It is situated on I don’t even know how many acres of land, and is a really nice castle, one of the newer ones I have seen though. It was occupied by royals until the late 1970s, and is now used as a conference center, so often times the staterooms are in use by people at conferences. There are also several weddings a year held on its grounds. There were three being held the day we were there. The castle is sort of on an island in the middle of this pond. It is cool. There was also a golf course on the grounds, right by the castle. My dad would have loved it. The weather was good again today as well.

After Leeds Castle, we drove to Dover to look at the white cliffs. I thought the white cliffs were really neat, but it was the seaside that I fell in love with. The water was incredibly beautiful for being at a marina, and the beach was so much different than any other I had ever seen before. On a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see Paris from Dover. It was pretty clear the day we went, but apparently not clear enough. I also saw a couple of cruise ships in the port in Dover, and thought about how neat it would be to cruise the British Isles some day. People were swimming in the sea, and not in wetsuits. That was beyond me. Anyway, it was entirely beautiful.

After s short time in Dover, we got on the bus and drove to Canterbury, the place of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and also home to Canterbury Cathedral, a Cathedral that dates from the 11^th century and is extremely beautiful. We ate lunch in Canterbury (I had packed myself a sandwich), and I sat with Allie in the restaurant Eat to eat. Then we walked to the Cathedral, and went all around the chapel area, down into the crypt, and then in the courtyard. We finished a bit early, and sat on a broken bench with a great view of the Cathedral after that.

Then we boarded the bus again to go to a pub in the English countryside for afternoon tea. This was my first ever High Tea experience, and I can’t wait to do it again. Now our tour guide told us to eat a light lunch, because we would be having a little bit to eat along with our tea. Well I do not know why he told us to eat anything, because each person’s individual plate was filled by four half sandwiches, as well as two entire scones. Luckily the sandwiches had sauces on them that were not to my liking, so I just ate the scones with jam and drank a couple of cups of tea. The scones were sooo good—best I’ve ever had. The whole experience was really neat, and I talked to a couple from the Philippines who live in California now but are in London for three months for the man’s job. His wife said she is staying in a hotel and they have only been here for three weeks so far, but she is already really bored.

When we got back from the trip, I went immediately to St. James Park to attempt to finish Harry Potter. I got so close (25 pages away), but then it was time for me to meet Allie for dinner. We went back and cooked pasta, and while we were eating Rebecca came into the kitchen so we hung out with her for a little while. Rebecca decided she wanted to go on the nest day’s day tour with us, and after trying to book it on my computer, I kicked them out so I could finish Harry Potter. After finishing, I just sat there for awhile. I can’t believe that I am done with that series—it has been a part of my life for so long. I thought that the ending was perfect though, and my respect for J.K. Rowling skyrocketed in the last few chapters.

Oh, the tour today was with Evan Evans. It is who we also used for the tour I will write about in my next entry. They were not bad, but it is really expensive and I would recommend Anderson Tours over them anyway.

Missing Edinburgh

July 27, 2007

London, England

I woke up at 8:30 this morning, and a bit after 9 the other scholars and I met up to walk to the Westminster Pier, where our boat was leaving for Greenwich. We took a beautiful Thames River Cruise, and it was a perfect day to do so. Once we got to Greenwich we explored the old Naval College before making the trek up the hill to the Prime Meridian Exam. It was a really neat place, with a lot of cool clocks and it is fun to take a picture on the Prime Meridian (kind of like taking pictures at Four Corners or something like that. The museum has a camera obscura, and some other neat stuff to see as well. And the five of us took a von Trapp-style picture on the Prime Meridian to send back to the Lake Havasu Rotary Club. We were there at 1 o’clock, so we got to see the ball drop (only happens at 1 every day). I tried to film it, but it was kind of anticlimactic. Greenwich is a really nice town, just outside of London yet it feels miles and miles away.

After the Royal Observatory, the group was separated in half, but we found the others at a pub that looked like one they would have gone into. We ate lunch there, and then explored Greenwich a bit. We found this flea market type of place with all sorts of crazy shops. It reminded me of something you would find in Rocky Point, except for there were set prices and they were not cheap. There was really cool stuff at this place though, like these crazy little beads that grow in water and feel so funky, these growing beans with messages on them, some magic shop with a book of 5,000 spells, and these really cool massage toys in the shape of animals.

When we got back it was pretty late, so I helped the others figure out what they should see in Edinburgh, a bit envious that I would not be accompanying them, made some pasta, and then saw them off. Once they left, I got online for a little bit and then went to bed, because Allie and I were leaving extremely early for our tour in the morning.

Just as I was getting into bed, there was a knock at the door. I opened and it was Rebecca screaming, because she saw the play with Orlando Bloom in it and got his autograph and up-close pictures of him. haha.

Kavanaugh's, Round 3!!

July 26, 2007

London, England

This morning my class partners came to my room and we worked on our project for a few hours, instead of taking the class field trip to the National Gallery because, after an online search, we decided that there was not much at the National Gallery that we could have used, and that we would get a lot more done if we just did our project by ourselves.

After working on that all morning, I met up with Julia, Freya, Allie, and Leah and we all did Madam Tussaud’s. I had never been to a wax museum before, and the only wax figure I can even recall seeing was Gustav Eiffel through some thick glass at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was thoroughly impressed. Upon walking in, the first figure we saw was Napoleon…he looked so alive it was creepy. Then we were taken in an elevator to the top floor, where the first celebrities were Daniel Radcliffe and Julia Roberts. I took pictures with both. In that room were also Kate Moss, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston (who I think was just moved across the room after her and Brad Pitt split), Tom Cruise, the naked chef, and several others. Then we went into a room with more classic actors: Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage. This room also had Spieldberg, Jacko, Charlie Chaplin, the Incredible Hulk, etc. Next we went down some stairs to a room with athletes, mostly English footballers like David Beckham and his compadres, but it also had Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, one of the Williams sisters. After this was the Royal Room, with the Qqueen, Princess Diana, Prince Charles and sons, and more. This room also had William Shakespeare, Albert Einsten, and some more of their type. The next room was filled with musicians, such as The Beatles, Brittany Spears, Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, etc. Britney Spears was interactive—her chest heaved. Then was a political room, with Bush and Blair posed next to each other. This room also had Hitler, Gandhi, and a host of others. Then we went down more stairs to the haunted exhibit, which was super cool. It is filled with real people trying to scare the heck out of you, and then at the end they have a little exhibition about executions and plagues and what not. Then we went into an exhibition about how was figures are made. After this, we got to go on the Madame Tussaud’s ride through London’s history, which took us on a 1,000 year journey through London. It was a ton of fun!! Then we walked through a hallway with Simon Cowell, and I tried talking to him but was disappointed that he was not interactive (I had heard that he shot insults out at people who sang to him). Lastly was a film about Stars, which was very short and not the best part of the whole trip. Anyway, I would highly recommend Madame Tussaud’s, even though it is a bit pricy. I loved it!!

I went back, made pasta of course, and also the rest of the garlic bread. I have also been taking pita bread and melting cheese and turkey inside and it is really good!! After dinner, I went running in the Royal Parks. After that, we had all planned on going out, until Lindsay and I discovered we had been ditched. The others failed to tell us they wanted to leave early, so we set out on a journey looking for them. We first tried the Loop, a bar/pub/club where the University was having a Karaoke night, and once we could not find them there we rushed to make it to Kavanaugh’s before the cover charge kicked in. We made it just in time, and of course we found the others there. We were at Kavanaugh’s until a bit after 2, and it was a ton of fun. I still wish that the band that entertained the first time I was there would come back, but the music really was entertaining and we had so much fun.

We took the night bus home, and then I went immediately to bed.