London Time

Saturday, I saw Les Miserables!!!! I had already seen it 2ce in New York, but it was still so good I almost peed my pants. It was kind of sad, though, when I realized that I know almost the entire show by heart. My seat was really high up, which was probably not the best choice for someone so scared of heights, but once I got over my initial vertigo, the view was really good. Before the show, which started at 2:30, I walked around a bit. The theatre is just off of Piccadilly Circus, so I had another Cinnebun by the Eros statue and looked in the shops again. I also went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, which was really neat. I saw a pig bezoar and I now know how to make a shrunken head.

Apparently, on Sunday the clocks turned back an hour, which I didn't know (I never understood this daylight savings time thing anyway). At least it was Sunday and I didn't have anywhere in particular to go. I went to the Temple of Mithras, a little Roman temple, only the foundations are still standing. Afterwards, I just walked around a bit and wound up by London Bridge. At lunch I had this amazing treacle tart, which was fresh and warm and with ice cream, unlike the packaged one I'd had before. If it was any better I would have married it.

Monday I had classes. In my Short Story class, we talked about fairy tales, which was pretty cool. It was also Hanne my flatmate's birthday, so we had cake and went down to the Hobgoblin pub for a drink.

Today, I went to Kew Gardens, also known as the Royal Botanic Gardens, which was really cool. It was also really huge, I didn't get to see everything. It's mostly outside, but has some huge greenhouses with plants from all over the world, one even had a little aquarium downstairs! When I went into the ones with the tropical plants, my glasses would steam after being outside. The big greenhouses also had walkways, where you could look down on all the plants as well as paths through them. There was also an outdoors Treetop Walkway.

"Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house!"

Shopping!!!!

They finally fixed my window on Thursday!!!! I don't remember if I told you, but in the 1st week, I went to close my window and the handle snapped right off. I reported it right away and they only just now were able to get the necessary parts.

Today I went back to King's Cross Station to ask a question about my ticket to Glasgow. I probably didn't need to go all the way down there, but any excuse to go to King's Cross is fine with me. After that I went to Covent Garden, which has a lot of shopping and a sort of Italian-style piazza. There are also a lot of street performers. On one end there was this really great opera singer. Over in the piazza, there was this guy in a kilt balancing on a ladder and juggling knives, at one point he took his shirt off and walked around in circles while still juggling. For lunch I got a pasty, it wasn't pumpkin - but it was still good, it had cheese, mushrooms, potatoes, and onions. At the stores I got some more Christmas gifts for people and some clothes and handmade soaps for myself. At a specialty candy store, they had Sugar Mice like in Harry Potter!!!! These ones don't actually squeak, but are still fun to eat. I walked around a lot and ended up back at Trafalgar Square, where I ate some really good ice cream. Tomorrow I'm going to see Les Miserables!!!!!

Piccadilly and More

Today, I went to Piccadilly Circus. I did a little shopping and had a cinnebun outside by the statue of Eros. Then I went into the Trocadero, which is basically a mall with an arcade. I walked around and did a little shopping. After a while, I walked towards the river, through St. James' Park, and back to the Houses of Parliament area. I went to the Movieum (a movie museum) which is right by the Aquarium. It was really neat. They had a lot of costumes and props from famous movies. I got to see one of Kiera Knightly's dresses from "Pride and Prejudice", a bunch of stuff from "The Mummy" movies, and a whole bunch more!!!! They had a screen, where they were showing behind-the-scenes clips from different movies, when I was there they were showing ones from the 3rd Indiana Jones!!!! Afterwards, I walked back to St. James' Park and got a snack: a roll (which I shared with some happy geese), treacle tart (which is Harry Potter's favorite!!!!), and some lemonade (which I don't have any side stories about).
TTYL

Even More Art

On Saturday, I decided to try going to the Tate Britain again, and I made it this time!!!! It isn't a very big museum, but has a lot of great pieces by artists including Turner, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Blake, and many more. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. After the museum, I walked along the river, until I came to the Houses of Parliament. I walked around there and St. James' Park again. In the park, I got an ice cream. Also, this time, 2 of the huge pelicans that live there were up on the sidewalk, so you could walk right up to them!!!!

Saturday night, I kept getting these weird stomach cramps, so I didn't sleep much and wound up sleeping in. When I finally did get up, the cramps were still there, but I wasn't about to waste a perfectly good Sunday, so I went out anyway. I just had to sit down a lot and breathe really deeply until they temporarily passed. I went to see the Wallace Collection, which has a lot of 18th century paintings and decorative arts, including a lot of pieces by Boucher and Fragonard, including "The Swing"!!!! - which is quite possibly my favorite 18th century painting. The museum is near Bond Street, where there is a lot of shopping. I got a cool purse from a stand on the street for only 5 pounds!!!!! And a neat cardigan from H&M. It was the strangest thing, but the entire time I was shopping, I didn't get a single stomach pain, but once I got back on the train, they started up again. Just goes to show, shopping fixes everything. I also stopped at a pharmacy and got some all-natural pills that are supposed to "create a soft, soothing coating to the stomach, helping to maintain balance and comfort" so hopefully they work, they're getting a little less frequent at least. Then I came back to do homework, or rather procrastinate on facebook for a while, then eventually do homework, the point is, it's done.

Cheers!!!!

London!

I'm gonna be an aunt again!!!!!!!!! My brother Jamie and his wife Erin just found out that they're expecting their 3rd baby!!!!!!!!!

On Wednesday, my Daddy came to visit. He travels a lot for work, so he stopped off here on his way to Romania. After my class got out (Critical Studies finally met for the 1st time) at 1, I took the train to meet him at his hotel. We walked around a bit, then had a late lunch/early dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Then we walked around some more, in St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace. We stopped at little Italian restaurant and got dessert. We walked around a little more until the show started. We saw Billy Elliot: The Musical (it's about a boy who's into ballet but his family wants him to be a boxer) which was really good - I still have some of the songs stuck in my head! Since the show got out late, I stayed with my Daddy in the city (the hotel had 2 beds). It was really nice to be able to take a shower that wasn't in a stall so small that the curtain is always sticking to your arm. It was a lot of fun and really nice to see someone that I've known for more than a month.

Thursday, Daddy had to leave early. I stayed a little later to get ready and have breakfast, then headed back to school. My crusades class met in the afternoon.

Later, when I was in the library, I picked a copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!!!! It's exciting to read the original version. So far, they're pretty much the same. Except they say Minister for Magic, instead of Minister of Magic. They also don't hyphenate He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, so it's He Who Must Not Be Named, but they do hyphenate You-Know-Who. There are also basic spelling differences, for example, they spell pajamas like pyjamas. Also, since they don't have the little pictures at the start of each chapter and the fonts are slightly different, the page numbers are different. It's kind of pathetic that I know these books so well, that I'll think, "this should be on the bottom of the right page, not the middle of the left".

Thursday, I also got hit on by some creepy guy in the park, who insisted on giving me his number and kept going on and on about how beautiful I was and how he liked my simple, classy style - he clearly hasn't seen my Superman pajamas or collection of Harry Potter shirts.

My Critical Studies class offers field trips to Visiting Students, the 1st of which met today. It was originally supposed to meet at 10:30, but they changed the time and instead of emailing everyone, they put up a notice in the art building, but I don't have any classes there, so I didn't see it. I used the extra time to go grocery shopping. Then at 2, we finally went to the Zoo Art Fair, which has artists from all over the world showing their works. I walked around it with my new friend Tiril from Norway. There was a piece the was a picture of Obama, when we saw it she said "There's your buddy!" It was a really neat piece, when you got closer you saw that it was made of black and white wax. While we were there, we saw Cillian Murphy, who I had never heard of but Tiril insisted was a famous actor. It turns out he was in "Dark Knight" and "Cold Mountain" and a bunch of other big movies. So that was pretty cool.

After the show, Tiril and I walked around and did some shopping. I got some more stuff at The Gap (it's not my fault - there everywhere and they're all having a big sale!!!!).

Funny side note - there's a music program here with the acronym PMS. So I got a mass email saying "Attention all PMS students". Which I thought was kind of funny.

TTYL!!!!!!!!!

More Parks and Art

Sunday, I went to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. They're pretty much the same thing. Kensington Gardens refers to the West side and Hyde Park refers to the East side. They are divided by a little river called The Serpentine. Kensington Palace is located on the edge of Kensinton Gardens. There are also a lot of different monuments scattered around the huge park, such as the Albert Memorial, the Peter Pan statue, and the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. The Fountain is more like a really pretty river with little waterfalls in it. I didn't take a lot of pictures of it, because there were a lot of kids in it in their underwear or naked, and I didn't want people thinking I was a pedophile or something. At the end of the Serpentine are the Italian Gardens, this beautiful little section with fountains and an Italian villa-looking house with benches. I had lunch in the Park Cafe, where I had a salad and chocolate cake. Then I got ice cream while I was walking around. Any day that involves multiple desserts is a perfect day as far as I'm concerned. The park is so big that even after a few hours walking around, I still haven't seen the whole thing. On the way back to the Underground station, I stopped in a few stores. I got another Gap sweater (it was only 9 pounds, so I couldn't afford not to get it). I headed back to school earlier than usual to do some work for the week and to use the library.

Monday, I had classes. That was about it.

Today, I was going to go to the Tate Britain, but the Underground was all backed up - apparently someone got hit by a train :( So I got off a few stations sooner than planned and went to the Courtauld Gallery (a different art museum) instead. It was really cool they had some pieces by Vincent Van Gogh, Georges Seurat, and Claude Monet: my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd favorite artists respectively. Next I walked through the little park called Victoria Embankment Gardens, which was small, but had a lot of pretty flowers. I had lunch in the cafe there and had what is quite possibly the best fish and chips ever. Then I walked across the street to Cleopatra's Needle, a 68 ft obelisk with hieroglyphics on it. Next, I walked up the street to where Ben Franklin (my favorite co-author of the Declaration of Independence!) lived. Naturally, the house is closed on Tuesdays. I walked around a little more and wound up back in Trafalgar Square. I took the train from there back to school to do more homework.

Tomorrow my Daddy is visiting and we're going to the theatre!!!!

Magical London

Today, I took the Underground to King's Cross station, which is kind of like Mecca for people like me. I went to Platform 9 3/4!!!!!!!!! Which was sooooooooo cool. They have a trolley sticking part-way out, so you can look like you're going through the wall and onto the hidden platform. I also bought my tickets to go and visit my friends Nicole and Naomi in Scotland the 1st week in November, when I don't have class. I'm so excited!!!!

Afterwards, I went to The British Library, which is a lot more fun than it sounds. They have an exhibition with a whole bunch of really cool medieval books, including some Books of Hours; the 1st Bible printed by Gutenberg; original manuscripts hand-written by famous authors such as Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, and Milton; there is also music written by Beethoven and other famous composers and The Beatles, all in their handwriting (it's so cool to see where they scratched things out and made changes); they also have a copy of the Magna Carta. It was almost too good, it was a little over-whelming to be surrounded by so much greatness, my hands were shaking a little.

Next, I went to the London Canal Museum. As the title suggests, it talked about the history of the Canals in London. It was kind of interesting, but I don't know that I would pay to see it again. It had a pretty neat view of the canals in back.

After a quick lunch, I came back to school to get started on my reading for the week. In my Short Stories class, we are reading a little of Boccaccio's "The Decameron", which is interesting (and kind of filthy). I'll have to read some more on my own.

Cheers!!!!

Hampstead

Wednesday my Critical Studies art class met, sort of, we still don't actually start that class til next week, so we had another department meeting. The rest of the day I just did some errandy-type stuff and hung out with some people.

Thursday, my Crusades class met. We talked about the reasons behind them. Apparently the justifications my Catholic high school gave were bull shit. It's nice to be able to study them from a secular perspective.

Today, I went to Hampstead, which my guidebook describes as "a quaint village just a tube ride away." There are a lot of pretty Regency and Georgian houses. You can also see Keats' house, although it was closed for refurbishment, so I only saw the outside. There are also a lot of neat cafes and shops - both small independent ones and mainstream ones, such as The Gap (where I got 2 shirts on sale, which are so far the only reasonably priced clothes I've seen in this city). There is also Hampstead Heath, this stunning park with different ponds for swimming and fishing (it was warm, but no one was swimming). As beautiful as it is, it is also huge - 800 acres (that's 8 of the Hundred Acre Wood!) There are also not a lot of maps posted inside, so I got lost for a while, but I figured it out eventually. It was a really nice little neighborhood. I'll have to go back sometime.

TTYL!!!!!!!!!

More from London

Yesterday I had classes. They were interesting, but I'm starting to resent having to go to them when I could be out in the city. Why do classes keep getting in the way of studying abroad?!?! However, I did discover Happy Hippos, which are these amazingly delicious and adorable treats shaped like little hippos - they have a crispy shell and a hazelnut cream filling and sprinkles!!!! What's not to love? After classes, I went grocery shopping, and I found an entire banoffee pie!!!! I'm so happy!!!!

Today, since I didn't have classes, I went to the Natural History Museum. It is in this amazing building and has a lot of neat stuff, such as fossils and cool rocks. Next, I walked down to Harrods for some shopping. I got some chocolate in the Food Halls, which are incredible and some Christmas gifts for people. I also walked around and tortured myself with awesome clothes and accessories that I can't afford. Next I went to Harvey Nichols, the other famous department store. I had never been there before, but it's really nice. It's smaller and less pretentious than Harrods (who made me take off my backpack and carry it in my hands, which was a pain in the ass). And in the Harvey Nics Food Halls, I found a cookbook that has a recipe for banoffee pie!!!! Now I can make it at home!!!!!!!!! After that, I walked around the area for a little and window shopped at some more places I could never afford, such as Jimmy Choo and Prada. It was a good day. Talk to you later!!!!

Cathedrals, Zoos, Art, and More!!!!

I tried writing this entry yesterday, but the Internet was being stupid. I wrote the entire thing twice and it wouldn't post. Finally I got frustrated and gave up. So, now, let's try this again...

Since I don't have classes on Fridays, I used my day off to go into the city again. I went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is really beautiful. It didn't open until later and the admission was kind of expensive, so I only peeked inside. Next, I went to the Museum of London, which covers the history of London from prehistoric times to the 1600s. It was really neat. It's built around the remains of the Roman wall that surrounded the original city. In the section about Roman Britain, there was graffiti on the wall saying "Romans go home" which anyone else who has seen "Life of Brian" should find funny. There were also a lot of cool medieval artifacts.

Next, I stopped at this little church called St. Martin's which was designed by Christopher Wren and was really pretty. I had lunch at a pub called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which was built in the 1600s and was frequented by Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson. It is really neat and located on Fleet Street. I had a meat pie, which I'm pretty sure was made from chicken and not people.

Next, I crossed the Millennium Bridge to the Globe Theatre. We couldn't go inside the theatre because they were preparing for a show, but they have a neat little exhibit and some people were doing a demonstration on costumes. I also took a guided tour that talked about the area and went over to the site of the Rose Theatre. I was the only one on the tour, which I didn't mind because the guide was really good-looking. It was really interesting: apparently when Juliet says that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" it was Shakespeare's subtle way of insulting the rival theatre.

Next I stopped for a snack: Banoffee Pie. If you've never had it you must. It is arguably the best pie in the world. It had bananas, toffee, and whipped cream.

Then I went to The Clink Prison Museum. It talked about the appalling conditions of the old prison and some of the torture methods used. At the end it talked about some funny laws. Apparently the punishment for attempted suicide was hanging, it was illegal to be drunk and in possession of a cow, and it is still legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow except on Sundays.

Next I went to Southwark Cathedral, which is really beautiful. It is where Shakespeare's brother is buried. I might even like it better than Westminster Abbey.

Yesterday, Saturday, I took the train and Underground to Regent's Park. Which took longer than expected due to construction and then two guys getting into a fight over a seat and being removed from the train. When I finally got there, I walked around the park, which is really beautiful and really big. Then I went to the zoo, which is in the park. It is supposedly the oldest zoo in the world. I saw penguins, the place where Harry Potter first spoke to a snake, piggies, lions, monkeys, and a whole bunch of other neat stuff!!!!

Today, I went to the the National Portrait Gallery, which had a lot of paintings of old guys, but also some really neat ones. My favorites were the ones of Elizabeth I and Lady Jane Grey. Later I went to the Nation Gallery, which has a lot of amazing paintings, including some by my favorite, Vincent Van Gogh!!!! Sadly, we couldn't take pictures in either one. I also did a bit of shopping!!!!

Between yesterday day and today, there was art, animals, shopping, and Harry Potter, quite possibly four of the greatest things in the world!!!! I also ate a lot of nutella - so five!!!!!

Pictures to follow. Cheers!!!!!!!!!

The Two (or more) Towers

Monday was the first day of classes. I had The Short Story lecture from 9-10 followed by the seminar from 10-11. The lectures are big groups where the teacher lectures (as the title suggests) and the seminars are in smaller groups and more comparable to Beloit classes. It seems like it will be an interesting class. My seminar teacher seems very nice. Next I had an hour off for lunch. Then I had the Magic and Myth in Medieval and Early Modern Europe lecture from 12-1 followed by the seminar from 1-2. I also seems like it will be very interesting. Both classes mostly just did intro stuff.

Tuesdays I don't have any classes, so I used my free day to go to the Tower of London. I had been there before, but it was still a lot of fun. The tour guide was very funny. I got to see where Anne Boleyn was executed and buried, the ravens, Traitor's Gate, the Crown Jewels, and a lot more. We couldn't take pictures of the Crown Jewels.

After the Tower and lunch I tried to walk around St. Katherine Docks, which has shops and stuff, but it started raining. I had my umbrella, but it was also really windy. So, I went into the Tower Bridge Museum, which tells the story of how the bridge was made and then takes you up to the walk-ways at the top, which had a really great view despite the rain. I also got to see the Bridge raised and lowered! By then it had stopped raining. Next I visited this little 7th century church called All-Hallows-By-The-Tower. You can go down into the crypt, which was kind of creepy because I was alone. There they had the remains of the original Roman floor and the crows nest from the Shackleton expedition to Antarctica! After walking around a little more, I headed back.

Wednesday, I had my first Critical Studies class (sort of), it was really an all art department meeting where they mostly talked about stuff that didn't apply to me as a visiting student who is not taking any studio art classes. The rest of the day I just did boring stuff. Today, I had my first Crusades class. The lecture was from 12-1 and the seminar was from 2-3. Then I just did more boring stuff, such as grocery shopping and laundry, speaking of which, my clothes should be ready to come out of the dryer right about now. Talk to you later!!!!