HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOTIE!!!
I know you aren't awake yet but I hope you have an awesome day at school, love you lots and miss you tons!!! <3
(My sister, Tori, is 14 today...give her a hug for me xoxo)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
A birthday weekend back home!!
I'm a horrible daughter and got so caught up in stuff here and forgetting the date I forgot my Mom's birthday yesterday!!!!!! We've talked....she said she'll forgive me someday :o) And Tori is 14 on Monday!!!! I hope you have wonderful celebrations without me!
This week flew by...not a whole lot going on for classes but midterms are spread over the next 3 weeks along with several projects so it should be intense but hopefully over quick. (Our cruise is 3 weeks from today!!!)
So let me see this week our field trip was to an older section of London that included the meat plants of the 11/1200s. We visited a local green that used to hold executions. Actually William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered there (which is very gruesome....it's the end of Braveheart with Mel Gibson). Anyhow we also visited two churches dating back to the time of the Black Plague. One of the churches was the one used in the film 'Shakespeare in Love'...I was excited. It was also really interesting...the floors are surrounded by tombs on the floor many dating to the time of the plague. The next church had fabulous glass windows, so beautiful. We didn't get a chance to make our way to Temple Church (from Da Vinci Code) but I will get back there another time hopefully soon. It was raining during this particular tour so we hurried along and caught the tube home.
Thursday night my friend Tim had his sister and brother-in-law fly in from the D.C. area to spend the weekend. We met up with them at Tower of London and grabbed some pints at a local pub. They were awed by the drinking culture over here as many carry beers through the streets and congregate all around pubs and in the street. We made our way to Piccadilly where I met up with my girl friends for a live band at O'neils. We ended up needing to grab a taxi home as the bus never came! Saturday I slept in! It was wonderful. Around 2 p.m. I met up with Tim and his family and we did a great day walk of the city. First we did Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, then to Princess Diana's memorial fountain (I'll post pictures later...it's beautiful), then onto walk all the way down to Hyde Park corner...then to Buckingham Palace...and next to Westminster Abbey. It was really fun to just explore the city on our own. I saw random things I might not otherwise have come across such as the memorial to the Caribbean and African fighters of WWI & II. We saw people on horseback riding in Hyde Park, explored in parts of Westminster Abbey and generally figured out ways to walk about the city and get our bearings. Finally we went down to Trafalgar Square to get some Fish and Chips! We found a wonderful pub in a back alley (not as creepy as it sounds)...again people were spilling out into the streets. We sampled the Fish & Chips as well as Bangers (Sausages) & Mash (potatoes). Heading off we walked down to the Thames and saw the London Eye all lit up at night. We caught the tube to Covenant Gardens to do a pub crawl. We hit up very local places as many people picked us out as being Americans. A gentleman asked how I liked it over here and commented that at least over here they don't 'throw their tea into the river' (Boston Tea Party reference)....I agreed. We hit up two or three pubs along with Tim's roommate Stu and friend Tyler who had met up with us.
We called it a night early so that we could catch the tube back (it closes at midnight) and went to High Street Kensington for some late night food. There is a place called Ranoush....it's Lebanese food and it was amazing! They have wraps with Chicked, Pickles, tomatoes, a mayo-based sauce and a few other things....either way it was so good. I love discovering new food places and pubs around here...makes me feel more like a local. Anyhow we called it a night and today (for the third day in a row) I have woken up to the SUN! Beautiful set of no-jacket, sunglass days. My girlfriends and I got up and grabbed food at La Pastorella, a small cafe, with fresh squeezed OJ and fabulous omelettes. We're just mozying around today for a bit. I'm heading to the gym with Ashley in a bit, and need to do some homework. We hope to read a little in Hyde Park and then this evening I believe I may be going to a play...we'll see.
This weekend has been nice and calm as 80% of campus went to Scotland, Germany or Ireland on trips. (peaceful) I have to say post-Paris and being here watching movies like National Treasure 2 and Da Vinci code are so much fun having actually been there! I spent time this week going through movies with scenes from them that I've been to or seen. Anyhow I'm off for the afternoon but I love you all lots.
**Please keep my baby cousin Michael James in your thoughts and prayers as he underwent heart surgery and needs all the help he can get!!!** :o)
Happy Belated Mom! and Happy (almost) Birthday Tootie!!!!
Lots of love,
Kate
Fun Fact: The original London bridge is now located in Arizona. It was falling apart in the early 1970s and so the government had the idea to auction it off to pay for a new bridge. The U.S. bought it for about $2.5 million and piece by piece it was moved to Arizona and dedicated in 1971.
This week flew by...not a whole lot going on for classes but midterms are spread over the next 3 weeks along with several projects so it should be intense but hopefully over quick. (Our cruise is 3 weeks from today!!!)
So let me see this week our field trip was to an older section of London that included the meat plants of the 11/1200s. We visited a local green that used to hold executions. Actually William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered there (which is very gruesome....it's the end of Braveheart with Mel Gibson). Anyhow we also visited two churches dating back to the time of the Black Plague. One of the churches was the one used in the film 'Shakespeare in Love'...I was excited. It was also really interesting...the floors are surrounded by tombs on the floor many dating to the time of the plague. The next church had fabulous glass windows, so beautiful. We didn't get a chance to make our way to Temple Church (from Da Vinci Code) but I will get back there another time hopefully soon. It was raining during this particular tour so we hurried along and caught the tube home.
Thursday night my friend Tim had his sister and brother-in-law fly in from the D.C. area to spend the weekend. We met up with them at Tower of London and grabbed some pints at a local pub. They were awed by the drinking culture over here as many carry beers through the streets and congregate all around pubs and in the street. We made our way to Piccadilly where I met up with my girl friends for a live band at O'neils. We ended up needing to grab a taxi home as the bus never came! Saturday I slept in! It was wonderful. Around 2 p.m. I met up with Tim and his family and we did a great day walk of the city. First we did Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, then to Princess Diana's memorial fountain (I'll post pictures later...it's beautiful), then onto walk all the way down to Hyde Park corner...then to Buckingham Palace...and next to Westminster Abbey. It was really fun to just explore the city on our own. I saw random things I might not otherwise have come across such as the memorial to the Caribbean and African fighters of WWI & II. We saw people on horseback riding in Hyde Park, explored in parts of Westminster Abbey and generally figured out ways to walk about the city and get our bearings. Finally we went down to Trafalgar Square to get some Fish and Chips! We found a wonderful pub in a back alley (not as creepy as it sounds)...again people were spilling out into the streets. We sampled the Fish & Chips as well as Bangers (Sausages) & Mash (potatoes). Heading off we walked down to the Thames and saw the London Eye all lit up at night. We caught the tube to Covenant Gardens to do a pub crawl. We hit up very local places as many people picked us out as being Americans. A gentleman asked how I liked it over here and commented that at least over here they don't 'throw their tea into the river' (Boston Tea Party reference)....I agreed. We hit up two or three pubs along with Tim's roommate Stu and friend Tyler who had met up with us.
We called it a night early so that we could catch the tube back (it closes at midnight) and went to High Street Kensington for some late night food. There is a place called Ranoush....it's Lebanese food and it was amazing! They have wraps with Chicked, Pickles, tomatoes, a mayo-based sauce and a few other things....either way it was so good. I love discovering new food places and pubs around here...makes me feel more like a local. Anyhow we called it a night and today (for the third day in a row) I have woken up to the SUN! Beautiful set of no-jacket, sunglass days. My girlfriends and I got up and grabbed food at La Pastorella, a small cafe, with fresh squeezed OJ and fabulous omelettes. We're just mozying around today for a bit. I'm heading to the gym with Ashley in a bit, and need to do some homework. We hope to read a little in Hyde Park and then this evening I believe I may be going to a play...we'll see.
This weekend has been nice and calm as 80% of campus went to Scotland, Germany or Ireland on trips. (peaceful) I have to say post-Paris and being here watching movies like National Treasure 2 and Da Vinci code are so much fun having actually been there! I spent time this week going through movies with scenes from them that I've been to or seen. Anyhow I'm off for the afternoon but I love you all lots.
**Please keep my baby cousin Michael James in your thoughts and prayers as he underwent heart surgery and needs all the help he can get!!!** :o)
Happy Belated Mom! and Happy (almost) Birthday Tootie!!!!
Lots of love,
Kate
Fun Fact: The original London bridge is now located in Arizona. It was falling apart in the early 1970s and so the government had the idea to auction it off to pay for a new bridge. The U.S. bought it for about $2.5 million and piece by piece it was moved to Arizona and dedicated in 1971.
Monday, September 22, 2008
~A weekend in Paris~
Hi all!!I am back safe and sound as promised. I had the most incredible weekend...
Friday morning (really really really early):
Well my friend, Ashley and I decided that sleeping was a bad idea on Thursday night because we needed to be up at 5 a.m. So after packing all night, going to the 24 hour store at 4 am to get Red Bull and dragging our bags down the street in the pitch black morning we embarked on our journey to
Ferry was about 2 hours...being typical American college students the majority sprawled out in the lounges to sleep or took advantage of a 6 bottles of wine for 18 pounds deal (which is ridiculously cheap)...I however decided 11 a.m. was a little early and spent the time up on the deck with my ipod. I have to note at this point we had the most perfect 3 days of weather, it was sunny from the time we left until the sunset on the way home (Incredible). So on the other side we headed for the exits ('sortie' in french). We got on the buses and prepared for the 5 hour trip. At the rest stop it really hit us that we were in France when you go to order food and kind of think 'Hmmm, I have no idea what any of this says'....so we resorted to 'Bonjour'...(pointing) and 'Merci'. About 3 hours later we got to the hotel and with an hour to get ready we changed and headed off to an evening at the
Below (left: approaching the tower...right: in the elevator climbing the tower...below: Me with the Seine at night from the top of the tower
Heading back down we climbed aboard a boat with walls and ceiling made entirely of glass. We listened to a headset heading down the river through over 2 dozen bridges over the
We were a little too tired to make our way to clubs so we decided to head back to the
hotel...about a 20 minute Metro ride (train). Let me also say that the Metro kicks your butt...people cram into it like sardines....the doors shut on you whether or not you want to lose your arm....and to get off I had to observe but you have to flick up a switch. I still have all my fingers thankfully. Once back at the hotel we decided not to waste a night and grabbed some bottles of wine with friends. We sat on the steps of the local city concert venue which comes to life at night with college students and people playing football (soccer). I pulled out the few French phrases I memorized when someone asked me to play...'Parlezvous Anglais?'(Do you speak english)...he replied a little and we had a brief conversation where I managed to ask him how he was (in FRENCH) and respond for myself. After saying 'Bonsoir' (goodnight) to my friends I headed in for the 5 hours of sleep ahead of me before the morning tour.
Saturday:
Nine a.m. alarm after 5 hours of sleep always makes you debate whether or not to get up...however I was psyched...I jumped up, grabbed a croissant in the Lobby and made my way to the bus tour for the day. (Another perfect day of weather mind you...I actually got alight burn on this particular day) We went all around
We got off at Notre-Dame and decided we were too hungry and would see the inside later...making our way down the Seine (which has wonderful shops and painting shops set up along the banks we found a little French cafe that seemed to accommodate speakers of English (though they didn't seem happy about it). I discovered many thing: One...juice, water and soda are more expensive than wine or beer...and Two: it's impolite to be loud and laugh a lot, but nonetheless (and despite the 80 Euro (about 120
We then headed for the Louvre (which is MASSIVE) and saw the more prominent pieces, including the statues of 'Venus de Milo' and 'Winged Victory' along with the 'Mona Lisa'....which yes is kind of disappointing...it's about the size of a large notebook and is surrounded by bullet proof glass! I proceeded to ask an employee where the 'Last Supper' was located and upon learning it was in
The next hour has to be one of my favorite memories from Paris...my friend Ashley and I grabbed some ice cream and walked the
Getting ready for Saturday night some friends and I had made plans to drink wine beneath the
The remainder of the night we walked around the city talking to a few locals, invading a few restaurants to use the bathrooms, 'salle de bain, s'il vous plait' and found a local night club and some American study abroad students studying in Paris! My friend figured out how to order a beer in French which made us feel accomplished. Hailing a taxi on the way home was ironic...(background: the entire two days we had often accidentally spoken in Spanish...gracias, por favor etc.)...well our cab driver was a native Spanish speaker so we ended up trying desperately to explain where we were saying in 3 different languages haha. Again, we must have done something right because we made it back safe and sound.
Sunday:
Though running again on about 4 hours of sleep I got up at about 9 and packed some. I woke my friend to run and see Notre-Dame. The inside is incredible and there was a mass going on while we walked the inside and saw the stain glass windows that make Notre-Dame so famous. I thought of Nana and Papa while walking around inside and made sure to light a candle for them and Michael James. With about twenty minutes until the bus was due to depart we jumped in a taxi and got back just in time.
Heading home was a good time to nap and think about all that I was lucky enough to do/see in the course of 48 hours. On the boat back I was able to order my food and ask how much it was completely in French!! I was thrilled :o)
Au Revoir,
Kate
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Au revoir...Paris for the weekend!!
Off to Paris in the morning for the weekend. Any recommendations of where to go please let me know!! I'm just going to do Paris 'The Hills' style (Lisa explain to Mom)....promise I'll come home in one piece!
Lots of Love,
Kate
PS I uploaded my pictures from Stonehenge and Bath on the post two below. ENJOY!
Lots of Love,
Kate
PS I uploaded my pictures from Stonehenge and Bath on the post two below. ENJOY!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Swimming to Paris in 2 days :o)
Sorry I did a double post again...Happy reading! :o)
So I had a really great moment the other day with my family...I got a hold of a web cam and surprised them! I think my Mom near cried and broke my ear drum yelling but it was wonderful that they could see me and I could wave hi from all the way over here! I got to say hi to my sisters and Dad as well which was really nice. I do miss them very much and for the millionth time am forever grateful for their support (emotionally and financially).
I also got to 'Skype' (the 'over the computer phone') with the Dugger family!!! Which I loved. They did the same thing my family does, which is all talk at once...I laughed and loved hearing all their voices!!
So after Saturday Sunday was low key. Still not a work yet just a group project which I have a presentation for this evening...it's on the Poland/UK migration...part of my European Business Environment class. The day was a nice one through so I ventured to Hyde park to play frisbee with some friends from school. If any of you know my frisbee ability you just laughed at that statement. The park was wall to wall with children playing soccer (football), students reading, families picnicking and people riding around on Razor scooters (Razor scooters are very in right now in England, 1 in every 10 people rides around on one). The British don't know what to make of us when we play. They often ask questions, stare and have even taken pictures. Frisbee is a foreign sport over here.
Anyhow, Sunday night I went into 'Sports Cafe' with my friend Ashley...we grabbed a beer and watched the Patriots game which was a lot of fun. It was a collection of about 200-300 Americans in various football jerseys missing home but perhaps feeling a little closer by screaming at the television with a pint in hand. Monday was low key for me again as I woke up a little sick. I went to the drug store with a friend, he kept asking for Advil, Tylenol and Motrin (none of which they have in the UK)...figuring out medicine over here is interesting!
So there has been a change to the Paris trip. The fire in the Channel Tunnel has resulted in a lot of cancellations...therefore we are now taking a bus to the coast in Dover, swimming and walking to Paris...just kidding...we get a boat and a bus on the other side as well but it'll still be a trek (about a 10 hour commute both ways). I am just excited to be going so that's in 2 days, a 5 a.m. departure, so I'll be away from early Friday until late Sunday if you don't hear from me.
I hear the weather is cooling at home. We've been in our jackets and scarfs since the first week of September but when the sun comes out it's always nice to head to the park or go for a walk. I'm probably doing more walking than I have ever done in my life which is a nice change.
Well anyways, I hope you have all been having a wonderful week and school/work/life is going well. Sorry I'm missing people's birthday left and right!! I hope Caroline had a wonderful 8th birthday :o) Jamie is 11 tomorrow....congrats! and I know James' is coming up this weekend so have a wonderful weekend and Happy 20th!!!
Love you all,
xoxo,
Kate
So I had a really great moment the other day with my family...I got a hold of a web cam and surprised them! I think my Mom near cried and broke my ear drum yelling but it was wonderful that they could see me and I could wave hi from all the way over here! I got to say hi to my sisters and Dad as well which was really nice. I do miss them very much and for the millionth time am forever grateful for their support (emotionally and financially).
I also got to 'Skype' (the 'over the computer phone') with the Dugger family!!! Which I loved. They did the same thing my family does, which is all talk at once...I laughed and loved hearing all their voices!!
So after Saturday Sunday was low key. Still not a work yet just a group project which I have a presentation for this evening...it's on the Poland/UK migration...part of my European Business Environment class. The day was a nice one through so I ventured to Hyde park to play frisbee with some friends from school. If any of you know my frisbee ability you just laughed at that statement. The park was wall to wall with children playing soccer (football), students reading, families picnicking and people riding around on Razor scooters (Razor scooters are very in right now in England, 1 in every 10 people rides around on one). The British don't know what to make of us when we play. They often ask questions, stare and have even taken pictures. Frisbee is a foreign sport over here.
Anyhow, Sunday night I went into 'Sports Cafe' with my friend Ashley...we grabbed a beer and watched the Patriots game which was a lot of fun. It was a collection of about 200-300 Americans in various football jerseys missing home but perhaps feeling a little closer by screaming at the television with a pint in hand. Monday was low key for me again as I woke up a little sick. I went to the drug store with a friend, he kept asking for Advil, Tylenol and Motrin (none of which they have in the UK)...figuring out medicine over here is interesting!
So there has been a change to the Paris trip. The fire in the Channel Tunnel has resulted in a lot of cancellations...therefore we are now taking a bus to the coast in Dover, swimming and walking to Paris...just kidding...we get a boat and a bus on the other side as well but it'll still be a trek (about a 10 hour commute both ways). I am just excited to be going so that's in 2 days, a 5 a.m. departure, so I'll be away from early Friday until late Sunday if you don't hear from me.
I hear the weather is cooling at home. We've been in our jackets and scarfs since the first week of September but when the sun comes out it's always nice to head to the park or go for a walk. I'm probably doing more walking than I have ever done in my life which is a nice change.
Well anyways, I hope you have all been having a wonderful week and school/work/life is going well. Sorry I'm missing people's birthday left and right!! I hope Caroline had a wonderful 8th birthday :o) Jamie is 11 tomorrow....congrats! and I know James' is coming up this weekend so have a wonderful weekend and Happy 20th!!!
Love you all,
xoxo,
Kate
Climbing up on Solsbury Hill...
Hello all,
Sorry it has been a few days since I last wrote. It has been a busy week all around and I have come down with a slight cold that now (thankfully) is getting better!
Saturday was an early morning getting up for me at 8:45, I ended up running down the street just to catch the bus on time, typical me. We took the bus to the main campus in Richmond Hill, which was beautiful, and headed for the countryside towards Stonehenge. It was about a 2 hour bus ride out to Stonehenge and the tour guide gave us some history while the city turned into rolling green hills as we got closer. Upon arriving she gave us the theory about an alien landing site and commented that "This was not plausible because you'd have never been able to see it from outer space". Seems the landing site is less believable than aliens in general here. We were really lucky the sun came out just as we were getting to Stonehenge. It is funny though all of a sudden in the middle of the countryside there is all this traffic, and some rocks upright, and a bunch of people walking in circles around it...seemed very cult-ish and amusing but it was absolutely magnificent as well. After getting some photos (which I'll post later as they are on a friends camera), we headed for the 2.5 hour bus ride to Bath.
The countryside on the way to Bath was incredibly beautiful. There was one hill that both myself and another girl at the same time stated "that looks like the Sound of Music"[hill]. Bath is an obviously older city which reminded me something of what Florence or a small Italian village might look like. You're amongst the countryside and suddenly a city come out of nowhere.
It is right on a river running through it center, is paved with cobblestone and has impossibly small streets. There were street performers and musicians lining the plazas along with quaint cafes and ice cream shoppes. The Roman Baths are in a building and the tour is audio taking you slowly down through the temple of the Baths, past the sources of the water (bubbles can be seen and the steam rising from the water) as well as the drainage system the Romans put into place. There is a small section where you have to kneel down and peer down a tunnel to see a small waterfall in the rock beds designed as part of the dranage to keep the water at level in the baths. This resembled the movie "Goonies"...because there were lots of coins illuminating the rock bed...if you've seen it you get it...otherwise...nevermind :o) The stone architecture is still much of the same from when the Romans inhabited Bath and the museum surrounding the Baths does a great job of reconstructing models of what it probably looked like in its prime. [My friend illegally dipped her toe in the water clarifying that it is indeed hot.]Leaving Bath we came across (I think) one of the most beautiful sites I've seen in quite a while. The tour guide announced that this was Solsbury Hill, the picture I found online doesn't really do it justice.
It was really just this amazing valley rising into a large hill face opposite the road we were traveling on. So I quickly switched my Ipod onto Peter Gabriels "Solsbury Hill" and enjoyed my music while passing the English countryside. (The tour guide noted that Johnny Depp has recently been house hunting on Solsbury Hill...so now it's even more my favorite place.)The ride home was long but it was a wonderful day. This entry is getting long so I'll start another about my week so far above this one!!
Lots of love,
Kate
Friday, September 12, 2008
Another rainy weekend....
We saw the sun for a bit this morning but it has retreated behind clouds once again. No matter, I'm off to do some shopping and go to the gym.
Last night I went out with friends...really nice night in the city, went to a bar called Walkabout. It's an Australian chain of bars but the one we went to in Leicester Square is actually located inside an old church so the architecture was amazing....as were the drinks and company. They played the marcarena"...in a bar...it reminded me of 8th grade dances but was overall loved by both the American and British crowd. We used a 'bike taxi' to get to the bar from the tube stop because it was quite a hike. I've come into fortune with friends as my friend Ashley is from Queens, NY...she argued us a good deal!
Finishing up the week feels great, Paris is now a week away! If anyone caught wind of the problems in the Channel Tunnel it was an electric problem that they say will assuredly be fixed by the time next Friday roles around; nothing harmful or worrisome though. I have some group projects coming up in the next few weeks. Nothing too rigorous yet but it feels nice to be getting into the swing of things with work and classes.
As the days pass I get to know more and more people in the dorm, which has developed a very tight knit community. We also become more familiar with local shops, transportation, and events. These things make London seem quite like a home away from home. As for my weekend I'm off to Stonehenge and Bath for the day bright and early tomorrow at 8am but I'm very excited. (The last time I went to Stonehenge I was about 8 years old and quite uninterested in large rocks in funny shapes). I also need to get books for my classes which has proved quite amusing. I need a book for 'Globalization' and kept entering it in an online search at the local bookstore only to have an employee explain that they don't spell things with 'Zeds' (Z's) over here...so 'Globalisation' turned up in the system after the gentleman helping me had a good laugh.
Anyways thank you for all of your comments and posts, I love reading them and staying in touch with you all!
Last night I went out with friends...really nice night in the city, went to a bar called Walkabout. It's an Australian chain of bars but the one we went to in Leicester Square is actually located inside an old church so the architecture was amazing....as were the drinks and company. They played the marcarena"...in a bar...it reminded me of 8th grade dances but was overall loved by both the American and British crowd. We used a 'bike taxi' to get to the bar from the tube stop because it was quite a hike. I've come into fortune with friends as my friend Ashley is from Queens, NY...she argued us a good deal!
Finishing up the week feels great, Paris is now a week away! If anyone caught wind of the problems in the Channel Tunnel it was an electric problem that they say will assuredly be fixed by the time next Friday roles around; nothing harmful or worrisome though. I have some group projects coming up in the next few weeks. Nothing too rigorous yet but it feels nice to be getting into the swing of things with work and classes.
As the days pass I get to know more and more people in the dorm, which has developed a very tight knit community. We also become more familiar with local shops, transportation, and events. These things make London seem quite like a home away from home. As for my weekend I'm off to Stonehenge and Bath for the day bright and early tomorrow at 8am but I'm very excited. (The last time I went to Stonehenge I was about 8 years old and quite uninterested in large rocks in funny shapes). I also need to get books for my classes which has proved quite amusing. I need a book for 'Globalization' and kept entering it in an online search at the local bookstore only to have an employee explain that they don't spell things with 'Zeds' (Z's) over here...so 'Globalisation' turned up in the system after the gentleman helping me had a good laugh.
Anyways thank you for all of your comments and posts, I love reading them and staying in touch with you all!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I forgot I was here for school....I should probably start going to class
Thanks for reminding me about school....I thought I was on an extended vacation and wine tasting trip. So I'll write a bit about my day to entertain the idea that I actually attend classes here ;o)
Today I got up at noon...I know...lazy Kate. Anyhow I packed up my backpack, grabbed my Ipod and made my way to the 'high street' tube station at a quick pace as I had to meet my class at the 'St Paul' tube stop about 20 minutes away. This is for my History of London course where we have seminar on Mondays and field trips on Wednesdays. Last week we went to the British Museum where the Rosetta stone is located among many other artifacts relevant to British history and early development of culture (pre-Roman invasion):
British Museum:
So this week we are focusing just past 50 AD as the Romans are invading London and quite easily conquer this mainly village based, non-militaristic region. After the Boudiccan uprising against the Romans, the Romans decided it would be appropriate to surround the city of London with walls as defense. London was at an ideal location upon the Thames with 2 hills, also beneficial for defense purposes. So on the field trip we looked at some of the remains of the Roman wall left in the city today. The wall, of course, has been added to and built upon, but the foundations are from the original wall that went up around 200 AD. During the medieval time period the British decided to let the wall remain, as taking down a large wall surrounding a square mile is time consuming and lots of work. So today if you walk around the city of London you walk amongst original Roman wall scattered throughout modern British architecture and a few buildings pre-'the great fire' (though few remain). Here is a segment of the wall that we passed today:
As a side track, while we were in the area of 'St. Pauls' tube stop we looked of course at the 'new 'St Paul's Cathedral which stands 365 feet (one foot for ever day in the year-easy to remember!). This was the masterpiece of Christopher Wren, among many other buildings he was commissioned to re-build after the great fire of 1666. The fire, which miraculously only killed 5 people wiped out nearly 80% of the city and left 13,000 homeless. The Old St. Paul's was burned to the ground and then re-built under Wren's plans for the new city. His grave inside the beautiful building is a simple stone tablet which would surprise many however it reads..."Underneath lies buried Christopher Wren, the builder of this church and city; who lived beyond the age of ninety years, not for himself, but for the public good.--Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you" St Pauls:
St Pauls became the symbol of hope and the future of London. During the blitz in WWII there was a special segment of the public devoted to watching the Cathedral night and day. If a bomb dropped on or near it the team would remove and drive the bomb as far away from the city as they could, risking their lives for the symbol of the city. Many believed if St. Paul's could survive, so could they, which is why during the day the people came and prayed for the war to end. Dozens of people died removing the bombs to save St. Paul's and because of this today it still stands.
Okay well that was my class review.....no I did not copy and paste that...I am actually learning!!! Shocking I know :o)
Anyways I'm off to European Business Environment for 3 hours...ouch...talk to you all later!!
(Oh and it's raining again).
Lots of love,
Kate
Today I got up at noon...I know...lazy Kate. Anyhow I packed up my backpack, grabbed my Ipod and made my way to the 'high street' tube station at a quick pace as I had to meet my class at the 'St Paul' tube stop about 20 minutes away. This is for my History of London course where we have seminar on Mondays and field trips on Wednesdays. Last week we went to the British Museum where the Rosetta stone is located among many other artifacts relevant to British history and early development of culture (pre-Roman invasion):
British Museum:
So this week we are focusing just past 50 AD as the Romans are invading London and quite easily conquer this mainly village based, non-militaristic region. After the Boudiccan uprising against the Romans, the Romans decided it would be appropriate to surround the city of London with walls as defense. London was at an ideal location upon the Thames with 2 hills, also beneficial for defense purposes. So on the field trip we looked at some of the remains of the Roman wall left in the city today. The wall, of course, has been added to and built upon, but the foundations are from the original wall that went up around 200 AD. During the medieval time period the British decided to let the wall remain, as taking down a large wall surrounding a square mile is time consuming and lots of work. So today if you walk around the city of London you walk amongst original Roman wall scattered throughout modern British architecture and a few buildings pre-'the great fire' (though few remain). Here is a segment of the wall that we passed today:
As a side track, while we were in the area of 'St. Pauls' tube stop we looked of course at the 'new 'St Paul's Cathedral which stands 365 feet (one foot for ever day in the year-easy to remember!). This was the masterpiece of Christopher Wren, among many other buildings he was commissioned to re-build after the great fire of 1666. The fire, which miraculously only killed 5 people wiped out nearly 80% of the city and left 13,000 homeless. The Old St. Paul's was burned to the ground and then re-built under Wren's plans for the new city. His grave inside the beautiful building is a simple stone tablet which would surprise many however it reads..."Underneath lies buried Christopher Wren, the builder of this church and city; who lived beyond the age of ninety years, not for himself, but for the public good.--Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you" St Pauls:
St Pauls became the symbol of hope and the future of London. During the blitz in WWII there was a special segment of the public devoted to watching the Cathedral night and day. If a bomb dropped on or near it the team would remove and drive the bomb as far away from the city as they could, risking their lives for the symbol of the city. Many believed if St. Paul's could survive, so could they, which is why during the day the people came and prayed for the war to end. Dozens of people died removing the bombs to save St. Paul's and because of this today it still stands.Okay well that was my class review.....no I did not copy and paste that...I am actually learning!!! Shocking I know :o)
Anyways I'm off to European Business Environment for 3 hours...ouch...talk to you all later!!
(Oh and it's raining again).
Lots of love,
Kate
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A lazy Sunday and the rain has stopped!
Pictures above are:
Above- courtyard at the other dorms...all hanging out before Thursday night - No Friday classes!
Right - in the cab heading out Saturday night with the girls.
First of all I was so glad to hear the road race back home went well! (For a few years my neighborhood has held a road race as a cancer fundraiser....kudos, you all rock!)
So London is really starting to feel homey, the weekend was a lot of fun! On Friday night we found a place called O'neils in Soho...don't worry it was a good part of Soho...I promise. There was a live band and no cover charge which was amazing. The study abroad students tend to all find each other on the weekends, so walking in and hanging out in a big group was fun.
Saturday again we headed over near Covenant Gardens to 'Dirty Martini', kind of crowded but a good Saturday night out. Today was very relaxing, I rolled out of bed later than I'd like to admit and worked on cruise things. The girls and I booked all of our excursions.
...In Nice, France we are going to Monaco and Monte Carlo ...in Pisa we take a 10 hour tour of Tuscany, Florence, and Pisa ...Rome we are doing on our own ....in Naples myself and Ashley are hiking Vesuvius and sightseeing in Pompeii ...Sicily is a beach transfer for a nice relaxing day :o)
Couldn't be more excited!!!!!
These are the girls I'm going on the cruise with:
Lauren, Deanna and Ashley!
(They are all Yankees fans - it's been tough but if my cousin can marry one I'll deal ;o)
So the rest of the day I hung around with my girlfriends...we talked over trips to Dublin and Amsterdam and then headed to Whole Foods for dinner. I really am a Whole Foods junkie now, all my snacks are organic and gluten free (I'm channeling my Aunt Rose - Hope the Pats win!!!). Afterwards I headed to the gym for the evening, hit the sauna, showered, stopped at Starbucks for a frappachinno (sorry no spell check on that) and then I headed home. Getting into routine with school, gym, eating etc. feels wonderful!
Lots of love all xoxo,Kate
Friday, September 5, 2008
Another day of rain...
Another long day of rain to begin the weekend with. Lazy day recovering fromvfun activities of last night. Bunch of us hopped on the underground and ended up slightly lost...or as the person who got us lost put it, we were 'exploring'. I have to note something about funny/different about going out here. In America you cannot drink in public...in London you're the odd man out on a weekend if you don't have a beer in your hand on the streets. Different culture...kind of an amusing difference. As my teacher put it you're more likely to get arrested for 'sober in public' here. I'm behaving myself, (and having fun) don't worry!
Also, when you get on a treadmill not in the US...don't crank it to '6 miles per hour' because it's not in miles and you will near wipe out. I saved myself just in time thankfully. Anyways the sun is just going down (or so I assume as I have not seen it for a while) and the rain continues.
Also, I miss ginger ale...have some for me.
Lots of love,
Kate
Also, when you get on a treadmill not in the US...don't crank it to '6 miles per hour' because it's not in miles and you will near wipe out. I saved myself just in time thankfully. Anyways the sun is just going down (or so I assume as I have not seen it for a while) and the rain continues.
Also, I miss ginger ale...have some for me.
Lots of love,
Kate
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Classes and Life thus far...
So I have one class left then the weekend here!!! Richmond does not hold classes on Fridays so every weekend is a long weekend which is pretty nice. My classes have definitely been different from those in the U.S. First off there is a lot more intensive discussion and reading involved but on the other hand less work in a sense. Almost all my classes require an essay, midterm and final and that's it for the grade...no participation or attendance count towards your grade (though there is a school wise policy). I have a few scattered group projects in 2 classes but otherwise my entire semester is outlined right from the start which again, is nice.
I have already said 'hello' and 'goodbye' to one of my classes (it was near graduate level and threatened a 5% mark down if your cell phone went off). I readily replaced it with Advertising Management which I think will be fun, I have always liked marketing.
The European standards of university are generally different on a different level as well. In my 'European Business Environment' the class is split between Americans and year round, 4 year students. There are people from Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Sri-Lanka, Germany among many others. They spoke for a bit about their views of Americans and how we approach schooling. The girl from Italy said she was appalled one semester by a student who walked in with a hat and flip-flops on as well as coffee in hand. Then there was an uproar of laughter from the year round students when they mentioned the idea of going to class in pajamas. Things are simply more formal as to what is expected in university ('Uni' as it's called here). I personally miss wearing sweats to class but I'll manage until December. There is no such thing as 'multiple choice', 'true/false', or 'fill in the blank'...a professor stated 'I know you are from American but we aren't in Elementary school anymore. So the good news it despite lack of television and going insane about missing ABC shows I will heave pleanty of reading to do this semester. Though I did find shows on YouTube (online) which made my night last night.
Nothing else much is new...we've had rain and sun on and off for 5 days now and the chilly nights are already upon us here in the UK. I hope you are still having some pleasant nights back home! I have signed up for a Stonehenge trip so hopefully that will work out in coming weeks!
So today plans are to finish up classes, head to the gym, play frisbee in Hyde Park with some friends, have dinner and head into the city for the evening :o)
Things I've noticed:
-TJMaxx is TKMaxx (though I'm sure Katie would hate either)
-Everyone here is 'go green'. Unless you ask for a bag you won't be given one and often if you require a big bag for shopping they will charge you 10 p. for it (about 18 cents).
-British beef is horrible...I miss American cheeseburgers more and more as days pass
-Cars stop for no-one...so you either play frogger or wait until there are no cars.
-Teachers love to joke about how hung-over we are everyday of the week...they also like to recommend good Pubs and Bars...
-Whole foods is the best store in the entire world...
-People actually say 'cherrio'...it's cute.
Lots of love,
Kate
I have already said 'hello' and 'goodbye' to one of my classes (it was near graduate level and threatened a 5% mark down if your cell phone went off). I readily replaced it with Advertising Management which I think will be fun, I have always liked marketing.
The European standards of university are generally different on a different level as well. In my 'European Business Environment' the class is split between Americans and year round, 4 year students. There are people from Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Sri-Lanka, Germany among many others. They spoke for a bit about their views of Americans and how we approach schooling. The girl from Italy said she was appalled one semester by a student who walked in with a hat and flip-flops on as well as coffee in hand. Then there was an uproar of laughter from the year round students when they mentioned the idea of going to class in pajamas. Things are simply more formal as to what is expected in university ('Uni' as it's called here). I personally miss wearing sweats to class but I'll manage until December. There is no such thing as 'multiple choice', 'true/false', or 'fill in the blank'...a professor stated 'I know you are from American but we aren't in Elementary school anymore. So the good news it despite lack of television and going insane about missing ABC shows I will heave pleanty of reading to do this semester. Though I did find shows on YouTube (online) which made my night last night.
Nothing else much is new...we've had rain and sun on and off for 5 days now and the chilly nights are already upon us here in the UK. I hope you are still having some pleasant nights back home! I have signed up for a Stonehenge trip so hopefully that will work out in coming weeks!
So today plans are to finish up classes, head to the gym, play frisbee in Hyde Park with some friends, have dinner and head into the city for the evening :o)
Things I've noticed:
-TJMaxx is TKMaxx (though I'm sure Katie would hate either)
-Everyone here is 'go green'. Unless you ask for a bag you won't be given one and often if you require a big bag for shopping they will charge you 10 p. for it (about 18 cents).
-British beef is horrible...I miss American cheeseburgers more and more as days pass
-Cars stop for no-one...so you either play frogger or wait until there are no cars.
-Teachers love to joke about how hung-over we are everyday of the week...they also like to recommend good Pubs and Bars...
-Whole foods is the best store in the entire world...
-People actually say 'cherrio'...it's cute.
Lots of love,
Kate
Monday, September 1, 2008
My fall break plans....
*Make sure to note I posted two new entries tonight, just to break up a lot of writing**
My fall break plans:
I think a picture serves best my excitement! Myself and three girlfriends are going on a Mediterranean Cruise for fall break!!!!!!! I'm freaking out a little myself. We leave from Barcelona on the 18th of October on the 'Royal Caribbean: Voyager of the Seas' and sail to Nice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Palermo (Sicily) followed by a day at sea and return to Barcelona. I am so incredibly indescribably excited. We got quite a deal because we are all fitting into an interior room. Really the most exciting part are some of the excursions to the beaches of Nice, Monte Calro/Monaco, Pompeii, wine tasting in Tuscany, pizza tasting and Tower of Pisa and tours of Rome. So I'll keep everyone updated on plans and such but I'm so happy the cruise and the flights are all booked and will have to settle into the idea that it's not just a dream.
Anyways aside from all that today was my first day of classes. I had 'History of London' which is a dual course: taught in classroom and through field trips. We go to about 6 local museums, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey among many others. Should be lots of fun! Continuing to adjust has been interesting. Going to the food store and not recognizing any brands can be frustrating, I miss Jiffy PB, and Heinz Ketchup, as well as Orbitz spearmint gum (they have funny flavors here such as 'melon banana'). The saving grace of the food is 'Whole Foods' located just 3 blocks away. Three stories of wonderful edible things. I'm sure I'll adjust to food here eventually, just staying away from the beef...I tried a burger 2 nights ago and really have never missed Ray Cafeteria so much in my life (Ray is my PC cafeteria and by no means a five star restaurant).
My roommates moved into school yesterday! I am nostalgic of the past 3 years and cannot believe I'm not there to decorate and clutter the room, I'll have to entrust that to them. Anyways I'm certainly starting to miss you all very much and love you keeping in touch so much (makes me feel not so far away)!
Lots of love
xoxo Kate
My fall break plans:
I think a picture serves best my excitement! Myself and three girlfriends are going on a Mediterranean Cruise for fall break!!!!!!! I'm freaking out a little myself. We leave from Barcelona on the 18th of October on the 'Royal Caribbean: Voyager of the Seas' and sail to Nice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Palermo (Sicily) followed by a day at sea and return to Barcelona. I am so incredibly indescribably excited. We got quite a deal because we are all fitting into an interior room. Really the most exciting part are some of the excursions to the beaches of Nice, Monte Calro/Monaco, Pompeii, wine tasting in Tuscany, pizza tasting and Tower of Pisa and tours of Rome. So I'll keep everyone updated on plans and such but I'm so happy the cruise and the flights are all booked and will have to settle into the idea that it's not just a dream.
Anyways aside from all that today was my first day of classes. I had 'History of London' which is a dual course: taught in classroom and through field trips. We go to about 6 local museums, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey among many others. Should be lots of fun! Continuing to adjust has been interesting. Going to the food store and not recognizing any brands can be frustrating, I miss Jiffy PB, and Heinz Ketchup, as well as Orbitz spearmint gum (they have funny flavors here such as 'melon banana'). The saving grace of the food is 'Whole Foods' located just 3 blocks away. Three stories of wonderful edible things. I'm sure I'll adjust to food here eventually, just staying away from the beef...I tried a burger 2 nights ago and really have never missed Ray Cafeteria so much in my life (Ray is my PC cafeteria and by no means a five star restaurant).
My roommates moved into school yesterday! I am nostalgic of the past 3 years and cannot believe I'm not there to decorate and clutter the room, I'll have to entrust that to them. Anyways I'm certainly starting to miss you all very much and love you keeping in touch so much (makes me feel not so far away)!
Lots of love
xoxo Kate
Boat Cruise at Sunset in London
Sorry I haven't written for another few days, classes just started today and the weekend was a little busy still getting used to things around here!
The boat cruise on friday night was out of a movie, absolutely so stunning to be on the Thames at sunset. Our boat left from the docks right by Big Ben (at right) and the London Eye (at left). The girl in the photo on the left is Mara, my roommate and some boys we met earlier in the week (the one on the left is from PC!); the girls at right are friends that I've met this week as well.
So we cruised up and down the Thames as the sun (behind the clouds) set over London and the lights came up illuminating both a city of old architecture and modern wonders. Upon departure the bar opened up and the dance floor got movin', it was a lot of fun. Classic American rap and R&B made us feel right at home. High heels and wake water resulted in a few sways and trips on board but I managed to keep my footing. Later we passed under Tower Bridge and London bridge as people waved and the lights came on for the evening. We also passed by the Dome at Greenwich (where they set time) at the Prime Meridian. Interestingly enough the line of the prime meridian is lit up in the night horizon to horizon as a green laser beam (really cool)! So I made a wish under the prime meridian and we turned around making our way back to Big Ben. See pictures below:
Greenwich Dome Big Ben and House of Parliament
Myself and Ashley by Tower Bridge at Night
And the London Eye all lit up!
It was a wonderful time and amazing way to start the semester :o)
Love and miss you all
xoxo Kate
Sorry just added this: not my picture but this is the laser at the prime meridian!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)