Parisss!

Day One
This morning was a rough one to wake up. Megan M, Desiree, and I (Caity was meeting us in Paris) needed to be at St. Pancras at 8 am to meet the Arcadia staff, which meant leaving at about 7 am. Once we got to the station we needed to wait to take the 940 train to Paris. The trip with Arcadia includes two nights at a hotel, 2 day museum pass, 3 day metro card, and a bus tour when we arrived. The bus tour was interesting but quite long. I was exhausted and sick so I wanted to sleep pretty badly. When we go to the hotel we decided it would be best to go right back out to the Louvre and see that before we headed home for an early night. The Louvre is a huge museum housing all of the great works. Tonight we saw a lot of cool sculptures and a few paintings on our way to see the Mona Lisa, who is not impressive at all. I planned to go back during the weekend to finish seeing everything I didn't get to. We ended up going to bed around 1130 because we were so exhausted. I know I passed right out.

Day Two
The buffet breakfast at the hotel was to die for and filled us up with carbs for a while. They had breads and croissants like crazy, as well as yogurts and applesauce. We needed to energy for the busy day we were going to have. First we headed to Notre Dame and saw the Crypt, which was a lot like the Roman Baths. We went inside Notre Dame and I was amazed at its enormous size. The windows were so beautiful and there were a lot of nooks/mini chapels for people to pray in. Truly beautiful. I looked for Quazzimoto but never saw him. We decided to walk along the Seine and go into souvenir shops and look at some of the art work for sale. I bought some souvenirs for people as well as an oil painting of the Eiffel Tower for myself. Next we headed to Museé D'Orsay. We saw a lot of pre-impressionism, impressionist, and post impressionism pieces like Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and many more. For lunch we decided to get some authentic French Crepes...I had ham and Cheddar cheese. However, it did not even come close to the deliciousness that is Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT :) . After eating we went to the Arc de Triomphe where our passes let us climb to the top and take in the view, which was needed since the walk up the stairs practically killed us. We then headed up to Moulin Rouge to see the theatre, which was gorgeous lit up at night. From Moulin Rouge we headed to the final stop of the evening which was the Eiffel Tower. It is lit up blue with 12 yellow stars to symbolize the EU flag. Once I got there I knew that even though the view of Paris would be no different than on the Arc, I had to go up to the top of the Eiffel. After a few photo ops and awing at its gigantic size we headed for a classy French dinner. I spent € 35, however it was sooo worth it. I got pasta with a sweet cream sauce paired with scallops and king prawns (which came on a skewer head and all). For dessert I got a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I wish I could eat it again, it was that good.

Day Three

We had another early morning to make sure we finished seeing London today. Megan M and I went to the Eiffel Tower to go to the top. It was only € 12 which isn't bad for an elevator lift and a magnificent view. After taking pictures and realize how many pieces my camera would smash into/people it would kill if I dropped it, we headed down to go to the Louvre. Once we got there Megan and I split up and went around for an hour....I ran the whole way. I weaved in and out of crowds to ensure I saw the everything on my list I made. I kept getting distracted but needed to persevere in order to see it all. I didn't see exactly everything I had hoped, but I saw a lot more than on Friday night. After the museum we sped to the hotel where we met Desiree and Caity to head to the train. Caity was leaving on the train before ours, so we headed to get a baguette and dessert crepe..nutella crepe (sounds delicious and I LOVE nutella...but it was sooo rich and sickening, which didn't stop me from finishing it). When we arrived in London I realized I was going home to be in my room in New Cross and would remain there for longer than a few hours of sleep. It was an amazing feeling.

ROMAAAA!

Day One

We left at 4 am to head to the coach park at Victoria station. After a long day at Stonehenge the day before I was exhausted. We headed from Victoria to Stansted which took an hour. However, it must have been shorter since our crazy bus driver was going frighteningly fast. It was wet and I think he thought we were on a party bus. He was playing some Rihanna/top 40 station and had the blue tube lights on the whole time. After we checked in at the airport and Caity got her bag searched for small container of toothpaste not being in a separate plastic bag, we hung out waiting for our flight. I almost puked about 5 times. I figured I was sick from the day before but I realized I was nervousss! I dont usually get nervous but I did that day. At take off I gripped the seat in fear. So weird, especially since I love roller coasters. I tried to sleep the whole flight and managed to for a bit. When we landed in Rome it was gorgeous! There was real sun, like we see in the summer. I practically broke a sweat. After hopping a bus to the train station we found our hostel and checked into our six person private room. I should probably introduce my traveling buddies: Tom, Nick, Desiree, Caity, Megan, and myself. For our first day we explored Rome a bit and hung outside the Colloseum. However, I was startled when informed zombies were headed my way. I am still not exactly sure what the deal was but it freaked me out. They didn't stop if you or anything was in there way. After seeing the zombies we walked to the Trevi Fountain to meet up with my flat. This was the one night we were going to be in Rome at the same time. So we met up and hung out for a bit before I headed to dinner with my friends. I unfortunately wasn't hungry at this restaurant and I regret that. The menu was a book and the food smelled amazing! I toured my way through Rome via food. After dinner we went back to the hostel to get much needed sleepppp.

Day Two

We had a touristy day on Monday. We bought the Roma Pass which included free admission to two museums/sites and a three day travel card all for € 20. We decided to hit up the Colloseum, Palatino, and Roman Forum all for one admission. The Colloseum was gorgeous and surreal on the inside. To be walking around in a place filled with such history was extremely weird, but then again I felt like that throughout Rome. The Colloseum looked the same, yet different from all the different angles walking around. The Pope speaks every Good Friday at the Colloseum which is really cool. Tom attempted to listen in on a tour and got scolded which doesn't make sense because when he got in trouble he wasnt even listening. He was genuinely standing with us looking around. I also don't understand why you couldn't listen. The tour is walking around the same space as you are. You can't wear earplugsss. After lunch we headed to the Palatino and Roman Forum which had a ton of ruins. Walking around we got a ton of different views of the city. In one area it looked straight out of a movie set. It was just incredible. That night we went to a Pub Crawl for € 20. It included a ton of free booze and entrance to 3 pubs/bars and a club. It was a crazy night with a lot of funny memories and a sick t-shirt (I came I saw I crawled). After an interesting trip home (ie two hours and two buses) we passed out at 5 am.

Day Three

After a rough evening last night, 930 came veryyy early. After finally getting to breakfast before it closed and out of the hostel at lock out hours, we all sluggishly headed to Galleria Borghese. The art museum housed paints and sculptures from the 16th and 17th centuries. My favorite piece was a statue by Bernini of Apollo and Daphne. The statue depicts the myth of Daphne being turned into a laurel tree after Apollo has confessed his love to her. It is a sculpture of a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The museum was a perfect size. We could complete it in a few hours and not be more exhausted than we already were or getting bored. We walked around the Villa Borghese, but the day was rainy so it wasn't much fun being outside. We headed home around five after trying to find canolis and being forced into a cafeteria style cafe while it downpoured. At the hostel we napped for a bit and met up with Megan F. & her friend who is studying in Prague for dinner nearby. The restaurant was called Mama Angela's and had some delicious food. I order Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with a butter and sage sauce. Mhmmmmm.

Day Four

This morning we woke up bright and early to head to the Vatican. When we arrived we saw a security line, so we assumed this was to get into the museum/Vatican City. However, we soon found out the Pope was speaking later that morning...no big deal. We decided to go to the museum and to see the Sistine Chapel for a few hours while we waited to see the Pope. Every inch of the ceilings walking to the Sistine Chapel were painted with beautiful depictions of events and stories. The Sistine Chapel was even more breathtaking. One wall was The Last Judgement and depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. The side walls depict The Life of Christ and the Life of Moses. The ceiling contains stories from Genesis, ancestors of Christ, and prophets. Being in the room was surreal, especially seeing famous paintings in real life, such as Adam and God. I still can't believe I was there. After the Sistine Chapel we headed back to St. Peter's Square to find a spot to see the pope. He spoke and gave blessings to the countries and families represented. Again it was another surreal experience, even for someone who isn't Catholic. By this time we were all starving so we headed to a cafe for a leisurely lunch before heading off to see the Pantheon. The Pantheon was a really cool building with a giant hole in the dome ceiling. When it rains the water pours in and empties out through the drains all over the floor. It would've been so cool to see during the rain. Nick left around four and we picked up Deanna and Chris at about the same time; a trade off. For dinner we decided to go somewhere fancy for our last meal. Choosing a place close to our hostel we thought we were in a for a treat. However, the waiters didn't seem to think a group of 9, twenty-somethings were their idea of a good evening. Placing us in a room with 2 other parties when the restaurant was empty and watching our every move were the first bad vibes we got. The American couple dining didn't acknowledge we existed, and an Italian woman sat and watched us for about 20 minutes after she had finished. When we ordered the waiter was in shock we wanted a pasta course and that's all. "So you don't want all 5 courses?" After eating in silence in fear to speak, we got the check. Lucky for us they charged for bread and the refill they brought us (€ 10) and another € 1o for service. How nice of them. Let's just say we got out of there really fast.

Day Five

Realizing today was our last day we did our best to pick up some souveniers. I bought a few things for people, and never got anything for myself. I decided to make up for it in Paris. After a long flight home with more Ryan Air theme songs and pushers for flight attendants we got home in London and headed to New Cross. Once I was home and ready to pass out, I needed to pack for Paris. On top of being exhausted I had caught a second round of Fresher's Flu...not fun.

GELATO TALLY

- mango & nutella

- biscotti

- tiramisu

-raspberry & fudge

Stonehenge & Bath

Halloween was a midly uneventful evening, which was disappointing. I am so used to having a crazy halloween night getting dressed up and partying in the 3's after a crazy time at the dance. This year we got dressed up and drank a bit before heading to TigerTiger. After finally getting there, I wasn't even allowed in because I didn't have a valid ID without the word student on it (i.e. my passport). This has happened a few times to me. I go somewhere and they won't accept my ISIC card or my permit. Okay, I know its my own fault for not having a license, but I'm also not going to carry my passport out into central london where bad things could happen to it, especially at a busy club. After ending the night at a casual pub I went home and slept since I had Stonehenge & Bath in the morning.

We met at the Arcadia office in Notting Hill at 830. The whole morning, which turned into the whole day, I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't figure it out. After sucking up my nausea we boarded the bus to Stonehenge. I personally slept the whole, with Alex using my shoulder as a pillow haha. It was uneventful once we got there. It was exactly as the Brits describe it :'a pile of rocks'. We had 40 minutes to spend there so we made the rounds around the perimeter taking lots of funny/goofy pictures. However, none of them turned out decent. After Stonehenge, we got back on the bus to go to Bath. Once we got there we had 3 hours to kill. First we got some lunch then decided to go to the Roman Baths. It was £9 to get in but ended up being worth it. We got a free audioguide and we spent almost two hours inside. I chose to listen to the children's version of the auidoguide most of the way. It kept my attention better, was short and sweet, and had a few fun quizzes on it. Inside we saw the hot baths where Romans used to come and bathe/sweat. The whole place was made of stone and had a lot of ruins of temples. The water is warmed through the heat below the ground, much like hot springs. After we walked around we were treated with a glass of spa water...it tasted like pennies. I think it made me sicker. After we got back to London I went home and frantically packed for ROMAAAAAA!

White Cliffs of Dover

On 10/25 nine of us went to Dover in Kent. We had to get up and meet by 710 to head to the coach station in town to catch the bus to Dover. It was a 2 ½ hour drive but I slept almost the whole way. We got there and had 10 hours to spend. We had no idea where anything was or what we were doing, other than seeing the White Cliffs. One of my friends/planner of the trip told us about this 6 quid boat tour so we headed toward the beach, where we took some pictures and I stole a rock off the ‘sand’ (which was all rocks) as a keepsake. We bought tickets for the Southern Queen, our trusty vessel. There were 5 other people on the tour we got, so we decided it wasn’t tourist season. The boat tour was about 40 minutes and it let us get an ocean view of the cliffs. We could see the coast of France in the distance, since its less than 30 miles away. After the boat tour we went to a pub we had seen that was very cheap. We all got some drinks, pear cider for me, and then some food. Since it had been a while since we ate, it was now 1 o’clock, we all started to feel the drinks and got the tingly feeling.


After lunch we headed for the Cliffs. We climbed a steep hill and then a steep set of stairs, where we were met with a ticket man. We didn’t want to pay to see the Castle, just walk around on the Cliffs. He told us to walk up the road and it would become a narrow, winding country road. He explained it would take about 40 minutes since we didn’t have a car. We began walking up the regular road and saw some beautiful views. However, the narrow country road was exactly that; a very narrow and very windy road. We walked on the shoulder but I thought we were going to die. Eventually someone suggested for the second time we walk on the footpath on the other side of the brush, I suggested it the first time and no one wanted to listen.


The footpath was fine and followed the road, but all of a sudden turned into woods. We risked it and continued. We kept trying to locate the road again so we could follow that. Eventually we heard it and continued risking our lives on it. Way past 40 minutes we made it to the top! It was a gorgeous sight. You could see France a little clearer, but it was still foggy; the English Channel and all of the boats coming in to the port, which is the busiest in England because of its location. We were on top of the white masses we saw on the boat cruise. There were footpaths to walk around so I went off exploring to find a place to get close to the rock and take some pictures. I walked and walked and finally found some places to take pictures. I wanted to go down to the next ‘level’ of footpaths but it was too steep to climb down, trust me I tried to do it. It was serene and beautiful, even though the voice of a woman talking about security at the port kept coming over the loudspeaker. Caity took out a piece of paper on which we wrote the poem ‘Dover Beach’ and we all took turns saying a line from it. It was very cute. We decided to walk down before it got dark so we wouldn’t have an even greater risk of dying. However, we then found a staircase which led right down into town. I still have no idea why the people we asked for directions from didn’t say go here and take the staircase. It led us down to the port where there were some houses, one of which was Matthew Arnold, who wrote the poem ‘Dover Beach’. We walked back into town and ended up having dinner at the same pub we went to for lunch. There were some cougars in the pub, which is a slang term for a woman after 35 who dress sexually to get attention from men, especially younger men. Their table was full of bottles and glasses already and it was only 7 at the latest. We watched them for a while and men coming up and flirting with them, and allowed the woman to sit on their laps. It was pretty funny because they were all sloppy drunk. Our bus left at 830 and I passed out yet again on the way home. I was exhausted after the amazing day we had.

a very crazy, expensive week of my life.

On Saturday (10/18) I went to see Wicked with Brittany and Alex. It was amazing! Our seats were in the balcony but we had a perfect view of everything. The storyline was great with so many twists and turns. The actresses were awesome and had wonderful voices. I was high on life after this..how could I not be since it's about the Wizard of Oz of course. We went into Convent Garden after and Alex showed us this cool brewery called the Porter House. She told us to order a fruit beer, which was from Belgium. I order Mango and it was sooo delicious. It tastes nothing like beer, which suits me perfectly. After our beers we tried to find a place to have dinner, all of which were super packed. We ended up at Fridays of all places. We got drinks, an appetizer platter to share, and a brownie obsession for dessert. So perfect. On Sunday I had a low key day of trying to write a paper for one of my classes. That night we went out to dinner at Pizza Express on these wonderful inventions called two for one coupons. We got four different meals for a total of 7.50 per person. So cheap!

During this week I was very adiment on getting my paper finished so I worked on that a lot. Wednesday night everyone was heading to their theatre class and told me they had an extra ticket if I wanted it, so I got to see 'Now or Later' for free. It was a really great play about a hypothetical presidental candidate's son and his battles. An added bonus to the night was Keanu Reeves sat two rows in front of us. We attempted to take pictures of him, but it didn't go so well. After when we were all finding each other he came about two feet away and I got very excited. Its not because he's an amazing actor, rather he is just a famous person...a very attractive one too.

Thursday I didn't have any classes so I was able to venture into town. I bought a standing seat for 5 quid to Oedipus at the National Theatre starring Ralph Finnes! I'm sooo excited! After buying my ticket I walked along the river and saw this graffiti heaven/skate park. It was so cool with all of the colors and layers of pictures on every inch of the place. I managed to get some very cool photos. I headed to the National Portrait Gallery after and was able to check that out for a little bit. I saw the Annie Leibovitz exhibit which was fascinating because it had famous portraits she did but also some of her family and their private lives. I started the Tudors section but I was getting tired so I decided to head home and relax before the show. I got to the theatre a bit early. Having standing seats I decided to sit down against the wall in the back to give my legs a rest from the walking I did and get ready for a two hour show. However, I was scolded for sitting on the ground and told I had to stand. This put me in a bad mood because they were just being rude and crazy. The show itself was amazing, and Ralph Finnes did an awesome job. It was very powerful especially towards the end. I won't ruin the play for anyone who might read it later in life, but if you are familiar you know what I'm talking about. It was raining when I went to go home and I had to find my way back to Waterloo. Luckily I found it and was safe and sound.

Friday I had yet another day off so I decided to head into the Natural History Musuem to finish it. The second day wasn't as exciting as the first time. I think its because I had seent he best exhibits on day one. It was still pretty cool but there were also lots of young kids and their parents giving me dirty looks for doing the interactive stations. "What is that creepy girl doing here by herself?" I can only imagine the though process. I tried so hard to start the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is a lot of fashions, textures, sculptures, etc, but I was too knackered out. I just wanted to be home in my bed. I had an exciting day Saturday to prepare for...Dover!

shopping is becoming a problem

On Friday I went to Camden Market. It was an interesting place and a must see. However, it was not at all what I expected. The markets I've been too have been a mix and blend of food, produce, clothes and other random things. The best thing to compare them to are flea markets, but very very busy. I strolled through a lot of shops and stores selling very similar things, especially souvenirs. I have seen a few things to buy people, except I don't want to be uber cheesy buying everyone something with the Union Jack or tube map on it. Walking into the market place you're overwhelmed with booths selling practically the same items. I wanted to haggle SOOOO bad but I was a chicken. After walking through a million clothing stores I finally bought this beige/gold dress with a cute bow and string of 'pearls' on it. Tre chic! I am waiting for the moment to wear it out; perhaps I'll save it for a romantic dinner with Parid in London or for a fabulous night out during my excursions across Europe. Also I got the best deal ever on scarves, 3 for £5. All of the other people were selling 1 for £5 or 2 for £5. I'm happy about it. I then took the tube to Tottenham Court Road which is close to where our orientation was. I ate at this shop called 'Eat.' That's the name just 'Eat.' with a period. I bought a baguette with tomato, basil, and brie. SOOOOO DELICIOUS and cheap as well. I believe it was only £2.10. I walked to Oxford Street again to catch the bus which was impossible because I couldn't remember the stop. Finally I found it but it took 3 buses to get home. Each bus would stop after 5 or 10 minutes and terminate. The last one was one stop away from school and decided it would end there. I walked the rest of the way. Also I only paid for one bus, don't tell anyone though ;) . We went out to Hobgoblin for Bari's birthday and met a wonderful drunk man from Australia. He had dirty dirty long hair. He then attempted to jump into Tom's story by saying 'then she tried to grab your balls and you let her?' This then led to a good 10 minutes of Tom making up malarkey just to appease this guy's sexual appetite of slutty American girls. He went to buy Tom a drink and never returned.

Saturday Brittany, Tom, Jack, and I went to Greenwich, which is gorgeousss! It has a spectacular view of the city, free museum exhibits, a market, park, and is right along the Thames. We spent the whole day walking around markets and being outside on yet another beautiful day. We bought some arancini which ended up not being very good. I was disappointed. We headed back home and had a casual night when Jack said the three of us (Brittany, her, and I) should go to the Hobgoblin to just chill. So we spent a relaxing night bonding and such, regaling each other with hilarious stories.

Sunday per usual was lazy lazy lazy which consisted of me watching some movies and lounging. I read for my class but that was about it. This week I didn't do a whole lot other than be unproductive. I had my first tutorial for Psychology & Law on Wednesday afternoon. Now I need to write a paper about the 'psychological factors which cause wrongful conviction.' Its kind of a difficult topic to research only because I'm not sure how to write a paper here. I'm very intimidated by the style and what they would expect from me. Fun fact: My professor from this class is pretty well published in his field. I was informed that if he wasn't in my references I had a problem.

Today (10/17) I went to London with Alex and Brittany. We headed to Fortnum & Mason to go to a free chocolate sampling for Chocolate Week. Then Alex and I went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. It was awesome with tons of shops and cafes/restaurants. We headed to this place called Gail's. I got a mango, lettuce, and mozzerela salad of sorts. It had a sweet vingerette and was soo delicious, especially because you wouldn't think the flavors would go together. After snacking we went to the markets and shops. I bought this amazinggg jacket for £60, I know very expensive. It is 50 or 60 years old and from Pakistan. The wives would make jackets for their husbands who were nomads. The one I bought is this purple color with lots of embroidery and detailing. Again, tre chic! We headed to Leicester Sq to check out Wicked ticket prices, which were £42.50 for the matinee on Saturday so we went ahead and bought them. The seats aren't terrible but it'll be good anyway. I am so excited for it. After going broke 4 times over I decided to lay low for the night and most of tomorrow until the show. No more shopping... for a while ;) .

I'm going to Rome!

Another week has practically come and gone since I've posted anything new. Where to begin?!



Monday I had a relaxing morning because I don't have class until 1p.m. This class made me really nervous at first, but now its becoming more and more interesting. I'm learning about neoliberalism & Foucault. Its also a lot about self-recognition and subjectification. The lecture was based on a quote: a fiction that functions in truth." When we get into more of it I'll let you know exactly what that means. After class & the seminar I was able to hang out and relax for a while. I started getting very into the planning of trips. After about an hour at my computer looking for the best deals, I discovered a trip to Rome for about 110 GBP. Amazing, I know. I sent an email to people to have decisions by the next day and we'd book it.

On Tuesday I had class, but it was cancelled so I had the whole day to myself. Except I didn't seize the day very well. I got back into bed and watched 'Almost Famous'. I had a meeting at 230 with an Arcadia Representative. After I headed to Iceland (basically a frozen food mecca with most things under 2 GBP) to buy frozen pizza. A few people were coming over before Pub Quiz to make final plans. Five of us are officially going to Rome for 5 days and 4 nights. We booked the plane tickets (which were about 53 GBP a person) and the hostel (which is under $80 USD each for the whole stay). We estimated the trip would end up being about $220 USD per person without food/admission involved. I think thats amazing for that amount of time. This trip is Nov. 2-6, a day after I go to Stonehenge and Bath, and I come back from Rome the night before I go to Paris for the weekend. Oye vey! Pub Quiz was fun. Since we were the worst last time we decided to embrace our lack of knowledge and called ourselves 'The Sophisticated Suckers'. After one round I proceeded to write "have pity on us, we're American" on the top of the page. However, this week I did pretty well supplying answers, especially in the music round.

Wednesday I had my psychology & law class. This is my favorite psychology class I'm taking here. Its so interesting learning about the basics of the UK government and miscarriages of justice. I have a tutorial next week where we'll discuss the psychological factors involved. After class I had to do laundry which took forever and is so expensive. I thought someone stole my clothes but I located them finally. The dryer didn't do a good job drying them so I hung them all over my room and flat. People were able to recognize my clothes from across the way thanks to my tie dye sweatshirt. We went to Club Sandwich, again. Somehow I became quite intoxicated and had a rough wakeup call this morning (Thursday)

Today I practically fell asleep in my class and wanted to die the whole time. This lecturer was terrible. Neuropsychology is starting out a bit like physio so lets hope that changes soon so I learn some other stuff. For the rest of the day I kind of just hung around and was lazy thanks to my hangover. I needed to save my energy for my day alone tomorrow anyways :). Alex's mom came in tonight and she's so nice. Its cute to have a mom in the flat. We had cake and ice cream for her birthday, then after she, Alex, Brittany, and I all talked for a while.