despite my impatience and longing to come home, the weeks seem to be flying by! i'm almost sad about it, almost...
went back down to London this weekend. the Internation Student Society had a day trip to Windsor Castle on Saturday, which was a lot of fun! The Queen lives there (as much as any of her other homes), but most of it is open to the public. Went into St. George's church, saw Queen Anne's Doll house - which is 10 feet tall, with everything miniature, but made by the real companies (i.e. a mini Hoover vaccum that works, real portraits by the artists, fully functioning electricity and plumbing as well). It was my friend Sam's birthday Sat night as well, so I took the train into London from Windsor and hung out there til Sunday morning.
One bad thing - I thought that I lost my credit and debit cards, so I cancelled them right away (in fear that they were stolen and would be used in London). and then it turns out that Sam had them on accident, but by then it was too late and I had already cancelled them. So, BofA has to mail new ones home, and then they have to be sent here. A great, snail mail process!
Oh, and I was almost run over by a car. London drivers are mean! The intersection was cleared (I made sure by looking all around me in every direction possible), and then I stepped into the street (mind you it was a side cross street, not even a major one). And then this woman who was just sitting there trying to make a right turn into the street (which would have been like trying to make a left) decided to try to beat me across the street! even though I was half way through! So I jumped back, but the ground was slick from the rain, and my foot slipped and I landed on my tailbone, with my leg sprawled out 6 inches from her front bumper! So, I got all wet, and now my tailbone is all sore, and my lower back is cracking like crazy! I'll be totally fine, just a funny anecdote. THe drivers in Norwich are nice - they all stop ALL the time! London, not so much...
Last night I went to a Dwali festival, put on by the Indian student association here. Had some GREAT Indian food! and Bollywood music... there's something catchy about it!
This week should prove to be a productive week - I'm determined to finish one of my papers!!
oh, and I got my ballot, mailing it tomorrow!
random, but my friend Tom Logan (President of SAE, he went on my Cabo trip last year) is running for State Assemblyman... hes on the ballot!
hope you all have a good week!
Monday, October 27
Tuesday, October 21
Susy has changed her plans to come and visit me here in December... so now I really have no motivation to get any work done before I absolutely need to... Looks like I'll still be coming home December 13, happy birthday mum!
No motivation to do work + having 2 days to do nothing = me watching tv on my computer all morning until realizing how pathetic I seem, so I'm going to venture to the gym now, even though that is getting boring as well...
I definitely thrive on busyness, and this situation is so NOT that...
No motivation to do work + having 2 days to do nothing = me watching tv on my computer all morning until realizing how pathetic I seem, so I'm going to venture to the gym now, even though that is getting boring as well...
I definitely thrive on busyness, and this situation is so NOT that...
Sunday, October 19
Back from Bath!
What a peaceful and relaxing weekend I've had!
I caught an early train from Norwich to Bath on Friday morning and arrived there around noon (by early, I mean I had to wake up at 6 and the stars were still out!), walked to my little B&B and set off to explore the city in the afternoon! Being the genius packer that I was I only brought half of a swim suit (which I needed on Sunday), so I went on a hunt for one - which took all afternoon! Didn't have any real plans for Friday, so I just walked around the city, window shopped, and enjoyed being directionless for a while. Per my mom's suggestion, I looked into what the theatre had to offer that night, and I was able to get in to see Sherlock Holmes "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for $15 in the 5th row! It was actually quite good, and something out of the ordinary (for me anyway).
The B&B was so great! I was in a big suite the first night, had a queen sized bed all to myself, a view of the park, private shower, it was so great! The breakfasts were good as well - tea, scones and soft boiled eggs :-) It was nice to be cooked for and served for a change.
On Saturday morning I set out to be a tourist - I climbed the Abbey steps (all 212 of them) and had some great views of the city! Bath is actually quite hilly and very unlike the rest of England that I've seen thus far. After I toured the Roman Baths. In the afternoon I met Justine at the rail station and we were off to see Stonehenge. It is literally on the side of a highway! It was interesting to see, and very necessary to have the audio guide. The most extraordinary thing about it is how 1- they got those rocks there from Wales! and 2 - how they positioned them that way with the one on top of two and 3 - WHY?!
had an early night, watched a movie on TV (which is something all you people in the states can take for granted!)
Sunday was the big day.. SPA DAY! We got to the spa around 10 for our 2 hour spa time, and then had massages at noon. The Spa was quite cool... all of the water is heated by the hot springs in Bath, and there are multiple levels and spas. Theres one pool on the rooftop, another on the ground and 4 steam rooms, each with a different scent (Lavender was my favorite!) The massage was so great! She worked out all of the kinks and knots in my shoulders - no more cracking or popping! The spa was so relaxing! I wish I was still there!
We sadly had to head back to Norwich on our 6 hour trek from Bath to "home"... what an adventure that was. Between rail replacement buses, missed connections, malfunctioning Oyster cards, switches and bus drivers who decide to abandon a busload of people at 9:30 on the dot, I seem to have made it back to Norwich unharmed and relaxed. I'd say it was a successful weekend :-)
I caught an early train from Norwich to Bath on Friday morning and arrived there around noon (by early, I mean I had to wake up at 6 and the stars were still out!), walked to my little B&B and set off to explore the city in the afternoon! Being the genius packer that I was I only brought half of a swim suit (which I needed on Sunday), so I went on a hunt for one - which took all afternoon! Didn't have any real plans for Friday, so I just walked around the city, window shopped, and enjoyed being directionless for a while. Per my mom's suggestion, I looked into what the theatre had to offer that night, and I was able to get in to see Sherlock Holmes "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for $15 in the 5th row! It was actually quite good, and something out of the ordinary (for me anyway).
The B&B was so great! I was in a big suite the first night, had a queen sized bed all to myself, a view of the park, private shower, it was so great! The breakfasts were good as well - tea, scones and soft boiled eggs :-) It was nice to be cooked for and served for a change.
On Saturday morning I set out to be a tourist - I climbed the Abbey steps (all 212 of them) and had some great views of the city! Bath is actually quite hilly and very unlike the rest of England that I've seen thus far. After I toured the Roman Baths. In the afternoon I met Justine at the rail station and we were off to see Stonehenge. It is literally on the side of a highway! It was interesting to see, and very necessary to have the audio guide. The most extraordinary thing about it is how 1- they got those rocks there from Wales! and 2 - how they positioned them that way with the one on top of two and 3 - WHY?!
had an early night, watched a movie on TV (which is something all you people in the states can take for granted!)
Sunday was the big day.. SPA DAY! We got to the spa around 10 for our 2 hour spa time, and then had massages at noon. The Spa was quite cool... all of the water is heated by the hot springs in Bath, and there are multiple levels and spas. Theres one pool on the rooftop, another on the ground and 4 steam rooms, each with a different scent (Lavender was my favorite!) The massage was so great! She worked out all of the kinks and knots in my shoulders - no more cracking or popping! The spa was so relaxing! I wish I was still there!
We sadly had to head back to Norwich on our 6 hour trek from Bath to "home"... what an adventure that was. Between rail replacement buses, missed connections, malfunctioning Oyster cards, switches and bus drivers who decide to abandon a busload of people at 9:30 on the dot, I seem to have made it back to Norwich unharmed and relaxed. I'd say it was a successful weekend :-)
Monday, October 13
ireland!
what a great trip! im not sure where to begin, so i guess i'll just tell the story...
thursday night...
justine and i left norwich around 5pm and caught a coach to stansted airport, which took about 2 hours. the flight was so short! about 45 minutes long and we touched down in dublin around 11. we made our way to the hostel, only to find that there was a random person sleeping in one of our beds. the people at the front desk were not quite coherent at that time of night, and it took them 45 minutes to find us another room! we were just about to go to the hotel down the road, but the maindesk guy wouldn't refund us, so they found us an alternative room. bed by 2ish, up at 7!
friday...
the tour we went on was called "shamrocker tours" for young-ish people. there were some other students studying in england (americans staying in london), a bunch of aussies, some south african women, a canadian couple... all english speaking countries represented! we hopped on the coach and off we went!
our guide, a full irishman, was super knowledgeable! he talked and talked and talked and talked (which got quite irritating when trying to nap...). but it was great to be able to hear about so much of irelands history, the mythology attached to it, its culture, etc etc.
our first stop on friday was to Locke's Whiskey distillery, where we learned all about the distillation process of whiskey. what makes irish whiskey far superior to that of american bourbon and scotish? its distilled 3 times! (because i know you all wanted to know that :-) ) had a whiskey sampling after, and i can wholeheartedly say that i DO NOT like whiskey, its terrible!
after that we hopped back on to our little coach and headed for a monestary, Cloimanouis (or something like that...) it had some really cool stone buildings, lots of graves...
final stop of the day was the Cliffs of Moher. breathtaking!! it was really rainy, windy and wet but it was beautiful to see! pictures to be shared later....
we spent friday night in a town called Doolin, on the west coast of Ireland. the town was literally one street long! the hostel was great, clean, friendly, very homey. in the evening we all went out to McGann's pub to grab some irish stew for dinner (many a pint of Guiness) and to hear some traditional irish folk music. we stayed for about 5 or 6 songs, but they were all so slow so we decided to head back down the road to the hostel.
Saturday.. lots of driving! We made our way along the western coast for one of the most beautiful scenic rides around the world, or so Kevin told us. at one point we ventured down to the water. at another stop we hiked to the most western part of Europe! if we were to continue westward we would run in to Newfoundland... when i heard that it finally registered just how far north we were! ahh! ... heard lots of stories about the sleeping giant and the 3 maidens, all of which are island formations you can see from the coast.
we spent saturday night in Killarney, supposedly one of the most popular tourist destinations of Ireland, also where the male to female ratio is 3-1. but was more like 10-1! lots of farmers! (kevin, the guide had loads of laughs poking fun at the Killarney farmer stereotypes... haha)
we had a great dinner at a pub, then continued on with our evening at a night stop called the the grand hotel. it was a fun night, but still very rural, very country (even more so than Norwich!)
Sunday... was the best sightseeing day by far!
our first stop was at Blarney - what beautiful grounds! and the castle is amazing! I kissed the stone, which was very creepy to do dangling upside down, being held by an old irishman. We'll see if i got the "gift of the gab" ...
our next stop was at some caves, which were so cool! huge cathedral-sized spaces, lots of amazing geological formations.. we weren't supposed to take pictures, but being the little rebel that i am i snuck a few anyways
all in all, it was a lot of driving through the countryside, but i guess thats the best thing that ireland has to offer! I wish that we had another day or so just to explore dublin, but i really enjoed what we were able to see and do! the tour company was great and it was pretty well priced, i'd say.
had a lovely long commute back to norwich late last night...
coach to airport in Dublin: 30 minutes
waiting at airport: 90 minutes
flight: 45
train from stansted to cambridge, to stowmarket, to norwich: 3 hours!
taxi to uea: 15 minutes
it really makes you miss the convenience of a car and the closeness of things in LA!
so, thats my weekend...
thursday night...
justine and i left norwich around 5pm and caught a coach to stansted airport, which took about 2 hours. the flight was so short! about 45 minutes long and we touched down in dublin around 11. we made our way to the hostel, only to find that there was a random person sleeping in one of our beds. the people at the front desk were not quite coherent at that time of night, and it took them 45 minutes to find us another room! we were just about to go to the hotel down the road, but the maindesk guy wouldn't refund us, so they found us an alternative room. bed by 2ish, up at 7!
friday...
the tour we went on was called "shamrocker tours" for young-ish people. there were some other students studying in england (americans staying in london), a bunch of aussies, some south african women, a canadian couple... all english speaking countries represented! we hopped on the coach and off we went!
our guide, a full irishman, was super knowledgeable! he talked and talked and talked and talked (which got quite irritating when trying to nap...). but it was great to be able to hear about so much of irelands history, the mythology attached to it, its culture, etc etc.
our first stop on friday was to Locke's Whiskey distillery, where we learned all about the distillation process of whiskey. what makes irish whiskey far superior to that of american bourbon and scotish? its distilled 3 times! (because i know you all wanted to know that :-) ) had a whiskey sampling after, and i can wholeheartedly say that i DO NOT like whiskey, its terrible!
after that we hopped back on to our little coach and headed for a monestary, Cloimanouis (or something like that...) it had some really cool stone buildings, lots of graves...
final stop of the day was the Cliffs of Moher. breathtaking!! it was really rainy, windy and wet but it was beautiful to see! pictures to be shared later....
we spent friday night in a town called Doolin, on the west coast of Ireland. the town was literally one street long! the hostel was great, clean, friendly, very homey. in the evening we all went out to McGann's pub to grab some irish stew for dinner (many a pint of Guiness) and to hear some traditional irish folk music. we stayed for about 5 or 6 songs, but they were all so slow so we decided to head back down the road to the hostel.
Saturday.. lots of driving! We made our way along the western coast for one of the most beautiful scenic rides around the world, or so Kevin told us. at one point we ventured down to the water. at another stop we hiked to the most western part of Europe! if we were to continue westward we would run in to Newfoundland... when i heard that it finally registered just how far north we were! ahh! ... heard lots of stories about the sleeping giant and the 3 maidens, all of which are island formations you can see from the coast.
we spent saturday night in Killarney, supposedly one of the most popular tourist destinations of Ireland, also where the male to female ratio is 3-1. but was more like 10-1! lots of farmers! (kevin, the guide had loads of laughs poking fun at the Killarney farmer stereotypes... haha)
we had a great dinner at a pub, then continued on with our evening at a night stop called the the grand hotel. it was a fun night, but still very rural, very country (even more so than Norwich!)
Sunday... was the best sightseeing day by far!
our first stop was at Blarney - what beautiful grounds! and the castle is amazing! I kissed the stone, which was very creepy to do dangling upside down, being held by an old irishman. We'll see if i got the "gift of the gab" ...
our next stop was at some caves, which were so cool! huge cathedral-sized spaces, lots of amazing geological formations.. we weren't supposed to take pictures, but being the little rebel that i am i snuck a few anyways
all in all, it was a lot of driving through the countryside, but i guess thats the best thing that ireland has to offer! I wish that we had another day or so just to explore dublin, but i really enjoed what we were able to see and do! the tour company was great and it was pretty well priced, i'd say.
had a lovely long commute back to norwich late last night...
coach to airport in Dublin: 30 minutes
waiting at airport: 90 minutes
flight: 45
train from stansted to cambridge, to stowmarket, to norwich: 3 hours!
taxi to uea: 15 minutes
it really makes you miss the convenience of a car and the closeness of things in LA!
so, thats my weekend...
Sunday, October 12
back in the UK
made it back to school a few moments ago. i'll write all about ireland tomorrow, though, its been a LONG day of travelling (buses, planes and trains! and a taxi...) - been up since 7 and it is now 2am.
but just wanted to say that im alive and well, safe and tired (like any traveler should be!)
but just wanted to say that im alive and well, safe and tired (like any traveler should be!)
Tuesday, October 7
Monday, October 6
London Town
had a great 36 hours (or less than...) in London this weekend! Justine and I caught an early train Saturday morning from Norwich to London and got there mid-day. I have a couple of friends who are working there with an internship program for a year who offered to let us crash on their couches, but we opted for a hostel. It was called 'Clink'. It was my first hostel experience, and I wasn't expecting much. It was nice though, clean, spacious, well kept. But, next time, for expenses sake and logistics, I'll stay with my friend there. On Saturday we had great weather! We walked down past Buckingham Palace, past St. James park and down to Westminister Abbey. The Abbey was closed when we got there (big bummer!), but we were able to see it from the outside. Oh, Big Ben, too. Only its not so big... We walked around the city for no less than 5 hours, our feet we so sore! We got some discounted tickets to go see Chicago that night, which was so great! Of course we could have gotten better seats for £5 more had we known we were going to be in the last row! But, so be it... we had a great time! Next time it'll be Phantom of the Opera :-)
Met up with my friends after the show and had a fun night! Went to a place called the Jazz Cafe... wouldn't go back there again, not worth the cover, but it was still fun.
Sunday it was pouring rain! We were both so exhausted from the night before and we had to get up early to check out of the hostel. We opted to do one of those Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours that takes you around the city. Good choice considering the weather and our tired legs, but our desire to see the city as more than a tube line (with too many necessary stops closed!!! that was frustrating...) We got off our little tour bus near Hyde Park and walked along that shopping corridor. Went into Harrods and Harvey Nichols... so expensive! I wanted to buy something from there, but couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money... everything was designer!!! Next time maybe I'll get something from the tourist shop, cheesy yes, but economical...
36 hours later were had made it back safe and sound (tired and feeling gross about not taking a shower since saturday morning before we left) to good ol' Norwich, home...
Now that I've been I have a better feel as to what I'd like to do next time I'm down in the city with other friends (Katie and Marissa for Halloween weekend and Susy in December). All in all I was so happy that we got out of Norwich, wouldn't have had nearly as much fun!
I'll post some pictures as soon as I can. I took my computer to an IT guy this morning to get it fixed. Hopefully that wont cost me too much (money, stress or time...)
Cheers!
Happy week 3! Enjoy October, I heard it rained... ?
Met up with my friends after the show and had a fun night! Went to a place called the Jazz Cafe... wouldn't go back there again, not worth the cover, but it was still fun.
Sunday it was pouring rain! We were both so exhausted from the night before and we had to get up early to check out of the hostel. We opted to do one of those Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours that takes you around the city. Good choice considering the weather and our tired legs, but our desire to see the city as more than a tube line (with too many necessary stops closed!!! that was frustrating...) We got off our little tour bus near Hyde Park and walked along that shopping corridor. Went into Harrods and Harvey Nichols... so expensive! I wanted to buy something from there, but couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money... everything was designer!!! Next time maybe I'll get something from the tourist shop, cheesy yes, but economical...
36 hours later were had made it back safe and sound (tired and feeling gross about not taking a shower since saturday morning before we left) to good ol' Norwich, home...
Now that I've been I have a better feel as to what I'd like to do next time I'm down in the city with other friends (Katie and Marissa for Halloween weekend and Susy in December). All in all I was so happy that we got out of Norwich, wouldn't have had nearly as much fun!
I'll post some pictures as soon as I can. I took my computer to an IT guy this morning to get it fixed. Hopefully that wont cost me too much (money, stress or time...)
Cheers!
Happy week 3! Enjoy October, I heard it rained... ?
Friday, October 3
trip #1
on my way to London in the morning! a quick trip, 2 days, 1 night. justine and i are going to do some sightseeing, i think we're going to stick around westminister abbey, buckingham palace, hype park, big ben (i'll do the tower, the eye., etc later...). really excited to get out and explore!
computer is really broken. getting a new harddrive on monday... :-(
computer is really broken. getting a new harddrive on monday... :-(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)