So holy moley, I'm in Paris. What the hell?! Not sure who among the readers knows this, but I started planning to come here during winter break of my freshman year. Two and a half years later, I'm chilling in my room in some random French family's house. I can't friggin' believe I'm here. I get the goose pimples (translated: goosebumps, chicken skin, etc. Rat Race reference) sometimes just thinking about it.
My first day in Paris was almost two weeks ago, but I will never forget it for the rest of my life. It will forever be the start to this European endeavor. I started it like I start too many days here: a flustered hot-mess. I set my alarm early so I'd have plenty of time to shower, finish packing, and double-check everything. I was determined to not leave anything behind in London. I woke up at the right time, but when sleeping in a flat with seven girls and two showers, it's not exactly easy to take a quick shower. I ended up getting access to the shower 20 minutes later than I had anticipated. I still left myself plenty of time though, or so I thought.
I triple checked everything and walked out of my friend's flat with her and three of her roommates as they went to class. This was at like 8:30, and my train left at 9:22. It was a quick five minute Tube ride to King's Cross, and a ten minute walk to the Farringdon Tube Station. At worst, I thought, I would get to King's Cross at 9:00 with 20 minutes to get on the train. In hindsight, even if everything went smoothly (it didn't by a long shot), I would still have cut it too unnecessarily close. Anyway, I get about halfway to the Tube and start patting myself down (a bad habit I've picked up in Europe to make sure I have everything, looks terribly awkward to passersby). I instantly realize I don't have my CAMERA! Of all things in my pockets, camera is third (behind wallet, then passport) of things to make sure I have. A shitty cell phone, loose change, random receipts, etc. completely fine to leave behind. I'm in Europe, I need my flippin' camera.
I quickly turn around and start racing back towards my friend's flat with my 50 pound suitcase. I try calling my friend: phone is off. I call her friend that's with her: goes to voicemail. At this point, I'm thinking I either won't have a camera in Paris for at least a week or so, or my 68 dollar, non-flexible train ticket gets flushed down the tubes. Then, I spot this one guy I met for 20 minutes one night in Oxford. Thank the lord I'm great with names and yell, "ERIC," to get his attention. He looks at me like I'm the creepiest thing to walk the Earth, but I manage to spit out (I'm out of breath of "running" with my stuff) that I met him in Oxford, that I'm his friend's friend, and I NEED him to let me into the Fort Knox like ND London dorms. He obliges, and I storm into the elevator (leave all my belongings in the lobby). In retrospect, this was dumb, but I was desperate. I get to my friend's door and bang like hell. Her flatmate let's me in, we exchange pleasantries as I grab my camera and sprint towards the elevator.
I get to the street and it's 8:45... I have 37 minutes to get my stuff to King's Cross, then get my ticket, go through security and get on the train. I make the executive decision to take a cab to the station. This was a good idea for the first two blocks, then massive traffic jam. Then I just pay the cabbie to let me just RUN to King's Cross. There was a bit of a snafu because I still had effing Scottish pounds that the Brits are too good to take.
Tangent: People from England think they are better and distinctly different from Scotland and Wales (and Northern Ireland). They think they are their own countries. This is NOT true at all. You are the United Kingdom. England would be worse off if they reduced their land by 3/4. Accept the fact that you are the UK and get on with it. Ugh, I was furious with my cab driver that she would SCOFF at two Scottish pounds. I gave her no tip after that and didn't even thank her for the two block trip. Screw that.
Regardless, I run as fast as I can to King's Cross. Then, I ask someone for directions to the international trains, and they tell me I have to go to St. Pancras. It was only an extra block, but with a 50-plus pound suitcase and poor cardio, it was a lot. I get inside the station at 9:05.... 17 minutes till departure.
I go to the ticket retrieval machine and insert my credit card for verification. I get my tickets and run through the ticket gate, security, and passport stamp stand. I get on the train at 9:15. I had seven minutes to spare. At 9:20, two minutes prior to departure, I look in my wallet for my credit card, and it's not there. I start freaking out again about how it's left in the ticket machine, and I have no way of going back to get. I quickly call my dad at home (it's 3:20am...., I'm so sorry) to tell him to cancel the card. 20 minutes after that, I find the ******* card behind my license. At this point, all I could do was laugh. I made my train with everything. Extremely stressful, but before I had too much time to fret over it, the train was already pulling into Gare du Nord.
Monday 21 February 2011
Whirlwind: Changing of the Guard, Parliament, and Tower of London
So this will be my final post about actual events of my time in London. After this, I'll have a wrap-up post about my experience and final remarks. Then, I'll finally start PARISSS.
So by far, my most touristy event in London was going to the changing of the guard. The changing of the guard happens in front of Buckingham Palace where the Queen resides. These are the guards who stand very still and act all serious all the time. Here's a little pic of them:
It was packed with people even though it happens every other day during the winter and everyday from April to October... We showed up at around 11:10-ish for an 11:30 start. This event was one of those things where you say you went to it, but that's it. Not much to comment on. It took a really long time. Parts of it were tough to see, and I didn't understand what was going on. This was ignorant on my part for not reading a little bit about it beforehand. Oh well, I saw it:
Pretty unspectacular, but later on in my trip, I was lucky enough to eat lunch at Parliament. My friend is currently doing an internship there, and she got her visitor's pass the LAST day I was in London. What luck! She gave me a little tour of Parliament, and I got to see a debating chamber and few other cool things. I was worried about taking pictures because I didn't want her to get in trouble for my tourist ways. Definitely cool to see. I thought it was funny that they had a pub in Parliament, and there's this picturesque deck. The MP's can take their lunch out to this deck that overlooks the River Thames. The food was cafeteria-style, but extremely cheap for the quality. I ate chicken tikka at Parliament: no big deal.
After eating at Parliament, I considered just calling it a day. I was pretty tired, and I was just sort of fed-up (I know this sounds terrible) with constantly doing things. I decided I would just look at Tower of London for 10 minutes from the outside. After that, I would just do the same at St. Paul's Cathedral, then go back to my friend's flat and nap. Keep in mind, this was the day after the Superbowl, which ended at 3:00am here.
So I took the Tube from Parliament to Tower of London and just all of a sudden got a rush of adrenaline. I have no idea why, but I'm really glad it happened. I bought a ticket for ToL and made it just in time for a free tour of the place. The tours are led by these fools (I mean, respectable gents):
Side Note: I found out in France that they're actually called "Beefeaters". I went to the grocery store with my Uzbekistani homestay sister (more on this in future posts) and her German friend. We were in the alcohol section (obviously), and he explained that this one bottle of booze was called Beefeater, and it had a cartoon of a man dressed like the above. Not a very marketable name for booze if you ask me... "Yeah, just give me a vodka (I think it's vodka) and tonic... which vodka... Beefeater, of course..."
Anyway, after the tour, I got to see the crown jewels of London and other cool stuff. I wasn't blown away by the crown jewels, but still very appealing stones. I feel like since I'm one of the heirs to a jewelry empire, I should have a higher appreciation for those luxurious jewels. I didn't, maybe it skips a generation? Again, nothing extremely noteworthy, but definitely a great way to spend a day.
After Tower of London, I made a quick stop at St Paul's Cathedral. Churches haven't gotten old yet, so it was definitely cool to see. There was a mass that was about to start, and I almost stayed, but I had to meet my friend for dinner. It's weird how Europe makes me more interested in attending mass.
I will always remember my last landmark seen on my London trip was St Paul's. My last dinner was delicious Indian food. I had to order for the group since I was the resident Indian expert (thanks mom). We got mutter paneer (thanks Kev), chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, butter chicken and vegetable biryani. It was the best Indian food I've ever eaten:
After Indian, we went out one last time. My last night out consisted of Belgian beer.... I did protest. I wanted to finish at a pub with a few pints of Strongbow, but the Belgian beer was tasty. It's tough to call it beer since it was strawberry infused and extraordinarily sweet. It was still really good though. After the Belgian beer, we went back to my friend's flat, and I finished packing up my stuff. Sadly, the London part of my adventure was over.
So by far, my most touristy event in London was going to the changing of the guard. The changing of the guard happens in front of Buckingham Palace where the Queen resides. These are the guards who stand very still and act all serious all the time. Here's a little pic of them:
It was packed with people even though it happens every other day during the winter and everyday from April to October... We showed up at around 11:10-ish for an 11:30 start. This event was one of those things where you say you went to it, but that's it. Not much to comment on. It took a really long time. Parts of it were tough to see, and I didn't understand what was going on. This was ignorant on my part for not reading a little bit about it beforehand. Oh well, I saw it:
Pretty unspectacular, but later on in my trip, I was lucky enough to eat lunch at Parliament. My friend is currently doing an internship there, and she got her visitor's pass the LAST day I was in London. What luck! She gave me a little tour of Parliament, and I got to see a debating chamber and few other cool things. I was worried about taking pictures because I didn't want her to get in trouble for my tourist ways. Definitely cool to see. I thought it was funny that they had a pub in Parliament, and there's this picturesque deck. The MP's can take their lunch out to this deck that overlooks the River Thames. The food was cafeteria-style, but extremely cheap for the quality. I ate chicken tikka at Parliament: no big deal.
After eating at Parliament, I considered just calling it a day. I was pretty tired, and I was just sort of fed-up (I know this sounds terrible) with constantly doing things. I decided I would just look at Tower of London for 10 minutes from the outside. After that, I would just do the same at St. Paul's Cathedral, then go back to my friend's flat and nap. Keep in mind, this was the day after the Superbowl, which ended at 3:00am here.
So I took the Tube from Parliament to Tower of London and just all of a sudden got a rush of adrenaline. I have no idea why, but I'm really glad it happened. I bought a ticket for ToL and made it just in time for a free tour of the place. The tours are led by these fools (I mean, respectable gents):
Side Note: I found out in France that they're actually called "Beefeaters". I went to the grocery store with my Uzbekistani homestay sister (more on this in future posts) and her German friend. We were in the alcohol section (obviously), and he explained that this one bottle of booze was called Beefeater, and it had a cartoon of a man dressed like the above. Not a very marketable name for booze if you ask me... "Yeah, just give me a vodka (I think it's vodka) and tonic... which vodka... Beefeater, of course..."
Anyway, after the tour, I got to see the crown jewels of London and other cool stuff. I wasn't blown away by the crown jewels, but still very appealing stones. I feel like since I'm one of the heirs to a jewelry empire, I should have a higher appreciation for those luxurious jewels. I didn't, maybe it skips a generation? Again, nothing extremely noteworthy, but definitely a great way to spend a day.
After Tower of London, I made a quick stop at St Paul's Cathedral. Churches haven't gotten old yet, so it was definitely cool to see. There was a mass that was about to start, and I almost stayed, but I had to meet my friend for dinner. It's weird how Europe makes me more interested in attending mass.
I will always remember my last landmark seen on my London trip was St Paul's. My last dinner was delicious Indian food. I had to order for the group since I was the resident Indian expert (thanks mom). We got mutter paneer (thanks Kev), chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, butter chicken and vegetable biryani. It was the best Indian food I've ever eaten:
After Indian, we went out one last time. My last night out consisted of Belgian beer.... I did protest. I wanted to finish at a pub with a few pints of Strongbow, but the Belgian beer was tasty. It's tough to call it beer since it was strawberry infused and extraordinarily sweet. It was still really good though. After the Belgian beer, we went back to my friend's flat, and I finished packing up my stuff. Sadly, the London part of my adventure was over.
Los Campesinos!
So Los Campesinos! is one of my favorite bands, and they're actually from the UK. My friend told me that they would be playing in London while I was there. After hearing about it, I knew that I had to go. No questions asked.
I've seen LC twice before. Once at Lollapalooza a few years ago (that's where my initial interest was peaked). Then last April I went to their show in Madison. It was awesome in Madison, and they even played the encore in the crowd! It was great.
So my expectations for the show actually weren't that high. I wasn't really sure what to expect or what it would be like going to a show in Europe. After going, even if I had had high expectations, they would have been blown away. The show was amazing. The crowd, the venue, the music, the atmosphere = unreal.
The show started with typical openers. No one in the crowd really knew who they were, and the low interest in them were evident. The only highlight was the second opener. The band consisted of a man and a woman. They set up a white screen for a slideshow. They started playing it, and the slideshow was full of old photos from the 1970's/1980's. Or at least I hope that's when they were from because the picture quality, setting and clothing in every picture screamed retro. I thought it was a joke when it started, but then it cycled back to the start of the same pics... It was odd. Also, the woman was wearing overalls. Once they came out to start, a drunkard in the crowd hollered, "STRIP THE BIB!" It was hilarious. The girl was completely shocked, and her male counterpart looked at her with a "is really going to do it" look.
Okay so after the two openers, the crowd was kind of dead. There were limited signs of life or interest in the entire building. The only noteworthy thing about the crowd was this pack of wasted teenagers. (I know, this makes me sound like 40-plus, but oh well). Their ring-leader started talking about the ideals of Socialism and down with the Queen! He chanted, "The only solution is a revolution!" It was funny, the first few times. It quickly turned obnoxious after about chant number 11. About 15 minutes before LC came on, I thought to myself, "this crowd sucks." I couldn't have been more wrong.
The instant LC came on stage, there was a sudden swarming of people to the front. This is pretty typical, but then everyone in the crowd just chanted Los Campesinos! over and over again. Without words, LC started playing, and the crowd started humming the beat. After going to 50-plus concerts in my life, I have NEVER heard the crowd humming the beat. Everyone in the building knew every word and beat to every single one of their songs. The atmosphere was unmatched during their set. The only lull came when LC played two new songs, to which the crowd was silent. I thought this was significant because it showed people didn't try to follow the beat or repeat the chorus to an unfamiliar song. One person in the crowd even shouted, "Get on with it already!" This inspired a few other crowd members to tell him to shut up. Then he asked if they actually enjoyed hearing their new songs they had never heard. It was a really entertaining exchange.
The crowd was a typical sweat-inducing mob of people. However, in this venue, there were blasts of A/C being blown onto the crowd. It also seemed like they really cranked it up during slower songs, so that people cool down. It was a nice touch and much appreciated.
All in all, the show was probably my most favorite part of London. The experience was similar to something I could do at home with just a few minor enhancements. It made me realize going to concerts like that were definitely shared experiences. Whether it's London, Chicago, Madison or wherever, it's a similar feel and experience. I really enjoyed that thought and made me feel a lot more connected to my fellow British concert-goers. So glad I went.
I've seen LC twice before. Once at Lollapalooza a few years ago (that's where my initial interest was peaked). Then last April I went to their show in Madison. It was awesome in Madison, and they even played the encore in the crowd! It was great.
So my expectations for the show actually weren't that high. I wasn't really sure what to expect or what it would be like going to a show in Europe. After going, even if I had had high expectations, they would have been blown away. The show was amazing. The crowd, the venue, the music, the atmosphere = unreal.
The show started with typical openers. No one in the crowd really knew who they were, and the low interest in them were evident. The only highlight was the second opener. The band consisted of a man and a woman. They set up a white screen for a slideshow. They started playing it, and the slideshow was full of old photos from the 1970's/1980's. Or at least I hope that's when they were from because the picture quality, setting and clothing in every picture screamed retro. I thought it was a joke when it started, but then it cycled back to the start of the same pics... It was odd. Also, the woman was wearing overalls. Once they came out to start, a drunkard in the crowd hollered, "STRIP THE BIB!" It was hilarious. The girl was completely shocked, and her male counterpart looked at her with a "is really going to do it" look.
Okay so after the two openers, the crowd was kind of dead. There were limited signs of life or interest in the entire building. The only noteworthy thing about the crowd was this pack of wasted teenagers. (I know, this makes me sound like 40-plus, but oh well). Their ring-leader started talking about the ideals of Socialism and down with the Queen! He chanted, "The only solution is a revolution!" It was funny, the first few times. It quickly turned obnoxious after about chant number 11. About 15 minutes before LC came on, I thought to myself, "this crowd sucks." I couldn't have been more wrong.
The instant LC came on stage, there was a sudden swarming of people to the front. This is pretty typical, but then everyone in the crowd just chanted Los Campesinos! over and over again. Without words, LC started playing, and the crowd started humming the beat. After going to 50-plus concerts in my life, I have NEVER heard the crowd humming the beat. Everyone in the building knew every word and beat to every single one of their songs. The atmosphere was unmatched during their set. The only lull came when LC played two new songs, to which the crowd was silent. I thought this was significant because it showed people didn't try to follow the beat or repeat the chorus to an unfamiliar song. One person in the crowd even shouted, "Get on with it already!" This inspired a few other crowd members to tell him to shut up. Then he asked if they actually enjoyed hearing their new songs they had never heard. It was a really entertaining exchange.
The crowd was a typical sweat-inducing mob of people. However, in this venue, there were blasts of A/C being blown onto the crowd. It also seemed like they really cranked it up during slower songs, so that people cool down. It was a nice touch and much appreciated.
All in all, the show was probably my most favorite part of London. The experience was similar to something I could do at home with just a few minor enhancements. It made me realize going to concerts like that were definitely shared experiences. Whether it's London, Chicago, Madison or wherever, it's a similar feel and experience. I really enjoyed that thought and made me feel a lot more connected to my fellow British concert-goers. So glad I went.
Saturday 19 February 2011
The Blog is Back
Unbelievable first 10 days in Paris. I have a lot of catching up to do, but I couldn't tear myself away from Paris my first 10 days here. School hasn't really started, so I've been out and about for nearly the entire time. A little bit of a routine (starting Monday) will be back in my life for the first time since December. It's kind of strange how I'm craving it. Anyway, I hope to finish London by the time I go to bed tomorrow night. I just posted two more posts on London, and they can be seen below. They were both written in about 15 minutes, so please excuse any grammatical errors or wordy sentences. I'll be putting off writing about my trip to Scotland until a later date. There is wayyy too much Paris to write about it. I hope everything is going well in the US!
A Series of Museums: Science, British, V&A
So as a requisite part of my trip, I went to a number of museums while in London. Each of the three I visited had their own tone and vibe, but there isn't really too much to blog about. I'll give a brief synopsis of each one in an attempt to expedite these three days.
The Science Museum: I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we went here, but it was sort of a joke to say the least. I felt like I was in Chuck E. Cheese babysitting hundreds of little gremlins running and climbing on everything. Okay, I get it, we were dumb for going here on a Sunday afternoon. However, everything there was too interactive and kid friendly for parents to resist. We saw a 3-D movie about underwater creatures. It was abut 45 minutes long and narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.... I was like, "huh?" It was really funny because they would have awkward banter between the two about why a sea creature did something. I was a bit tired and fell asleep for part of it. Then we roamed around, saw a bunch of friends playing with everything, and then stumbled upon a 4-D movie. I have never seen a 4-D movie, but it was hilarious. It was about the first landing on the moon, and we had to get strapped in as if it were a roller coaster. So the seat would rumble a bit, we had 3-D glasses on, and they would put smelly smoke in the room for us to "smell space"... To top it off, the finale was "the crew" landing in the ocean... So of course, they sprayed us with water.... I know what jumping in water feels like, honestly, I do. 4-D = overrated, if it's even rated. To sum up, we had a lot of fun goofing around and having a good laugh about the museum. I'm really glad I went because it makes every other European museum seem so illustrious.
The British Museum: We went here on a Monday afternoon (a.k.a pretty empty). The building itself was beautiful and HUGEEE. There were too many things in there to truly appreciate in a day. After seeing 50 "different" types of bowls that looked painfully similar, even though they were crafted 1,000 years apart half-way across the globe, we kind of sped through too many sections. I took over 100 pictures here, so I'd say just check Facebook to see them. It was a little uncomfortable to be here though. Too many of the artifacts were from other places, a.k.a clearly not belonging to the UK. They kind of pass it off as we were an imperial power, so places we conquered, we get your stuff. I don't buy in to that logic. If they had paid for these decorative bowls, jewelery, etc, I would be fine with it. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome to look at and see. However, I just question how it's sitting in a museum in the UK, instead of near its place of origin. I guess I'm too cynical. To sum up, wonderful museum and a must-see if you're in London for more than a weekend. OH, it's free too :)
Victoria & Albert: I went here on a Thursday afternoon, but I braved this one alone. The V&A was the best museum I've ever been too. It is named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. It houses mostly artsy designs and furnishings used/collected by the royal family. Each room brought something new and spectacular. The museum itself was a rectangle with a picturesque little park with a pond in the middle. Inside were rooms filled with sculptures, golden&silver objects, decorative glass, unreal hand-crafted tapestries, marble staircases: very aesthetically pleasing. I spent over two hours there, and I was still looking for more as I left. My favorites were the glass room, the gold room and the silver room. Everything within those rooms were shiny and pristine. I really enjoyed this museum because it truly had a very royal feeling to it. Again, I took tons of pictures here, but would recommend just checking out my Facebook to see them all. I've attached one of my favorites at the end of this post. To sum up, an absolute must-see. I almost didn't go because I didn't feel like having them search my huge overstuffed backpack. I had it with me because I checked out of my B&B that day and couldn't drop it off at my friend's flat before she went to class. I am so glad I sucked it up and went. Great place.
The Science Museum: I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we went here, but it was sort of a joke to say the least. I felt like I was in Chuck E. Cheese babysitting hundreds of little gremlins running and climbing on everything. Okay, I get it, we were dumb for going here on a Sunday afternoon. However, everything there was too interactive and kid friendly for parents to resist. We saw a 3-D movie about underwater creatures. It was abut 45 minutes long and narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.... I was like, "huh?" It was really funny because they would have awkward banter between the two about why a sea creature did something. I was a bit tired and fell asleep for part of it. Then we roamed around, saw a bunch of friends playing with everything, and then stumbled upon a 4-D movie. I have never seen a 4-D movie, but it was hilarious. It was about the first landing on the moon, and we had to get strapped in as if it were a roller coaster. So the seat would rumble a bit, we had 3-D glasses on, and they would put smelly smoke in the room for us to "smell space"... To top it off, the finale was "the crew" landing in the ocean... So of course, they sprayed us with water.... I know what jumping in water feels like, honestly, I do. 4-D = overrated, if it's even rated. To sum up, we had a lot of fun goofing around and having a good laugh about the museum. I'm really glad I went because it makes every other European museum seem so illustrious.
The British Museum: We went here on a Monday afternoon (a.k.a pretty empty). The building itself was beautiful and HUGEEE. There were too many things in there to truly appreciate in a day. After seeing 50 "different" types of bowls that looked painfully similar, even though they were crafted 1,000 years apart half-way across the globe, we kind of sped through too many sections. I took over 100 pictures here, so I'd say just check Facebook to see them. It was a little uncomfortable to be here though. Too many of the artifacts were from other places, a.k.a clearly not belonging to the UK. They kind of pass it off as we were an imperial power, so places we conquered, we get your stuff. I don't buy in to that logic. If they had paid for these decorative bowls, jewelery, etc, I would be fine with it. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome to look at and see. However, I just question how it's sitting in a museum in the UK, instead of near its place of origin. I guess I'm too cynical. To sum up, wonderful museum and a must-see if you're in London for more than a weekend. OH, it's free too :)
Victoria & Albert: I went here on a Thursday afternoon, but I braved this one alone. The V&A was the best museum I've ever been too. It is named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. It houses mostly artsy designs and furnishings used/collected by the royal family. Each room brought something new and spectacular. The museum itself was a rectangle with a picturesque little park with a pond in the middle. Inside were rooms filled with sculptures, golden&silver objects, decorative glass, unreal hand-crafted tapestries, marble staircases: very aesthetically pleasing. I spent over two hours there, and I was still looking for more as I left. My favorites were the glass room, the gold room and the silver room. Everything within those rooms were shiny and pristine. I really enjoyed this museum because it truly had a very royal feeling to it. Again, I took tons of pictures here, but would recommend just checking out my Facebook to see them all. I've attached one of my favorites at the end of this post. To sum up, an absolute must-see. I almost didn't go because I didn't feel like having them search my huge overstuffed backpack. I had it with me because I checked out of my B&B that day and couldn't drop it off at my friend's flat before she went to class. I am so glad I sucked it up and went. Great place.
Market, Harrod's and Puppies
So after our splendid (a little flowery for my taste, but I need to use some more varied adjectives) day trip, we had a very relaxing day in London. We slept in and headed out to the Borough (sp?) Market for the afternoon. It was insane. During the warmer months of the year, Madison has a farmer's market on Saturday afternoons. Those pale in comparison to this spectacle.
When I was told we were going to a market for the day, I wasn't overly excited. I guess I didn't know what to expect, or at least, I was totally shocked when we got there. First, there were a LOT more people at this market when compared to the Madison one. The selection of items was also exceptionally different. It makes sense since less things are in season in January. I couldn't quite place a staple item to this market. In Madison, it's fruit, vegetables and cheese. That's pretty much it. Here, there's a much more eclectic set of things. There were olives (tons), tea, china, souvenirs, cheese, falafel, Indian stands, German sausage stands, Ostrich burgers, olive oil, breads, seafood, soups, sandwiches, smoothies, Kangaroo burgers, pastas: everythinggg. So many stands, so many people, so many free samples!
My personal favorites were the buffalo mozzarella (so moist), all the oil olives (too many flavors), and this unbelievable Darjeeling tea. I was surprised by the ostrich/kangaroo burgers, and I refused to drop five pounds per burger to try them. I just think there's something wrong with eating ostriches and kangaroos (especially kangaroos). I guess ostriches are like overgrown chickens, but just too much outside my comfort zone. We decided to eat there, and I waited in line for 15 minutes for this crazy good chicken sandwich. The chicken was marinated in a lemon, garlic and olive oil sauce. The bread was fresh with dark green leafs and fried squares of a cheese that started with an A. I also spread some fresh mint over the top. It was probably the best chicken sandwich I've ever had in my life. A picture is below, but it doesn't do it justice:
After the delectable sandwich, my friend and I headed to Harrod's. My mom said if some of my friends lived in London and didn't know what Harrod's was, they weren't women... A pretty scathing assessment, but after going, I could see what she means. Harrod's was bedazzled from floor to ceiling. There's no other way to describe it. Before getting there, I thought I might pick up a pair of shoes. After checking out the prices, I decided very few items in this mega-super-store weren't quite in my price range.
Some highlights from Harrod's:
1) Huge candy store. They had their version of Frango mints and some actual Frango mints as well. Also, there was a huge food court that had a Starbuck's in it.
2) Luxury home furnishings. There were vases for over 14,000 pounds (currency). I was in awe. It didn't seem like anyone was buying any of them, but every definitely walked through to take a peak
3) Unbelievable kid's section. I was an entire floor! There were board games, stuffed animals, remote-control cars, etc. everywhere. I guess there was a 10,000 pound (currency) golden Monopoly board somewhere in Harrod's. Sadly, I couldn't locate it, but I did find this awesome fake snow. It felt cold and airy, and it even packed like really snow. However, when you'd shake it off your hands, it was like dust. Coolest little play bin ever.
4) Finally, pet store and beauty salon. They had little puppies inside big cages for people to come look at them! I guess they used to have tigers and animals like that there too, but then got rid of them. not sure why, but they turned that space into a pet beauty salon. They had see-through glass where you could see all these gadgets and even a doggy treadmill! It was terrifying and hilarious all at the same time.
Side Note: There are so many dogs in London! I was completely shocked at the number of people who were walking their dogs. And, a number of them didn't have leashes with them! The dogs were insanely well-behaved and friendly. I couldn't help but think about one little miss Kozi Kohler who would be running wild around London without a leash...
After a day at Harrod's, we went back to my friend's flat, made dinner then just relaxed. After being constantly on the move the past two days straight, it was nice to finally sit and relax.
When I was told we were going to a market for the day, I wasn't overly excited. I guess I didn't know what to expect, or at least, I was totally shocked when we got there. First, there were a LOT more people at this market when compared to the Madison one. The selection of items was also exceptionally different. It makes sense since less things are in season in January. I couldn't quite place a staple item to this market. In Madison, it's fruit, vegetables and cheese. That's pretty much it. Here, there's a much more eclectic set of things. There were olives (tons), tea, china, souvenirs, cheese, falafel, Indian stands, German sausage stands, Ostrich burgers, olive oil, breads, seafood, soups, sandwiches, smoothies, Kangaroo burgers, pastas: everythinggg. So many stands, so many people, so many free samples!
My personal favorites were the buffalo mozzarella (so moist), all the oil olives (too many flavors), and this unbelievable Darjeeling tea. I was surprised by the ostrich/kangaroo burgers, and I refused to drop five pounds per burger to try them. I just think there's something wrong with eating ostriches and kangaroos (especially kangaroos). I guess ostriches are like overgrown chickens, but just too much outside my comfort zone. We decided to eat there, and I waited in line for 15 minutes for this crazy good chicken sandwich. The chicken was marinated in a lemon, garlic and olive oil sauce. The bread was fresh with dark green leafs and fried squares of a cheese that started with an A. I also spread some fresh mint over the top. It was probably the best chicken sandwich I've ever had in my life. A picture is below, but it doesn't do it justice:
After the delectable sandwich, my friend and I headed to Harrod's. My mom said if some of my friends lived in London and didn't know what Harrod's was, they weren't women... A pretty scathing assessment, but after going, I could see what she means. Harrod's was bedazzled from floor to ceiling. There's no other way to describe it. Before getting there, I thought I might pick up a pair of shoes. After checking out the prices, I decided very few items in this mega-super-store weren't quite in my price range.
Some highlights from Harrod's:
1) Huge candy store. They had their version of Frango mints and some actual Frango mints as well. Also, there was a huge food court that had a Starbuck's in it.
2) Luxury home furnishings. There were vases for over 14,000 pounds (currency). I was in awe. It didn't seem like anyone was buying any of them, but every definitely walked through to take a peak
3) Unbelievable kid's section. I was an entire floor! There were board games, stuffed animals, remote-control cars, etc. everywhere. I guess there was a 10,000 pound (currency) golden Monopoly board somewhere in Harrod's. Sadly, I couldn't locate it, but I did find this awesome fake snow. It felt cold and airy, and it even packed like really snow. However, when you'd shake it off your hands, it was like dust. Coolest little play bin ever.
4) Finally, pet store and beauty salon. They had little puppies inside big cages for people to come look at them! I guess they used to have tigers and animals like that there too, but then got rid of them. not sure why, but they turned that space into a pet beauty salon. They had see-through glass where you could see all these gadgets and even a doggy treadmill! It was terrifying and hilarious all at the same time.
Side Note: There are so many dogs in London! I was completely shocked at the number of people who were walking their dogs. And, a number of them didn't have leashes with them! The dogs were insanely well-behaved and friendly. I couldn't help but think about one little miss Kozi Kohler who would be running wild around London without a leash...
After a day at Harrod's, we went back to my friend's flat, made dinner then just relaxed. After being constantly on the move the past two days straight, it was nice to finally sit and relax.
Monday 7 February 2011
SUPER BOWL
It really stinks being in Europe for the Super Bowl. The broadcast is being aired on ESPN America, and there are NO American Super Bowl commercials. It's so sad. The commercial breaks are filled with hokey NFL films' clips of past Super Bowls. There are also player interviews and interviews from past players about playing in the Super Bowl (like John Elway). The announcers are the NFL Network people, meaning Bob Pappa and Joe Theismann. I'm not sure if this is an improvement over Joe Buck and co. Still watching the game right now... It's 2:20am. Tomorrow is going to be a really rough day, but oh well.
Oxford Day Trip: Doors, Christ Church, and Harry Potter
So last Friday my friends and I headed to Oxford for a day trip. We took a train directly from the Paddington Station to Oxford. It was about an hour train ride, which sounds easy enough, but it was an early morning. And just when I dozed off, the conductor (or whatever they're called) comes around to check tickets. This still baffles me. You have to swipe your ticket when you get on the train, then you have to swipe your card when getting off the train. Why do you need a third check? And it's like an automatic 20 pound fine if you don't produce a ticket when you get off. Regardless, we made it to Oxford, and it was freezing there. I really regretted not bringing my gloves (luckily, I did have my scarf). I started assessing whether I wanted to take a picture based on how willing I was to have my hands exposed. The most clutch purchase of the day was a two pound hot chocolate at the train station. It really perked me up and warmed my soul (maybe that's getting too dramatic).
Heading to Oxford, we legitimately had nothing planned. None of us had looked at any guidebooks, read anything online or even received tips about things to check out. We had a vaguely heard there was a Willy Wonka-esque candy store and a Harry Potter tour to see locations used during filming. Unfortunately, the HP tour was only held on Saturdays, and the woman running the tourist info center had never heard of any such candy store (this is mean, but she looked like the kind of woman who would have been to this store MANY times). So we grabbed a map of the city and started wandering. We stumbled upon the Sheldonian Library and a church in its shadow. We entered the church and lucked out. For three pounds, you could go to the top and see the entire city. It was amazing. A picture of our view is below:
After coming down from the top, we asked the woman running the gift what we should see. She said the Christ Church was the THING to see. We were sold. We continued to wander around the streets as we made our way to the church.
Side Note: We quickly realized that there were all these "colleges" around the city. Christ Church was an example of one the "colleges". So at Oxford, the university is broken up into like 30 different colleges. From what we gathered, they are kind of a cross between a dorm and a frat. Each with their own crest, personality, etc. Sounded interesting. Since it was during the week (or maybe it's always like this), the colleges weren't really open to the public. Each college also kind of had their own little grassy square. You could poke your head in to see the square, but most were closed to the public or paid entry. Neither really fit with our goals. We actually snuck into a few of them. There was one where a woman refused to let us exit through this side gate because "you had to have a key to open the gate," which she opened and grabbed the gate to close it shut so we couldn't slip through. It was so disgustingly pretentious. We went the other way through the main gate and met her on the street. I wanted to say a few snarky remarks, but I held off.
We made it to Christ Church around 1ish, and the guard said it wouldn't open until 2:30. Therefore, we went to eat to kill some time. My friend got a scone/afternoon tea combo, and it looked so delicious with clotted cream and jam (see below).
The food there was great, and we were able to refuel for the rest of our day. Once we were able to go into the Christ Church, we were in awe. For me, it was my first European church in five years. The churches here are just so massive with so much history. They don't make them like this in America:
Tangent: Maybe it's those Catholic roots, but I think of all old European buildings, churches are the most mesmerizing to me. I can't want to see Notre Dame in Paris and other churches around Europe (I also love castles, which is in-line with my desire to be treated like a king ((kidding, kind of...)))
Christ Church did not disappoint. We did get a chance to see some Harry Potter sites. We saw the staircase used during the first movie when the first years were lining up to enter the Great Hall for sorting. Then, the best part of Oxford, we saw and went INSIDE the Great Hall. It was awesome!! Here's a picture of it:
Truly unreal. After Christ Church, we hunted for the Willy Wonka candy shop. We did end up finding it, and it was cool, but I just wasn't in the mood for candy or chocolate at the time (I regretted this later). After candy, we popped into a few smaller museums and snapped a few photos of forbidden college grounds. However, after the awe-inspiring view from the original church and the Great Hall, everything seen wasn't quite as appreciated. It was understandable though. By the end of the day, all we wanted was some pub food and a speedy train back to London.
End of the Trip Thoughts (ETT's): Oxford was wonderful. The city was way more beautiful than London. A lot more history and older buildings. That's sounds wrong I know, but Oxford seemed to be built all at the same time. More cohesion. London has more history, obviously, but the history is more concentrated in Oxford. Oxford is actually how I thought London was going to look. It was breathtaking. I have never been so enthralled by the simplest things. The weirdest this was their doors. Every door had character. It varied from door to door, but I've never taken so many pictures of just doors. They varied by color, size, shape, fixtures, etc. Just crazy. Here's one of them:
One of my friends said she wishes she went there. Initially, I was thinking, yeah this place is amazing. But in the end, I was quite glad to be in Paris for a few reasons. First, the pretentious nature of going to a school like Oxford is suffocating. They serve up their Oxford "Kool-Aid" on the daily. It was just obnoxious. Also, I feel like after one day there, we saw most of the city. I need more to do than that. I thought being there for more than two days would have been a waste. I am so glad we got to see England outside of London, but I'm also glad home base was London. All in all, great day trip and worth a visit.
Heading to Oxford, we legitimately had nothing planned. None of us had looked at any guidebooks, read anything online or even received tips about things to check out. We had a vaguely heard there was a Willy Wonka-esque candy store and a Harry Potter tour to see locations used during filming. Unfortunately, the HP tour was only held on Saturdays, and the woman running the tourist info center had never heard of any such candy store (this is mean, but she looked like the kind of woman who would have been to this store MANY times). So we grabbed a map of the city and started wandering. We stumbled upon the Sheldonian Library and a church in its shadow. We entered the church and lucked out. For three pounds, you could go to the top and see the entire city. It was amazing. A picture of our view is below:
After coming down from the top, we asked the woman running the gift what we should see. She said the Christ Church was the THING to see. We were sold. We continued to wander around the streets as we made our way to the church.
Side Note: We quickly realized that there were all these "colleges" around the city. Christ Church was an example of one the "colleges". So at Oxford, the university is broken up into like 30 different colleges. From what we gathered, they are kind of a cross between a dorm and a frat. Each with their own crest, personality, etc. Sounded interesting. Since it was during the week (or maybe it's always like this), the colleges weren't really open to the public. Each college also kind of had their own little grassy square. You could poke your head in to see the square, but most were closed to the public or paid entry. Neither really fit with our goals. We actually snuck into a few of them. There was one where a woman refused to let us exit through this side gate because "you had to have a key to open the gate," which she opened and grabbed the gate to close it shut so we couldn't slip through. It was so disgustingly pretentious. We went the other way through the main gate and met her on the street. I wanted to say a few snarky remarks, but I held off.
We made it to Christ Church around 1ish, and the guard said it wouldn't open until 2:30. Therefore, we went to eat to kill some time. My friend got a scone/afternoon tea combo, and it looked so delicious with clotted cream and jam (see below).
The food there was great, and we were able to refuel for the rest of our day. Once we were able to go into the Christ Church, we were in awe. For me, it was my first European church in five years. The churches here are just so massive with so much history. They don't make them like this in America:
Christ Church did not disappoint. We did get a chance to see some Harry Potter sites. We saw the staircase used during the first movie when the first years were lining up to enter the Great Hall for sorting. Then, the best part of Oxford, we saw and went INSIDE the Great Hall. It was awesome!! Here's a picture of it:
Truly unreal. After Christ Church, we hunted for the Willy Wonka candy shop. We did end up finding it, and it was cool, but I just wasn't in the mood for candy or chocolate at the time (I regretted this later). After candy, we popped into a few smaller museums and snapped a few photos of forbidden college grounds. However, after the awe-inspiring view from the original church and the Great Hall, everything seen wasn't quite as appreciated. It was understandable though. By the end of the day, all we wanted was some pub food and a speedy train back to London.
End of the Trip Thoughts (ETT's): Oxford was wonderful. The city was way more beautiful than London. A lot more history and older buildings. That's sounds wrong I know, but Oxford seemed to be built all at the same time. More cohesion. London has more history, obviously, but the history is more concentrated in Oxford. Oxford is actually how I thought London was going to look. It was breathtaking. I have never been so enthralled by the simplest things. The weirdest this was their doors. Every door had character. It varied from door to door, but I've never taken so many pictures of just doors. They varied by color, size, shape, fixtures, etc. Just crazy. Here's one of them:
One of my friends said she wishes she went there. Initially, I was thinking, yeah this place is amazing. But in the end, I was quite glad to be in Paris for a few reasons. First, the pretentious nature of going to a school like Oxford is suffocating. They serve up their Oxford "Kool-Aid" on the daily. It was just obnoxious. Also, I feel like after one day there, we saw most of the city. I need more to do than that. I thought being there for more than two days would have been a waste. I am so glad we got to see England outside of London, but I'm also glad home base was London. All in all, great day trip and worth a visit.
Thursday 3 February 2011
Really Behind!
So I'm heading to Edinburgh this weekend, and I'm exceptionally far behind on my blogging! By next week, I hope to be fully caught up with everything. However, there won't be any new posts this weekend. Check back on Monday for updates! Hopefully everyone is surviving the snowpocalypse at home!
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