Saw Stonehenge and Salisbury Catherdral a few days ago. Incredible. Got some great pictures of the country. Stonehenge was a little smaller than expected and it was blocked off once you reached a certain point, but our guide (Russell from the British Museum) said if you make plans and call ahead of time you can visit and actually be in the center of Stonehenge and watch the sunrise (which is about 4:30am)... I may have to look into that.
I went to a bar called Experimental Cocktails where you tell them what you like and they create something for you. It was a pretty cool experience. Afterwards we went to a lounge/club called Home House and it was litterally in a mansion in the middle of a neighborhood. PS (mom)...It was an actual club, in a nice area, nothing sketchy, and I didn't walk anywhere alone. :) I guess clubs in house-like settings are common here.
Yesterday I went to Camden which is a huge market full of shopping. I got a few dresses and some other fun stuff. Borough and Portabello are two more markets I want to go to that the locals recommend
Today a group of us took a trip to Hampton Palace. It was gorgeous and took half the day to walk through. It was a little far, but it ended up being in Surrey (from the Holiday) so I was pretty stoked! Across the street was a food festival so we walked around there and I had a wild boar burger. It was actually really good! We cut it short when it started raining- it's been raining a lot the past few days, but I love it!
Happy Memorial Day! :)
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
May 27, 2011
Today was packed with amazingness! That's not a word... but it was incredible.
This morning a friend and I went to the Tower of London, which is this breath-taking castle that's been around since 1078. Walking around it took over 2 hours, and it went by so fast. The majority of the Crown Jewels are on display there (which are ridiculous) As well as random artifacts from Kings that lived there at one point or another. This building has gone from royal palace to a prison; torture chambers and execution; to a royal mint and a zoo. Crazy.
Afterwards we got tickets to do the Thames River boat tour and got a great view of the buildings and learned some cool facts. Daniel Radcliffe went to school in a building we passed, we saw where the original Globe Theatre was first built, and the first place (fish factory) that Michael Cane worked. Our tour guide was great, made a lot of subtle jokes... I guess I'm catching on ;)
We stopped and ate at a little Greek Restaurant then ran (literally) to catch the London Eye before it closed. The London Eye is a ferris wheel (but they get mad if you call it that) that takes 30 minutes to go around and you get an awesome view of the city. Well worth it.
Tomorrow we're taking a day trip to Stonehenge, wooo!
This morning a friend and I went to the Tower of London, which is this breath-taking castle that's been around since 1078. Walking around it took over 2 hours, and it went by so fast. The majority of the Crown Jewels are on display there (which are ridiculous) As well as random artifacts from Kings that lived there at one point or another. This building has gone from royal palace to a prison; torture chambers and execution; to a royal mint and a zoo. Crazy.
Afterwards we got tickets to do the Thames River boat tour and got a great view of the buildings and learned some cool facts. Daniel Radcliffe went to school in a building we passed, we saw where the original Globe Theatre was first built, and the first place (fish factory) that Michael Cane worked. Our tour guide was great, made a lot of subtle jokes... I guess I'm catching on ;)
We stopped and ate at a little Greek Restaurant then ran (literally) to catch the London Eye before it closed. The London Eye is a ferris wheel (but they get mad if you call it that) that takes 30 minutes to go around and you get an awesome view of the city. Well worth it.
Tomorrow we're taking a day trip to Stonehenge, wooo!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
May 26, 2011
Phantom of the Opera was great!
It's been pouring all day today-- a few of us went to Blackbird pub for a bit and the plan was to walk to a museum or go shopping after.. but it started hailing so now it's back to studying.
It's been pouring all day today-- a few of us went to Blackbird pub for a bit and the plan was to walk to a museum or go shopping after.. but it started hailing so now it's back to studying.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Wicked and The Globe Theatre
Yesterday we had a guest speaker, Alex Seago, who spoke a little about British history and the differences in American class and British class. He made it interesting by joking and showing us a British comedy short- their humor is different than American humor... but listening to them is pretty entertaining!
Last night we saw the musical, Wicked, at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. I heard great things about it so I had high expectations. It was even better than expected- I absolutely loved it. Afterwards I got a drink at a pub and then walked home. I'm in a different building than the majority of the other students, so I walked by myself and a little lost. Luckily we're in a a great area. (The opposite way from where my stuff was stolen)
This morning we took a trip to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Mike was our tour guide who has been an actor at the Globe. He told us a lot about the theatre itself and the history of Shakespeare. I found out that the term 'Box Office' originated from Shakepeare's first plays; it cost a penny to see the show, and they would pass around a box for people to pay before the show started.
We were lucky enough to see the actors rehearsing the play, 'Much Ado About Nothing' and halfway through one of the scenes, Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) walks out. Also, Mike told us one of the female actors played a role in 'The King's Speech' but I'm not sure what her name is. I'll post pictures on Facebook!
Next door was the Tate Modern Museum so my friend and I went to check it out. It was a little out there for my taste, but I did see a few Picasso paintings that were great.
Today was mostly a study day and I ran to Saunsbury which is the grocery store/market here. Tomorrow I have class from 11-5 then it's off to Phantom of the Opera!
Last night we saw the musical, Wicked, at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. I heard great things about it so I had high expectations. It was even better than expected- I absolutely loved it. Afterwards I got a drink at a pub and then walked home. I'm in a different building than the majority of the other students, so I walked by myself and a little lost. Luckily we're in a a great area. (The opposite way from where my stuff was stolen)
This morning we took a trip to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Mike was our tour guide who has been an actor at the Globe. He told us a lot about the theatre itself and the history of Shakespeare. I found out that the term 'Box Office' originated from Shakepeare's first plays; it cost a penny to see the show, and they would pass around a box for people to pay before the show started.
We were lucky enough to see the actors rehearsing the play, 'Much Ado About Nothing' and halfway through one of the scenes, Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) walks out. Also, Mike told us one of the female actors played a role in 'The King's Speech' but I'm not sure what her name is. I'll post pictures on Facebook!
Next door was the Tate Modern Museum so my friend and I went to check it out. It was a little out there for my taste, but I did see a few Picasso paintings that were great.
Today was mostly a study day and I ran to Saunsbury which is the grocery store/market here. Tomorrow I have class from 11-5 then it's off to Phantom of the Opera!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Day 6
So Thursday was a shopping day and I didn't buy too much, but found a lot of cool shops. I'm starting to get to know some of the girls in my building and everyone is great so far.
Friday I got a late start, but eventually got on the Tube with Kristen, Lisi, and Stephanie and we went shopping by the National Gallery. The stores were expensive, but I found a purse that was cheap and cute. We ate an early dinner at a Japanese restaurant and had....an interesting experience to say the least. One of the girls ordered a saki bomber and the man had absolutely no idea what that was. She explained that you pour saki into a beer to drink it and he replied, "ohh... that will get you drunk very fast though.." And she said, "Yeah, that's kind of the point." Poor guy.... dealing with 4 American girls. I also asked what their 'Shochu' was like and he said it wasn't for ladies. I ordered it anyway. It tasted like hot water and vodka, but there was what he described as a plum (definitely not a plum) in the drink that made it extremely salty. I don't recommend it.
Afterwards we went to a pub down the street and had some hard cider, which is really big here. It looks like beer but tastes like spiked apple cider. It's pretty good!
Friday night a group of us went to a club called Zoo, and it was separated into a few different rooms. Upstairs was more laid back and played a lot of American music, downstairs was split into 2 rooms, one played American and random old music, and the other was house music (which is where I got my clutch stolen).
My friend Kristen and I were hanging out and dancing in the 'techno'-esque room when she said she had to go to the bathroom. When she left a guy came up to me and tried to start dancing and asked me if I was American. When Kristen came back a few minutes later he walked away. She asked me what time it was and when I reached down to get my phone out of my purse, it was gone. We left the club right after that.
Getting back to our building was an adventure! The Tube was closed by that time, so we snuck on the bus to get home (going the wrong way). Long story short it took about an hour and a half to get back. (ps Thanks mom and Ashley for saving my butt)
Today was fun! I went to the National Gallery and saw paintings from Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, etc. Then went to Pizza Express and had a Margharita Pizza with salad in the center. It's their version of a skinny pizza I guess!
Friday I got a late start, but eventually got on the Tube with Kristen, Lisi, and Stephanie and we went shopping by the National Gallery. The stores were expensive, but I found a purse that was cheap and cute. We ate an early dinner at a Japanese restaurant and had....an interesting experience to say the least. One of the girls ordered a saki bomber and the man had absolutely no idea what that was. She explained that you pour saki into a beer to drink it and he replied, "ohh... that will get you drunk very fast though.." And she said, "Yeah, that's kind of the point." Poor guy.... dealing with 4 American girls. I also asked what their 'Shochu' was like and he said it wasn't for ladies. I ordered it anyway. It tasted like hot water and vodka, but there was what he described as a plum (definitely not a plum) in the drink that made it extremely salty. I don't recommend it.
Afterwards we went to a pub down the street and had some hard cider, which is really big here. It looks like beer but tastes like spiked apple cider. It's pretty good!
Friday night a group of us went to a club called Zoo, and it was separated into a few different rooms. Upstairs was more laid back and played a lot of American music, downstairs was split into 2 rooms, one played American and random old music, and the other was house music (which is where I got my clutch stolen).
My friend Kristen and I were hanging out and dancing in the 'techno'-esque room when she said she had to go to the bathroom. When she left a guy came up to me and tried to start dancing and asked me if I was American. When Kristen came back a few minutes later he walked away. She asked me what time it was and when I reached down to get my phone out of my purse, it was gone. We left the club right after that.
Getting back to our building was an adventure! The Tube was closed by that time, so we snuck on the bus to get home (going the wrong way). Long story short it took about an hour and a half to get back. (ps Thanks mom and Ashley for saving my butt)
Today was fun! I went to the National Gallery and saw paintings from Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, etc. Then went to Pizza Express and had a Margharita Pizza with salad in the center. It's their version of a skinny pizza I guess!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
London
It's day 4 of London!
Monday we arrived at Heathrow airport and went straight to orientation. Our RA's are awesome, and I can't get enough of their accents. We're staying in Kensington, which is absolutely gorgeous. Back home people warned me that no one wears tennis shoes and to bring plenty of PB&J because the food is so bland. They couldn't be more wrong. EVERYONE sports tennis shoes and so far the food is definitely different, but far from bland.
Everything opens later and closes earlier here. The people are friendly (for the most part) and it's very fast pace.
Tuesday I walked around and explored my neighborhood a bit. I purchased a cell phone (which looks like it's from 1999) and some other things I'd need for the week. Their stores and products remind me of back home in a way...'Boots' is London's version of Walgreens, they have a 'TK Maxx' instead of 'TJ Maxx', and instead of Twix candy bar they have Twirl. Kind of funny
Our group went to Westminster Abbey and had two awesome tour guides, Sean and Leonie. I knew there were Royalty burried throughout the church, but I had no idea there were famous scientists and writers as well. Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, etc. are all burried there. We were aloud to take pictures out and around the Abbey, but once inside we had to put our cameras away. Inside is absolutely ridiculous and I definitely plan on going back.
Tuesday night, we saw a play called 'In a Forest, Dark and Deep' with Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams . It was not at all what I expected, but I still liked it.
Wednesday I had my Communication and Happiness class, and it sounds like it's going to be very interesting. We all have a Happiness project we have to work on for the duration of the trip. Wednesday afternoon we went to the British Museum and had another awesome tour guide, Russel Grant (Who I have on video talking.. he's hilarious) and saw artifacts from all over the world. Again, I plan on going back. We covered less than a 1/3 of the museum. On the way back to the tube (London's subway) it started raining, and the streets became a sea of umbrellas. The pictures I took don't do justice to how busy the streets were. It's crazy how many people there are. If you've ever experienced that in the sidewalks of New York, times that by ten.
Today is a free day, and I fully plan on going shopping. (Dad, don't freak out..) Hyde park is not far, (and I keep forgetting I have actual studying to do....) so that will be a nice place to read and relax.
Excited for the weekend!
Monday we arrived at Heathrow airport and went straight to orientation. Our RA's are awesome, and I can't get enough of their accents. We're staying in Kensington, which is absolutely gorgeous. Back home people warned me that no one wears tennis shoes and to bring plenty of PB&J because the food is so bland. They couldn't be more wrong. EVERYONE sports tennis shoes and so far the food is definitely different, but far from bland.
Everything opens later and closes earlier here. The people are friendly (for the most part) and it's very fast pace.
Tuesday I walked around and explored my neighborhood a bit. I purchased a cell phone (which looks like it's from 1999) and some other things I'd need for the week. Their stores and products remind me of back home in a way...'Boots' is London's version of Walgreens, they have a 'TK Maxx' instead of 'TJ Maxx', and instead of Twix candy bar they have Twirl. Kind of funny
Our group went to Westminster Abbey and had two awesome tour guides, Sean and Leonie. I knew there were Royalty burried throughout the church, but I had no idea there were famous scientists and writers as well. Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, etc. are all burried there. We were aloud to take pictures out and around the Abbey, but once inside we had to put our cameras away. Inside is absolutely ridiculous and I definitely plan on going back.
Tuesday night, we saw a play called 'In a Forest, Dark and Deep' with Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams . It was not at all what I expected, but I still liked it.
Wednesday I had my Communication and Happiness class, and it sounds like it's going to be very interesting. We all have a Happiness project we have to work on for the duration of the trip. Wednesday afternoon we went to the British Museum and had another awesome tour guide, Russel Grant (Who I have on video talking.. he's hilarious) and saw artifacts from all over the world. Again, I plan on going back. We covered less than a 1/3 of the museum. On the way back to the tube (London's subway) it started raining, and the streets became a sea of umbrellas. The pictures I took don't do justice to how busy the streets were. It's crazy how many people there are. If you've ever experienced that in the sidewalks of New York, times that by ten.
Today is a free day, and I fully plan on going shopping. (Dad, don't freak out..) Hyde park is not far, (and I keep forgetting I have actual studying to do....) so that will be a nice place to read and relax.
Excited for the weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)