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).
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
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).
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