Well I am actually up and ready early for class which pretty much never happens so I figured I'd write about yesterday seeing as it was pretty uneventful.
Yesterday morning we had Shakespeare class where we discussed 'The Tempest', the play we sat front row for at the Old Vic last week. Our class was very opinionated and a few arguments almost broke out so thankfully we only had a morning session. After morning session was over I came back and cranked out a paper on Bath for my British Culture and Society class then went back to campus for my individual meeting with my Shakespeare professor where he tried to give me some tips on writing my next paper (which is worth 70% of my FINAL grade). I managed to pull off a C+ on my first paper which transfers to the USA as a B thankfully. Since my main focus is biology and the sciences I have never had to really take a literature class except in high school and I definitely know nothing to do with theater which has made this class really challenging and overwhelming for me. After my meeting with my teacher I was stressed so I did was any typical girl would do and went shopping =) I came back last night and wrote another paper on the Houses of Parliament for my British Culture and Society class since both of the papers were due this morning. We're about to leave for a fieldtrip to the Southhall Gurdwara (spelling?) Temples in London and we had afternoon session on campus this afternoon unfortunately. I still have to come up with 1500 words comparing the text of 'The Tempest' to the play we went to go and see. This paper has managed to completely overwhelm me and I dread coming back to write it this afternoon.
Only a few more days left here and it's bittersweet. Although I'm excited to see everyone at home this trip has been absolutely amazing. At first I was worried I wouldn't meet a lot of people that I'd get along with which I now know was completely stupid of me to think. Everyone here (with a few small exceptions) has been amazing, super easy to hang out with, and I've felt at home the entire time. It's going to be weird waking up and not being in our tiny flat and being able to walk upstairs to hang out with people from all over the country. Guess I'm just going to have to start doing some traveling back in the States to see everyone!!! I've been blessed with a great group of friends on this trip who have made me feel at home. Even when I was sick they were like parents and fixed me food and brought me orange juice medicine and water. I couldn't have asked for more (just a little less class time and not as many papers).
Pictures will probably be uploaded very scarcely seeing as how I left my camera charger at the hotel in Paris. I'm trying to conserve the battery for crucial picture moments that I'm sure will come as my trip here in the UK winds up.
Fieldtrip Time!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
the Great London vs. Paris Debate
Paris was an experience in itself. Aesthetically it is more pleasing than London... the buildings and architecture are unsurpassed. As to the people.. we encountered a lot of rude, very sketchy, and a few that harassed us a bit. Guess that's what we get for not having any guys in our group majority of the weekend.
Friday morning came early. The bus ride was a bit rough since many of us had been out the night before. Customs went quickly and we boarded the train to Paris about 8:30am. The Eurostar apparently goes 188 mph. I didn't really notice since I managed to sleep almost the entire way into Paris. When we arrived we had a bus pick us up and take us around the city to help orient us as well as show us the main tourist attractions. We all got to the hotel (which wasn't fantastic but still a step above the hostels in Scotland). Not all of the rooms were ready so I went upstairs with some friends who did manage to snag a room and hung out for a while. When we came back down the rooms were assigned and being last FINALLY paid off. I managed to get a room for the weekend to myself! After a nap and showers we all went out and went to the Louvre for a few hours and got dinner and finished the night off early.
Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed off to Notre Dame. We got to go inside and tour and walk around and see the gardens and the buttresses (spelling?) in the back. Once outside, we met Leon, a cute little poodle who was wearing a hat. While we were all playing with him his owner, a sight in himself, handed us a card and told us to look Leon up on youtube. I finally had the opportunity to do so today, and was entertained on what I found. Here's the link for everyone else to check out:
After Notre Dame we went to a dock on the Siene River, got some lunch, and took a boat tour seeing all the major landmarks throughout the city via river. Although for every landmark we had to listen to about 3 languages worth of explanation, it was informative and I'm glad that we went. On the way we got to see the location where Princess Diana was killed in the car wreck. Friday our tour guide had already shown us the Ritz Hotel where she had just left before she got killed. Our tour guide was awesome and made the weekend so much better than Scotland. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. We were dismissed after the boat ride where we made our way to Champs Elysee and did some shopping. We randomly went down a side street on our way to the Eiffel Tower and managed to see Cameron Diaz coming out of a Louis Vuitton store.
Our luck continued.. the entire time we were in line for the Eiffel Tower the top was closed due to overcrowding. People from our school that we had seen earlier could only go to the 2nd floor. As soon as we stepped up to buy our tickets, the top was opened and we were able to go up. The view is absolutely amazing.. a bit scary to be up that high on such an old structure.. thrilling none the less. The city from that high up is gorgeous... it was cool to see how most of it is symmetrical
Sunday morning we woke up, ate the surprisingly delicious continental breakfast and headed off through the metro onto an above ground train to take us to Versailles. Our train was a double decker which was pretty neat.
Versailles was gorgeous.. but we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we had hoped. The French have made quite a reputation from my first hand dealing with them as quite rude. We had people pushing and shoving us through every room we went into in the palace so we were happy to leave and head back into Paris. After we got back we attempted to go shopping but forgot that most stores close on Sunday. Our attempt to shop landed us in a prime location to watch the Tour de France. After about an hour wait we were able to see the first group of riders and get some pictures. It was such a once in a lifetime experience and we lucked up by having our Paris trip booked that weekend.
After the Tour de France we rushed back to the hotel to catch up with our group. Our tour guide had booked us an authentic french dinner at a local place.. 3 course meal with unlimited wine, beer, and alcohol for 30 euros so it was a bit expensive but it was nice to be with most of the group. I managed to step out of my box and try everything different. It was good.. different. but good.
I have managed to eat a lot of different foods this weekend that I otherwise would not have ate had I not been in a foreign country. For those of you who know me really well... this is a BIG deal:
- French Onion Soup
- Crepes
- Nutella
- Churros
- Poulet (chicken) sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and goodness knows what else was on it.
- An Apple WITH the peeling
Although none of it I absolutely loved and would want to eat regularly.
After dinner we all went to the Eiffel Tower.. some of the girls did some bargaining shopping for some last minute souvenirs and we sat and ate crepes and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour a few times before heading back to the hotel.
This morning we woke up and I was able to do some last minute shopping. Super excited about my purchases.. the Longchamp store was finally open so I was able to get two purses =) We headed back to the hotel, checked out, and the bus to us to the train station. After a long customs line and a ham and turkey sandwich we boarded the train. I was awake for some of the ride and was amazed when we passed another Eurostar train going the opposite direction. Passing a train when each of them is going 188mph is almost scary. We had to line hop through the Underground once we got back into London and finally made it back after another train to Seething Wells. After unpacking I've started packing up to leave.. Saturday morning I'll be hopping onto a plane back over the pond! I've got alot of mixed feelings about this. It's going to be good to be home with everyone, but I have met some of the most amazing people here that I am going to hate to leave. On the brightside, now that i've met people from all over the country I'll be able to travel the US more to see them =) It's going to be boring to be back in Raleigh but I've already decided on some must-haves for my first week back: a pedicure, facial, a haircut, a turkey sandwich, and a diet mountain dew!
Overall I have decided that I LOVE London compared to Paris. I am glad that I went and have gotten the experience and I've still probably go back but not for an extended amount of time. Maybe it was summer.. or who knows why.. but the metro smelled TERRIBLE, the people didn't smell all that great either, and a lot of the city was dirty. Although I have had a few rude experiences with people in London, the general population is much nicer and friendlier. There were several times in Paris where I felt uncomfortable with my surroundings and we had to deal with a creepy man following us around for a few hours one day and some young French boys harassing a group of us one night on our way home on the Metro. I was happy to be back in London today where the Underground may have been crowded but atleast they didn't smell!
Off to write papers now! 3 due this week so I'm trying to knock atleast 1 and a 1/2 tonight so I can spend the rest of the week enjoying London with friends.
Love April!
Friday morning came early. The bus ride was a bit rough since many of us had been out the night before. Customs went quickly and we boarded the train to Paris about 8:30am. The Eurostar apparently goes 188 mph. I didn't really notice since I managed to sleep almost the entire way into Paris. When we arrived we had a bus pick us up and take us around the city to help orient us as well as show us the main tourist attractions. We all got to the hotel (which wasn't fantastic but still a step above the hostels in Scotland). Not all of the rooms were ready so I went upstairs with some friends who did manage to snag a room and hung out for a while. When we came back down the rooms were assigned and being last FINALLY paid off. I managed to get a room for the weekend to myself! After a nap and showers we all went out and went to the Louvre for a few hours and got dinner and finished the night off early.
Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed off to Notre Dame. We got to go inside and tour and walk around and see the gardens and the buttresses (spelling?) in the back. Once outside, we met Leon, a cute little poodle who was wearing a hat. While we were all playing with him his owner, a sight in himself, handed us a card and told us to look Leon up on youtube. I finally had the opportunity to do so today, and was entertained on what I found. Here's the link for everyone else to check out:
After Notre Dame we went to a dock on the Siene River, got some lunch, and took a boat tour seeing all the major landmarks throughout the city via river. Although for every landmark we had to listen to about 3 languages worth of explanation, it was informative and I'm glad that we went. On the way we got to see the location where Princess Diana was killed in the car wreck. Friday our tour guide had already shown us the Ritz Hotel where she had just left before she got killed. Our tour guide was awesome and made the weekend so much better than Scotland. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. We were dismissed after the boat ride where we made our way to Champs Elysee and did some shopping. We randomly went down a side street on our way to the Eiffel Tower and managed to see Cameron Diaz coming out of a Louis Vuitton store.
Our luck continued.. the entire time we were in line for the Eiffel Tower the top was closed due to overcrowding. People from our school that we had seen earlier could only go to the 2nd floor. As soon as we stepped up to buy our tickets, the top was opened and we were able to go up. The view is absolutely amazing.. a bit scary to be up that high on such an old structure.. thrilling none the less. The city from that high up is gorgeous... it was cool to see how most of it is symmetrical
Sunday morning we woke up, ate the surprisingly delicious continental breakfast and headed off through the metro onto an above ground train to take us to Versailles. Our train was a double decker which was pretty neat.
Versailles was gorgeous.. but we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we had hoped. The French have made quite a reputation from my first hand dealing with them as quite rude. We had people pushing and shoving us through every room we went into in the palace so we were happy to leave and head back into Paris. After we got back we attempted to go shopping but forgot that most stores close on Sunday. Our attempt to shop landed us in a prime location to watch the Tour de France. After about an hour wait we were able to see the first group of riders and get some pictures. It was such a once in a lifetime experience and we lucked up by having our Paris trip booked that weekend.
After the Tour de France we rushed back to the hotel to catch up with our group. Our tour guide had booked us an authentic french dinner at a local place.. 3 course meal with unlimited wine, beer, and alcohol for 30 euros so it was a bit expensive but it was nice to be with most of the group. I managed to step out of my box and try everything different. It was good.. different. but good.
I have managed to eat a lot of different foods this weekend that I otherwise would not have ate had I not been in a foreign country. For those of you who know me really well... this is a BIG deal:
- French Onion Soup
- Crepes
- Nutella
- Churros
- Poulet (chicken) sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and goodness knows what else was on it.
- An Apple WITH the peeling
Although none of it I absolutely loved and would want to eat regularly.
After dinner we all went to the Eiffel Tower.. some of the girls did some bargaining shopping for some last minute souvenirs and we sat and ate crepes and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour a few times before heading back to the hotel.
This morning we woke up and I was able to do some last minute shopping. Super excited about my purchases.. the Longchamp store was finally open so I was able to get two purses =) We headed back to the hotel, checked out, and the bus to us to the train station. After a long customs line and a ham and turkey sandwich we boarded the train. I was awake for some of the ride and was amazed when we passed another Eurostar train going the opposite direction. Passing a train when each of them is going 188mph is almost scary. We had to line hop through the Underground once we got back into London and finally made it back after another train to Seething Wells. After unpacking I've started packing up to leave.. Saturday morning I'll be hopping onto a plane back over the pond! I've got alot of mixed feelings about this. It's going to be good to be home with everyone, but I have met some of the most amazing people here that I am going to hate to leave. On the brightside, now that i've met people from all over the country I'll be able to travel the US more to see them =) It's going to be boring to be back in Raleigh but I've already decided on some must-haves for my first week back: a pedicure, facial, a haircut, a turkey sandwich, and a diet mountain dew!
Overall I have decided that I LOVE London compared to Paris. I am glad that I went and have gotten the experience and I've still probably go back but not for an extended amount of time. Maybe it was summer.. or who knows why.. but the metro smelled TERRIBLE, the people didn't smell all that great either, and a lot of the city was dirty. Although I have had a few rude experiences with people in London, the general population is much nicer and friendlier. There were several times in Paris where I felt uncomfortable with my surroundings and we had to deal with a creepy man following us around for a few hours one day and some young French boys harassing a group of us one night on our way home on the Metro. I was happy to be back in London today where the Underground may have been crowded but atleast they didn't smell!
Off to write papers now! 3 due this week so I'm trying to knock atleast 1 and a 1/2 tonight so I can spend the rest of the week enjoying London with friends.
Love April!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Day 18, 19, 20, & 21 a little late
It's been such a busy week and I havent had a free chance to blog about what's been going on so here's a week's recap while I procrastinate packing for Paris:
Monday! Stonehenge & Bath
Monday morning we were up bright and early to board the coach to Stonehenge & Bath for our British Culture & Society class. We had about an hour and a half drive to Stonehenge where we got out and toured around. Stonehenge in itself is an amazing feat and definitely deserves the title of one of the wonders of the ancient world. It's insane how someone actually moved those huge rocks. Feel free to ask my dad about his alien theory regarding how the rocks got there. After getting some delicious chocolate ice cream and a postcard we boarded the bus back and headed to Bath. Since I've been traveling so much lately I have learned the art of sleeping in any conditions so I used our transport time to catch up on some much needed rest.
Once we arrived in Bath we immediately had free time to go get some lunch before our walking tour. We ate at a nice pub in the center of Bath and met up with our class to go on our tour. Our tour guide was an older lady who was a resident of Bath who did the tours for fun. We were shown around the city, and were able to see the Royal Crescent, the Assembly Rooms, the river, and ended our tour at the Roman Baths where we had an audio guide tour through. Afterwards we still had time to go and taste the water of Bath.. just as they told us it tasted like warm water with a hint of iron. Not exactly something you'd want twice. Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike had just arrived to Bath when I was getting ready to leave but we did get time to take a family photo infront of the Bath Abbey and tour inside of it. We made it back safely to Seething Wells where I packed up some stuff for overnight in London and did some homework before I met the family in Westminster. They all had toured Parliament but since I went there this week for my class I opted out of going. Leslie got to take some awesome night shots of London which I'm sure will be framed soon and put up in her house. We all headed back to the hotel to get a good night's rest before heading out early Tuesday.
Tuesday
We woke up early and went to Westminster Abbey as our first stop. After viewing the area we went to see 10 Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives) and were able to see the changing of the guards at Whitehall which I enjoyed much more than the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We made our way to the underground and went to the outdoor markets in Camden Town for the afternoon and did some shopping. I took the family to Surbiton (where I live) and let them see my flat in all it's glory before we headed into Kingston upon Thames where I showed them my University. We headed into Kingston where they got to see the falling phonebooth display and ate dinner before hopping a bus back to my flat so they could get some stuff to take back with them. I overpacked just a tad for the trip and with everything I've bought they had to bring some stuff back with them so I can get it all back home. The family went back to the hotel in London to pack and I had to write papers for class =(
Wednesday
Yesterday was the most gorgeous day I could have asked for. For our British Culture and Society class we went and took an early morning tour of Parliament before heading to Greenwich for the day. Greenwich is where the Prime Meridian is located and where it was originally decided on to be. We toured the city and went up to the Royal Observatory. It was absolutely gorgeous and the pictures I took almost look fake. The clouds were absolutely perfect with the blue skies and the gorgeous views of London from the park outside the Observatory. I got to stand on the Prime Meridian and be in two hemispheres of the world at the same time which was pretty cool. After we finished at the observatory we all went to a Mexican restaurant in the city before heading back to Surbiton. Last night everyone was working on papers so it was a pretty quiet night. The family had a safe flight home and Bailey and Riley were thrilled for them to be back.
Today:
This morning we had class at the University for Shakespeare where we discussed the play 'The Tempest'. Afterwards we had a few minutes break before we had to head into London to meet for an afternoon walking tour. We went to the Inns of Court and were able to see students fresh out of their law school graduation complete in their traditional capes and wigs which was pretty interesting. We had time to get some dinner before heading to see 'The Tempest' at the Old Vic tonight. We went to a great pizza place where the center of the pizza was cut out and replaced with a salad.. Delicious.. one of the best meals I've had here. At the Old Vic we were surprised to find out our teacher got us front row tickets for the play. Although I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, nor a big fan of plays.. I surprisingly really enjoyed it, probably because we were so close. I'm back at my flat now packing for Paris before meeting up with some friends. We leave out at 5:15am in the morning to take a bus to King's Cross Station where we'll be taking the Eurostar into Paris!
It's going to be a good weekend! Pictures are updated!!
Monday! Stonehenge & Bath
Monday morning we were up bright and early to board the coach to Stonehenge & Bath for our British Culture & Society class. We had about an hour and a half drive to Stonehenge where we got out and toured around. Stonehenge in itself is an amazing feat and definitely deserves the title of one of the wonders of the ancient world. It's insane how someone actually moved those huge rocks. Feel free to ask my dad about his alien theory regarding how the rocks got there. After getting some delicious chocolate ice cream and a postcard we boarded the bus back and headed to Bath. Since I've been traveling so much lately I have learned the art of sleeping in any conditions so I used our transport time to catch up on some much needed rest.
Once we arrived in Bath we immediately had free time to go get some lunch before our walking tour. We ate at a nice pub in the center of Bath and met up with our class to go on our tour. Our tour guide was an older lady who was a resident of Bath who did the tours for fun. We were shown around the city, and were able to see the Royal Crescent, the Assembly Rooms, the river, and ended our tour at the Roman Baths where we had an audio guide tour through. Afterwards we still had time to go and taste the water of Bath.. just as they told us it tasted like warm water with a hint of iron. Not exactly something you'd want twice. Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike had just arrived to Bath when I was getting ready to leave but we did get time to take a family photo infront of the Bath Abbey and tour inside of it. We made it back safely to Seething Wells where I packed up some stuff for overnight in London and did some homework before I met the family in Westminster. They all had toured Parliament but since I went there this week for my class I opted out of going. Leslie got to take some awesome night shots of London which I'm sure will be framed soon and put up in her house. We all headed back to the hotel to get a good night's rest before heading out early Tuesday.
Tuesday
We woke up early and went to Westminster Abbey as our first stop. After viewing the area we went to see 10 Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives) and were able to see the changing of the guards at Whitehall which I enjoyed much more than the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We made our way to the underground and went to the outdoor markets in Camden Town for the afternoon and did some shopping. I took the family to Surbiton (where I live) and let them see my flat in all it's glory before we headed into Kingston upon Thames where I showed them my University. We headed into Kingston where they got to see the falling phonebooth display and ate dinner before hopping a bus back to my flat so they could get some stuff to take back with them. I overpacked just a tad for the trip and with everything I've bought they had to bring some stuff back with them so I can get it all back home. The family went back to the hotel in London to pack and I had to write papers for class =(
Wednesday
Yesterday was the most gorgeous day I could have asked for. For our British Culture and Society class we went and took an early morning tour of Parliament before heading to Greenwich for the day. Greenwich is where the Prime Meridian is located and where it was originally decided on to be. We toured the city and went up to the Royal Observatory. It was absolutely gorgeous and the pictures I took almost look fake. The clouds were absolutely perfect with the blue skies and the gorgeous views of London from the park outside the Observatory. I got to stand on the Prime Meridian and be in two hemispheres of the world at the same time which was pretty cool. After we finished at the observatory we all went to a Mexican restaurant in the city before heading back to Surbiton. Last night everyone was working on papers so it was a pretty quiet night. The family had a safe flight home and Bailey and Riley were thrilled for them to be back.
Today:
This morning we had class at the University for Shakespeare where we discussed the play 'The Tempest'. Afterwards we had a few minutes break before we had to head into London to meet for an afternoon walking tour. We went to the Inns of Court and were able to see students fresh out of their law school graduation complete in their traditional capes and wigs which was pretty interesting. We had time to get some dinner before heading to see 'The Tempest' at the Old Vic tonight. We went to a great pizza place where the center of the pizza was cut out and replaced with a salad.. Delicious.. one of the best meals I've had here. At the Old Vic we were surprised to find out our teacher got us front row tickets for the play. Although I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, nor a big fan of plays.. I surprisingly really enjoyed it, probably because we were so close. I'm back at my flat now packing for Paris before meeting up with some friends. We leave out at 5:15am in the morning to take a bus to King's Cross Station where we'll be taking the Eurostar into Paris!
It's going to be a good weekend! Pictures are updated!!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Busy Weekend!
It's been an exhaustingly busy weekend!
Friday morning I had class until 1:30. After class I came back and got my laundry together and my flatmate and I went into London and dropped it off at mom & dad's hotel. Afterwards we went to Camden Town, an outdoor market with tonssss of stuff. After we bought out the whole place, we didn't have time to go to any museums like we planned so we headed back into central London. I had left my camera in my room so I rode the train all the way back out to Surbiton, grabbed it, and headed back into London and headed to the hotel for the night.
Saturday morning we all woke up early and headed into London. It was a busy day. We went to:
- the British Museum
- the National History Museum
- the Victoria & Albert Museum
- Covent Gardens
- Old Bond Street & Oxford Street
- Regent's Park
- SOHO
- Piccadilly Circus
Needless to say by the time we finally got back to the hotel at around 11 we were exhausted and headed straight for bed after soaking our feet. A long day walking makes for a very grumpy dad and an entire family who's feet are tired and hurting.
This morning we woke up early again and headed out, feeling very much refreshed from the tiring day before. Today we went to:
-Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the Guards
-Green Park
-St. James Park
-Abbey Road
-the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels
-the Tower Bridge
-the London Bridge
-the Millenium Bridge
-the Globe Theater
-St. Paul's Cathedral
We finished the night in Southbank just right down the street from the Globe and across from the Tate Modern at a local pub where I tried fish and chips for the first time. I wasn't that impressed but it wasn't terrible. Definitely one of the better foods that I've had while in the UK.
Tomorrow I am headed to Stonehenge & Bath with my class. Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike are heading to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath as well although I'm not sure if we'll cross paths throughout the day. Tomorrow night we are planning on going out on the London Eye after we all get back. I'm skipping class on Tuesday so I can get one last day of sightseeing in with the family although I plan to take Mom & Leslie to Camden Town to get some shopping done!
Pictures have been updated!!!!
Friday morning I had class until 1:30. After class I came back and got my laundry together and my flatmate and I went into London and dropped it off at mom & dad's hotel. Afterwards we went to Camden Town, an outdoor market with tonssss of stuff. After we bought out the whole place, we didn't have time to go to any museums like we planned so we headed back into central London. I had left my camera in my room so I rode the train all the way back out to Surbiton, grabbed it, and headed back into London and headed to the hotel for the night.
Saturday morning we all woke up early and headed into London. It was a busy day. We went to:
- the British Museum
- the National History Museum
- the Victoria & Albert Museum
- Covent Gardens
- Old Bond Street & Oxford Street
- Regent's Park
- SOHO
- Piccadilly Circus
Needless to say by the time we finally got back to the hotel at around 11 we were exhausted and headed straight for bed after soaking our feet. A long day walking makes for a very grumpy dad and an entire family who's feet are tired and hurting.
This morning we woke up early again and headed out, feeling very much refreshed from the tiring day before. Today we went to:
-Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the Guards
-Green Park
-St. James Park
-Abbey Road
-the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels
-the Tower Bridge
-the London Bridge
-the Millenium Bridge
-the Globe Theater
-St. Paul's Cathedral
We finished the night in Southbank just right down the street from the Globe and across from the Tate Modern at a local pub where I tried fish and chips for the first time. I wasn't that impressed but it wasn't terrible. Definitely one of the better foods that I've had while in the UK.
Tomorrow I am headed to Stonehenge & Bath with my class. Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike are heading to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath as well although I'm not sure if we'll cross paths throughout the day. Tomorrow night we are planning on going out on the London Eye after we all get back. I'm skipping class on Tuesday so I can get one last day of sightseeing in with the family although I plan to take Mom & Leslie to Camden Town to get some shopping done!
Pictures have been updated!!!!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Mom, Dad, Leslie & Mike have made it to London!
Proof that Mom has completed her first flight as well as Mom & Dad's first International Flight and are safely in London!
After a flight delay at RDU and missing their connection at JFK, Mom Dad Leslie & Mike safely arrived in London this afternoon. Once in London the underground messed up and delayed them once again but I met them and got them to their hotel! This afternoon I took them to see the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey and ate dinner before I had to go and meet with my Shakespeare class to see a performance of Henry IV Part 1 at the Globe Theater.
This morning we had class and discussed Henry IV and then we went into London to get a tour from a cast member of the Globe Theater and get some background info on the theater itself and why it was important in Shakespeare's day.
Tomorrow Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike are going to Paris for a day trip. I'll be going to class and then I have an independent visit to London for my class so I'm going to stay in London this weekend at the hotel and tour around London for the weekend. Sunday I'm going to take them to see my University and where I am staying.
Pictures updated!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Oh What a Day in Oxford
So by far one of my favorite places that I have visited in my 2 weeks in London has been the City and University of Oxford.
Today would be the one and only day that my camera decided to die 10 minutes into us arriving. But that was no surprise seeing as how my morning went. Friends have offered to let me steal their pictures from the day so pictures will be uploaded soon!
For our field trip to Oxford we were supposed to be boarding our coach at 8:45 to leave. I woke up at 8, checked my email and accidentally fell back asleep. At 9am I get a phonecall from my flatmate, everyone is waiting on me. I literally get ready in 2 minutes and run outside to be the last one on the bus without an umbrella nor a raincoat. Today was the FIRST day is has rained since we've been here in London... just my luck. Friends took care of me though and made sure I stayed somewhat dry on our tour through the city.
Oxford in itself is a gorgeous university town as expected. What I didn't expect was how the University is set up. There are 38 individual colleges that all fall underneath the umbrella of Oxford University. Each college is self-owned and pays for their own expenses. Many own houses, flats, stores, and pubs in order to fund the expenses that they use. The different colleges, unlike those at NCSU, do not specialize in one particular subject. Some are stronger in others but they do not specifically encompass one subject. When applying to Oxford University you in fact apply to a college, not the University itself. The University is full of tradition which I absolutely love. Once in your college, you live, eat, pray, and study with your fellow peers within the college. It is fact like the different Houses in Harry Potter except on a college level. In some classes you interact with other colleges but you remain loyal to your own. I would LOVE to become apart of a school system like this. It adds so much more to a college experience. Unfortunately they do not offer physical therapy as a graduate school option (yes I've already checked) because I would love to study there. They do offer a Rhodes Scholarship program, which our tour guide recommended we apply to, but it is extremely prestigious and I do not have close to the credentials I would need to even think about applying. Apparently the school itself is not that hard to get into although it has the very tough reputation. According to our guide, 1 in 4 applicants gets in.
During our day in Oxford we got to see majority of the different colleges on our walking tour and learned some history about them. We got to go into a few and tour the Christ Church College and its Cathedral.
A lot of Harry Potter was filmed in Oxford:
The Bodleian Library on campus was the School of Hogwarts in many of the scenes, particularly those where they are actually in a library in the movie.
The Christ Church's Great Hall also was used in the movie. It is where they eat as well as where they are sorted.
During my stay in London I have also visited the Bank in which Harry Potter uses in the movie, Kings Cross Train Station (where we departed for Scotland) was the train station used in the movie, Hagrid's house (In Scotland), as well as the scenery and the train tracks used in the movie while they are traveling to Hogwarts. It is also in Scotland.
We ate lunch at a local pub called the Lamb and Flag. Writers J.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis frequented the pub as apart of the literary group "The Inklings" after they became tired of the pub across the street "The Lamb and Child." Both are very famous in the town and are highly respected as the frequent spot of both writers.
After lunch was our walking tour of the Christ Church College and Cathedral. We had about an hour left after the tour so we visited the Ashmolean Museum. It is the world's first University museum (founded in 1683). It recently has gone through extensive renovations and was pretty interesting. We didn't get to go on all the floors but instead focused on early Chinese, Arabic, and England cultures dating back to around 50 AD.
The bus ride back to Seething Wells was long. It only took us about an hour and a half to get there this morning but it took almost 3 hours to get back due to traffic. Everyone was exhausted so we went and picked up some Chinese food (which I was not impressed with) and I have been working on my paper that is due for Shakespeare in the morning.
Tomorrow we have class in the morning and then we have to meet in London at 2:30 to go on a private tour of The Globe Theatre. We will be a 'groundling' in the performance tomorrow of Henry the IV Part 1. I still have to finish reading it so I know what is going on tomorrow.
****Mom, Dad, Leslie, and Mike just landed in New York at JFK after some delays getting out of Raleigh. So far their flight to London has been delayed about an hour which works well since they would have probably missed it otherwise. Keep Mom in your prayers, she has completed her first flight and is now on her way to her first International Flight. I'm proud of her! ****
I plan to meet them tomorrow in between my classes to say hello! I'm excited to get to spend time with them in London this weekend as this is my last free weekend here. Time is flying by way to fast! I dread leaving London and everyone here to go home although I do miss everyone! I would rather ya'll be here!
Today would be the one and only day that my camera decided to die 10 minutes into us arriving. But that was no surprise seeing as how my morning went. Friends have offered to let me steal their pictures from the day so pictures will be uploaded soon!
For our field trip to Oxford we were supposed to be boarding our coach at 8:45 to leave. I woke up at 8, checked my email and accidentally fell back asleep. At 9am I get a phonecall from my flatmate, everyone is waiting on me. I literally get ready in 2 minutes and run outside to be the last one on the bus without an umbrella nor a raincoat. Today was the FIRST day is has rained since we've been here in London... just my luck. Friends took care of me though and made sure I stayed somewhat dry on our tour through the city.
Oxford in itself is a gorgeous university town as expected. What I didn't expect was how the University is set up. There are 38 individual colleges that all fall underneath the umbrella of Oxford University. Each college is self-owned and pays for their own expenses. Many own houses, flats, stores, and pubs in order to fund the expenses that they use. The different colleges, unlike those at NCSU, do not specialize in one particular subject. Some are stronger in others but they do not specifically encompass one subject. When applying to Oxford University you in fact apply to a college, not the University itself. The University is full of tradition which I absolutely love. Once in your college, you live, eat, pray, and study with your fellow peers within the college. It is fact like the different Houses in Harry Potter except on a college level. In some classes you interact with other colleges but you remain loyal to your own. I would LOVE to become apart of a school system like this. It adds so much more to a college experience. Unfortunately they do not offer physical therapy as a graduate school option (yes I've already checked) because I would love to study there. They do offer a Rhodes Scholarship program, which our tour guide recommended we apply to, but it is extremely prestigious and I do not have close to the credentials I would need to even think about applying. Apparently the school itself is not that hard to get into although it has the very tough reputation. According to our guide, 1 in 4 applicants gets in.
During our day in Oxford we got to see majority of the different colleges on our walking tour and learned some history about them. We got to go into a few and tour the Christ Church College and its Cathedral.
A lot of Harry Potter was filmed in Oxford:
The Bodleian Library on campus was the School of Hogwarts in many of the scenes, particularly those where they are actually in a library in the movie.
The Christ Church's Great Hall also was used in the movie. It is where they eat as well as where they are sorted.
During my stay in London I have also visited the Bank in which Harry Potter uses in the movie, Kings Cross Train Station (where we departed for Scotland) was the train station used in the movie, Hagrid's house (In Scotland), as well as the scenery and the train tracks used in the movie while they are traveling to Hogwarts. It is also in Scotland.
We ate lunch at a local pub called the Lamb and Flag. Writers J.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis frequented the pub as apart of the literary group "The Inklings" after they became tired of the pub across the street "The Lamb and Child." Both are very famous in the town and are highly respected as the frequent spot of both writers.
After lunch was our walking tour of the Christ Church College and Cathedral. We had about an hour left after the tour so we visited the Ashmolean Museum. It is the world's first University museum (founded in 1683). It recently has gone through extensive renovations and was pretty interesting. We didn't get to go on all the floors but instead focused on early Chinese, Arabic, and England cultures dating back to around 50 AD.
The bus ride back to Seething Wells was long. It only took us about an hour and a half to get there this morning but it took almost 3 hours to get back due to traffic. Everyone was exhausted so we went and picked up some Chinese food (which I was not impressed with) and I have been working on my paper that is due for Shakespeare in the morning.
Tomorrow we have class in the morning and then we have to meet in London at 2:30 to go on a private tour of The Globe Theatre. We will be a 'groundling' in the performance tomorrow of Henry the IV Part 1. I still have to finish reading it so I know what is going on tomorrow.
****Mom, Dad, Leslie, and Mike just landed in New York at JFK after some delays getting out of Raleigh. So far their flight to London has been delayed about an hour which works well since they would have probably missed it otherwise. Keep Mom in your prayers, she has completed her first flight and is now on her way to her first International Flight. I'm proud of her! ****
I plan to meet them tomorrow in between my classes to say hello! I'm excited to get to spend time with them in London this weekend as this is my last free weekend here. Time is flying by way to fast! I dread leaving London and everyone here to go home although I do miss everyone! I would rather ya'll be here!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Reality: I'm Actually Here for School
This morning I woke up early and was exhausted and definitely wanted to skip class. I had promised myself that I'd wake up early and get a headstart reading the Shakespeare play Henry IV Part 1 so I'd be prepared for discussion today in class. Needless to say I was a bit unprepared and didn't make it up in time to read. Thankfully my flatmates were loud this morning and woke me up before they headed off to their fieldtrip or I may have not made it to class at all. I have an impressive talent of sleeping through all alarms and/or turning them off without knowing. During morning session we just reviewed and discussed the play 'As You Like It' that we saw at the Old Vic last week. We had a break where I went downstairs with some of the girls to the school's cafeteria and grabbed a snack before we headed back up to class early. Afternoon session started at 2:30. We discussed the new play and acted out some of the scenes. Some of the girls in my class are much more enthusiastic about Shakespeare than I am and really get into the roles. I prefer to read aloud what I've been assigned and leave it at that. Class dragged on until a little after 4 and we all left and went to the grocery store to get a few groceries since most of us had been in Scotland all weekend.
The harsh reality that I am actually here for school has set in. I've been assigned a 1000 word essay on 1 of 3 passages in the play 'As You Like It.' Years ago when I was actually in a Literature class this would have been no big deal. 1000 words is tiny for a college essay. However it has been years since I've taken any sort of Literature class so remembering any of the terms at all has been a challenge. I've had to look up literary terms so I even have a clue what to write my paper on. It's not due until Thursday and I've finally stopped for the night at the halfway point.
Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike come tomorrow and I'm so excited! They leave out of RDU around 6:15 tomorrow night and fly into JFK for a short layover and then to London Heathrow where they'll arrive early Thursday morning. They have about the same flight schedule as I did coming over here, but hopefully they'll have much more pleasant of a flight. Everyone keep mom in your prayers since it's her first time flying =) It's amazing the distances parents will go just to see their baby girl. I've requested that they bring me more pajamas, candy, and instant cheese grits. Most of my flatmates and others that live in my building have never tried grits so they are bringing instant grits for all them to try. They are all anxious to see what this Southern delicacy tastes like.
Tomorrow we are headed to a day trip of Oxford for my British Culture and Society class. I'm excited.. everyone says it's one of the best little towns around although my flatmates that went today said it is really crowded. We'll see!
No pictures were added today.. nothing exciting or new going on but I'm sure more will be added tomorrow after Oxford!
The harsh reality that I am actually here for school has set in. I've been assigned a 1000 word essay on 1 of 3 passages in the play 'As You Like It.' Years ago when I was actually in a Literature class this would have been no big deal. 1000 words is tiny for a college essay. However it has been years since I've taken any sort of Literature class so remembering any of the terms at all has been a challenge. I've had to look up literary terms so I even have a clue what to write my paper on. It's not due until Thursday and I've finally stopped for the night at the halfway point.
Mom, Dad, Leslie, & Mike come tomorrow and I'm so excited! They leave out of RDU around 6:15 tomorrow night and fly into JFK for a short layover and then to London Heathrow where they'll arrive early Thursday morning. They have about the same flight schedule as I did coming over here, but hopefully they'll have much more pleasant of a flight. Everyone keep mom in your prayers since it's her first time flying =) It's amazing the distances parents will go just to see their baby girl. I've requested that they bring me more pajamas, candy, and instant cheese grits. Most of my flatmates and others that live in my building have never tried grits so they are bringing instant grits for all them to try. They are all anxious to see what this Southern delicacy tastes like.
Tomorrow we are headed to a day trip of Oxford for my British Culture and Society class. I'm excited.. everyone says it's one of the best little towns around although my flatmates that went today said it is really crowded. We'll see!
No pictures were added today.. nothing exciting or new going on but I'm sure more will be added tomorrow after Oxford!
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