I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but my dorm building is in the same square as the Indian YMCA. This is worth noting because there is a huge band room on the bottom floor of the YMCA and frequent practices take place..... not the best wake-up call on a hungover morning.
However, for the past hour that I've been sitting in my room waiting to go out they have been playing Christmas music! It's a full band/orchestra...they sound great and it's putting me in such good spirits for the holidays, especially in the absence of a Thanksgiving homecoming. OMG! Yes, they just started playing Disney music - Aladdin, to be exact. I feel like I'm at a musical - and I love it.
Returned from Paris yesterday, I'm in love, but I'll write about it later. Peace. Love the Indian YMCA right now.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
"There was nowhere to go but everywhere."
I haven't yet had the time to write about my 10-day trip across Europe....
On Friday, the 6th of Nov., I woke up early after being awake for over 24 hours the previous day (5am to 5am) because I'm a horrible procrastinator - but my grades don't count, so why would I start fixing my bad habits now? I had to wake up early so that I could meet up with my friend Paul, from Villanova. Paul was making the move from the states to Hong Kong for a super sweet job he landed right after graduation this past May so he got the chance to stop in London for the weekend and we were able to meet up before my flight later that day. The afternoon was so much fun: we went from pub to pub, he recalled his London memories, gave me advice on travelling to Paris, and we both spoke lovingly about Villanova and everything we miss about it to someone who actually understands ... it was great.
However, by the time I left him, I only had about an hour to buy a new camera, pack for a 10day trip, and make it to the tube station.... and I was certainly not sober after so many pubs. Luckily, I accomplished everything - I picked out a camera with the help of the man at PC World - I made him convince me 20 times it was the best one, and I packed and made it to the station on time ..though I only packed three pair of socks for the whole week (gross) and forgot any type of pajama pants and some of my eye makeup... other than that, I was pretty proud of my effort and it was worth it to hang out with Paul.
I flew out of Heathrow with two of my friends from UCL to start what they call "reading week" and what I call "fall break" in Athens. On the plane, my friend Sarah and I got lucky enough to sit in the same row as a Greek psychiatrist who we spoke to throughout the entire three hour flight... despite the fact that I was slightly hungover from the afternoon and exhausted from the day before. He gave us great advice about where to go in Athens... and where not to go - he was very concerned for our safety.... which was comforting? We also talked to him about the world - we asked him about the EU and what he thinks of it... he wanted to know if we like Obama - he's a Bush man himself... which is the only foreigner I've ever met who had that opinion, I'm pretty sure.
He had some interesting insight to share on the US and its perception internationally: he finished talking about how he was skeptical of Greece and the rest of Europe becoming engulfed in th EU because it's strongly run by Germany & France (his words) and it wasn't too long ago that Germany was ravaging the entire continent and trying to take on the world and went on to say something that made me truly proud to be an American. He said something to the sense of - ya know, people see America and sometimes they think they're big & bad but they forget that it was young Americans who have fought numerous battles on European and Asian soil without even being able to pronounce the names of the people who lived there... they left their families and young lives at home and fought for the good of those people, who they had no ties to. Now, regardless of whether we (as a state) were supposed to be fighting those wars... this moment still brought me tremendous pride in the midst of gaining yet another new perspective (one of my favorite things about being abroad).
Greece is gorgeous... absolutely stunning. The city of Athens itself isn't the most magnificent city in the world - it's not extremely clean and its buildings are close together and the architecture is nothing particularly special. However, there's something to be said about a city where you can be walking down a random alley and see the Parthenon at the Acropolis: you're instantly reminded you're not just in a city - you're in the midst of what was that great ancient Greece. The Acropolis is in the center of the city and the view from the top is absolutely unforgettable. From the top, you can see the Temple of Zeus and other ruins in the middle of city blocks and neighborhoods that seem they would go on forever if not stopped by the water on one side and mountains on others. The weather was perfect - a nice break from the chill inevitable in London.
We went to the Acropolis Museum, which was honestly kind of boring - it was just statues and urns and I probably should have been more interested... but I wasn't. One thing that did strike me, though, was an ancient stone that had Greek writing inscribed on it. I couldn't read what it said because I don't speak Greek but there is an entire country, a whole population of people who can read and understand what the people who wrote on that stone milleniums ago had to say. That's rare, considering Latin is no longer a viable, spoken language (though I did take a year of it in high school: Cornelia sedet sub arbore... Cornelia sits under the tree.. that's all I got).. so it was cool to be confronted with something like that.
Later that night, we ate dinner and had wine in the middle of this quaint square in an authentic part of Athens - Psiri, as recommended by our Greek airplane friend. The service is slow so we just kept getting more and more wine and maybe it was the atmosphere of being in the land where philosophy arguably started.. but for some reason, many conversations my friends & I had were quite philosophical... not about Plato or anything, just about life. It came up a few times so I'm going to post it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvCJley78A. It's a video called "The Good Life" and it gives a new perspective on the business world and chasing a dollar.. definitely worth watching, it's about 3 minutes long & it solidified what I've already come to decide about what life I want to live. Anyway, back to Greece.. after a lot of wine we headed down the street and no joke - it was lined with hookah bars. We picked the busiest one and got a table in the corner... no one there spoke English. It was legit.. the servers had to find someone at a random table to come speak English to us, which those people loved but it was kind of embarassing. We had more wine and smoked a lot of hookah and after being harassed by the table next to us for some wine, we somehow didn't end up getting back to our hotel until 5:30am. When we came out of the hookah place.. the Acropolis was lit at the end of the street ... a beautiful reminder that I was in Greece instead of NYC stumbling out of Sahara East on the lower east side.
The next day we took a trip to Sounio, the tip of Greece, where the Temple of Poseidon stands on a cliff overlooking the Meditteranean. We took an hour and a half bus ride along the coast to get there and every moment was completely breathtaking... the sun started to set during the ride making the horizon colorful and the views even more fantastic. It was pefect... until, we got to the Temple of Poseidon and the woman at the gate decided to close it - so we weren't able to go up to the temple but we did get to see it at every stage of the sunset from a little further away. It was so peaceful there... you could see so many angles of the ocean, the temple, the villages surrounding. We ate grape leaves, tzatziki, and greek salads at the restaurant next to the temple before heading back to Athens for the night.
On our last full day in Greece we took a speedboat ferry to Aegina, an island off the coast of Athens. It took us forty minutes to arrive in the cutest, quaintest Greek island you could imagine. Accompanied by the grace of more good weather, we strolled around the pier, sat on the beach, wandered in and out of churches and shops, and ended up spending a lot of time enjoying tzatziki and wine in a restaurant overlooking the pier. We spent so much time there that we almost missed our ferry back... so we sprinted to the pier in the dark to catch the last ferry back to Athens only to find that indeed our ferry had been cancelled. So we ran to the ticketbooth to collect tickets on another ferry - the non-speedy one - and ended up walking on to the car plank to the ferry literally in a scene from Titanic with angry little old ladies screaming in foreign languages presumably about having the wrong tickets due to the last minute cancellation of the speed ferry (due to "weather conditions"...was it too nice out?).. but we ended up back in Athens where we discovered - not even to our surprise at this point - that we had been ripped off by an earlier taxi. Taxis in Athens just decide their own prices - the meter says one thing, they say another and ask if you want a receipt. But honestly, would it be a good trip without being ripped off by a cab driver? It's pretty expected by now... I think it's happened in every city I've travelled to.
Oh! The food in Greece was incredible.. I've already mentioned it a few times BUT it made me think of NY diners .. the Nautilus in particular. You know how diners are great because you can get absolutely anything - Greek food, fries, pizza, pasta, meat, dessert, drinks??? Well after visiting Greece it's not surprising that diners are typically owned and operated by Greek people because that is exactly how most Greek restaurants are - they offer everything.. no matter how nice the restaurant.. it's just their style... it was so cool to make this realization! Brought me back to days, nights, and mornings at the Nautilus in Massapequa. Also, I made an even better correlation.... you know the bread sticks they have there - the crunchy ones covered in sesame seeds that you know you love to dip in butter?! Well, those are Greek too! Just how NY has a million hot dog stands on the streets, Athens has these circular bread things covered with sesame seeds - we decided to try them our first day there -and they taste EXACTLY like those Nautilus/diner breadsticks only less crunchy... had them every day after that - it was so great! I miss the Nautilus <3
On our last day in Athens, we strolled around the streets and back-alleys of Athens to find the perfect souvenirs before heading to the bus to the airport. I can't wait to get back to Greece, it was definitely a vision of the good life.
Next stop on our trip was Budapest... but because of the airlines Hungary was not our first stop - we had a layover in Geneva, Switzerland, which ended up being perfectly okay. Swiss Air was the cheapest and provided us with plenty of wine and chocolate and funny videos thorughout our two flights between Greece and Hungary. Though I didn't get to spend much time in Geneva .. and my bank account doesn't afford me to go skydiving on this trip :( ... the flight over the Swiss Alps was enough to satisfy my fill of Switzerland for at least a little while. I literally felt like I was in heaven. Between the enormity of the snow-capped mountains surpassing the clouds that were glowing with the light of the sun, I snapped a million pictures to make sure I wasn't dreaming about the afterlife. The aerial view was nothing short of spectacular. Once we passed the Alps, a pristinely white sheet of clouds was the only thing beneath us and as we started to descend into the Geneva airport, I actually felt as though we were making the transititon between heaven and earth. Once beneath the sheet of clouds, Geneva was gorgeous - so green and clean it seemed, even from the sky.
We had one full day in Budapest so we took a sightseeing bus to ensure we didn't miss a thing. Budapest is a pretty luxurious city ... it seemed really clean, very organized, and Eastern European (rightfully so). On the tour we stopped at these baths that were so pretty... it was raining, windy, and cold the whole time we were in Hungary.. yet people were still swimming and relaxing enjoying these baths... the steam that came off of them was enough to fog up the city.. it was so cool. We went to Sleeping Beauty's castle (or what it's supposedly based off of) and saw a great view of the city from a high mountain. They had an Elizabeth bridge there! ... wasn't really that cool. I don't know what else to say about Budapest as a city.. I had a really good time and I'm glad I went.. it was different in good ways.
We got what we thought would be lunch at a traditional little Hungarian restaurant... lunch turned into dinner & dessert & drinks over the span of five hours, however. We spent all night at this Hungarian restaurant doing I don't even know what but we got there before the dinner rush and left after it... I'm sure the people trying to eat just loved us. It was my three friends & I and we quickly made friends with our waiter who kept suggesting the 50% off cocktails - though we insisted on ordering more and more bottles of wine. After four bottles of wine and our lunch, we decided to take him up on the half price cocktails and ordered a pitcher of some type of rum and coke thing... maybe it was tequila... not sure. Expecting a little pitcher, he shows up with this monstrosity with probably ten three-foot neon straws coming out of it... which is legit when we turned our table into spring break, sucking everything out of it. One of my friends even fell off her chair trying to give my other friend a kiss on the cheek... it was absolutely hilarious & completely not the right place for us, but the perfect place all at the same time.. it was so much fun. After our lunch, we ended up ordering dessert, and then pizza... and then some Hungarian shots at the suggestion of our waiter friend.... I think the Hungarian shots were tequila, but at this point - who knows. When we finally left the restaurant/our home in Budapest we decided to get more dessert at a coffee place and stayed there until closing. So Budapest treated us well... great times.
The next day we strolled around Budapest for a little while before hopping on the slow train to Prague. It was difficult to buy tickets because hardly anyone spoke English in Budapest... but we found them and settled into a little cabin thing readying ourselves for the seven hour trip through eastern Europe. It was dreary and bare and covered with graffiti and looked sad.. exactly my perception of what Eastern Europe would be... it was actually kinda scary - I couldn't read any of the writing and they're not the friendliest people. We passed through more of Hungary, the country of Slovakia - including the city of Bratislava, and some of the Czech Republic before I got to meet up with Molly & Colleen in Praha!!!
The weekend of craziness started that night almost immediately after I arrived... which was fine with me after a seven hour train ride. Coco, Viv, and Lulu (our alter-egos) were reunited and made their best displays at a Czech bar. The next day we had a classically long breakfast/lunch - reminiscent of time spent at the Pit after a long night (awww, can't wait for January!) - before hitting the streets of Prague. We ran into my friends from UCL on the Charles Bridge and all went to the Lennon Wall together, which was soo hippy-cool... it was started after the fall of Communism... the Czech people loved the ideas of peace Lennon sung about... the whole wall is covered with references to "Imagine."
Colleen is studying in Prague for the semester so it was so nice to know where to go right away and not to have to look at a map once the whole weekend. The streets of Prague are so Eastern European - it reminded me of being at Busch Gardens or on a movie set with the old color buildings that are meat to represent eastern european cities... except it was like that throughout the entire city. Prague was one of the only European cities not to be bombed during WWII so all of their buildings date back to the 1600s and the gold that decorates a lot of the buildings is real since they were built so long ago.
It's a gorgeous city. So gorgeous that everyone needs to take pictures - and in taking pictures of these sights, we noticed - and Colleen pointed out - that the Eastern Europeans and techno Italians take pictures very differently than American tourists. Instead of smiling and capturing the great time they're having, these people make their best efforts at sexy poses in front of statues of old kings, or they're just completely stone-cold serious and point to the landmark they're getting in the picture with. It's absolutely enthralling to watch. Even more fun than watching, though, is trying to imitate this genre of posing.... which is what we did the entire weekend. It was so much fun - especially since we had to get people to take these pictures of us... it was great seeing their reactions to us being super serious in pictures and then dying of laughter after. The Euro-posing just did not stop... did it during the day, at night, with people I know, with people I definitely don't know. Actually, I almost got killed because of the euro-pose frenzy. Coming home on the tram on our last night in Prague at 3am (had to leave for the airport at 6:30, good) there was a sleeping man - who I swear looked pretty homeless & dead asleep - so naturally, I wanted to pose with him. Well, I guess I came too close to him or something because the guy - who was much scarier looking awake than sleeping - sprang up as I curled into a little ball in my seat trying to act innocent. He was not happy. I saw my life flash before me. I almost died. Over-dramatic much?
This incident happened after a night spent at the five-story club on the river, which attracted crowds of every age & background - super cool to see old people at this neon-lit floor... it was great haha. Another night we went to Lucerna, where they play 80s and 90s music in this big room - there was this sweaty drunk/high/intoxicated/drugged guy on center stage among much younger people dancing, playing the air guitar and pretending to be the star of his very own concert at the Garden... it was soo entertaining to watch & he looked like he was having so much fun, I wanted to be him for a little bit.. would have been fun.
Even though you can smell the hops from the breweries in Prague, the theme of my trip was definitely Boskov vodka ... Czech? I don't know.. but it made for plenty of good times. Oh and as a result of my trip to Prague, I'm now pregnant..... with a food baby. I think I gained a million pounds (no over-estimation here).. we had delicious Mexican food, bagels, pizza, chips, McDonalds & Burger King (very cultural & healthy).. and that was all before we went to the markets at Old Town Square. We had these ginormous hot dog/sausage things that were delicious & then went on to have fried dough covered in nutella... picture 20 freshly fried zeppolies connected with hazlenut chocolate... heart attack or love of my life? Both. After my trip around Europe and trying all its food, I came back to London, bought a family sized bag of vegetables and a big pack of clementines and tried to restore some type of nutrients to my body. Whatever, food is a part of the experience - my body can recover later... I hope. Oh! But the Athens Classic Marathon was taking place while we were there and we ended up getting free posters and blow up bananas and real bananas and it was soo cool to see the excitement of the runners the day before the marathon that I decided I really want to run a half marathon sometime in the coming six months... so maybe that will help the cause to abort the food baby. This is gross, I can't believe I just said that... too lazy to backspace.
So there's probably more to say about all of these trips that I'm missing but I think I've rambled on for long enough and that I'll be able to remember other things if I look back at this. Overall, successful Eurotrip for sure. It was great to see Colleen in her current city. I'm leaving for King's Cross station in just a little bit to take the chunnel to Paris for the weekend, where I'm meeting Eileen, my friend from high school :) We're so excited - I picked up Tesco's (cheap convenience store) finest champagne for our arrival. This is my last trip of the semester so it must be good... and beyond that, I'm excited to spend the rest of my time here truly in London, though I'm sad that it's come to this point so soon. My whole family is coming on Wednesday for Thanksgiving break & I am beyondddd looking forward to seeing them and showing them around this city I love. Oh went to the Burberry outlet yesterday, if you see this and you need anything from there - let me know, they have AMAZING deals. Random. I'll miss being in NY for Thanksgiving and seeing my friends at home.. but I'll see them pretty soon over Christmas break anyway :)
Oh and the title of this post is in reference to a quote from Kerouac's On the Road, which I appropriately started reading during this trip... makes me want to go cross country... maybe this summer before I head back to Villanova at the beginning of July... any interest???
loveeeeee<3
On Friday, the 6th of Nov., I woke up early after being awake for over 24 hours the previous day (5am to 5am) because I'm a horrible procrastinator - but my grades don't count, so why would I start fixing my bad habits now? I had to wake up early so that I could meet up with my friend Paul, from Villanova. Paul was making the move from the states to Hong Kong for a super sweet job he landed right after graduation this past May so he got the chance to stop in London for the weekend and we were able to meet up before my flight later that day. The afternoon was so much fun: we went from pub to pub, he recalled his London memories, gave me advice on travelling to Paris, and we both spoke lovingly about Villanova and everything we miss about it to someone who actually understands ... it was great.
However, by the time I left him, I only had about an hour to buy a new camera, pack for a 10day trip, and make it to the tube station.... and I was certainly not sober after so many pubs. Luckily, I accomplished everything - I picked out a camera with the help of the man at PC World - I made him convince me 20 times it was the best one, and I packed and made it to the station on time ..though I only packed three pair of socks for the whole week (gross) and forgot any type of pajama pants and some of my eye makeup... other than that, I was pretty proud of my effort and it was worth it to hang out with Paul.
I flew out of Heathrow with two of my friends from UCL to start what they call "reading week" and what I call "fall break" in Athens. On the plane, my friend Sarah and I got lucky enough to sit in the same row as a Greek psychiatrist who we spoke to throughout the entire three hour flight... despite the fact that I was slightly hungover from the afternoon and exhausted from the day before. He gave us great advice about where to go in Athens... and where not to go - he was very concerned for our safety.... which was comforting? We also talked to him about the world - we asked him about the EU and what he thinks of it... he wanted to know if we like Obama - he's a Bush man himself... which is the only foreigner I've ever met who had that opinion, I'm pretty sure.
He had some interesting insight to share on the US and its perception internationally: he finished talking about how he was skeptical of Greece and the rest of Europe becoming engulfed in th EU because it's strongly run by Germany & France (his words) and it wasn't too long ago that Germany was ravaging the entire continent and trying to take on the world and went on to say something that made me truly proud to be an American. He said something to the sense of - ya know, people see America and sometimes they think they're big & bad but they forget that it was young Americans who have fought numerous battles on European and Asian soil without even being able to pronounce the names of the people who lived there... they left their families and young lives at home and fought for the good of those people, who they had no ties to. Now, regardless of whether we (as a state) were supposed to be fighting those wars... this moment still brought me tremendous pride in the midst of gaining yet another new perspective (one of my favorite things about being abroad).
Greece is gorgeous... absolutely stunning. The city of Athens itself isn't the most magnificent city in the world - it's not extremely clean and its buildings are close together and the architecture is nothing particularly special. However, there's something to be said about a city where you can be walking down a random alley and see the Parthenon at the Acropolis: you're instantly reminded you're not just in a city - you're in the midst of what was that great ancient Greece. The Acropolis is in the center of the city and the view from the top is absolutely unforgettable. From the top, you can see the Temple of Zeus and other ruins in the middle of city blocks and neighborhoods that seem they would go on forever if not stopped by the water on one side and mountains on others. The weather was perfect - a nice break from the chill inevitable in London.
We went to the Acropolis Museum, which was honestly kind of boring - it was just statues and urns and I probably should have been more interested... but I wasn't. One thing that did strike me, though, was an ancient stone that had Greek writing inscribed on it. I couldn't read what it said because I don't speak Greek but there is an entire country, a whole population of people who can read and understand what the people who wrote on that stone milleniums ago had to say. That's rare, considering Latin is no longer a viable, spoken language (though I did take a year of it in high school: Cornelia sedet sub arbore... Cornelia sits under the tree.. that's all I got).. so it was cool to be confronted with something like that.
Later that night, we ate dinner and had wine in the middle of this quaint square in an authentic part of Athens - Psiri, as recommended by our Greek airplane friend. The service is slow so we just kept getting more and more wine and maybe it was the atmosphere of being in the land where philosophy arguably started.. but for some reason, many conversations my friends & I had were quite philosophical... not about Plato or anything, just about life. It came up a few times so I'm going to post it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvCJley78A. It's a video called "The Good Life" and it gives a new perspective on the business world and chasing a dollar.. definitely worth watching, it's about 3 minutes long & it solidified what I've already come to decide about what life I want to live. Anyway, back to Greece.. after a lot of wine we headed down the street and no joke - it was lined with hookah bars. We picked the busiest one and got a table in the corner... no one there spoke English. It was legit.. the servers had to find someone at a random table to come speak English to us, which those people loved but it was kind of embarassing. We had more wine and smoked a lot of hookah and after being harassed by the table next to us for some wine, we somehow didn't end up getting back to our hotel until 5:30am. When we came out of the hookah place.. the Acropolis was lit at the end of the street ... a beautiful reminder that I was in Greece instead of NYC stumbling out of Sahara East on the lower east side.
The next day we took a trip to Sounio, the tip of Greece, where the Temple of Poseidon stands on a cliff overlooking the Meditteranean. We took an hour and a half bus ride along the coast to get there and every moment was completely breathtaking... the sun started to set during the ride making the horizon colorful and the views even more fantastic. It was pefect... until, we got to the Temple of Poseidon and the woman at the gate decided to close it - so we weren't able to go up to the temple but we did get to see it at every stage of the sunset from a little further away. It was so peaceful there... you could see so many angles of the ocean, the temple, the villages surrounding. We ate grape leaves, tzatziki, and greek salads at the restaurant next to the temple before heading back to Athens for the night.
On our last full day in Greece we took a speedboat ferry to Aegina, an island off the coast of Athens. It took us forty minutes to arrive in the cutest, quaintest Greek island you could imagine. Accompanied by the grace of more good weather, we strolled around the pier, sat on the beach, wandered in and out of churches and shops, and ended up spending a lot of time enjoying tzatziki and wine in a restaurant overlooking the pier. We spent so much time there that we almost missed our ferry back... so we sprinted to the pier in the dark to catch the last ferry back to Athens only to find that indeed our ferry had been cancelled. So we ran to the ticketbooth to collect tickets on another ferry - the non-speedy one - and ended up walking on to the car plank to the ferry literally in a scene from Titanic with angry little old ladies screaming in foreign languages presumably about having the wrong tickets due to the last minute cancellation of the speed ferry (due to "weather conditions"...was it too nice out?).. but we ended up back in Athens where we discovered - not even to our surprise at this point - that we had been ripped off by an earlier taxi. Taxis in Athens just decide their own prices - the meter says one thing, they say another and ask if you want a receipt. But honestly, would it be a good trip without being ripped off by a cab driver? It's pretty expected by now... I think it's happened in every city I've travelled to.
Oh! The food in Greece was incredible.. I've already mentioned it a few times BUT it made me think of NY diners .. the Nautilus in particular. You know how diners are great because you can get absolutely anything - Greek food, fries, pizza, pasta, meat, dessert, drinks??? Well after visiting Greece it's not surprising that diners are typically owned and operated by Greek people because that is exactly how most Greek restaurants are - they offer everything.. no matter how nice the restaurant.. it's just their style... it was so cool to make this realization! Brought me back to days, nights, and mornings at the Nautilus in Massapequa. Also, I made an even better correlation.... you know the bread sticks they have there - the crunchy ones covered in sesame seeds that you know you love to dip in butter?! Well, those are Greek too! Just how NY has a million hot dog stands on the streets, Athens has these circular bread things covered with sesame seeds - we decided to try them our first day there -and they taste EXACTLY like those Nautilus/diner breadsticks only less crunchy... had them every day after that - it was so great! I miss the Nautilus <3
On our last day in Athens, we strolled around the streets and back-alleys of Athens to find the perfect souvenirs before heading to the bus to the airport. I can't wait to get back to Greece, it was definitely a vision of the good life.
Next stop on our trip was Budapest... but because of the airlines Hungary was not our first stop - we had a layover in Geneva, Switzerland, which ended up being perfectly okay. Swiss Air was the cheapest and provided us with plenty of wine and chocolate and funny videos thorughout our two flights between Greece and Hungary. Though I didn't get to spend much time in Geneva .. and my bank account doesn't afford me to go skydiving on this trip :( ... the flight over the Swiss Alps was enough to satisfy my fill of Switzerland for at least a little while. I literally felt like I was in heaven. Between the enormity of the snow-capped mountains surpassing the clouds that were glowing with the light of the sun, I snapped a million pictures to make sure I wasn't dreaming about the afterlife. The aerial view was nothing short of spectacular. Once we passed the Alps, a pristinely white sheet of clouds was the only thing beneath us and as we started to descend into the Geneva airport, I actually felt as though we were making the transititon between heaven and earth. Once beneath the sheet of clouds, Geneva was gorgeous - so green and clean it seemed, even from the sky.
We had one full day in Budapest so we took a sightseeing bus to ensure we didn't miss a thing. Budapest is a pretty luxurious city ... it seemed really clean, very organized, and Eastern European (rightfully so). On the tour we stopped at these baths that were so pretty... it was raining, windy, and cold the whole time we were in Hungary.. yet people were still swimming and relaxing enjoying these baths... the steam that came off of them was enough to fog up the city.. it was so cool. We went to Sleeping Beauty's castle (or what it's supposedly based off of) and saw a great view of the city from a high mountain. They had an Elizabeth bridge there! ... wasn't really that cool. I don't know what else to say about Budapest as a city.. I had a really good time and I'm glad I went.. it was different in good ways.
We got what we thought would be lunch at a traditional little Hungarian restaurant... lunch turned into dinner & dessert & drinks over the span of five hours, however. We spent all night at this Hungarian restaurant doing I don't even know what but we got there before the dinner rush and left after it... I'm sure the people trying to eat just loved us. It was my three friends & I and we quickly made friends with our waiter who kept suggesting the 50% off cocktails - though we insisted on ordering more and more bottles of wine. After four bottles of wine and our lunch, we decided to take him up on the half price cocktails and ordered a pitcher of some type of rum and coke thing... maybe it was tequila... not sure. Expecting a little pitcher, he shows up with this monstrosity with probably ten three-foot neon straws coming out of it... which is legit when we turned our table into spring break, sucking everything out of it. One of my friends even fell off her chair trying to give my other friend a kiss on the cheek... it was absolutely hilarious & completely not the right place for us, but the perfect place all at the same time.. it was so much fun. After our lunch, we ended up ordering dessert, and then pizza... and then some Hungarian shots at the suggestion of our waiter friend.... I think the Hungarian shots were tequila, but at this point - who knows. When we finally left the restaurant/our home in Budapest we decided to get more dessert at a coffee place and stayed there until closing. So Budapest treated us well... great times.
The next day we strolled around Budapest for a little while before hopping on the slow train to Prague. It was difficult to buy tickets because hardly anyone spoke English in Budapest... but we found them and settled into a little cabin thing readying ourselves for the seven hour trip through eastern Europe. It was dreary and bare and covered with graffiti and looked sad.. exactly my perception of what Eastern Europe would be... it was actually kinda scary - I couldn't read any of the writing and they're not the friendliest people. We passed through more of Hungary, the country of Slovakia - including the city of Bratislava, and some of the Czech Republic before I got to meet up with Molly & Colleen in Praha!!!
The weekend of craziness started that night almost immediately after I arrived... which was fine with me after a seven hour train ride. Coco, Viv, and Lulu (our alter-egos) were reunited and made their best displays at a Czech bar. The next day we had a classically long breakfast/lunch - reminiscent of time spent at the Pit after a long night (awww, can't wait for January!) - before hitting the streets of Prague. We ran into my friends from UCL on the Charles Bridge and all went to the Lennon Wall together, which was soo hippy-cool... it was started after the fall of Communism... the Czech people loved the ideas of peace Lennon sung about... the whole wall is covered with references to "Imagine."
Colleen is studying in Prague for the semester so it was so nice to know where to go right away and not to have to look at a map once the whole weekend. The streets of Prague are so Eastern European - it reminded me of being at Busch Gardens or on a movie set with the old color buildings that are meat to represent eastern european cities... except it was like that throughout the entire city. Prague was one of the only European cities not to be bombed during WWII so all of their buildings date back to the 1600s and the gold that decorates a lot of the buildings is real since they were built so long ago.
It's a gorgeous city. So gorgeous that everyone needs to take pictures - and in taking pictures of these sights, we noticed - and Colleen pointed out - that the Eastern Europeans and techno Italians take pictures very differently than American tourists. Instead of smiling and capturing the great time they're having, these people make their best efforts at sexy poses in front of statues of old kings, or they're just completely stone-cold serious and point to the landmark they're getting in the picture with. It's absolutely enthralling to watch. Even more fun than watching, though, is trying to imitate this genre of posing.... which is what we did the entire weekend. It was so much fun - especially since we had to get people to take these pictures of us... it was great seeing their reactions to us being super serious in pictures and then dying of laughter after. The Euro-posing just did not stop... did it during the day, at night, with people I know, with people I definitely don't know. Actually, I almost got killed because of the euro-pose frenzy. Coming home on the tram on our last night in Prague at 3am (had to leave for the airport at 6:30, good) there was a sleeping man - who I swear looked pretty homeless & dead asleep - so naturally, I wanted to pose with him. Well, I guess I came too close to him or something because the guy - who was much scarier looking awake than sleeping - sprang up as I curled into a little ball in my seat trying to act innocent. He was not happy. I saw my life flash before me. I almost died. Over-dramatic much?
This incident happened after a night spent at the five-story club on the river, which attracted crowds of every age & background - super cool to see old people at this neon-lit floor... it was great haha. Another night we went to Lucerna, where they play 80s and 90s music in this big room - there was this sweaty drunk/high/intoxicated/drugged guy on center stage among much younger people dancing, playing the air guitar and pretending to be the star of his very own concert at the Garden... it was soo entertaining to watch & he looked like he was having so much fun, I wanted to be him for a little bit.. would have been fun.
Even though you can smell the hops from the breweries in Prague, the theme of my trip was definitely Boskov vodka ... Czech? I don't know.. but it made for plenty of good times. Oh and as a result of my trip to Prague, I'm now pregnant..... with a food baby. I think I gained a million pounds (no over-estimation here).. we had delicious Mexican food, bagels, pizza, chips, McDonalds & Burger King (very cultural & healthy).. and that was all before we went to the markets at Old Town Square. We had these ginormous hot dog/sausage things that were delicious & then went on to have fried dough covered in nutella... picture 20 freshly fried zeppolies connected with hazlenut chocolate... heart attack or love of my life? Both. After my trip around Europe and trying all its food, I came back to London, bought a family sized bag of vegetables and a big pack of clementines and tried to restore some type of nutrients to my body. Whatever, food is a part of the experience - my body can recover later... I hope. Oh! But the Athens Classic Marathon was taking place while we were there and we ended up getting free posters and blow up bananas and real bananas and it was soo cool to see the excitement of the runners the day before the marathon that I decided I really want to run a half marathon sometime in the coming six months... so maybe that will help the cause to abort the food baby. This is gross, I can't believe I just said that... too lazy to backspace.
So there's probably more to say about all of these trips that I'm missing but I think I've rambled on for long enough and that I'll be able to remember other things if I look back at this. Overall, successful Eurotrip for sure. It was great to see Colleen in her current city. I'm leaving for King's Cross station in just a little bit to take the chunnel to Paris for the weekend, where I'm meeting Eileen, my friend from high school :) We're so excited - I picked up Tesco's (cheap convenience store) finest champagne for our arrival. This is my last trip of the semester so it must be good... and beyond that, I'm excited to spend the rest of my time here truly in London, though I'm sad that it's come to this point so soon. My whole family is coming on Wednesday for Thanksgiving break & I am beyondddd looking forward to seeing them and showing them around this city I love. Oh went to the Burberry outlet yesterday, if you see this and you need anything from there - let me know, they have AMAZING deals. Random. I'll miss being in NY for Thanksgiving and seeing my friends at home.. but I'll see them pretty soon over Christmas break anyway :)
Oh and the title of this post is in reference to a quote from Kerouac's On the Road, which I appropriately started reading during this trip... makes me want to go cross country... maybe this summer before I head back to Villanova at the beginning of July... any interest???
loveeeeee<3
Monday, November 02, 2009
r.i.p.
My friends and I researched which European city would be the best one to celebrate Halloween in. We found out that Halloween, and trick-or-treating in particular, supposedly started in Ireland so we booked a flight to Dublin and got our costumes ready. If you ever have the chance to visit Dublin for Halloween, you definitely should!
I just got back from one of the best weekends ever and I'm currently trying to figure out when I'll be in Ireland next. Before leaving for Dublin, my perception of the city was that it was going to be rolling hills of green with a random strip of pubs in the middle of all of it - maybe some sheep, maybe a dock behind the main strip of pubs. Once I got to the city, I realized that maybe I had watched P.S. I Love You one too many times... but I'm sure that picture must be accurate for some part of Ireland, and eventually, I will find that spot (and then wander by myself through the countryside until a handsome Irish man finds me, gives me his leather jacket & sings Galway Girl to me later that night at the pub... except I don't have hair of black or eyes of blue =/).
We got into the city just before midnight on Friday and after getting these amazing kebab things, we just wandered through the streets. Dublin is a pretty small city - at least that's the impression I got from my trip. It's split up by the River Liffey, which is bigger than the canals in Amsterdam but smaller than England's Thames. We had about a 15 minute walk from our hotel to the city centre, across the river, which was actually really enjoyable (except in the rain). So after we ate we heard some guitar/singing playing and so we stopped into this random corner bar.
This bar was the epitome of how I can spend every night for the rest of my life without getting tired of it. The bar wasn't overly crowded, in fact, it was filled with the perfect amount of people to enjoy the music, dance with strangers in the most non-creepy way, and generally, just have a good time. The guy on the guitar was sooo good... I always love when musicians aren't taking it too seriously but are just having a good time - and that's exactly what this slightly more than slightly intoxicated Irish guy was doing with his time in the limelight. He wove Irish themes through popular and mostly American songs and strung them altogether with "bottleee of vodkaaaa" badabadadahh. It was just so much fun, everyone was dancing and singing along and I could have stayed forever. One of my friends who I was traveling with is a singer/songwriter - whose music I'm obsessed with and frequently gets stuck in my head, gladly. Her name is Amy - www.myspace.com/amyvachalmusic - and she's sooo good and so much fun :) So after this guy allowed one of his friends to come up and sing with him, my friends and I immediately started shouting that he should let our friend have a chance at the mic too - we knew he wouldn't regret it. I need to post the video but it was absolutely the best duet of "Stand by Me" in Irish bar history.. they harmonized, she beatboxed, and you could tell the guy was so surprised and impressed by how good she was - the whole bar loved it...
The next morning we headed back to the city centre and went on a Viking Splash Tour, which was a combination of a duck tour and the game "Hey Cutie." We all wore Viking Hats on this big yellow monstrosity of a truck/boat and the driver instructed us that we would have to yell ARRRGHHHH to unsuspecting people who we passed on my truck.... sounds awfully similar to Hey Cutie, and the British version, Hey Fittie... so naturally, I loved every second of this. We went around the city.. saw Temple Bar area, Trinity College, statues of Molly Malone, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and ended up passing U2's recording studio once the truck transformed into a boat (at which time we added hideous orange lifevests to the viking costume) and did a pathetic little circle around a small part of the river. At this point, the weather was absolutely gorgeous... it was the ideal fall day that my mind always falls upon when I think of Halloween.
After the tour, we did some Irish shopping... my friends and I all visited this little Celtic jewelry store and bought really pretty claddagh rings - the Irish wedding band that symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. I looked it up and sayings associated with it are "With my two hands, I give you my heart and crown it with my love" and "Let love and friendship reign forever." If you're taken, you wear the ring with the heart facing your heart so that the two hearts are tied and if you're single, you wear the ring with the heart facing the world so that it can be taken.
Once we joined the Irish culture with our rings, we set out to explore the city en route to the Guiness Brewery. While we walked, the day quickly turned from ideal fall day to torrential downnpour, which I was not prepared for. The beautiful day I woke up to persuaded me to leave my umbrella at the hotel and bring my sunglasses with me instead.... not the smartest decision. So we trudged through the rain snapping pictures of the sights and trying to avoid the larger puddles and find shelter under random old bridges. If anyone's ever travelled with me, you know that I love to take pictures - my method is to snap a million pictures of absolutely everything, no matter how insignificant with the thought that I don't know when I'll be here next and I want to have pictures to remember it by - even if there are more pictures than I'll ever look at again. So through the rain, despite being warned, my camera was around my wrist and taking pictures the whole time because I figured that it's lasted me four years.. it has chunks taken out of it... the silver coating is chipping off.. and it hasn't failed me yet.
After walking for a while, the rain finally stopped for a few minutes and the sun even came out. We ended up down by the river just in time to see a FULL rainbow spanning across the sky... we were soooooo happy to see a huge rainbow while we were in Ireland.. we snapped a million pictures, sung songs in happiness, and sprinted to the end of the rainbow to find a pot of gold... just kidding (only about the gold).
We finally got to the Guinness Brewery after taking a few wrong turns through an industrial part of the city while it started to rain again so we arrived soaking wet from head to toe, which made it so nice to be inside. The tour of the brewery was reallyy cool and included two free pints of Guinness. Before this trip, I had tried Guinness once - it was warm because I had stolen it from my dad when I was running out sometime last year and had no alcohol and no time/way to get it.. so of course, I thought it was gross. I definitely cannot go out to a bar and continually order Guinness in hopes of getting drunk, but I actually really like Guinness.. it wasn't bad at all, though it made me reallyy full. The tour ends up on the top floor of the brewery in a bar that has almost a 360 degree view of the city of Dublin. We were there when it was late out so we could only really see the outline of the city but in honor of Halloween, there were fireworks that made the view incredible. While we were drinking our free pint at this bar, we decided we had to take these pint glasses home with us as a free souvenir. So after sketchily hiding in corners of the circular room (which, luckily, was crowded) and stuffing these glasses into our already full bags, we headed out after stopping at the gift shop. Should I be writing about theivery on the internet? Probably not... but we justified it because we figured everyone did it.... not much of a justification, whatever - I have a free Guinness pint glass and I'm happy.
We went to some random Czech restuarant that we thought was an Irish pub and ended up eating potato pancakes for dinner. My roommate and some of my friends are in Prague for the semester so it gave me insight into what they've been eating the past few months. Wasn't bad, just very filling.
There were nine of us from UCL who went on this trip together - 5 girls, 4 boys - so we needed a group costume we could all wear. We decided to dress up in random flags and peace signs and hippy things and collectively be "World Peace." We told some overly-friendly Irish guy we met along the way that we were going to be world peace and I died laughing when he commented, "sooo.. you're going to dress as Obama's children?!" Obama's a celebrity around Europe, it's craazy - anyway, I thought it was so funny. The people in Dublin - the ones who actually lived in the city or in other parts of Ireland - were soooo friendly, which made the trip soo much more enjoyable and even made me legitimately want to live in some part of Ireland for at least a short time in my life... I think it would be so much fun - even if it doesn't end up characterized by the Pogue's Love You Til The End (more P.S. I Love You, sorry).
Anyway, I somehow ended up being the German flag... I asked for Italy, then found out I was instead going to be Great Britain, and then once in Dublin I was handed a German flag... so though I have only little German blood in me (which I just found out about), I was happy because who doesn't like gold, red, and black? Dublin on Halloween night was crazy. We went to Temple Bar, which is both a bar and a region of the city. The streets were packed with every costume imaginable - it was soooo much fun. My friends and I paraded through the streets singing songs like kumbaya, all you need is love, why can't we be friends, and occasionally the Bottle of Vodkaaa compilation from the night before, all mixed in with chants of USA USA and our own drunken rendition of the national anthem. We took lots of pictures with random people and so many people on the streets all joined in with our songs... we made lots of friends.
My friends and I love to speak in the British accent.. we do it all the time and it's become extremely normal no matter what time of day or what situation we're in. We don't just talk it among ourselves, but also to waitresses, cashiers, people we meet at bars, etc. So many people can attest that my accent before leaving for London was horrible.. some freshman at the union even told me I had the worst accent he's ever heard. Well, I am happy to say that I have mastered the accent. I fooled so many guys at the bar into thinking I was from Britain and when I finally told them I'm actually from New York, they were shocked and complimented me on my accent. Yes, I'm bragging... I'm very proud of my skills hahaaa... Buttttt the Irish guys would not let me continue with my British accent because they love the American/NY accent so much more.
With the exception of running into a few super creepsters who were definitely from out of town, we were having the absolute best time imaginable.... until we decided to go back to the hotel. NO cabs had lights on... we started to walk all over the city looking for a cab for 5 people. It was us and the rest of the city who wanted to go home, though, so it was soooo hard to find one. Oh and at this point it was POURING! I was even less prepared for the rain this time, seeing as I was literally wearing only a German flag. The boys used their flags as capes and since we wore ours as outfits we paraded like Chinese dragons through the street until the boys decided to leave us to walk home. I think we probably ran through the rain for a half hour before I finally remembered to pray to St. Anthony to find us a cab, at which point, less than a minute later, a van cab that could fit five people randomly pulled over to let other passengers out - so we hopped in, drenched and freezing. Love St. Anthony - and the luck of the Irish...even though, we ended up getting slightly ripped off... but that just seems normal for my travel experiences here at this point.
Sunday was more of a relaxing day, we strolled through the city, recapped our night adventures, and went to Carroll's Souvenir Shop. Carroll is my Grandma's name - taken from her mother's maiden name... and it's also my sister's middle name. No one spells it like that - I even got it wrong on a spelling test in 5th grade for spelling it Carroll instead of Carol - so it was sooo exciting to see a store with that name.
Anyway, the title of this post is not in honor of ghosts and such for Halloween, but it's actually to wish my camera goodbye. Later on in the day, after carrying it on my wrist for hours in the Dublin monsoon, I tried to take pictures but when I push the shudder button it just zooms in all the way until it can't anymore, then asks me what language I want the camera to be in, and then skips to the self-timer settings. Lovelyyy... I guess I overestimated its ability to withstand everything I put it through. So as long as I didn't lose my pictures of Portugal and the beginnings of Dublin, I won't be too upset about getting a new camera - I was actually thinking about it recently, but didn't really have a legitimate reason to spend money on one.
So now I'm back in London, writing this post instead of the two papers I have due on Friday and presentation I have to prepare for Thursday.... and in the midst of all this, I'm gonna have to take some time out to buy a new camera. I'm traveling to Greece, Hungary, and the Czech Republic (Athens, Budapest, and Prague) next week during UCL's reading week and I will not do that without a camera.
Dublin was amazing, I definitely want to travel to other parts of Ireland - Villanova has a summer program in Galway.. hmmmm :)
I cannot believe it's November already.
I just got back from one of the best weekends ever and I'm currently trying to figure out when I'll be in Ireland next. Before leaving for Dublin, my perception of the city was that it was going to be rolling hills of green with a random strip of pubs in the middle of all of it - maybe some sheep, maybe a dock behind the main strip of pubs. Once I got to the city, I realized that maybe I had watched P.S. I Love You one too many times... but I'm sure that picture must be accurate for some part of Ireland, and eventually, I will find that spot (and then wander by myself through the countryside until a handsome Irish man finds me, gives me his leather jacket & sings Galway Girl to me later that night at the pub... except I don't have hair of black or eyes of blue =/).
We got into the city just before midnight on Friday and after getting these amazing kebab things, we just wandered through the streets. Dublin is a pretty small city - at least that's the impression I got from my trip. It's split up by the River Liffey, which is bigger than the canals in Amsterdam but smaller than England's Thames. We had about a 15 minute walk from our hotel to the city centre, across the river, which was actually really enjoyable (except in the rain). So after we ate we heard some guitar/singing playing and so we stopped into this random corner bar.
This bar was the epitome of how I can spend every night for the rest of my life without getting tired of it. The bar wasn't overly crowded, in fact, it was filled with the perfect amount of people to enjoy the music, dance with strangers in the most non-creepy way, and generally, just have a good time. The guy on the guitar was sooo good... I always love when musicians aren't taking it too seriously but are just having a good time - and that's exactly what this slightly more than slightly intoxicated Irish guy was doing with his time in the limelight. He wove Irish themes through popular and mostly American songs and strung them altogether with "bottleee of vodkaaaa" badabadadahh. It was just so much fun, everyone was dancing and singing along and I could have stayed forever. One of my friends who I was traveling with is a singer/songwriter - whose music I'm obsessed with and frequently gets stuck in my head, gladly. Her name is Amy - www.myspace.com/amyvachalmusic - and she's sooo good and so much fun :) So after this guy allowed one of his friends to come up and sing with him, my friends and I immediately started shouting that he should let our friend have a chance at the mic too - we knew he wouldn't regret it. I need to post the video but it was absolutely the best duet of "Stand by Me" in Irish bar history.. they harmonized, she beatboxed, and you could tell the guy was so surprised and impressed by how good she was - the whole bar loved it...
The next morning we headed back to the city centre and went on a Viking Splash Tour, which was a combination of a duck tour and the game "Hey Cutie." We all wore Viking Hats on this big yellow monstrosity of a truck/boat and the driver instructed us that we would have to yell ARRRGHHHH to unsuspecting people who we passed on my truck.... sounds awfully similar to Hey Cutie, and the British version, Hey Fittie... so naturally, I loved every second of this. We went around the city.. saw Temple Bar area, Trinity College, statues of Molly Malone, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and ended up passing U2's recording studio once the truck transformed into a boat (at which time we added hideous orange lifevests to the viking costume) and did a pathetic little circle around a small part of the river. At this point, the weather was absolutely gorgeous... it was the ideal fall day that my mind always falls upon when I think of Halloween.
After the tour, we did some Irish shopping... my friends and I all visited this little Celtic jewelry store and bought really pretty claddagh rings - the Irish wedding band that symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. I looked it up and sayings associated with it are "With my two hands, I give you my heart and crown it with my love" and "Let love and friendship reign forever." If you're taken, you wear the ring with the heart facing your heart so that the two hearts are tied and if you're single, you wear the ring with the heart facing the world so that it can be taken.
Once we joined the Irish culture with our rings, we set out to explore the city en route to the Guiness Brewery. While we walked, the day quickly turned from ideal fall day to torrential downnpour, which I was not prepared for. The beautiful day I woke up to persuaded me to leave my umbrella at the hotel and bring my sunglasses with me instead.... not the smartest decision. So we trudged through the rain snapping pictures of the sights and trying to avoid the larger puddles and find shelter under random old bridges. If anyone's ever travelled with me, you know that I love to take pictures - my method is to snap a million pictures of absolutely everything, no matter how insignificant with the thought that I don't know when I'll be here next and I want to have pictures to remember it by - even if there are more pictures than I'll ever look at again. So through the rain, despite being warned, my camera was around my wrist and taking pictures the whole time because I figured that it's lasted me four years.. it has chunks taken out of it... the silver coating is chipping off.. and it hasn't failed me yet.
After walking for a while, the rain finally stopped for a few minutes and the sun even came out. We ended up down by the river just in time to see a FULL rainbow spanning across the sky... we were soooooo happy to see a huge rainbow while we were in Ireland.. we snapped a million pictures, sung songs in happiness, and sprinted to the end of the rainbow to find a pot of gold... just kidding (only about the gold).
We finally got to the Guinness Brewery after taking a few wrong turns through an industrial part of the city while it started to rain again so we arrived soaking wet from head to toe, which made it so nice to be inside. The tour of the brewery was reallyy cool and included two free pints of Guinness. Before this trip, I had tried Guinness once - it was warm because I had stolen it from my dad when I was running out sometime last year and had no alcohol and no time/way to get it.. so of course, I thought it was gross. I definitely cannot go out to a bar and continually order Guinness in hopes of getting drunk, but I actually really like Guinness.. it wasn't bad at all, though it made me reallyy full. The tour ends up on the top floor of the brewery in a bar that has almost a 360 degree view of the city of Dublin. We were there when it was late out so we could only really see the outline of the city but in honor of Halloween, there were fireworks that made the view incredible. While we were drinking our free pint at this bar, we decided we had to take these pint glasses home with us as a free souvenir. So after sketchily hiding in corners of the circular room (which, luckily, was crowded) and stuffing these glasses into our already full bags, we headed out after stopping at the gift shop. Should I be writing about theivery on the internet? Probably not... but we justified it because we figured everyone did it.... not much of a justification, whatever - I have a free Guinness pint glass and I'm happy.
We went to some random Czech restuarant that we thought was an Irish pub and ended up eating potato pancakes for dinner. My roommate and some of my friends are in Prague for the semester so it gave me insight into what they've been eating the past few months. Wasn't bad, just very filling.
There were nine of us from UCL who went on this trip together - 5 girls, 4 boys - so we needed a group costume we could all wear. We decided to dress up in random flags and peace signs and hippy things and collectively be "World Peace." We told some overly-friendly Irish guy we met along the way that we were going to be world peace and I died laughing when he commented, "sooo.. you're going to dress as Obama's children?!" Obama's a celebrity around Europe, it's craazy - anyway, I thought it was so funny. The people in Dublin - the ones who actually lived in the city or in other parts of Ireland - were soooo friendly, which made the trip soo much more enjoyable and even made me legitimately want to live in some part of Ireland for at least a short time in my life... I think it would be so much fun - even if it doesn't end up characterized by the Pogue's Love You Til The End (more P.S. I Love You, sorry).
Anyway, I somehow ended up being the German flag... I asked for Italy, then found out I was instead going to be Great Britain, and then once in Dublin I was handed a German flag... so though I have only little German blood in me (which I just found out about), I was happy because who doesn't like gold, red, and black? Dublin on Halloween night was crazy. We went to Temple Bar, which is both a bar and a region of the city. The streets were packed with every costume imaginable - it was soooo much fun. My friends and I paraded through the streets singing songs like kumbaya, all you need is love, why can't we be friends, and occasionally the Bottle of Vodkaaa compilation from the night before, all mixed in with chants of USA USA and our own drunken rendition of the national anthem. We took lots of pictures with random people and so many people on the streets all joined in with our songs... we made lots of friends.
My friends and I love to speak in the British accent.. we do it all the time and it's become extremely normal no matter what time of day or what situation we're in. We don't just talk it among ourselves, but also to waitresses, cashiers, people we meet at bars, etc. So many people can attest that my accent before leaving for London was horrible.. some freshman at the union even told me I had the worst accent he's ever heard. Well, I am happy to say that I have mastered the accent. I fooled so many guys at the bar into thinking I was from Britain and when I finally told them I'm actually from New York, they were shocked and complimented me on my accent. Yes, I'm bragging... I'm very proud of my skills hahaaa... Buttttt the Irish guys would not let me continue with my British accent because they love the American/NY accent so much more.
With the exception of running into a few super creepsters who were definitely from out of town, we were having the absolute best time imaginable.... until we decided to go back to the hotel. NO cabs had lights on... we started to walk all over the city looking for a cab for 5 people. It was us and the rest of the city who wanted to go home, though, so it was soooo hard to find one. Oh and at this point it was POURING! I was even less prepared for the rain this time, seeing as I was literally wearing only a German flag. The boys used their flags as capes and since we wore ours as outfits we paraded like Chinese dragons through the street until the boys decided to leave us to walk home. I think we probably ran through the rain for a half hour before I finally remembered to pray to St. Anthony to find us a cab, at which point, less than a minute later, a van cab that could fit five people randomly pulled over to let other passengers out - so we hopped in, drenched and freezing. Love St. Anthony - and the luck of the Irish...even though, we ended up getting slightly ripped off... but that just seems normal for my travel experiences here at this point.
Sunday was more of a relaxing day, we strolled through the city, recapped our night adventures, and went to Carroll's Souvenir Shop. Carroll is my Grandma's name - taken from her mother's maiden name... and it's also my sister's middle name. No one spells it like that - I even got it wrong on a spelling test in 5th grade for spelling it Carroll instead of Carol - so it was sooo exciting to see a store with that name.
Anyway, the title of this post is not in honor of ghosts and such for Halloween, but it's actually to wish my camera goodbye. Later on in the day, after carrying it on my wrist for hours in the Dublin monsoon, I tried to take pictures but when I push the shudder button it just zooms in all the way until it can't anymore, then asks me what language I want the camera to be in, and then skips to the self-timer settings. Lovelyyy... I guess I overestimated its ability to withstand everything I put it through. So as long as I didn't lose my pictures of Portugal and the beginnings of Dublin, I won't be too upset about getting a new camera - I was actually thinking about it recently, but didn't really have a legitimate reason to spend money on one.
So now I'm back in London, writing this post instead of the two papers I have due on Friday and presentation I have to prepare for Thursday.... and in the midst of all this, I'm gonna have to take some time out to buy a new camera. I'm traveling to Greece, Hungary, and the Czech Republic (Athens, Budapest, and Prague) next week during UCL's reading week and I will not do that without a camera.
Dublin was amazing, I definitely want to travel to other parts of Ireland - Villanova has a summer program in Galway.. hmmmm :)
I cannot believe it's November already.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Obrigado
Hola! I just got back from my weekend in Portugal and I'm exhausted, a little stressed about booking more trips and finishing (aka starting) schoolwork, and having what seems like only a very short amount of time left in London - the city I've fallen in love with.
I traveled to Lisbon - the capital city of Portugal - this past Thursday with Molly and three other girls from Villanova. We traveled on EasyJet, one of the cheap European airlines that is a business based on scamming people. There was no free wine on this trip... there was no free anything on this trip. But it was fine! We landed in both Lisbon and back in London safely so I guess I don't personally have too much to complain about... though one of my friends was completely ripped off. So warning: beware of easyjet. Anyway, immediately after getting to Lisbon, I knew I would love it. PALM TREES and a warm night greeted us as the five of us scurried into a cab that we would, days later, realize had severely ripped us off. But I'll get to that story...
We arrived at our hotel, which was in an amazing area of Lisbon. Against calm weather of the night, the streets surrounding our hotel bustled with people enjoying themselves at outdoor cafes and restaurants as musicians played steel drums and guitar in the street. The whole time, we were there, as we would try to siesta in the afternoon after touring, this amazingggg guitar player would play loudly as all of his fans cheered. It was such good music that I didn't care it was interrupting my nap.. aka my reading (I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife, which is not what I expected it to be but is pretty good regardless - I can't put it down). What good music........ I'll write about my musical internship/service thing later! - I officially play the cowbell.... but I'll explain in a different post at another time... I'm stuck on Portugal right now.
Every night we were in Portugal, my friends and I - for some reason - ended up having long, lavish dinners. Every single night we ordered four bottles of wine between the five of us and were legitimately the last table to leave the restaurant as the employees closed down for the night. On our first night, after getting lost walking around aimlessly - though we had a destination we never found, we ended up at this cute Italian place in a really cool part of the city that ended up being down the block from our hotel.... its funny how we always get lost or disoriented in new cities. Somehow, the two Liverpool guys sitting next to us got conned into buying us all roses from street vendors that relentlessly heckled tables at the restaurants so we chatted with them about England and Portugal and America and life...
Later we also befriended our waiter, Luciano, and talked to all the waiters there after closing about what to do in Lisbon -Spanish came in handy during this trip a little bit (but not that much)- and we somehow ended up convincing our new friend Luciano to come out with us! So he rushed back to get his "roommate," Andre, and they took us to some bar. This bar was very strange but I liked it. It was more of like a tackily over-decorated, multi-room, old school (aka traditional) parlor than a bar but the drinks were delicious and it was just funny to be in this strange place with two random Portuguese people - who we think may be lovers more so than roommates.
The next day we put on our shorts to enjoy Lisbon weather, ate lunch at an outdoor cafe in a really cute part of Lisbon a few blocks from our hotel where I ordered cod - which is the main thing to order besides Italian food in Portugal, and then we hopped on a bus tour around the historical part of the city. Lisbon is gorgeous. The buildings are right out of the old world and come in many different colors. However, you can tell that Lisbon - and even Portugal, in general - is a poorer place because though the buildings are beautiful, they're also pretty decrepit, some more than others. Some were perfectly fine actually but if it were a richer country, the buildings would most definitely be preserved or restored a lot better. Another day we took a bus tour around the modern part of the city, which architecturally (word check?) reminds me of Millenium Park in Chicago. Everything in the modern part of the city was named after Vasco da Gama, the explorer I know we all learned about during AP World History and forgot about, but after hearing it so many times on this tour, I will likely never forget that he is the Portuguese explorer who found the maritime route to India. What a good student.
Sintra. Oh Sintra, my love! Sintra is a city we took a 40 minute train ride to from Lisbon and it's where my heart is currently living. A cross between the road to Hana in Maui and Positano in Italy, this small town is out of a dream. I fell in love. We took a bus up the winding roads with hairpin turns - we thought we were going to die - to the Palacio de Pena up in the mountains. The palace, colored beautifully in deep purples and yellows and pinks and grays, stood on top of the mountain and was quite possibly the most peaceful place I've visited recently. The palace - inside and out - was gorgeous. Of course, I paid special attention to the ceilings, which apparently I have a new obsession with. They were decorated differently than the ones at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, both in England, without so much gold and silver detail, but were regal and beautiful in their own sense. You would think visiting castles would get old, but it really just doesn't... plain and simple. The cool thing about Palacio de Pena was that you could really explore it - it wasn't as stuffy as Buckingham or Windsor - though you still weren't permitted to take pictures inside (whoops, I snapped a few anyway). We walked up towers and in and out of state rooms and terraces. The view from the palace was spectacular. Through the stone railings of the palace you could see the entire town of red and white houses below with the Atlantic in the distance. All of this was just too perfect. I did not want to leave. I wish I was still there....
On our way down from Palacio de Pena, we stopped at another part of the town, which reminded me of Positano with its outdoor cafes, quaint alleyways leading to artisan shops, and beautiful views of the towns below and the ocean beyond. I had some amazing gelato - as I did everyday while in Portugal (which is why I've gained 200 lbs)- and searched through the little shops as I fell more in love with this quiet little town that I wish I was still in right now. There were so many more castles and churches to see in Sintra, but time just didn't permit.... I guess I'll have to travel back. I sincerely hope I have the chance to... I liked it so much better than Lisbon and it just seemed like one of those places where you could never be anything but serenely happy... all the townspeople seemed to be. One even fell in love with one of my friends... and expressed it on a napkin ;)
That night after another long dinner in a secluded restaurant behind many cobblestoned and tiled alleyways in Lisbon, we headed to Club Lux. We heard that the lady at the door was scary and hated Americans and would threaten to charge 240 euro for entrance so we went unsure if we would actually get inside the club - but we did - and without such a hefty cover. It wasn't a problem to get in because we showed up early - at 1:30 am! Yup, the clubs there don't really fill up until later than 2:30, which is extremelyyyy unlike London. Lux was cool ... clubbing isn't really my scene - I much prefer bars and pubs and live music to techno and warehouse-like settings... but it was a cool venue regardless. There was a rooftop terrace that allowed us to lay on these oversized comfy loungechair/couches that overlooked the river and the city as we waited for the crowd to arrive in the company of other earlycomers. In the warm weather, it felt similar to lying in the sand at Tobay beach on a warm summer night looking out onto the ocean - except I was actually wearing heels and a dress at a Portuguese nightclub and unfortunately, there was no sand. Those summer nights... it felt so good to be back.
Another night we went to Doxas, which probably means docks in Portuguese, though I'm completely guessing. Doxas was a row of restaurants, bars, and clubs set on a dock to the side of a main Lisbon bridge that looks just like the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and connects to the other side of the river. We ate dinner on the dock next to sailboats and the bridge and... as usual, we were the last ones to leave the restaurant before heading out to the bars/clubs on the same strip. Portuguese people - in Lisbon at least - were not the friendliest to us. We came across a few disgruntled cab drivers, and I don't know, something about us just did not lead us to making very many friends there. They don't have the same obsession with Americans as the Brits (lucky for me) seem to... though my friends did manage to meet some fellow American college students at Lux. ;)
Cascia was another town we visited during our trip - just yesterday I was there, actually. Cascia was a beachy resort town that people from other parts of Portugal and Europe travel to for vacation. Palm trees, outdoor restaurants and bars, gelaterias, boats, and beaches, this town was such a treat in the midst of October in London. I was reminded of coming home on Long Island late at night and smelling the ocean during low tide as we walked along the marinas and searched for good food and wine (ended up having delicious sangria... which made me miss Zim Zari even more) during our last hours in Portugal.
Similar to how Amsterdam was obsessed with marijuana and penises, Portugal was obsessed with roosters. I didn't understand why so I asked a guy in a souvenir shop and he told me a story about the roosters and how they symbolize good luck in Portugal. I meant to buy something with a rooster on it and I never did so I'm really upset because I love good luck! Who doesn't?! Dangggggg, I missed out. I did, however, buy myself boots, a dress, a little tile painting thing of Palacio de Pena, and rose-scented rosary beads... which are sooooo cool... my grandma will be sooo proud. hahaa
Cabs in Portugal are super cheap. Like, ridiculously cheap... we took them everywhere. Our cab from the airport, which was about 25 minutes away when we first arrived, was probably around 35 euro, which between 5 people, wasn't very much for airport transport. So we decided that would be the best way to get back to the airport last night. We couldn't find a van and the taxis are really strict with only taking 4 people, so we split up, upset that this ride would be more expensive. Maybe about 10 minutes after getting in the cab, we arrived at Lisbon airport. The ride cost 8 euro. It was at this point, three days after our 35 euro and 25 minute arriving ride, that we realized we had been ripped off by the first cab! Imagine our shock - though, it was actually kind of a pleasant surprise since we were expecting to pay a lot more, especially since we had to take two taxis between the five of us. Soooooooo I consider myself pretty smart & this is probably the second time I've been ripped off by a cab in Europe - though who knows, maybe it's been more times. Whateverrrr.... it was just a funny realization at that point.. whoopsss! Obrigado! ...... that's pretty much the one word I learned in Portuguese and used over and over and over and over and over and over... it means thank you - you say obrigado if you're thanking a male and obrigada if you're thanking a female.... I almost said obrigado to the passport agent in London because I got so used to it.... it's really a very catchy word.
So I'm back in London now. I just booked my flight to Athens & Budapest for two weeks from now and my train to Paris to meet up with Eileen. All I have left to book is my flight from Budapest to Prague to visit Colleen and my trip to Interlaken, Switzerland for my grand finale sky-diving trip with Amy, a friend from UCL. If I chicken out, I will be so mad at myself. So I better not chicken out. Period.
Anyway, I love London. So much. I am getting so freaked out looking through my planner and realizing I don't have that much time left here. I'm so jealous of everyone coming here next semester - like actually jealous, not even just as a phrase... I'm actually kind of mad about it. I want to stay... and if you know me at all, you know how much I'm obsessed with Villanova. And even though I miss everyone there, it's so cool living in a city & I'm not ready to even think about having to leave, which I guess is good since I have stillllll not booked a flight home yet. Maybe I'll stay here for another semester... too bad I definitely can't afford that after all these trips. I wish.
Obrigado for a great weekend, Portugal :) ............ so corny. don't care. loveeeee<3
I traveled to Lisbon - the capital city of Portugal - this past Thursday with Molly and three other girls from Villanova. We traveled on EasyJet, one of the cheap European airlines that is a business based on scamming people. There was no free wine on this trip... there was no free anything on this trip. But it was fine! We landed in both Lisbon and back in London safely so I guess I don't personally have too much to complain about... though one of my friends was completely ripped off. So warning: beware of easyjet. Anyway, immediately after getting to Lisbon, I knew I would love it. PALM TREES and a warm night greeted us as the five of us scurried into a cab that we would, days later, realize had severely ripped us off. But I'll get to that story...
We arrived at our hotel, which was in an amazing area of Lisbon. Against calm weather of the night, the streets surrounding our hotel bustled with people enjoying themselves at outdoor cafes and restaurants as musicians played steel drums and guitar in the street. The whole time, we were there, as we would try to siesta in the afternoon after touring, this amazingggg guitar player would play loudly as all of his fans cheered. It was such good music that I didn't care it was interrupting my nap.. aka my reading (I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife, which is not what I expected it to be but is pretty good regardless - I can't put it down). What good music........ I'll write about my musical internship/service thing later! - I officially play the cowbell.... but I'll explain in a different post at another time... I'm stuck on Portugal right now.
Every night we were in Portugal, my friends and I - for some reason - ended up having long, lavish dinners. Every single night we ordered four bottles of wine between the five of us and were legitimately the last table to leave the restaurant as the employees closed down for the night. On our first night, after getting lost walking around aimlessly - though we had a destination we never found, we ended up at this cute Italian place in a really cool part of the city that ended up being down the block from our hotel.... its funny how we always get lost or disoriented in new cities. Somehow, the two Liverpool guys sitting next to us got conned into buying us all roses from street vendors that relentlessly heckled tables at the restaurants so we chatted with them about England and Portugal and America and life...
Later we also befriended our waiter, Luciano, and talked to all the waiters there after closing about what to do in Lisbon -Spanish came in handy during this trip a little bit (but not that much)- and we somehow ended up convincing our new friend Luciano to come out with us! So he rushed back to get his "roommate," Andre, and they took us to some bar. This bar was very strange but I liked it. It was more of like a tackily over-decorated, multi-room, old school (aka traditional) parlor than a bar but the drinks were delicious and it was just funny to be in this strange place with two random Portuguese people - who we think may be lovers more so than roommates.
The next day we put on our shorts to enjoy Lisbon weather, ate lunch at an outdoor cafe in a really cute part of Lisbon a few blocks from our hotel where I ordered cod - which is the main thing to order besides Italian food in Portugal, and then we hopped on a bus tour around the historical part of the city. Lisbon is gorgeous. The buildings are right out of the old world and come in many different colors. However, you can tell that Lisbon - and even Portugal, in general - is a poorer place because though the buildings are beautiful, they're also pretty decrepit, some more than others. Some were perfectly fine actually but if it were a richer country, the buildings would most definitely be preserved or restored a lot better. Another day we took a bus tour around the modern part of the city, which architecturally (word check?) reminds me of Millenium Park in Chicago. Everything in the modern part of the city was named after Vasco da Gama, the explorer I know we all learned about during AP World History and forgot about, but after hearing it so many times on this tour, I will likely never forget that he is the Portuguese explorer who found the maritime route to India. What a good student.
Sintra. Oh Sintra, my love! Sintra is a city we took a 40 minute train ride to from Lisbon and it's where my heart is currently living. A cross between the road to Hana in Maui and Positano in Italy, this small town is out of a dream. I fell in love. We took a bus up the winding roads with hairpin turns - we thought we were going to die - to the Palacio de Pena up in the mountains. The palace, colored beautifully in deep purples and yellows and pinks and grays, stood on top of the mountain and was quite possibly the most peaceful place I've visited recently. The palace - inside and out - was gorgeous. Of course, I paid special attention to the ceilings, which apparently I have a new obsession with. They were decorated differently than the ones at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, both in England, without so much gold and silver detail, but were regal and beautiful in their own sense. You would think visiting castles would get old, but it really just doesn't... plain and simple. The cool thing about Palacio de Pena was that you could really explore it - it wasn't as stuffy as Buckingham or Windsor - though you still weren't permitted to take pictures inside (whoops, I snapped a few anyway). We walked up towers and in and out of state rooms and terraces. The view from the palace was spectacular. Through the stone railings of the palace you could see the entire town of red and white houses below with the Atlantic in the distance. All of this was just too perfect. I did not want to leave. I wish I was still there....
On our way down from Palacio de Pena, we stopped at another part of the town, which reminded me of Positano with its outdoor cafes, quaint alleyways leading to artisan shops, and beautiful views of the towns below and the ocean beyond. I had some amazing gelato - as I did everyday while in Portugal (which is why I've gained 200 lbs)- and searched through the little shops as I fell more in love with this quiet little town that I wish I was still in right now. There were so many more castles and churches to see in Sintra, but time just didn't permit.... I guess I'll have to travel back. I sincerely hope I have the chance to... I liked it so much better than Lisbon and it just seemed like one of those places where you could never be anything but serenely happy... all the townspeople seemed to be. One even fell in love with one of my friends... and expressed it on a napkin ;)
That night after another long dinner in a secluded restaurant behind many cobblestoned and tiled alleyways in Lisbon, we headed to Club Lux. We heard that the lady at the door was scary and hated Americans and would threaten to charge 240 euro for entrance so we went unsure if we would actually get inside the club - but we did - and without such a hefty cover. It wasn't a problem to get in because we showed up early - at 1:30 am! Yup, the clubs there don't really fill up until later than 2:30, which is extremelyyyy unlike London. Lux was cool ... clubbing isn't really my scene - I much prefer bars and pubs and live music to techno and warehouse-like settings... but it was a cool venue regardless. There was a rooftop terrace that allowed us to lay on these oversized comfy loungechair/couches that overlooked the river and the city as we waited for the crowd to arrive in the company of other earlycomers. In the warm weather, it felt similar to lying in the sand at Tobay beach on a warm summer night looking out onto the ocean - except I was actually wearing heels and a dress at a Portuguese nightclub and unfortunately, there was no sand. Those summer nights... it felt so good to be back.
Another night we went to Doxas, which probably means docks in Portuguese, though I'm completely guessing. Doxas was a row of restaurants, bars, and clubs set on a dock to the side of a main Lisbon bridge that looks just like the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and connects to the other side of the river. We ate dinner on the dock next to sailboats and the bridge and... as usual, we were the last ones to leave the restaurant before heading out to the bars/clubs on the same strip. Portuguese people - in Lisbon at least - were not the friendliest to us. We came across a few disgruntled cab drivers, and I don't know, something about us just did not lead us to making very many friends there. They don't have the same obsession with Americans as the Brits (lucky for me) seem to... though my friends did manage to meet some fellow American college students at Lux. ;)
Cascia was another town we visited during our trip - just yesterday I was there, actually. Cascia was a beachy resort town that people from other parts of Portugal and Europe travel to for vacation. Palm trees, outdoor restaurants and bars, gelaterias, boats, and beaches, this town was such a treat in the midst of October in London. I was reminded of coming home on Long Island late at night and smelling the ocean during low tide as we walked along the marinas and searched for good food and wine (ended up having delicious sangria... which made me miss Zim Zari even more) during our last hours in Portugal.
Similar to how Amsterdam was obsessed with marijuana and penises, Portugal was obsessed with roosters. I didn't understand why so I asked a guy in a souvenir shop and he told me a story about the roosters and how they symbolize good luck in Portugal. I meant to buy something with a rooster on it and I never did so I'm really upset because I love good luck! Who doesn't?! Dangggggg, I missed out. I did, however, buy myself boots, a dress, a little tile painting thing of Palacio de Pena, and rose-scented rosary beads... which are sooooo cool... my grandma will be sooo proud. hahaa
Cabs in Portugal are super cheap. Like, ridiculously cheap... we took them everywhere. Our cab from the airport, which was about 25 minutes away when we first arrived, was probably around 35 euro, which between 5 people, wasn't very much for airport transport. So we decided that would be the best way to get back to the airport last night. We couldn't find a van and the taxis are really strict with only taking 4 people, so we split up, upset that this ride would be more expensive. Maybe about 10 minutes after getting in the cab, we arrived at Lisbon airport. The ride cost 8 euro. It was at this point, three days after our 35 euro and 25 minute arriving ride, that we realized we had been ripped off by the first cab! Imagine our shock - though, it was actually kind of a pleasant surprise since we were expecting to pay a lot more, especially since we had to take two taxis between the five of us. Soooooooo I consider myself pretty smart & this is probably the second time I've been ripped off by a cab in Europe - though who knows, maybe it's been more times. Whateverrrr.... it was just a funny realization at that point.. whoopsss! Obrigado! ...... that's pretty much the one word I learned in Portuguese and used over and over and over and over and over and over... it means thank you - you say obrigado if you're thanking a male and obrigada if you're thanking a female.... I almost said obrigado to the passport agent in London because I got so used to it.... it's really a very catchy word.
So I'm back in London now. I just booked my flight to Athens & Budapest for two weeks from now and my train to Paris to meet up with Eileen. All I have left to book is my flight from Budapest to Prague to visit Colleen and my trip to Interlaken, Switzerland for my grand finale sky-diving trip with Amy, a friend from UCL. If I chicken out, I will be so mad at myself. So I better not chicken out. Period.
Anyway, I love London. So much. I am getting so freaked out looking through my planner and realizing I don't have that much time left here. I'm so jealous of everyone coming here next semester - like actually jealous, not even just as a phrase... I'm actually kind of mad about it. I want to stay... and if you know me at all, you know how much I'm obsessed with Villanova. And even though I miss everyone there, it's so cool living in a city & I'm not ready to even think about having to leave, which I guess is good since I have stillllll not booked a flight home yet. Maybe I'll stay here for another semester... too bad I definitely can't afford that after all these trips. I wish.
Obrigado for a great weekend, Portugal :) ............ so corny. don't care. loveeeee<3
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
FML
I finally went to the UCL library... first time in the month I've been here. It is beautiful. More so than a library, it looks like a museum of Renaissance art. It was huge and gorgeous and has a million different rooms with specific subjects. Students don't really buy textbooks here (which is great for me) because they do a ton of reading from many different books so the library is set up so it's easy to find books by subject.
As amazing as the library was with all its splendor [and the rows and rows of beautifully organized philosophy books, which I seriously got excited about like it was a chocolate store], it doesn't compare to Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova - which I just realized spells out FML hahaa.
Don't get me wrong, there is no doubt that UCL has a better library - by a million. What UCL doesn't have, though, is a community. I saw very few people socializing in the library, which is pretty much my reason for going to the library at home (Villanova). People were actually there to study and to get books and to do assignments. This isn't a bad thing... and of course that's a large part of the reason many students go to Falvey... but there was no sense of comraderie among students in the UCL library. It's not even set up to encourage that - there are long rows of study areas in grand halls - not home-y or cozy at all.
That's the difference between Villanova & other schools, especially large research universities. "Community" is one of those phrases Villanovans like to toss around a lot, but being at UCL has made me realize even more how special of a place it really is because of that community. But since I've chosen not to be there now, I might as well take advantage of the incredible library. Maybe I'll actually read for my classes this semester. Probably not.
Tourist notes: I went to Windsor Castle this Sunday. It was gorgeous - highly recommended - and the Queen was even there! Still haven't met her =/ The pictures don't do it justice -especially because you can't take pictures of the inside, which is aggravating since it's the best part. I love looking at the ceilings of the different rooms inside - they are so ornate and beautiful and unique and I'm legitimately jealous that I'll never have ceilings like that! It was such a cute town around the castle, also. It was part touristy (there was a Topshop) but part small-town England with many little pubs.
On the note of pubs, I think we need more in the US. It's completely acceptable to go to the pub everyday here just for a drink or two and to catch up with friends after school or work - or during - as they're normally crowded during lunch hours too. They provide such a cozy atmosphere, exactly the type that's conducive to spending quality time with good friends... which is -beyond anything else -my favorite thing to do. Maybe I'll open one. Probably not. But it would be so cool.
Peace. Love. FML ;)
As amazing as the library was with all its splendor [and the rows and rows of beautifully organized philosophy books, which I seriously got excited about like it was a chocolate store], it doesn't compare to Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova - which I just realized spells out FML hahaa.
Don't get me wrong, there is no doubt that UCL has a better library - by a million. What UCL doesn't have, though, is a community. I saw very few people socializing in the library, which is pretty much my reason for going to the library at home (Villanova). People were actually there to study and to get books and to do assignments. This isn't a bad thing... and of course that's a large part of the reason many students go to Falvey... but there was no sense of comraderie among students in the UCL library. It's not even set up to encourage that - there are long rows of study areas in grand halls - not home-y or cozy at all.
That's the difference between Villanova & other schools, especially large research universities. "Community" is one of those phrases Villanovans like to toss around a lot, but being at UCL has made me realize even more how special of a place it really is because of that community. But since I've chosen not to be there now, I might as well take advantage of the incredible library. Maybe I'll actually read for my classes this semester. Probably not.
Tourist notes: I went to Windsor Castle this Sunday. It was gorgeous - highly recommended - and the Queen was even there! Still haven't met her =/ The pictures don't do it justice -especially because you can't take pictures of the inside, which is aggravating since it's the best part. I love looking at the ceilings of the different rooms inside - they are so ornate and beautiful and unique and I'm legitimately jealous that I'll never have ceilings like that! It was such a cute town around the castle, also. It was part touristy (there was a Topshop) but part small-town England with many little pubs.
On the note of pubs, I think we need more in the US. It's completely acceptable to go to the pub everyday here just for a drink or two and to catch up with friends after school or work - or during - as they're normally crowded during lunch hours too. They provide such a cozy atmosphere, exactly the type that's conducive to spending quality time with good friends... which is -beyond anything else -my favorite thing to do. Maybe I'll open one. Probably not. But it would be so cool.
Peace. Love. FML ;)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Business as usual... No big deal
Last weekend, I flew to Amsterdam with my beautiful friends from UCL. The flight was super quick.... free wine & chocolate was involved. I was happy. We didn't get to our hotel until about 1:30am (Saturday morning, I guess) because my friends and I were stupid... and possibly said the wrong hotel or possibly got ripped off... so after many many euros too many, we finally arrived at the hotel, which later in the weekend, I found out was about .5 miles from where we initially were. Whooopsss.. Anyway, immediately upon arriving we walked around seeing what the city had to offer and decided that late Friday night/early Saturday morning would be the perfect time to go to the Red Light District.
Walking five minutes from our hotel, we arrived - after passing a million chocolate covered belgian waffle & kebab stands (the food in Amsterdam was incredible) - in the heart of the Red Light District. I was expecting sex shops, strip clubs, erotica galore... and while those existed, I was shocked when I arrived and there were actually women standing in bathing suit-like outfits in windows lit up by red lights trying to seduce the thousands of men [old, young, seedy, foreign, nerdy, etc.] that passed by dancing, shaking, blowing kisses, pointing fingers. If Frederick's of Hollywood mannequins came to life & wanted to put their products to use.. this is probably what it would look like.... only Frederick's would probably be less seedy. It was weird seeing empty windows, knowing what was going on in the back room or behind the drawn curtain. It was equally weird seeing men knock at the door or leave the little "shops" - with looks on their faces that were just business as usual. I couldn't decide if I felt sad for these girls because they were reduced to this type of life or if they were actually practicing the ultimate type of liberation, i.e. they grew up wanting to do this for a living and found a place where it was legal, safe, and also flourishing industry.
The next morning, my friends and I woke up early to experience what this different city had to offer.... and then to explore it. We ate the best scones & jam I've ever had in my entire life at a nearby French bakery.... I cannot get over how delicious the food in this city was. After that, we headed out to hit up the Van Gogh museum & the Heineken Experience.
The city is populated primarily by people, prostitutes, and bikes. No joke.... there are bikes everywhere. One bike garage - which is a multi-level parking garage - held 60,000 bikes. Everyone rode a bike - women with heels, women with children, children themselves, old men, and everyone in between. I think I almost got run over by a bike about 50 times and the bikers are not friendly. If you're in their way - they do not stop. They either ring their bell, yell at you, or just try to barely avoid hitting you to scare you and probably try to teach you a lesson about walking in their way.
So though we ventured to see the Van Gogh museum... our feet were dragging through the beautiful canal-lined streets so we never actually made it there... plus, we heard the lines were outrageously long. Instead we made it to Noordrmarket... a farmer's market that takes place every Saturday. Here, they had the normal stands you would suspect would be at a farmer's market and some things you would never think would be there. For example, at the chocolate stand.. they sold fudge, and peanut brittle, and chunks of belgian chocolate - and chocolate penises of all sizes and variations. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, tiny ones in packs of three, large ones with different types of chocolate, etc. Not to forget about repping the women, the stand also had chocolate boobs of similarly wide variations. We were at this stand for a while because one of my friend's dads is a urologist so he took some time to pick out which chocolate penis would be durable enough to last for him to bring it home at the end of the semester, which was hilarious. While we were there, a woman - who looked like she was at the age to be buying after-school snacks for her kids - came to the stand and casually ordered some chocolate fudge, a large dark chocolate penis, and a medium-sized white chocolate pair of boobs.... no big deal.
And though I ventured to go to the Heineken Experience, I knew my roommate, Colleen!, who's studying in Prague, would coincidentally also be in Amsterdam. So I broke away from my London amigos and began to search for my roommate in the everything-is-legal-and-we-speak-Dutch-city, during which time it started to rain. But don't worry! I found her and we got to spend a few lovely hours enjoying what Amsterdam allowed us to while catching up on our separate lives abroad. It does not actually feel real that we met up in the Netherlands... but it happened and we have a miserable rmfl picture to prove it =] The rest of the night with my UCL friends brought some good memories and new experiences, as well. I realized while I was in Amsterdam that things you would normally do at home with friends you've known & loved for years is not the same as doing those same things in a city you don't know.. where everything is legal.. and the people speak Dutch (even though most also speak English). And that little realization was pretty much the moral of the story of this trip.
The next day we woke up early, grabbed some more of our favorite scones & jam, and headed for the Anne Frank House. While some of us waited on the line, I went to find some souveniers nearby. While I ended up with a little Delft blue wooden shoe-like necklace, I did have the choice to buy Delft blue (you know what it is & just didn't know the name, because that's how I felt before this trip) large penis salt and pepper shakers. Classy, useful, and shocking... I left them behind. It was funny that it was this innocent-looking old lady who was running the souvenier shop that sold these types of items.... it's just business there, it's no big deal.
The Anne Frank House was worth going to for anyone who ever read her diary - and for those who haven't, you really should. It was both cool and eerie to be in the same place where a) I read about in vivid detail in her diary when I was younger and b) you are aware that a Nazi invasion and capture took place. The museum was well-organized and interviews and testimonies of Otto Frank, Anne's father, played throughout some of the rooms in the warehouse and Secret Annex, which is what of course made me cry. Nothing gets me like a father talking about his daughter... who wrote a remarkable piece of literature... at a very young age.... during the Holocaust... who did not survive. Anne's actual diary was encased in the museum so it was very neat to visualize her sitting there with that exact bound paper writing the story of her life.
So I definitely advise people to travel to Amsterdam - it was a beautiful city - similar to Venice with the canals, only the streets were more organized and the canals less smelly. Next time I'm there, I will definitely go to Van Gogh and Heineken, and I will absolutely be renting a bicycle - with a bell.
Back in London, I finally went to Harrods... and returned three days in a row. It is heavenly. Someone has asked, so I'll explain: Harrods is a luxury department store - which is the biggest understatement. Harrods is actually retail heaven. I can't even talk about it in too much detail or knowing me, I'll jump on the tube and be there way too soon for anyone's good. I actually did not have high expectations for Harrods, which is probably why I'm so obsessed with it now because it exceeded anything I could have imagined.
The food halls are like an international farmer's market - for the rich and famous. They have absolutely every type of food there and it's lined up in such a luxurious way. My friends and I got samples of chocolate, Spanish mole, and in the meat department... a butcher stood in the aisle with a leg of cow and cut off pieces of prosciutto that was to die for. Every single designer from around the world was represented many times in different sections of Harrods. But besides designer and luxury everything, Harrods also has entire floors of electronics, bikes (should have went before Amsterdam), toys, wines, pharmaceuticals. In the toy department, my friends & I came across "instant magic snow," which contrary to many false advertisements, it was exactly what it said. You put sand in your hand, poured some water on it, and instantly the sand rose like magic into wet, cold snow... and could stay like that for weeks & then be re-used. I contemplated buying it but decided I'd probably never find a use for instant magic snow.
During this first trip to heaven, my friends & I were standing in the crowded chocolate halls and a man said to me "Excuse me, can we get by?" So of course, I smile and say yes before my friends and I quickly realize that this man is surrounded by security guards. Naturally, we decide to follow him to see why he's important enough to have an entourage and in the process we noticed employees whispering to each other and giving each other the shocked/excited glances that made us realize - along with his Egyptian appearance & our quick search on Google blackberry - that the owner of Harrods had just asked us to get by!! Yep, I pretty much met the creator of Harrods heaven! And by met, I mean almost banged into him. No big deal.
My second trip to Harrods was with Eileen - my friend from H.S. - and her friend from Nottingham. We had met up earlier in the week at Sports Cafe - typical - and I got to meet a bunch of her new English friends, which was fun. We went to lunch in South Kensington and walked over to Harrods - which is when I made the dangerous realization that my Monday night Villanova class is about 15 mins walking from Harrods. I didn't buy anything but a cupcake during this trip.
The next day, after a random 4-hour session of Villanova class in S. Ken., Molly and I - with my new discovery in mind - travelled over to Harrods and made some impulse purchases. Since I've been here, I've been needing to acquire my "London" everything (which I've been made fun of for)... for example, so far I have my London dresses, my London bag, my UK tourist shirt, and the beginnings of my London wardrobe.. and probably other things that I've forgotten. When Molly & I got to Harrods, we somehow ended up in the perfume room and we decided to acquire our London scents. In the process, I opened up a Harrods reward card - for no other reason than to have that beautiful card in my wallet forever as a permanent reminder of that heavenly place in London.
After this third trip to Harrods, my friends & I went to see Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Haymarket Theater in Piccadilly Circus. The play was really good. I have never read the book by Capote... I've just seen the movie - and don't even remember that too well either. However, having read other works by Capote, the play was most likely taken more directly from his novella than from the glamourized Hollywood version of the tale. "Never love a wild thing," was a quote that I picked up from the play... I'm not sure if I agree with it or not but it struck me in some way. We went to my favorite Thai place on Charlotte Street right by my dorm afterwards.
Earlier in the week, I had drinks on Charlotte Street with my cousins! Well, they're actually something like my third cousins twice removed - my grandmother's cousin's children. That extension of the family lives in England and I've met only one of them, Emily, before. I spent a few fun hours with Emily and her brother Ed. We talked about London, culture, music, things I must see, and family members we mutually know or remember. It was really cool/weird to be able to talk about my very own family with these British cousins who I don't know all too well. I had a really good time and I'm thankful they wanted to meet up with me!
And finally, yesterday I traveled to Oxford University with the Villanova program. Oxford is a cool place. When you decide to go to Oxford - which I did not - you're deciding to join a school of traditions from the Medieval times, which is crazy but cool. We coincidentally visited on Matriculation Day which is when the fresher's have ceremonies that induct them into the school. They all wear these cape/gown things that they're also required to wear to take final exams and for formal dinners every Wednesday, as one of my friends told me beacuse I also very coincidentally ran into him - he goes to Villanova but is spending the semester at Oxford - on a random isolated street in Oxford so he hung out for a while.
I thought Oxford was going to be an isolated campus amidst rolling hills - but it was quite a bustling college town - similar to Penn Sate - only much bigger, much more medieval, and even much more British. Yes, there was a Topshop there! We went inside ChristChurch while we were there, which is one of the most famous builidings at Oxford.... a bunch of Harry Potter scenes were filmed there - but regardless, it was gorgeous and still in use by students today. The dining halls were similar to the Pit at Villanova - NOT! They were exactly like the grand dining halls in Harry Potter with long mahogany tables, fine china, candelavres, and portraits of historical people along the high-spanning walls. I would rather eat at the Pit though... for real. I can't imagine going to school at Oxford - it's definitely a different experience than both Villanova and UCL.
I can't help but feel like I'm living the dream here. It's been almost a month and I litrally (fave British word) cannot believe that this is my life. I'm so lucky to be here and be doing all these things - it's absolutely absurd and I love every second of it. This post is a novel and a half.
peace. love. litrallyyy everthing.
or peace. love. tacos. - because I miss Zim Zari!
Walking five minutes from our hotel, we arrived - after passing a million chocolate covered belgian waffle & kebab stands (the food in Amsterdam was incredible) - in the heart of the Red Light District. I was expecting sex shops, strip clubs, erotica galore... and while those existed, I was shocked when I arrived and there were actually women standing in bathing suit-like outfits in windows lit up by red lights trying to seduce the thousands of men [old, young, seedy, foreign, nerdy, etc.] that passed by dancing, shaking, blowing kisses, pointing fingers. If Frederick's of Hollywood mannequins came to life & wanted to put their products to use.. this is probably what it would look like.... only Frederick's would probably be less seedy. It was weird seeing empty windows, knowing what was going on in the back room or behind the drawn curtain. It was equally weird seeing men knock at the door or leave the little "shops" - with looks on their faces that were just business as usual. I couldn't decide if I felt sad for these girls because they were reduced to this type of life or if they were actually practicing the ultimate type of liberation, i.e. they grew up wanting to do this for a living and found a place where it was legal, safe, and also flourishing industry.
The next morning, my friends and I woke up early to experience what this different city had to offer.... and then to explore it. We ate the best scones & jam I've ever had in my entire life at a nearby French bakery.... I cannot get over how delicious the food in this city was. After that, we headed out to hit up the Van Gogh museum & the Heineken Experience.
The city is populated primarily by people, prostitutes, and bikes. No joke.... there are bikes everywhere. One bike garage - which is a multi-level parking garage - held 60,000 bikes. Everyone rode a bike - women with heels, women with children, children themselves, old men, and everyone in between. I think I almost got run over by a bike about 50 times and the bikers are not friendly. If you're in their way - they do not stop. They either ring their bell, yell at you, or just try to barely avoid hitting you to scare you and probably try to teach you a lesson about walking in their way.
So though we ventured to see the Van Gogh museum... our feet were dragging through the beautiful canal-lined streets so we never actually made it there... plus, we heard the lines were outrageously long. Instead we made it to Noordrmarket... a farmer's market that takes place every Saturday. Here, they had the normal stands you would suspect would be at a farmer's market and some things you would never think would be there. For example, at the chocolate stand.. they sold fudge, and peanut brittle, and chunks of belgian chocolate - and chocolate penises of all sizes and variations. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, tiny ones in packs of three, large ones with different types of chocolate, etc. Not to forget about repping the women, the stand also had chocolate boobs of similarly wide variations. We were at this stand for a while because one of my friend's dads is a urologist so he took some time to pick out which chocolate penis would be durable enough to last for him to bring it home at the end of the semester, which was hilarious. While we were there, a woman - who looked like she was at the age to be buying after-school snacks for her kids - came to the stand and casually ordered some chocolate fudge, a large dark chocolate penis, and a medium-sized white chocolate pair of boobs.... no big deal.
And though I ventured to go to the Heineken Experience, I knew my roommate, Colleen!, who's studying in Prague, would coincidentally also be in Amsterdam. So I broke away from my London amigos and began to search for my roommate in the everything-is-legal-and-we-speak-Dutch-city, during which time it started to rain. But don't worry! I found her and we got to spend a few lovely hours enjoying what Amsterdam allowed us to while catching up on our separate lives abroad. It does not actually feel real that we met up in the Netherlands... but it happened and we have a miserable rmfl picture to prove it =] The rest of the night with my UCL friends brought some good memories and new experiences, as well. I realized while I was in Amsterdam that things you would normally do at home with friends you've known & loved for years is not the same as doing those same things in a city you don't know.. where everything is legal.. and the people speak Dutch (even though most also speak English). And that little realization was pretty much the moral of the story of this trip.
The next day we woke up early, grabbed some more of our favorite scones & jam, and headed for the Anne Frank House. While some of us waited on the line, I went to find some souveniers nearby. While I ended up with a little Delft blue wooden shoe-like necklace, I did have the choice to buy Delft blue (you know what it is & just didn't know the name, because that's how I felt before this trip) large penis salt and pepper shakers. Classy, useful, and shocking... I left them behind. It was funny that it was this innocent-looking old lady who was running the souvenier shop that sold these types of items.... it's just business there, it's no big deal.
The Anne Frank House was worth going to for anyone who ever read her diary - and for those who haven't, you really should. It was both cool and eerie to be in the same place where a) I read about in vivid detail in her diary when I was younger and b) you are aware that a Nazi invasion and capture took place. The museum was well-organized and interviews and testimonies of Otto Frank, Anne's father, played throughout some of the rooms in the warehouse and Secret Annex, which is what of course made me cry. Nothing gets me like a father talking about his daughter... who wrote a remarkable piece of literature... at a very young age.... during the Holocaust... who did not survive. Anne's actual diary was encased in the museum so it was very neat to visualize her sitting there with that exact bound paper writing the story of her life.
So I definitely advise people to travel to Amsterdam - it was a beautiful city - similar to Venice with the canals, only the streets were more organized and the canals less smelly. Next time I'm there, I will definitely go to Van Gogh and Heineken, and I will absolutely be renting a bicycle - with a bell.
Back in London, I finally went to Harrods... and returned three days in a row. It is heavenly. Someone has asked, so I'll explain: Harrods is a luxury department store - which is the biggest understatement. Harrods is actually retail heaven. I can't even talk about it in too much detail or knowing me, I'll jump on the tube and be there way too soon for anyone's good. I actually did not have high expectations for Harrods, which is probably why I'm so obsessed with it now because it exceeded anything I could have imagined.
The food halls are like an international farmer's market - for the rich and famous. They have absolutely every type of food there and it's lined up in such a luxurious way. My friends and I got samples of chocolate, Spanish mole, and in the meat department... a butcher stood in the aisle with a leg of cow and cut off pieces of prosciutto that was to die for. Every single designer from around the world was represented many times in different sections of Harrods. But besides designer and luxury everything, Harrods also has entire floors of electronics, bikes (should have went before Amsterdam), toys, wines, pharmaceuticals. In the toy department, my friends & I came across "instant magic snow," which contrary to many false advertisements, it was exactly what it said. You put sand in your hand, poured some water on it, and instantly the sand rose like magic into wet, cold snow... and could stay like that for weeks & then be re-used. I contemplated buying it but decided I'd probably never find a use for instant magic snow.
During this first trip to heaven, my friends & I were standing in the crowded chocolate halls and a man said to me "Excuse me, can we get by?" So of course, I smile and say yes before my friends and I quickly realize that this man is surrounded by security guards. Naturally, we decide to follow him to see why he's important enough to have an entourage and in the process we noticed employees whispering to each other and giving each other the shocked/excited glances that made us realize - along with his Egyptian appearance & our quick search on Google blackberry - that the owner of Harrods had just asked us to get by!! Yep, I pretty much met the creator of Harrods heaven! And by met, I mean almost banged into him. No big deal.
My second trip to Harrods was with Eileen - my friend from H.S. - and her friend from Nottingham. We had met up earlier in the week at Sports Cafe - typical - and I got to meet a bunch of her new English friends, which was fun. We went to lunch in South Kensington and walked over to Harrods - which is when I made the dangerous realization that my Monday night Villanova class is about 15 mins walking from Harrods. I didn't buy anything but a cupcake during this trip.
The next day, after a random 4-hour session of Villanova class in S. Ken., Molly and I - with my new discovery in mind - travelled over to Harrods and made some impulse purchases. Since I've been here, I've been needing to acquire my "London" everything (which I've been made fun of for)... for example, so far I have my London dresses, my London bag, my UK tourist shirt, and the beginnings of my London wardrobe.. and probably other things that I've forgotten. When Molly & I got to Harrods, we somehow ended up in the perfume room and we decided to acquire our London scents. In the process, I opened up a Harrods reward card - for no other reason than to have that beautiful card in my wallet forever as a permanent reminder of that heavenly place in London.
After this third trip to Harrods, my friends & I went to see Breakfast at Tiffany's at the Haymarket Theater in Piccadilly Circus. The play was really good. I have never read the book by Capote... I've just seen the movie - and don't even remember that too well either. However, having read other works by Capote, the play was most likely taken more directly from his novella than from the glamourized Hollywood version of the tale. "Never love a wild thing," was a quote that I picked up from the play... I'm not sure if I agree with it or not but it struck me in some way. We went to my favorite Thai place on Charlotte Street right by my dorm afterwards.
Earlier in the week, I had drinks on Charlotte Street with my cousins! Well, they're actually something like my third cousins twice removed - my grandmother's cousin's children. That extension of the family lives in England and I've met only one of them, Emily, before. I spent a few fun hours with Emily and her brother Ed. We talked about London, culture, music, things I must see, and family members we mutually know or remember. It was really cool/weird to be able to talk about my very own family with these British cousins who I don't know all too well. I had a really good time and I'm thankful they wanted to meet up with me!
And finally, yesterday I traveled to Oxford University with the Villanova program. Oxford is a cool place. When you decide to go to Oxford - which I did not - you're deciding to join a school of traditions from the Medieval times, which is crazy but cool. We coincidentally visited on Matriculation Day which is when the fresher's have ceremonies that induct them into the school. They all wear these cape/gown things that they're also required to wear to take final exams and for formal dinners every Wednesday, as one of my friends told me beacuse I also very coincidentally ran into him - he goes to Villanova but is spending the semester at Oxford - on a random isolated street in Oxford so he hung out for a while.
I thought Oxford was going to be an isolated campus amidst rolling hills - but it was quite a bustling college town - similar to Penn Sate - only much bigger, much more medieval, and even much more British. Yes, there was a Topshop there! We went inside ChristChurch while we were there, which is one of the most famous builidings at Oxford.... a bunch of Harry Potter scenes were filmed there - but regardless, it was gorgeous and still in use by students today. The dining halls were similar to the Pit at Villanova - NOT! They were exactly like the grand dining halls in Harry Potter with long mahogany tables, fine china, candelavres, and portraits of historical people along the high-spanning walls. I would rather eat at the Pit though... for real. I can't imagine going to school at Oxford - it's definitely a different experience than both Villanova and UCL.
I can't help but feel like I'm living the dream here. It's been almost a month and I litrally (fave British word) cannot believe that this is my life. I'm so lucky to be here and be doing all these things - it's absolutely absurd and I love every second of it. This post is a novel and a half.
peace. love. litrallyyy everthing.
or peace. love. tacos. - because I miss Zim Zari!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mind the Gap
Something big just happened to me. In the past week, I've traveled to Amsterdam, experienced Harrod's, and met my British relatives - all of which I'll discuss in a different post at a different time... because those experiences are not the momentous something big I'm talking about (though they all meant a lot to me and were incredible!!!).
I finally saw into the British perspective. Yup, that's the big thing that just happened to me. It was an ah-ha moment that happened within me... and in explaining it, I will seem like a complete nerd, which I'm okay with; this is probably also quite dull... but I'm excited, lo siento! Let me explain.
I was just sitting in my seminar for Intro to British Politics, in which there are - unfortuately - all American students minus one Brit, and we were discussing the issue of the British constitution. Specifically, should there be a written consitution?
This question made me focus on why I'm a political science student and consequently, why I love government. I love it because I love people. I love it because I want all people to live good lives (props to why I'm also a philosophy student). I think that government has considerable power in helping people live the good life. This perspective helps explain why I'm in favor of big government, particularly for social issues. This perspective may also explain why I'm opposed to overwhelming government authority and abuse of power. I like power to reside with the people. Government of the people, for the people, by the people... love of my life, my cup of tea, yum.
Okay so with that fragmented thought process in mind, my American perspective quickly thought OMG how do they not have a written constitution?! How are citizens' rights protected?! How are the powers established?! How is it that the winner-take-all system works without written guidelines in a consitution?! How are British citizens not up in arms over this?! I literally (litrally, hehe) had to take a chill pill because I was thinking that there should of course be a written consitution, in fact, its a few centuries overdue! ... it's funny that this excites me.
So then people - as in, Americans - started to chime in with similar thoughts to what flew through my head initially. And in a turn beyond my belief at the moment, the British girl commented that it probably wouldn't be favorable because "it's so British" that there is no written constitution. AH-HA!
I've been travelling via the tube quite a lot for the past three weeks and every time the doors open and there's a transfer of passengers, the automated voice warns to "mind the gap." For some reason, I always chuckle when I hear this and often imitate it with my friends... probably because the automated voice is - obviously - in a British accent.... actually, that is definitely why I find it funny. And to that regard, I'm laughing because it's different from the "watch the gap" announcement that I'm used to hearing on the LIRR at home. I hear "mind the gap" and I'm instantly reminded that I'm in a different country & I casually chuckle at that reminder.
This ah-ha moment caused more than a casual chuckle... it caused me to think. I am in a different country. There is a different perspective towards living, which I've been noting all along. With this comes a different perspective towards governing.. which I started to realize during my first classes last week. What I didn't notice - and this is why it was an ah-ha moment - is that my American attitude no longer applies. Britain should not have a written constitution, and with my new British perspective - and part of my solid American one - they never will, it's nearly impossible. Even if it were possible, it's completely unnecessary here because of their way of life and their frame of mind. I would think that it's necessary since I'm American and it's what I'm accustomed to, but in truth, the British don't need one.
This realization about the difference in attitudes means a lot more than just learning a new fun fact in British Gov. It changed my American perspective and also my personal perspective. As an American I thought our way of governing, our way of life, was always so good. Naturally, I thought that other countries should strive to be like us - at least in some ways. At the very leaset, I thought that in some light, they wanted to be like us. This thought is crap. American crap.
Every country is different. There are attitudes, lifestyles, and perspectives that vary from place to place. Not every country is America. Not everyone wants to be America. Not everyone can be America. Not everyone should be America. The American way works for America. And I love that way.... but I think that we have to realize that our superiority complex actually ignores the world around us and prevents us from becoming an even better country.
We celebrate how we're different from other countries. What makes us think that every other country wants to - or has to - be just like us? As Americans, we have to "mind the gap" between ourselves and other countries... and there are a lot of differences to mind.
So that's my little rant/discovery for today... I had to sort through what was going on in my head and why I could not sit still in my seminar. Anyway, I'm headed to South Kensington to meet up with a friend from high school for lunch [Eileen!!!] & then who knows! Next time, expect stories of Amsterdam, Harrods, & third cousins twice removed!!
<3 <3 <3
I finally saw into the British perspective. Yup, that's the big thing that just happened to me. It was an ah-ha moment that happened within me... and in explaining it, I will seem like a complete nerd, which I'm okay with; this is probably also quite dull... but I'm excited, lo siento! Let me explain.
I was just sitting in my seminar for Intro to British Politics, in which there are - unfortuately - all American students minus one Brit, and we were discussing the issue of the British constitution. Specifically, should there be a written consitution?
This question made me focus on why I'm a political science student and consequently, why I love government. I love it because I love people. I love it because I want all people to live good lives (props to why I'm also a philosophy student). I think that government has considerable power in helping people live the good life. This perspective helps explain why I'm in favor of big government, particularly for social issues. This perspective may also explain why I'm opposed to overwhelming government authority and abuse of power. I like power to reside with the people. Government of the people, for the people, by the people... love of my life, my cup of tea, yum.
Okay so with that fragmented thought process in mind, my American perspective quickly thought OMG how do they not have a written constitution?! How are citizens' rights protected?! How are the powers established?! How is it that the winner-take-all system works without written guidelines in a consitution?! How are British citizens not up in arms over this?! I literally (litrally, hehe) had to take a chill pill because I was thinking that there should of course be a written consitution, in fact, its a few centuries overdue! ... it's funny that this excites me.
So then people - as in, Americans - started to chime in with similar thoughts to what flew through my head initially. And in a turn beyond my belief at the moment, the British girl commented that it probably wouldn't be favorable because "it's so British" that there is no written constitution. AH-HA!
I've been travelling via the tube quite a lot for the past three weeks and every time the doors open and there's a transfer of passengers, the automated voice warns to "mind the gap." For some reason, I always chuckle when I hear this and often imitate it with my friends... probably because the automated voice is - obviously - in a British accent.... actually, that is definitely why I find it funny. And to that regard, I'm laughing because it's different from the "watch the gap" announcement that I'm used to hearing on the LIRR at home. I hear "mind the gap" and I'm instantly reminded that I'm in a different country & I casually chuckle at that reminder.
This ah-ha moment caused more than a casual chuckle... it caused me to think. I am in a different country. There is a different perspective towards living, which I've been noting all along. With this comes a different perspective towards governing.. which I started to realize during my first classes last week. What I didn't notice - and this is why it was an ah-ha moment - is that my American attitude no longer applies. Britain should not have a written constitution, and with my new British perspective - and part of my solid American one - they never will, it's nearly impossible. Even if it were possible, it's completely unnecessary here because of their way of life and their frame of mind. I would think that it's necessary since I'm American and it's what I'm accustomed to, but in truth, the British don't need one.
This realization about the difference in attitudes means a lot more than just learning a new fun fact in British Gov. It changed my American perspective and also my personal perspective. As an American I thought our way of governing, our way of life, was always so good. Naturally, I thought that other countries should strive to be like us - at least in some ways. At the very leaset, I thought that in some light, they wanted to be like us. This thought is crap. American crap.
Every country is different. There are attitudes, lifestyles, and perspectives that vary from place to place. Not every country is America. Not everyone wants to be America. Not everyone can be America. Not everyone should be America. The American way works for America. And I love that way.... but I think that we have to realize that our superiority complex actually ignores the world around us and prevents us from becoming an even better country.
We celebrate how we're different from other countries. What makes us think that every other country wants to - or has to - be just like us? As Americans, we have to "mind the gap" between ourselves and other countries... and there are a lot of differences to mind.
So that's my little rant/discovery for today... I had to sort through what was going on in my head and why I could not sit still in my seminar. Anyway, I'm headed to South Kensington to meet up with a friend from high school for lunch [Eileen!!!] & then who knows! Next time, expect stories of Amsterdam, Harrods, & third cousins twice removed!!
<3 <3 <3
Friday, October 09, 2009
Slow ride, take it easy...
I finished my first week of classes yesterday & I'm currently putting off packing for a rainy weekend in Amsterdam. Despite the rain, I CANNOT WAIT!
Classes are cool. That was lame. What I mean is that I don't mind my classes, they seem pretty good - I'm taking five classes but one doesn't start until next week & another one I signed up for is being taught at another school all the way by the Thames.... did not realize that! Whoops. So that's being changed & now I'm taking Marxism instead of Medieval Philosophy.. lovely, lovely. The other classes I'm taking are 19th & 20th Century Art in London Collections - which is taught by two artsy young professors and includes going to different galleries and museums each week, should be cool. I'm also taking Politics of the EU and Intro to British Politics. It's weird because somehow I usually end up taking classes that I already kind of know a thing or two about and I only end up learning filler information & random facts until mid-semester. However, the first week of class I actually learned a lot since I really don't know anything about the EU, British government, or art history. What's even better is that I will not have a single exam this semester - only papers - not to mention, my grades don't count. The fifth class I'm taking is Service-Learning in the British Context through Villanova.. so I'll be teaching acting - I think - to little kids... should be fun. Even though UCL is apparently now ranked the fourth best university in the world (WHAT?!), everything is so disorganized and just generally more laid back... which I'm seriously finding as a general trend here.
Tourist flash: I went on the absolute last tour given through Parliament for the year last week, which was extremely cool. Though it was an hour & a half long and my friend and I were starving and sick of walking (we spent a few hours couch hopping in the National Gallery - museums are free here so they're a great place to just chill and relax), it was the perfect precursor to all my government classes. Not to mention, it was just so cool to see all through their government system and traditions. I'll write more about their government later but fun facts: they have no written constitution - no bill of rights - and a complete winner-take-all majoritarian party system yet it works and pretty well. I'm amazed by this & I think there's a huge correlation between that and the difference between the American and British mindset/attitude/lifestyle, which I'm excited to keep learning about. If an American political party had control over the system without any opposition, forget about it - life would be over. Here, it's just not like that - from the little I know, it doesn't seem like hunger for power is the over-arching theme of British politics.. rather, they just want things to be good. Slow ride, take it easy keeps playing in my head while I learn about it.. seems so appropriate. But anyway, it was GORGEOUS inside Parliament and the political geek who lives inside me loved being inside the House of Lords and House of Commons where their entire system is administrated. It's especially cool because I really didn't/don't know anything about the British government or the EU so this semester is kind of like a first-hand tour & fieldtrip through all of it.
My friend & I were walking down the stairs of our dorm yesterday and passed a flyer that looked like a nightclub promotion... except it was about chlamydia. A few hours later, some girls in the lobby tried to give me free condoms and tell me about the effects of chlamydia and give me a test for it. No longer in Villanova... at all! Between this instance and the co-ed bathrooms (which my other friends visiting from Villanova - guys, even, were shocked about too), I feel like I'm freaking Dorothy waking up in a completely different land of free love & pee. That was gross. No filter right now. What's even more shocking to me, though, is that I really don't consider myself an extremely modest or conservative person yet both of these situations made me feel oddly uncomfortable. I guess I'm just not accustomed to it... I don't know!
We went to Ministry of Sound the other night, which everyone kept telling me was one of the best clubs in London. Well, we took a cab ride over the river down to the venue, which was in a sketchy area and ended up in a club that had three rooms and just wasn't that cool. Overrated. Though, my friend & I did get to rock out to teenage dirtbag in one of the rooms, which is never a bad time. Later that night, we got a glimpse into the nightclub/cop/taxi cab alliance that I never knew about ...but I'm not making it up. The bouncer at the club legit would not let my friends & I get in any cab until he said it was okay... the cab was not a black cab, which are the ones you're always advised to take, and it cost almost 10GBP more than the incoming ride and we had to give them the money up front. While this was all going on outside Minstry of Sound cop cars were circling all around.... weird. It reminds me of the BYOB deals on Lancaster at Villanova - you cannot tell me that those restaurants that don't ID and allow everyone to drink don't have some deal with Radnor cops, some of the biggest hardass cops around.... not that I don't completely benefit & love it. Also reminds me of Dizzy's by Hofstra's campus on Long Island.. never felt safe there when there's so clearly a ploy going on between the cops & the bar when you only have to show your 18year old ID to get in and drink while the cop cars never stop driving back and forth in front of the place. Whatever. Anyway, moral of the story - Ministry of Sound = overrated. I hear Fabric's a lot better & in a much more centrally-located area so I'll be checking that out soon.
Topshop had a student 20% discount this Wednesday - with my friends and I all off on that day, we took complete advantage - spending sooo much time going through every corner of that store while it poured outside. There were some pretty good deals but I continue to go through money as though I'm a millionaire in a third world country. Whoops.... I'm only in London once though and I'm spending it on things like airfare & hotels, so I think it's worth it to see Europe. I didn't work nearly everyday this summer to not enjoy every last dollar/pound I have. I also keep getting anxiety that eventually I'm going to have to leave, which is ridiculous considering I haven't even been here three weeks. There are just so many trips I want to take and I don't feel like I'm taking full advantage of even London yet.... it's only been three weeks, it's only been three weeks.....
I keep running into people who I somehow know in some way. I ran into my roommate's ex-bf from high school in Seattle the other night, whose friend knows some kid who I went to elementary school with. I also ran into someone who I used to volunteer at the nursing home with even though we went to different high schools. I saw a girl from my high school running through Leicester Square one night. Oh, and my roommate and I realized that coincidentally we will both be in Amsterdam this weekend, which makes me that much more excited to get there.
Speaking of, I have to go pack for my rainy weekend in the Netherlands. A few of my friends from Villanova are here this weekend so we went to the pub this morning.. which is why this post is probably gramatically incorrect.
I'll be in Amsterdam in t minus seven hours. Peace. Love.
Classes are cool. That was lame. What I mean is that I don't mind my classes, they seem pretty good - I'm taking five classes but one doesn't start until next week & another one I signed up for is being taught at another school all the way by the Thames.... did not realize that! Whoops. So that's being changed & now I'm taking Marxism instead of Medieval Philosophy.. lovely, lovely. The other classes I'm taking are 19th & 20th Century Art in London Collections - which is taught by two artsy young professors and includes going to different galleries and museums each week, should be cool. I'm also taking Politics of the EU and Intro to British Politics. It's weird because somehow I usually end up taking classes that I already kind of know a thing or two about and I only end up learning filler information & random facts until mid-semester. However, the first week of class I actually learned a lot since I really don't know anything about the EU, British government, or art history. What's even better is that I will not have a single exam this semester - only papers - not to mention, my grades don't count. The fifth class I'm taking is Service-Learning in the British Context through Villanova.. so I'll be teaching acting - I think - to little kids... should be fun. Even though UCL is apparently now ranked the fourth best university in the world (WHAT?!), everything is so disorganized and just generally more laid back... which I'm seriously finding as a general trend here.
Tourist flash: I went on the absolute last tour given through Parliament for the year last week, which was extremely cool. Though it was an hour & a half long and my friend and I were starving and sick of walking (we spent a few hours couch hopping in the National Gallery - museums are free here so they're a great place to just chill and relax), it was the perfect precursor to all my government classes. Not to mention, it was just so cool to see all through their government system and traditions. I'll write more about their government later but fun facts: they have no written constitution - no bill of rights - and a complete winner-take-all majoritarian party system yet it works and pretty well. I'm amazed by this & I think there's a huge correlation between that and the difference between the American and British mindset/attitude/lifestyle, which I'm excited to keep learning about. If an American political party had control over the system without any opposition, forget about it - life would be over. Here, it's just not like that - from the little I know, it doesn't seem like hunger for power is the over-arching theme of British politics.. rather, they just want things to be good. Slow ride, take it easy keeps playing in my head while I learn about it.. seems so appropriate. But anyway, it was GORGEOUS inside Parliament and the political geek who lives inside me loved being inside the House of Lords and House of Commons where their entire system is administrated. It's especially cool because I really didn't/don't know anything about the British government or the EU so this semester is kind of like a first-hand tour & fieldtrip through all of it.
My friend & I were walking down the stairs of our dorm yesterday and passed a flyer that looked like a nightclub promotion... except it was about chlamydia. A few hours later, some girls in the lobby tried to give me free condoms and tell me about the effects of chlamydia and give me a test for it. No longer in Villanova... at all! Between this instance and the co-ed bathrooms (which my other friends visiting from Villanova - guys, even, were shocked about too), I feel like I'm freaking Dorothy waking up in a completely different land of free love & pee. That was gross. No filter right now. What's even more shocking to me, though, is that I really don't consider myself an extremely modest or conservative person yet both of these situations made me feel oddly uncomfortable. I guess I'm just not accustomed to it... I don't know!
We went to Ministry of Sound the other night, which everyone kept telling me was one of the best clubs in London. Well, we took a cab ride over the river down to the venue, which was in a sketchy area and ended up in a club that had three rooms and just wasn't that cool. Overrated. Though, my friend & I did get to rock out to teenage dirtbag in one of the rooms, which is never a bad time. Later that night, we got a glimpse into the nightclub/cop/taxi cab alliance that I never knew about ...but I'm not making it up. The bouncer at the club legit would not let my friends & I get in any cab until he said it was okay... the cab was not a black cab, which are the ones you're always advised to take, and it cost almost 10GBP more than the incoming ride and we had to give them the money up front. While this was all going on outside Minstry of Sound cop cars were circling all around.... weird. It reminds me of the BYOB deals on Lancaster at Villanova - you cannot tell me that those restaurants that don't ID and allow everyone to drink don't have some deal with Radnor cops, some of the biggest hardass cops around.... not that I don't completely benefit & love it. Also reminds me of Dizzy's by Hofstra's campus on Long Island.. never felt safe there when there's so clearly a ploy going on between the cops & the bar when you only have to show your 18year old ID to get in and drink while the cop cars never stop driving back and forth in front of the place. Whatever. Anyway, moral of the story - Ministry of Sound = overrated. I hear Fabric's a lot better & in a much more centrally-located area so I'll be checking that out soon.
Topshop had a student 20% discount this Wednesday - with my friends and I all off on that day, we took complete advantage - spending sooo much time going through every corner of that store while it poured outside. There were some pretty good deals but I continue to go through money as though I'm a millionaire in a third world country. Whoops.... I'm only in London once though and I'm spending it on things like airfare & hotels, so I think it's worth it to see Europe. I didn't work nearly everyday this summer to not enjoy every last dollar/pound I have. I also keep getting anxiety that eventually I'm going to have to leave, which is ridiculous considering I haven't even been here three weeks. There are just so many trips I want to take and I don't feel like I'm taking full advantage of even London yet.... it's only been three weeks, it's only been three weeks.....
I keep running into people who I somehow know in some way. I ran into my roommate's ex-bf from high school in Seattle the other night, whose friend knows some kid who I went to elementary school with. I also ran into someone who I used to volunteer at the nursing home with even though we went to different high schools. I saw a girl from my high school running through Leicester Square one night. Oh, and my roommate and I realized that coincidentally we will both be in Amsterdam this weekend, which makes me that much more excited to get there.
Speaking of, I have to go pack for my rainy weekend in the Netherlands. A few of my friends from Villanova are here this weekend so we went to the pub this morning.. which is why this post is probably gramatically incorrect.
I'll be in Amsterdam in t minus seven hours. Peace. Love.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Open Jewels - October 3, 2009
It's been nearly two weeks since I first arrived in London, though it seems like I've been here much longer - in a good way. One thing that hasn't changed since last week is that I still have not had a single class this semester! I will officially begin classes this Tuesday, October 6th at 11am with "19th & 20th Century Art in London Collections." I got pretty lucky with my schedule - I think, anyway - and I only have class at UCL on Tuesdays & Thursdays; my Villanova class is on Monday nights in South Kensington.
What have I been doing for the past two weeks if not studying & going to class?
I made the ten minute walk down to Oxford Street from my dorm room and fell further in love with the area I live in. Stores with every style of clothing pinned with ranging price tags lined the bustling street as I narrow-mindedly made my way to my long anticipated target: TOPSHOP. I only heard of Topshop a short time before leaving for my trip but ever since the five story store entered my mind, I had to get there. I tried on a million things, not knowing which size I was or which style I would make my own, let alone the pound to dollar conversion. My biggest hesitation with buying things at Topshop was that these metropolitan, European styles would perhaps never be worn again when I return to Southeastern PA next semester. But that was just a hesitation - not a halt to my shopping. I figured, hey.. I'm in London.. I'll deal with next semester then.
You can see my priorities when I talk about Buckingham Palace after Topshop... but in reality, I did go sightseeing before shopping. From the front, Buckingham Palace didn't look very royally palatial to me; it seemed more of a state building that you might find in D.C. had the USA been an older country. However, my friends & I made our visit just in time to catch one of the last days of the tour through the inside of the state rooms in the palace. The palace looked beautiful from the gardens that the tour eventually let us out on. Everything inside was gorgeous, ornate, and full of royal history that continues on today.
That fact is probably the coolest thing about going to all of the London historical sights: their traditions are still very much alive. Everything you see is still used in the administration of the state. Their preservation of royalty is also fascinating.
I haven't gone inside the houses of Parliament or Westminster Abbey, but I've visited the area a few times and plan to peek inside soon. I learned, from multiple people, in what seems to be one of those facts that Londoners won't let tourists mistake, that Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower - not the clock, as even I believed it was before a million locals ingrained the truth in my head.
After walking over Millenium bridge, I took a ride on the London Eye, which was spectacular. The ride offered views of every corner of London. There is a big difference between the London & Manhattan skylines: buildings in London are relatively low. There are sparsely located skyscrapers but really nothing comparable to NYC buildings. This low skyline makes for a never-ending view of both the inner and outer city, which was so cool to see. I live around the block from this hideously ugly but very tall telecom tower so spotting my neighborhood from the sky was not a problem.
The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London was one of my favorite tourist stops so far. It is so neat that all of the real jewels that have been worn for centuries and are still worn on the right occasion today are on display for the public. The US keeps our sacred piece of paper hidden behind a massive vault... their billions of dollars of jewels are right out in the open, though at night they are similarly locked in a huge vault. I wonder if that says anything about our countries- we vault paper, they semi-vault jewels... never thought of that until now. Well, actually, my friends & I have been talking about how people are generally more laid back here, enjoying a pint at the pub what seems like every night of the week as opposed to the cut-throat New Yorkers who wait for the weekend to go all out.
Speaking of pubs, nightlife in London has been so much fun. Last week, as part of Fresher's Week at UCL, we checked out Koko, a Broadway-style theater converted into a multi-level nightclub... I loved the venue, it was so clever. The past two nights I spent at O'Neills in Piccadilly Circus. I had been advised to check out O'Neills, the three-story pub featuring live music on the top floor, from multiple parties and all of them knew exactly what they were talking about. It was soo much fun, with people swinging and dancing on every floor, and enjoying the band on the top floor. The ranging ages and nationalities it attracts makes for a really good mix of people, which is entirely different from Tuesday nights at Sports Cafe, also in Piccadilly. The beer pong tables, lounges, dance floor, and cheap drinks it features on Tuesdays lures every American college student spending the semester in London. Though it seems completely typical, it actually makes for one of the best nights of the week because you finally get to be in a place with a familiar feel where you know people. I ran into dozens of Villanovans, a girl from my hometown, and the people I met earlier during my time at UCL. The general consensus among all of them was that Tuesdays would be spent at Sports Cafe.
Besides the cheap drinks at Sports Cafe, there isn't much in London that is cheaper here than at home - except theater tickets. Wednesday night I went to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theater for only 30 GBP, which is roughly $55. When I saw Wicked on Broadway in NY a few years back, my family paid around $110 a ticket in February for advance tickets in May. We bought our second row Orchestra (though to the side) tickets a day ahead of time in Leicester Square. Since I had seen it before, I wasn't sure how the British accent would fit in to the production - but it actually had little affect on it... we'll see if the same goes for something like Jersey Boys.
After my first week (which is really just two days) of classes, I'm heading to Amsterdam for the weekend. Though I'm interested to see how these classes will be, I'm really excited for my first trip!
What have I been doing for the past two weeks if not studying & going to class?
I made the ten minute walk down to Oxford Street from my dorm room and fell further in love with the area I live in. Stores with every style of clothing pinned with ranging price tags lined the bustling street as I narrow-mindedly made my way to my long anticipated target: TOPSHOP. I only heard of Topshop a short time before leaving for my trip but ever since the five story store entered my mind, I had to get there. I tried on a million things, not knowing which size I was or which style I would make my own, let alone the pound to dollar conversion. My biggest hesitation with buying things at Topshop was that these metropolitan, European styles would perhaps never be worn again when I return to Southeastern PA next semester. But that was just a hesitation - not a halt to my shopping. I figured, hey.. I'm in London.. I'll deal with next semester then.
You can see my priorities when I talk about Buckingham Palace after Topshop... but in reality, I did go sightseeing before shopping. From the front, Buckingham Palace didn't look very royally palatial to me; it seemed more of a state building that you might find in D.C. had the USA been an older country. However, my friends & I made our visit just in time to catch one of the last days of the tour through the inside of the state rooms in the palace. The palace looked beautiful from the gardens that the tour eventually let us out on. Everything inside was gorgeous, ornate, and full of royal history that continues on today.
That fact is probably the coolest thing about going to all of the London historical sights: their traditions are still very much alive. Everything you see is still used in the administration of the state. Their preservation of royalty is also fascinating.
I haven't gone inside the houses of Parliament or Westminster Abbey, but I've visited the area a few times and plan to peek inside soon. I learned, from multiple people, in what seems to be one of those facts that Londoners won't let tourists mistake, that Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower - not the clock, as even I believed it was before a million locals ingrained the truth in my head.
After walking over Millenium bridge, I took a ride on the London Eye, which was spectacular. The ride offered views of every corner of London. There is a big difference between the London & Manhattan skylines: buildings in London are relatively low. There are sparsely located skyscrapers but really nothing comparable to NYC buildings. This low skyline makes for a never-ending view of both the inner and outer city, which was so cool to see. I live around the block from this hideously ugly but very tall telecom tower so spotting my neighborhood from the sky was not a problem.
The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London was one of my favorite tourist stops so far. It is so neat that all of the real jewels that have been worn for centuries and are still worn on the right occasion today are on display for the public. The US keeps our sacred piece of paper hidden behind a massive vault... their billions of dollars of jewels are right out in the open, though at night they are similarly locked in a huge vault. I wonder if that says anything about our countries- we vault paper, they semi-vault jewels... never thought of that until now. Well, actually, my friends & I have been talking about how people are generally more laid back here, enjoying a pint at the pub what seems like every night of the week as opposed to the cut-throat New Yorkers who wait for the weekend to go all out.
Speaking of pubs, nightlife in London has been so much fun. Last week, as part of Fresher's Week at UCL, we checked out Koko, a Broadway-style theater converted into a multi-level nightclub... I loved the venue, it was so clever. The past two nights I spent at O'Neills in Piccadilly Circus. I had been advised to check out O'Neills, the three-story pub featuring live music on the top floor, from multiple parties and all of them knew exactly what they were talking about. It was soo much fun, with people swinging and dancing on every floor, and enjoying the band on the top floor. The ranging ages and nationalities it attracts makes for a really good mix of people, which is entirely different from Tuesday nights at Sports Cafe, also in Piccadilly. The beer pong tables, lounges, dance floor, and cheap drinks it features on Tuesdays lures every American college student spending the semester in London. Though it seems completely typical, it actually makes for one of the best nights of the week because you finally get to be in a place with a familiar feel where you know people. I ran into dozens of Villanovans, a girl from my hometown, and the people I met earlier during my time at UCL. The general consensus among all of them was that Tuesdays would be spent at Sports Cafe.
Besides the cheap drinks at Sports Cafe, there isn't much in London that is cheaper here than at home - except theater tickets. Wednesday night I went to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theater for only 30 GBP, which is roughly $55. When I saw Wicked on Broadway in NY a few years back, my family paid around $110 a ticket in February for advance tickets in May. We bought our second row Orchestra (though to the side) tickets a day ahead of time in Leicester Square. Since I had seen it before, I wasn't sure how the British accent would fit in to the production - but it actually had little affect on it... we'll see if the same goes for something like Jersey Boys.
After my first week (which is really just two days) of classes, I'm heading to Amsterdam for the weekend. Though I'm interested to see how these classes will be, I'm really excited for my first trip!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
We'll figure it out...
I have this new weird obsession with the color purple... luckily, it's been appearing a lot this season so I've been able to find it on many different items, including my new sunglasses which I bought especially for my trip to London! ... I'm not deluded, I also bought a new umbrella.
Speaking of London..... I flew over earlier this week with one of my very good friends, Molly, who is also spending the semester here, though at a different school. Ever since I arrived here, all I can do is compare what I've encountered to what I'm used to. Molly & I quickly noticed a catchphrase coming to life as we wondered how life would be different in London and how we would learn to deal with it: We'll figure it out....
So lets see - What's different?
My dorm, which is primarily a freshman dorm - though fortunately it also houses a large number of international affiliate students also from the States - is completely co-ed. Accustomed to the single sex floors of Villanova I've been living in the past two years, sharing a bathroom with probably thirty to forty other people, including BOYS is actually very different. I find it kind of strange that I think this difference is so strange... but I can't deny these feelings. I haven't run into any benefits/consequences of this situation - but I'll note any that arise since this oddly interests me.
Being a study abroad program and needing only a C in order to transfer my credits without affecting my GPA at Villanova, you could imagine my surprise when the Political Studies Department handed me over 100 pages of policies and probably seven syllabi that are longer than any others I've ever seen. Here, an A is considered anything between 70 and 100 percent... but an 80 is considered extremely hard to get, as it denotes work worthy of publishing! Holy geez. Not only that, but the grades are based entirely on one or two essays - class participation is not considered. Even worse - the professor (or tutor, as they've been called) is but only one of potentially three (but definitely two) people who grade the paper so that there is no favoritism or grade inflation "as there is in the States," as the department chair explained to my shock and horror... GREAT! Hopefully, I miraculously know the material and am able to do well without too much effort even though I've literally never seen so much suggested & further readings listed on syllabi in all my years of schooling.
When I was first browsing through a store- Tesco, which is similar to CVS - I thought to myself, "why does everyone say London is so expensive?!" I found wine for 3.62, fruit bowls 2 for 2.00, meals at decent restaurants for 8.95, and drinks for 1.50. It took me a few days - and the depletion of my wallet - to really impound in my head that the pound is nearly double the dollar, which is unfortunate. What a cruel tease!
The drinking age! Being ID'd without that nervous knot knit in the pit of my stomach is one of the most happyyy feelings... even better is not being ID'd at all. Wine with dinner, beer at the pubs and with burgers (for only 3.95, which, again, originally seemed like an unbelievable steal!) ... it's been fun. This next week is considered Fresher's Week at UCL. The first week of the term, there are no classes... only university sponsored events at some of London's "best clubs," which I so far, know nothing about. When I bought my tickets, they stressed how strict the clubs are about having a legitimate ID for being 18... no problem!
---
On a sidenote, I've met great people, I'm enjoying city life, I love my location (it reminds me of a more modern/clean-cut version of the area south of Washington Square Park in NYC), I think my school is going to be great, I can't wait to travel, and so far, I seem to be figuring it all out quite nicely. I even learned that my favorite game of "Hey Cutieee!" translates to "Hey Fittieee!" here... watch out, the game is going international.
Peace. Love. London.
Speaking of London..... I flew over earlier this week with one of my very good friends, Molly, who is also spending the semester here, though at a different school. Ever since I arrived here, all I can do is compare what I've encountered to what I'm used to. Molly & I quickly noticed a catchphrase coming to life as we wondered how life would be different in London and how we would learn to deal with it: We'll figure it out....
So lets see - What's different?
My dorm, which is primarily a freshman dorm - though fortunately it also houses a large number of international affiliate students also from the States - is completely co-ed. Accustomed to the single sex floors of Villanova I've been living in the past two years, sharing a bathroom with probably thirty to forty other people, including BOYS is actually very different. I find it kind of strange that I think this difference is so strange... but I can't deny these feelings. I haven't run into any benefits/consequences of this situation - but I'll note any that arise since this oddly interests me.
Being a study abroad program and needing only a C in order to transfer my credits without affecting my GPA at Villanova, you could imagine my surprise when the Political Studies Department handed me over 100 pages of policies and probably seven syllabi that are longer than any others I've ever seen. Here, an A is considered anything between 70 and 100 percent... but an 80 is considered extremely hard to get, as it denotes work worthy of publishing! Holy geez. Not only that, but the grades are based entirely on one or two essays - class participation is not considered. Even worse - the professor (or tutor, as they've been called) is but only one of potentially three (but definitely two) people who grade the paper so that there is no favoritism or grade inflation "as there is in the States," as the department chair explained to my shock and horror... GREAT! Hopefully, I miraculously know the material and am able to do well without too much effort even though I've literally never seen so much suggested & further readings listed on syllabi in all my years of schooling.
When I was first browsing through a store- Tesco, which is similar to CVS - I thought to myself, "why does everyone say London is so expensive?!" I found wine for 3.62, fruit bowls 2 for 2.00, meals at decent restaurants for 8.95, and drinks for 1.50. It took me a few days - and the depletion of my wallet - to really impound in my head that the pound is nearly double the dollar, which is unfortunate. What a cruel tease!
The drinking age! Being ID'd without that nervous knot knit in the pit of my stomach is one of the most happyyy feelings... even better is not being ID'd at all. Wine with dinner, beer at the pubs and with burgers (for only 3.95, which, again, originally seemed like an unbelievable steal!) ... it's been fun. This next week is considered Fresher's Week at UCL. The first week of the term, there are no classes... only university sponsored events at some of London's "best clubs," which I so far, know nothing about. When I bought my tickets, they stressed how strict the clubs are about having a legitimate ID for being 18... no problem!
---
On a sidenote, I've met great people, I'm enjoying city life, I love my location (it reminds me of a more modern/clean-cut version of the area south of Washington Square Park in NYC), I think my school is going to be great, I can't wait to travel, and so far, I seem to be figuring it all out quite nicely. I even learned that my favorite game of "Hey Cutieee!" translates to "Hey Fittieee!" here... watch out, the game is going international.
Peace. Love. London.
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