Have Fun Storming the Castle!

                                           Happy Easter!! Much love to all on this joyous day!

Chatsworth Hall 

   

     The last few days have been amazing and packed! On Friday our whole group boarded a bus and traveled at least 3 hours outside of London to Chatsworth House. This is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Derbyshire. Like many old manor homes, it is open to tours.  If you have ever seen the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice, you may recognize the house as Pemberley. It also was the house Jane Austen described as Pemberley when she wrote this renowned novel. Pretty cool. The house is absolutely incredible. Each ceiling has a painting on it and the walls are covered in paintings and gorgeous furniture. Basically I want to live there. The Duke and Duchess still live there, in a wing of the house not open to the public. For tax reasons, they actually pay rent; it is set up as a Trust with the Duke as the head.  The gardens were gorgeous. They include a hedge maze, which I unfortunately did not see. I was caught in a snowball fight by the fountain. We then got back on the bus and went to Haddon Hall. This is basically a castle, but instead of it being the ruins it is restored and has furniture and medieval tapestries on the walls. Castles are really cold so the fires burning in all of the fireplaces were well received. This was the filming site of The Princess Bride. We left at 8AM and returned at 9 PM, but it was an incredible day. Just like every day here in good ole London Town!

Haddon Hall!

   Yesterday I decided to venture off and explore London a little on my own. This has been something I have wanted to do for a while. My plan was to go to Westminster Abbey and do the tour of the church. However, as I rode the tube over, I realized that trying to go to a major landmark church on a Saturday is probably not a good idea. The Saturday before Easter is even worse. So instead I just wandered around the City of Westminster. I went by Buckingham Palace, through St. James' Park, by Parliament, Trafalgar Square, then headed to Twinings to restock on some tea (I'm an addict...it's fine). I then walked back home. This walk took maybe 30 minutes but it was really exciting to be able to make it back relatively easily. Every time I was a little confused on my exact location, I would run into something familiar, like the British Museum. I got back and decided I wasn't moving for several hours. But then I went to the Tate Modern with Anna and Martha Grace. There we met up with Mackenzie, who goes to Centre but is studying a Rose Bruford in Sidcup. After looking at the art we went to a food market we found (not the Borough Market but still amazing and delicious!). I had pork barbecue on a ciabatta and realized it was the first time I had had pork since I left America. That night I went out with a whole bunch of our group and had a blast, despite the time change. 

Mr. Darcy!!!

   

     Today I went to church at the Newman House per usual and then came home and sat on my bed. Sadly I have not really done anything else today. I guess sometimes you need those days? Tomorrow I'm off to the Tower of London! The adventures continue every day!!

The Many Adventures of the Gray Coat and Orange Purse

   
    Whew. It has been a whirlwind of the last few days. Sunday, after Church, I ventured off to the British Library. This landmark about 7 minutes from my place of living space houses  some treasures, such as original manuscripts of Beowulf, Shakespeare's First Folio, original Chopin scores, and so much more. It also holds two copies of the original (1215) Magna Carta. This brings my total of original Magna Carta viewings to 3 of 4. The fourth is in Lincoln. They are the only four that remain with the original seal. Pretty incredible. Monday it was back to class, with Contemporary British Theatre and London during the Blitz in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to Camden Market with Deanna, Olivia, and Olivia's friend who is currently studying in Spain. It was a frigid Monday afternoon, so the area really wasn't as full of all the stalls the way I had thought. So obviously I will just have to return on a day where I fight the crowds! If anything London has taught me how to walk through congestion. Perks of living next to one of the most frequented Underground stops.

    Tuesday began with a midterm in British Politics followed by a biscuit (cookie) stop with Deanna, Hope, and Monica. For the Art of Walking we went to the British Museum and sketched. My specialty is really bad stick figures so let me tell you my drawings were spot on. Also, if you are in a museum and sketching everyone assumes you have talent and peer over your shoulder constantly. I also had a woman sit down next to me to better see my "masterpiece." That evening half of the group went to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime which was absolutely fantastic. This show began with me having a ticket to a seat that doesn't physically exist so after a little preshow stress the ushers were able to get me into a seat. The show tells the story of a 15 year old autistic boy in a key moment of life. I don't even know how to begin describing how fantastic this show was. I read the book two weeks before seeing it and the director/actors/designers did incredible work in showing the audience the way the main character, Christopher, views the world. If you are going to London go see this show.

Buckingham palace

   On Wednesday the Art of Walking class went to the British Library (twice in a few days for me!) and then headed to Chelsea. We had about 30 minutes in Harrods, all of which I spent in the Food Halls. So. Much. Delicious. Food. By splitting with Warren, I was able to get out of there only spending a little over 3 pounds on a Lebanese lamb pasty thing, a macaroon, and Turkish Delight. We then continued on to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Hope and I wandered around for about an hour. My favorite sections were the fashion as well as stumbling upon a room with Raphael paintings everywhere. They were incredible. That evening, after making potato soup for the group, we went to see Steptoe and Son, a play based off of a British TV show. After the show, a few of us tried to go to a pub to get dessert but got there just as food stopped being served. So naturally we went to McDonald's instead.

Parliament and a phone booth? So British!

   Today was the first free weekday we have had almost the whole trip. Martha Grace and I walked to Trafalgar Square and went to the National Portrait Gallery. This is actually a pretty amazing place because you see the real, huge portraits of all these people who have been in all of your textbooks throughout the years. Shakespeare, the Monarchs, Dickens, Shackleton, and even David Beckham! The portrait of David Beckham is interesting because it is actually a filming of him sleeping after training. But through the lights and angle it is very cool because it almost looks like it was painted. Interesting. We also walked to Downing Street with hopes of seeing 10 Downing Street and maybe even David Cameron. However, without a pass, you can't even walk down the street due to security. However, I have heard that you can get passes from the US Embassy so that might just be something to do one quiet day. We continued to wander through St. James' Park which was gorgeous. It was also nice to see Buckingham Palace in the daylight!

    Tomorrow we gather early to travel to Chetsworth, the home Jane Austen based Pemberly (Darcy's home in Pride and Prejudice) and the castle used in the filming of The Princess Bride. It is sure to be an exciting day!! 

Street of PM's Residence

The Emerald Isle

Cliffs of Moher

  Ireland is absolutely the most gorgeous country I have ever seen. The people are incredibly friendly. Olivia, Deanna, Kyle, and myself flew into Cork Wednesday afternoon. This is the second largest city after Dublin. We stayed at Creedon's Bed and Breakfast. It was run by the sweetest people ever, Danny and Annette. It was also ideally located 5 minutes from the bus station and right on a main street. Cork is a city but it has a small town feel. That evening, we went to an Indian restaurant (my first meal in Ireland was Indian...hmm) and then wandered around the city a little. It was perfect.

Blarney Castle

  Thursday was an early morning as we took a bus for 15 minutes to the town of Blarney, home of the Blarney Castle. We battled the rain for these few hours, but it just added to the adventure! The Castle was awesome and we all kissed the Blarney stone.  To kiss the stone you have to lean backwards over a (grated) opening to the wall on the top. There is a person to help you, but it still is a stretch! Once you kiss it you are blessed with the gift of gab and eloquence of speech. Kissing the stone is on the Top 99 Things to do before you die list, so that's pretty cool. That afternoon we went to the Cork City Gaol (jail), known to locals as the Women's Gaol. When catching a taxi to get back to our B&B (it was raining reallly hard), our driver did a flat fee of what it would be to get us back and then took us on a tour of the city. It was really cool. We ate dinner and wandered a little more.

baby Cliffs

     Friday was also an early morning as we joined the PaddyWagon tour bus to a visit to the Cliffs of Moher. For only thirty euros we had a ten hour tour of the Irish countryside, seeing King John's Castle in Limerick, the Poulnabrone Dolmen (a tabletop tomb older dating back to between 4,200 BC and 2,900 BC. It was surrounded by a landscape that just had rocks everywhere. It was unlike anything I have ever seen and was breathtaking.The landscape differed from one side of the road to the other, sometimes rolling hills (in the most incredible shade of green), flat areas, stone covered ground, or cliffs. The West Coast is incredible. We made a few other stops along the way (such as at baby Cliffs) until we reached the Cliffs of Moher. It was incredibly windy and a bit rainy as we were there. But that did not take away from the beauty of these momentous Cliffs.  They were absolutely fantastic. The day was amazing. Just the drive around Ireland was incredible. Paul, our tour guide, told us so many interesting things about Ireland as we drove around. We also listened to some traditional Irish music, songs that I grew up listening to. Hearing these songs as we drove through gorgeous Irish countryside was so cool. That evening the four of us dressed up and had a fancy night, going to a restaurant and then a pub to listen to live music. It was a great ending to an incredible day.

Cork, Ireland

St. Brigid of Ireland's cross

  Saturday morning we stayed in Cork (we flew out in the afternoon) and went to some churches, the English Market, and an authentic Irish store. I realized just how much the Catholic history has impacted Ireland when I found rosaries in this large store in Cork. It was filled with Irish paraphernalia including quite a few books that I had to pull myself away from. I did find some of St. Brigid of Ireland's cross, which was pretty cool. She is my Confirmation saint. It was sad to leave and I cannot wait until I can get back to this wonderful land.

Cliffs of Moher

Top of the Evenin' to Ya

Three days until SPRING BREAK!!! This past Friday night I worked on papers and just chilled in my room. But Saturday was a crazy packed day...I left at 11:50 and didn't get home until almost 10! I left to go see Picnic at Rose Bruford College, a major drama school about thirty minutes outside of London. The play was fantastic. It also was pretty nice to take the train out of London for a few hours. Once we arrived back at Tower Bridge, Olivia, Andrew, and myself went to Borough market for the last 45 minutes it was open. When that closed, Olivia and I made our way to Trafalgar Square to meet up with Deanna and her boyfriend Kyle!! He flew in yesterday morning and is here for a week which is pretty exciting. Spring Break 2013 is going to be a blast. The four of us walked to Buckingham Palace. A month in London and I can finally say I've seen the Queen's home. Now to go back in the daylight and get better pictures of it... We then tried to find a pub, but seeing as it was late most of the pubs in that busy area were already full. We tried the Sherlock Holmes pub, but to no avail. I will have to go back at some point though...it looks pretty cool! We ended up at the Royal George, a nearby pub that is really good. A long but great day! Today is St. Patrick's Day and naturally all of my green clothing is in America. In order to celebrate, a bunch of us went to Trafalgar Square where there was a St. Patrick's Day festival. Green was everywhere and live music was playing. Trafalgar Square hosts several festivals a year...yesterday there was actually a Russian festival that we passed. It's pretty cool! London is thriving and is as wonderful as ever. 

Rocks on Rocks on Rocks

St. Paul's Cathedral

    As it is the week before Spring Break, I have had a relatively quiet four days working on projects, presentations, and a paper. We are on such a different pace than at Centre, making it almost harder to concentrate on work. Oh well!

    On Monday we went to the National Theatre to see the production of Port. It was a great show with fantastic technical elements, including entire set pieces that disappeared into the floor. After having a tour of the National Theatre last week the show was even cooler to see since I had a small idea of how these scene changes happened. Tuesday's walking class involved walking around St. Paul's Cathedral and then crossing the Thames to briefly be inside the Tate Modern.

Avebury!

   Wednesday the entire class went to Stonehenge!!! Although the site is a bit anti climatic (though it is so cool to be able to say I have seen Stonehenge), it was also an incredibly fun day. Before heading to Stonehenge we went to Salisbury Cathedral. This is an absolutely gorgeous Cathedral that also houses one of four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta. I didn't realize this document was here until I stumbled into the room where it is kept. Pretty cool. The church itself was also absolutely beautiful. After we toured the Cathedral and took pictures and went to Stonehenge and took pictures, we headed to Avebury. This is another site of ancient ruins, older than Stonehenge but somehow less known. This is probably in part to the fact that the stones are solely placed in a ring besides also having the large structure that we think of as Stonehenge. The day was exhausting but also so much fun!

Salisbury Cathedral

Stonehenge!

   I wish I had more adventures to talk about, but the homework load of the week has made it a little more difficult to get out and explore. Oh well! Spring Break is just around the corner and will be full of many adventures!

"I Feel Poor" and Other Stories of a Broke College Girl

outside of the National Archives

   Yesterday I went to Harrods. With 20 pounds in my pocket. I felt like I could barely afford the air. Three hours later and we hadn't even gotten to the clothing and everything normally associated with Harrods. Instead, we did what normal college students do and headed straight to Pet Kingdom, the Disney store, and Toy Kingdom. Pausing at the Godiva chocolate cafe I bought the most expensive and exquisite drink of my life. I was in chocolate heaven. We then went to the book store portion and meandered down to the Food Halls. There, I was overwhelmed by the sheer vastness and scents and food that was literally everywhere. I don't know how I managed to get through there without paying a pence. Willpower? Harrods was amazing. It was overwhelming and awesome.

the bread stall!

  On Friday Deanna and I explored the borough of Richmond Park for a British Politics project. We tried to go to Kew Gardens, but £16 a person is a little pricy. Plus it was raining and wandering around a beautiful garden while getting soaked was somehow not that appealing. Instead, we ate at the Bread Stall, a bakery which also sells their bread right outside of the tube station. It was delicious. We also found the National Archives, in which you can trace your ancestry if you know enough details such as year, last name, and place of departure. It was pretty cool. After class several of us ate at Yo Sushi and then went to an Indian restaurant to eat even more food.

  Today has been rather uneventful. I've worked on the mountain of homework and cooked a mound of delicious pasta with Warren for our cooking group.It has been a quiet but productive weekend here in rainy London town. 

This is what delicious looks like

The First Day of "Real" London Weather

After a few days of absolute gorgeousness, I awoke this morning to a slightly foggy and drizzly city. According to one of our professors, Tony Haigh, we have now been introduced to real London weather. Joys.

   Tuesday began in its usual standard. An early morning start to get to British Politics class was followed by lunch and then a small walk to Gordan Square to meet up with everyone for the Art of Walking. We then took a walk. Normal. The day soon turned into one that not a single member of this trip will ever forget. Dr. Keffer decided we should experience Great Expectations through the mouths of random passerby Brits. Therefore he asked them. Many of them. "Have you read Charles Dickens?" "Do you like Charles Dickens?" "Would you like to read Charles Dickens?" and (the most memorable) "Charles Dickens?" which was said across the street to a random man wearing a quite colorful cap. He did finally get his wish when a young boy read for us a little closer to home. Definitely a class for the memory books. That evening we went to a concert at St. Martin's in the Field.

  Wednesday was our off day, but the majority of us joined Dr. Keffer (hereafter referred to as Uncle Ken) on a five to six mile walk through more suburban areas and wooded trails. A random soccer ball was found, followed by an impromptu game that ended in a tie. The evening ended with the British Politics' class attending a council meeting on the annual budget for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.  A budget meeting may sound boring, but with the constant heckling and debating it actually was quite an amusing evening.

  Today began with class followed by a tour of the National Theatre. Since we were already on the South Bank, a few of us went off to explore Borough Market. It was amazing. The market primarily had European food (with an emphasis on cheese, chocolate, and meats) and everything was delicious. Definitely going to go back soon. Tonight has been my first adventure with the laundry here. I will never again complain about the cost at Centre. Tonight's load cost 7 pounds, or roughly $10.50. Ouch.

  

Borough Market!

And you thought I forgot...

Regent Street 

So yeah. That whole "post every Thursday" idea that I had come up with didn't even last a week. But as I am procrastinating British Politics' reading I thought I might update the world on the going ons in London. So...

The past few weeks have been amazing. I love this city. Is it too early to say this? Too bad. I was saying it within the first hour. I am now 20, having had my birthday in this wonderful city. Since the St. Paul's "fiasco" I have gotten only slightly better at directions. Last week on the way to church at the Newman House I only got lost by walking one extra block instead of traveling an entire bus line. Progress. But life the last few days.

Sites I have seen:
    the filming of Law and Order UK. this was randomly stumbled upon and was pretty cool to see! the      Twinings Tea Shop. SO COOL!!! I will definitely be back many times to buy an excess of tea. I've had 4 or 5 cups a day recently...maybe I should start looking at cutting back? Nahhhhh
     Globe Theatre. Later in April we will be seeing The Tempest at the Globe. Once again, inner nerd is geekin'.

Globe Theatre!

Fulham vs. Stoke City football game! Craven Cottage, the site of this soccer match, is one of the oldest stadiums. It was a great game that made me miss my first sport a lot more than I expected.
     Churchill War Rooms (geek moment!!!) This AWESOME museum showed the rooms in which Churchill and other cabinet members conducted business during the Blitz on London for safety. The rooms were accompanied by a slight overwhelming but great museum on the life of Churchill. Inner nerd cheesin'.
         Other museums seen: the British Museum, the Museum of London, and the Docklands Museum. In the latter I only saw the WWII portion but it was pretty cool.
      Charles Dickens Museum. located in a house he briefly lived in
     Portabello Road Market. Overwhelming and incredible. Do not go on a Saturday unless you merely want to get a feel for the market. It is absolutely great!
 
   

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE!!

Plays seen thus far:
     Our Country's Good
     Privates on Parade where I stage-doored and met SIMON RUSSELL BEALE aka the current preeminent British stage actor. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
     The Mousetrap the longest running show ever in it's 60th year. I saw this with my Dad, which was pretty cool.
  I also booked a ticket to Les Mis in which I will sob my tear ducts out, Once, Peter and Alice (with the one and only JUDI DENCH and Ben Whishaw!). Tickets to War Horse hopefully soon to come. Plus all of the other shows we see for the Contemporary British Theatre class.

My Dad was here for 2 days this past weekend which was a lot of fun. He told me stories of when he lived here for a year and together we explored Soho, Covent Garden, the West End, Trafalger Square, and all the other areas these places connect too. It was absolutely amazing.

I also have now started a tradition (2 weeks running so we're in good shape!) of going to a pub about 10 minutes away for Monday night trivia. Although the majority of the answers we put down are wrong (who knew Idaho was the GEM state?!?) it's a lot of fun and has a great atmosphere. The Rocket is one of the best pubs out there.

I have noticed that all children seem to own scooters here. When they are out with their parents they ride the scooter, probably to save their young legs from the walking and their parents' ears from the complaining. Also water fountains and public restrooms do not exist. When I see a Starbucks I immediately begin to look for a Pret because they are always close by. Also trashcans (or I guess rubbish cans?) are not a thing. The city is quite loud but I don't notice it until I manage to make my way into a more suburban or removed borough (neighborhood).

That is probably approximately everything from the last two weeks. Hopefully I get better about posting (hahaha) but hey it's the thought that counts! Now I'm going to get back to not reading my government homework.

Such a British alley. Seriously one of
the coolest off the track things I've seen!

 "You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Samuel Johnson. It has been almost three weeks and that is already how I feel. If I don't come home in May you will find me in the city near Piccadilly. Love you all.