It is always great to see friendly faces… and this weekend I sure got to see a few!
After a pretty speedy recovery, I was off to Oxford on Friday to visit Ashleigh. She too goes to Stonehill but has been abroad since September, first studying at Oxford’s Worcester College and now in Grenoble, France! She had a week break so headed back to England for a visit. It was great having an inside tour of Oxford because if she/ her friends weren’t there I wouldn’t have been able to go into some of the university’s buildings. Walking around I half regretted not applying there and half thanked myself for not inflicting serious amounts of work on myself. The college looks like a scene right out of Harry Potter; Snape or Dumbledore should have turned any corner at any given moment. Too bad I didn’t have my wand ready. We walked around the city, visited her friends at the crew races, sipped tea, and paused for a picture outside the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien wrote. All in all, it was a great day exploring a city embedded with history and oddities with a familiar face!
Saturday came with more visits, both planned and completely unexpected! I met Chm and one of her flatmates at Borough Market and then headed to the Museum of Natural History. We saw the dinosaurs! One of the main rooms of the museum is where J.K. Rowling read the first few pages of the final Harry Potter book at midnight last year! Apparently Harry Potter was a theme of the weekend too. The museum was fun to wander around, next time we might go in the special exhibit to see if we are fit to live in the artic… I doubt I would pass that test considering I’m always cold! Anyways, here is the interesting and shocking part… We head back to her flat to meet up with two other flatmates and their friends that are visiting for the weekend from Madrid. I walk into the living room and immediately hear “Laura?!” And I go “Jess?” Surprise Lauralton reunion! A girl I graduated happens to go to college back home with Chm’s flatmates and is also studying abroad this semester. Small world! Everyone in the room was so confused at first since we immediately used each other’s names without being introduced or anything. Needless to say, shock, laughter, and awe filled the room for the majority of the afternoon.
Well, that was great procrastination. I guess I have to get back to my paper now. Soon enough (in only 3 days!!) I’ll have some more familiar faces visiting me for a week!!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Last Sunday we went to check out the Chinese New Year celebrations in Trafalgar Square. I expected it to be very crowded and busy, but let me tell you, it was packed! After getting our Year of the Rat balloons we tried to make our way to the stage to see the dragon dances as well as traditional music. Later in the day we headed to Leister Square to see the fireworks. I have never been so scared of fireworks in my life! We were just feet away from them and they were being set off among trees in the middle of the city! It sounded like rapid gunfire there were so many! Nevertheless, it was great to experience the second largest Chinese New Year celebration (outside of China, that is) smack dab in the middle of Chinatown.
On Wednesday, my Art & Society class headed to St. Paul’s for the well anticipated climb. One Arcadia girl, who had climbed the cathedral with me last time, is also in my class. This climb was much easier though! I guess our walking miles and miles every week has conditioned us for a couple hundred stairs! Because it was such a clear day, once we made it to the Golden Gallery we were able to see the whole city. A little sunshine makes all the difference!
Finally, after my busiest week of school work thus far, the weekend came and I was off to Belgium! My friend Chelsea and I traveled with a group, mainly of students from different schools. Beginning at 5:30am and catching the very first tube, we headed into central London to catch the bus to Dover where we crossed the channel to Calais, France on the ferry. From there we drove to the egg shaped city of Brugge, the Venice of the North, where we found our hostel for the weekend. Soon after arriving, we headed out on a walking tour of the city. We visited the market square, paused at traditional tourist spots (most of which are the photos seen on postcards), meandered through the nun’s homes where daffodils were blooming in freezing cold weather, and walked past some waffle stands where I couldn’t resist buying my first one of the weekend! We ended by trees that resembled Whomping Willows from Harry Potter down the street from a pub were we sampled infamous Belgian beer. I have to say, beer doesn’t thrill me, the smell and all, but cherry ones are quite different. Some pubs we past had over 400 different types from trappist beers to multiple different flavored beers. After testing the wonderful fries/frites/chips (depending on the country) sans mayo (I just couldn’t do it!) we escaped the cold and settled inside to get to know some of our fellow travelers at the hostel. Downstairs we met some Mexicans whom we proceeded to hang out with since we were on the same trip and we also talked to some Brits visiting for the weekend. I was advised what football team to root for and what English cities to visit outside of London. They were also impressed that I knew about, understood, and had female friends who played rugby since they play themselves! After chatting for a while I headed to bed since we had to be up early to head to Brussels for a full day of sight seeing.
Once again, we piled into the coach bus to drive about an hour and fifteen minutes to Brussels, the capital of Belgium as well as Europe. On our way into the city, we stopped at the Atomium which is pretty much a huge metallic atom structure that attracts tourists. Clearly that is too much science for this fine arts major but I couldn’t help thinking about some friends back home how would be certain to enjoy it. We also paused at Jubilee Park where we quickly learned it was going to be a frigid day walking around Brussels. Once arriving in the center of the city, we were given a quick walking tour passing the cathedral, complete with a waffle van parked in front, the Grand Place, and tiny statue Mannequin Pis. We were given the rest of the day to explore on our own. Without realizing it, Chelsea and I managed to walk in circles multiple times, but at least we didn’t get lost! In Brussels, I had the best waffle ever! Freshly cooked with bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate! Ah, they should have waffles like that at the diner at home! In addition to waffles, we bought more fries, this time served in the traditional cone. And of course, we bought chocolate! For dinner we relaxed in a restaurant by the fire (I had to buy gloves earlier in the day because it was so cold and unlike London weather over the past week)! We got a pretty good deal, a drink, an appetizer of shrimp in garlic, meal of steak and chips, and dessert. It was nice to sit down and relax after walking all day. Soon after, we headed back to the bus to return to Brugge for the evening and night.
Sunday, our last day in Belgium, we were up early to check out of the hostel and spend our last few hours exploring some more. We found a windmill, perfect for a photo op, on the edge of the city’s walls. Before getting our last waffle of the trip and stopping to pick up a piece of lace and some pastries for the ride home, we decided to climb the bell tower. I must have a thing for climbing to the highest points of the city to get the best view; I have done it in London quite a bit. So after three hundred some odd steps and breaks to see in the inner workings of the clock and bell system, we were at the top looking out upon the other two tallest buildings of Brugge. Along the rail, there were mileage, or maybe kilometer-age, to other major cities, London included, our home away from home. Saying goodbye to Belgium and hello to the bus we became all to sick of, we were thankful for an enjoyable weekend in a country whose official languages isn’t English, but both Dutch and French. Thankfully, English is widely spoken making my first trip to continental Europe a success!
Since I’ve been back in London I’ve managed to catch an awful stomach bug. Thankfully, it only lasted for 24 hours and was nothing in comparison to the norovirus’s reign of terror last January. Being sick at Stonehill is no fun, let alone across the Atlantic. Today, I’ve been feeling much better seeing that yesterday I slept pretty much the entire day and then another 12 hours at night. Hopefully, I’ve kicked it from my system and it will be the only time I get sick this semester.
On Wednesday, my Art & Society class headed to St. Paul’s for the well anticipated climb. One Arcadia girl, who had climbed the cathedral with me last time, is also in my class. This climb was much easier though! I guess our walking miles and miles every week has conditioned us for a couple hundred stairs! Because it was such a clear day, once we made it to the Golden Gallery we were able to see the whole city. A little sunshine makes all the difference!
Finally, after my busiest week of school work thus far, the weekend came and I was off to Belgium! My friend Chelsea and I traveled with a group, mainly of students from different schools. Beginning at 5:30am and catching the very first tube, we headed into central London to catch the bus to Dover where we crossed the channel to Calais, France on the ferry. From there we drove to the egg shaped city of Brugge, the Venice of the North, where we found our hostel for the weekend. Soon after arriving, we headed out on a walking tour of the city. We visited the market square, paused at traditional tourist spots (most of which are the photos seen on postcards), meandered through the nun’s homes where daffodils were blooming in freezing cold weather, and walked past some waffle stands where I couldn’t resist buying my first one of the weekend! We ended by trees that resembled Whomping Willows from Harry Potter down the street from a pub were we sampled infamous Belgian beer. I have to say, beer doesn’t thrill me, the smell and all, but cherry ones are quite different. Some pubs we past had over 400 different types from trappist beers to multiple different flavored beers. After testing the wonderful fries/frites/chips (depending on the country) sans mayo (I just couldn’t do it!) we escaped the cold and settled inside to get to know some of our fellow travelers at the hostel. Downstairs we met some Mexicans whom we proceeded to hang out with since we were on the same trip and we also talked to some Brits visiting for the weekend. I was advised what football team to root for and what English cities to visit outside of London. They were also impressed that I knew about, understood, and had female friends who played rugby since they play themselves! After chatting for a while I headed to bed since we had to be up early to head to Brussels for a full day of sight seeing.
Once again, we piled into the coach bus to drive about an hour and fifteen minutes to Brussels, the capital of Belgium as well as Europe. On our way into the city, we stopped at the Atomium which is pretty much a huge metallic atom structure that attracts tourists. Clearly that is too much science for this fine arts major but I couldn’t help thinking about some friends back home how would be certain to enjoy it. We also paused at Jubilee Park where we quickly learned it was going to be a frigid day walking around Brussels. Once arriving in the center of the city, we were given a quick walking tour passing the cathedral, complete with a waffle van parked in front, the Grand Place, and tiny statue Mannequin Pis. We were given the rest of the day to explore on our own. Without realizing it, Chelsea and I managed to walk in circles multiple times, but at least we didn’t get lost! In Brussels, I had the best waffle ever! Freshly cooked with bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate! Ah, they should have waffles like that at the diner at home! In addition to waffles, we bought more fries, this time served in the traditional cone. And of course, we bought chocolate! For dinner we relaxed in a restaurant by the fire (I had to buy gloves earlier in the day because it was so cold and unlike London weather over the past week)! We got a pretty good deal, a drink, an appetizer of shrimp in garlic, meal of steak and chips, and dessert. It was nice to sit down and relax after walking all day. Soon after, we headed back to the bus to return to Brugge for the evening and night.
Sunday, our last day in Belgium, we were up early to check out of the hostel and spend our last few hours exploring some more. We found a windmill, perfect for a photo op, on the edge of the city’s walls. Before getting our last waffle of the trip and stopping to pick up a piece of lace and some pastries for the ride home, we decided to climb the bell tower. I must have a thing for climbing to the highest points of the city to get the best view; I have done it in London quite a bit. So after three hundred some odd steps and breaks to see in the inner workings of the clock and bell system, we were at the top looking out upon the other two tallest buildings of Brugge. Along the rail, there were mileage, or maybe kilometer-age, to other major cities, London included, our home away from home. Saying goodbye to Belgium and hello to the bus we became all to sick of, we were thankful for an enjoyable weekend in a country whose official languages isn’t English, but both Dutch and French. Thankfully, English is widely spoken making my first trip to continental Europe a success!
Since I’ve been back in London I’ve managed to catch an awful stomach bug. Thankfully, it only lasted for 24 hours and was nothing in comparison to the norovirus’s reign of terror last January. Being sick at Stonehill is no fun, let alone across the Atlantic. Today, I’ve been feeling much better seeing that yesterday I slept pretty much the entire day and then another 12 hours at night. Hopefully, I’ve kicked it from my system and it will be the only time I get sick this semester.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
It is official—I have successfully lived in London for over one month! I’ve heard the first month is the toughest and knowing that I made it though that time is a great, reassuring feeling. The upcoming calendar is booked and I feel like now time will pass even more quickly. I’m not too sure how I feel about that one yet…
As an update on my classes, they are all going well. Everything is much different from American school seeing that I have attended four weeks worth of classes yet was just assigned my first coursework this week! School without constant tests and quizzes is something that will never seem real to me. Additionally, the attendance policy is much more lax. Students come in up to a half hour late for an hour lecture. I mean really, at that point, what is the use?! You are disruptive, late and rude! I’m used to on time, small class sizes, which at Westminster, just doesn’t happen. For Art and Society we have been to a couple more places since I last wrote. We walked down Bond Street area past the ritzy stores and art galleries to Sotheby’s Auction House. This part of the art world is always fascinating yet puzzling to me. Inside were paintings by the likes of Picasso, Mondrian, Rothko, Warhol, Dali, Magritte and the list goes on. I understand the importance to sell art to make a living and keep more art coming, but why are they auctioned off? I mean can’t they be displayed in the public rather and being bought by a private collector and hustled off to a mansion or put in locked storage because of their astounding worth. What is the point of that? Shouldn’t they be enjoyed or at least visible? And why so much money, what about art for art’s sake? Did the artist ever intend to sell at such a price or to even sell at all? Things like that just always make me think, and would probably enrage those employed at the auction houses! This past week we visited the Wallace Collection which highlights art of the 1600-1700s as well as King Arthur looking armor, furniture and other home furnishings of the time. During this visit, the three professors of the module divided among us and actually talked about pieces as we walked though. I liked this a lot and partly preferred it to walking around alone (not that I don’t enjoy that in its own time and place). I was able to learn new symbolisms and put my own art history knowledge to the test. No one else in the group knew the meaning of decaying fruit and flowers which just so happened to be a topic of one of my professor’s rants the previous semester. Memento mori, vanitas paintings, oh Calo. Anyways, the same thing and same topic happened to Chm at her art class at a different university and museum. As much as we disliked that professor I guess we both really did absorb something from her classes. You can probably tell that Art and Society is my favorite class, huh?
Tuesday, as the day before Lent, was Pancake Tuesday. Apparently, there are pancake races through the city and countryside and crepe-like pancakes can be found everywhere. Sadly, I was in class all day and didn’t get to experience it all. Of course Tuesdays are the one day a week when I have two classes!
Today I went on a free walking tour that the university offered – The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. It wasn’t quite what I had expected but at least it got me out and gave me the opportunity to see different parts of the city. I’m now expanding the map in my head and connecting different neighborhoods. Normally, I would jump on and off the tube but more recently I’ve been learning how the streets intersect and meet. The highlight of the afternoon was visiting the Abbey Road crossing, the site of the famous Beatles album cover. Let’s just say that the cars were getting annoyed stopping for so many tourists to take a picture. I sufficed with one of myself on the side of the road. No need to bother everyone for one little thing. Others seemed to think otherwise.
Last weekend was fun, we just hung around and were lazy for the majority of time. Every once and a while that is what everyone needs. Now, I actually have papers and presentations to start! This weekend there is a big celebration for the Chinese New Year so if we feel like fighting the crowds we might venture to see that.
As an update on my classes, they are all going well. Everything is much different from American school seeing that I have attended four weeks worth of classes yet was just assigned my first coursework this week! School without constant tests and quizzes is something that will never seem real to me. Additionally, the attendance policy is much more lax. Students come in up to a half hour late for an hour lecture. I mean really, at that point, what is the use?! You are disruptive, late and rude! I’m used to on time, small class sizes, which at Westminster, just doesn’t happen. For Art and Society we have been to a couple more places since I last wrote. We walked down Bond Street area past the ritzy stores and art galleries to Sotheby’s Auction House. This part of the art world is always fascinating yet puzzling to me. Inside were paintings by the likes of Picasso, Mondrian, Rothko, Warhol, Dali, Magritte and the list goes on. I understand the importance to sell art to make a living and keep more art coming, but why are they auctioned off? I mean can’t they be displayed in the public rather and being bought by a private collector and hustled off to a mansion or put in locked storage because of their astounding worth. What is the point of that? Shouldn’t they be enjoyed or at least visible? And why so much money, what about art for art’s sake? Did the artist ever intend to sell at such a price or to even sell at all? Things like that just always make me think, and would probably enrage those employed at the auction houses! This past week we visited the Wallace Collection which highlights art of the 1600-1700s as well as King Arthur looking armor, furniture and other home furnishings of the time. During this visit, the three professors of the module divided among us and actually talked about pieces as we walked though. I liked this a lot and partly preferred it to walking around alone (not that I don’t enjoy that in its own time and place). I was able to learn new symbolisms and put my own art history knowledge to the test. No one else in the group knew the meaning of decaying fruit and flowers which just so happened to be a topic of one of my professor’s rants the previous semester. Memento mori, vanitas paintings, oh Calo. Anyways, the same thing and same topic happened to Chm at her art class at a different university and museum. As much as we disliked that professor I guess we both really did absorb something from her classes. You can probably tell that Art and Society is my favorite class, huh?
Tuesday, as the day before Lent, was Pancake Tuesday. Apparently, there are pancake races through the city and countryside and crepe-like pancakes can be found everywhere. Sadly, I was in class all day and didn’t get to experience it all. Of course Tuesdays are the one day a week when I have two classes!
Today I went on a free walking tour that the university offered – The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. It wasn’t quite what I had expected but at least it got me out and gave me the opportunity to see different parts of the city. I’m now expanding the map in my head and connecting different neighborhoods. Normally, I would jump on and off the tube but more recently I’ve been learning how the streets intersect and meet. The highlight of the afternoon was visiting the Abbey Road crossing, the site of the famous Beatles album cover. Let’s just say that the cars were getting annoyed stopping for so many tourists to take a picture. I sufficed with one of myself on the side of the road. No need to bother everyone for one little thing. Others seemed to think otherwise.
Last weekend was fun, we just hung around and were lazy for the majority of time. Every once and a while that is what everyone needs. Now, I actually have papers and presentations to start! This weekend there is a big celebration for the Chinese New Year so if we feel like fighting the crowds we might venture to see that.
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