Tomorrow is moving day. It's also the last full day the students will be here. It is definitely going to be interesting. There is a lot to do and just a little time left. We'll be going to the OXO Tower for dinner tomorrow night and then to the London Eye for a ride which should be really cool.
I will try to take a lot of pictures ...
I am almost finished with work for the night and I have to pack for the big move tomorrow (moving to the building next door).
Hope that the new place is nicer...or at least quieter...
Take care,
~Jenn
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Day 45-So..
I didn't want to get out of the habit of blogging since I already put this much effort into it. But I don't have that much to say today. I walked my feet off this weekend...they are really tired.
Also, something isn't right about my bed..not sure what it is .. but I actually have to get out in the morning because it hurts too much to stay in it? Ever have that issue before? It hits me right between the shoulder blades...I am going to flip the mattress and see if that helps.
Ok, well time to try to get some sleep. I have to help my neighbor pack early in the morning.
Have a good night.
~Jenn
Also, something isn't right about my bed..not sure what it is .. but I actually have to get out in the morning because it hurts too much to stay in it? Ever have that issue before? It hits me right between the shoulder blades...I am going to flip the mattress and see if that helps.
Ok, well time to try to get some sleep. I have to help my neighbor pack early in the morning.
Have a good night.
~Jenn
Monday, July 30, 2007
This is what goes on when I am not at home
Seems like Ben & Azreal are having way too much fun in the house without me there...
Wonder what Zoe was up to when this was going down...
Wonder what Zoe was up to when this was going down...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Day 44 - Camden Lock, Brick Lane
Today I had a great time visiting more markets. I thought that the Covent Garden Market would be my favorite market, but I am really beginning to have a hard time deciding what I like most. All the markets are so different yet similar. This morning I visited the Brick Lane Market. It is located a couple of blocks down from the Spitalfields market. I bought a DVD player for 5GBP and 2 movies. I then took a tour though a couple of really cool adjacent markets which had awesome ethnic foods and crafts. I really thought that I had found the neatest market yet...until this afternoon.
This afternoon I went to Camden Lock. When we got off at the Camdentown Tube Station, we faced 2 markets. One had a lot of clothing (mostly hip teenage type stuff) and bags etc. The other had a mix of souvenirs and such. They were really nice. After we finished those markets it was still early so we decided to walk up the high street and check out the sales in the local shops. There were some really cool shoe stores and goth clothing outlets. And just as we were getting to the end of the road we came across another small market. This market was the Camden Lock market. The market hall had a lot of really nice handcrafts and gift items. After looking through the hall we noticed that the market overflowed onto the patio so we walked out there to check out what we thought were a couple of more shops. As it turned out, it was the beginning of a massive market. I was amazed by the number of really cool shops there. This market has to have close to 300 shops. IT is one of the places that I will make sure to bring anyone who comes over to visit because it was so cool. It all runs along a canal which has little narrow boats in it too.
In addition to having so many cool shops, it had an amazing assortment of food choices. Everything looked so yummy! There was something there to please the palate of anyone who goes. I ended up eating Venezuelan corn cakes with beef & chicken & cheese and it was incredible. I didn't realize, however, that there would be 20 or 30 more food stalls just around the corner with all sorts of ethnic foods.
I did manage to take a couple of random pictures today, so I will post what I have when I get the chance tomorrow.
I need to get some sleep now, it has been a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG Day.
Night!
~Jenn
This afternoon I went to Camden Lock. When we got off at the Camdentown Tube Station, we faced 2 markets. One had a lot of clothing (mostly hip teenage type stuff) and bags etc. The other had a mix of souvenirs and such. They were really nice. After we finished those markets it was still early so we decided to walk up the high street and check out the sales in the local shops. There were some really cool shoe stores and goth clothing outlets. And just as we were getting to the end of the road we came across another small market. This market was the Camden Lock market. The market hall had a lot of really nice handcrafts and gift items. After looking through the hall we noticed that the market overflowed onto the patio so we walked out there to check out what we thought were a couple of more shops. As it turned out, it was the beginning of a massive market. I was amazed by the number of really cool shops there. This market has to have close to 300 shops. IT is one of the places that I will make sure to bring anyone who comes over to visit because it was so cool. It all runs along a canal which has little narrow boats in it too.
In addition to having so many cool shops, it had an amazing assortment of food choices. Everything looked so yummy! There was something there to please the palate of anyone who goes. I ended up eating Venezuelan corn cakes with beef & chicken & cheese and it was incredible. I didn't realize, however, that there would be 20 or 30 more food stalls just around the corner with all sorts of ethnic foods.
I did manage to take a couple of random pictures today, so I will post what I have when I get the chance tomorrow.
I need to get some sleep now, it has been a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG Day.
Night!
~Jenn
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Day 43-Having free fun in London
I hope you don't think I am going to have a good answer for that title.
If there is good free fun in this city, I haven't found it yet! :-)
Today I took a walk around Covent Garden and Leicester Square. I found a cute little gift for Olivia but I didn't find anymore gifts which is what I was searching for.
Afterwards I went and played poker at "The Casino at the Empire" they had a beginner's game that cost 10GBP, I ended up coming in 8th place with paid 70GBP. That is pretty much all that I did today. It was fun because I got to meet a lot of Brits who liked my accent. It's funny ...2 out of 3 people here who learn I am from Florida ask me if I have problems with Crocodiles. Isn't that funny? That's what Florida has been sold as to many of the folks over here...and the place for Miami, Disney World and Crocodiles...I don't always bother to correct them (Alligators) and one of these days I am going to play to the fantasy and tell them that the alligators are everywhere.
Anyways, that's all I have for tonight....
Hope all are well.
~Jenn
If there is good free fun in this city, I haven't found it yet! :-)
Today I took a walk around Covent Garden and Leicester Square. I found a cute little gift for Olivia but I didn't find anymore gifts which is what I was searching for.
Afterwards I went and played poker at "The Casino at the Empire" they had a beginner's game that cost 10GBP, I ended up coming in 8th place with paid 70GBP. That is pretty much all that I did today. It was fun because I got to meet a lot of Brits who liked my accent. It's funny ...2 out of 3 people here who learn I am from Florida ask me if I have problems with Crocodiles. Isn't that funny? That's what Florida has been sold as to many of the folks over here...and the place for Miami, Disney World and Crocodiles...I don't always bother to correct them (Alligators) and one of these days I am going to play to the fantasy and tell them that the alligators are everywhere.
Anyways, that's all I have for tonight....
Hope all are well.
~Jenn
Day 42-Shopping, Shopping & a little more Shopping
Bet you can't guess from the title what I did today...
So yeah, I pretty much spent the entire day roaming the streets of London checking out the retail scene. We started our day at 10am and around 10:40 we were on Middlesex Street looking for the Petticoat Lane Market. It was only last week that I was there last, and the Street Sensation market guide said they would be open, but when we arrived it was a ghost-town. Oh well, Spitalfields is just around the corner so we headed over there.
Friday mornings are a great day to go to the Spitalfields if you want any sort of personal attention from the vendors. Last Sunday when I went there were so many people it just wasn't happening...but today we beat the crowd and it was very nice. All of the vendors, most of which are artist and there selling their creations..whether it be handbags, clothing, jewellery or food, were really very talkative today. I saw a lot of very interesting items that would make great Christmas gifts..if only it were November instead of July. I hope that some of the things I saw today are still around that time of the year.
After the Spitalfields I decided to check out something that was in my Little Moleskin London Book. It's called "Whiteley's Shopping Center". According to the book it was on the edge of the Nottinghill neighborhood. The train ride took nearly 25 minutes which in London Underground terms is pretty long. When we got off the train, I was worried that the place could be difficult to find (because despite the fact that I have a good sense of direction in the US, I often find myself getting turned around in London and going the wrong way to places the first time I have been there) but it was actually well marked and easy. The Whiteley's Shopping Center is a 3 story shopping mall. It's not huge (probably had about 45-50 stores) but it is the closest thing to a mall that I have been to thus far. I did get some leads on a few malls that are nearby which I will check out on some of my upcoming exploring London weekends I intend to have this August. I managed to get a cute shirt and some jeans for 8GBP total. Which was quite a deal even by US standards.
After that we walked down Queensway and check out some tourist shops, visited the Loo in Kensington Gardens (which seems like a great place to hang out on a sunny day...it had the coolest playground complete with a life-sized Pirate Ship shaped jungle-gym) and we headed to Oxford Street. We walked down the street, which was extremely busy at 5pm, and went into a few shops ...had dinner at Pizza Hut and called it a day.
It was a shopping marathon and was a lot of fun.
If any of you guys find your way to London while I am over here and want to repeat this adventure please let me know, although by that time I might have figured out even more fun stuff to do...try me.
So, I hope this blog was ok...it almost didn't happen. It's after 1am and I was feeling a bit lazy after all of the walking around today. Sorry that I didn't take my camera out and snap some pictures but I had my hands full with all the shopping bags.
So, that's what I have for tonight. I am going to Covent Garden tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find something cool to talk about from there.
Take Care,
~Jenn
So yeah, I pretty much spent the entire day roaming the streets of London checking out the retail scene. We started our day at 10am and around 10:40 we were on Middlesex Street looking for the Petticoat Lane Market. It was only last week that I was there last, and the Street Sensation market guide said they would be open, but when we arrived it was a ghost-town. Oh well, Spitalfields is just around the corner so we headed over there.
Friday mornings are a great day to go to the Spitalfields if you want any sort of personal attention from the vendors. Last Sunday when I went there were so many people it just wasn't happening...but today we beat the crowd and it was very nice. All of the vendors, most of which are artist and there selling their creations..whether it be handbags, clothing, jewellery or food, were really very talkative today. I saw a lot of very interesting items that would make great Christmas gifts..if only it were November instead of July. I hope that some of the things I saw today are still around that time of the year.
After the Spitalfields I decided to check out something that was in my Little Moleskin London Book. It's called "Whiteley's Shopping Center". According to the book it was on the edge of the Nottinghill neighborhood. The train ride took nearly 25 minutes which in London Underground terms is pretty long. When we got off the train, I was worried that the place could be difficult to find (because despite the fact that I have a good sense of direction in the US, I often find myself getting turned around in London and going the wrong way to places the first time I have been there) but it was actually well marked and easy. The Whiteley's Shopping Center is a 3 story shopping mall. It's not huge (probably had about 45-50 stores) but it is the closest thing to a mall that I have been to thus far. I did get some leads on a few malls that are nearby which I will check out on some of my upcoming exploring London weekends I intend to have this August. I managed to get a cute shirt and some jeans for 8GBP total. Which was quite a deal even by US standards.
After that we walked down Queensway and check out some tourist shops, visited the Loo in Kensington Gardens (which seems like a great place to hang out on a sunny day...it had the coolest playground complete with a life-sized Pirate Ship shaped jungle-gym) and we headed to Oxford Street. We walked down the street, which was extremely busy at 5pm, and went into a few shops ...had dinner at Pizza Hut and called it a day.
It was a shopping marathon and was a lot of fun.
If any of you guys find your way to London while I am over here and want to repeat this adventure please let me know, although by that time I might have figured out even more fun stuff to do...try me.
So, I hope this blog was ok...it almost didn't happen. It's after 1am and I was feeling a bit lazy after all of the walking around today. Sorry that I didn't take my camera out and snap some pictures but I had my hands full with all the shopping bags.
So, that's what I have for tonight. I am going to Covent Garden tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find something cool to talk about from there.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Day 41-Frustration
Today has been a frustrating day. Luckily...It's Friday to me!!
I have a 3 day weekend in which I am going to check out some more of the local markets (actually take a friend to these places since she has never been and doesn't do this sort of thing alone like I tend to). Tomorrow we're going back to the Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane and probably to the Brick Lane Market as well.
Is there anything that you folks would like me to look out for, for you?
I have no idea if that sentance was correctly contstructed..having the double for in it..if you're part of the grammer police you can let me know.
It's only 9pm...I should probably be in a pub or something ...I am bored...but instead I am in the computer lab composing this blog post.
I'm going to get off now and try to find a life outside the 2d world.
Catch ya tomorrow.
~Jenn
I have a 3 day weekend in which I am going to check out some more of the local markets (actually take a friend to these places since she has never been and doesn't do this sort of thing alone like I tend to). Tomorrow we're going back to the Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane and probably to the Brick Lane Market as well.
Is there anything that you folks would like me to look out for, for you?
I have no idea if that sentance was correctly contstructed..having the double for in it..if you're part of the grammer police you can let me know.
It's only 9pm...I should probably be in a pub or something ...I am bored...but instead I am in the computer lab composing this blog post.
I'm going to get off now and try to find a life outside the 2d world.
Catch ya tomorrow.
~Jenn
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Day 40-The Simpsons Movie
So, if you couldn't guess from the title, tonight I saw The Simpson's Movie. It was REALLY funny!! I would tell more ...but I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone...So, just make sure you go see it. It's money well spent.
Other than that...there is only one week left until the students go back to Tallahassee. Then I think I will be getting my own bedroom in a flat for an entire month! I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. The only thing that could be better is to get the entire flat to myself. I am ready for the quiet and privacy.
Other than that....the only thing that has really been on my mind is my funding situation for the fall term. FSU has really gone and done something dumb in their financial aid office and despite being in their files for 6 months...they haven't awarded my package yet. I am trying to be patient but it's really wearing thing. One thing that is certain about London is that it is NOT Cheap.
Wow...it's almost midnight so I will get going now.
Hope everyone had a good night. Take Care,
~Jenn
Other than that...there is only one week left until the students go back to Tallahassee. Then I think I will be getting my own bedroom in a flat for an entire month! I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. The only thing that could be better is to get the entire flat to myself. I am ready for the quiet and privacy.
Other than that....the only thing that has really been on my mind is my funding situation for the fall term. FSU has really gone and done something dumb in their financial aid office and despite being in their files for 6 months...they haven't awarded my package yet. I am trying to be patient but it's really wearing thing. One thing that is certain about London is that it is NOT Cheap.
Wow...it's almost midnight so I will get going now.
Hope everyone had a good night. Take Care,
~Jenn
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Day 39-Canterbury & Dover
Today the school went on a Daytrip to Canterbury and Dover. It was pretty terrific. Our first stop was Canterbury where we retraced the steps of many pilgrims of the past to view the Sacred Canterbury Cathederal. The Canterbury Cathederal is pretty fantastic. Like most of the British Cathederals it is larger than life (see photos). Instead of describing it with words I will leave the pictures to do the job for me. After the cathederal we had lunch in a small cafe and went to the "Winnie the Pooh Shop" where I picked a couple of things up for my good friend Rebecca. This is where we are going to see if she reads my blog. Because I am not going to mention this to her..if she wants her treasures she is going to have to leave a comment and let me know she was here reading this post...Otherwise..they will be mine forever...muuuhhhh haaahhaaa...
After our time in Canterbury we went down to Dover where we toured the famous Dover Castle. The Dover Castle is equally gigantic and very interesting to check out. Above ground we were able to tour King Henry VIII's private keep and the rest of the main tower and we checked out the gift shop and the castle grounds. Unfortunately my company wasn't interested in checking out the secret tunnels on the grounds. During WWII the tunnels were actually used to hide a secret command center for the Allied Forces. I hope that if I go back again I can take a look at them.
After the castle we went to the water front where we were able to see the amazing white cliffs of
Dover. I was so impressed with the cliffs. They are white because they are made from chalk. And they really are stunning. In addition I managed to take some shots of some crazy guys who were swimming in the English Channel. The water is frigid to say the least. And all they had on were Speedos. I took some pictures after they got out of the water and they were pretty cute too..but I can't imagine swimming in that cold water...Oww!!
This evening I had dinner in Chinatown. I only managed to take a couple of pictures. The meal was quite good however I was disappointed to get prawn wontons instead of pork ones. The taste is quite good but I am allergic to shellfish so I only ate one of them.
I am going to apologize for the brief descriptions that I gave in here today, I have managed to acquire a cold and that along with cold medicine has me feeling like an early bedtime.
So, Hope you enjoy the photos! Have a good night.
~Jenn
After our time in Canterbury we went down to Dover where we toured the famous Dover Castle. The Dover Castle is equally gigantic and very interesting to check out. Above ground we were able to tour King Henry VIII's private keep and the rest of the main tower and we checked out the gift shop and the castle grounds. Unfortunately my company wasn't interested in checking out the secret tunnels on the grounds. During WWII the tunnels were actually used to hide a secret command center for the Allied Forces. I hope that if I go back again I can take a look at them.
After the castle we went to the water front where we were able to see the amazing white cliffs of
Dover. I was so impressed with the cliffs. They are white because they are made from chalk. And they really are stunning. In addition I managed to take some shots of some crazy guys who were swimming in the English Channel. The water is frigid to say the least. And all they had on were Speedos. I took some pictures after they got out of the water and they were pretty cute too..but I can't imagine swimming in that cold water...Oww!!
This evening I had dinner in Chinatown. I only managed to take a couple of pictures. The meal was quite good however I was disappointed to get prawn wontons instead of pork ones. The taste is quite good but I am allergic to shellfish so I only ate one of them.
I am going to apologize for the brief descriptions that I gave in here today, I have managed to acquire a cold and that along with cold medicine has me feeling like an early bedtime.
So, Hope you enjoy the photos! Have a good night.
~Jenn
Monday, July 23, 2007
Day 38-Save the Planet...
Today I made it to one of my favorite (cheesy I know) places...The Hard Rock Cafe. Now, the H.R.C. London is no ordinary H.R.C., it is THE H.R.C., the one that started it all in 1971. I went with my neighbor Jessica and we had a lot of fun. In addition to having great burgers & shakes we also got to take a tour of "The Vault" a place where the most special of all the special memorabilia is kept. The Vault is an actual vault. The building that currently houses The Vault use to house the Queen's private bank and this Vault once held the wedding dress of Princess Diana and other treasures. Now it houses all sorts of rock memorabilia. Two of my favorite pieces were Jimi Hendrix guitar & John Lennon's Army Jacket and round glasses.
I took a few pictures of the coolness...hope you enjoy!
Tomorrow I am going to see Canterbury Cathedral and the White Cliffs of Dover. I hope to have lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure!
Until then...Take Care,
~Jenn
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Day 37-More Markets..
Before I get to the markets I just need to mention a milestone with this blog. Today my site counter hit over 1000+ hits. Apparently folks are reading this blog...but who are you people :-) I only have about 10 entries into my guest book so far...so if you're reading the blog and haven't signed it yet please let me know because I think it's cool to see all the places where my readers are coming from.
So, today I had to work this evening so I didn't have too much time to get out and do anything but I did manage to make it to a couple of new markets today. The first market that I went to was the Spitalfield's Market. The Spitalfield's Market is a very nice market. On Sundays there are a lot of artists there as well as organic food vendors. Among the stalls I saw a lot of designer clothing (small designers - not the designers from the big shops), jewellery, and foods. I bought a slice of the best banana bread from a vendor named Bread Not Bombs. It was absolutely fantastic. Being the techy-nerd that I am one of the coolest things that I saw was a vendor selling hand-made jewellery which was crafted from recycled circuit boards. In addition to jewellery they had lamps, keychains and other small items all crafted with different colored circuit board that had been salvaged from old electronic devices.
After Spitalfields, I went to the Petticoat Lane Market which is located only a couple of streets away from Spitalfields. The Petticoat Lane market was an entirely different scene than the Spitalfields. Where the Spitalfields was very design oriented with hip vendors selling the latest fashions at slightly less than high-street prices. The Petticoat Lane Market is an entirely different story. Buzzing with mainly a mixture of Africian and Middle-Eastern merchants this market is theplace to find good bargains on clothing. Multiple vendors were selling womens suits for only £10. Trousers from labels like Topshop and FCUK were selling as low as £5. There were so many bargains to be found at this market that it was almost overwhelming. I have no idea how the merchants are able to sell this stuff so cheaply. In the future I am going to add a link to the side of this page called "Jenn Recommends" and this will definitely be one of the top recommendations.
So, this is all the time I have to blog tonight. I know I still didn't do much justice with yesterday's blog I hope to do more in the near future.
Until next time, take care.
~Jenn
So, today I had to work this evening so I didn't have too much time to get out and do anything but I did manage to make it to a couple of new markets today. The first market that I went to was the Spitalfield's Market. The Spitalfield's Market is a very nice market. On Sundays there are a lot of artists there as well as organic food vendors. Among the stalls I saw a lot of designer clothing (small designers - not the designers from the big shops), jewellery, and foods. I bought a slice of the best banana bread from a vendor named Bread Not Bombs. It was absolutely fantastic. Being the techy-nerd that I am one of the coolest things that I saw was a vendor selling hand-made jewellery which was crafted from recycled circuit boards. In addition to jewellery they had lamps, keychains and other small items all crafted with different colored circuit board that had been salvaged from old electronic devices.
After Spitalfields, I went to the Petticoat Lane Market which is located only a couple of streets away from Spitalfields. The Petticoat Lane market was an entirely different scene than the Spitalfields. Where the Spitalfields was very design oriented with hip vendors selling the latest fashions at slightly less than high-street prices. The Petticoat Lane Market is an entirely different story. Buzzing with mainly a mixture of Africian and Middle-Eastern merchants this market is theplace to find good bargains on clothing. Multiple vendors were selling womens suits for only £10. Trousers from labels like Topshop and FCUK were selling as low as £5. There were so many bargains to be found at this market that it was almost overwhelming. I have no idea how the merchants are able to sell this stuff so cheaply. In the future I am going to add a link to the side of this page called "Jenn Recommends" and this will definitely be one of the top recommendations.
So, this is all the time I have to blog tonight. I know I still didn't do much justice with yesterday's blog I hope to do more in the near future.
Until next time, take care.
~Jenn
Day 36-Markets and Transportation
I spent a LOT of time today on the trains. It was really a big adventure with public transportation. This morning I went to Camden Passage Market and the Chapel Market. The Camden Passage was a series of small stalls along an arcade selling lots of antiques and was neat. The Chapel Market was much more of a local market selling the typical stuff like cellphone parts, luggage, shoes, clothes, produce and appliances. It was interesting.
Because the markets were so close to a movie theater I decided to check out a show and watched Hairspray. It was a very good show but the people in the theater were very rude talking most of the time.
I have more to say about tonight but I am pretty tired right now so it'll have to wait until next time.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Because the markets were so close to a movie theater I decided to check out a show and watched Hairspray. It was a very good show but the people in the theater were very rude talking most of the time.
I have more to say about tonight but I am pretty tired right now so it'll have to wait until next time.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Friday, July 20, 2007
Day 35-London Zoo
Today was my day off. I had intended to go to Wales today, but luckily I changed my mind at the last minute. Apparently, there has been a lot of flooding in South Wales and Southwest England and it is not possible to travel there by train. It has been a seriously wet summer even by England's standards.
Instead of going to Wales I decided to check out the London Zoo despite the fact that I checked the weather forecast and it showed a 100% chance of rain. Honestly if you waited for a sunny day in London to do anything you might only get to go out twice a month! So I took the tube to Regent's Park and instead of taking a bus as advised by the announcer at the tube station, I decided to walk to the Zoo. Just about the time I got in the gate of Regent's Park the rumble of thunder started and it began to drizzle. The park is roughly 1 mile from the entrance to the Zoo. With the exception of it being a rather wet walk it was quite nice.
Thanks to the rain, the zoo was nice and quiet and the animals were pretty perky. The weather went from being wet and chilly (I could see my breath) to being hot enough to be sweaty in short sleeves. It really is unpredictable. I took quite a few pictures of the animals at the zoo today. I think that the Taper/Tapur was one of the coolest ones but there are loads of others that were cool too. I REALLY wish that I hadn't left my camera back in Tallahassee because my pictures would be so much better if I had that one (It has 10x Zoom, a wider angle lens and higher megapixel resolution) but Ben thought it was bulky and would attract thieves and he is probably right.
After the Zoo I took a walk through some shops on Oxford Street and then played cards at "The Vic" because it was 10GBP tournament night. I was doing quite well except for one bad move (had pocket queens and raised all in against AK and lost to 2 aces) but oh well. It wasn't a very big investment anyways.
So, that's pretty much all that I have going on for today. It has been nice spending a day in London with all the recent travel, but I haven't given up on going somewhere next weekend. So, until next time. Take Care.
~Jenn
Day 35-Harry Potter
So, today is the day that Harry Potter comes out. Is there something wrong with me that I could care less? I think I am the only person in London who is not entirely too excited about this. Let me come clean here. I have never read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter movie so perhaps that is why I am so apathetic about this, but seriously...is it really THAT good? Is my life less fulfilled because I haven't read it yet? If so please enlighten me. I'll be back later tonight with more comments on the day.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Take Care,
~Jenn
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Funny Pic But Not....You Decide
So I still watch the Tally & Pensacola News Journal pages every so often and I saw this story and was a little amused. If you don't pay attention you think the picture goes with the article in which case this is a bit disturbing.
Swan Theater - Thanks Gerri!!
Here are some pics that I took at The Swan.
Thanks to Gerri for making them visible!
Thanks to Gerri for making them visible!
Day 34-Dumb Luck
I think I must be really freaking lucky...or just have too much time on my hands. I was online and caught an EasyJet promotion for 100GBP off of holidays for one hour only. I managed to book an overnight to Edinburgh in October and an overnight to Amsterdam in September. Grand total (staying at Radisson hotel) was $30.00 each. Amazing. That included flights, hotel room and all taxes. I love this place!
I'll be back later this evening with more news if I bag any better deals.
Until then,
~Jenn
I'll be back later this evening with more news if I bag any better deals.
Until then,
~Jenn
Day 33-Stratford-Upon-Avon
Today we took a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon to check out this lovely little town. The town of Stratford is located on the Avon River and is on the North Eastern border of a very picturesque section of England called the Cotswolds. Nearly all of the buildings in this area are built from the "Cotswold Stone" giving them a very cute appearance unique to this area of England. The Cotswolds area is covered in lush green rolling hills and little villages of tans stone buildings with large churches.
We came to Stratford today to see the birth and final resting place of William Shakespeare and to see MacBeth. Although the scenery on the way to Stratford was beautiful, most of the students on the bus weren't enjoying it to the fullest extent due to motion sickness as a result of the constant bumping and turning of the bus as we negotiated the hills and narrow lanes of the Cotswolds' countryside. After 2 hours on the bus we finally made it and not a moment too soon!
Our guided tour of Stratford took us first to the church where Shakespeare is buried. It's a very pretty church and has many of the same characteristics of Westminster Abbey albeit on a much smaller scale. I took lots of pictures inside the church mostly because they actually allowed me. And also, if you've never been to Westminster, you can imagine that it looks a bit like this on the inside yet on a much grander scale. After the church we walked down the street to see the house where Shakespeare was born. We were allowed to take a tour inside, but I decided to pass on this because it was dinner-time and we were absolutely ravenous!
We went to dinner at a pub called the Crown & Rose. The food was decent. I think that if/when I go to Stratford again I will try The Swan/The Dirty Duck instead.
After dinner it was off to MacBeth at the Swan Theater. I took 2 pictures inside the theater before the usher lady yelled at me and told me that photography was not allowed. The pictures are really dark and that's a shame because this theater was really interesting inside and unlike any theater I have ever been in before. Basically the room is shaped like an oval except that the sides are flat and the ends are rounded. At one end of the rounded part is the stage at the other end is seating. The room has three levels of seating. On the floor and two galleries. The galleries are placed one on top of the other and each gallery has two rows. In the front row there are chairs where you lean against a railing to look over the side down to the stage below. On the second row you are either standing or sitting in very tall chairs and leaning against a bar to look over the heads of the people sitting in front of you and down to the stage below. It's a weird setup. I was sitting on the front side of the top gallery and did a lot of leaning. During intermission I asked the girls who were sitting behind me if they could see anything and they said nope. So I am glad I didn't get those seats!
Anyways, It's after 2am so I am going to try to get a little sleep now. I hope that everyone is doing well!
~Jenn
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Day 32-Work Work Work
Today was just a day of work. Nothing really special happened. Tomorrow I am going to take a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see the birthplace of Shakespeare. In addition I'll be checking out MacBeth.
So..that's absolutely my most pathetic blog yet.
Tomorrow I will most likely be MIA but hope to have good stories & pics on Wednesday.
Take Care
~Jenn
So..that's absolutely my most pathetic blog yet.
Tomorrow I will most likely be MIA but hope to have good stories & pics on Wednesday.
Take Care
~Jenn
Monday, July 16, 2007
Day 31(Sort of)-Discount Airlines & Saving Money
It's 3:55am and I am in the Weeze Airport not to be confused with the Düssedorf Airport. I have been at the airport now for 3 hours. We are scheduled for the first flight to London at 7:05am. Unfortunately, the last train to Weeze was at 12:30 last night so we had to come several hours earlier than should have been the case had we been at the Düsseldorf International Airport which was less than 2 miles from our hotel. We actually spent the night laying on the floor in the foyer between the interior and exterior doors because the airport was closed when we arrived. During this time we met a nice woman from Belarus who spoke no English and very little German (of which I speak 0 myself) but we somehow communicated with her none-the-less. I find that it´s almost fun to try to communicate with someone else when you have no verbal aids. We also met a nice soldier from the British Army who was waiting in the terminal for his friend to pick him up. So for about 30 minutes we had some English speaking company which was fun too.
Before we came to the airport this morning we went to the movies (it is the only air conditioned place that we found in the city) and we watched Oceans 13 in German without subtitles. It was pretty funny even when I couldn't´t understand the dialog 90% of the time. Again, for some reason even though I don´t speak the language sometimes it can still be understood.
I think that this trip was an excellent experience with immersion in a different culture. Unlike my trip to Ireland this trip left more to be learned and was interesting, even fun, even if we didn´t end up doing too much more than the normal everyday things in a new place.
But I digress.. Back to the title of this post: Discount Airlines & Saving Money. Our flight to Düsseldorf cost us 6GBP+Taxes (about $35US). We saved about 120,00 off the price of a ticket to Düsseldorf International, However what we ended up spending in additional travel (shuttles etc.), lost time due to commuting, a lost day in a pre-paid hotel and just all around inconvenience I will definitely take better care in the future to lookout for these issues and advise you to do the same if you find yourself a similar situation. The only upside to the inconvenience was that this is the only time we really spoke with and interacted with the locals.
Ok, well I just made it home so I am going to take a nap before I have to go to work tonight. I'll upload the pictures then.
Have a great day!
~Jenn
Before we came to the airport this morning we went to the movies (it is the only air conditioned place that we found in the city) and we watched Oceans 13 in German without subtitles. It was pretty funny even when I couldn't´t understand the dialog 90% of the time. Again, for some reason even though I don´t speak the language sometimes it can still be understood.
I think that this trip was an excellent experience with immersion in a different culture. Unlike my trip to Ireland this trip left more to be learned and was interesting, even fun, even if we didn´t end up doing too much more than the normal everyday things in a new place.
But I digress.. Back to the title of this post: Discount Airlines & Saving Money. Our flight to Düsseldorf cost us 6GBP+Taxes (about $35US). We saved about 120,00 off the price of a ticket to Düsseldorf International, However what we ended up spending in additional travel (shuttles etc.), lost time due to commuting, a lost day in a pre-paid hotel and just all around inconvenience I will definitely take better care in the future to lookout for these issues and advise you to do the same if you find yourself a similar situation. The only upside to the inconvenience was that this is the only time we really spoke with and interacted with the locals.
Ok, well I just made it home so I am going to take a nap before I have to go to work tonight. I'll upload the pictures then.
Have a great day!
~Jenn
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Day 30-Düsseldorf --The Last Day
It´s the last day of my short trip to Düsseldorf. It has been tiring but fun visiting this German city. Today Sarah and I met a nice man from Serra Leone while we were waiting for the train to Düsseldorf from Ratingen (the nearby city where we have been staying). We had a funny conversation about quality of life..and the price of life in Germany. He came to Germany 10 years ago to seek political asylum and we discussed the German job market and taxes. It´s funny how even though it´s Germany not the States, we probably would have had the same type of conversation with someone back home.
When we made it to the city today we decided to go to the Funfare. It was EXTREMELY hot and the sun was shining. We rode the Ferris Wheel, ate some sweets, had a soda in a Beergarten and just walked around watching the people there. It was a nice way to spend our last afternoon in Germany. The high temperature today was 95° which is a big change after acclimating to London. I have to tell you that I don´t really miss the blast-furnace like summers back in Florida. It´s nice if you are swimming at the beach..or are trying to cook eggs on the sidewalk but otherwise it sort of sucks and I prefer the cooler temp.
Anyways I guess that´s all I have to say for today. I took lots of nice pictures which I will upload tomorrow. So until then. Have a nice evening.
~Jenn
When we made it to the city today we decided to go to the Funfare. It was EXTREMELY hot and the sun was shining. We rode the Ferris Wheel, ate some sweets, had a soda in a Beergarten and just walked around watching the people there. It was a nice way to spend our last afternoon in Germany. The high temperature today was 95° which is a big change after acclimating to London. I have to tell you that I don´t really miss the blast-furnace like summers back in Florida. It´s nice if you are swimming at the beach..or are trying to cook eggs on the sidewalk but otherwise it sort of sucks and I prefer the cooler temp.
Anyways I guess that´s all I have to say for today. I took lots of nice pictures which I will upload tomorrow. So until then. Have a nice evening.
~Jenn
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Day 29-Düsseldorf Part 2
So, it's my second day in Düsseldorf and it was at times a bit frustrating navigating the Rheinbahn (public transportation system). Tomorrow we'll be in a bit of bind because there is not a bus that goes to the airport early enough to catch our flight so we are going to have to sleep at the airport instead! This sort of sucks because for one it definitly will not be comfortable but two because we cannot get a refund for the 3rd day we paid for our hotel. I still haven't quite figured out how to travel cheaply (by avoiding unnecessary expenses due to transportation issues). By the time I have it figured out it will be time to go back to the states -- if I have it figured out by then. Being in Europe is a lot of fun. The German people are very nice to talk to. Many speak English and all automatically assume that I speak German which is cool because I look like I fit right in over here.
I am not sure how this area of Germany differs in attitude-culture etc. from other cities. I am assuming that Eastern Germans act differently but I could be mistaken. I would like to go there too, but I doubt I will have enough time or money to travel to all of those places.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I have 4 more trips already planned, France, Italy, Sweden and Norway ... but I want to see more, Holland, Belguim, Spain, Scotland, Russia, Austria, Hungry and Poland. But, I don't have the time off or funds to support such travels. However, now that I have been to Europe, and I have a passport I think that I will be able to come back over in the future and see more places...time will tell.
Well, I guess I don't really have much more to say right now. I didn't feel like uploading any of my pictures today but Monday when I get back to London I will do it. I took pictures of the Rhein, the FunFair on the Rhein and a parade of marching bands which was at the Alstadt (Old Town). That was really neat because they all had different costumes on and carried flags etc. I also got some weird OLD postcards from the Flea Market this morning. Some of them are from as old as 1905.
So until next time...
Gute Nacht!
~Jenn
I am not sure how this area of Germany differs in attitude-culture etc. from other cities. I am assuming that Eastern Germans act differently but I could be mistaken. I would like to go there too, but I doubt I will have enough time or money to travel to all of those places.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I have 4 more trips already planned, France, Italy, Sweden and Norway ... but I want to see more, Holland, Belguim, Spain, Scotland, Russia, Austria, Hungry and Poland. But, I don't have the time off or funds to support such travels. However, now that I have been to Europe, and I have a passport I think that I will be able to come back over in the future and see more places...time will tell.
Well, I guess I don't really have much more to say right now. I didn't feel like uploading any of my pictures today but Monday when I get back to London I will do it. I took pictures of the Rhein, the FunFair on the Rhein and a parade of marching bands which was at the Alstadt (Old Town). That was really neat because they all had different costumes on and carried flags etc. I also got some weird OLD postcards from the Flea Market this morning. Some of them are from as old as 1905.
So until next time...
Gute Nacht!
~Jenn
Friday, July 13, 2007
Day 28-Guttentag Deutchland
Sarah and I made it to Dusseldorf after having a issues with the transportation. We missed the bus in London and had to race across town to catch a train to the airport. After arriving here in Germany we learned that we are at an airport that is about 45km from Dusseldorf so we had to take a bus. After the bus we found the underground and indavertantly got on the train going the wrong direction. All of this was actually sort of fun anyways because we learned some stuff about the city.
We are presently at an internet cafe right around the corner from our extremely nice hotel. It is empty because we are staying in a business area and this is the weekend but it is quite nice all the same.
Due to having difficulty navigating the city and the distance of our hotel to it we decided to come to the hotel area for the night. However prior to coming here we went over to the Old Town and walked around the Farmers Market and I have some great pictures of all of the nice vegetables, fish, flowers, fresh bread and cheese that they have for sale there. It is my impression to this point that the Germans in this area really like American things, I have heard much more American music etc over here than German.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Day 27-Local Tourism & Travel Plans
So, today I had a fun day in London. The university took a day trip to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. In addition we took a short cruise on the Thames River in between the two locations. We started our tour with Westminster Abbey. Up to this point I had only seen the abbey from the exterior, and today we got a chance to walk around inside and check things out. Unfortunately we were unable to take any pictures while we were inside the Abbey. Parts of Westminster Abbey are over 1,000 years old. Over time it has evolved into its present state. Kings and Queens through the years made changes and upgrades to it. It is the burial site and coronation site of many Kings and Queens as well as famous noble people. I saw the grave of Charles Darwin, Handel and Chauncer to name a few. I have more to say about the Abbey (as it was an incredible place but I need to wind this entry up for tonight.
The Tower of London was also amazing. It is also over 1,000 years old. I have much to elaborate on about this landmark as well but I need to get some rest because I have a very early flight tomorrow.
Tomorrow we'll be going to Dusseldorf, Germany. If you noticed before I a poll on the sidebar asking where I should go next, and now it has changed a bit. This is because I recently got some great airline deals and booked some travel. So I removed the places that I am already going. So, now I have the following trips on my agenda: Sept. Oslo & Bergen, Norway 4 days, Later in Sept. Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. Venice & Milan - will probably take the train to Rome too. 5 days, and Nov. Paris. I have a few shorter weekends that I can still plan things for. I am considering a trip to Wales, Edinburg and Dublin again. I am also taking several little local trips to places like Dover & Stonehenge.
So, I have to wind this up so that I can get some rest before tomorrow. I am posting pictures from today but I haven't commented on them yet. They are from Westminster Abbey, Tower of London and the sites on the Thames between here and there. You can see The Globe Theater, City Hall, the OXO Tower, London Bridge, Big Ben and many more sights. I promise a future update with an explanation of the pics.
Ok, well time for bed! Take care everyone!
~Jenn
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Day 26-British Library
Today I got to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the British Library. It was quite interesting to say the least. In addition to being a library, the British Library also has many documents which I got to take a look at. Some of the most impressive documents were a copy of the "Emancipation Proclamation" signed by Abraham Lincoln, A sealed copy of the Magna Carta, Numerous Beatles songs written on various things: napkins, hotel stationary, etc. by Paul & John, Handel's Messiah, Pages from Leonardo de Vinci's notebooks, a bill of sale for a property signed by William Shakespeare and many many other documents. It was a most impressive selection of archival documents.
In addition to going to the library today I also booked some travel for this September. I decided that since the price was so low that I will check out the Scandinavian scene and go to Norway for a long weekend. My plan is to fly to Oslo and check out the city for a day or two then take the 7-hour train to Bergen which is supposed to be the train ride to ruin all future train travel as it travels through various natural wonders.
As for this blog, I have made two changes. The first is that I added a poll feature to the site. I hope that you the reader will help me to decide where to travel next. Making it a sort of interactive thing. As soon as this poll ends I'll put another one up. I am going to try to go someplace new every time I get 2-3 days off work.
Another new item on the blog is the chatbox. Here you can leave me a note without having to have an account. Just leave your name and a message. If you are visiting from another blog you can leave your address there as well if you'd like.
Ok, well that's all I have for today. Too bad I couldn't take any pictures of the British Library. Tomorrow I am going to the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. I think you can expect some good pics from that!
Until we meet again!
Take Care,
~Jenn
In addition to going to the library today I also booked some travel for this September. I decided that since the price was so low that I will check out the Scandinavian scene and go to Norway for a long weekend. My plan is to fly to Oslo and check out the city for a day or two then take the 7-hour train to Bergen which is supposed to be the train ride to ruin all future train travel as it travels through various natural wonders.
As for this blog, I have made two changes. The first is that I added a poll feature to the site. I hope that you the reader will help me to decide where to travel next. Making it a sort of interactive thing. As soon as this poll ends I'll put another one up. I am going to try to go someplace new every time I get 2-3 days off work.
Another new item on the blog is the chatbox. Here you can leave me a note without having to have an account. Just leave your name and a message. If you are visiting from another blog you can leave your address there as well if you'd like.
Ok, well that's all I have for today. Too bad I couldn't take any pictures of the British Library. Tomorrow I am going to the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. I think you can expect some good pics from that!
Until we meet again!
Take Care,
~Jenn
New Poll
I have a poll now. I'll add a new one with new dates after this one is finished.
Your opinion really matters :-)
~Jenn
Your opinion really matters :-)
~Jenn
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Day 25-Tuesday
So today was pretty uneventful. Much the same as yesterday was. The only news to report is that FINALLY a day came along where it didn't rain! I have been here 25 days now and this is only the 2nd time and I believe that it actually sprinkled a little that day. The weather today was absolutely beautiful!
Tomorrow I am going to be going to check out the British Library. The British Library is pretty much the British version of the Library of Congress it's rather massive and should be interesting. It is my understanding that they have a copy of the Magna Carta in their archives along with several other interesting documents. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow (unless it's dreadfully boring...then I'll spare you the details).
So, hope you all have a good night.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Tomorrow I am going to be going to check out the British Library. The British Library is pretty much the British version of the Library of Congress it's rather massive and should be interesting. It is my understanding that they have a copy of the Magna Carta in their archives along with several other interesting documents. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow (unless it's dreadfully boring...then I'll spare you the details).
So, hope you all have a good night.
Take Care,
~Jenn
Monday, July 9, 2007
Day 24-Monday Monday
9 July 2007
Today was just another Monday. So uneventful that I might as well have been back home in Tallahassee. I did get good news from back home, apparently I miscalculated my tax return this year to my advantage and in a few days I will be getting some extra bucks...Nice!
This week I am going back to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. In addition I am going on a tour of the British Library and Friday Dusseldorf, Germany for 3 days which should be pretty exciting!! :-)
I have a 3 day weekend on 27 July, anyone have any suggestions of where I should travel? My new favorite travel site: Sky Scanner has low cost (under $100.00) fares going to: Belguim, Italy, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands. Any of those sound better than the other? Comment if you have an opinion one way or the other. :-)
Ok, time to get some sleep for me....
Take care and have a nice night :-)
~Jenn
Today was just another Monday. So uneventful that I might as well have been back home in Tallahassee. I did get good news from back home, apparently I miscalculated my tax return this year to my advantage and in a few days I will be getting some extra bucks...Nice!
This week I am going back to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. In addition I am going on a tour of the British Library and Friday Dusseldorf, Germany for 3 days which should be pretty exciting!! :-)
I have a 3 day weekend on 27 July, anyone have any suggestions of where I should travel? My new favorite travel site: Sky Scanner has low cost (under $100.00) fares going to: Belguim, Italy, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands. Any of those sound better than the other? Comment if you have an opinion one way or the other. :-)
Ok, time to get some sleep for me....
Take care and have a nice night :-)
~Jenn
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Day 23 & 24-Ring of Kerry and More on Ireland
There was so much to do in Ireland that it's difficult to even outline this blog. Much less write it all out. Wow. What an amazingly beautiful place Southwest Ireland is. The country is just beautiful, and there are definitely more than 40 shades of green! From the air, it looks like someone took all sorts of patches of green fabric and sewed them all together with a dark green thread to make a huge quilt. I think you would have had to have seen something amazing not to be taken aback by the scenery.
These first pictures were taken outside of my hotel room. My room was on the street side of the building on the eastern side of the town of Killarney. Today was the annual Ring of Kerry bike ride. The bike ride (which had over 100 participants) went along the scenic road that winds through the beautiful County Kerry countryside (Over 100km long). It takes you along the edges of mountains and over beautiful bays and lakes.
After watching the bikers for a little while I went to meet up with the group for my tour of the Ring of Kerry. The tour guide was a native of County Kerry and was very entertaining. As he led us on the tour he told us antecdotes and folklore stories. It is my perception that the Irish are great story tellers. In London, my tours have been historical and matter of fact, but the stories shared by the Irish tour guide gave the place an even more enchanting feeling. This first set of photos is of the Dingle Bay and Dingle Peninsula. The views of Dingle from the altitude on the side of the mountain were increadible. In addition you could also see the Blasket Islands. I tried to take as many pictures of this are as possible. Still I don't think they really give you the full perspective of how magical this place is.
The next stop on our tour was the Red Fox Inn and the Kerry Bog Village. This area was very cute. There was a small museum which cost €4 to enter. Basically it consisisted of 4 buildings that were representative of the types of homes that the turf harvesters and those supporting that community would have lived in. In Ireland, turf is harvested from the bogs and used as fuel for fires. The area is so rich in vegitation that it just builds up and the harvesters cut into the countryside and dig it out and then dry it out (taking months to do so) and then burn it for fuel. This was very demanding work and with the low cost of natural gas the industry is slowly disappearing however at one time it was a major industry in the County Kerry region. The pub was a cute little place with a relatively over priced gift shop. There are pictures from inside the little houses and of some of the animals. I was amused that they kept 2 Irish wolfhounds in a pin like horses or something. The poor dogs were so tired they just laid there and slept while all the tourist stared at them, just like in a zoo.
Our next stop was Waterville. A town that was innundated with cyclists enjoying lunches and Guiness. Because of the large number of people in that city didn't stay in Waterville we just kept moving along the peninsula.
The next stop on our tour was lunch at a cafe on the side of the road in Catherdaniel. The views here were also astounding. This is also the place where the beach is. I had an excellend Sheppards Pie and Apple Pie for lunch. The only thing bad about it was the price €17.50 (they take full advantage of the captive audience and this is the signle most expensive meal I have had since I came here).
Our next stop was the town of Sneem. Sneem is a town similar to Killarney, lots of little touristy shops and taverns. The best thing about Sneem was the "Moving Water". The river there was beautiful!
The last stop on our tour was Ladies View. This was another phenominal view. It is a view of the lower lakes of County Kerry. The area got its name because Queen Victoria sent her lady in waiting up to check it out to see if it was a view worth seeing prior to taking the trip up the mountain side herself. The Lady in Waiting's reply was that it was definitely a suitable view for any lady.
Other random photos along the way:
There were many other interesting trips and anticdotes that I heard along the way. It was an outstanding trip. I would recommned it to anyone who finds time in Ireland. I took a tour with Dero's Tours. It was €25 for the 6 hour ride. Definitly worth the money!
There was one last surprise for me on my way to the airport this morning:
I watched this rainbow as it started until it became full. And if you look closely you can see that it is actually a double. No doubt this is not an uncommon sight here in Ireland and just another example of the luck of the Irish.
These first pictures were taken outside of my hotel room. My room was on the street side of the building on the eastern side of the town of Killarney. Today was the annual Ring of Kerry bike ride. The bike ride (which had over 100 participants) went along the scenic road that winds through the beautiful County Kerry countryside (Over 100km long). It takes you along the edges of mountains and over beautiful bays and lakes.
After watching the bikers for a little while I went to meet up with the group for my tour of the Ring of Kerry. The tour guide was a native of County Kerry and was very entertaining. As he led us on the tour he told us antecdotes and folklore stories. It is my perception that the Irish are great story tellers. In London, my tours have been historical and matter of fact, but the stories shared by the Irish tour guide gave the place an even more enchanting feeling. This first set of photos is of the Dingle Bay and Dingle Peninsula. The views of Dingle from the altitude on the side of the mountain were increadible. In addition you could also see the Blasket Islands. I tried to take as many pictures of this are as possible. Still I don't think they really give you the full perspective of how magical this place is.
The next stop on our tour was the Red Fox Inn and the Kerry Bog Village. This area was very cute. There was a small museum which cost €4 to enter. Basically it consisisted of 4 buildings that were representative of the types of homes that the turf harvesters and those supporting that community would have lived in. In Ireland, turf is harvested from the bogs and used as fuel for fires. The area is so rich in vegitation that it just builds up and the harvesters cut into the countryside and dig it out and then dry it out (taking months to do so) and then burn it for fuel. This was very demanding work and with the low cost of natural gas the industry is slowly disappearing however at one time it was a major industry in the County Kerry region. The pub was a cute little place with a relatively over priced gift shop. There are pictures from inside the little houses and of some of the animals. I was amused that they kept 2 Irish wolfhounds in a pin like horses or something. The poor dogs were so tired they just laid there and slept while all the tourist stared at them, just like in a zoo.
Our next stop was Waterville. A town that was innundated with cyclists enjoying lunches and Guiness. Because of the large number of people in that city didn't stay in Waterville we just kept moving along the peninsula.
The next stop on our tour was lunch at a cafe on the side of the road in Catherdaniel. The views here were also astounding. This is also the place where the beach is. I had an excellend Sheppards Pie and Apple Pie for lunch. The only thing bad about it was the price €17.50 (they take full advantage of the captive audience and this is the signle most expensive meal I have had since I came here).
Our next stop was the town of Sneem. Sneem is a town similar to Killarney, lots of little touristy shops and taverns. The best thing about Sneem was the "Moving Water". The river there was beautiful!
The last stop on our tour was Ladies View. This was another phenominal view. It is a view of the lower lakes of County Kerry. The area got its name because Queen Victoria sent her lady in waiting up to check it out to see if it was a view worth seeing prior to taking the trip up the mountain side herself. The Lady in Waiting's reply was that it was definitely a suitable view for any lady.
Other random photos along the way:
There were many other interesting trips and anticdotes that I heard along the way. It was an outstanding trip. I would recommned it to anyone who finds time in Ireland. I took a tour with Dero's Tours. It was €25 for the 6 hour ride. Definitly worth the money!
There was one last surprise for me on my way to the airport this morning:
I watched this rainbow as it started until it became full. And if you look closely you can see that it is actually a double. No doubt this is not an uncommon sight here in Ireland and just another example of the luck of the Irish.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Day 22-The Irish Side of Life
06 Jun 2007
I've officially been in Ireland for 12 hours now. It's 9:44pm and if I didn't have a watch on and you asked me what time it was I wouldn't believe it was later than 5 or so. The entire day has been slow-paced and refreshing and oddly enough reminds me of home.
I woke up this morning at 3:15 to prepare for my trip to Ireland. I had everything in place, taxi, train, hotel, plane tickets etc. Everything planned well in advance so that things would go as smoothly as possible because...if you know me...I mean really know me...I don't do well when things stop going the way I expected them too. I got ready and went outside to meet my 4:00am cab at 3:50am. I had previously booked the cab and secured reservation with my credit card 2 days previously. So, when it was 4:05am and I hadn't seen my taxi yet I started to get a little antsy. I called the cab office and the polite lady told me she was still trying to locate a driver for my cab. 10 more minutes go by and still no cab...ok I am officially panicking because the train I am meeting leaves at 4:25am exactly. At 4:20am I just flagged down a random cabbie and managed to get a ride to the train station. The cab driver noticed my accent and immediately engaged me in conversation about the United States. He was an interesting guy. Immigrated to London from Ethiopia. He made sure to tell me he was a good Christian and what a safe place that Ethiopia was for foreigners. I guess I can understand his position. He was an man of Arab-African descent and I guess he assumed that I would think he was a secret terrorist or something. Anyways, I didn't take it personal. He made for decent conversation which eased my nerves a bit.
He dropped me off at the station at 4:26am. Just missed the train! Next train comes at 4:55 and has a 45 minute travel time. That gets me to the airport at 5:40 for an international flight which I am supposed to arrive 2 hours early for. Stress returned. When we got to the airport it was obvious that I was not the only passenger who was running behind. Nearly everyone who got off the train started running. I jogged along with the rest of them with bag and purse in hand. This is when I started to curse myself for my choice in wardrobe. I wore a pair of baggy jeans and didn't wear a belt. So every step I took had my pants working themselves off. So, I was sort of running...holding my bags...and holding my pants up with the other hand...along with my ticket and passport. I sure looked dumb! To top that off, my Adidas kept coming untied. So, flustered American girl running up the airport ramps with untied shoes and pants falling down. Interesting.
Somehow I made it quickly through the check-in process and proceeded to security. It was at this point that I learned that the plastic baggies were back by the entrance to the terminal and I had to do an about face, and run back to get the baggie to put my little bottles of shampoo and stuff inside, pants and shoes continuing not to cooperate as I rushed back across the terminal. After securing the baggie I entered the security area right behind a bachelorette party. Apparently they were on their way to Belgium and were all wearing goofy white tea shirts with a corny picture of the bride and groom on them except for one who was dressed like she was going to be opening up in Heidi on the West End. Again it was something to see.
I made it through security and ran the rest of the way through the terminal and YES I made it on the plane. I sat in the very last seat on the plane next to a chatty man named John. He was very nice and helpful and had a million questions about the states and about politics etc. It was quite interesting because this is NOT the way that a Londoner would have acted if I was sitting by them, they would never have uttered a single word to me, that's just the way London is. John was interesting and told me lots of anecdotal stories about Ireland and England and was interesting enough to talk to. Actually, he was so animated that several times I saw other folks on the plane looking over at us and listening to the conversation. At first I took the looks they were giving as being annoyed that maybe he was talking too loudly but while we were deplaning they engaged us in conversation and I could see that they were just curious.
When I arrived here I decided to rent a car. I figured this was probably the only chance I would ever have to drive on the wrong side of the road, so I did it. And I have to say, it's both easier and more difficult than I would have expected. Firstly, the car is a manual (n.p. I have driven a stick before), but it's different when you have to shift with your left hand versus your right. Then there is the adjusting to kph instead of mph. Signs that say 100 make it seem like you are going very fast indeed. Actually I would say anything over 35 in the little Ford Fiesta I am driving feels like you're in an Formula One car.
Anyways, I got in the car and just started driving south. I figured that if I just kept going eventually I would run into this place so that's what I did. No map just leave it to instinct. Luckily it wasn't that hard to find. Parking was really the only issue. Despite the fact that this is a small town, the hotel didn't have a parking lot and all the parking around here is metered. So I had to drive around for a while before I found a spot. For a minute I felt like I was in National Lampoon's European Vacation because I did end up driving around the same place 4 times. It wasn't a traffic circle, but I did circle the block.
Anyways, the afternoon was spent walking through the streets of Killarney. I took a picture or two of what I saw. Now that I have been in London for a while I am not quite a awestruck by the streets, but they're still cute nonetheless. I had a slice of strawberry spongy cake in a little desert restaurant and it was fabulous. I should have taken a photo of it. The way that the lady decorated the cake with strawberry and ambrosia syrup was really cute too. Later, taking the advice of my brother I went to the theater located across the street and watched an American Movie - Die Hard 4. I was really surprised by how many families there were in that movie with small kids. I think the action and violence is a little intense but these youngsters (I would say between 6-11 years old) were laughing appropriately at the jokes etc. It was really something. I am not sure what the rating is on the movie but I am sure it's at least PG-13.
Anyways, this blog wasn't the greatest. I will certainly have more to write later about this trip. So much happened today and I have been up far too long to write a cohesive blog. Tomorrow I am taking a 7 hour driving tour of the Ring of Kerry said to be one of the most impressive scenic drives in all of Ireland and perhaps the world. I hope to dazzle you with pictures of these places tomorrow.
Have a great night guys!
~Jenn
Photos:
My hotel and room:
The town of Killarney:
I've officially been in Ireland for 12 hours now. It's 9:44pm and if I didn't have a watch on and you asked me what time it was I wouldn't believe it was later than 5 or so. The entire day has been slow-paced and refreshing and oddly enough reminds me of home.
I woke up this morning at 3:15 to prepare for my trip to Ireland. I had everything in place, taxi, train, hotel, plane tickets etc. Everything planned well in advance so that things would go as smoothly as possible because...if you know me...I mean really know me...I don't do well when things stop going the way I expected them too. I got ready and went outside to meet my 4:00am cab at 3:50am. I had previously booked the cab and secured reservation with my credit card 2 days previously. So, when it was 4:05am and I hadn't seen my taxi yet I started to get a little antsy. I called the cab office and the polite lady told me she was still trying to locate a driver for my cab. 10 more minutes go by and still no cab...ok I am officially panicking because the train I am meeting leaves at 4:25am exactly. At 4:20am I just flagged down a random cabbie and managed to get a ride to the train station. The cab driver noticed my accent and immediately engaged me in conversation about the United States. He was an interesting guy. Immigrated to London from Ethiopia. He made sure to tell me he was a good Christian and what a safe place that Ethiopia was for foreigners. I guess I can understand his position. He was an man of Arab-African descent and I guess he assumed that I would think he was a secret terrorist or something. Anyways, I didn't take it personal. He made for decent conversation which eased my nerves a bit.
He dropped me off at the station at 4:26am. Just missed the train! Next train comes at 4:55 and has a 45 minute travel time. That gets me to the airport at 5:40 for an international flight which I am supposed to arrive 2 hours early for. Stress returned. When we got to the airport it was obvious that I was not the only passenger who was running behind. Nearly everyone who got off the train started running. I jogged along with the rest of them with bag and purse in hand. This is when I started to curse myself for my choice in wardrobe. I wore a pair of baggy jeans and didn't wear a belt. So every step I took had my pants working themselves off. So, I was sort of running...holding my bags...and holding my pants up with the other hand...along with my ticket and passport. I sure looked dumb! To top that off, my Adidas kept coming untied. So, flustered American girl running up the airport ramps with untied shoes and pants falling down. Interesting.
Somehow I made it quickly through the check-in process and proceeded to security. It was at this point that I learned that the plastic baggies were back by the entrance to the terminal and I had to do an about face, and run back to get the baggie to put my little bottles of shampoo and stuff inside, pants and shoes continuing not to cooperate as I rushed back across the terminal. After securing the baggie I entered the security area right behind a bachelorette party. Apparently they were on their way to Belgium and were all wearing goofy white tea shirts with a corny picture of the bride and groom on them except for one who was dressed like she was going to be opening up in Heidi on the West End. Again it was something to see.
I made it through security and ran the rest of the way through the terminal and YES I made it on the plane. I sat in the very last seat on the plane next to a chatty man named John. He was very nice and helpful and had a million questions about the states and about politics etc. It was quite interesting because this is NOT the way that a Londoner would have acted if I was sitting by them, they would never have uttered a single word to me, that's just the way London is. John was interesting and told me lots of anecdotal stories about Ireland and England and was interesting enough to talk to. Actually, he was so animated that several times I saw other folks on the plane looking over at us and listening to the conversation. At first I took the looks they were giving as being annoyed that maybe he was talking too loudly but while we were deplaning they engaged us in conversation and I could see that they were just curious.
When I arrived here I decided to rent a car. I figured this was probably the only chance I would ever have to drive on the wrong side of the road, so I did it. And I have to say, it's both easier and more difficult than I would have expected. Firstly, the car is a manual (n.p. I have driven a stick before), but it's different when you have to shift with your left hand versus your right. Then there is the adjusting to kph instead of mph. Signs that say 100 make it seem like you are going very fast indeed. Actually I would say anything over 35 in the little Ford Fiesta I am driving feels like you're in an Formula One car.
Anyways, I got in the car and just started driving south. I figured that if I just kept going eventually I would run into this place so that's what I did. No map just leave it to instinct. Luckily it wasn't that hard to find. Parking was really the only issue. Despite the fact that this is a small town, the hotel didn't have a parking lot and all the parking around here is metered. So I had to drive around for a while before I found a spot. For a minute I felt like I was in National Lampoon's European Vacation because I did end up driving around the same place 4 times. It wasn't a traffic circle, but I did circle the block.
Anyways, the afternoon was spent walking through the streets of Killarney. I took a picture or two of what I saw. Now that I have been in London for a while I am not quite a awestruck by the streets, but they're still cute nonetheless. I had a slice of strawberry spongy cake in a little desert restaurant and it was fabulous. I should have taken a photo of it. The way that the lady decorated the cake with strawberry and ambrosia syrup was really cute too. Later, taking the advice of my brother I went to the theater located across the street and watched an American Movie - Die Hard 4. I was really surprised by how many families there were in that movie with small kids. I think the action and violence is a little intense but these youngsters (I would say between 6-11 years old) were laughing appropriately at the jokes etc. It was really something. I am not sure what the rating is on the movie but I am sure it's at least PG-13.
Anyways, this blog wasn't the greatest. I will certainly have more to write later about this trip. So much happened today and I have been up far too long to write a cohesive blog. Tomorrow I am taking a 7 hour driving tour of the Ring of Kerry said to be one of the most impressive scenic drives in all of Ireland and perhaps the world. I hope to dazzle you with pictures of these places tomorrow.
Have a great night guys!
~Jenn
Photos:
My hotel and room:
The town of Killarney:
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Day 21-Harrods and Derailments
05 July 2007
Today I decided that it was time to finally go and see Harrod's Department Store. After hearing about the fantastic Annual Clearance Sale in July I decided today had to be the day. Harrods is located at the Knightsbridge tube station. To get to Harrods from #99 you have to get on the Underground and take the Central line to Holton Street and then transfer to the Piccadilly line and take that to Knightsbridge. The entire journey to Harrods was very easy. I was not surprised to see that the tube station at Knightsbridge is very nice and clean and far more updated than some of the other tube stations in town. This station actually had marble floors in the main entrance area and you were literally at the front door of Harrods as soon as you made it up to the street. How convenient.
Because everyone has already told me a million times how lavish the Harrods Department store was I was not surprised at all by what I found inside. It is an extremely large building (about 7 floors total) and has tons of departments, impressive lavish food halls and 28 restaurants some of which include: Harrod's Chocolate Bar, Champagne & Oyster Bar, Mo's Diner and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to name a few. It's definitely an extreme shopping experience. One of the more impressive sights in the store is the Egyptian Escalator which has some very nice carvings and hieroglyphics and such and at the bottom has a memorial tribute to Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed. It was extravagant and interesting. My favorite part was definitely the toy department. I wish that Olivia would have been able to see all the cool stuff that they had there. It was very impressive. I had lunch in the Mo's Diner which was a little overpriced but tasty nonetheless.
After Harrods it was time to get back over to #99 for work. This transition was not nearly as easy as getting to Harrods. The Piccadilly to Central trip was really pretty unremarkable, except for ignoring the little voice in my head telling me to get off at Liecester Square and take the Northern Line home. So, when we got back to Holton Street we learned that a train had derailed on the Central Line and that our train would be delayed which was a bit of an understatement. It took over 30 minutes for a train to arrive during which time I could have walked home from the Holton Street station but again ignored that rational voice in my head and remained in the stuffy tunnels waiting on the train. I spent quite a bit of my time waiting watching a little brown mouse sniff around at different things down on the train tracks and about 2 minutes before the train finally arrived I got into a conversation with the lady standing next to me which was nice. This was actually the first time I have gotten into a conversation with any Londoners while out and about. They generally just sort of keep to themselves around here. And that is definitely something I like better about the states, making small talk with people while you are out and about.
So, I did make it back to the center and here I am now at work killing time. I still have over 3 hours left here tonight! zzzzzz So, I guess that's all I have for now. I am leaving for Ireland in about 10 hours :-)
Hope that you all have a nice night!
~Jenn
Today I decided that it was time to finally go and see Harrod's Department Store. After hearing about the fantastic Annual Clearance Sale in July I decided today had to be the day. Harrods is located at the Knightsbridge tube station. To get to Harrods from #99 you have to get on the Underground and take the Central line to Holton Street and then transfer to the Piccadilly line and take that to Knightsbridge. The entire journey to Harrods was very easy. I was not surprised to see that the tube station at Knightsbridge is very nice and clean and far more updated than some of the other tube stations in town. This station actually had marble floors in the main entrance area and you were literally at the front door of Harrods as soon as you made it up to the street. How convenient.
Because everyone has already told me a million times how lavish the Harrods Department store was I was not surprised at all by what I found inside. It is an extremely large building (about 7 floors total) and has tons of departments, impressive lavish food halls and 28 restaurants some of which include: Harrod's Chocolate Bar, Champagne & Oyster Bar, Mo's Diner and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to name a few. It's definitely an extreme shopping experience. One of the more impressive sights in the store is the Egyptian Escalator which has some very nice carvings and hieroglyphics and such and at the bottom has a memorial tribute to Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed. It was extravagant and interesting. My favorite part was definitely the toy department. I wish that Olivia would have been able to see all the cool stuff that they had there. It was very impressive. I had lunch in the Mo's Diner which was a little overpriced but tasty nonetheless.
After Harrods it was time to get back over to #99 for work. This transition was not nearly as easy as getting to Harrods. The Piccadilly to Central trip was really pretty unremarkable, except for ignoring the little voice in my head telling me to get off at Liecester Square and take the Northern Line home. So, when we got back to Holton Street we learned that a train had derailed on the Central Line and that our train would be delayed which was a bit of an understatement. It took over 30 minutes for a train to arrive during which time I could have walked home from the Holton Street station but again ignored that rational voice in my head and remained in the stuffy tunnels waiting on the train. I spent quite a bit of my time waiting watching a little brown mouse sniff around at different things down on the train tracks and about 2 minutes before the train finally arrived I got into a conversation with the lady standing next to me which was nice. This was actually the first time I have gotten into a conversation with any Londoners while out and about. They generally just sort of keep to themselves around here. And that is definitely something I like better about the states, making small talk with people while you are out and about.
So, I did make it back to the center and here I am now at work killing time. I still have over 3 hours left here tonight! zzzzzz So, I guess that's all I have for now. I am leaving for Ireland in about 10 hours :-)
Hope that you all have a nice night!
~Jenn
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Day 20-4th of July ... the Other Side's Perspective.
04 July 2007
The 4th of July in the land of those who we gained our Independence from was very entertaining. Not because it was a 4th of July celebration but because we got to take our first Day Trip to Brighton today which was excellent. The trip by motor coach to Brighton took slightly over 2 hours. At least one of the hours can be directly attributed to London traffic. As I get further and further from the Study Centre (which from this point forward I will short-handedly refer to as #99) I am learning more about the geography of the area. However at this point it is my opinion that we spent at least 45 minutes driving in circles.
After we broke free of the city traffic we were on our way through the rural farmland of Southeast England. If you like rolling hills and beautiful farms with cows, horses and little black sheep for your scenery you would have been in luck. It was an absolutely beautiful sunny morning and the countryside was equally as lovely.
When we arrived at Brighton we were let out by the pier and organized for a short tour of the Royal Pavilion. The Royal Pavilion is a fantastic seaside vacation castle built in approximately 1825. It's architect John Nash modeled the Pavilion after the Indian Taj Mahal. The interior of the palace is decorated with Chinese influenced artwork and is absolutely overwhelmingly lavish (unfortunately there aren't any pictures allowed inside). The dining room of the palace was one of the most indulgent rooms, the ceilings were about 24 feet high and there was a dome in the top of the room. The walls were adorned with nearly floor-to-ceiling high paintings of Chinese people. And in the center of the room was a gorgeous chandelier which weighs over one-ton and is held in the claws of a large silver dragon. It's really elaborate to say the least. In addition to the dining room we saw several sitting rooms, music rooms, the kings apartment and Queen Victoria's apartment and bathroom. I really wish I could have managed a few snapshots of it all because it was very impressive.
After the tour we had lunch at a quaint little pub called the Pump House located in a little alley in an area called "The Lanes". There is a picture of the pub in the slide show - if you'd like a better view or a view with captions just click the little symbol in the bottom right hand corner and then follow the link called Brighton Trip (you can do the same thing for all my photos). Lunch included a 1/2 pint of cider and a nice BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Chips. It was pretty good. After lunch we spent a little time browsing in The Lanes and found an adorable boutique called Pussy. Although the name does make it sound a little vulgar, it wasn't. It was a shop full of whimsical little items and I picked up something interesting to send to Olivia next week when she gets back from California.
After The Lanes, we went down to the waterfront and checked out the surf. The wind was really gusty which made the waves really large and the sea air smelled great. I tend to forget how much I love the beach, I could have stayed there for hours. The shore was completely covered in little pebbles and rocks and I managed to come home with a purse full of them :-).
After some time on the shore we went to the Fun Fair on the Brighton Pier. This was a really cool and nostalgic place. I imagine this must be what Coney Island is like in New York. There were video games and carnival rides and even slot machines in the arcade on the pier. I had a few goes at trying to get a prize out of one of those grabby machines but was unsuccessful.
After our fun on the pier it was time to return to #99. The ride back was fun. Our tour guide made up a trivia game for us and gave us Brighton Rock (which is a flavored hard candy stick) as a prize if we got the questions right. I managed to get 2 questions right and shared a stick with my roommate. On the ride home I also got a better view of the chalk hills but wasn't fast enough to get a picture with my camera. They are really interesting so I hope that I will get another chance to take a picture before my time here is over.
So, I guess that is a long enough blog for now. I will be going to Killearey, Ireland early Friday morning and return on Sunday. I hope that I will have some great stories to pass on about my time there and some pictures as well. Cross your fingers for me that it doesn't rain too much. This weekend in London is the kickoff of Le Tour de France, I am going to miss it since I will be in Ireland, but perhaps it is for the better!
Hope that you are all doing great. Drop me a line sometime! Or leave a comment and let me know you came by! (I think you can do it without registering)
Have a great one!
~Jenn
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Day 19-A visit to the chemist
Nothing too remarkable happened today.
EDIT: I did go back to Primark and Selfridges Department stores this morning and when I got off the tube I snapped this picture of the Marble Arch. Beyond the Arch is Hyde Park which was once a royal hunting ground.
However I have had a bad headache all day and made my first visit to the chemist to get some relief after 4 ibuprofen didn't even touch it. I learned that paracetamol is acetaminophen (Tylenol) over here and that it is not sold over the counter, that you have to request it from the Pharmacy clerks...interesting.
Another interesting thing today was that I found out I won a contest back in Tallahassee for a vacation at the Sandestin Resort. I entered it about 2 months ago (it was a trivia thing put on by my local TV station) and they sent me a notification that I won on June 1st but I never noticed it! So today they tried to contact me again and luckily I got the message. I am excited because the vacation is good until 05/08! So now I have something fun and free to do for New Years! Best part...there was also a cash prize! Woo Hoo! ABC 27 is Great!
So, that's all I have for now. I might possibly go to Killearny Ireland this weekend, I found a cheap flight and a cheap hostel. I am going to try to hook it up with my flatmates and see if they are interested in the trip. If I go there will potentially be a delay in my next blog but don't fret I hope the pictures will be worth the suspense (hahahahaha).
Hope you all have a nice night!
~Jenn
EDIT: I did go back to Primark and Selfridges Department stores this morning and when I got off the tube I snapped this picture of the Marble Arch. Beyond the Arch is Hyde Park which was once a royal hunting ground.
However I have had a bad headache all day and made my first visit to the chemist to get some relief after 4 ibuprofen didn't even touch it. I learned that paracetamol is acetaminophen (Tylenol) over here and that it is not sold over the counter, that you have to request it from the Pharmacy clerks...interesting.
Another interesting thing today was that I found out I won a contest back in Tallahassee for a vacation at the Sandestin Resort. I entered it about 2 months ago (it was a trivia thing put on by my local TV station) and they sent me a notification that I won on June 1st but I never noticed it! So today they tried to contact me again and luckily I got the message. I am excited because the vacation is good until 05/08! So now I have something fun and free to do for New Years! Best part...there was also a cash prize! Woo Hoo! ABC 27 is Great!
So, that's all I have for now. I might possibly go to Killearny Ireland this weekend, I found a cheap flight and a cheap hostel. I am going to try to hook it up with my flatmates and see if they are interested in the trip. If I go there will potentially be a delay in my next blog but don't fret I hope the pictures will be worth the suspense (hahahahaha).
Hope you all have a nice night!
~Jenn
Monday, July 2, 2007
Day 18-The Brunswick Centre and American Cooking
2 July 2007
I feel like today I really had a break-through! With a little bit of research and a bit of walking I finally made it to the Brunswick Centre. The Brunswick Centre is a shopping area located about a mile from the Study Centre. A product of the 1960s, the the Brunswick Centre is a shopping centre that doesn't quite fit in with the surrounding architecture of Bloomsbury. What is lacks in beauty (which is really in the eyes of the beholder because I think it's a cool building) it makes up in usefulness because inside the centre is the Waitrose grocery store which is exactly what I have wanted to find since I arrived here!
Unlike the grocery stores that are closer to the study centre (Sainsbury's and Tesco Metro) the Waitrose grocery store is MUCH more like the grocery stores that I am accustomed to from back home. Well lit, the store is slightly over 40,000 sq. ft. and has isles of items allowing for a good selection of products. This really makes me happy because there have been several items that I have wanted to prepare but was unable to locate the ingredients in the local stores, now I have the place to find them. For example, when looking for breakfast cereal, my local grocers might have 4-5 different types to choose from, the Waitrose store actually had about 25+ types of breakfast cereal. And ... try to find Tomato Paste over here? Nearly impossible! But I did locate Tomato Puree in the Waitrose store which was exactly the same thing.
After the trip to Waitrose, I made another discovery... I finally located the local post office! This was also a great find because I have some things to mail off to my family and haven't been able to figure out where to send them from. But now I know!
So, those were the highlights of my day. I am currently watching the library (I have been since 3pm) and not a single student has come in the entire time I have been in here! It seems like such a waste to be here when they never use this place, but that's just my opinion and my opinion won't get you much!
I have a 3 day weekend the 13-15 of July and I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do. I have located two reasonably priced adventures to consider. The first would be a quick trip through Italy, Flying to Rome and spending a day there then taking the train to Florence or a day and then going to Milan for a day, then flying home. The second idea is to go to Dusseldorf, Germany. Now, you ask...why on earth Dusseldorf? Well it's all about the £,$,€ whichever you prefer to use. A round trip flight to Dusseldorf is only £35 and 2 nights accomodation in a 4* hotel is only £25 per night. It seems to be a very cosmopolitan city with beautiful countryside to see.
I am not sure what I will do yet but I hope to have it figured out tonight before midnight!
Ok, well that's all I have for this edition. Hope that you all have a great night!
Take Care,
~Jenn
UPDATE: We purchased the tickets for Dusseldorf...couldn't pass up the bargain and it seems a little safer than Italy (pickpockets etc). I will make it to Italy before I leave here but Germany is going to be the 2nd stamp on my passport!!
I feel like today I really had a break-through! With a little bit of research and a bit of walking I finally made it to the Brunswick Centre. The Brunswick Centre is a shopping area located about a mile from the Study Centre. A product of the 1960s, the the Brunswick Centre is a shopping centre that doesn't quite fit in with the surrounding architecture of Bloomsbury. What is lacks in beauty (which is really in the eyes of the beholder because I think it's a cool building) it makes up in usefulness because inside the centre is the Waitrose grocery store which is exactly what I have wanted to find since I arrived here!
Unlike the grocery stores that are closer to the study centre (Sainsbury's and Tesco Metro) the Waitrose grocery store is MUCH more like the grocery stores that I am accustomed to from back home. Well lit, the store is slightly over 40,000 sq. ft. and has isles of items allowing for a good selection of products. This really makes me happy because there have been several items that I have wanted to prepare but was unable to locate the ingredients in the local stores, now I have the place to find them. For example, when looking for breakfast cereal, my local grocers might have 4-5 different types to choose from, the Waitrose store actually had about 25+ types of breakfast cereal. And ... try to find Tomato Paste over here? Nearly impossible! But I did locate Tomato Puree in the Waitrose store which was exactly the same thing.
After the trip to Waitrose, I made another discovery... I finally located the local post office! This was also a great find because I have some things to mail off to my family and haven't been able to figure out where to send them from. But now I know!
So, those were the highlights of my day. I am currently watching the library (I have been since 3pm) and not a single student has come in the entire time I have been in here! It seems like such a waste to be here when they never use this place, but that's just my opinion and my opinion won't get you much!
I have a 3 day weekend the 13-15 of July and I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do. I have located two reasonably priced adventures to consider. The first would be a quick trip through Italy, Flying to Rome and spending a day there then taking the train to Florence or a day and then going to Milan for a day, then flying home. The second idea is to go to Dusseldorf, Germany. Now, you ask...why on earth Dusseldorf? Well it's all about the £,$,€ whichever you prefer to use. A round trip flight to Dusseldorf is only £35 and 2 nights accomodation in a 4* hotel is only £25 per night. It seems to be a very cosmopolitan city with beautiful countryside to see.
I am not sure what I will do yet but I hope to have it figured out tonight before midnight!
Ok, well that's all I have for this edition. Hope that you all have a great night!
Take Care,
~Jenn
UPDATE: We purchased the tickets for Dusseldorf...couldn't pass up the bargain and it seems a little safer than Italy (pickpockets etc). I will make it to Italy before I leave here but Germany is going to be the 2nd stamp on my passport!!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Day 17-A Proper Day of Rest
1 July 2007
Time is really starting to fly by. I never realized that 17 days could go by as quickly as it has. I am actually 10% through with my time in London. Which means I am closer to getting home to see Ben & my Family, but I am having a pretty good time over here so I am not in a hurry to end the fun!
Today was a pretty lazy day. I hung out around the house watching television and doing laundry for a good part of the day. In the later afternoon I went to the bookstore and bought a tech book walked around. This evening I came home and we watched the Concert for Diana on BBC. It was very good. At the end there was a montage of home videos from Diana's childhood which was very moving.
I believe that I will be going to Italy in two weeks with my flatmate Sarah. We found a one way ticket to Rome for $24.99 and a one way back from Florence which will cost $17.99. Railroad passes will be about $75.00 and hostels about $30.00. So we think we can go for less than $250 with meals. We'll see how that goes and if we get it all together tomorrow.
Well I guess it's time for me to get some other work done...
Hope all have a good night!
~Jenn
Time is really starting to fly by. I never realized that 17 days could go by as quickly as it has. I am actually 10% through with my time in London. Which means I am closer to getting home to see Ben & my Family, but I am having a pretty good time over here so I am not in a hurry to end the fun!
Today was a pretty lazy day. I hung out around the house watching television and doing laundry for a good part of the day. In the later afternoon I went to the bookstore and bought a tech book walked around. This evening I came home and we watched the Concert for Diana on BBC. It was very good. At the end there was a montage of home videos from Diana's childhood which was very moving.
I believe that I will be going to Italy in two weeks with my flatmate Sarah. We found a one way ticket to Rome for $24.99 and a one way back from Florence which will cost $17.99. Railroad passes will be about $75.00 and hostels about $30.00. So we think we can go for less than $250 with meals. We'll see how that goes and if we get it all together tomorrow.
Well I guess it's time for me to get some other work done...
Hope all have a good night!
~Jenn
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