Sunday, 13 July 2008
Back from Paris
So, I just got home from Paris. It was amazing, and that's all I have the energy to say about it. I'll write more later.
Monday, 7 July 2008
Oxford
Oxford was absolutely amazing. Look at the second photo album on the last entry for pictures.
We saw SO much Harry Potter amazingness... it was wonderful. At The New College, we saw two courtyards where parts of the movies and at Christ Church College, we saw the Great Hall (!) and a staircase featured in the first movie.
The town of Oxford as a whole was really pretty and really old. We saw a tower that was a thousand years old... crazy.
Today was incredibly rainy in London, and the forecast says it will rain for most of the week. Tonight we saw Avenue Q, a play in the West End, and it was absolutely hilarious; I liked it even more than Spamalot. The only play I plan to see that I haven't already is Wicked.
Upcoming exciting events:
Tuesday- seminar for our Paris trip this weekend!
Thursday- group trip to see Mamma Mia! (the movie)
Saturday/Sunday- PARIS!!!!!!!
Monday- going to Shakespeare's Globe to see A Midsummer Night's Dream
In other words, London is amazing and I'm so glad I'm utilizing my time here so I can see and do as much as possible.
We saw SO much Harry Potter amazingness... it was wonderful. At The New College, we saw two courtyards where parts of the movies and at Christ Church College, we saw the Great Hall (!) and a staircase featured in the first movie.
The town of Oxford as a whole was really pretty and really old. We saw a tower that was a thousand years old... crazy.
Today was incredibly rainy in London, and the forecast says it will rain for most of the week. Tonight we saw Avenue Q, a play in the West End, and it was absolutely hilarious; I liked it even more than Spamalot. The only play I plan to see that I haven't already is Wicked.
Upcoming exciting events:
Tuesday- seminar for our Paris trip this weekend!
Thursday- group trip to see Mamma Mia! (the movie)
Saturday/Sunday- PARIS!!!!!!!
Monday- going to Shakespeare's Globe to see A Midsummer Night's Dream
In other words, London is amazing and I'm so glad I'm utilizing my time here so I can see and do as much as possible.
Sunday, 6 July 2008
Pictures
I will write about this weekend when I'm not so exhausted. But here are two photo albums, one from this whole trip and one from this weekend in Oxford where we saw all of the Harry Potter filming sites.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006372&l=a0763&id=1395090091
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006586&l=f30f0&id=1395090091
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006372&l=a0763&id=1395090091
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006586&l=f30f0&id=1395090091
Saturday, 5 July 2008
London Wonderfulness
Thursday was GREAT. I had the entire afternoon off to go to galleries; I went to Tate Modern and the Hayward Gallery, which had an amazing exhibit called Art Meets Architecture. That night we went to see Spamalot, which was so incredibly funny.
I had all day Friday off to go to galleries. I went to The Photographers Gallery (which was okay), The National Portrait Gallery (which was great), and the Barbican Art Gallery which had a Viktor and Rolf fashion exhibit that was absolutely ridiculously amazing. Friday night we went to a restaurant that had a 4th of July celebration, and all the Americans sang the Star Spangled Banner as loud as possible at one point and it was wonderful.
Today, I spent the entire afternoon at the London Zoo. We saw all the typical zoo animals (zebra, giraffes, camels, meerkats, penguins, etc.) PLUS the Reptile House, where Harry Potter learned how to talk to snakes... amazing. This evening we went out to dinner with the program at a really nice restaurant.
Tomorrow, we're spending the day in Oxford where we'll see some amazing historical sites (Oxford Divinity School, etc.) and wonderful Harry Potter filming locations.
Back to work Monday, but Monday night, my roommate and I are planning to go see the play Avenue Q. So exciting!
I had all day Friday off to go to galleries. I went to The Photographers Gallery (which was okay), The National Portrait Gallery (which was great), and the Barbican Art Gallery which had a Viktor and Rolf fashion exhibit that was absolutely ridiculously amazing. Friday night we went to a restaurant that had a 4th of July celebration, and all the Americans sang the Star Spangled Banner as loud as possible at one point and it was wonderful.
Today, I spent the entire afternoon at the London Zoo. We saw all the typical zoo animals (zebra, giraffes, camels, meerkats, penguins, etc.) PLUS the Reptile House, where Harry Potter learned how to talk to snakes... amazing. This evening we went out to dinner with the program at a really nice restaurant.
Tomorrow, we're spending the day in Oxford where we'll see some amazing historical sites (Oxford Divinity School, etc.) and wonderful Harry Potter filming locations.
Back to work Monday, but Monday night, my roommate and I are planning to go see the play Avenue Q. So exciting!
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Exciting News
So, although things at my office have been a little disappointing so far, I have a wonderful opportunity tomorrow. Patricia suggested that I go visit the photography galleries in London-- at the company's expense. I'll have the whole afternoon to visit places like Tate Modern (http://tate.org.uk/modern) and Proud Galleries (www.proudgalleries.co.uk) and see some amazing photography exhibits. I couldn't be more excited.
In other news, I did laundry for the first time this evening (yuck) and today was the "hottest day of the year" in London, a whopping 77 degrees Fahrenheit. What a joke.
Yesterday, I got off work even earlier than usual and went to Westminster Abbey. It was 9 pounds for students, and it was worth every bit of it. They have a free audio tour, which I did, and everything was so beautiful (especially the ceiling). As you all probably know, Westminster has held the funerals of many important people (most notably Diana Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth), and it has been the site of the coronation of every British monarch since like 1500. It also holds the tombs of many important British royals (Mary Queen of Scots, King Henry VII, etc.) as well as other famous people (Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, The Unknown Warrior, etc.). It was absolutely amazing and the postcards don't do it justice-- I had to buy some, though, since photography isn't permitted inside.
Also, my program has decided to sponsor a trip to Oxford by charter bus this Sunday for only 15 pounds which means we can do our own Harry Potter tour for much cheaper! We'll be seeing everything we would have seen on the tour, but for a lot less money and at our own pace. I can't wait. Saturday afternoon, we're going to visit the filming locations for Harry Potter in London (King's Cross Station, The London Zoo, etc.). Yay for saving money slash Harry Potter amazingness!
Tonight I'm going to take advantage of the warm weather and go take some night shots of Big Ben and Parliament.
In other news, I did laundry for the first time this evening (yuck) and today was the "hottest day of the year" in London, a whopping 77 degrees Fahrenheit. What a joke.
Yesterday, I got off work even earlier than usual and went to Westminster Abbey. It was 9 pounds for students, and it was worth every bit of it. They have a free audio tour, which I did, and everything was so beautiful (especially the ceiling). As you all probably know, Westminster has held the funerals of many important people (most notably Diana Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth), and it has been the site of the coronation of every British monarch since like 1500. It also holds the tombs of many important British royals (Mary Queen of Scots, King Henry VII, etc.) as well as other famous people (Geoffrey Chaucer, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, The Unknown Warrior, etc.). It was absolutely amazing and the postcards don't do it justice-- I had to buy some, though, since photography isn't permitted inside.
Also, my program has decided to sponsor a trip to Oxford by charter bus this Sunday for only 15 pounds which means we can do our own Harry Potter tour for much cheaper! We'll be seeing everything we would have seen on the tour, but for a lot less money and at our own pace. I can't wait. Saturday afternoon, we're going to visit the filming locations for Harry Potter in London (King's Cross Station, The London Zoo, etc.). Yay for saving money slash Harry Potter amazingness!
Tonight I'm going to take advantage of the warm weather and go take some night shots of Big Ben and Parliament.
Sunday, 29 June 2008
My Weekend
I can't believe I've already been here two weeks. I feel like even though I'm here for two months, it's not even close to enough time to do everything I want to do.
This weekend was incredibly amazing, however. Friday I went dancing with some girls from the program at this club where they play mostly American music, so that was fun. Yesterday, we took buses to Stonehenge and Bath. We spent about an hour at Stonehenge, where they have a complimentary audio tour that gave the history and interesting facts. It was really neat and definitely worth seeing. In Bath, we ate lunch at an authentic Italian pizza place (they spoke Italian) and I had an amazing mushroom pizza. Afterwards, we toured the Roman Baths. The baths are surprisingly intact, and they have remnants from the original building. The highlight of the day, however, was the Thermae Bath spa. It was 22 pounds for a two-hour session. The top floor was a rooftop pool from which you could see amazing views of Bath. The second floor had four different steam rooms: mint, eucalyptus, frankincense (!!!!?), and lavender, as well as foot baths with jets and bubbles, and a mineral shower. The first floor was an indoor pool with a current like a lazy river and a hot tub in the middle. It was definitely worth the money-- it was one of the most relaxing and memorable things I've ever done in my life.
Today, I slept in for the first time since being in London-- only until 10am, though-- and went to Camden Market with my roommate and another girl on the program. There was an innumerable number of shops and stands; I got almost all of my souvenir shopping done, and I got a few cool things for myself, too. It was incredibly crowded, so I'm glad I got to see it but I don't plan to go back.
Tonight, it's early to bed to rest up for the work week. This Thursday I'm going to see SPAMALOT (yay!). I'm still trying to figure out plans for Friday (the 4th of July)-- it's going to be the first time in years that I haven't been at the beach with my family, sad. Saturday, hopefully, the Harry Potter tour is going to work out; I'm going to try to book it Tuesday. Saturday night is a "Night on the Town" sponsored by the program. Sunday, I'm going to try to make it to the Tower of London, since we didn't go today, to ride the London Eye, and go to Tate Modern Art Gallery. So much to do, all the time. No wonder I'm exhausted.
This weekend was incredibly amazing, however. Friday I went dancing with some girls from the program at this club where they play mostly American music, so that was fun. Yesterday, we took buses to Stonehenge and Bath. We spent about an hour at Stonehenge, where they have a complimentary audio tour that gave the history and interesting facts. It was really neat and definitely worth seeing. In Bath, we ate lunch at an authentic Italian pizza place (they spoke Italian) and I had an amazing mushroom pizza. Afterwards, we toured the Roman Baths. The baths are surprisingly intact, and they have remnants from the original building. The highlight of the day, however, was the Thermae Bath spa. It was 22 pounds for a two-hour session. The top floor was a rooftop pool from which you could see amazing views of Bath. The second floor had four different steam rooms: mint, eucalyptus, frankincense (!!!!?), and lavender, as well as foot baths with jets and bubbles, and a mineral shower. The first floor was an indoor pool with a current like a lazy river and a hot tub in the middle. It was definitely worth the money-- it was one of the most relaxing and memorable things I've ever done in my life.
Today, I slept in for the first time since being in London-- only until 10am, though-- and went to Camden Market with my roommate and another girl on the program. There was an innumerable number of shops and stands; I got almost all of my souvenir shopping done, and I got a few cool things for myself, too. It was incredibly crowded, so I'm glad I got to see it but I don't plan to go back.
Tonight, it's early to bed to rest up for the work week. This Thursday I'm going to see SPAMALOT (yay!). I'm still trying to figure out plans for Friday (the 4th of July)-- it's going to be the first time in years that I haven't been at the beach with my family, sad. Saturday, hopefully, the Harry Potter tour is going to work out; I'm going to try to book it Tuesday. Saturday night is a "Night on the Town" sponsored by the program. Sunday, I'm going to try to make it to the Tower of London, since we didn't go today, to ride the London Eye, and go to Tate Modern Art Gallery. So much to do, all the time. No wonder I'm exhausted.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Today!
So, they let me off work today at 3:30 because they ran out of things for me to do-- which was completely fine with me because it was a beautiful day and all I'd been doing was labeling envelopes. I took the Tube to Oxford Circus for the first time & went to TopShop, this ridiculously cheap but amazing store (think Forever 21 but much, much cuter stuff). I spent a reasonable amount of money-- less than I would have in the states-- and I love what I got. I decided I'm only going shopping three times while I'm here: once in June, July and August. Two more to go. If I spend the same amount of money the next two times, my bank account will have nothing to worry about. Amazing.
Tonight, we're having spaghetti for dinner (yay) then we have a seminar with an inspirational speaker, Oliver Hicks (I think), who is going to attempt to row solo around the world starting this October. Then lots and lots of sleep. I hope the weather's as nice as it was today (like 75) for the rest of the time I'm here.
Tonight, we're having spaghetti for dinner (yay) then we have a seminar with an inspirational speaker, Oliver Hicks (I think), who is going to attempt to row solo around the world starting this October. Then lots and lots of sleep. I hope the weather's as nice as it was today (like 75) for the rest of the time I'm here.
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