Monday
We got up, checked out of our hotel, and took the tube to St. Pancras Station. Check-in for the train was quick and easy, and after grabbing a few snacks from the Marks and Spencer in the station, we were on the Eurostar to Paris! (Oh, they had these cool slanted escalators to take you up to the train platform - no steps, just a rolling ramp.) It was a really fast journey and in less than 3 hours we were at Gare du Nord, right inside Paris! We took a taxi to our apartment (within walking distance if it weren't for our luggage) and waited outside for a few minutes to meet the representative from the rental company. She took us up to the apartment and showed us around.
Mom took a short nap while I explored the neighborhood a little bit. Our apartment is really close to three metro stations, and there's a grocery store just a few doors down. We decided to take the metro to check out the Rue Cler area for dinner, and we ate at a restaurant called Cafe Marche. It was pretty good, and the servers were very nice. Not amazing, but a good first French meal. :)
Tuesday
We made our way to the main Paris tourism office and got the lowdown on the hop-on hop-off bus and Paris Museum Pass. We got a 2-day bus pass and a 2-day museum pass and headed up to the Palais Garnier opera house to hop on for the first bus line. The first route we took went to all the major sites - the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral. The running commentary over the headsets wasn't amazing, but it did give a good overview as we traveled around on the top deck of the bus. We got off at the Esplanade des Invalides to get some lunch, looking for a cafe recommended in our trusty Rick Steves guide. We didn't find the cafe, so we ended up getting sandwiches at a bakery on a side street and having a picnic back at the Esplanade. After lunch, we got on another bus route for some more rooftop sightseeing. The only famous site I remember from this route was the Place de la Bastille and Bastille Opera House.
More to come!
Friday, 8 August 2008
London - TTFN
Tuesday
Minnie, Robert, Cindy and I went to see Les Mis. Although this was the third time I've seen it, it was definitely the best. We had pretty sweet seats, too - 12 rows back, right in the middle of the theatre!
Wednesday
Abigail, Minnie and I went along with Dr. Thomas and another FSU London professor to see The Wizard of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall. Weird. They gave Dorothy a southern accent (which was inconsistent at best) and there was this cheezy computer animation projected on a screen above the stage. Toto was great, though!
Thursday
We had our final conducting exam on Thursday during class, and our farewell dinner in the evening. We went to a nice restaurant at a hotel in Bloomsbury and had some beautiful food. Our group got a little rambunctious, though, and the study centre liaison hinted that the restaurant may not want to have them back. Oops. After dinner, some of us went to karaoke at a little bowling alley near the University of London campus. You could rent a room and choose all your own songs. We even got some of the instrumental folks to sing along!
Friday
Nothing exciting - just packing up and getting ready to check out of the flat!
Saturday
I went to meet Mom at the airport and take her into the city. We explored the shops around Covent Garden and had fish and chips for lunch. Mom took a nap back at the flat while I finished packing up, and then we headed to our hotel to check in. We went to see Wicked - great show, and the biggest theatre I have been in in London.
Sunday
More shopping (what, Mom shop?) We went to SoHo, Oxford Street, and Harrod's, where we got elaborate gelato sundaes in the food hall. We also went to check out Kensington Palace, but we were too late for the tour and just walked around a bit in the rain. :( On our way back to the hotel, we ate dinner at a pub right around the corner. I got my first English pie - cheese, mushroom, and broccoli. The filling was pretty good, but the flaky crust was the best part.
Next entry - PARIS!!!
Minnie, Robert, Cindy and I went to see Les Mis. Although this was the third time I've seen it, it was definitely the best. We had pretty sweet seats, too - 12 rows back, right in the middle of the theatre!
Wednesday
Abigail, Minnie and I went along with Dr. Thomas and another FSU London professor to see The Wizard of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall. Weird. They gave Dorothy a southern accent (which was inconsistent at best) and there was this cheezy computer animation projected on a screen above the stage. Toto was great, though!
Thursday
We had our final conducting exam on Thursday during class, and our farewell dinner in the evening. We went to a nice restaurant at a hotel in Bloomsbury and had some beautiful food. Our group got a little rambunctious, though, and the study centre liaison hinted that the restaurant may not want to have them back. Oops. After dinner, some of us went to karaoke at a little bowling alley near the University of London campus. You could rent a room and choose all your own songs. We even got some of the instrumental folks to sing along!
Friday
Nothing exciting - just packing up and getting ready to check out of the flat!
Saturday
I went to meet Mom at the airport and take her into the city. We explored the shops around Covent Garden and had fish and chips for lunch. Mom took a nap back at the flat while I finished packing up, and then we headed to our hotel to check in. We went to see Wicked - great show, and the biggest theatre I have been in in London.
Sunday
More shopping (what, Mom shop?) We went to SoHo, Oxford Street, and Harrod's, where we got elaborate gelato sundaes in the food hall. We also went to check out Kensington Palace, but we were too late for the tour and just walked around a bit in the rain. :( On our way back to the hotel, we ate dinner at a pub right around the corner. I got my first English pie - cheese, mushroom, and broccoli. The filling was pretty good, but the flaky crust was the best part.
Next entry - PARIS!!!
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
And in the end, the love you take...
Tuesday
Several of us went to a concert at St. Martin-in-the-Fields by a German pianist/composer/conductor/otherwise musical extraordinaire named Ratko Dilarko. He played some Chopin, Debussy, and Gershwin (including "Rhapsody in Blue"). I swear he grew extra hands to cover all of the notes in a few of the pieces! Amy and I got a gelato at the interval. Mmm.
Wednesday
My flatmates went to see Jersey Boys, which I already saw (still the second best show I've seen), so I stayed in and did my laundry. Nothing exciting - just read a chick lit novel whilst in the laundry room.
Thursday
We went to see Billy Elliot – not the best singing we've seen (okay, okay, the some of the worst so far), but the dancing was great! It was also cool to see a British story in London, even though the thick Northern English accents were a little tough to decipher now and then. The kid that played Billy was 13 and had never had formal dance training before he was in the show! I had to look up the British coal miners' strike of 1984 when I got back to the flat. Overall, a solid show, but not amazing.
Friday
Grayson invited everyone on a pub crawl. I think that pretty much sums it up. :)
Saturday
I had grand plans to do something on my last Saturday before Mom comes to London. Hmm. Yeah, I didn't really get around to any of that stuff. Connie took us out to dinner at a Greek restaurant around the corner from our flat. It was a little dank and sketchy-looking, and we were the only people there for a while, but the food ended up being good. The chef made me a special vegetarian moussaka. I wanted to go for a walk after dinner, but promptly fell fast asleep at 8 p.m. Wild and crazy times.
Sunday
After a lazy Saturday, I was motivated to get out and do something on Sunday! I walked to Regent's Park to check out Queen Mary's Gardens. They were beautiful, but I guess not quite as spectacular as I had hoped. I did happen upon an outdoor jazz concert, though, and stopped to listen for a while. I left my spot when the two women next to me got in an argument with the park rental chair collections guy. Someone else had given them their receipt/ticket and they claimed it was still valid - they asked to speak to his manager, etc. I am happy to report that they were British and not American! I got a cookies-n-cream milkshake on the way back at a place in the West End called Ed's Diner.
Monday
I tubed it down to Victoria Station to get tickets for Wicked on Saturday (didn't want to take the chance it'd be sold out, especially since that's Mom's only chance to see it!) I met Amy at the National Gallery, where we looked at the Franco-Flemish and Impressionists. The room with the VanGoghs and Monets was the most crowded in the museum. I was really struck by a few of the paintings, though – it's interesting to see which ones look really different in person (as opposed to a reproduction/picture/poster). More gelato on the way back to the flat (it's been kind of warm the past few days...)
Then... Kirsten and I went to Abbey Road! There wasn't a whole lot to see, but it was really cool to be there. It's in a really nice neighborhood that we walked around in for a while, and we stopped for dinner and dessert at a cafe on St. John's Wood High Street. There was even a little Beatles tchotchke shop in the tube station.
I can't believe this is my last week in London! I am getting excited about France, though, and I'm trying to pack a lot in these last few days.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Cockles and Mussels, Alive, Alive-o!
Yikes, it's been a week since I posted last! Here's a brief outline of the past week; I'll flesh out the details later.
Monday
missed scheduled flight - oops!
walked around Dublin city centre
Guinness Storehouse tour
Tuesday
historical walking tour - Trinity College, Dublin Castle, City Hall
St. Audoen's Church
Christ Church Cathedral
Dublinia
Wednesday
Wild Wicklow - woo!
Glendalough
Irish music
Thursday
Book of Kells
return to London
Friday
Harrods!
failed attempt to see Wall-E
Saturday
Windsor Castle, Windsor and Eton
Wall-E!
Sunday
London Zoo
Monday
back to class
posted new pictures! (link on left)
Monday
missed scheduled flight - oops!
walked around Dublin city centre
Guinness Storehouse tour
Tuesday
historical walking tour - Trinity College, Dublin Castle, City Hall
St. Audoen's Church
Christ Church Cathedral
Dublinia
Wednesday
Wild Wicklow - woo!
Glendalough
Irish music
Thursday
Book of Kells
return to London
Friday
Harrods!
failed attempt to see Wall-E
Saturday
Windsor Castle, Windsor and Eton
Wall-E!
Sunday
London Zoo
Monday
back to class
posted new pictures! (link on left)
Sunday, 13 July 2008
The sun'll come out... Saturday!
Friday
Friday was our last day of class with Dr. Madsen... and it was a doozy! I'm happy to report that it was a very inspiring and worthwhile course (remember - I am here for school!) After class, a bunch of us walked over to Lamb's Conduit Street (isn't that a great name?!?) for a pub lunch in celebration of Nathan's birthday. The weather held out for lunch, but it soon turned windy, gray and rainy.
Kirsten and I braved the elements to go on a Jack the Ripper walking tour. After a roundabout journey to the tube station the guide leaves from, we arrived to find that we were the only people who showed up for the tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining, and we learned lots of juicy details about the history of London (not just Jack the Ripper). After the tour guide dropped us off, we went to dinner at a Korean restaurant around the corner from our flat. The food was really tasty! I had a spicy seafood noodle soup, perfect after a night of walking around in the cold rain.
Saturday
No rain! Unfortunately, there's not much more to say for Saturday except that I took way too long to write my comprehensive exams. My flatmates left me alone in the evening and I finally finished after watching the British version of "Last Choir Standing."
Sunday
Today I walked around Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, and Soho for several hours. The weather was great! I got the shopping bug, but the only thing I ended up buying was a mini-guide for Dublin. I discovered lots of interesting little side streets and even a cute square right behind the histle and bustle of Oxford Street. I noticed there were people lined up (I guess I should say "queued up") outside the Apple store - waiting for their new iPhones, I'm sure! I also went into all of the big department stores that I had been wondering about - they were pretty high-priced. Selfridge's especially was overwhelmingly large and upscale. All of these department stores have awesome grocery stores ("food halls") in their basements. Weird, huh?
Some amusing highlights of the day:
- I passed by the Nickelodeon offices, where a TV was on in the lobby even though the office was closed.
- Meticulously decorated cakes and confections at the food hall in Selfridge's. I wish I had taken pictures!
- There was a guy all-out singing to his iPod accompaniment in the foyer of Marks and Spencer (department store) to raise money for a cancer research organization. He was actually a pretty good singer, too!
- I saw a group of maybe 200 people blocking traffic to rollerblade down Oxford Street. I was only able to snap a picture of the last of the group.
Tomorrow morning it's off to Dublin for a few days...
Friday was our last day of class with Dr. Madsen... and it was a doozy! I'm happy to report that it was a very inspiring and worthwhile course (remember - I am here for school!) After class, a bunch of us walked over to Lamb's Conduit Street (isn't that a great name?!?) for a pub lunch in celebration of Nathan's birthday. The weather held out for lunch, but it soon turned windy, gray and rainy.
Kirsten and I braved the elements to go on a Jack the Ripper walking tour. After a roundabout journey to the tube station the guide leaves from, we arrived to find that we were the only people who showed up for the tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining, and we learned lots of juicy details about the history of London (not just Jack the Ripper). After the tour guide dropped us off, we went to dinner at a Korean restaurant around the corner from our flat. The food was really tasty! I had a spicy seafood noodle soup, perfect after a night of walking around in the cold rain.
Saturday
No rain! Unfortunately, there's not much more to say for Saturday except that I took way too long to write my comprehensive exams. My flatmates left me alone in the evening and I finally finished after watching the British version of "Last Choir Standing."
Sunday
Today I walked around Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street, and Soho for several hours. The weather was great! I got the shopping bug, but the only thing I ended up buying was a mini-guide for Dublin. I discovered lots of interesting little side streets and even a cute square right behind the histle and bustle of Oxford Street. I noticed there were people lined up (I guess I should say "queued up") outside the Apple store - waiting for their new iPhones, I'm sure! I also went into all of the big department stores that I had been wondering about - they were pretty high-priced. Selfridge's especially was overwhelmingly large and upscale. All of these department stores have awesome grocery stores ("food halls") in their basements. Weird, huh?
Some amusing highlights of the day:
- I passed by the Nickelodeon offices, where a TV was on in the lobby even though the office was closed.
- Meticulously decorated cakes and confections at the food hall in Selfridge's. I wish I had taken pictures!
- There was a guy all-out singing to his iPod accompaniment in the foyer of Marks and Spencer (department store) to raise money for a cancer research organization. He was actually a pretty good singer, too!
- I saw a group of maybe 200 people blocking traffic to rollerblade down Oxford Street. I was only able to snap a picture of the last of the group.
Tomorrow morning it's off to Dublin for a few days...
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Tut tut, looks like rain!
Tuesday
Rainy. The class went to the Institute of Education at the University of London for the day. I met Jeff back at the study centre and we went out for a spot of tea. We went to a cafe in the theatre district with the most beautiful cakes and pastries in its case. I got a strawberry tart and Jeff got black forest cake. Mmm. When I got back to the flat, it was so quiet! With so many of us living in close quarters, it's definitely unusual for it to be that quiet around here. Even the city noise seemed to be dulled. It was a nice, short auditory respite. :)
Wednesday
More rain. Amy and I met Jeff for lunch and tea. I had heard that there was a pub nearby called the Bung Hole. Of course, I had to look it up online, and sure enough, it's there! We couldn't resist the hilarity of the name and ventured out to find this pub in the rain. It was not what we expected - we were definitely the only tourists in the place, and almost all of the patrons were in business suits having their serious business lunches. The food was not bad, and we took some cheesy tourist pictures in front of the sign. We practiced our awesome synchronized umbrella routine on the way back to the flat, and bid farewell to Jeff. I went visiting at the other flats for the evening, which was fun and a good distraction from my academic endeavors.
Thursday
Minnie and I walked over to the British Museum to finish up our observations for class. I saw a replica of the Rosetta Stone in a gallery on the first floor, but I'm not quite sure where the real Rosetta Stone is on display. I will have to go back and find it! We walked up to the Marks and Spencer "Simply Food" grocery store in our neighborhood. It's small (just like all of the other grocery stores in London) but a bit more upscale. I guess I would compare it to a mini-Wegmans prepared food section or a mini-Whole Foods. Oddly enough, they also have a small section of non-food products, most notably underwear. I guess the regular Marks and Spencer stores are department stores with grocery stores inside them. My seven-layer couscous salad with honey-lime dressing was delicious!
Rainy. The class went to the Institute of Education at the University of London for the day. I met Jeff back at the study centre and we went out for a spot of tea. We went to a cafe in the theatre district with the most beautiful cakes and pastries in its case. I got a strawberry tart and Jeff got black forest cake. Mmm. When I got back to the flat, it was so quiet! With so many of us living in close quarters, it's definitely unusual for it to be that quiet around here. Even the city noise seemed to be dulled. It was a nice, short auditory respite. :)
Wednesday
More rain. Amy and I met Jeff for lunch and tea. I had heard that there was a pub nearby called the Bung Hole. Of course, I had to look it up online, and sure enough, it's there! We couldn't resist the hilarity of the name and ventured out to find this pub in the rain. It was not what we expected - we were definitely the only tourists in the place, and almost all of the patrons were in business suits having their serious business lunches. The food was not bad, and we took some cheesy tourist pictures in front of the sign. We practiced our awesome synchronized umbrella routine on the way back to the flat, and bid farewell to Jeff. I went visiting at the other flats for the evening, which was fun and a good distraction from my academic endeavors.
Thursday
Minnie and I walked over to the British Museum to finish up our observations for class. I saw a replica of the Rosetta Stone in a gallery on the first floor, but I'm not quite sure where the real Rosetta Stone is on display. I will have to go back and find it! We walked up to the Marks and Spencer "Simply Food" grocery store in our neighborhood. It's small (just like all of the other grocery stores in London) but a bit more upscale. I guess I would compare it to a mini-Wegmans prepared food section or a mini-Whole Foods. Oddly enough, they also have a small section of non-food products, most notably underwear. I guess the regular Marks and Spencer stores are department stores with grocery stores inside them. My seven-layer couscous salad with honey-lime dressing was delicious!
Monday, 7 July 2008
Big Girls Don't Cry
Sunday
A lazy, rainy day. My flatmates lured me into the living room to watch the Wimbledon championship point by popping a bag of popcorn. It was interesting to think that all of that was going down just a short ride from where we are!
Monday
Jeff came to visit from Germany!!! Amy and I dashed to Primark after class (a discount department store - think H&M/Old Navy/the apparel section of Target with the crowds on Black Friday times seven). I got a bag to use as a carry-on for my excursion to Dublin for 6 pounds! (I am not thinking about dollars anymore...) We rushed back to meet Jeff at the study centre, and then had afternoon tea and some pub food before going to see Jersey Boys. GREAT show!!! The music was so much fun, and the show was so well-paced and entertaining. I still give Avenue Q top marks, but this comes in as a close second so far.
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