Xmas Cruise, Nottingham, and Derbyshire

So I've been informed by v. influential sources that my last post covered a bit much, so I'll try to simplify this one. However, that last post just did have so much to cover!

After returning from the Leeds weekend, I began yet another week of work that started off with me still being exhausted from the weekend. And instead of taking it easy at night, we still managed to get out and do something every night of the week! One night in my and GP's show oddessy, we saw the Agatha Christie murder mystery "And Then There Were None" (including in the cast the actress that played Bridget Jones' mother in the movie), a v. good play that actually scared GP. Also, Wednesday night was the BUNAC Christmas Cruise on the Thames. Our little boat had music and a dance floor, but also sitting areas and a deck that you could just hang out on and watch the sights go by. However, it of course chose that night to spit some v. cold rain, so not many people hung out outside. Another night Trace, Kate, and I thought about going to a couple different Christmas Concerts (one at Westminster Abbey, one at St. Martin's), but decided against it. In our quest of deciding what to do, we happened by yet another movie premeire, this one for King Kong. It was nowhere near as crowded as Harry Potter, but there always seems to be one going on somewhere. That night we ended up heading to Bayswater for some cheap nachos that supposedly were really good, which they were, but their cheapness made them even better.

Saturday, Trace and I headed to Derby to go to the peak district and Nottingham for the weekend. I was v. excited, since ever seeing the BBC "Pride and Prejudice," I'd wanted to go to the Peak District (a humungo national park!) and the Robin Hood part of Nottingham was also v. inticing for Nottingham. We caught an early train, though we missed the train we'd aimed for, and were on our way. We spent the morning in Nottinghamm wandering around and taking in the city. We had "breakfast" at Ye Ole Trip to Jeruselem, supposedly the oldest pub in Britain. It was built in 1186 (or similar) and was built partially into the sandstone caves under the large outcropping on which Nottingham Castle was built. A bit touristy, though the pub didn't have that feel, and the bangers and mash were excellent!

We then headed back up past the statue of Robin Hood to Nottingham Castle. Besides the cheap admission, we decided to go on a Cave Tour, only costing a single pound!!! The museum at the castle wasn't fantasatic, but the near hour-long guided tour through the caves, old dungeons, and the Castle Grounds was probably the best pound I've spent yet in the UK. We saw where this guy was held prisoner, where this guy was tortured, where another snuck into the castle to capture his mother's lover, where they sent the people with the plague, all the really fascinating stuff, of course. We headed then back through town to the train station to head to Derby. (photos: me at the street of a character supposedly based on a weirdly and v. distnatly-related ancestor; the Robin Hood statue next to the bluff with the Castle; the old pub (please note how it butts right up against the bluff with the castle and actually uses the tunnels as part of the pub); and one of the tunnels that someone famous was dragged down years ago.)




Getting to Derby, we of course hadn't figured out where to stay yet, since none of our tour books were v. helpful in this area. Eventually, we found a B&B, a bit more than what we wanted to pay though still average for the town, dumped our bags, and headed to dinner at the oldest pub in Derby (Ye Ole Dolphin). The city was neat as we wandered through since it, like all the other's we'd visited, was decked out for Christmas. Derby even had a small German Christmas market, complete with a sausage vendor. We spent most of our night wandering around town, but turned into bed early since neither of us had had a good nights sleep in a long time.

The next morning, we were up early for breakfast before heading to the station for our train. This was where our luck kicked in that Saturday had only been hinting at. We got to the station and had to wait an hour for the bus into the Peak District, since we had just missed an earlier one since our breakfast took forever in coming. Once on the bus, we had a delightful trip towards Matlock with incredible scenery. However, we a huge traffic jam outside Matlock, arrived late at the station, and missed the bus we wanted to change to by only five minutes. Seeing that the next bus didn't arrive for another two hours, we wandered around town and even did some hiking on the hills outside of town. Upon return to the station, we then realized that the bus we were waiting for would really not come for another hour since the one we'd hoped to catch was in v. small print half obscured by an ad that it was a summer only bus. Realizing it would be too late to try to go to Chatsworth House, a huge estate (kind of like Blenheim) as used in the new Pride and Prejudice as Pemberley and the house Jane Austen supposedly had in mind while writing the book, we decided to just head further into the District and stop at some of the cute towns to explore. However, while waiting for the bus to Chatsoworth and before realizing it's downfall, we missed the bus we would have needed to take further into the district and had to thus wait another hour. Ugh. Once finally on the bus, the scenery was great. The photo's that I'll post with this won't do it justice since they were taken through a v. dirty bus window. (photos: Trace on the hill overlooking Matlock; fields, hills, and a castle near Matlock; sheep and the rolling hills of the Southern Peak District via a dirty bus window; cute streets in Buxton; Trace with our gingerbread cookies (he already started to eat his; and me leaning causally against a certain wall...)






We explored Buxton and Bakewell (home of the Bakewell pudding and pie), before heading back through the district to Derby. We almost had another long wait at the station, but caught a different train instead and were soon headed back on a v. crowded train back to London. Arriving back at St. Pancras Station, we popped back in to check out Platform 9 3/4 (the actual platform loctaion with the luggage trolley half-disappeared through the barrier) and then the platform they used in the movies (Platform 4, or something like that) before heading home.

Leeds, Rochester, and Hangin' Out

Well Oxford was fabulously fun and chill, but it was back to work on Monday (as always). Our weekend trips our wonderful, but because we see and do so much, we're always exhausted and reluctant to return to work. So, our weeknights have been probably noticibly chill, but have also lately been getting a bit more active as you'll notice. The week we came back from the Oxford trip, GP and I started our attempt at "A Show A Week," initiating it with A Few Good Men (starring Rob Lowe!!!). The show was pretty good, especially when it's a movie that I've seen a good amount, but it was v. exciting to see it on stage and starring someone as great as Rob Lowe. We also started going out a bit more to explore things like pubs. The BUNAC Pub Meets took us to an old church-turned-pub that also had a bit of a Harry Potter feel to it and a handful of us went a different night to Ye Ole Cheshire Cheese (a pub dating back to the 15th and 16th century with such past visitors as Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Kate and I also went to the Tate Modern and decided that neither of us "did" modern art very well. Most was pretty distrubing, but it was still cool.

That Saturday was a day to hang out around town. I got up early and did laundry before catching a bus to Notting Hill to go to the Portobello Road Market. It was super busy and I didn't find a purse that I was looking for. I got a bit lost, but got a nice tour through Kensington (one of the most posh areas of the city) before meeting Kate on Oxford Street to attempt a bit of shopping there (though it didn't work well either). With the busiest shopping street in London at midday on a Saturday, it was a bit more than ominous when they started giving out free knives at a department store. Adding a bit of a rain shower, Kate and I hustled towards a pub to catch some lunch and ended up at the Sherlock Holmes, our favorite London detective and the face of our favorite Tube stop (Baker St.!!!). Kate then went home and on her errands while I went to the National Gallery, determined to accomplish something and do something new that day. I took a guided tour of the museum, free and stopping to interpret a few of the most famous paintings. Trace met me at the Gallery and we started wandering around town.

Not really having anywhere to go, we went from the Gallery at Trafalgar Square towards Westminster and the Abbey (first time to the Abbey), through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace (1st time there too), back through Picadilly to Trafalgar, and then crossing the Thames at the Jubilee Bridge. We then went along the river towards the Millenium Bridge, taking time to stop and listen to a guy playing the guitar while relaxing by the river with a great view of the city and Christmas lights. After crossing the Millenium Bridge, we were at St. Pauls and headed towards the Cheshire Cheese and surrounding areas for some dinner and hanging out before finally returning home. I tried to calculate the length of my walky-walky and figured it was at least 10K, though most likely more like 15-20K for the entire day.

The next morning Kate, GP, and I met Trace at the Tube stop to meet the BUNAC bus to go to Leeds Castle and the Rochester Dickens Christmas Festival. Since some of our tube lines were down for the day, we got to walk by the Sherlock Holmes statue where I of course got my photo taken (I've had strange fascinations with both Sherlock Holmes and with sheep since I've been here). On the bus, we again were faced with the OSU girls from teh Bath trip, who very soon realized that I went to UofM, though I was soon decided to be "one of the nice ones."

The castle itself was very cool, though not as cool as Warwick. We wandered through the hedge maze, down through the grotto from the center of the maze, and back through the Aviary to the Castle itself. The Castle was refurbished, but mostly as a modern-day conference center. Much of the castle did have various period-decorated rooms with historical information, but there also were a few of the conference meeting rooms as well. My favorite room was the library and all the old books on the shelves, of which I did take many, many pictures. After the Castle itself, we wandered the grounds a bit more before heading back to the bus.

A short drive and we arrived in Rochesterto their annual Dickens Festival. Rochester was the home of Charles Dickens at various times, and he also refered to it, either directly or indirectly, in many of his books, inparticular Great Expectations and the Pickwick Papers. We were all just hungry, but instead had to go on a bit of a tour with a local guide. I was initially excited for this, but our guide stuttered and stumbled quite a bit, enought to make us all get restless and try to find ways of escaping. After leaving the tour, we headed through the Winter Carnival in the ruins of the old castle (a Norman castle built on an old Roman one) into town to try to find a pub for a Sunday roast (attempt #3 for Kate and I). Instead, we settled for some delicious vendor food while also enjoying some mulled wine and bagpipe music by one of the visiting piping groups. We kept wandering down the high street, occasionally pausing for pictures with some of the locals in costume. The best part of Rochester was by far the local people that dressed in Dickensian period costumes, some in characters, wandering around the streets. Some played the hand bells, a British soldier and tried recruiting kids to the army, a man dressed as Scrooge was pulled in a wagon with a plate on the back saying "SCROO U" (so absolutely hilarious!)

We stopped at a little church for some food there and afterwards tried some roasted chestnuts (not what I expected, though delicious) while a group of costumed people did a bit of a routine to "The 12 Days of Christmas." Standing around, eating roasted chestnuts, and in a large crowd of people all laughing and singing carols was so wonderful and finally put me in the Christmas Mood. Up til then, there'd been no snow and it was definately not cold enough to seem like anywhere near December. Eventually we made our way back up the street towards the castle to look around before staking out some room to see the parade. A man wandering up the street was dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. I wanted to get my picture with him too, though I soon discovered that he had definately been drinking and insisted on posing for the picture as they did in the movie. We saw the bagpipers again, saw all the characters in costume, and even got to see Scrooge again as he demanded that we "get all the ugly children" out of his way and that our season would be full of all sorts of misery, etc. Though tired, we all had a great time that day.

Oxford and Blenheim Palace

That week saw me returning to work again and trying to get internet access. Kate and I one night went to flatmate Sam's office to use his for a short while and ended up staying there til after 10pm. We also started more venturing to pubs and sites around London after work. That Thursday was Thanksgiving and BUNAC had its own Thanksgiving dinner for about 20 pounds. However, that day at work was a v. rough day and, adding that to a bit of nostalgia and meloncholy from missing Thanksgiving and a bit of frustrations on the Tube, I was in no mood to go to the dinner. Instead, I saved a chunk of money and had Subway instead. Anticlimactic, but in the end much better, I think.

That Friday, oneof the biggest travel magazines, Travel Weekly, came to our office to do a big story on the company. Apparently AA Appointments (who I work for) has won various awards, including lots for "Best Travel Recruitment Agency," but it was still a big deal. I had to wear a suit jacket and everything and we had a professional photo shoot. In the end, I was v. glad when that week was over and Kate and I were going to Oxford.

As usual, Kate and I got up early and headed to the train station to catch the train to Oxford. We got there and wandered around checking out the different colleges and the town. We really wanted to go to Christ Church College where they filmed parts of Harry Potter (the Great Hall, varioius courtyard scenes) and also wehre the man known as Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland as inspired by experiences at Christ Church. However, since we arrived at the beginning of lunch, all the colelges were closed to tourists since the students who actually when there had the audacity of actually using their facilities.

Now looking for something to do, we went to check out a possible tour at the Bodlien Library, one of the 6 official copyright deposits (a library that recives a copy of every book published) in the UK and a library that doesn't let anyone actually take out its books. The only way a non-student can get into the library is through a tour, which also includes a visit to the Divinity School (as seen as the Hospital Wing in Harry Potter, and the library scenes filmed in the Bodlien). However, there was a graduation ceremony and no tours that day. Again thwarted, we decided we should eat too.

We went to the Eagle and Child, a pub known for frequent visits by JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and their literary/academic circle in the 1940s and 1950s. It was a fabulous pub with fabulous food and we were v. much refreshed before heading back towards Christ Church. We did the touristy thing and did the tour of the college, which was v. fascinating. After that tour, we went to the museum in town for a brief walkthorugh before it closed. At last we gave into the need to go to our hostel and actually check in and ditch our bags. We didn't stay long before we left to find something to do before actually going to bed. Kate wanted to check her email, so we went to a café (as mentioned in the previous entry) and then went in surch of a pub called The Turf Tavern (the place where allegedly Bill Clinton didn't inhale). This was hard to find as we had to go down an alleyway and another alleyway to get to this small, though v. cool pub. After a drink, we went back to an Irish pub we had past earlier in the day to listen to the live Irish music. They played lots of great songs, some of my favorites and some of them new, and even played "Wild Rover" ("if you don't know this one, then you're... I don't know... American!"). (photos: Gargoyles at Oxford; me at the school; the Eagle and Child; The Great Hall; and the window at the Great Hall with Alice in Wonderland characters. )







The hostel was definately a hostel and the bed felt like I slept in a trench or something and was very glad to wake up and leave the next morning. Kate and I headed quickly for a croissant for breakfast (Kate ordered a cornish "pastey" before catching herself) and then to the bus station to go to Blenheim Palace. Blenheim is a huge country house that has been the home to at least 11 dukes, starting with John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, who defeated the French army in a huge victory for the first time in a generation at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. As a reward, Queen Anne gave Churchill a lot of land and money and he built Blenheim Palace. Eventually the family title passed to his daughters, who then married the Spencers (as in Diana Spencer), and Winston Churchill was the son of the younger brother of the 10th (or maybe earlier) Duke. He was born at Blenheim and often returned there as PM.

The Palace was great and even better decorated for Christmas. It had a theme of The Twelve Days of Christmas where you had to find all twelve days hidden around the palace. That afternoon they even had live choral and orchestral music and caroling. As we toured the gournds, we were pursued it seemed by a helicopter landing on the lawn near the private quarters of the Palace. We stole a picture more so to remember the feeling of being supposedly chased down by a helicopter than to photograph the passengers. We think the helicopter contained either friends or family of the Duke, and I even think we saw the Duke himself that morning. (We arrived just before it opened and an old man in a golf/newsie hat was walking his dog, heading back towards the private quarters, though we had no idea at the time. Come to find out, it looks just like the current Duke and who else would be walking their dog there?). (photos: Blenheim from the front entrance; Sheep at Blenheim (I heart sheep!!!); gardens at Belenheim; the Helicopter)






Finally, we headed back to the bus and then back to London, though stopping again at the Eagle and Child for another attempt and thwarting at a Sunday Roast and having to settle for sandwiches for dinner.

Internet at last!!!

Just fyi, we did finally get our promised Wireless over the weekend. I finished the update for the Bath entry, though will add pics tomorrow. Also, to look forward to, are...

* Oxford and Blenhiem Palace
* Leeds Castle, Rochester Dickens Festival, and a major day of walky-walky in town
* Nottingham, Derbyshire, and the Peak District

All will be up to date in the next day or so (at last)...

Working, Harry Potter, Stonehenge, Bath, and around town...

So, I'm here in Oxford at an internet cafe and figured I'd work on updating this a bit...

After the trip to Stratford, we made it back in time to see Egypt, one of our favorite shows here on the BBC that's a combo of historical drama and documentary of both exploration and discovery of ancient Egypt as well as the culture and history of Ancient Egypt itself. I don't know if it's ever coming to the US, but if it does, it's fabulous!

That week began my first week on my own (as in NOT training anymore). The job got sooo much better and is going v. well. That Thursday we went out after work and I got made fun of for leaving early to go buy Harry Potter tickets for the next night. I met Trace and we headed to the nearest relatively-affordable cinema and he continued to try to talk me into the midnight show. However, since Kate and I actually had to work the next day, we resisted . . . until we learned that we had the choice of a midnight show that night or an 11pm show the following night. Since we both agreed that we'd rather be dead tired at work than tired touring Bath and Stonehenge, we did indeed go the minight showing. We got to the theatre a bit early and started calling people that we thought would appreciate it. The movie was amazing and we're trying to figure out when to go again!

***

Ok, no longer in Oxford, but it's been just that long since I've been able to get to internet to post anything. We've been in the midst of this huge struggle to get it at our flat. We now have internet there, but no way to access it since we don't have the modem or router yet. Sigh.

Anyway, the next morning we were up early to go on the BUNAC trip to Bath and Stonehenge. We piled on the bus, which left a half hour late, and headed to Stonehenge. Kate and I survived the obnoxious people behind us and got very hungry looking at the sheep as we drove past (sick, I know, but we were hungry...). Once arriving at Stonehenge, we were herded through into the site and given audio tour wands that we could listen to as we walked around The Henge (apparently an old word meaning something that I forgot... I think it was for circle or something, but there were actually previous henges on the site, including a wood henge and another stone henge. I'll have to get out my brochures now...). It was cool, but we also felt that you could easily have said that you've seen it as you drove past on the highway right next to it. (photo: Stonehenge)

Afterwards, we got back on the bus, and again left late, to go to Bath. The part of England we drove through was v. foggy that day and we took even longer getting to Bath. Once in town, our bus driver lost the other bus he was following and we drove around Bath for another half hour lost (noticing a theme here?). We finally got out and were able to go find some food and tour the city at our leisure. Feeling strapped for time since at least an hour of our time in Bath was stolen from us, Kate and I grabbed a sandwich at the grocery store and headed to the Roman Baths.

The baths were cool and we got another audio tour thing there to listen to as we wandered around. We walked through parts of the old temple and such before getting to the baths themselves. I really enjoyed the artifacts and thought the curses and prayers were really neat. As I waited for Kate to finish at the Baths, I wandered around the bookstore and was severely tempted to buy the Latin verison of a certain book now called "Harrius Potter" for my sister who's taking Latin, though it was a hardcover and a bit pricey.

Next we realized we only had an hour left so walked through town again towards the Great Circus and the Royal Crescent (really neat architecture pretty unique to Bath), but stopped at the Circus before I dragged Kate to the Jane Austen Centre with me. It was only ok and didn't really have much new information, at least anything you couldn't get out of a Jane Austen biography. They still had pictures of various incarnations of Mr. Darcy's everywhere (though heavily predominated by Colin Firth, of course). We rushed through that, and via a bit of a detour, got back to the coach. (photos: Roman Baths; Street in Bath that Jane Austen lived on for a while that's also v. typical of the architecture of the city; and the Jane Austen Centre, apparently of which Colin Firth is an essential part.)



The bus ride home of course was not so wonderful. We had two girls from (groan) Ohio State that flaunted their over-zealous school pride everywhere, especially since it was also the day of the UofM-OSU football game. They then convinced the bus driver to let them off early to go to the pub that they had convinced to play the game via dish. They also told about how obsesed they and everyone in Ohio were/are about the rivalry, as well as how they'd thought about the game every day that week and how, if they lost, they'd somehow manage to get up the next morning. A few of us bonded in annoyance.

Once back in London, we headed to Trace and Andy's flat for a night of cards and Italian food, though I did have to then call home for a game update. That Sunday, we went to Primrose Hill just north of Regent's Park for a fabulous view of the city and fall colors. We then walked through Regent's Park, down to Baker Street, and to Marble Arch before heading to the Science Museum. (photos: View from Primrose Hill, including (if you look really closely) the dome of St. Pauls on the left and the Eye and Parliament on the right; and a skating rink in South Kensington)

Harry Potter, Warwick Castle, and Stratford

At long last, an update that I know has been sorely missed by some. Since it's been about two weeks, I'll add them in bits (more for the wireless' sake than anything else since we're in Sam's (Mexican flatmate) office and it's not the best signal).

Well, I did go to the Harry Potter premiere, but not for long. It was super crowded and rainy and cold and I'm rather glad I didn't stand out all day in the rain to kind of see the actors and other celebrities. But from my trip through the square, I'll add a picture or two to give you all an idea of what it was like. Mostly, it was a lot of families with little kids, fans (ranging from a bit interested to ridiculously obsessed) of a slightly older age, and (the largest portion of the crowd) screaming teenage and pre-teen girls yelling "Daniel! Daniel! Rupert!" etc. Interesting experience. (photos: The theatre with the actual premiere and a triwizard cup on top; one of the actors who plays Fred and George)


That week passed as my second and last week training at the office. I was anxious to get the job to myself and make it my own. Anna, the departing receptionist, was a bit too into work for my taste. She often stayed late and did extra (fairly regularly) and did all such work without pay. She made me feel guilty (though only the slightest bit so, as well as slightly annoyed) when I chose to leave at 5.30 (the time we were supposed to leave).

That Friday was Rememberance Day (the same as Veteran's Day). I met GP and Kate at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, the oldest church in the city and the Queen's official parish, for a candlelight choir concert of Handel and Mozart. Kate and I were particularly going for the feature attraction of Mozart's Requiem (done v. well!). It rained a lot that day too, and before I met them at the church, I chose to wander a bit through town since it had a misty, eerie look to it and took some photos. (photos: From Trafalgar Square towards Westminster; just outside Trafalgar Square; and an Alley off Trafalgar with the National Gallery in the background.)



The next morning, Kate and I were up early to go on our first weekend trip out of the city (my boondoggle to Calais didn't count) to Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon. We met Trace, and his friends Alex and Amanda at the train station and headed out of town! The train ride was fine, but we had a French family right next to us that was discussing Charles and Camilla's trip to the US so loudly that it was too distracting to even read.

Warwick was fantastic. We headed from the train to a free museum that claimed specializing in Victorian history. Trace was excited to discuss the British role in the midwest (i.e. Mackinac area) in the War of 1812 and the use of the Piclhauba (sp?) in British and American military uniforms with a very eager docent. I was excited by the kitchen and medicine dispalys (though the toy display featuring everything from a 18th century wooden doll that could walk to Star Wars action figures was cool too!). We headed from there through an old cemetery up to the Castle. Warwick Castle was everything Bruce Lynn said it was and more. We saw the dungeons and the rack, the Great Hall, the haunted tower, the Peacock Garden, the mill and eel trap, and even the Catapault (they fire it a few times daily during the summer! If only Ft. Mackinac had its own catapault...)! The castle itself was built in 1068 and even held a couple of former kings imprisoned in it. The displays were pretty well done and featured lots of v. lifelike wax statues done by the Toussauds people. There were only a couple of actual costumed interpreters, but one let me try on a full outfit of chainmail! Finally, our hunger got the better of us and we headed to a small pub by the train to eat (Kate and I in our continued quest for something in some way resembling American nachos (or at least tasting something in some way close to actual nachos or tortilla chips) and watch rugby before heading to Stratford. (photos: Castle tower and countryside; Kate trying on armour and lifting a sword; me looking "ferocious" in chainmail; castle courtyard, oldest part, and countryside; and another view including the mill and the River Avon.)






We spent the night at Stratford, but first had to find a place to stay. Luckily our guide book was dead on when it reccommended a small B&B run by a cute little woman named Sylvia. There was no show by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the time, so we settled for Stepmom with Julia Roberts on tv instead. The next morning we had our first full English breakfast (cereal, oj, toast, tea, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, and grilled mushrooms). I ate soooo much, but I wasn't hungry til at least 6 that night. Breakfast like that made me better understand why 2/3 Britains have "raised cholesterol." Mostly I ate as much as I did (such as about 6 pieces of "brown" toast and a bowl of bran flakes) to make me feel better about my own cholesterol.

That day we headed to the Shakespeare homes since Stratford was his home town. We walked to the Anne Hathaway Cottage first, home of his wife, where they had so many historical things that even made Trace get geeked out by the size of the hearths and the five varieties of sage and strange variety of rhubarb. Next was Shakespeare's birthplace, followed by his daughter's house, the riverside and Shakespeare's grave, and then the other house of his daughter. By the time we finished, we were super hungry and caught a quick dinner before heading back to London on the train. It was a super fun weekend that didn't last long enough! (photos: Hearth at Anne Hathaway's; Anne Hathaway's and its herb garden (the red stuff it's the rhubarb!); River Avon; and Shakespeare's grave (bottom left corner) )





That's all for this entry, more to come in another!

Bonfire Night and Kevin Spacey

Well, I can safely say that I definatley prefer the kind of jobs where you're not at a computer all day, typing mindless stuff. Yup, that's my job (reformatting people's CVs, mostly). It's not too hard, and the people are fun, but the job is definately not something I'm passionate about. However, it's money (BIG FACTOR!!!), and since a few others that I know are not having as good of luck finding jobs, I'm pretty lucky. It's also quite weird having people getting very excited to see that you're American, since apparently that's what they least expect when they come in for an interview at a British recruitment agency. I did have one guy ask if I was from Canada, so I'm not sure what that means but I laughed a lot. Work's not bad at all, but I'm also glad it's only for 6 months. I also realized that this job is the first time that I've had to be out of the house by 8am on a regular basis! No wonder it's been a bit of an adjustment...

Anyway, this week has been kind of dull. I went out after my first day of work for drinks with some coworkers, then Tuesday went out with my flatmates just to hang out. We're all trying to lay low since we're pretty broke and waiting for the paychecks to come in. Wednesday we watched "Rome" on the BBC, which was quite exciting since we've already exhuasted all of our movie options from flatmate Sam. Thursday we went out for Chinese, but then came back to do not much of anything again. Friday was a welcome treat, though we spent our night planning our day on Saturday. Also, Kate's friend Hannah came Friday (she's studying abroad in France), so we hung out around the flat that night and watched a show about the history of Bonfire Night/Gunpowder Plot. (v. interesting! Apparently the day is a celebration of religious oppression of Catholics, torturing of Guy Fawkes and those that tried to blow up the King and English nobility, Jesuit conspiracies, and all sorts of uplifting things.)

Saturday was chuck full. GP and I got up and went to try to find the Nelson and Napoleon exhibit that ends next week. We couldn't find it listed anywhere, but since we'd seen adverts for it all over the Tube, we figured that we'd have no problem finding it. Just our luck, no such adverts anywhere to be seen. We then figured that there were two museums worth trying, so we headed for the Imperial War Museum. The front hall was full of tanks, bombs, and planes (all v. interesting), and the museum did more thankfully to explain the multiple facets of war, instead of just tanks, bombs, and planes. There was a neat walk-through trench WWI exhibit, as well as an exhibit on the effects of WWII on children in Britain. GP was just excited for the tanks.

After the museum, we picked up some lunch before catching the matinee of Shakespeare's "Richard II" at the Old Vic Theatre (the oldest in London), starring Kevin Spacey. We got some 10-pound bench seats that meant we had to lean and stand to see most of the show, but the tickets were cheap and the theatre relatively small and Kevin Spacey doing his thing, so it was all worth it. We then walked across the river to catch some views of the city at night before stopping back at the flat. We then made our way to Alexandra Palace (north of the city) to catch the fireworks there. Since it was on a hill over the city, we could see dozens and dozens of firework shows. (photos: Imperial War Museum; the coolest hood ornament ever (on an old omnibus c. WWI); Big Ben and Parliament at night; and a view down the river including the Eye)





Today's Harry Potter Day, but it's cold, rainy, and blustery. Adding this to the fact that I caught a bit of a cold yesterday, I decided not to go with Hannah and Kate to stand outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of the actors for 8 hours today. Hannah called Kate around 11am, saying that she should come soon since there were tons of people there already. It's pouring now, but I think I'll take a swing by the theatre to see what all's going on. Trace said there's apparently a huge Hungarian Horntail larger than 2 cars outside the theatre, and tons of flags, etc. Hmmm...

Anyway, this weekend's the Lord Mayor's Show (ceremonial procession of the Mayor through the city and a parade), but we try to get out of the city for a weekend and get some fresh air. We might try the Stratford trip again or do something different. We'll see...

JOB!!! (and other stuff...)

As of Friday, 28 October, I have a job. It's not the most posh, but I'm excited for it and it's income. I'll be working as a receptionist for a recruitment agency near Tower Hill, which means I get to run the front desk (though I don't have to answer phones), reformat people's CVs, manage some databases, and do whatever jobs anyone needs done. It's 40 hours per week and paid holidays and apparently really busy all the time. The agency itself is comprised of mostly young people (mid-late 20s) who like to go out after work and hang out. They were all tremendously friendly and fun at my interview. So, I start Monday (tomorrow) and will shadow the current receptionist for two weeks before she leaves. Not too shabby!

Since my last post, I've been busy. I've spent a couple of days looking for jobs, etc., and then found and got this one. I've hung out with my flatmates, who are all pretty fabulous (minus one that's leaving very soon, but he's just weird...) and have watched a lot of movies and television in an effort to save money instead of going out too much. Friday Kate and I went to the London Eye and walked all over the Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square areas. This was the first time that I really saw Big Ben and Westminster, so I feel like I can officially feel like I'm in London now. (photos: London Eye; view from the Eye of Westminster, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace (and I think the neighborhood where I live off in the distance somewhere); view down the river of St. Pauls (my office is near the egg-shaped building); and Trafalgar Square)





Saturday, G.P. (another flatmate from Virginia) and I went to Guildhall and the London Museum. The ruins to the Roman Ampitheatre are below Guildhall Art Gallery, so besides neat art of London and old important British people, we got to walk among my first set of Roman ruins! The London Museum was really neat too. There were all sorts of artifacts and collections from all eras of London and British history, though we missed about 1500 years worth due to the redesigning of Post-Roman through Elizabethan period exhibits. (photo: Ruins in Guildhall)


Today we went back to Camden Market with Sam (another flatmate from Mexico), his visiting sister, and Kate and will soon go grocery shopping and maybe to a movie (a "cheap" one). Emma Watson, the actress who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, was rumored to be at Camden Market signing autographs, but we didn't see her.

This weekend we were also supposed to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick Castle, but so many people had conflicting plans that we postponed it for awhile. We also contimplated going to one of the London Film Festival movies, but they're frickin' expensive (though many of the actors from the movies have actually been here for things like "Walk the Line").

Anyway, London is great! I'm loving it and am v. glad to be starting to earn some money. I miss good Mexican and Southwestern food, Kraft mac n' cheese, Jiff peanut butter, and cheap movies. I love the tube (esp. the Baker Street Station), the conversations I overhear on the tube, Cadbury dairymilk chocolate bars, that I have an accent (even to other Americans), and the feeling of not being in a big city while being in one of the preeminent cities of the world. The tv shows here are a bit odd and we've watched just about anything once, including the celebrity ballroom dancing show "Strictly Come Dancing", the Simpsons, realestate reality shows, and a culture piece of middle-aged baby-boomer women complaining about everything from toilet paper to punk kids with hoodies. I'm trying to read a lot and am currently reading some Sherlock Holmes, in honor of my favorite tube station. Next in line is "A Tale of Two Cities" since there's a BUNAC Christmas trip to Leeds Castle and a Dickens festival.

Coming up this week and weekend: "Egypt", a BBC miniseries on the discovery of King Tut; Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night; Possible day trip somewhere; and Harry Potter Day on Sunday!!! Anyway, I'll get the pics from the Eye and all up soon.

Harry Potter Premiere

Yes, since I'm in London, a group of us are definately planning on attending the Harry Potter premiere on 6 November. Apparently, it involves queing up starting at 5pm, so we'll be there! For details, visit: http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on.php?event=3589

France and the Flat

So, since my last post...

* I went to France and got my passport fixed. It was quite the hassle in that I stepped onto the platform to catch the train to Dover as it pulled away, so I had to wait a half hour for the next one. Then, everything was late and the winds were so stron in the English Channel that I didn't get back to London til about 8pm. BUT, when I got there, I met friends Andy and Trace (who had to go to France on Sunday due to similar circumstances) and also met my new friend Kate (fellow BUNAC-er and also staying in and not liking The Generator) who had found a delightful flat that night. Since we'd talked about rooming together, I agreed to check the flat with her the next day (Saturday). We saw it, I liked it, and we moved in that night. (I'll post photos below this post)
The flat's in an area called St. John's Wood (apparently v. posh and including neighbors like Robbie Williams) on Boundary Road (between Loudoun Street and Abbey Road (yes, the same road as the Beatles and just a short walk from the crossing site of the photo on the cover of the album of the same name)), though it's also v. close to Swiss Cottage, Kilbourn High Street, and Camden Town. Kate and I share a room for 80 pounds/week and that price includes all utilities and taxes, as well as free wireless internet to be installed this week. We have a gareden area out behind our building with some nice willow trees. Also, there's a spare bed for guests that might visit for a weekend, though we're using it as a couch for now. As for leaving The Generator (felt like we lived in a stereotypical frat house...), Trace and Andy helped us move our bags to our new flat, which involved some v. strategic maneuvering on the Tube during rush hour. That night while unpacking, we watched our tv with 4 stations, including "Robbie Williams: Live from Berlin" on Saturday night and loved it, especially since he's our neighbor. (photos: my room from the door with my bed on the left, my bed and desk!)


* Sunday morning we went to Camden Market for food and shopping and then tried to locate the Ikea for the necessities lacking at our flat. We got some bad directions and ended up all over the place. Finally, after some walking, busing, a pit stop at an H&M, and more busing and walking, we got to the Ikea. It was a zoo and we tried to make our shopping go as quickly as possible. We made our way back, which took an equally long time, and collapsed from hunger and exhaustion on our spare bed. Kate and I tried to find dinner, which took more wandering before finally settling on a local and v. delicious Thai food place. We then watched a collage of both good and bad tv before turning in. (photos: food stalls at Camden Lock Market, main gate to Camden Market)


* Today we both headed to the BUNAC Office to start looking for jobs. I opened my bank account and bought a mobile phone. When I make my email list (which will be when I get the free wireless at the flat), I'll email out my mailing address and mobile number. After updating the blog, I'm digging in to looking for jobs!