I woke up at 4:30 am the day I left for Egypt, since we were meeting up at 6:00 at the ISH building in central London. There, I met the group of people who I was to be traveling with (none of whom I knew before). The group was a very diverse one (18 people, with 16 different nationalities), which made for interesting conversations. I really liked the group – half the fun of the trip was the people who went along. We took a bus to Heathrow and then flew from there to Cairo, which was about a 5 hour flight.
We touched down to a hazy, dirty, and warm city. There was so much sand and pollution in the sky that it was a brown color (it was better the other days, but Cairo was definitely the most polluted city I’ve ever visited). We were picked up at the airport by Attif, the hostel owner / local godfather (as we later discovered), who transported us to the King Tut Hostel, down in the center of the city. Once we arrived, we had free time to relax and unpack our clothes. A few of us decided that we would wander the streets a little around the hostel, so we went out with Oscar, a funny guy who worked at the hostel (and was Attif’s nephew).
Egypt was quite a change from the West. There are rarely fixed prices on anything (unless one is at an establishment catering to foreigners) and the true value of an item is probably far lower than one would expect (labor is extremely inexpensive there). Thus, one will get ripped off (luckily, with the exchange rate, things are still cheap, even being ripped off). Furthermore, vendors actively try to sell you items. Walking down the streets (which are always very crowded – the population density in Cairo and Alexandria is far higher than American cities) is an interesting experience due to the constant haranguing. Since I was normally with either Nicole (an American girl) or Kasha (a Polish girl) when out walking the streets (we often split up into smaller groups), we would get significantly more attention (mostly unwanted). Most of the Egyptian men acted like they’d never seen a woman before (granted, basically all the women there wear coverings as opposed to Western clothing, but we weren’t the only tourists to ever visit Cairo).
Crossing the street was also always interesting, as they don’t have traffic lights, stop signs, pedestrian crossings, lanes, or really any rules concerning vehicles, it seems. It amazes me that there are not more accidents, as the street traffic there is extremely heavy. To cross, one just has to start walking confidently and hope that the cars will stop (they will). It is a rather unnerving experience at first, however, and I was one of the few people in the group who was willing to be the leader in crossing (once someone has gotten out there and stopped the cars, it is easy to cross). Another thing I found interesting was that the army and police are everywhere. I remember reading that before I left and thinking, ok, they have more people than America does. In actuality, Egypt has police and soldiers everywhere. It seems like 1 in 10 guys over there is a soldier or policeman. And these police are strolling around with AK-47s. Tourist spots have even heavier protection forces (the pyramids had several hundred soldiers guarding them), normally with armored vehicles, heavy machine guns, and defensive posts. I found this quite cool (I like military things), and it meant that we were always really safe (almost anywhere we were, we could see a policeman or soldier).
That evening, we went down to the Nile and boarded a riverboat. It cruised up and down the Nile (though in the city area, which isn’t really all that exciting – I imagined us cruising along out in the desert) while we ate dinner and watched live entertainment. Getting our food was an experience (people – not our group – stampeded to get it, even though it was buffet and it wasn’t going anywhere). Since we were close to the food, we all got squished in by the hoard of people. The entertainment consisted of musicians and singers, whirling dervish dancing, and belly dancing, which was all fairly interesting. Afterwards, we headed back to the hostel. Some of us walked around the streets a little longer before heading off to bed. I shared a room with Alexis, a guy from Mexico, John, an American, and Tee, a guy from Thailand, all of whom are friendly. I'll add the next few days soon.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Roma Eterna (April 19-22)
I arrived at Rome in the late afternoon. The train station is on the other side of town from where Megan, so I hiked the 30 min walk from there to her place. Along the way, I walked past all sorts of interesting sights, such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the city center, and a whole lot of other things. Megan lives in a prime location, basically on top of where Pompey’s grandiose villa, theater, and alternate senate house used to be (famously, where Julius Caesar was murdered). Now the ruins are just full of cats (they really are). Finding Megan’s place was interesting, as I had a very poor map at the time. As it was, it is right next to the ruins, but I walked past it a bunch of times before realizing that. After maybe 15 mins of wandering around the area where it was, I found it and met up with Megan. She lives with 4 other girls from Cornell, whom I met. After sitting around and visiting for a while, Megan and I wandered around her area a little bit, heading over to the Trevi Fountain, the Parthenon (which was by then closed), and another piazza. We then met up with Mel (one of her roommates) and went to eat dinner at a restaurant in the nearby Piazza Navona. I forget exactly what I ate (it was some sort of pasta), but the food was quite good. Afterwards, we headed back to Megan’s place and hung out with some of her other roommates till fairly late.
The next morning I got up and lounged around for a while, including doing a crossword puzzle with Megan and planning what I wanted to do around the city the next few days. Megan and her roommates had a soccer match, so I was on my own for the day. I decided to hit up the Ancient Roman part of Rome, so I headed over to the Capitoline Hill and walked around it a bit (there is a massive building/monument to the king there). I then walked down to the Roman Forum, passing a parade of sorts and various other things on the Imperial Way. It was very cool to be in the actual place where so many important events occurred. Unfortunately, the forum is also just ruins, and even with my knowledge of Ancient Rome, it is pretty challenging to make much sense of everything. After wandering around in the actual forum, I headed up the bordering Palatine Hill, which is also preserved as ruins. It was where most of the wealthy lived back in the day due to its prime location right above the forum. It is also the birthplace of Rome, and sports the ruins of what the Romans believed to be Romulus’ hut. Most of what remains up there is the ruins of the Imperial Palace, which slowly grew to take over much of the hill. After that, I headed over and visited the Flavian Ampitheatre, better known as the Colosseum. Although also only a shadow of its former glory, it is still quite an impressive structure. I then headed up the nearby Esquiline Hill, which was another fashionable area to live back in the day (Nero had his giant palace built there after bulldozing the existing residences). It too is mostly just ruins, but still interesting to see.
Afterwards, I returned to the Colosseum, as I had planned to meet up with Josh in front of it at 5:00. As it turned out, there were 3 other Americans from QM also in Rome, whom Josh had run into. The group of us went over to the ruins of the Circus Maximus (very cool – it is now just grass, but the depression of the stadium is still very visible, as is the track and the raised middle section) and hung out for a while, as there is a nice view there. We planned to meet up the next morning to see the Vatican, as well as later that evening and maybe walk around a bit. I then headed over to the Tiber (which is right by the Circus) and walked back to Megan’s along it (she lives right by the river). The Tiber has some trash in it, but is relatively clean and scenic. There are some neat ruins of bridges going across it, as well as a cool little island with some buildings on it near the lower bend.
When I got back to Megan’s, I hung out with her and her roommates for a while (I ran into them just outside her place, as they were walking back from soccer – they had won their tournament). They made burgers, which were quite good (it was very nice of them to cook them). I then decided to head back down to the Colosseum to meet up with the other QM people. Naturally, the people whose idea it was to see it at night ended up not showing, so it ended up just being me and Josh. The Colosseum is pretty cool lit up at night, I must say. We headed up to walk around in the northern part of the city, seeing things like the Spanish Steps, some of the other plazas, and the Trevi Fountain (he hadn’t seen it yet). Rome is pretty interesting at night, with all the lights and shadows playing off the structures.
The next morning, I got up bright and early and hiked over to the Vatican, which is about a 20 minute walk from Megan’s, on the other side of the Tiber. It started to rain just as a got there, but I had luckily thrown in my windbreaker/rain jacket, so I was set. The plaza in front of St. Peter’s is pretty awesome – it is too bad the Pope was in the US at the time, it would have been interesting to see him give a speech. The plan was to meet in front of the giant obelisk at 8:45 am and beat the lines. Only one other person from the group showed up: Joelle, one of the other QM students (she’s from Minnesota). We waited around for a little while, but no one else showed up (we later found out that Josh and an Australian girl he had met at the hostel had shown up in front of the Vatican Museum and been waiting there, even though we had made clear the day before to meet in front of the obelisk).
We were able to walk right in, without a line, which was quite nice. St. Peter’s is easily the most impressive cathedral in the world (and I’ve been to most of the famous ones now). It is simply massive, but also full of priceless and amazing artwork. Walking around inside, I couldn’t help but wonder how expensive it would be to create something like this today (the size alone would make it pricey, but it would be the artwork that would really drive up the price, as well as all the solid marble). After seeing the main church, we went and saw their collection of relics and things and the tombs of the popes. We then hiked up the 500 or so steps to the top of the dome, which provided a great view of the city below. The climb up was very interesting, as near the top, one had to bend with the shape of the dome (which made it difficult for me, since I am tall, and had to walk in a really strange manner).
We then headed over to the Vatican Museum, where we waited about an hour in line before getting in (not too bad of a wait, it is normally much worse). There was a lot of random junk in the museum, but they also have some of the greatest masterpieces in the world. Their statue collection is amazing, as is the Sistine Chapel, of course, as well as the nearby rooms painted by the greats like Raphael. Easily one of the best art museums in the world. While inside the Sistine Chapel, I ran into Ashley Eastin, another USC student (she’s up in Scotland for the semester). Apparently USC and QM students have taken over Rome. After seeing the museum, we hiked up the nearby Janiculum Hill. It is the highest point in Rome (at least the older part) and offers a great view overlooking the city (the Romans used to have their main lookout tower up there to spot invaders). Then we walked down through the Trastavere region and down to the Tiber, where we split up to head back to our respective places. I then got some pizza with Megan and hung out for a while with her and some of her roommates. Later, I met up with Josh and another friend he had made at his hostel and the three of us wandered around the city, including yet another visit to the Trevi Fountain (where we were in theory going to meet up with some more people from their hostel, but who never showed up). On the way back, it started to pour, and we all got very soaked.
The next day, Josh and I walked around and saw some of the things that we had missed, such as the Pantheon (which is really amazing – it is still in great condition and would be a engineering masterpiece today, much less 2000 years ago). We then took the bus out along the Appian Way to the famous catacombs. Naturally, they were closed for 2 hours for lunch when we arrived, so we walked up and down along the old road (very, very cool). Part of the old road (along the catacombs) has been kept very clear of modernity, so it is lined with the traditional trees and surrounded by fields and one could easily imagine oneself in the Roman era. We eventually went down and saw the catacombs (which were alright, but nothing really special) and then headed back to the city. I decided to head back up to the Capitoline Hill to get a nice view of the forum again, while Josh parted off to see the Tiber area. I then returned back to Megan’s, where I hung out with Megan for a while (she had just gotten back from taking a final) before walking back to the train station and catching a bus to the airport.
Overall, Rome was a very neat city. Since I love Ancient Rome, seeing the actual place where it all happened was especially interesting. There are literally cool ruins everywhere in Rome – the city has done a good job of preserving them. The Papal section is also very neat to see (definitely something one should see at least once). It was great seeing Megan again, and really nice that she let me stay with her. Now I just need to come back at some point and show Karli it, as she would really enjoy Rome.
The next morning I got up and lounged around for a while, including doing a crossword puzzle with Megan and planning what I wanted to do around the city the next few days. Megan and her roommates had a soccer match, so I was on my own for the day. I decided to hit up the Ancient Roman part of Rome, so I headed over to the Capitoline Hill and walked around it a bit (there is a massive building/monument to the king there). I then walked down to the Roman Forum, passing a parade of sorts and various other things on the Imperial Way. It was very cool to be in the actual place where so many important events occurred. Unfortunately, the forum is also just ruins, and even with my knowledge of Ancient Rome, it is pretty challenging to make much sense of everything. After wandering around in the actual forum, I headed up the bordering Palatine Hill, which is also preserved as ruins. It was where most of the wealthy lived back in the day due to its prime location right above the forum. It is also the birthplace of Rome, and sports the ruins of what the Romans believed to be Romulus’ hut. Most of what remains up there is the ruins of the Imperial Palace, which slowly grew to take over much of the hill. After that, I headed over and visited the Flavian Ampitheatre, better known as the Colosseum. Although also only a shadow of its former glory, it is still quite an impressive structure. I then headed up the nearby Esquiline Hill, which was another fashionable area to live back in the day (Nero had his giant palace built there after bulldozing the existing residences). It too is mostly just ruins, but still interesting to see.
Afterwards, I returned to the Colosseum, as I had planned to meet up with Josh in front of it at 5:00. As it turned out, there were 3 other Americans from QM also in Rome, whom Josh had run into. The group of us went over to the ruins of the Circus Maximus (very cool – it is now just grass, but the depression of the stadium is still very visible, as is the track and the raised middle section) and hung out for a while, as there is a nice view there. We planned to meet up the next morning to see the Vatican, as well as later that evening and maybe walk around a bit. I then headed over to the Tiber (which is right by the Circus) and walked back to Megan’s along it (she lives right by the river). The Tiber has some trash in it, but is relatively clean and scenic. There are some neat ruins of bridges going across it, as well as a cool little island with some buildings on it near the lower bend.
When I got back to Megan’s, I hung out with her and her roommates for a while (I ran into them just outside her place, as they were walking back from soccer – they had won their tournament). They made burgers, which were quite good (it was very nice of them to cook them). I then decided to head back down to the Colosseum to meet up with the other QM people. Naturally, the people whose idea it was to see it at night ended up not showing, so it ended up just being me and Josh. The Colosseum is pretty cool lit up at night, I must say. We headed up to walk around in the northern part of the city, seeing things like the Spanish Steps, some of the other plazas, and the Trevi Fountain (he hadn’t seen it yet). Rome is pretty interesting at night, with all the lights and shadows playing off the structures.
The next morning, I got up bright and early and hiked over to the Vatican, which is about a 20 minute walk from Megan’s, on the other side of the Tiber. It started to rain just as a got there, but I had luckily thrown in my windbreaker/rain jacket, so I was set. The plaza in front of St. Peter’s is pretty awesome – it is too bad the Pope was in the US at the time, it would have been interesting to see him give a speech. The plan was to meet in front of the giant obelisk at 8:45 am and beat the lines. Only one other person from the group showed up: Joelle, one of the other QM students (she’s from Minnesota). We waited around for a little while, but no one else showed up (we later found out that Josh and an Australian girl he had met at the hostel had shown up in front of the Vatican Museum and been waiting there, even though we had made clear the day before to meet in front of the obelisk).
We were able to walk right in, without a line, which was quite nice. St. Peter’s is easily the most impressive cathedral in the world (and I’ve been to most of the famous ones now). It is simply massive, but also full of priceless and amazing artwork. Walking around inside, I couldn’t help but wonder how expensive it would be to create something like this today (the size alone would make it pricey, but it would be the artwork that would really drive up the price, as well as all the solid marble). After seeing the main church, we went and saw their collection of relics and things and the tombs of the popes. We then hiked up the 500 or so steps to the top of the dome, which provided a great view of the city below. The climb up was very interesting, as near the top, one had to bend with the shape of the dome (which made it difficult for me, since I am tall, and had to walk in a really strange manner).
We then headed over to the Vatican Museum, where we waited about an hour in line before getting in (not too bad of a wait, it is normally much worse). There was a lot of random junk in the museum, but they also have some of the greatest masterpieces in the world. Their statue collection is amazing, as is the Sistine Chapel, of course, as well as the nearby rooms painted by the greats like Raphael. Easily one of the best art museums in the world. While inside the Sistine Chapel, I ran into Ashley Eastin, another USC student (she’s up in Scotland for the semester). Apparently USC and QM students have taken over Rome. After seeing the museum, we hiked up the nearby Janiculum Hill. It is the highest point in Rome (at least the older part) and offers a great view overlooking the city (the Romans used to have their main lookout tower up there to spot invaders). Then we walked down through the Trastavere region and down to the Tiber, where we split up to head back to our respective places. I then got some pizza with Megan and hung out for a while with her and some of her roommates. Later, I met up with Josh and another friend he had made at his hostel and the three of us wandered around the city, including yet another visit to the Trevi Fountain (where we were in theory going to meet up with some more people from their hostel, but who never showed up). On the way back, it started to pour, and we all got very soaked.
The next day, Josh and I walked around and saw some of the things that we had missed, such as the Pantheon (which is really amazing – it is still in great condition and would be a engineering masterpiece today, much less 2000 years ago). We then took the bus out along the Appian Way to the famous catacombs. Naturally, they were closed for 2 hours for lunch when we arrived, so we walked up and down along the old road (very, very cool). Part of the old road (along the catacombs) has been kept very clear of modernity, so it is lined with the traditional trees and surrounded by fields and one could easily imagine oneself in the Roman era. We eventually went down and saw the catacombs (which were alright, but nothing really special) and then headed back to the city. I decided to head back up to the Capitoline Hill to get a nice view of the forum again, while Josh parted off to see the Tiber area. I then returned back to Megan’s, where I hung out with Megan for a while (she had just gotten back from taking a final) before walking back to the train station and catching a bus to the airport.
Overall, Rome was a very neat city. Since I love Ancient Rome, seeing the actual place where it all happened was especially interesting. There are literally cool ruins everywhere in Rome – the city has done a good job of preserving them. The Papal section is also very neat to see (definitely something one should see at least once). It was great seeing Megan again, and really nice that she let me stay with her. Now I just need to come back at some point and show Karli it, as she would really enjoy Rome.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Florence (April 18-19)
On Friday, I got up early, said goodbye to the Büels and my parents, and caught the 7:40 train to Florence. It was a 7 hour train ride, but it didn't seem so bad because there was scenery to look at. Once I got to the city, I checked into the hostel (which was very nice) and explored the city a little bit. I went and saw the impressive Duomo cathedral, once of the largest cathedrals in the world (it is unbelievably massive in its giant domed area). I then hiked up the many steps of its bell tower, which gave an excellent view of the city and the surrounding hills (I took tons of great pictures). After that, I met up with Kevin McCormack, who is spending the semester here in Florence. We went and saw the Academy, which houses Michelangelo's famous David. The statue is very impressive (I didn't realize how massive it is). We then went and ate some gelato, which I had never had before and which is very delicious.
He had to head out, so I went back to the hostel to get some warmer clothes (it had been surprisingly warm when I arrived, but had by that time cooled off, and it would eventually start to rain). I then walked back to the Duomo and met up with Michelle Delanty, who is also in Florence for the semester. We walked past the old civic center and palace and over to the ancient bridge across the Arno, which has loads of shops on it. We walked over and looked at the Medici palace across the river and then looped back towards the Duomo. She then headed out for the evening (she and Kevin both had their last finals the following week and needed to finish up projects). I then went and ate a good (and quite large) calzone and headed back to the hostel. While on the computer in the common area, I ran into Josh Bark, a friend from Queen Mary (what are the odds?). Even more ironically, he also was going to Rome the next day. After running into Josh, we hung out in my room with one of my roommates (a girl from Idaho). While we talked, a heavy thunderstorm and rainstorm descended upon the town (it was neat to listen to). Shortly thereafter, the 5 remaining roommates (4 Swiss girls and 1 Canadian girl) arrived, completely drenched. They had been caught out in the rain, but found the incident humorous once they finally made it inside. Shortly thereafter, we called it a night (it was by then quite late).
The next morning I got up and cruised over to the Uffizi Gallery. To get there, I walked along the Arno, which is quite a brown, dirty river (it is one of the dirtiest rivers I have ever seen). After waiting an agonizing 2.5 hours to get into the gallery, I finally got in and discovered that it was definitely not worth the long wait. While it does have a fair amount of artwork, most of it is not to my taste, and I feel that the museum pales in comparison to the Louvre, National Gallery, or Prado. I think I saw everything in there in about an hour (maybe a little bit longer). After that, I was quite hungry (I had only had yogurt and Rivella for breakfast), so I went and ate at none other than McDonald's (I felt like a burger). Never have a seen a more crowded fast food place - and it wasn't tourists, it was mostly Italians. Apparently the locals love their McDonald's. It actually was quite good - McDonald's is better over here. I then walked over to the other side of the city to go inspect the Medici family's imposing fortress. From there, I then went and caught the train to Roma.
He had to head out, so I went back to the hostel to get some warmer clothes (it had been surprisingly warm when I arrived, but had by that time cooled off, and it would eventually start to rain). I then walked back to the Duomo and met up with Michelle Delanty, who is also in Florence for the semester. We walked past the old civic center and palace and over to the ancient bridge across the Arno, which has loads of shops on it. We walked over and looked at the Medici palace across the river and then looped back towards the Duomo. She then headed out for the evening (she and Kevin both had their last finals the following week and needed to finish up projects). I then went and ate a good (and quite large) calzone and headed back to the hostel. While on the computer in the common area, I ran into Josh Bark, a friend from Queen Mary (what are the odds?). Even more ironically, he also was going to Rome the next day. After running into Josh, we hung out in my room with one of my roommates (a girl from Idaho). While we talked, a heavy thunderstorm and rainstorm descended upon the town (it was neat to listen to). Shortly thereafter, the 5 remaining roommates (4 Swiss girls and 1 Canadian girl) arrived, completely drenched. They had been caught out in the rain, but found the incident humorous once they finally made it inside. Shortly thereafter, we called it a night (it was by then quite late).
The next morning I got up and cruised over to the Uffizi Gallery. To get there, I walked along the Arno, which is quite a brown, dirty river (it is one of the dirtiest rivers I have ever seen). After waiting an agonizing 2.5 hours to get into the gallery, I finally got in and discovered that it was definitely not worth the long wait. While it does have a fair amount of artwork, most of it is not to my taste, and I feel that the museum pales in comparison to the Louvre, National Gallery, or Prado. I think I saw everything in there in about an hour (maybe a little bit longer). After that, I was quite hungry (I had only had yogurt and Rivella for breakfast), so I went and ate at none other than McDonald's (I felt like a burger). Never have a seen a more crowded fast food place - and it wasn't tourists, it was mostly Italians. Apparently the locals love their McDonald's. It actually was quite good - McDonald's is better over here. I then walked over to the other side of the city to go inspect the Medici family's imposing fortress. From there, I then went and caught the train to Roma.
Switzerland (April 15-17)
We woke up very early and caught the 7:55 train to Neuchatel. It was a long ride (4 hours) but it was fairly scenic, so it wasn't too bad. We then got ready to take a connecting train from there to Mürten, but it was canceled. Luckily for us, a friendly Swiss man asked us if we were waiting for that train and told us that it was canceled. He told us just in time, as we were able to take a different train and then change once to reach our ultimate destination 15 minutes later than originally planned. Daniel Lehmann picked us up at the train station and we went back to his place, where we had a big fondue meal with him and his wife Sina (Hardy came by and joined us part way through). Flavia (their daughter) then got back from school and we all wandered around town, the walls, and the castle. Mürten is a picturesque town and very worth visiting. Flavia and Cordion (their son) came with us as we walked the city. They were a little shy at first (it has been 2 years), but they quickly warmed up and became my friends again (they are funny kids - I really like them). We then went to the train station to purchase our tickets for that evening and drove over to Mons Vully, on the other side of the lake (which has a great view of the area). We then had dinner with everyone (Daniel's sister Barbara even drove out). After dinner, we had to leave, and Barbara gave us a ride to Bern, where we caught the train to Luzern. We were sad to leave them, but we needed to get to Luzern that evening. Markus and Kathy were there to pick us up, and we went back to there place and talked a while with them, Caroline, Andreas, and Lucas. It was great to see everyone again, but we had to quickly call it a night because of the next day's plans.
The next morning, we got up at a little before 5:00 am. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we drove over to Interlochen and rode up the cogtrain to the Jungfraujoch. It was an impressive view and a neat facility (with some cool ice caves full of ice carvings). It was also amazingly cold (-17 degrees Celsius before the heavy wind chill). I was bundled up in heavy warm clothing and was still cold. Rather comically, a crazed Chinese guy ran out to the viewing platform in just his boxers and has his friends take pictures of him. Markus got a picture of him too, shortly before he threw a bunch of snow on him. The guy then ran back inside, but I imagine he must have been freezing. We tried hiking a little bit along the ridge, but the snow was too deep and it was too cold, so we turned back. We then headed back down the mountain and went to the airfield, where Markus took us up in his Cesna. I enjoy flying, so it was rather cool. Weather conditions prevented us from flying over parts of the Alps like last time, but we still had some great views of the area. While on landing approach, some joker was taxing around on the runway, and Markus had to slow down his approach to avoid hitting him (the guy wasn't supposed to be on it). We then went back to Büels and relaxed (it by then being late afternoon).
The next morning, we got up early again and headed out with Kathy and Caroline to Titlis, where we went skiing. We went up on some fairly challenging slopes and had a great time. I was by far the worst skier (not having done it in years), but with lots of help from Kathy, I greatly improved by ability to maintain control on steep slopes. Caroline and my dad went skiing down some thick powder that was off the official slopes and my dad sunk down in it. He had a hard time getting up, and when he did, he had snow and ice all over him (including his eyebrows, mustache, and eyelashes). We joked that he looked like Frosty the Snowman. After skiing half day, we returned back to Luzern, ate lunch, and walked around town for a bit with Christian (he had come home by then) and Caroline, seeing the Lion monument, the old walls, the bridge, and doing some minor shopping (buying chocolate, etc.). We then went back to their place and met up with Martina, who had also come home from school. We all ate dinner and then visited in the evening. I wish we could have stayed longer - I really enjoy being around the Büels.
The next morning, we got up at a little before 5:00 am. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we drove over to Interlochen and rode up the cogtrain to the Jungfraujoch. It was an impressive view and a neat facility (with some cool ice caves full of ice carvings). It was also amazingly cold (-17 degrees Celsius before the heavy wind chill). I was bundled up in heavy warm clothing and was still cold. Rather comically, a crazed Chinese guy ran out to the viewing platform in just his boxers and has his friends take pictures of him. Markus got a picture of him too, shortly before he threw a bunch of snow on him. The guy then ran back inside, but I imagine he must have been freezing. We tried hiking a little bit along the ridge, but the snow was too deep and it was too cold, so we turned back. We then headed back down the mountain and went to the airfield, where Markus took us up in his Cesna. I enjoy flying, so it was rather cool. Weather conditions prevented us from flying over parts of the Alps like last time, but we still had some great views of the area. While on landing approach, some joker was taxing around on the runway, and Markus had to slow down his approach to avoid hitting him (the guy wasn't supposed to be on it). We then went back to Büels and relaxed (it by then being late afternoon).
The next morning, we got up early again and headed out with Kathy and Caroline to Titlis, where we went skiing. We went up on some fairly challenging slopes and had a great time. I was by far the worst skier (not having done it in years), but with lots of help from Kathy, I greatly improved by ability to maintain control on steep slopes. Caroline and my dad went skiing down some thick powder that was off the official slopes and my dad sunk down in it. He had a hard time getting up, and when he did, he had snow and ice all over him (including his eyebrows, mustache, and eyelashes). We joked that he looked like Frosty the Snowman. After skiing half day, we returned back to Luzern, ate lunch, and walked around town for a bit with Christian (he had come home by then) and Caroline, seeing the Lion monument, the old walls, the bridge, and doing some minor shopping (buying chocolate, etc.). We then went back to their place and met up with Martina, who had also come home from school. We all ate dinner and then visited in the evening. I wish we could have stayed longer - I really enjoy being around the Büels.
Paris (April 12-14)
We arrived in Paris in the evening and checked into the hotel. It was an interesting little place, with a tiny, sketchy elevator (I could beat it up and down the stairs – from the 5th floor – if I moved fast). My bed was nice, however, and the location was good. That evening, we just walked around the Latin Quarter a little bit (that was where we were staying) and ate at a little café full mostly of students.
The following morning, we got up, ate croissants of course, and rode the metro out to Versailles. Naturally, we caught a metro that took the wrong fork, so it took a while to finally reach the palace. By then, the line was already quite long. We ended up waiting about 1.5 hours (maybe even 2) in line before we finally entered. It is an extremely impressive place, although far to gaudy. My dad and I decided that Napoleon had far better taste than Louis XIV, as the parts that he restored and lived in were, though still ostentatious, much classier. The best part of Versailles, we all thought, was walking around the grounds. They are massive! The French kings had themselves a very nice area to walk around in. The best part was Marie Antoinette’s fairy tale land, where she had Disneylandesque cottages and buildings so she could pretend to be a milking girl or a farmer or whatever. It was rather funny to see. After seeing the great palace, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower, but it was raining, so we didn’t go up. Instead, we headed back and ate a delicious 5-course dinner (it was reasonably priced too – only 20 Euros per person) at a restaurant near where we were staying.
The next morning, we got up early and headed over to the Louvre. Since we arrived before it opened, we beat the crowds and got in quickly. I really love neoclassical art, and especially Jacques-Louis David, so I found the Louvre to be the best art museum that I have ever visited. And of course, it really is massive, so we didn’t see nearly as much as I wished (that place is a maze too). In the afternoon, we walked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, which we went up to get a decent view of the city (would have been better if it wasn’t raining). We then headed over to Notre Dame and saw it. It was neat to go inside such a famous structure (though it was kind of dark and gloomy inside). After that, we hiked through the Latin Quarter and back to our hotel, and after eating dinner at a restaurant, we ended out stay in Paris.
The following morning, we got up, ate croissants of course, and rode the metro out to Versailles. Naturally, we caught a metro that took the wrong fork, so it took a while to finally reach the palace. By then, the line was already quite long. We ended up waiting about 1.5 hours (maybe even 2) in line before we finally entered. It is an extremely impressive place, although far to gaudy. My dad and I decided that Napoleon had far better taste than Louis XIV, as the parts that he restored and lived in were, though still ostentatious, much classier. The best part of Versailles, we all thought, was walking around the grounds. They are massive! The French kings had themselves a very nice area to walk around in. The best part was Marie Antoinette’s fairy tale land, where she had Disneylandesque cottages and buildings so she could pretend to be a milking girl or a farmer or whatever. It was rather funny to see. After seeing the great palace, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower, but it was raining, so we didn’t go up. Instead, we headed back and ate a delicious 5-course dinner (it was reasonably priced too – only 20 Euros per person) at a restaurant near where we were staying.
The next morning, we got up early and headed over to the Louvre. Since we arrived before it opened, we beat the crowds and got in quickly. I really love neoclassical art, and especially Jacques-Louis David, so I found the Louvre to be the best art museum that I have ever visited. And of course, it really is massive, so we didn’t see nearly as much as I wished (that place is a maze too). In the afternoon, we walked up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, which we went up to get a decent view of the city (would have been better if it wasn’t raining). We then headed over to Notre Dame and saw it. It was neat to go inside such a famous structure (though it was kind of dark and gloomy inside). After that, we hiked through the Latin Quarter and back to our hotel, and after eating dinner at a restaurant, we ended out stay in Paris.
England with my Parents (April 7-12)
The morning after I arrived back from Scotland, my parents showed up. They had flown in a few days earlier and had driven to Queen Mary, having a difficult time finding the school. We all then drove over to my mom’s cousin’s home in Hampstead (which took a ridiculous 1.5 hours). For the next few days, we visited with Rupert and his wife Fran and I showed my parents a few of the interesting sights around the city. I stayed at their place too, even though it is in London, because it is at the other end of the city.
After a few days, my parents and I drove down to Chandler’s Ford, just south of Winchester, where my parents had rented a place. It was out in the countryside and very traditional British. That evening, we drove down and walked around Southampton, which is where the Pilgrims left from to head to America. It still has any old buildings up (and its walls) and was fairly interesting. The next morning, we drove out to Salisbury to see the great cathedral there. On the way, we passed through the New Forest, which was really neat. There were loads of wild ponies, swine, and other critters roaming loose (including on the road) and many old houses. The funniest was a giant sow that was rubbing herself on a tree (she had climbed up a little bit on a tree). It was a very humorous sight. Salisbury was quite neat (I love seeing cathedrals) and the town is still very medieval. We also visited a church in the city where some of my ancestors are buried.
After Salisbury, we drove up to Stonehenge, which is not far away. Stonehenge was alright – I found it a let down because it cost quite a bit, even though all one got to do was walk up near the stones. It is cool in that it is one of the oldest structures on earth, but it was kind of a “been there, seen that, ok next” sort of thing (the extreme cold may have had something to do with this). After Stonehenge, we headed over to Old Sarum, which is something that I had really wanted to see. Old Sarum was once a prosperous castle and town before the cathedral and town were moved to nearby Salisbury in the early 13th century. After that, it entered decline and eventually became the most infamous of the “rotten boroughs” that plagued British politics. Now all that remain are ruins, but the enormous hill and earthworks that were constructed still form an imposing sight and allow the visitor to easily imagine what the castle was once like.
The next day, we drove back down to the New Forest and visited the National Automobile Museum in Beaulieu Wood. It was quite expensive to get in, but seeing all the cars was fairly neat. They have most of the earliest cars built, including the very first car, as well as a fine collection of hot rods, racing cars, Ferraris, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, and more. Since my dad and I like cars, it was neat. We also walked through the estate that is there by the museum, which was fairly interesting.
The following morning, we drove back to Heathrow, turned in the car, and took the tube back to Rupert’s place in London. We visited and ate lunch with them for the afternoon and then caught the Eurostar to Paris. Staying in the countryside was alright – we were able to see some interesting things. However, we all later felt that the time we spent there could have been spent in Paris or Switzerland, where we could have seen more (especially for my father, who had never visited Europe before – he likes the tropics). Overall, though, the first part of our trip had been good, and it was great seeing my parents again.
After a few days, my parents and I drove down to Chandler’s Ford, just south of Winchester, where my parents had rented a place. It was out in the countryside and very traditional British. That evening, we drove down and walked around Southampton, which is where the Pilgrims left from to head to America. It still has any old buildings up (and its walls) and was fairly interesting. The next morning, we drove out to Salisbury to see the great cathedral there. On the way, we passed through the New Forest, which was really neat. There were loads of wild ponies, swine, and other critters roaming loose (including on the road) and many old houses. The funniest was a giant sow that was rubbing herself on a tree (she had climbed up a little bit on a tree). It was a very humorous sight. Salisbury was quite neat (I love seeing cathedrals) and the town is still very medieval. We also visited a church in the city where some of my ancestors are buried.
After Salisbury, we drove up to Stonehenge, which is not far away. Stonehenge was alright – I found it a let down because it cost quite a bit, even though all one got to do was walk up near the stones. It is cool in that it is one of the oldest structures on earth, but it was kind of a “been there, seen that, ok next” sort of thing (the extreme cold may have had something to do with this). After Stonehenge, we headed over to Old Sarum, which is something that I had really wanted to see. Old Sarum was once a prosperous castle and town before the cathedral and town were moved to nearby Salisbury in the early 13th century. After that, it entered decline and eventually became the most infamous of the “rotten boroughs” that plagued British politics. Now all that remain are ruins, but the enormous hill and earthworks that were constructed still form an imposing sight and allow the visitor to easily imagine what the castle was once like.
The next day, we drove back down to the New Forest and visited the National Automobile Museum in Beaulieu Wood. It was quite expensive to get in, but seeing all the cars was fairly neat. They have most of the earliest cars built, including the very first car, as well as a fine collection of hot rods, racing cars, Ferraris, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, and more. Since my dad and I like cars, it was neat. We also walked through the estate that is there by the museum, which was fairly interesting.
The following morning, we drove back to Heathrow, turned in the car, and took the tube back to Rupert’s place in London. We visited and ate lunch with them for the afternoon and then caught the Eurostar to Paris. Staying in the countryside was alright – we were able to see some interesting things. However, we all later felt that the time we spent there could have been spent in Paris or Switzerland, where we could have seen more (especially for my father, who had never visited Europe before – he likes the tropics). Overall, though, the first part of our trip had been good, and it was great seeing my parents again.
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
The Highlands of Scotland (April 3-6)
On Wednesday, April 1st, I finished up my classes for the semester. I do not have anything again until a final on May 22nd. It is a fairly ridiculous break. I kicked off my extra-long Easter break with a trip to the Scottish Highlands, courtesy of USC. I headed up to Edinburgh on the morning of 3 April with Josh, another USC student here at QMUL. We bought our tickets with plenty of time to make the 11:00 train, but when I got up to the gate, my ticket wasn’t in my pocket – where I had just minutes before placed it. I ran back to the ticket counter, and asked if I could have a new one printed out, as mine had disappeared. I was told no, I would have to buy another one (about $145). I said no, I’ll try looking around some more. No luck, however. I then got back in line to go ahead and buy another ticket, but this time I came up to the same guy I had originally bought the ticket from, and he recognized me. Thankfully, he was able to go look around and found my ticket (apparently someone had found it and turned it in). That was an extremely close call, made all the weirder because I do not know how I lost it. I definitely placed the ticket in my pants’ pocket, which does not have a hole. Nor did I stick my hands in my pockets between the ticket place and the train (that I am aware of – I don’t walk with my hands in my pockets). We then ran up to the train platform, getting there at 10:59. Unfortunately, they closed the gate just as we got there (they stop boarding about 2 minutes before departure). I was still glad to have gotten my ticket back, so it was a fair trade (though we had to wait for the 12:00 train).
Once we got up to Edinburgh, we checked into the hostel and then decided to wander around and look at things (it being about 4:30). Up on the main street, we ran into the two Davids (other USC students) who told us about a hill they had just climbed that gave a nice view of the city. We decided to go hike up it, and wandered down to its base. Once we reached it, however, I noticed that Arthur’s Seat, the famous mini-mountain, was very close and I convinced Josh to climb that with me instead. It was a pretty good workout (we went up fairly quickly) and the view was impressive. We then hauled back down the mountain and returned to the hostel. There we met up with the Davids and together we all walker over to the other side of the city, where there is another neat hill that overlooks the city. It has a bunch of random monuments, like an obelisk, a fake Greek ruins, a White House looking building, a cemetery, and more.
By then it was dinner time, and we went over to the Chinese restaurant where we ate dinner with the entire USC group. 17 of us went on the trip, but only 7 of us (including John, the USC UK coordinator) showed up the first night (as most people missed the last train of the day). The restaurant was all you can eat, so we all ate quite a bit (for a buffet it was quite good) and then hit up a nice pub before heading back to the hostel, where we encountered one more USC student and had a few more drinks (there being a bar there).
The next morning, we got up and hopped on our tour bus, which we rode up towards the Highlands. Along the way, we made numerous stops at interesting places, including Stirling, where William Wallace defeated the English, many beautiful mountain vistas, and more. That afternoon, we reached Loch Ness, where we stayed that night. In the evening, we went and saw a presentation of what life was like for highlanders, which was pretty interesting. Back at the hostel we had a few drinks and watched a local guy play and sing mostly Scottish songs.
The next morning we took the bus around more of the beautiful highlands, again making frequent stops to see great sights. About mid-day, we crossed the Skye Bridge over onto the Isle of Skye, which is part of the Hebrides. It was really neat traveling around the island (and very, very cold and windy). It is amazing that people live up here (and one understands why so much scotch is made up here). My favorite stop was at the Fairy Glens, which is this area full of bizarre shaped mounds and rocks, rumored to be the legendary home of the fairies. I took pictures of it, and will try to get those posted soon.
That evening, we stayed in Kylie Lochalsh, a little town on the Isle of Skye. We had a big hearty dinner (I had seafood pie – it was good but sooo filling). A blizzard began, and a group of us went out there and had a snowball fight. Pretty soon some drunk Scottish guys joined in and began attacking us. We outnumbered them, and were much better shots, however. After we got tired of that, we began constructing a giant snowman (it was seriously huge – almost 7 feet tall). The Scotts came over and chatted with us, and while this was going on, a drunk English sailor came up and tackled our snowman, destroying him. Right after this, the other 16 or so English sailors began throwing snowballs at us (there is a naval base near the town and the bar that the sailors go to had emptied, resulting in this large group of sailors passing by where we were). Naturally, the Scotts joined in with us, as they hate the English sailors, and we had a second snowball fight, this time throwing ice balls. I beaned a few of the sailors pretty well and we definitely emerged victorious, pushing the sailors off (though they had destroyed our snowman). After that, we called it a night.
The morning of the final day (Sunday) we got up early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and rode the bus back to Loch Ness (about 1.5 hours away). We spent about 30 min there (this time on a different part of the lake – it is very large), looking at the lake and wandering around before heading back down the road. We drove along the lake (it is 23 miles long) and went through Inverness, the main city in the Highlands. From there we drove down the main road on the eastern side of Scotland, until we reached the plains near where the famous Battle of Culloden took place. We went and looked at the ruins of an old British fort there and then ate lunch down in the town. I had a venison burger, which was decent. We hopped back on the bus and continued are long trek back towards Edinburgh (we couldn’t make many stops because we had a huge distance to travel this day).
It really was an amazing trip. Scotland is a beautiful place and there is open wilderness almost everywhere (very few people up in the Highlands – it is like Alaska). Even driving around in the bus was enjoyable because the scenery was so nice (and our tour guide was a funny guy). I highly recommend visiting the area at some point; it is really worth it.
Once we got up to Edinburgh, we checked into the hostel and then decided to wander around and look at things (it being about 4:30). Up on the main street, we ran into the two Davids (other USC students) who told us about a hill they had just climbed that gave a nice view of the city. We decided to go hike up it, and wandered down to its base. Once we reached it, however, I noticed that Arthur’s Seat, the famous mini-mountain, was very close and I convinced Josh to climb that with me instead. It was a pretty good workout (we went up fairly quickly) and the view was impressive. We then hauled back down the mountain and returned to the hostel. There we met up with the Davids and together we all walker over to the other side of the city, where there is another neat hill that overlooks the city. It has a bunch of random monuments, like an obelisk, a fake Greek ruins, a White House looking building, a cemetery, and more.
By then it was dinner time, and we went over to the Chinese restaurant where we ate dinner with the entire USC group. 17 of us went on the trip, but only 7 of us (including John, the USC UK coordinator) showed up the first night (as most people missed the last train of the day). The restaurant was all you can eat, so we all ate quite a bit (for a buffet it was quite good) and then hit up a nice pub before heading back to the hostel, where we encountered one more USC student and had a few more drinks (there being a bar there).
The next morning, we got up and hopped on our tour bus, which we rode up towards the Highlands. Along the way, we made numerous stops at interesting places, including Stirling, where William Wallace defeated the English, many beautiful mountain vistas, and more. That afternoon, we reached Loch Ness, where we stayed that night. In the evening, we went and saw a presentation of what life was like for highlanders, which was pretty interesting. Back at the hostel we had a few drinks and watched a local guy play and sing mostly Scottish songs.
The next morning we took the bus around more of the beautiful highlands, again making frequent stops to see great sights. About mid-day, we crossed the Skye Bridge over onto the Isle of Skye, which is part of the Hebrides. It was really neat traveling around the island (and very, very cold and windy). It is amazing that people live up here (and one understands why so much scotch is made up here). My favorite stop was at the Fairy Glens, which is this area full of bizarre shaped mounds and rocks, rumored to be the legendary home of the fairies. I took pictures of it, and will try to get those posted soon.
That evening, we stayed in Kylie Lochalsh, a little town on the Isle of Skye. We had a big hearty dinner (I had seafood pie – it was good but sooo filling). A blizzard began, and a group of us went out there and had a snowball fight. Pretty soon some drunk Scottish guys joined in and began attacking us. We outnumbered them, and were much better shots, however. After we got tired of that, we began constructing a giant snowman (it was seriously huge – almost 7 feet tall). The Scotts came over and chatted with us, and while this was going on, a drunk English sailor came up and tackled our snowman, destroying him. Right after this, the other 16 or so English sailors began throwing snowballs at us (there is a naval base near the town and the bar that the sailors go to had emptied, resulting in this large group of sailors passing by where we were). Naturally, the Scotts joined in with us, as they hate the English sailors, and we had a second snowball fight, this time throwing ice balls. I beaned a few of the sailors pretty well and we definitely emerged victorious, pushing the sailors off (though they had destroyed our snowman). After that, we called it a night.
The morning of the final day (Sunday) we got up early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and rode the bus back to Loch Ness (about 1.5 hours away). We spent about 30 min there (this time on a different part of the lake – it is very large), looking at the lake and wandering around before heading back down the road. We drove along the lake (it is 23 miles long) and went through Inverness, the main city in the Highlands. From there we drove down the main road on the eastern side of Scotland, until we reached the plains near where the famous Battle of Culloden took place. We went and looked at the ruins of an old British fort there and then ate lunch down in the town. I had a venison burger, which was decent. We hopped back on the bus and continued are long trek back towards Edinburgh (we couldn’t make many stops because we had a huge distance to travel this day).
It really was an amazing trip. Scotland is a beautiful place and there is open wilderness almost everywhere (very few people up in the Highlands – it is like Alaska). Even driving around in the bus was enjoyable because the scenery was so nice (and our tour guide was a funny guy). I highly recommend visiting the area at some point; it is really worth it.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Wales and Risk
Since Canterbury, I have primarily focused on finishing up my essays. As of now, I only have one left that is due in the near future, and it is basically done. Most of my classes ended for the year, which I found rather sad, since I enjoyed them, and the end of classes means that I am that much closer to the end. Now we just have our finals in May (I already took one though at the end of classes). I have also begun planning my courses for next year.
On the Saturday a week ago, we had a guys day at my church, which was quite fun. We had a few talks and then spent the afternoon hanging out. I played a good game of chess, watched some rugby (and learned the rules reasonably well), made a bunch of new friends, and participated in a Risk marathon. Six of the guys started a game of Risk that went on for a long time. I think I was playing chess when they started, so I missed the opening of the first game. However, someone who was playing had to leave, so I came in and took over for him. I love Risk, and used to play it a lot. I made a resurgence with his forces, but I came in a little late in the game and another guy won. We then played a second game, where my forces rolled to victory. Finally, we played a third game, where I fared well but in the end lost to the victor of the first game. It was a fun day.
This last Saturday, I took the train out to Cardiff, Wales, along with some of the other USC students. We went and watched the semi-finals of a rugby tournament, and saw the Leicester Tigers destroy the London Wasps. Wales was freezing (a light snow was falling at times), and we didn’t stay for the second match, since people wanted to move around. Instead, we went and walked around the castle in the city (very cool). Myself and David, another USC student, actually went in to the castle and went up the keep (which was on a giant man-made mount, surrounded by a moat, in the middle of the castle). It had an awesome view of the city. After that, it was starting to get even colder and darker, so we met up with the rest of the USC crew and rode the train back. The Welsh people we interacted with were all very friendly, and Cardiff was alright (I wasn’t really there long enough to really appreciate what all was there). The train ride back was rather humorous, as the lights went off a few times (making it pitch black) and the drunken Wasps fans would sing their cheers, even though their team lost during the game. Also of interest – it snowed this weekend (and today) for the first time since I have been here. Granted, the snow melted almost as soon as it hit the ground, but it was snowing, at times fairly heavily. Very cool.
On the Saturday a week ago, we had a guys day at my church, which was quite fun. We had a few talks and then spent the afternoon hanging out. I played a good game of chess, watched some rugby (and learned the rules reasonably well), made a bunch of new friends, and participated in a Risk marathon. Six of the guys started a game of Risk that went on for a long time. I think I was playing chess when they started, so I missed the opening of the first game. However, someone who was playing had to leave, so I came in and took over for him. I love Risk, and used to play it a lot. I made a resurgence with his forces, but I came in a little late in the game and another guy won. We then played a second game, where my forces rolled to victory. Finally, we played a third game, where I fared well but in the end lost to the victor of the first game. It was a fun day.
This last Saturday, I took the train out to Cardiff, Wales, along with some of the other USC students. We went and watched the semi-finals of a rugby tournament, and saw the Leicester Tigers destroy the London Wasps. Wales was freezing (a light snow was falling at times), and we didn’t stay for the second match, since people wanted to move around. Instead, we went and walked around the castle in the city (very cool). Myself and David, another USC student, actually went in to the castle and went up the keep (which was on a giant man-made mount, surrounded by a moat, in the middle of the castle). It had an awesome view of the city. After that, it was starting to get even colder and darker, so we met up with the rest of the USC crew and rode the train back. The Welsh people we interacted with were all very friendly, and Cardiff was alright (I wasn’t really there long enough to really appreciate what all was there). The train ride back was rather humorous, as the lights went off a few times (making it pitch black) and the drunken Wasps fans would sing their cheers, even though their team lost during the game. Also of interest – it snowed this weekend (and today) for the first time since I have been here. Granted, the snow melted almost as soon as it hit the ground, but it was snowing, at times fairly heavily. Very cool.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Canterbury and the Preceeding Two Weeks
Over the last two weeks, my primary concern has been the completion of several essays. As a result, I have not done too many interesting things, other than hanging out with the CU crowd. I did visit the National Portrait Gallery a few weeks back, however. It was fairly interesting – and as the name suggests, it is portraits (and quite a few busts) of famous people from British history (although today, most of them are not especially famous – I know my history fairly well and I have never heard of about 2/3 of them).
Another night, a group of us from the CU went down and ate dinner near the Thames and then took a stroll along the riverfront, which was enjoyable. The light on the water is quite a sight. The next day, Lara (our friend from Germany, who, sadly, is now back in Germany because her au pair program ended), Whitney, and I went to a large street market by the Thames, called the Borough Market. It was just alright, but that is just me. I am not really the shopping type.
The most interesting event over this time period was my trip to Canterbury. This last Saturday, I organized a trip and visited the city with three of my flat mates (they had never been there either). Canterbury is about a 90 minute train-ride to the southeast. I had wanted to visit it while I am over here, as it is one of the more famous locales in Britain, being one of Christendom’s most important pilgrimage sites and the inspiration of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The town is very quaint – many of the buildings are hundreds of years old and the old town still has most of the medieval walls up (and a moat and drawbridge). We first visited the cathedral, which is an amazing structure. It is huge – much more massive than other cathedrals that I have visited (and I have been to quite a few now). The layout of the inside is quite interesting too – parts of it rise up substantially and give it a unique structure – one has to see it to understand. One of the highlights was to see the exact spot where Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain by the knights of King Henry II, as it is one of the more infamous events in British history. Exploring around the chapter house and the ruins around the cathedral was also quite cool. There was also a funny cat that wandered around the grounds, which we jokingly nicknamed the Canterbury Cat.
After touring the cathedral, we went and ate lunch at a local café. I had a traditional English breakfast, and I have to say, I love English food. People can make fun of it all they want; I enjoy most traditional English dishes. After lunch, we wandered around town more, went and climbed around the ruins of the old Norman castle, and walked along the walls of the city. By then it was starting to get very cold in windy (it already had been, but now it was getting worse), so we caught the next train home (and just in time, it started pouring right as the train departed). Overall, it was a fun day trip.
Another night, a group of us from the CU went down and ate dinner near the Thames and then took a stroll along the riverfront, which was enjoyable. The light on the water is quite a sight. The next day, Lara (our friend from Germany, who, sadly, is now back in Germany because her au pair program ended), Whitney, and I went to a large street market by the Thames, called the Borough Market. It was just alright, but that is just me. I am not really the shopping type.
The most interesting event over this time period was my trip to Canterbury. This last Saturday, I organized a trip and visited the city with three of my flat mates (they had never been there either). Canterbury is about a 90 minute train-ride to the southeast. I had wanted to visit it while I am over here, as it is one of the more famous locales in Britain, being one of Christendom’s most important pilgrimage sites and the inspiration of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The town is very quaint – many of the buildings are hundreds of years old and the old town still has most of the medieval walls up (and a moat and drawbridge). We first visited the cathedral, which is an amazing structure. It is huge – much more massive than other cathedrals that I have visited (and I have been to quite a few now). The layout of the inside is quite interesting too – parts of it rise up substantially and give it a unique structure – one has to see it to understand. One of the highlights was to see the exact spot where Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain by the knights of King Henry II, as it is one of the more infamous events in British history. Exploring around the chapter house and the ruins around the cathedral was also quite cool. There was also a funny cat that wandered around the grounds, which we jokingly nicknamed the Canterbury Cat.
After touring the cathedral, we went and ate lunch at a local café. I had a traditional English breakfast, and I have to say, I love English food. People can make fun of it all they want; I enjoy most traditional English dishes. After lunch, we wandered around town more, went and climbed around the ruins of the old Norman castle, and walked along the walls of the city. By then it was starting to get very cold in windy (it already had been, but now it was getting worse), so we caught the next train home (and just in time, it started pouring right as the train departed). Overall, it was a fun day trip.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Scotland
After arriving back in London so late the night before, I slept in until around 11:00 (which is very late for me). I spent the day unpacking, answering emails, and doing other loose odds and ends that I needed to do after a week of being gone. In the evening I went to the Christian Union meeting, and afterwards, a bunch of us went out to Witherspoons (a local pub) to have dinner. While there, we witnessed a bar fight between two drunk old black guys, who, despite looking around 60ish, were really going at it. Kicking, biting, spitting, hitting another with a chair, it really was a real brawl. Since it was a Thursday, the bar did not have a bouncer, and the young bartenders on duty that night had a difficult time breaking up the fight (three times they stopped it only to have it start anew minutes later). After dinner, we went over to Glen and Nic’s place and hung out. Around midnight, some people started getting hungry again, so we strolled over to the local McDonald’s, which they treated as some sort of novelty or special place (as opposed to the rather poor fast food joint that most people I know view it as). The McFlurry I had was quite good, though. We then went back and played Mario Party, with Nic and I beating up everyone else, before eventually calling it a night.
The next morning, I got up early and got everything ready for the trip to Scotland. I went down at 10:00 to meet some of the other USC students who were heading up. When I got down there, only one other person was down there (not surprisingly). It took about 20 minutes for everyone to arrive, and then the great race to the station began (certain people wanted to catch the 11:00 train). At the tube station, our group was split up after the two other guys hopped on the tube before everyone else got down the stairs. It pulled away from the station just as we reached it, so we caught a different line and tried to catch up to them. At this point, Caitlin (one of the girls in our group) was quite angry at them having left without us. When our tube pulled into the station, and our car happened to enter the station exactly opposite their car (quite a coincidence) we raced across into their car and witness a fairly humorous scene as she laid into Raph for leaving without us (in their defense, they hadn’t expected the tube to leave before we could get on). We made it to the station just as the train left, so we waited around and caught the 12:00 train (with most of the group taking pictures of the Harry Potter platform).
The train ride itself was fairly pleasant, and we enjoyed quite a few nice scenes of the English and later Scottish countrysides during our 4 ½ hour train ride. We arrived to a very cold Edinburgh and began our march to the hotel (it was much longer than we expected, and since the streets are not marked, quite confusing). Raph was good about asking directions from people, so we were able to head in the right direction, and eventually ran into David (another USC student), who had caught the 11:00 train (he planned to ride up with us I think). He was able to lead us to the hotel, where we relaxed until dinner. We all went down and ate at the hotel’s pub/restaurant, which was a tortuous affair. I do not think they were prepared to handle a group of 20 or so people ordering dinner all at once – it took about two hours for most people’s foods to arrive, a few dishes were brought that no one had ordered (or, as I think, people just grabbed the first food that arrived after having waited so long, in effect eating someone else’s food). Two people didn’t even get the food that they had ordered, since the kitchen closed at 10:00 and stopped making food before theirs ever got made (so ridiculous).
After dinner, we stepped into the pub section, where they were having kareoke night. Although the singing was generally quite bad, it was rather humorous to watch drunken Scottish people, USC students, and even the USC coordinator try to sing. During all this, a group of us got talking with two friendly Scottish guys, and had some fairly interesting conversations with them. As the night progressed, we witness some humorous things done by incredibly drunk Scottish people, including one woman who was making weird animal sounds. When the pub closed, a group of five USC students (me included) accompanied the two friendly Scottish guys to a club close by and hung out for a little longer before finally calling it a night.
The next morning, we got up and enjoyed a hearty Scottish breakfast (I tried a little Haggis – it kind of tasted like a spicey meatloaf). Afterwards, we all walked over to the castle, which is perched on a crag overlooking the city. The location is amazing, and the castle completely dominates the city (the crag is literally in the middle). The defenses make it seem virtually impregnable (though it was taken by force at least once in its history – though that was by surprise). After spending a few hours seeing the castle, we walked down the Royal Mile and met up with the whole group at the Merkat Cross. There, we began a ghost tour, which took us around that area and down into the catacombs beneath the city. It was rather entertaining, primarily because the guide was totally into his character and really sold the persona.
After that, it was starting to get dark (the sun sets early this far north during the winter), so we walked back to the hotel. After a short break, we all headed to a French restaurant down the street and ate dinner (I had really good swordfish and mussels). Immediately following that, we went and saw the play “Equus,” which I had originally not want to go see, as I knew it was going to be bizarre. However, there were two extra tickets (someone from the group had changed their mind and not shown) and since almost everyone else was going to see it, I went along too. As expected, it was a very bizarre play. The funniest part was at intermission, when Sharkey, who had been sitting next to me, disappeared. At first, I thought he had just gone out for a smoke. However, when it started getting close to the second act, a friend and I realized that he probably wasn’t coming back. We discovered that he had found the play too bizarre and boring (I had thought about leaving at intermission too), and had gone back up to the hotel pub to watch England’s rugby match. It does not seem very humorous right now, but at the time, his disappearance seemed pretty funny. After the play, I went back to the hotel pub with a group of USC students and we hung out, played some pool, and had a few drinks. When the bar closed, eight of us went upstairs to someone’s room and hung out some more before finally going to sleep.
The next morning, I got up, ate breakfast, and caught the morning train back with seven other USC students. It is too bad that we were not in the city longer, as I feel like there was much more to see. A group of USC students did stay longer and ended up climbing up Arthur’s Seat (a nearby mountain that overlooks the town), which was apparently very cool. I wish I had stayed and joined them, but I did not know of their plans when I left. Overall, it was a very entertaining weekend and I am excited about the upcoming Highlands trip. I also got to know many of the USC students over here (I knew a few from previous events, but now I feel like I know a significant number of us).
The next morning, I got up early and got everything ready for the trip to Scotland. I went down at 10:00 to meet some of the other USC students who were heading up. When I got down there, only one other person was down there (not surprisingly). It took about 20 minutes for everyone to arrive, and then the great race to the station began (certain people wanted to catch the 11:00 train). At the tube station, our group was split up after the two other guys hopped on the tube before everyone else got down the stairs. It pulled away from the station just as we reached it, so we caught a different line and tried to catch up to them. At this point, Caitlin (one of the girls in our group) was quite angry at them having left without us. When our tube pulled into the station, and our car happened to enter the station exactly opposite their car (quite a coincidence) we raced across into their car and witness a fairly humorous scene as she laid into Raph for leaving without us (in their defense, they hadn’t expected the tube to leave before we could get on). We made it to the station just as the train left, so we waited around and caught the 12:00 train (with most of the group taking pictures of the Harry Potter platform).
The train ride itself was fairly pleasant, and we enjoyed quite a few nice scenes of the English and later Scottish countrysides during our 4 ½ hour train ride. We arrived to a very cold Edinburgh and began our march to the hotel (it was much longer than we expected, and since the streets are not marked, quite confusing). Raph was good about asking directions from people, so we were able to head in the right direction, and eventually ran into David (another USC student), who had caught the 11:00 train (he planned to ride up with us I think). He was able to lead us to the hotel, where we relaxed until dinner. We all went down and ate at the hotel’s pub/restaurant, which was a tortuous affair. I do not think they were prepared to handle a group of 20 or so people ordering dinner all at once – it took about two hours for most people’s foods to arrive, a few dishes were brought that no one had ordered (or, as I think, people just grabbed the first food that arrived after having waited so long, in effect eating someone else’s food). Two people didn’t even get the food that they had ordered, since the kitchen closed at 10:00 and stopped making food before theirs ever got made (so ridiculous).
After dinner, we stepped into the pub section, where they were having kareoke night. Although the singing was generally quite bad, it was rather humorous to watch drunken Scottish people, USC students, and even the USC coordinator try to sing. During all this, a group of us got talking with two friendly Scottish guys, and had some fairly interesting conversations with them. As the night progressed, we witness some humorous things done by incredibly drunk Scottish people, including one woman who was making weird animal sounds. When the pub closed, a group of five USC students (me included) accompanied the two friendly Scottish guys to a club close by and hung out for a little longer before finally calling it a night.
The next morning, we got up and enjoyed a hearty Scottish breakfast (I tried a little Haggis – it kind of tasted like a spicey meatloaf). Afterwards, we all walked over to the castle, which is perched on a crag overlooking the city. The location is amazing, and the castle completely dominates the city (the crag is literally in the middle). The defenses make it seem virtually impregnable (though it was taken by force at least once in its history – though that was by surprise). After spending a few hours seeing the castle, we walked down the Royal Mile and met up with the whole group at the Merkat Cross. There, we began a ghost tour, which took us around that area and down into the catacombs beneath the city. It was rather entertaining, primarily because the guide was totally into his character and really sold the persona.
After that, it was starting to get dark (the sun sets early this far north during the winter), so we walked back to the hotel. After a short break, we all headed to a French restaurant down the street and ate dinner (I had really good swordfish and mussels). Immediately following that, we went and saw the play “Equus,” which I had originally not want to go see, as I knew it was going to be bizarre. However, there were two extra tickets (someone from the group had changed their mind and not shown) and since almost everyone else was going to see it, I went along too. As expected, it was a very bizarre play. The funniest part was at intermission, when Sharkey, who had been sitting next to me, disappeared. At first, I thought he had just gone out for a smoke. However, when it started getting close to the second act, a friend and I realized that he probably wasn’t coming back. We discovered that he had found the play too bizarre and boring (I had thought about leaving at intermission too), and had gone back up to the hotel pub to watch England’s rugby match. It does not seem very humorous right now, but at the time, his disappearance seemed pretty funny. After the play, I went back to the hotel pub with a group of USC students and we hung out, played some pool, and had a few drinks. When the bar closed, eight of us went upstairs to someone’s room and hung out some more before finally going to sleep.
The next morning, I got up, ate breakfast, and caught the morning train back with seven other USC students. It is too bad that we were not in the city longer, as I feel like there was much more to see. A group of USC students did stay longer and ended up climbing up Arthur’s Seat (a nearby mountain that overlooks the town), which was apparently very cool. I wish I had stayed and joined them, but I did not know of their plans when I left. Overall, it was a very entertaining weekend and I am excited about the upcoming Highlands trip. I also got to know many of the USC students over here (I knew a few from previous events, but now I feel like I know a significant number of us).
Monday, 25 February 2008
Madrid, Spain
We took a morning bus from Bilbao to Madrid, which took about 5 hours. On it, I was able to see quite a bit of the Spanish countryside (which I found interesting to see – it varies greatly from region to region). We arrived in Madrid in the early afternoon and checked into our hostel, which was quite nice and new (very spacious, very clean). We then walked around the city (walked a good 10 or so miles through the entire downtown area). We saw all the major city sites, including the Bank of Spain, Metrópolis Building, Casa de la Villa (Madrid City Hall), Palacio de Comunicaciones (Madrid Mayor's Office), the Catedral de la Almudena, Parque del Buen Retiro (very neat and massive park), Banco Español de Crédito, Puerta de Alcalá, Cibeles Fountain, Palacio Real, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and more. We really saw just about everything. Once it got late, we returned to the hostel and visited a bit with our roommates (2 Koreans and 2 Canadians).
The next day, we got up and went to the Prado art museum. We had to wait about an hour in line to get in, but it was worth it. The museum has quite an impressive collection; my favorite parts were the neo-classical section and the Bosch section.. After spending 5 hours or so at the musem, we rode the metro up to the tall viewing structure that looms over the city. Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance, so we didn’t get to go up. I then headed over to the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple dismantled, brought to Madrid, and reassembled. It lies in a park that lies on the highest point in the city, so the view from up there was quite nice. It started to rain, to I started walking back to the hostel. Rather than taking the metro, I cruised down one of the main streets of the city (kind of like New York’s 5th Avenue) and got another cool viewing of the city. Once back at the hostel, I went to the lounge and chatted with other people staying there – a guy from Penn State, a girl from Brazil, a girl from Poland, a guy from Argentina, and a guy from Spain. Most of us went out after a while and ate some kebabs at a local eatery, and then came back to the hostel and played Scattegories, for a hour or two (quite a fun board game). After hanging out until quite late, we went to bed.
Madrid was my favorite of the three cities that we visited in Spain. It is the most like London or New York – numerous sites and buildings to see, lots of people on the streets, etc. I feel like we were able to see a lot in two days, but there was definitely more that I could have seen, whereas two days in each of the other cities was plenty.
The next morning, we got up and caught a bus from Madrid back to Barcelona. It was a long ride (about 8 hours). Unfortunately, the bus was running a little late, so we missed the last connecting bus to the airport (which is actually in Girona, about 75 minutes from the city). An Italian girl had also encountered the same problem, and the three of us got a ride to the airport from this random Spanish guy who was waiting there (we thought he also had had the same problem, and had offered to give us a ride with him to the airport if we paid him some money, but apparently he was an unlicensed taxi or something). We made it to the airport and were able to catch the flight back to London, and eventually reached Victoria Station. Unfortunately, most of the buses had stopped running by then (12:30 at night), so we had to wait around in the cold for a long time. Eventually, we were able to catch a bus to Oxford Circus (where we could pick up the 25 bus). The first 25 that arrived, however, was stopped because a surly (and probably drunk) man was causing problems. The police showed up and struggled with him, and after some verbal arguments, gave him a warning and let him ago. Once he got about 20 feet away, he then turned and threatened them, stating “Just wait until I see you on the street without your uniform on…. Then I’ll show you,” which prompted the police to arrest him, and resulted in more scuffling. Although it delayed our return, it was rather entertaining to watch. After that, we rode the bus back, and finally reached our rooms, after over 17 hours of travel.
The next day, we got up and went to the Prado art museum. We had to wait about an hour in line to get in, but it was worth it. The museum has quite an impressive collection; my favorite parts were the neo-classical section and the Bosch section.. After spending 5 hours or so at the musem, we rode the metro up to the tall viewing structure that looms over the city. Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance, so we didn’t get to go up. I then headed over to the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple dismantled, brought to Madrid, and reassembled. It lies in a park that lies on the highest point in the city, so the view from up there was quite nice. It started to rain, to I started walking back to the hostel. Rather than taking the metro, I cruised down one of the main streets of the city (kind of like New York’s 5th Avenue) and got another cool viewing of the city. Once back at the hostel, I went to the lounge and chatted with other people staying there – a guy from Penn State, a girl from Brazil, a girl from Poland, a guy from Argentina, and a guy from Spain. Most of us went out after a while and ate some kebabs at a local eatery, and then came back to the hostel and played Scattegories, for a hour or two (quite a fun board game). After hanging out until quite late, we went to bed.
Madrid was my favorite of the three cities that we visited in Spain. It is the most like London or New York – numerous sites and buildings to see, lots of people on the streets, etc. I feel like we were able to see a lot in two days, but there was definitely more that I could have seen, whereas two days in each of the other cities was plenty.
The next morning, we got up and caught a bus from Madrid back to Barcelona. It was a long ride (about 8 hours). Unfortunately, the bus was running a little late, so we missed the last connecting bus to the airport (which is actually in Girona, about 75 minutes from the city). An Italian girl had also encountered the same problem, and the three of us got a ride to the airport from this random Spanish guy who was waiting there (we thought he also had had the same problem, and had offered to give us a ride with him to the airport if we paid him some money, but apparently he was an unlicensed taxi or something). We made it to the airport and were able to catch the flight back to London, and eventually reached Victoria Station. Unfortunately, most of the buses had stopped running by then (12:30 at night), so we had to wait around in the cold for a long time. Eventually, we were able to catch a bus to Oxford Circus (where we could pick up the 25 bus). The first 25 that arrived, however, was stopped because a surly (and probably drunk) man was causing problems. The police showed up and struggled with him, and after some verbal arguments, gave him a warning and let him ago. Once he got about 20 feet away, he then turned and threatened them, stating “Just wait until I see you on the street without your uniform on…. Then I’ll show you,” which prompted the police to arrest him, and resulted in more scuffling. Although it delayed our return, it was rather entertaining to watch. After that, we rode the bus back, and finally reached our rooms, after over 17 hours of travel.
Bilbao, Spain
The next morning we arrived to a deserted Bilbao. Apparently no one is awake at 8 am on a Saturday. We left the station and began walking towards the university (which looked fairly close on maps). In fact, it took us about 30 min to get near it, whereupon we received a call from Jenny Benbow, who told us that she actually lives near the train station, and not on campus. Thus, we walked right back to where we started, met her at the train station, and went back to her place. Jenny is a good friend of Whitney’s (they are in the same sorority), and is really friendly. I knew before the trip, but not that well. We dropped off our gear and then walked around the city a bit before meeting up with some of her friends who were also studying abroad in Bilbao. We all rode the metro over to a fishing village 20 minutes outside the city, which was having a cheese festival that day. The booths were giving out free samples of delicious (mostly goat) cheese and we all bought some. We then ate an authentic Spanish meal at a local café (I had goat cheese balls surrounded by a breaded layer). Afterwards, we walked down to the beach and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Atlantic. We walked around on the sand for a while and then rode the metro back to Bilbao. There, we walked around the old part of the city and then hiked up a hill overlooking it. The view from there was quite nice. By then it was getting rather dark, so we walked back to Jenny’s place and hung out in her room.
The next morning, we went walking around the river that cuts through the town. We followed it towards the Guggenheim museum, which is a rather interesting building. We went up and saw the giant “Pupi” (a massive two story dog covered in flowers). Then we went and ate tappas at a local tapas bar (Spanish cheese on top of bread – as one can see, the Spanish live off of cheese). We then met up with Kelly, one of the friends from the day before, and rode the metro out to the ocean, but on the opposite side of the bay from the fishing village that we visited the day before. It is also an interesting place, and we walked up a hill to see an old little church and tower overlooking the city. We then rode this hanging ferry thing across the river (I have a picture of it) and rode the metro back to the old part of the city, where we attended church with Jenny and another friend of hers. The service was in Spanish, so I understood about half of what was being said. After that, we walked back to where Jenny lived, and ate dinner at a nice Asian fusion restaurant (their bread was some of the best that I have ever eaten). Then we went back to her place and hung out for the rest of the night.
Thus concluded our stay in Bilbao. The city is rather interesting, but I feel that it was enjoyable mostly because Jenny was there to show us around, and we were able to visit with her and her friends. There really is not all that much to do or see, other than little things like what we did (which the average tourist would not know about). I found it interesting that about half of the men, and maybe ¼ of the women, have mullets, which is a sign of support for Basque independence.
The next morning, we went walking around the river that cuts through the town. We followed it towards the Guggenheim museum, which is a rather interesting building. We went up and saw the giant “Pupi” (a massive two story dog covered in flowers). Then we went and ate tappas at a local tapas bar (Spanish cheese on top of bread – as one can see, the Spanish live off of cheese). We then met up with Kelly, one of the friends from the day before, and rode the metro out to the ocean, but on the opposite side of the bay from the fishing village that we visited the day before. It is also an interesting place, and we walked up a hill to see an old little church and tower overlooking the city. We then rode this hanging ferry thing across the river (I have a picture of it) and rode the metro back to the old part of the city, where we attended church with Jenny and another friend of hers. The service was in Spanish, so I understood about half of what was being said. After that, we walked back to where Jenny lived, and ate dinner at a nice Asian fusion restaurant (their bread was some of the best that I have ever eaten). Then we went back to her place and hung out for the rest of the night.
Thus concluded our stay in Bilbao. The city is rather interesting, but I feel that it was enjoyable mostly because Jenny was there to show us around, and we were able to visit with her and her friends. There really is not all that much to do or see, other than little things like what we did (which the average tourist would not know about). I found it interesting that about half of the men, and maybe ¼ of the women, have mullets, which is a sign of support for Basque independence.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Barcelona, Spain
After class on Wednesday, February 13th, I flew to Barcelona. Our plane arrived a little later than scheduled, so we had to take a taxi rather than the metro to reach our hostel. The guy at the reception was a friendly American who turned out to be from San Clemente - he even went to the same elementary school as me (though he had moved up to middle school by the time I got there). We then went to the room, which Whitney and I shared with two friendly girls from Greece.
The next morning, we began our grand march (we covered 10-12 miles). First we hiked over to the Sagrada Familia - a large unfinished cathedral-like building designed by Guadi. It is a very impressive building, designed to be the next generation cathedral, and appears highly organic. We rode the lift up to the upper decks and enjoyed a spectacular view of the city. We then hiked over to the main avenue of the city and walked down it, passing many interesting buildings designed by Guadi. As we hit the old part of the city, we reached a giant protest about universities or something (there were thousands and thousands of protesters banging drums, blowing whistles, and waving flags and banners). We avoided the mob and went to the city cathedral, which was interesting. The best part was riding up to the roof and getting another view of the cityscape. Afterwards, we wandered through the rest of the old part of the town, again passing the protesters, and reached the marina. The marina of the city is quite nice, with a huge boardwalk and numerous wharves to venture out onto. There was a cool gondola running over the marina towards the castle (off on the edge of the city on a giant hill overlooking it), which we went over towards, but they closed it before we reached there due to strong winds. Defeated, we headed back towards the old town and visited a pleasant park and the city's Arc de Triomf. Afterwards, we rode the metro (which was horribly confusing and poorly marked - the Tube in London is vastly superior) to Park Guell, a large park on a hill overlooking the city, which provided yet another great view of the city. By then it was getting dark, so we rode the metro back to the hostel. There we met our new roommates, two British girls both named Helen, who are French majors spending a year abroad teaching English to French students in Normandy. They were really friendly and interesting to converse with.
The next morning, we rode the metro over to the foot of the hill on which the castle is perched, and spent the next hour (and more) hiking up it until we reached the castle. The hill is deceptively larger than it looks, but I enjoyed the long hike up through a park to reach it. The view from the castle was amazing, as it lies much higher than the city up on the headland. From there, one can see the massive port facility that is just south of the city, which I found quite fascinating. We went inside the castle and saw the various exhibits, including a rather impressive firearms collection. We then hiked down to the old royal palace, which was converted into the National Museum of Catalonian Art. On the way, we passed all the Olympic buildings from the '92 games, which was kind of cool. The art museum was kind of lame, at least for me, as the museum was mostly medieval or modern art, and I am not a fan of either. By then, the daylight was starting to fade, and we headed back to the hostel to pick up Whitney's gear (I had lugged mine around with me all day) and then back to the train station and caught the overnight train from Barcelona to Bilbao. The bunks were cramped, but it was an interesting experience, and I was able to sleep for much of the 10 hour ride. And thus, we left Barcelona.
I will be posting numerous photos very soon (probably tomorrow). Check back if they are not up yet.
The next morning, we began our grand march (we covered 10-12 miles). First we hiked over to the Sagrada Familia - a large unfinished cathedral-like building designed by Guadi. It is a very impressive building, designed to be the next generation cathedral, and appears highly organic. We rode the lift up to the upper decks and enjoyed a spectacular view of the city. We then hiked over to the main avenue of the city and walked down it, passing many interesting buildings designed by Guadi. As we hit the old part of the city, we reached a giant protest about universities or something (there were thousands and thousands of protesters banging drums, blowing whistles, and waving flags and banners). We avoided the mob and went to the city cathedral, which was interesting. The best part was riding up to the roof and getting another view of the cityscape. Afterwards, we wandered through the rest of the old part of the town, again passing the protesters, and reached the marina. The marina of the city is quite nice, with a huge boardwalk and numerous wharves to venture out onto. There was a cool gondola running over the marina towards the castle (off on the edge of the city on a giant hill overlooking it), which we went over towards, but they closed it before we reached there due to strong winds. Defeated, we headed back towards the old town and visited a pleasant park and the city's Arc de Triomf. Afterwards, we rode the metro (which was horribly confusing and poorly marked - the Tube in London is vastly superior) to Park Guell, a large park on a hill overlooking the city, which provided yet another great view of the city. By then it was getting dark, so we rode the metro back to the hostel. There we met our new roommates, two British girls both named Helen, who are French majors spending a year abroad teaching English to French students in Normandy. They were really friendly and interesting to converse with.
The next morning, we rode the metro over to the foot of the hill on which the castle is perched, and spent the next hour (and more) hiking up it until we reached the castle. The hill is deceptively larger than it looks, but I enjoyed the long hike up through a park to reach it. The view from the castle was amazing, as it lies much higher than the city up on the headland. From there, one can see the massive port facility that is just south of the city, which I found quite fascinating. We went inside the castle and saw the various exhibits, including a rather impressive firearms collection. We then hiked down to the old royal palace, which was converted into the National Museum of Catalonian Art. On the way, we passed all the Olympic buildings from the '92 games, which was kind of cool. The art museum was kind of lame, at least for me, as the museum was mostly medieval or modern art, and I am not a fan of either. By then, the daylight was starting to fade, and we headed back to the hostel to pick up Whitney's gear (I had lugged mine around with me all day) and then back to the train station and caught the overnight train from Barcelona to Bilbao. The bunks were cramped, but it was an interesting experience, and I was able to sleep for much of the 10 hour ride. And thus, we left Barcelona.
I will be posting numerous photos very soon (probably tomorrow). Check back if they are not up yet.
Monday, 18 February 2008
The Week Before Spain
It has been a little while again, so some events will be hazy. Since my last post, I have visited the National Gallery again (finished seeing the other half), visited a few pubs with friends, spent quite a bit of time with the Christian Union folks (including our 8 man halo battle night using projectors and a large tv), and finished getting ready for Spain. I also went and saw the new National Treasure movie, which I thought was actually quite entertaining (I like the treasure - clue genre of movies). I also went and saw the play the 39 Steps with the USC crowd, a play about a German plot to steal British intelligence before the war (which later became a Hitchcock movie). I found it quite entertaining - 4 people played every role in the play (there were like 30) and did a great job. Afterwords, we all went to a pretty snazzy Japanese restaurant, which was quite delicious. That is really all I can remember right now - I am in Spain now, and I have done much in the last few days, which I will add soon (but which has overshadowed what I did before I left).
Thursday, 7 February 2008
My Birthday and Other Events
The pictures are of my birthday and of Oxford.It has been a while since I updated this, but I should remember everything that has happened in the last 10 days or so. During this time I have primarily been busy with school, as I am getting my work done ahead of time. I have three essays due in March, as well as all the school scholarship info like FAFSA and another scholarship. Since I am going to be out of the country for 10 days in February, I need to get much of this done before I leave. Another chunk of my time has been planning for this, as Whitney and I are going to Spain for 7 days and then all the USC students are going to Scotland for a few days (the day after we return from Spain). Outside of the school routine, I have been doing quite a bit with the Christian group on campus
On January 29th, I turned 21. Originally, my flatmates and I intended to go see a musical. However, we didn't order tickets early enough to get cheap prices, so we decided to go out to dinner instead. We went to a Italian/Pizza restaurant and ate a good meal; I had pizza, caesar salad, cheesecake, and a glass of wine.
On Friday, February 1st, Whitney and I went and saw the National Gallery. We spent about 4 hours looking at paintings there and only made it through around half of the gallery. The collection is quite impressive, and I am actually going back today to see the other half. If we have time, we may also start on the Nationl Portrait Gallery, which is next door, and which also houses numerous famous paintings.
On Sunday night, Whitney and I went down to the International Student's House in Regent's Park and watched the Superbowl with other Americans. It was alright, although I don't know if staying up that late was worth it (kick-off was at 11:30 pm), especially since the game had the same 5 or so lame British commercials, rather than all the funny American ones (which I did watched on the internet a few days ago - my favorite is the carrier pigeon one).
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Another Week in Review
Another week has come and gone, so I feel that I should update this again. Last Sunday I met up with my mother's cousin Rupert, his wife Fran, and little Benjamin for lunch at a restaurant over by where they live in Hampstead Heath. I was in for a pleasant surprise, as my mother's Uncle Bolli and Auntie Lorna, and Fran's mother were all there too. I had a good time visiting with them for the afternoon and enjoyed an excellent steak. I had never met Fran or her mother before, but both are very friendly. Afterwards, I briefly went over to Rupert's new place before returning back just in time for church.
I attended the evening service at St. Helen's church with some friends from the Christian Union here at Queen Mary. After the main service, there was an extra hour or so talk for students (of which there are quite a few). I enjoyed the service and talk and met many other students there. The church itself is one of the oldest in London, having been built in 1210. Formerly a Catholic and then Anglican facility (as well as where William Shakespeare attended church), it is now Evangelical, but it still has the beautiful old organ, which was played during service.
During the school week, nothing really that eventful occurred (that I can remember now). On Friday Whitney and I wandered around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The parks are beautiful (and massive - Central Park in New York size) and walking around through them was pleasant. It was rather cold and windy, however; during the later spring and summer when it warms up, they must be very nice to spend time in.
On Saturday I traveled to Oxford with the other USC students. We were supposed to take the 10:47 train, but basically everyone missed it, and 17 of us (out of 27) caught he next one out at 11:21. Once arriving, we wandered about looking for the restaurant where we were meeting John Sharkey, the USC England coordinator. Raphael, one of the USC students, knew his way around, since he has family there and has spent some time in the city, but none of us were sure where the restaurant was, so we wandered rather aimlessly. Eventually John Sharkey found us after someone phoned him, and he escorted us to the Lebanese restaurant where we ate lunch, courtesy of USC (though really us, since we paid the tuition). The food was good, but it came in little communal plates in successive waves. I was in the section with the hungriest people, and it became a race of sorts to get the best foods for the first few waves of dishes.
After lunch, we split up into two groups and took a guided tour of the campus (well, quasi-campus; Oxford does not really have a true campus like we are used to in America, as each college is self-contained and may be a few blocks from another). The buildings are very beautiful (and many are quite old). Attending such an institution would be a neat experience. After the tour ended, a group of about 10 of us wandered around the school and city for a few hours longer. We took the "Raph Tour," as we jokingly called it, and went and saw the beautiful gardens outside Christ's Church College (where many movies are filmed), but could not get inside, as it had closed to visitors by then. Instead, we wandered around more and went to a quaint little pub where a friendly old British guy worked the bar. I tried Strongbow's, a popular British cider, for the first time, and it was rather good (apparently it is popular with students because it has a good taste and is relatively cheap, but it is also the favorite alcohol of the British Royal Family). After that, we caught the train back to London.
I attended the evening service at St. Helen's church with some friends from the Christian Union here at Queen Mary. After the main service, there was an extra hour or so talk for students (of which there are quite a few). I enjoyed the service and talk and met many other students there. The church itself is one of the oldest in London, having been built in 1210. Formerly a Catholic and then Anglican facility (as well as where William Shakespeare attended church), it is now Evangelical, but it still has the beautiful old organ, which was played during service.
During the school week, nothing really that eventful occurred (that I can remember now). On Friday Whitney and I wandered around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The parks are beautiful (and massive - Central Park in New York size) and walking around through them was pleasant. It was rather cold and windy, however; during the later spring and summer when it warms up, they must be very nice to spend time in.
On Saturday I traveled to Oxford with the other USC students. We were supposed to take the 10:47 train, but basically everyone missed it, and 17 of us (out of 27) caught he next one out at 11:21. Once arriving, we wandered about looking for the restaurant where we were meeting John Sharkey, the USC England coordinator. Raphael, one of the USC students, knew his way around, since he has family there and has spent some time in the city, but none of us were sure where the restaurant was, so we wandered rather aimlessly. Eventually John Sharkey found us after someone phoned him, and he escorted us to the Lebanese restaurant where we ate lunch, courtesy of USC (though really us, since we paid the tuition). The food was good, but it came in little communal plates in successive waves. I was in the section with the hungriest people, and it became a race of sorts to get the best foods for the first few waves of dishes.
After lunch, we split up into two groups and took a guided tour of the campus (well, quasi-campus; Oxford does not really have a true campus like we are used to in America, as each college is self-contained and may be a few blocks from another). The buildings are very beautiful (and many are quite old). Attending such an institution would be a neat experience. After the tour ended, a group of about 10 of us wandered around the school and city for a few hours longer. We took the "Raph Tour," as we jokingly called it, and went and saw the beautiful gardens outside Christ's Church College (where many movies are filmed), but could not get inside, as it had closed to visitors by then. Instead, we wandered around more and went to a quaint little pub where a friendly old British guy worked the bar. I tried Strongbow's, a popular British cider, for the first time, and it was rather good (apparently it is popular with students because it has a good taste and is relatively cheap, but it is also the favorite alcohol of the British Royal Family). After that, we caught the train back to London.
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Wars and the People Who Led Them
On Thursday, we visited Westminster Abbey, which had been my favorite thing from my last trip to England. As before, it was very cool exploring the cathedral, which has become more of a giant mausoleum than anything else. Pretty much any British person who accomplished anything in the last 1,000 years is entombed there; since Britons have done quite a bit during this time period, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of people in there, with impressive statues and tombs commemorating them. The cathedral itself is also quite spectacular.
Afterwards, we went and checked out the Winston Churchill Museum and War Cabinet Rooms. At first we were kind of hesitant paying the rather hefty entrance fee (about $20), but it was totally worth it. The War Rooms are where Churchill and the top British leadership ran the government from during the dark days of 1940 and '41. All the original gear is there; once the blitz stopped, the rooms were largely vacated but left set up in case of future need, and after the war they were apparently forgotten. The Imperial War Museum came along and opened them up, created a nifty audio tour, and put in numerous dummies of Churchill and other British leaders and soldiers throughout, making it look as it did during use. The best part, however, was a massive section of the life of Winston Churchill. He has always been one of my favorite historical figures, but after the exhibit, Churchill moved up to about #2 or 3 on my all time list of favorite leaders. It really brought him to life; I had never known that as a young man, he had been a gallant soldier and won numerous medals for bravery under fire, and as a result, came home a national celebrity after the Boer War. I especially enjoyed the area where one could listen to the best of his speeches (the museum was very interactive). In my opinion, Churchill was the greatest orator of the English language (I would place 4 of his speeches in the top 10 all time speeches ever given: "Their Finest Hour," "Let us Go Forward Together," "The Few," and "We Shall Fight them on the Beaches"). I actually ended up enjoying the museum more than Westminster Abbey, which says a lot, since I love that too.
On Saturday we visited the very awesome Imperial War Museum. It was even more awesome than the previous two places visited, which is pretty difficult to top. The Museum is massive, and has probably the finest collection of military items in the world. Of particular note is its excellent condition Schweren Panzerjäger V "Jagdpanther", probably the finest tank built by the Germans during the Second World War and my favorite vehicle. It was practically invincible against Allied armour (though this one was actually disabled and captured by daring British tanks, which is why it is still around today). They have a ton of other tanks, planes, and other large objects. I took numerous photos, a few of which are shown above. There were also massive numbers of uniforms, weapons, and other cool things including a WW1 trench replica. I also really enjoyed a large section on military propaganda posters (a few of which are quite moving, including my favorite, "the Last Call"). I need to go back again (and maybe a third time - there is really so much there to look at). If you love history (especially the history of war), this place is simply awesome.
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
The Second Week Begins
On Sunday, Whitney and I went to church with Ruth and Jeeves, friends from the Christian group on campus. The church is a few stops away on the tube and is rather small - the people are quite friendly though and everyone seems to know everyone. They are also devout Bible believers. Afterwards, the four of us were invited over to eat lunch with one of the families from the church. We enjoyed a delicious British meal and spent much of the afternoon visiting with them. Overall, it was a good experience.
Monday saw another wave of classes. In the evening I went to a meeting of the debating society here on campus. I am not sure if I want to get involved in it, but it could be fun. It is a formal debate team that competes in events both locally and in other parts of Europe. I participated in the practice debate, which was on whether to abolish the English monarchy or not (I argued not). Since I do like to debate and argue things, it could be an interesting thing to pursue.
I had more classes on Tuesday. I also spent a great deal reading about the Crusades. They really are an interesting and entertaining period (if one has a sense of humor for events which at the time were quite serious but are comical today). In the evening, Whitney and I met up a few other members of the Christian Union and had a bible study, as well as spent some time afterwards visiting.
Only one more class remains before the end of the week for me, haha. I largely enjoy my classes, however, so it is not some great relief to be done with classes. Student participation in class seems to be highly encouraged here, more so than in the US, and I enjoy that sort of thing. Well, that is all for now. Danny McEntee, reporting out.
Monday saw another wave of classes. In the evening I went to a meeting of the debating society here on campus. I am not sure if I want to get involved in it, but it could be fun. It is a formal debate team that competes in events both locally and in other parts of Europe. I participated in the practice debate, which was on whether to abolish the English monarchy or not (I argued not). Since I do like to debate and argue things, it could be an interesting thing to pursue.
I had more classes on Tuesday. I also spent a great deal reading about the Crusades. They really are an interesting and entertaining period (if one has a sense of humor for events which at the time were quite serious but are comical today). In the evening, Whitney and I met up a few other members of the Christian Union and had a bible study, as well as spent some time afterwards visiting.
Only one more class remains before the end of the week for me, haha. I largely enjoy my classes, however, so it is not some great relief to be done with classes. Student participation in class seems to be highly encouraged here, more so than in the US, and I enjoy that sort of thing. Well, that is all for now. Danny McEntee, reporting out.
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Star Wars and Museum Tours
Thursday, Whitney and I both have no class. We pretty much just hung around our rooms (I did a bunch of reading for my classes) for most of the day, other than a brief trip over to the group fair. That evening we went to the Christian Union's weekly session (the Christian group on campus, kind of like Campus Crusade). Afterwards, we went over the house of one of the girls in the CU and ate dinner with most of the group. I had a good time getting to know some of the members of the organization, as well as a German friend of one of the members who was visiting.
On Friday, we rode the tube over to the British Museum. We spent around hours wandering through the countless exhibits there. My favorite section is the Egyptian and Near East, largely since the huge pieces are there (as well as the Rosetta Stone). I was able to read and translate inscriptions in three different dead languages, which I found pretty cool. I got a few strange looks though when I spoke out the Achaemenid Persian, but then, it sounds very foreign to the modern ear. We also had our first fish and chips (and mashed peas) at a pub while we were here. Overall, a good day.
Today, Whitters and I traveled down to the County Hall, which currently has a rather awesome Star Wars Exhibit currently showing. The costumes, miniatures, weapons, and even full size items used in the movies (like a Naboo N1 Starfighter) were all there, as well as a few reenactors dressed up in the gear. It was a tad pricey, but worth it. We had an interesting time reaching there, however, since construction was being done on the tube.
We also planned to go on the London Eye, since it was very clear today. Just our luck - it is closed this week for repairs, which they do only once a year. We took some nice pictures of Parliament though, and then walked over to Westminster Abbey. Also closed (I kind of suspected this, though, since I think there is Mass on Saturdays). Once we got back, we did our laundry, which was rather interesting. Half the dryers (and many washers) are currently broken, so there was quite a pile up. Whitney and I camped out for like 40 minutes until we were able to get what we needed. Next time, I do laundry early in the morning!
On Friday, we rode the tube over to the British Museum. We spent around hours wandering through the countless exhibits there. My favorite section is the Egyptian and Near East, largely since the huge pieces are there (as well as the Rosetta Stone). I was able to read and translate inscriptions in three different dead languages, which I found pretty cool. I got a few strange looks though when I spoke out the Achaemenid Persian, but then, it sounds very foreign to the modern ear. We also had our first fish and chips (and mashed peas) at a pub while we were here. Overall, a good day.
Today, Whitters and I traveled down to the County Hall, which currently has a rather awesome Star Wars Exhibit currently showing. The costumes, miniatures, weapons, and even full size items used in the movies (like a Naboo N1 Starfighter) were all there, as well as a few reenactors dressed up in the gear. It was a tad pricey, but worth it. We had an interesting time reaching there, however, since construction was being done on the tube.
We also planned to go on the London Eye, since it was very clear today. Just our luck - it is closed this week for repairs, which they do only once a year. We took some nice pictures of Parliament though, and then walked over to Westminster Abbey. Also closed (I kind of suspected this, though, since I think there is Mass on Saturdays). Once we got back, we did our laundry, which was rather interesting. Half the dryers (and many washers) are currently broken, so there was quite a pile up. Whitney and I camped out for like 40 minutes until we were able to get what we needed. Next time, I do laundry early in the morning!
Friday, 11 January 2008
Class Begins
I had my first day of classes on Monday. I started out with British Political System at 10:00 am, followed by The Crusades at 12:00 and the discussion section for BPS at 2:00. The British Political System does not seem as interesting as I thought (although we have only met once), but it should not be too bad. The Crusades, on the other hand, is going to be very cool. The teacher is a specialist on the subject and our homework is just to read books on the crusades (there is a little assigned reading of primary sources, but it is mostly up to us to just read whatever we feel is pertinent on the subject - something that I would do for fun anyways haha).
Tuesday saw another wave of classes. I had my discussion section for the Crusades at 12:00, followed by my 2 hour lecture of Liberalism, Past & Present, from 2-4. This course will also be very interesting, as we read and comment on all the great limited government, free market texts of the Enlightenment, such as John Locke's Second Treatise of Government and de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. I firmly believe in these beliefs on government, and, like my Crusades course, reading them really will not be homework for me, but rather, something that I enjoy. The teacher is also a fan of this way of thinking, which I think is very refreshing, since most college professors are socialists (especially in the UK - at least I imagine so, since the country is far more socialistic than the US, at least for now).
That evening, Whitney and I rode the a double decker bus down to Canary Wharf, the new commercial district of London (it is quite nice - it is pretty much all new and is where all the skyscrapers are). We went and bought cell phones there - the cheapest ones we could find. For £10 (+ a deposit of £10 worth of minutes) we got phones. It took us forever to find the cell phone store, however. At least it was an interesting place to wander around.
On Wednesday I had my final class of the week, Intro to Old English, from 11-1. Yes, I really am learning another dead language, known as Anglo-Saxon. It is the Germanic predecessor of English and seems like it will be a very interesting class (but also probably quite a bit of hard work). J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) was a professor of it and his fascination with the language and culture of the people led him to write his novels. In fact, most of the names of people and places from the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are Anglo-Saxon. Frodo, for example, means "the wise one," while Saruman means "the trickster man." Even the location, "Middle-earth," comes from Anglo-Saxon "middangeard," which appeared in a favorite Saxon poem of his. Overall, very cool.
Tuesday saw another wave of classes. I had my discussion section for the Crusades at 12:00, followed by my 2 hour lecture of Liberalism, Past & Present, from 2-4. This course will also be very interesting, as we read and comment on all the great limited government, free market texts of the Enlightenment, such as John Locke's Second Treatise of Government and de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. I firmly believe in these beliefs on government, and, like my Crusades course, reading them really will not be homework for me, but rather, something that I enjoy. The teacher is also a fan of this way of thinking, which I think is very refreshing, since most college professors are socialists (especially in the UK - at least I imagine so, since the country is far more socialistic than the US, at least for now).
That evening, Whitney and I rode the a double decker bus down to Canary Wharf, the new commercial district of London (it is quite nice - it is pretty much all new and is where all the skyscrapers are). We went and bought cell phones there - the cheapest ones we could find. For £10 (+ a deposit of £10 worth of minutes) we got phones. It took us forever to find the cell phone store, however. At least it was an interesting place to wander around.
On Wednesday I had my final class of the week, Intro to Old English, from 11-1. Yes, I really am learning another dead language, known as Anglo-Saxon. It is the Germanic predecessor of English and seems like it will be a very interesting class (but also probably quite a bit of hard work). J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) was a professor of it and his fascination with the language and culture of the people led him to write his novels. In fact, most of the names of people and places from the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are Anglo-Saxon. Frodo, for example, means "the wise one," while Saruman means "the trickster man." Even the location, "Middle-earth," comes from Anglo-Saxon "middangeard," which appeared in a favorite Saxon poem of his. Overall, very cool.
The Next Few Days
We met the rest of our British flatmates over the weekend. Aisha, Jenna, and Josh are all British and are quite friendly and helpful. Josh and Jenna are not around that much (or are in their rooms), but Aisha is always around and we interact with her all the time (she is really friendly). We went shopping on Saturday and walked down Mile End about 10 minutes until we reached Sainsbury's. I kind of dreaded purchasing food, since I expected it being expensive due to the exchange rate. In actuality, much of it was as cheap or cheaper than the US. This is because Sainsbury's offers Sainsbury's brand items for very, very cheap - it is like their version of Walmart. A can of baked beans for 10 pence (20 cents)? A bag of 6 English muffins for 30 pence? Count me in!
That evening we visited an Indian restaurant (as well as an English pub) with John Sharkey, the USC coordinator in the UK, and the rest of the USC students in London. The food was quite good (and paid for by USC, which was nice) and I had a lively political debate with a few of the other USC students. At one point, a drunk Irish lady barged into the debate, exclaimed how she liked Hillary Clinton (whom everyone in the debate did not like) and poured herself a glass of wine from one of our bottles. It was quite funny (and also very awkward), and the rest of her party was really embarrassed.
Sunday, we took a bus tour around London and saw most of the sites. That evening I went and saw I Am Legend with my flatmates at the local cinema. It was only £3 with a student ID, which is way cheaper than the states. I enjoyed the movie, but I know some of my female flatmates were a bit frightened through much of it.
That evening we visited an Indian restaurant (as well as an English pub) with John Sharkey, the USC coordinator in the UK, and the rest of the USC students in London. The food was quite good (and paid for by USC, which was nice) and I had a lively political debate with a few of the other USC students. At one point, a drunk Irish lady barged into the debate, exclaimed how she liked Hillary Clinton (whom everyone in the debate did not like) and poured herself a glass of wine from one of our bottles. It was quite funny (and also very awkward), and the rest of her party was really embarrassed.
Sunday, we took a bus tour around London and saw most of the sites. That evening I went and saw I Am Legend with my flatmates at the local cinema. It was only £3 with a student ID, which is way cheaper than the states. I enjoyed the movie, but I know some of my female flatmates were a bit frightened through much of it.
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