Sunday was a long day, but it was relaxing. There wasn't too much rushing about which was nice...but we started the day out in the pouring rain! Yuck. We were really wet..and my shoes were soaked through. We walked about 45 mins. down to the Guinness Storehouse, since that was the furthest away. It was definitely worth the walk I think though. It's an awesome place. They have a self guided tour and as you follow it along and keep going higher, you are going up escalators in the part of the building that is shaped like a pint! The tour was of the history of Guinness and how it is made. There were a lot of quotes and real items that associated with Guinnness and Arthur Guinness, who started it all. Interesting Fact: Arthur Guinness actually signed a 9,000 year lease for the Guinness Storehouse...and this year they are celebrating 250 years, so it looks like they have a long time to go! When we made it to the top in the Gravity Bar we had an awesome view of Dublin, and we were happy to see the clouds were leaving and the sun was coming out! This of course made the view much better. We got our free pint of Guinness, drank some, then headed out.
We walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was nice. We walked along the park/garden type area and took a few pictures, but we didn't go inside the Cathedral. We kept going and the next stop was Dublin Castle...which was closed. It didn't open until 2pm, which was still a couple hours away so we just went to lunch! We went to a small cafe and I had a really good sandwich. Then we went and did some shopping! Found some gifts, and our next stop was Trinity College for the Book Of Kells, which I decided not to go in and see. Instead, I walked around in a few stores waiting for the other girls. We then took our time and walked back up O'Connell Street towards The Writer's Museum! Along the way we stopped in the Garden of Remembrance, which is a pool of water, statue and flowers dedicated to those who fought for Irish freedom. The Writer's Museum was right across the street. I thought the Writer's Museum was really interesting, although it was small. They only had a few rooms, but they had a lot of information. It covered a wide range of authors and poets, including some of the more famous Irish Writers, like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. There were so many original and first editions of books! I wish I could have taken a first edition Oscar Wilde book!
After the Writer's Museum we kept with the original plan and went back to the hostel and Jenn and I got our bags. We then just walked down O'Connell Street again waiting to get the bus to the airport. We had a extra time and ended up going to the airport earlier than we really had to, but we had a really good day. And for that matter, a really good time in Dublin!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Dublin, Ireland
I spent last weekend with the Irish! I flew to Dublin with Katie, Jenn, and Rita, and the plane ride was only about an hour long. It was a late flight though, and by the time we arrived at our hostel, it was midnight! The hostel was actually really nice, much better than in Bath, and we quietly got ready for bed, anticipating the next day's adventures.
Saturday we had breakfast at the hostel since it was included in our stay, and then split up. Katie and Rita went horseback riding, while Jenn and I decided to go to Newgrange, Ireland to visit their well-known neolithic/megalithic passage tomb. We had some issues getting out there though, since the booking didn't exactly go through the way we had planned, but we made it there nevertheless. It took a little less than an hour to get out there, and when we arrived, the shuttlebus driver showed us where and what bus to take to get home, since we weren't able to take the shuttlebus back like we had planned. We got our tour for 1:45pm and walked around the exhibit until it was time to take the shuttle out to the passage tomb, which is only like a five minute drive. The passage tomb looked kind of ordinary from a distance, like a small hill with a building in it or something. But when you get close to it you realize the white part that looked like a wall, is actually white stones built around the hill. The entrance has been cut and it is distinct from the white stone; it is dark and it is limestone. There are two entrances, the one on the top is for the sunlight, and the one of the bottom was put there when they decided to allow people to enter. People didn't realize the passage tomb existed for a long time because it just looked natural in the landscape, until some rich guy was going to excavate and discovered it. Inside the passage tomb it was really tiny, but so neat to be inside there. The guide was really smart and he recreated the event that happens on the winter solstice every year, when the sunlight slowly enters and lights up the passage tomb, which was really exciting.
We then had to hurry and get back to the visitor center to try and catch the 3pm bus back to Dublin, but we missed it, so we had to wait around until 445pm, so we were slightly bummed but we had scones and tea while waiting. Yumm. We eventually made it back to Dublin and met up with Katie and Rita, and went to dinner at a nice restaurant. Dinner was really good, and then we decided to have dessert as well! It was really good, and we took our time just talking and enjoying the atmosphere. We then went back to the hostel, and it was 930pm and the other person in our room for 8 was sleeping already! haha so we hung out down in the common area until it was a normal time to go to sleep.
Okay...looks like I'll have to do this in two parts unfortuantely, but it's late and this post is getting very long! More later!
Saturday we had breakfast at the hostel since it was included in our stay, and then split up. Katie and Rita went horseback riding, while Jenn and I decided to go to Newgrange, Ireland to visit their well-known neolithic/megalithic passage tomb. We had some issues getting out there though, since the booking didn't exactly go through the way we had planned, but we made it there nevertheless. It took a little less than an hour to get out there, and when we arrived, the shuttlebus driver showed us where and what bus to take to get home, since we weren't able to take the shuttlebus back like we had planned. We got our tour for 1:45pm and walked around the exhibit until it was time to take the shuttle out to the passage tomb, which is only like a five minute drive. The passage tomb looked kind of ordinary from a distance, like a small hill with a building in it or something. But when you get close to it you realize the white part that looked like a wall, is actually white stones built around the hill. The entrance has been cut and it is distinct from the white stone; it is dark and it is limestone. There are two entrances, the one on the top is for the sunlight, and the one of the bottom was put there when they decided to allow people to enter. People didn't realize the passage tomb existed for a long time because it just looked natural in the landscape, until some rich guy was going to excavate and discovered it. Inside the passage tomb it was really tiny, but so neat to be inside there. The guide was really smart and he recreated the event that happens on the winter solstice every year, when the sunlight slowly enters and lights up the passage tomb, which was really exciting.
We then had to hurry and get back to the visitor center to try and catch the 3pm bus back to Dublin, but we missed it, so we had to wait around until 445pm, so we were slightly bummed but we had scones and tea while waiting. Yumm. We eventually made it back to Dublin and met up with Katie and Rita, and went to dinner at a nice restaurant. Dinner was really good, and then we decided to have dessert as well! It was really good, and we took our time just talking and enjoying the atmosphere. We then went back to the hostel, and it was 930pm and the other person in our room for 8 was sleeping already! haha so we hung out down in the common area until it was a normal time to go to sleep.
Okay...looks like I'll have to do this in two parts unfortuantely, but it's late and this post is getting very long! More later!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tea and Scones anyone?
Two weekends ago I travled to Bath, England! It took about 5-6 hours by train, but it was worth it. Bath it small, but very pretty. There's a lot to do there I think also. We got to our hostel around 9pm Friday night, and just stayed in for the night since we were on the train all day and it was rainy. We met a nice girl from Germany who was one of the others to share the room with us. We woke up early the next day to make it to the Roman Baths by opening. It was a rainy morning, but we were prepared with our umbrellas and rain shoes! We weren't too worried since most of the baths were indoor or under some type of cover, but we were worried about our plans for later in the day - Stonehenge! The Roman Baths were really awesome; I enjoyed walking around and learning about the Romans and why they decided to come to Bath and stay there and build their community. Bath has the only natural hot spring in Britain, making it the perfect place for the Romans to build their public baths. It was important for the Romans to be clean (i would hope so) and so most Romans spent a portion of their day at the baths. I remember some of the terms and information from Latin class in high school and for a moment I thought it wasn't a waste of my time to take 4 years of it...but then I remembered it actually was haha. We learned about the baths I believe freshman year of high school...so long ago. Anyway, at one point there was a circular bath where Romans would jump in and cool off from the hot water from the main bath, and Jenn and I tossed in American coins and made a wish :) The Roman Baths in my opinion were definitely worth a visit.
Next we grabbed lunch at Pret, and walked around a bit until it was time to go on our tour to Stonehenge! We took MadMax Tours, and the guide was nice, funny and had some good information to share. We made it out to Stonehenge and had about an hour there. Stonehenge may just be a bunch of rocks in a field and there are larger and more important rock formations elsewhere, but it was SO COOL. Stonehenge looks kind of small at first, but you are able to walk all around it and see it from different directions. It was surreal to actually be there looking at Stonehenge and taking pictures of it. It was extremely windy...but no rain!! It cleared up and it was actually really nice out for our visit to Stonehenge, which added to our great moods. After Stonehenge our tour guide took us to a small village called Lacock. When I say small, I mean really small, like 2 streets. A bunch of movies were filmed there...including one of my personal favorites, Harry Potter! It was cute, and we only spent a half hour there...which might have actually been too long considering the size haha.
In the evening, there wasn't too much to do, but we luckily discovered a comedy walk called Bizarre Bath. It was two hour long walking tour...but all a comedy show pretty much. The guide took us around Bath and performed stunts, cracked jokes and made a fool of himself and others he made fun of. If I tried to explain some of the jokes/stunts to you, you just would think it was really weird and not too funny...but it was really funny at the time and in person.
Sunday was one of my favorite days. We checked out of the hostel and carried all our stuff with us, and then made our way up to the Jane Austen Centre!! I was so excited...Jane Austen lived in Bath for five years, and two of her novels take place in Bath. The centre is really cute. We had a informative talk that lasted about 15 mins, and then were able to walk around the exhibition. It was tiny, but nice. We spent some time in the gift shop of course, where I purchased a book, a notepad, and a small tote bag that says "I (heart) MR DARCY" haha.
Then was probably the best part....we had tea and scones in the Jane Austen Regency Tea Room!! So delicious :-) traditional, and the perfect ending to our weekend in Bath.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Paris Continued
Saturday night we took a bike tour! It was by far the best thing we could have done that night I think. We had a guide, the well-liked and fun Ned, and each had our own bikes with reflective safety vests to wear. The bike was wobbly when you first started going, and it was hard because even though I put the seat all the way down, I could barely touch the ground. I was pretty much on my tippy toes the whole time, or standing on one foot with the bike completely slanted.
Two phrases to get an idea of how big the group was and the attidute Ned wanted us to adopt: DOMINATE THE ROAD and STAY IN A TIGHT PACK. We rode in the streets, and pretty much cars had to stop for us or put up with the large amount of bikers. Most of the time we rode in bike lanes/taxi lanes, but there were times where we had to go through big intersections! So intense because I, and probably some others, were not used to riding a bike in traffic.
Taking this bike tour you really get to see why Paris is called the City of Lights. Everything is lit up, and looks just as pretty as during the day. We rode past so many famous and hidden spots. We saw all the major things at night - Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Pantheon and the Louvre, and also other place we wouldn't have known about, such as Ernest Hemingway's favorite fishing spot, pub/cafe where many famous American writers spent a lot of time and the apartment area where Johnny Depp has an apartment.
We rode for a few hours, and went about eight miles, give or take. It was perfect weather to ride bikes, and it was so fun to see Paris from that way. There were times you I just coasted along and took in my surroundings. My favorite part was riding though the Louvre at night. The pyramid looks amazing lit up, and it's very magical. At one point we stopped on a pedestrian bridge. Paris has two islands, and this bridge is the only thing that connects them. One side is the bustling city with the metro and everything, while the other side is the part of the city that is calm and quiet, and only accessible by this pedestrian bridge. We learned Johnny Depp owns an apartment just over the bridge, and there's also a small ice cream shop, and we were able to buy some.
Our last stop was after we rode along a long road with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Amazing. We then ended, after riding along the river for a while, at a boat where we were to have a boat ride. Ned gave us some red wine, and we enjoyed the sights from the river. We learned Ned went to school in Baltimore (Goucher College) and graduated in 2006! He went to every Loyolapalooza and knew a bunch of lacrosse players. Funny guy that Ned.
So that ends the bike tour - great time!
Sunday we went to Versaille! This is where many kings and queens of France lived, most notably Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The palace was HUGE! There was so much gold and many decorations. Each room was preserved very well and there were many portraits and furnishings from the era. We also went into the gardens, which were also very large, but very beautiful. It was cloudy and even a bit rainy, but I still enjoyed the gardens anyway. There were numerous fountains spouting water, and the flowers were in perfect bloom. There were a lot of people touring the gardens and palace, so it was a little annoying to be able to enjoy everything while people kept bumping into you, but it was still good nonetheless. My favorite room in the palace was the hall of mirros. It looks great, very majestic, especially when the light from outside shines through the many windows and reflects in the mirrors, sending rays of sun in every direction.
After Versaille we went back to the Eiffel tower and went to the top! We had to take two elevators (since we were short on time we didn't climb the steps) and the view was beautiful. We were really high up, but not so high that we couldn't identify places and monuments. The Louvre, Arc, statue of liberty and other places were visible. It was really windy up there as well, but definitely worth going up, even if some don't consider it the ideal place to observe Paris from above.
We then hurried back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport! Paris was amazing, and I am so happy to have gotten to go!
Two phrases to get an idea of how big the group was and the attidute Ned wanted us to adopt: DOMINATE THE ROAD and STAY IN A TIGHT PACK. We rode in the streets, and pretty much cars had to stop for us or put up with the large amount of bikers. Most of the time we rode in bike lanes/taxi lanes, but there were times where we had to go through big intersections! So intense because I, and probably some others, were not used to riding a bike in traffic.
Taking this bike tour you really get to see why Paris is called the City of Lights. Everything is lit up, and looks just as pretty as during the day. We rode past so many famous and hidden spots. We saw all the major things at night - Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Pantheon and the Louvre, and also other place we wouldn't have known about, such as Ernest Hemingway's favorite fishing spot, pub/cafe where many famous American writers spent a lot of time and the apartment area where Johnny Depp has an apartment.
We rode for a few hours, and went about eight miles, give or take. It was perfect weather to ride bikes, and it was so fun to see Paris from that way. There were times you I just coasted along and took in my surroundings. My favorite part was riding though the Louvre at night. The pyramid looks amazing lit up, and it's very magical. At one point we stopped on a pedestrian bridge. Paris has two islands, and this bridge is the only thing that connects them. One side is the bustling city with the metro and everything, while the other side is the part of the city that is calm and quiet, and only accessible by this pedestrian bridge. We learned Johnny Depp owns an apartment just over the bridge, and there's also a small ice cream shop, and we were able to buy some.
Our last stop was after we rode along a long road with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Amazing. We then ended, after riding along the river for a while, at a boat where we were to have a boat ride. Ned gave us some red wine, and we enjoyed the sights from the river. We learned Ned went to school in Baltimore (Goucher College) and graduated in 2006! He went to every Loyolapalooza and knew a bunch of lacrosse players. Funny guy that Ned.
So that ends the bike tour - great time!
Sunday we went to Versaille! This is where many kings and queens of France lived, most notably Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The palace was HUGE! There was so much gold and many decorations. Each room was preserved very well and there were many portraits and furnishings from the era. We also went into the gardens, which were also very large, but very beautiful. It was cloudy and even a bit rainy, but I still enjoyed the gardens anyway. There were numerous fountains spouting water, and the flowers were in perfect bloom. There were a lot of people touring the gardens and palace, so it was a little annoying to be able to enjoy everything while people kept bumping into you, but it was still good nonetheless. My favorite room in the palace was the hall of mirros. It looks great, very majestic, especially when the light from outside shines through the many windows and reflects in the mirrors, sending rays of sun in every direction.
After Versaille we went back to the Eiffel tower and went to the top! We had to take two elevators (since we were short on time we didn't climb the steps) and the view was beautiful. We were really high up, but not so high that we couldn't identify places and monuments. The Louvre, Arc, statue of liberty and other places were visible. It was really windy up there as well, but definitely worth going up, even if some don't consider it the ideal place to observe Paris from above.
We then hurried back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport! Paris was amazing, and I am so happy to have gotten to go!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Paris, Finally!
Sorry it took me so long to update! Friday October 9th I went to class with my packed bag (that's right...a bag. only a backpack for the whole weekend! I'm such a good packer. It was kind of necessary though to avoid paying for checked bags out of our own pockets. and much easier in the end) and went to one class on Friday. We took a taxi right after class to the airport and before we knew it we were in Paris!
I LOVE Paris. It's so great. First off, it's very strange to be the "foreign one." Almost all of us on the trip hardly know any French at all (besides Rita and Katie!). I don't think we really looked out of place until we spoke aloud to each other. Only then I think people stared at us. We were warned to always say Bonjour or Hello when initiating a conversation with someone so we are not perceived as rude, as many Americans are by the French people. I found that the French are very friendly, and most who work in public places especially the tourist areas spoke some English.
Friday night we went to dinner at this cute restaurant not too far from our hotel. I ordered a chicken salad, and when we were finished we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleanic Wars. Fun Fact: Napolean's body was processed through/under the arc on its way to its second and final resting spot. We took the elevator up to the top of the arc, since we only had fifteen minutes before it closed. The view from the top is amazing. You have a wonderful panoramic view of Paris, and can see for miles. The Eiffel Tower demands the most attention of course. It was our first view of the Tower, and we were awestruck. At night it glows red and white, and every hour on the hour for three mintues it sparkles. So pretty. I couldn't believe I was actually looking at the Eiffel Tower! It seemed so surreal.
We then had to leave the arc for closing time and we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It is here that I experienced my first Chocolate Crepe. SO GOOD. We took some pictures, and ran into a few other Loyola people before heading back to the hotel.
The next day was hectic, yet exciting. We woke up early and had the continental breakfast in the hotel. Our first stop was a cemetary where apparently Oscar Wilde and a few other well-known people are buried, but we had difficulty finding them. I think we spent too much time there, but the graves were very elaborate. Our next stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was so pretty! It's very tall, and built in Gothic architecture, which in it's time was only beginning to become popular. It's one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses, and has elaborate carvings of scenes all over it. It took 200 years to build. Those who started building it never got to see it finished, only knew the importance of what they were working on. Fun Fact: The row of statues along the Cathedral are the 28 Kings of Judah: biblical kings. In the revolution people thought they were kings of France that were hated, so they stormed the church and cut off their heads. The heads were found in 1977 buried and are now in a museum! The heads on the Cathedral today are replicas.
After the Cathedral we stopped in a small gift shop, and then headed for THE LOUVRE! I was literally jumping out of my skin to see the Louvre. Of course when we got there we took a bunch of photos with the famous pyramid, and then had just under two hours to explore the museum before meeting again for lunch. The Louvre is HUGE. You could spend a week in there, maybe longer. So, I had to pick and choose what I wanted to see, and the first stop on my list was the Mona Lisa! I headed for the Italian Painting floor and found Mona. Took some pictures of her and then one with her, hahah, and then just observed the painting for a few mintues. I also observed the commotion around her and the room she was in. There were so many people that it was almost hard to enjoy the painting, but I guess when you're as famous as Mona that's to be expected. I had my trusty Rick Steves Audio guide on my iPod to give me some information so people probably thought I was listening to music in the Louvre but in reality I was learning information they probably didn't know themselves.
I viewed some more paintings, including Raphael's and more DaVinci. Then gift shop again...and off to lunch. We ate a small cafe, which was really tasty and cute. Afterwards the group split up and I went with Jenn, Rita and Katie for a walk through the Jardin des Tuileries, which was pretty. It had many statues and flower beds, as well as a few fountains. At the end you can see a giant obelisk as well. We then made our way over to the Musee Orsay. We only had about forty mintues in this museum, so again I chose to go to only the impressionist floor. I saw paintings by Degas! Monet! Manet! Van Gogh! and others. They were great to view, and it was exciting to see how they looked up close as well as far away.
We then headed over to the Eiffel Tower again! I love the Eiffel Tower. It's so big and powerful. We waited in line to get to the top of the it, but then decided not to and we grabbed more crepes! and headed to our Bike Tour. The Bike Tour was probably one of my favorite things we did so far while abroad! I think it deserves its own entry, considering it was so fun, and this one is pretty long!
I LOVE Paris. It's so great. First off, it's very strange to be the "foreign one." Almost all of us on the trip hardly know any French at all (besides Rita and Katie!). I don't think we really looked out of place until we spoke aloud to each other. Only then I think people stared at us. We were warned to always say Bonjour or Hello when initiating a conversation with someone so we are not perceived as rude, as many Americans are by the French people. I found that the French are very friendly, and most who work in public places especially the tourist areas spoke some English.
Friday night we went to dinner at this cute restaurant not too far from our hotel. I ordered a chicken salad, and when we were finished we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleanic Wars. Fun Fact: Napolean's body was processed through/under the arc on its way to its second and final resting spot. We took the elevator up to the top of the arc, since we only had fifteen minutes before it closed. The view from the top is amazing. You have a wonderful panoramic view of Paris, and can see for miles. The Eiffel Tower demands the most attention of course. It was our first view of the Tower, and we were awestruck. At night it glows red and white, and every hour on the hour for three mintues it sparkles. So pretty. I couldn't believe I was actually looking at the Eiffel Tower! It seemed so surreal.
We then had to leave the arc for closing time and we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It is here that I experienced my first Chocolate Crepe. SO GOOD. We took some pictures, and ran into a few other Loyola people before heading back to the hotel.
The next day was hectic, yet exciting. We woke up early and had the continental breakfast in the hotel. Our first stop was a cemetary where apparently Oscar Wilde and a few other well-known people are buried, but we had difficulty finding them. I think we spent too much time there, but the graves were very elaborate. Our next stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was so pretty! It's very tall, and built in Gothic architecture, which in it's time was only beginning to become popular. It's one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses, and has elaborate carvings of scenes all over it. It took 200 years to build. Those who started building it never got to see it finished, only knew the importance of what they were working on. Fun Fact: The row of statues along the Cathedral are the 28 Kings of Judah: biblical kings. In the revolution people thought they were kings of France that were hated, so they stormed the church and cut off their heads. The heads were found in 1977 buried and are now in a museum! The heads on the Cathedral today are replicas.
After the Cathedral we stopped in a small gift shop, and then headed for THE LOUVRE! I was literally jumping out of my skin to see the Louvre. Of course when we got there we took a bunch of photos with the famous pyramid, and then had just under two hours to explore the museum before meeting again for lunch. The Louvre is HUGE. You could spend a week in there, maybe longer. So, I had to pick and choose what I wanted to see, and the first stop on my list was the Mona Lisa! I headed for the Italian Painting floor and found Mona. Took some pictures of her and then one with her, hahah, and then just observed the painting for a few mintues. I also observed the commotion around her and the room she was in. There were so many people that it was almost hard to enjoy the painting, but I guess when you're as famous as Mona that's to be expected. I had my trusty Rick Steves Audio guide on my iPod to give me some information so people probably thought I was listening to music in the Louvre but in reality I was learning information they probably didn't know themselves.
I viewed some more paintings, including Raphael's and more DaVinci. Then gift shop again...and off to lunch. We ate a small cafe, which was really tasty and cute. Afterwards the group split up and I went with Jenn, Rita and Katie for a walk through the Jardin des Tuileries, which was pretty. It had many statues and flower beds, as well as a few fountains. At the end you can see a giant obelisk as well. We then made our way over to the Musee Orsay. We only had about forty mintues in this museum, so again I chose to go to only the impressionist floor. I saw paintings by Degas! Monet! Manet! Van Gogh! and others. They were great to view, and it was exciting to see how they looked up close as well as far away.
We then headed over to the Eiffel Tower again! I love the Eiffel Tower. It's so big and powerful. We waited in line to get to the top of the it, but then decided not to and we grabbed more crepes! and headed to our Bike Tour. The Bike Tour was probably one of my favorite things we did so far while abroad! I think it deserves its own entry, considering it was so fun, and this one is pretty long!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Football and Cinema Trips
This past Saturday I went to my first ever football (soccer) game! Newcastle United versus Bristol City. Our seats were a little high up, but I was still surprised to see that we still had a good view of the game! I was really excited to see a professional football match since I've watched my brother play for so long. First off, the stadium is really nice. It's like open air, but has a roof that covers most of the field and stands, but where it's open you have a nice view of the city. Secondly, the fans are CRAZY! They are so funny. They stand up constantly (at least in my section and the ones surrounding mine they did) and constantly cheer, scream and sing in support of Newcastle United. Bristol City's fan section was two sections to my left, and they had a line of police officers separting the sections. It was really funny when the Newcastle fans would yell at the Bristol fans and vice versa...a competition of cheering. Such excitement, passion and loyalty! It's crazy. When we were exiting the stands, there was a mosh pit of sorts, and we saw the police pulling people away to stop it from getting any further, and the same when we walked down a few levels! Oh football riots.
After the game, I went back to Rita & Katie's flat with Jenn and we ordered pizza, which was decent. Then we set some plans up for Paris<3 and then also did some planning for trips to Dublin and Amsterdam! Very exciting. I'm especially excited for Paris, since I always wished to make it to the Louvre. Then Rita made some homemade popcorn which was soo tasty that I think I might steal her recipe and make it myself!
Sunday I discovered one of my new favorite places. It's called the Tyneside Cinema...and it's great. It's an old fashioned cinemal with like three or four movie screening rooms, which are smaller than what we are use to. It's very clean, and the seats are very comfortable. The screen is also smaller than in big, general theatres. They show a few of the blockbusters, but show a lot of independent films and do special events. Sunday morning we went to the cinema for part of their John Hughes tribute. John Hughes passed away this past August and he wrote and directed movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club. We went to see The Breakfast Club and with our ticket we got tea or coffee plus a breakfast sandwich! It was tasty, and the movie was so good. It was a treat to see it in a theatre, since it's a film you can only see on televison or DVD. Loveee this cinema...it also has like three cafes and we are planning on going back for ice cream sundaes one day :)
I actually went to this cinema tonight! Jenn and I went because they were having free screenings of Short Films made by students in a film academy in Scotland. They were interesting...and really great cinematically.
Classes are going well, even though they are very different. Lots of people in each class, but the seminars are smaller, but even though the seminars are similar to Loyola classes they still seem to be different. I had four hours of class today and it was rainy out. Classes were a little boring but not too bad. The rest of the week I am just spending in class, doing work, and preparing for Paris! The next post will probably be after Paris :)
xoxo
After the game, I went back to Rita & Katie's flat with Jenn and we ordered pizza, which was decent. Then we set some plans up for Paris<3 and then also did some planning for trips to Dublin and Amsterdam! Very exciting. I'm especially excited for Paris, since I always wished to make it to the Louvre. Then Rita made some homemade popcorn which was soo tasty that I think I might steal her recipe and make it myself!
Sunday I discovered one of my new favorite places. It's called the Tyneside Cinema...and it's great. It's an old fashioned cinemal with like three or four movie screening rooms, which are smaller than what we are use to. It's very clean, and the seats are very comfortable. The screen is also smaller than in big, general theatres. They show a few of the blockbusters, but show a lot of independent films and do special events. Sunday morning we went to the cinema for part of their John Hughes tribute. John Hughes passed away this past August and he wrote and directed movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club. We went to see The Breakfast Club and with our ticket we got tea or coffee plus a breakfast sandwich! It was tasty, and the movie was so good. It was a treat to see it in a theatre, since it's a film you can only see on televison or DVD. Loveee this cinema...it also has like three cafes and we are planning on going back for ice cream sundaes one day :)
I actually went to this cinema tonight! Jenn and I went because they were having free screenings of Short Films made by students in a film academy in Scotland. They were interesting...and really great cinematically.
Classes are going well, even though they are very different. Lots of people in each class, but the seminars are smaller, but even though the seminars are similar to Loyola classes they still seem to be different. I had four hours of class today and it was rainy out. Classes were a little boring but not too bad. The rest of the week I am just spending in class, doing work, and preparing for Paris! The next post will probably be after Paris :)
xoxo
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Scotland Continued
I had to restart my computer, so I decided to just post the last entry without finishing so I wouldn't have to retype all that. So, the mountain was extremely windy and when Jenn and I caught up to the rest of the group at the top, the view was amazing. Edinburgh surrounded us, as well as the North Sea. We could see forever. We were so high up that birds were flying below us. We snapped some photos, and started to climb down. We made it almost to the bottom when for some reason we decided to take a route through a thistle forest, an awful idea, don't ever try it. We turned around and went a different way, and this is when I slipped and started sliding down the side of the mountain, also grabbing a thistle bush along the way! Really embarrassing, but funny anytime I think about it.
It was after sunset by the time we were completly down from the mountain, and we went to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a pub which had excellent food, and then we headed back to the bed and breakfast. Kelly and I enjoyed some tea (for me) and coffee (Kelly) and chatted for a bit with ourselves and then with our other roommate. The next day I had egg, bacon and toast for breakfast then we left Edinburgh and stopped in a coastal England town called Lindisfarne. We toured the castle and the priory, which were smaller than others but still really nice, and had some lunch. We walked down to the beach at one point, and mixed amongst the stones and shells were tons and tons of sea glass! I was really excited when Rita told me about this because back home I always look for sea glass on the beach and rarely find it. So I took a bunch with me.
We made it back to Newcastle around five or six in the evening, and had time to relax and prepare for the first day of classes. Edinburgh was a great city that is old with history and authenticity, and very pretty. We had a great weekend.
xoxo
It was after sunset by the time we were completly down from the mountain, and we went to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a pub which had excellent food, and then we headed back to the bed and breakfast. Kelly and I enjoyed some tea (for me) and coffee (Kelly) and chatted for a bit with ourselves and then with our other roommate. The next day I had egg, bacon and toast for breakfast then we left Edinburgh and stopped in a coastal England town called Lindisfarne. We toured the castle and the priory, which were smaller than others but still really nice, and had some lunch. We walked down to the beach at one point, and mixed amongst the stones and shells were tons and tons of sea glass! I was really excited when Rita told me about this because back home I always look for sea glass on the beach and rarely find it. So I took a bunch with me.
We made it back to Newcastle around five or six in the evening, and had time to relax and prepare for the first day of classes. Edinburgh was a great city that is old with history and authenticity, and very pretty. We had a great weekend.
xoxo
Friday, October 2, 2009
Scotland
Sorry for the late update! This past weekend I went to Edinburgh, Scotland, which took about 3 hours, maybe a bit longer to get to. We took the coach again of course, and like all the other trips, I slept, but I also read a lot of my book, which is really good. It's called Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. Anyway, when we arrived and saw our accomodation, I was personally excited. We stayed in a bed and breakfast, and the ladies who ran them were incredibly nice. They were what you might imagine bed and breakfast hosts would be. They were wrinkled, with graying hair, and grandmotherly. We told them what we would like for breakfast each morning and they gave us more than enough on our plates, including all you can eat toast, coffee, orange juice and milk.
After settling in to our accomodation, a large group of us decided to go on a Ghost Tour. Now, I don't normally do these types of things, since it's very scary to me...and I don't know why I thought this would be any different. The main part of the tour, the guide took us underground to old torture chambers and rooms that poor people had to settle in next to awful criminals and thieves years and years ago. She told us stories about things that happened down there and things that people have experienced on previous tours. It was so so so scary, I don't even think I can go into any more detail.
The Ghost Tour ended pretty late, just before midnight. We headed back to the room, showered and got ready for the next day. In the morning I chose to have the cereal, juice and toast breakfast, which was tasty. We met the rest of the group, and then we were off to tour the Edinburgh Castle. The walk was not far, and the weather wasn't bad. It was slightly windy, but the sun was shining and with every step we took the clouds seemed to dissipate. The castle is located high above the town, and because of this, when you are in the castle you have an amazing view of Edinburgh.
I took advantage of the beautiful views and took a bunch of photos, and we kinda followed along with the tour group but we wandered off and lost it, which seemed to be better. It may have been better because we were able to see the views and go at our own pace. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, which were on display and looked as they were meant to - majestic. After a visit to the gift shop, we were on our own until 3pm.
After leaving the castle we were on the road called The Royal Mile, which had many shops and places to eat along it, as well as attractions. The first thing we did was go on a Scotch Whiskey Tour. It was really interesting and fun. We had a ride in a barrel as it took us along and taught us about how whiskey was made and the different types. Then after that some guy talked to us about the main whiskeys made in Scotland, and then we were able to choose one and taste it for ourselves. I tried some of mine, and then some of Kelly's, and then I gave the rest of mine to another person from Loyola. We got to keep the glasses though! We were also able to see a HUGE collection of scotch whiskey, some as old as 115 years. So cool.
After the Scotch Whiskey Experience, we had lunch, then continued down along the Royal Mile to meet the group for our Palace tour. The Palace where Mary Queen of Scots lived. It was nice, and we were able to walk out back in the small gardens also.
After the Palace tour, we CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN. Yup. Not a big deal. First off, according to the Scottish and others who live there as well as in England, it was considered a hill. It took about 2 hours to get up to the top and back down again. It was hard, intense and as we got closer to the top it was extremely windy, like my purse almost got blown off my shoulder.
After settling in to our accomodation, a large group of us decided to go on a Ghost Tour. Now, I don't normally do these types of things, since it's very scary to me...and I don't know why I thought this would be any different. The main part of the tour, the guide took us underground to old torture chambers and rooms that poor people had to settle in next to awful criminals and thieves years and years ago. She told us stories about things that happened down there and things that people have experienced on previous tours. It was so so so scary, I don't even think I can go into any more detail.
The Ghost Tour ended pretty late, just before midnight. We headed back to the room, showered and got ready for the next day. In the morning I chose to have the cereal, juice and toast breakfast, which was tasty. We met the rest of the group, and then we were off to tour the Edinburgh Castle. The walk was not far, and the weather wasn't bad. It was slightly windy, but the sun was shining and with every step we took the clouds seemed to dissipate. The castle is located high above the town, and because of this, when you are in the castle you have an amazing view of Edinburgh.
I took advantage of the beautiful views and took a bunch of photos, and we kinda followed along with the tour group but we wandered off and lost it, which seemed to be better. It may have been better because we were able to see the views and go at our own pace. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, which were on display and looked as they were meant to - majestic. After a visit to the gift shop, we were on our own until 3pm.
After leaving the castle we were on the road called The Royal Mile, which had many shops and places to eat along it, as well as attractions. The first thing we did was go on a Scotch Whiskey Tour. It was really interesting and fun. We had a ride in a barrel as it took us along and taught us about how whiskey was made and the different types. Then after that some guy talked to us about the main whiskeys made in Scotland, and then we were able to choose one and taste it for ourselves. I tried some of mine, and then some of Kelly's, and then I gave the rest of mine to another person from Loyola. We got to keep the glasses though! We were also able to see a HUGE collection of scotch whiskey, some as old as 115 years. So cool.
After the Scotch Whiskey Experience, we had lunch, then continued down along the Royal Mile to meet the group for our Palace tour. The Palace where Mary Queen of Scots lived. It was nice, and we were able to walk out back in the small gardens also.
After the Palace tour, we CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN. Yup. Not a big deal. First off, according to the Scottish and others who live there as well as in England, it was considered a hill. It took about 2 hours to get up to the top and back down again. It was hard, intense and as we got closer to the top it was extremely windy, like my purse almost got blown off my shoulder.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Past few days...
So far things are going pretty well, and I have been doing so much each day. I feel like all I do is walk and run errands or travel around. This past Sunday, Jenn, Rita and I went back to Alnwick Castle to have the "Magical Tour" of the castle, which takes you and shows you all the places where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed. I was really excited for this, and I was so excited to hear all the different points. The most well known part is the flying lesson in the first film, where Neville's broom goes crazy. Other scenes include Oliver Wood teaching Harry the rules of Quidditch, the actual Quidditch Pitch built on the pastures, Hagrid's Hut and part of the forbidden forest, Hagrid dragging Christmas trees, and Hermione, Ron and Harry walking, when Hermione brushes past them crying. After this tour we walked around the Alnwick Food Festival, and went from stand to stand taste testing everything! There were many different foods, and Jenn and I bought a cupcake - which was very tasty.
The rest of the week was freshers week pretty much. We took a trip to the Angel of the North, which is a giant, metal structure in a field basically. You don't understand how huge it actually is until you are standing at the foot of it and the wingspan of the angel doesn't fit in your camera's window unless you are like a hundres of feet away. One day we went to the Metrocentre, which was basically a mall, nothing too special. Of course in the evening there are parties and live music and dancing, things of that sort to do until late. I went a couple nights, and it was pretty fun .
Last night Jenn and I made it to the Grub Crawl, which took you to three different restaurants. One for the appetizer, one for main course and one for dessert. This event was a sign up event and was actually closed, but about an hour before it started Jenn and I decided to go down and see if people didn't show up and then we could get on the waiting list. Well, we got lucky and were able to go! The food was so good, and we met some really nice people so it was a fun night. Exchanged some numbers, met different people and ate some good food. The best part was part of dessert - Sticky Toffee cake. Soo good.
Today, (Wed.), Jenn, Rita, Katie and I took a bus over to the city of Durham. It was about an hour long bus ride. Durham is a nice city with lots of cobblestone paths and hills and narrow pathways. I bought some tea from this shop that was one of the original buildings in Durham, and then we walked to the Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral was beautiful, and very large. It is run completely on donations and does not get any government funding. There are actual tombs in there, and gorgeous stained glass windows. The architecture was meticulous and there was so much detail. We took the guided tour, which was really long, and at some points boring, but naturally had some interesting information. The courtyard, which was also really nice, was used in the filming of Harry Potter also! So cool. Stopped in the gift shop and then we were off to lunch, and then Durham Castle.
The Castle is still used today as part of Durham University, and students actually live there so we had to take the tour in order to see inside of the castle. It was really nice inside, and the designing was unique. One of the things that stuck out was the staircase we walked up was slanted, and it felt strange like we were going to fall. This was because a longggg time ago the staircase was a "floating" staircase with no support pillars in the center, so the roof collapsed, and then they got the brilliant idea to put support pillars, after the stairs were affected. Harry Potter was actually filmed here a bit also I think...but I couldn't understand the tour guide so I'm not 100% positive.
The rest of the week doesn't look bad...except that I have to figure out my classes still and get my paper signed by one more professor...who is not in on Thursdays so..he better be in on Friday! Then Friday evening we leave for Edinburgh, Scotland! We get back Sunday sometime, and then classes finally start on Monday. I'll probably update after this weekend, maybe beforehand!
xoxo
The rest of the week was freshers week pretty much. We took a trip to the Angel of the North, which is a giant, metal structure in a field basically. You don't understand how huge it actually is until you are standing at the foot of it and the wingspan of the angel doesn't fit in your camera's window unless you are like a hundres of feet away. One day we went to the Metrocentre, which was basically a mall, nothing too special. Of course in the evening there are parties and live music and dancing, things of that sort to do until late. I went a couple nights, and it was pretty fun .
Last night Jenn and I made it to the Grub Crawl, which took you to three different restaurants. One for the appetizer, one for main course and one for dessert. This event was a sign up event and was actually closed, but about an hour before it started Jenn and I decided to go down and see if people didn't show up and then we could get on the waiting list. Well, we got lucky and were able to go! The food was so good, and we met some really nice people so it was a fun night. Exchanged some numbers, met different people and ate some good food. The best part was part of dessert - Sticky Toffee cake. Soo good.
Today, (Wed.), Jenn, Rita, Katie and I took a bus over to the city of Durham. It was about an hour long bus ride. Durham is a nice city with lots of cobblestone paths and hills and narrow pathways. I bought some tea from this shop that was one of the original buildings in Durham, and then we walked to the Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. The Cathedral was beautiful, and very large. It is run completely on donations and does not get any government funding. There are actual tombs in there, and gorgeous stained glass windows. The architecture was meticulous and there was so much detail. We took the guided tour, which was really long, and at some points boring, but naturally had some interesting information. The courtyard, which was also really nice, was used in the filming of Harry Potter also! So cool. Stopped in the gift shop and then we were off to lunch, and then Durham Castle.
The Castle is still used today as part of Durham University, and students actually live there so we had to take the tour in order to see inside of the castle. It was really nice inside, and the designing was unique. One of the things that stuck out was the staircase we walked up was slanted, and it felt strange like we were going to fall. This was because a longggg time ago the staircase was a "floating" staircase with no support pillars in the center, so the roof collapsed, and then they got the brilliant idea to put support pillars, after the stairs were affected. Harry Potter was actually filmed here a bit also I think...but I couldn't understand the tour guide so I'm not 100% positive.
The rest of the week doesn't look bad...except that I have to figure out my classes still and get my paper signed by one more professor...who is not in on Thursdays so..he better be in on Friday! Then Friday evening we leave for Edinburgh, Scotland! We get back Sunday sometime, and then classes finally start on Monday. I'll probably update after this weekend, maybe beforehand!
xoxo
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Alnwick Castle and Gardens
This past saturday we travelled to the town of Alnwick (pronounced Annick). We toured and had tickets to view the grounds of the Castle and Gardens there. The Castle has a 700 year old history of the Percy family, which had a whole lot of Dukes and the like. The castle was very well preserved, and if I remember correctly, was never actually attacked during battle like it was prepared to. The grounds were beautiful. The grass was bright green and they built a restaurant and gift shop there as well. People even have weddings there, which they were preparing for that day. The castle is also the site for the filming of many movies...such as one of my personal favorites - Harry Potter! I didn't get to go on the Magical Tour on Saturday, but two other girls and I went back on Sunday so we could find out information about the filming of the movies. They only filmed some of the scenes from the first and second films there though. The most famous one that everyone asks about is the quidditch flying lesson in the first film. Other scenes include Hagrid's Hut and forbidden forest, flying car scenes, library and hogwarts express scenes, Charms lesson, and the Quidditch pitch. They also filmed other movies like Robin Hood and Elizabeth there, however Harry Potter is the most famous and interesting attraction of the films.
After the tour on Saturday (the historical tour), we went to the Alnwick Gardens, which is right behind the castle a little ways. The gardens were beautiful! There must be so much work and care put into them, because they are so meticulous and well-designed. There were a few differnet sections as well. There was the main gardens behind the water fountain and stream, the Rose Garden, with hundreds of different types of roses, the bamboo maze which is made out of completely bamboo, the poison garden, and an area with metal water structures, and also a Cherry Tree Orchard. They have to have a staff of dozens of gardeners, otherwise they would not be able to sustain these gardens. They were so colorful and nicely designed.
After we left the town of Alnwick, we went to the Warkwork Castle, which also owned by the Percy family (same as the Alnwick Castle). That family actually owns (or did) lots of land in the area called Northumbrai, UK. They technically only have to live in each castle for one night a year to still own them, and they actually live there for a few months during the winter season and the spring into summer season they open to the public. The Warkwork Castle was actually used during battle, and looks like ruins. As some people call it, more 'authentic.' It was pretty neat to walk around and see the ruins and all the areas that were used in battles.
We returned to Newcastle early that evening and it was the beginning of Freshers Week, or Welcome week we would call it in the US. We went to the beach themed party in the student union and it was pretty fun, not too bad. Tomorrow is the Angel of the North Trip and the Quayside Trip, and then at night the event called Pandamonium as well has one of my flatmates birthdays. Another busy day, and on top of it, I have to figure out my classes. Well, more later! xoxo
After the tour on Saturday (the historical tour), we went to the Alnwick Gardens, which is right behind the castle a little ways. The gardens were beautiful! There must be so much work and care put into them, because they are so meticulous and well-designed. There were a few differnet sections as well. There was the main gardens behind the water fountain and stream, the Rose Garden, with hundreds of different types of roses, the bamboo maze which is made out of completely bamboo, the poison garden, and an area with metal water structures, and also a Cherry Tree Orchard. They have to have a staff of dozens of gardeners, otherwise they would not be able to sustain these gardens. They were so colorful and nicely designed.
After we left the town of Alnwick, we went to the Warkwork Castle, which also owned by the Percy family (same as the Alnwick Castle). That family actually owns (or did) lots of land in the area called Northumbrai, UK. They technically only have to live in each castle for one night a year to still own them, and they actually live there for a few months during the winter season and the spring into summer season they open to the public. The Warkwork Castle was actually used during battle, and looks like ruins. As some people call it, more 'authentic.' It was pretty neat to walk around and see the ruins and all the areas that were used in battles.
We returned to Newcastle early that evening and it was the beginning of Freshers Week, or Welcome week we would call it in the US. We went to the beach themed party in the student union and it was pretty fun, not too bad. Tomorrow is the Angel of the North Trip and the Quayside Trip, and then at night the event called Pandamonium as well has one of my flatmates birthdays. Another busy day, and on top of it, I have to figure out my classes. Well, more later! xoxo
Friday, September 18, 2009
Stratford upon Avon
This past Monday on the way home from London, we stopped in Stratford upon Avon! This is the birthplace of William Shakespeare! We did not have a lot of time to walk around, but we were able to take a tour of his house and grab something for lunch. His house of course was small, and very old, but they preserved it very nicely. They had blueprints and pictures of the house throughout the years and you can see how much it has changed and what it originally looked liked. They also had a guest book, which I and some others, signed. They had and old guest book on display also, and when I say old I mean, the original. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams signed it, and were the first two to have. When you leave William's house, you exit through the back and there is a beautiful garden with many different colorful flowers, and an unusual tree. The tree was tall, with a wide area of leaves that was flat on the top. It protruded to one side also, and was one of the parts of the garden that of course stood out. After you walk through the garden you enter the gift shop...which I bought a few small things.
After we visited William's house, we went to have lunch, and then two other girls and I went to have ice cream. I got vanilla soft serve with a flake, which is chocolate that sticks out the side of the ice cream. Really tasty.
We arrived back in Newcastle early in the evening and I didn't even unpack, I just set up my internet so I could finally get online!
Well, I'm off to Alnwick on Saturday! And then lots of freshers events! xoxo
After we visited William's house, we went to have lunch, and then two other girls and I went to have ice cream. I got vanilla soft serve with a flake, which is chocolate that sticks out the side of the ice cream. Really tasty.
We arrived back in Newcastle early in the evening and I didn't even unpack, I just set up my internet so I could finally get online!
Well, I'm off to Alnwick on Saturday! And then lots of freshers events! xoxo
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
continued....
Alright, so after shopping, I'm proud to say Kelly and I mastered London. We walked around a (really) small market, and got directions from some locals to the Hard Rock Cafe London, which was about a ten minute walk away. Considering how far we had already walked and that our feet couldn't possible hurt any worse, we headed that way. Along the way we stopped in a really cute (and expensive) chocolate/gift/tea/christmas type store that reminded Kelly of Treasure Island at home. When we finally made it to Hard Rock, we sat at the bar...and after showing our New Jersey licenses shared a drink! So strange that we can show our licenses and have drinks when we're still 20. After resting our feet and having a drink...we became even better masters of London. We conquered the Tube (or the underground). We found the nearest station..and figured out how to take it all the way to the Tower of London, even with switching trains. We were so good at the end of the day traveling by the Tube that we could have given directions out to others.
When we got to the Tower of London...we didn't actually think we were there. It should be called the Castle of London..or something. WHen we got off the tube, the first thing we saw was a really pretty building/castle. We didn't know what it was, so we just started taking pictures of it of course. Then Kelly asked a bus driver where the Tower of London was, and he, (not so happy by the way) pointed it out to us. It happened to be the building we were taking pictures of just a minute beforehand...yeahhh, that's what we get for not having a map, we make ourselves look silly to the locals. Lol. It was really funny, and it definitely didn't look like a tower. While walking towards it we saw the Tower Bridge, and walked about halfway across it. The bridge was so awesome! I always thought bridges were really cool, but this was literally followed after it's name (unlike the Tower of London). It was two towers made of stone, and had a drawbridge, plus pedestrian walkways. It was awesome to walk along it, and even better when we walked down along the river to see it from afar.
After this, we were extremely tired...I'm not sure what we were running on. We found the tube again and rode it all the way back to our hotel area. We ate in a small Italian place and I had pizza, which was much better than Baltimore pizza, but not as good as New Jersey pizza (naturally).
When we got back to the hostel, Kelly and I got ready to go out with some other girls. We ended up at this place called TigerTiger, which was a bar/club. We had a few drinks and tried to walk around, but it was really crowded. It was also expensive...but we were in London so we figured how many times were we going to be able to do that?
The next day (Sunday) was a little chillier than the rest of the weekend, but still nice. We took a day trip to Brighton, which was is a seaside coastal town. We took a tour of King Henry IV's party castle, which was strangely designed. He had it built to look like an Indian palace on the outside (Taj Majal) and Chinese/Oriental designs on the inside. It was also designed to have a lot of illusions in it. Not like tricks and things, but illusions to the type of materials it was made of. For instance, England didn't have access to bamboo in those days, and King Henry IV wanted bamboo in many places to go along with the theme, so he had people carve and design bamboo looking material out of things like metal and such. The tour didn't last too long and then we were able to walk around by ourselves for a while. Kelly and I ate lunch at a cafe and then walked down to the shore. There were shops, and vendors, and a pier with rides and games and food stands and lots and lots of bikers! The beach, if you can call it that, didn't have sand, it had stones/rocks! It reminded me almost exactly of the boardwalk back at home, minus the stones for sand and the hundreds of bikers. I took a few small stones where there should have been sand, as if they were shells from home! I'm pretty sure the water there was the English Channel as well. It was really pretty!
Alright...I figure I should do these posts in segments since there is an overflow of information. So far since we were back in Newcastle though we have started orientations and class registrations, which is really stressful. The system over here is ridiculous and in my opinion, more complicated than it has to be. Well, once the semester starts things should calm down a bit. It's 11:45pm here, and I'm super tired! Gotta shower and get some sleep, maybe read some of my book beforehand also :) Goodnight! xoxo
When we got to the Tower of London...we didn't actually think we were there. It should be called the Castle of London..or something. WHen we got off the tube, the first thing we saw was a really pretty building/castle. We didn't know what it was, so we just started taking pictures of it of course. Then Kelly asked a bus driver where the Tower of London was, and he, (not so happy by the way) pointed it out to us. It happened to be the building we were taking pictures of just a minute beforehand...yeahhh, that's what we get for not having a map, we make ourselves look silly to the locals. Lol. It was really funny, and it definitely didn't look like a tower. While walking towards it we saw the Tower Bridge, and walked about halfway across it. The bridge was so awesome! I always thought bridges were really cool, but this was literally followed after it's name (unlike the Tower of London). It was two towers made of stone, and had a drawbridge, plus pedestrian walkways. It was awesome to walk along it, and even better when we walked down along the river to see it from afar.
After this, we were extremely tired...I'm not sure what we were running on. We found the tube again and rode it all the way back to our hotel area. We ate in a small Italian place and I had pizza, which was much better than Baltimore pizza, but not as good as New Jersey pizza (naturally).
When we got back to the hostel, Kelly and I got ready to go out with some other girls. We ended up at this place called TigerTiger, which was a bar/club. We had a few drinks and tried to walk around, but it was really crowded. It was also expensive...but we were in London so we figured how many times were we going to be able to do that?
The next day (Sunday) was a little chillier than the rest of the weekend, but still nice. We took a day trip to Brighton, which was is a seaside coastal town. We took a tour of King Henry IV's party castle, which was strangely designed. He had it built to look like an Indian palace on the outside (Taj Majal) and Chinese/Oriental designs on the inside. It was also designed to have a lot of illusions in it. Not like tricks and things, but illusions to the type of materials it was made of. For instance, England didn't have access to bamboo in those days, and King Henry IV wanted bamboo in many places to go along with the theme, so he had people carve and design bamboo looking material out of things like metal and such. The tour didn't last too long and then we were able to walk around by ourselves for a while. Kelly and I ate lunch at a cafe and then walked down to the shore. There were shops, and vendors, and a pier with rides and games and food stands and lots and lots of bikers! The beach, if you can call it that, didn't have sand, it had stones/rocks! It reminded me almost exactly of the boardwalk back at home, minus the stones for sand and the hundreds of bikers. I took a few small stones where there should have been sand, as if they were shells from home! I'm pretty sure the water there was the English Channel as well. It was really pretty!
Alright...I figure I should do these posts in segments since there is an overflow of information. So far since we were back in Newcastle though we have started orientations and class registrations, which is really stressful. The system over here is ridiculous and in my opinion, more complicated than it has to be. Well, once the semester starts things should calm down a bit. It's 11:45pm here, and I'm super tired! Gotta shower and get some sleep, maybe read some of my book beforehand also :) Goodnight! xoxo
Monday, September 14, 2009
Travels
I'm finally back in my dorm in Newcastle after a long few days of traveling! Let me see...I arrived in Newcastle Wed. around 11am/noon-ish, and we had about forty minutes to drop our stuff in the dorm and meet back with the group. From there we walked to downtown Newcastle and eventually made it to dinner after not eating for a long time. We ate at some Sports Bar (on Loyola's dime) and in the evening took a walk down to the riverside. Along the way we saw the Newcastle castle, and then at the river the Newcastle bridge. The bridge was really pretty lit up at night, and it changes color every few minutes.
Thursday we took a trip to Tynemouth, which is a small seaside community. We ate lunch at a fish and chips place...but I did not eat fish...I ate chicken bites and chips instead. I'm sure sometime I will try the fish...but not just yet. We sat along this wall that was just outside the Tynemouth Priory, and faced the small beach and water. Afterwards we were able to go into the Priory...it was so pretty. It was basically a fort for all the many wars, however it was never attacked by land, only by air. The ruins were really great, and as well preserved as can be expected.
Friday began our London trip! I was super excited to go to London, we just had to get through the six hour bus ride there. It wasn't too bad...I slept a lot of the way and Kelly and I watched out the window as we drove by hundreds of sheep, cows, and horses...soo different than highways on the East Coast of the US, and very pretty. Our hotel/hostel in London was tiny, and my room had 8 girls in it. I slept on the top bunk! Not exactly something I would normally do but once I managed to climb up there it was pretty cool. Friday night Kelly and I went out with some others to dinner and then we made it to a bar...which wasn't too bad..except there was hardly anyone in it, so we went back early. The place we ate was a Cuban food place and they had live dancing/dance lessons so it was cool to watch.
Saturday was so great! We had to wake up early and the entire group took the Tube to the House of Parliament for our tour. It was pretty interesting to see...except we were all tired so whenever the tour guide let us sit down we kinda dozed of a bit...whoops! But after the tour, me and a few other girls went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards! It was soo cool...and really crowded. The Palace is huge, and has large gates surrounding it and a beautiful statue in front. Despite being smashed in between a mix of British and other international people, I was able to snap some nice photos. The changing of the guards had a procession of a band, the guards and some kind of military looking guards - not quite sure. Very formal. There were police men on horseback on crowd control also! The palace also has beautiful gardens outside.
After the changing of the guard ceremony, we walked over to Trafalgar Square. It looked like this had a few embassies there, as well as a fountains and statues where people were sitting out enjoying the beautiful weather we had. We grabbed something to eat from a nearby cafe and sat out by one of the fountains also. Then we went into the National Gallery. It was amazing - I was able to see paintings by Money, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh! I got in trouble for trying to take a picture as well....whoops! Hey, we're able to do that in Baltimore museums!
Kelly and I then separated from the four other girls we were with, after visiting the National Gallery gift shop. We set out to find our next destination...Abercrombie and Fitch! It was in an area with lots of shopping and food places. Somehow we managed to walk right past Abercrombie...and somehow some random guy on a cig break was able to tell we were looking for it and told us where it was...lol. I guess we might have stuck out on that side street we thought it was on. Inside we took a picture with the live model! Afterwards we walked through some other shops...saw some extremely expensive clothing inside Ralph Lauren (5,000 GBP for some fur thing...equals almost 8-10 US dollars)...and stopped in an Ice Cream Bar, which was delicious!
Thursday we took a trip to Tynemouth, which is a small seaside community. We ate lunch at a fish and chips place...but I did not eat fish...I ate chicken bites and chips instead. I'm sure sometime I will try the fish...but not just yet. We sat along this wall that was just outside the Tynemouth Priory, and faced the small beach and water. Afterwards we were able to go into the Priory...it was so pretty. It was basically a fort for all the many wars, however it was never attacked by land, only by air. The ruins were really great, and as well preserved as can be expected.
Friday began our London trip! I was super excited to go to London, we just had to get through the six hour bus ride there. It wasn't too bad...I slept a lot of the way and Kelly and I watched out the window as we drove by hundreds of sheep, cows, and horses...soo different than highways on the East Coast of the US, and very pretty. Our hotel/hostel in London was tiny, and my room had 8 girls in it. I slept on the top bunk! Not exactly something I would normally do but once I managed to climb up there it was pretty cool. Friday night Kelly and I went out with some others to dinner and then we made it to a bar...which wasn't too bad..except there was hardly anyone in it, so we went back early. The place we ate was a Cuban food place and they had live dancing/dance lessons so it was cool to watch.
Saturday was so great! We had to wake up early and the entire group took the Tube to the House of Parliament for our tour. It was pretty interesting to see...except we were all tired so whenever the tour guide let us sit down we kinda dozed of a bit...whoops! But after the tour, me and a few other girls went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards! It was soo cool...and really crowded. The Palace is huge, and has large gates surrounding it and a beautiful statue in front. Despite being smashed in between a mix of British and other international people, I was able to snap some nice photos. The changing of the guards had a procession of a band, the guards and some kind of military looking guards - not quite sure. Very formal. There were police men on horseback on crowd control also! The palace also has beautiful gardens outside.
After the changing of the guard ceremony, we walked over to Trafalgar Square. It looked like this had a few embassies there, as well as a fountains and statues where people were sitting out enjoying the beautiful weather we had. We grabbed something to eat from a nearby cafe and sat out by one of the fountains also. Then we went into the National Gallery. It was amazing - I was able to see paintings by Money, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh! I got in trouble for trying to take a picture as well....whoops! Hey, we're able to do that in Baltimore museums!
Kelly and I then separated from the four other girls we were with, after visiting the National Gallery gift shop. We set out to find our next destination...Abercrombie and Fitch! It was in an area with lots of shopping and food places. Somehow we managed to walk right past Abercrombie...and somehow some random guy on a cig break was able to tell we were looking for it and told us where it was...lol. I guess we might have stuck out on that side street we thought it was on. Inside we took a picture with the live model! Afterwards we walked through some other shops...saw some extremely expensive clothing inside Ralph Lauren (5,000 GBP for some fur thing...equals almost 8-10 US dollars)...and stopped in an Ice Cream Bar, which was delicious!
Monday, September 7, 2009
ONE DAY.
So, as I begin this post, I am eating kettle corn and watching the US Open. What I should be doing is folding clothes from the laundry, putting the rest of my shoes in the suitcase, and organizing/packing everything that might go under the category of 'toiletries' because I leave tomorrow for ENGLAND. Soo crazy...I'm restless to finally depart, since Loyola has been in session for nearly two weeks now, and I feel like I'm in limbo. It's surreal to think I'll be in a different country come Wed. morning, but really exciting and fresh. When I began college I thought I would never want to study abroad, and I turned away from colleges that pushed it upon you as a student. Well, this is the first time I changed my mind, considering I can hardly ever make decisions easily, and when I do, that they are lasting. Well, now I'm getting nervous/stressed because I'm not completely packed...which means it is time to stop writing. Xoxo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
