Tuesday:
Today I frolicked off to class and we watched a movie instead of doing actual work. Yay! It was shakespeare in love and it was AWESOME! so good, i loved the guy who played shakespeare. so sad! Then we all took the tube to King's Cross to see Platform 9 3/4! Unfortunately it's not between platforms nine and ten because you need to be taking the train to go there... it's past platform 8 in a sketchy alley next to dumpsters and it smells like rubbish lol. But it was fun nonetheless. Then we ate at a local pub and i got mushroom and pepper salad with oil and vinegar and a baguette with butter all for only 2.45 quid. sweeeeet. We went home and spent all afternoon planning trips while some people napped (not me!) and then Irene and I went on a "short walk" and ended up losing ourselves in hyde park for 3 hours. It was so beautful! Not only did we see the Peter Pan statue, but we also saw the ITALIAN GARDENS and the serpentine river and the Rose Garden and We splashed around in Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain which was more like the lazy river at Waterworld, so refreshing on a hot day. We laid on the grass and looked at the clouds, then leisurely headed back before I climbed a GIANT UMBRELLA TREE!!!! it was so high, it was scary! but so fun. And we saw an old lady feeding the birds like in mary poppins! Woot. By the time we got back I was too tired to go clubbing (it was 9:30 at night but still light out due to the summer solstice... crazy!) so i read some hamlet and went to sleep :)
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Monday! SHOPPING!
Today I woke up super early and went running in Hyde Park. It was awesome! I ran for about a half hour and then did some crunches and such. After that, I went to my first class at 9, then an orientation for FIE at 10-12, then stopped at the pharmacy "Boots" on the way home to buy coconut shampoo.
Then I spent all day... shopping!!! at HARROD'S!!! with my roommate Irene :) I definitely did not expect it to be so crazy! i couldn't even begin to see all the levels, there were 6 floors! they had EVERYTHING. bikes, beds, toy kingdome, pet kingdom, grocery story, sushi bar, dessert bar, bakery, jewelry, clothes... I got a tiramisu and a black forest torte and a scoop of "fruit of the forest" gelato. mmmm :) but the clothes were designer and super expensive, like 40-100 pounds per item, 75 dollars for a shirt is a bit much for me :( and nothing fit anyway.
So we went over to French Connection, but again, nothing fit. so i gave up on cool stores and bypassed FCUK and went to a little random shop on the same stree and got a silky black and purple cami and a lacy ruffly plaid shirt. Then I found MY STORE where everything fit and i wanted it all and liked 12 things and narrowed it down to 2: a green cami with twisted straps and a cowl neck in a sage green and a red and white floral bandeau dress. then off to H&M where I got a military style vest and a black clubbing dress and a purple plaid dress! Then we went back to the flat and signed up for a trip to Bath, Salsbury and Stonehenge this sunday!
Followed by my first play in London! 39 steps! it was soooo funny! 4 actors played the entire show in multiple roles. hilarious stuff. better than "the hangover" ;) then off to a pub where i got a cider black with was hard cider with black rasberry syrup- super sweet but yummy! then a vodka lemonade (lemonade is sprite here, and they don't drink our hard lemonade in pubs) and we went back to the flat above ours, where the guys in the program are staying and drank some JD. Then... back to the pub!!!! lol. we were loud and obnoxious at our own table of 15 for about 2 more hours and then drunkenly stumbled home. End of day 3 :)
Then I spent all day... shopping!!! at HARROD'S!!! with my roommate Irene :) I definitely did not expect it to be so crazy! i couldn't even begin to see all the levels, there were 6 floors! they had EVERYTHING. bikes, beds, toy kingdome, pet kingdom, grocery story, sushi bar, dessert bar, bakery, jewelry, clothes... I got a tiramisu and a black forest torte and a scoop of "fruit of the forest" gelato. mmmm :) but the clothes were designer and super expensive, like 40-100 pounds per item, 75 dollars for a shirt is a bit much for me :( and nothing fit anyway.
So we went over to French Connection, but again, nothing fit. so i gave up on cool stores and bypassed FCUK and went to a little random shop on the same stree and got a silky black and purple cami and a lacy ruffly plaid shirt. Then I found MY STORE where everything fit and i wanted it all and liked 12 things and narrowed it down to 2: a green cami with twisted straps and a cowl neck in a sage green and a red and white floral bandeau dress. then off to H&M where I got a military style vest and a black clubbing dress and a purple plaid dress! Then we went back to the flat and signed up for a trip to Bath, Salsbury and Stonehenge this sunday!
Followed by my first play in London! 39 steps! it was soooo funny! 4 actors played the entire show in multiple roles. hilarious stuff. better than "the hangover" ;) then off to a pub where i got a cider black with was hard cider with black rasberry syrup- super sweet but yummy! then a vodka lemonade (lemonade is sprite here, and they don't drink our hard lemonade in pubs) and we went back to the flat above ours, where the guys in the program are staying and drank some JD. Then... back to the pub!!!! lol. we were loud and obnoxious at our own table of 15 for about 2 more hours and then drunkenly stumbled home. End of day 3 :)
Friday, 26 June 2009
Tours galore!
This is actually from Sunday June 21st... yes I am behind. ;)
Today, we all woke up early to take a tour of London by Coach! coaches are buses. Our tour guide, Brit, told us all sorts of cool information while we basically saw all the tourist spots in London while moving. Big Ben, Trafalgar, the tour of london, the markets, the alley where they filmed Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter Movie, The House of Parliament, The Ministry of Justice, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Scotland Yard, Harrod's, Several monuments, and then we stopped and walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the Changing of the Guard! It was the Welsh Regimen because they had 5 buttons on their jacket for the 5th regimen and green and white feathers in their fuzzy black hats :) Then we all got back on the bus and went back to Metrograte (headquarters for my program) and all went out to lunch at a pub nearby. I got a salad and bread and butter which was light and cheap ;) Our waiter was particularly helpful and jumpy and when we left a 10% tip (customary here) because he served us, he was very excited. Later, we found out tipping is only in sit down restaurants, not pubs, even if they serve you. Weird rules. So I guess he knew we were Americans lol. He also thought I asked what sorts of "cheese" they had instead of "teas," it was quite adorable. At 2 we met back at Manson Place (our residence) and had a walking tour around Kingston, the borough of London we're staying in. Our guide, Angie, was quite funny. She used to live here with a bunch of friends because an elderly lady let her top floor to them at an absurdly low rate of 900 someodd pounds a month, untill her lawyer told her she was crazy and they all moved out. She said:
"At midnight my landlady would call and say 'Angela! I saw 12 boys go into your flat, and only 6 come down!' ... and 6 very disappointed men would leave the party. Oh and the former prince used to live just there and before he got curtains I could see him changing! He had very skinny legs."
She took us through to the Iraq embassy where we weren't allowed to take photos and they had armed guard because it was bombed last year. We also saw a mew! where they used to keep the horses in these "stables" hundreds of years ago that are now cute narrow streets with tiny apartments. these go for 2 million pounds and are owned by rich families with grand estates in the country ;) Then we walked to Hyde Park and saw the Kensington Palace where Princess Diana used to live, and walked back to our flat. We went out to dinner at a local pub and I spent the night in because I was so tired from the plane. A domani (until tomorrow!)
Today, we all woke up early to take a tour of London by Coach! coaches are buses. Our tour guide, Brit, told us all sorts of cool information while we basically saw all the tourist spots in London while moving. Big Ben, Trafalgar, the tour of london, the markets, the alley where they filmed Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter Movie, The House of Parliament, The Ministry of Justice, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Scotland Yard, Harrod's, Several monuments, and then we stopped and walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the Changing of the Guard! It was the Welsh Regimen because they had 5 buttons on their jacket for the 5th regimen and green and white feathers in their fuzzy black hats :) Then we all got back on the bus and went back to Metrograte (headquarters for my program) and all went out to lunch at a pub nearby. I got a salad and bread and butter which was light and cheap ;) Our waiter was particularly helpful and jumpy and when we left a 10% tip (customary here) because he served us, he was very excited. Later, we found out tipping is only in sit down restaurants, not pubs, even if they serve you. Weird rules. So I guess he knew we were Americans lol. He also thought I asked what sorts of "cheese" they had instead of "teas," it was quite adorable. At 2 we met back at Manson Place (our residence) and had a walking tour around Kingston, the borough of London we're staying in. Our guide, Angie, was quite funny. She used to live here with a bunch of friends because an elderly lady let her top floor to them at an absurdly low rate of 900 someodd pounds a month, untill her lawyer told her she was crazy and they all moved out. She said:
"At midnight my landlady would call and say 'Angela! I saw 12 boys go into your flat, and only 6 come down!' ... and 6 very disappointed men would leave the party. Oh and the former prince used to live just there and before he got curtains I could see him changing! He had very skinny legs."
She took us through to the Iraq embassy where we weren't allowed to take photos and they had armed guard because it was bombed last year. We also saw a mew! where they used to keep the horses in these "stables" hundreds of years ago that are now cute narrow streets with tiny apartments. these go for 2 million pounds and are owned by rich families with grand estates in the country ;) Then we walked to Hyde Park and saw the Kensington Palace where Princess Diana used to live, and walked back to our flat. We went out to dinner at a local pub and I spent the night in because I was so tired from the plane. A domani (until tomorrow!)
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Day 1- So Sureal!
Posted late, written on Saturday, June 20th:
So I've only been here for a day and I'm already completely in shock with how different everything is!
So to start from the beginning: The plane ride was 24 hours and I stayed up all night the night before, so arriving was "fun." We walked to the tube, which was actually really cool. Lots of cute guys, but all with girls.... Everything was green and picturesque, like out of a jane austin novel! We took it for about 10 stops and got off at Gloucester Station, then walked about 30 minutes with our luggage to the FIE house, where we got our keys and walked 15 minutes back to our flat... which was on the 3rd floor with no elevator. The outside is quite pretty and in Kensington, the posh neighborhood, so that's nice. unfortunately the inside is not updated and they are really old buildings. we are 3 to a room, 14 girls in our flat, with a small common room, kitchen, 3 bathrooms, a broken tv, a broken shower, and cockroaches. But I plan to spend A LOT of time outside. We hung around unpacking for a while then all went out with our flatmates to Starbucks (lol) around the corner. Later we met with our RA for a tour of the local amenities, including the nearby pubs and shops, Imperial College, where we have access to a cheap pub, a library, and study rooms, and the foundation house. and Then we went to the Stanhope Arms pub down the street. Then we met up with KRISTEN at Nando's, a chain bar and ate and talked, then went back to our flat and hung out for a while and went to bed. It is so surreal, I can't believe I'm here! It's very green and clean and ornate carvings are everywhere. Even the rubbish bins and light poles are fancy! More tomorrow!
So I've only been here for a day and I'm already completely in shock with how different everything is!
So to start from the beginning: The plane ride was 24 hours and I stayed up all night the night before, so arriving was "fun." We walked to the tube, which was actually really cool. Lots of cute guys, but all with girls.... Everything was green and picturesque, like out of a jane austin novel! We took it for about 10 stops and got off at Gloucester Station, then walked about 30 minutes with our luggage to the FIE house, where we got our keys and walked 15 minutes back to our flat... which was on the 3rd floor with no elevator. The outside is quite pretty and in Kensington, the posh neighborhood, so that's nice. unfortunately the inside is not updated and they are really old buildings. we are 3 to a room, 14 girls in our flat, with a small common room, kitchen, 3 bathrooms, a broken tv, a broken shower, and cockroaches. But I plan to spend A LOT of time outside. We hung around unpacking for a while then all went out with our flatmates to Starbucks (lol) around the corner. Later we met with our RA for a tour of the local amenities, including the nearby pubs and shops, Imperial College, where we have access to a cheap pub, a library, and study rooms, and the foundation house. and Then we went to the Stanhope Arms pub down the street. Then we met up with KRISTEN at Nando's, a chain bar and ate and talked, then went back to our flat and hung out for a while and went to bed. It is so surreal, I can't believe I'm here! It's very green and clean and ornate carvings are everywhere. Even the rubbish bins and light poles are fancy! More tomorrow!
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