Two Football Games and St. Paddy's Day

Two Wednesdays ago (3/14), I went to a Chelsea vs Napoli game with Kelly.  It was so much fun!  I won the tickets at a Chabad event a few weeks ago, and though I had to skip class to go (sorry parents!), it was so worth it!

We started by buying some Chelsea souvenirs: a scarf for Kelly and a scarf and sweatshirt for me.  Then, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Pizza Express.  We missed the kick off, but neither of us was too concerned with seeing it.

I guess since I'm not a big sports person, I didn't realize just how serious they take it here.  We got to our seats late, and everyone was already seated and paying very close attention (we were in a no standing zone, and here in London fans aren't allowed to take their drinks back to their seats).  I thought I was annoying the gentleman next me, 1) because I was American and a girl who didn't really know the sport, and 2) because I felt like I kept poking him with the flag that everyone had at their seats.  But, at the end of the game, which we won, he grabbed me in for a big hug, and then pulled Kelly in, too!

It was a confusing game, since they went into overtime, by about 90 minutes, and we didn't know what was going on.  So, we just assumed that soccer here was played in three, 90 minute sections.  Nope.

Then we went to a pub and chatted.  It was a night to remember!

Kelly and me in our new Chelsea scarves

Then, on that Saturday, a bunch of us went to a Fulham game.  This was also St Paddy's Day, so there was lots of 'fun' to be had!  I found a recipe online that included rum, Bailey's, and maraschino cherry syrup/juice.  Supposedly it tastes like a chocolate covered cherry.  I wasn't able to the cherry stuff, but, since it was St. Paddy's Day, I got the Bailey's.  Ahh the red hair is bringing out the Irish in me.

So we all left for the game in different groups.  I missed kick off and the end.  I really just wasn't into this game.  I guess I'm officially a Chelsea fan!

-B

The Zaritsky's and Gina came to London!

Last week (right after spring break) my parents and sister came to visit!

On Sunday (the 4th)  We went out for dinner, then Mom, Dad and I went on the Jack the Ripper tour.  I never knew that these murders were so gruesome.  How can someone be so cruel, so indifferent?  Then we went for fish and chips and dessert, and let me say that it was some damn good dessert!

On Monday, we toured the Tower of London, which was pretty cool.  We got to see some armor, but most importantly, the crown jewels!  Very cool!

The exterior of the Tower of London

Armor in the Tower of London.

Pam and I posing outside the Tower of London.  ROAR!

We saw a show that night, We Will Rock You.  Dad loved it, and the vocals really were strong and fantastic.  The plot.  Not so much.

Tuesday was their last day :( and since the three of them went to Stonehenge and Bath, we met up for dinner at The Queen's Arms, the pub that is not even a block from my flat.  It was a lovely evening and I was sad to see them go!

Pam, Dad, Mom, and I at The Queen's Arms.

However, I was very grateful for the Girl Scout Cookies, Taskykakes, and various gifts that they brought!

Then, on Wednesday Gina F. came to visit!  She was staying in a hotel with her friend Jess, but we got to see each other a lot.  We met up that night for drinks, then on Thursday for dinner (I saw A Comedy of Errors with class, and Gina got tickets for We Will Rock You).  Her reaction to the show was pretty similar to mine.

I wanted to show Gina and Jess the bar/club that we usually go to, Arch Angel, but Jess unfortunately didn't have her ID with her.  Oh well, we still got to pre-game together!

Gina and me

On Saturday, we met up, with Jess, and Crazy For You.  I love those old time musicals!  And my oh my the dance numbers were awesome!  I got tired just watching them!

Gina left the next day, but I was so happy that she was able to visit!

-B

Last day in Barcelona (Spring Break Day 7)

After a week's worth of traveling, it was time to head home.

But not before checking out the Picasso Museum!  We found the museum in the middle of a bunch of winding, almost like back alley, type streets.  I was a bit disappointed that we couldn't take pictures, and that they weren't featuring any of his most famous pieces.  I guess they are displayed elsewhere in the world.  Though it was cool to see his lesser-known works and sketches, which were just as interesting.

After that, we searched for some paella!  Paella is a traditional Spanish dish consisting of rice, seafood, and spices.  We found a place that had a deal: an individual appetizer, paella, desert, and sangria, all for about 11 euros!  It was a steal.  And it was delicious!

The yummy paella!

On our way to the Picasso Museum, we passed a jewelry store that had some interesting pieces.  After eatting, Kelly, who bought a ring from there earlier in the day, and I went back and I bought a pair of earrings, which I can't stop wearing.

Then we headed to the airport, and headed back to London.

-B

The hot chocolate from the breakfast place we went to everyday.
This was more like a pudding than a drink!

A Day of Gaudí (Spring Break day 6)

On the Friday of Spring Break, we saw (almost) all things Gaudí.

The five of us met up with Lauren and Gina, who were now in Barcelona, at La Segrada Família, a Antoni Gaudí designed church (which we had to pay to get into!).  Gaudí knew that it would not be finished in his lifetime, so he left very detailed instructions on how to complete it.  It is expected to be finished mid-century.  What I want to know is, who decided to finance this project for about 200 years?!

Exterior of La Sagrada Família

Inside La Sagrada Família

Then we walked through the northern part of the city to see the park he designed.  It was so big!  And very centered on architecture (duh! he was an architect), so there was not much greenery.  We climbed a small mountain, and the view was incredible!  We could see the entire city of Barcelona, all the way to the ocean. 

Cory and I over looking the park area.

Cory and I overlooking the park.

After the park, we search for a place to eat, and after finally finding a place that was open, we came across the most rude waiter I have ever met.  

I asked if there was a drink menu, he said, "No, we have the usual.  You know, water, beer, Coke..."  

So I asked, "What kinds of beer?"

"What do you mean what kinds of beer?  We have Barcelona beer."

"OK, how much is that?"  He told me the price, then someone asked how much a Coke was.

His response: "Why do you keep asking the prices?  I went to America and we didn't ask for prices!"

Well, sir, that's because we have drink menus in the U.S. that include prices.  And we are broke college students on a budget.

He was rude and I did not like him.  He also kept telling us that he wasn't going to rip us off, that the people across the way would rip us off, but he wouldn't.  The fact that you keep repeating that makes me question you, but OK...

Then we walked to two houses he designed, Casa Milá and Casa Batlló.  Both are distinctly Gaudí, as they are very fluid and surrealist.  We decided not to pay to go in.  Broke college students, what can I say?

Casa Milá

Casa Batlló

(Hope I didn't mix up the two houses!)

Afterwards we headed back to our hostels for a much needed nap, then went out to dinner.  Gina's friend Paula lives in Barcelona, so we met up with her and she took us to a great tapas place.  We had an egg dish, a bread dish, a seafood platter (that was so salty!  I think they caught the fish right there and just put it on the plate), and chorizo.  I ate some of the chorizo, which is a sausage-type meat.  Sorry, it was my Barcelona Exemption!  There was also this delicious tasting alcoholic drink, and we were told it was a vermouth drink, but I don't think it was.  Maybe there was a language barrier there?

Anyway, after that filling meal, we got some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (they follow me on Twitter!), the called it a night and headed back to the hostel.

-B

Barcelona! (Spring Break Days 4 and 5)

Sorry for the lack of updates!  It's been a pretty busy week.

I haven't even finished blogging about Spring Break, which ended over a week ago...

So the Wednesday of Spring break the five of us were checking out of Paris and saying "Hola" to Barcelona!

The hostel that we stayed at, Hostel One Barcelona, was better than any hostel I had stayed at before.  this one housed maybe 50 people, and was only two floors.  After checkin, the guy who checked us in sat us down, and gave us a 10-20 minute introduction to Barcelona's touristy spots, complete with circling them on a map.  It was very welcoming, and I loved every minute of this hostel.

The rooms had tiled floors, a balcony over looking the street, and a kitchen!

We went for tapas that night, and one of the dishes I ordered was cuttlefish.  The cuttlefish was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen.  It looked it belonged as an extra in Alien vs. Predator.  Terrifying.

The next day Spencer, Kelly, Nicole, and I (Cory wasn't feeling well) went to the beach.  The beach!  First we found this cutesy cafe place, which we ended up going to for breakfast our entire stay in the city, then we hit up the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.  Though not warm enough to swim, or even sun bath, it was nice to just relax and enjoy the warm weather.

Me, Kelly, and Nicole on the Barcelona beach.

After the beach, we headed to an open market to make dinner for the night.  We decided upon salad, shrimp scampi, and rice, as well as wine/sangria of course!  The market was huge, and Kelly and I decided to split some cactus fruit (or maybe it was dragon fruit?).  Either way, its vibrant fuchsia outer skin led us to think the fruit would be flavorful, and it was not.  Womp womp.  Oh well, we tried something new, and that's what counts, right?

A juice stand at the market.

I wasn't able to get any fresh sangria during our second day in Barcelona, so I settled for some grocery store brand.  The most expensive bottle was about 2.50 euros; so cheap!  And they also had boxed wine that would give Franzia a run for its money...

Boxed wine.  Sort of looks like soup cartons.

-B

Versailles, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower (part duex): SB day 3

On Tuesday, all of us ventured out to Versailles.  It was a bit pricey to get in, and I wished there was a guided, not hand-held, tour that was available.  After walking through the building, we explored the grounds outside.  It was a shame that we couldn't be there during the late spring/summer, since the trees and other greenery are probably gorgeous.

The entrance of Versailles in the background

After Versailles, we went to Notre Dame.  Not knowing that the chapel was free, Gina, Nicole, and I paid a few euros to walk to the top of the building.  Lots of stairs, what a view!  The five euros was worth it just to see the gargoyles.  One of them was sticking his tongue out, another was devouring a fish.  Pretty cool stuff.  We could also see the Eiffel Tower way off on the horizon.  Then the three of us went into the chapel.  Once again, I wish there was a guided tour, but I understand that it is a place of worship (though there were tours available at Westminster, just saying....).

A gargoyle on the roof of Notre Dame

A gargoyle on the roof os Notre Dame (he's the one sticking

 his tongue out!)

After that, we got champagne and started drinking outside of Notre Dame, until a police officer came up to us and informed us that there drinking in public was not allowed.  Oops.

Drinking champagne outside of Notre Dame with Gina, 

Nicole, Kelly, and Laura.

Then, because Cory did not see the Eiffel Tower, we went back.  This time, we brought our champagne, and bought some macaroons.  Which, I must add, we had trouble finding.  We wanted to get them from bakeries, and I found that not many places had them (so it seemed).  It was just as magnificent and magical as it was the first time around.

The Lourve, The Pompidou, and the Eiffel Tour: SB Day 2

Bonjour!

Let me fill you in on some Paris adventures...

On Monday, the day after we arrived, the seven of us ventured out to the Lourve.  However, the metro is quite scary in that I feel we had to rush to get in a cart, or else they would close, leaving someone behind.  That actually happened, and Cory didn´t make it onto the metro.  We called and texted him, ubt his phone was not working, and he ended up just going home, and missing the day.  We were all pretty bummed about it, but we continued our day.

First stop: the Lourve.  Can I just say that this is one of the biggest and most confusing buildings I´ve been to, worse than Anderson and Gladfelter at TU.  But oh my goodness, what amazements it holds.  I got to see a lot of the paintings and sculptures I studied in my art history class freshman year, including the Mona Lisa, Nike, and Venus de Milo.

The Mona Lisa, behind a glass case

Nike

Venus de Milo (My, how female beauty has changed!)

Then we headed to the Pompidou, Paris's museum of Modern Art.  At first, I didn't have much interest, but the museum was kind of neat.  There was one exhibit which played a video.  There was a sign outside that said the video would play every eight minutes.  So, Kelly, Laura, Spencer, and I went in just as it ended.  So we waited, thinking the video would immediately replay.  It didn't.  After a few minutes, I started to think maybe we were the art (such as 4:33, or 3:33, or whatever that orchestration piece is where the instruments don't actually play, and the audience becomes the music).

A piece of modern art.

After the museum, we purchased some cheap wine, baguettes, and from a cheese shop, cheese (the woman spoke no English and was the nicest woman in Paris!).  We headed towards the Eiffel Tour around 7ish.  As we came up to the lawn to set up our makeshift picnic, all of us were in awe of the magnificent Eiffel Tower.  So it was night time, and it was lit up, and as I'm in the middle of telling a story, I turn to see the tower sparkle!  What a sight!  After the wine, baguettes, and cheese, we started walking towards the Eiffel Tower.  In my opinion, this is the best way to see it.  Start on the lawn (not close up, as some metro stations will take you).  Drink some wine, look at its beauty, then start walking towards it.  As the distance between yourself and the tower decreases, and as the Eiffel Tower's magical majestic-ness increases, you will want to cry.  It is so beautiful, and totally not overrated.

At the Eiffel Tower, with wine and a baguette!

I was going to update more, but I am just way too tired.

More to come in the next few days!

B

An American Girl in Paris: SB Day 1

I am in Paris!

After the shortest plan ride in the history of the world, we landed in Paris!  However, after the short plane ride, it wasn't so peachy-keen.

There was a fire on the train, so we had to take a bus.  However, after waiting for about an hour and a half, and after paying for our bus ticket, we decided to just take a taxi instead.  It was only a few euros more, and we can use the bus ticket on our way back to the airport on Wednesday.

We checked into the hostel, and all five of us pile into the room, and we're whispering as to not disturb anybody in there, and one of our roomies pops out from his bed and says, "No need to whisper, this is a hostel!"  At first I didn't know what to make of this, but then I realized, as some of us were trying to take a nap, he's jabbering on his phone to various friends about his dinner plans.  Ahh, I get it.  We don't have to whisper when he naps, so he doesn't have to whisper when we nap.  (And if you know me, you know that I don't like to be disturbed when sleeping.)  His name is Carl, and he is from LA but is working here, and has been for about two months, and he lives in a hostel....  Not sure if he is creepy, or just a generally friendly guy.

So we went to get some food, and ended up in a cute little Middle Eastern shop, where everyone got shwarma!  It was delicious.  The woman working spoke hardly any English, so it was quite the challenge.  But, she was very sweet and gave us free chips (aka french fries)!  Then Cory and I got some sweets at a local patisserie, where, surprise surprise, they didn't speak English.  This is going to be quite the culture shock.

The we headed back to the hostel to take a nap.  Some of us want to go to a bar/club tonight, but Carl (dear, sweet Carl) informed us that Sunday is a very chill day here, and most people just drink in the common rooms of the hostel.  He knows best, so we'll probably just end up doing that.

More to come later...

Au revoir!
B

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'!

This is the third day in a row that the weather has be absolutely gorgeous!

On Thursday, I didn't need to be at my internship until 4pm, so I decided to walk around the park a bit with Jenn.  We walked around for about an hour or so, and we found the Peter Pan statue!  Both of us were excited to see that.  Then we happened upon the Princess Diana Memorial, which was water flowing in a circle, almost like the lazy water tube ride at a water park.

That night, my internship had a company come in and do a performance of Two Noble Kinsmen.  Though not the best show I've ever seen, I enjoyed it.  Shakespeare is tough, and I didn't understand the beginning, but the rest of the play was very clear.  I loved the use of music throughout the show and thought that the actors did a great job, especially since some of them had only rehearsed it for three weeks.

Friday I had to be at work at noon, but for some reason I thought I wasn't leaving for work until then.  I was about 20 minutes late, but luckily they understood.  #Oops.

Julie's two friends from home are visiting this weekend, so the three of them plus three of us went to Arch Angel, the local bar/club.  It's a bit of a sleezy/sketchy place, but we had fun nonetheless.

Now I am ready to get some sleep, for I'm heading to Paris in the morning!  Which is only about 4 hours from now...  I should probably get some sleep....

Goodnight!
B

Jenn and I in the park.  What a sunny day!

The Peter Pan statue.  (P.S. I am very aware that my outfit 

looks a bit crazy, but I promise it looked fine in person!)

Greenwich

On Saturday I took a mini day trip to Greenwich with some of the FIE students.

Before the trip even started, I met a Deepher, Katie, from Wisconsin, whose Membership Manager from IHQ (headquarters) is a graduate from my chapter at Temple!  It was really great to meet her, and we talked non-stop about DPhiE related things.  We were even "shush'd" on the boat tour because we were talking to much. #sorryimnotsorry

So we took a boat tour along the Thames River, but as I said I wasn't paying that much attention.  Then we hiked a small mountain (ok, not really a mountain, but it felt like it!) to visit an observatory/planetarium, which was pretty cool.  Then we had the day to ourselves.  A group of us got lunch, then headed back up the mountain to go to the Prime Meridian line.  It cost us 5 pounds to get in!  I can't believe that they would charge, but we decided to pay.  When where we going to have this opportunity again?  So we paid, got our pictures in two hemispheres, then checked out the surrounding area, which included a house-turned-museum about this guy and the progress he made with the telescope and time.  Or maybe that's not what it was about?  Not too sure.

Just as we were leaving, it started to down pour and hail.  My boots got soaked, but there was nothing we could do.  It let up about a few minutes later, and we headed into a market.  It was a cutesy little market, a bunch of nicknacks and food.  I got a churro (so good!) and a pistachio, lemon, and poppy seed vegan cupcake that was tasty and filling.

Then we headed back to our flats, and even thought it was someone's 21st the next day, instead of going out, we spent the night in.

Despite the rain, it was a pretty cool day!

-B

12. Go to Ireland

What happens in Ireland, doesn't stay in Ireland.  It ends up on my blog...

11 of us went to Ireland this past weekend.  Here's a day by day breakdown:

Saturday:  Our flight was at 9:40 in the morning, so I had to wake up at 5:45 in order to get to the airport on time.  The plus side of waking up so early: I could sleep on the plane.

After landing and heading to the hostel, we went out for lunch.  Though the hostel itself was nice, the surrounding area was not.  We asked a local where a good place to get some food is, and he told us to cross the river, s we were probably going to get mugged here (nobody did, but that didn't mean the Jewish mother in me was worried al weekend about it).

So we ate, and then Francisco and I explored the city.  We found a cute little market in a part of the city called Temple Bar (I know, how fitting!), and then met up with the others at the Guinness Brewery.  The price of admission gets you one free pint, so of course we were going to take advantage of that!  I'm not a fan of darker beers, stouts, etc... I enjoyed the pint (but let's be honest, I probably enjoyed it because it was free!).  The 7th floor, the top floor of the building, was the Gravity Bar, and it over looked the entire city.  What a view!

The view from the Gravity Bar

After leaving the brewery and getting dinner, we headed out for a night on the town!  Not sure where to go, but knowing we wanted to hit up the Temple Bar area, we stumbled upon The Porterhouse Bar.  Kelly said that her friend recommended this place, so we headed inside.  The place was packed and by some miracle we were able to find seats at the bar.  This place had over 300 ales, lagers, beers, stouts, everything from all over the world.  Except the ginger beer that I wanted.  No matter, because the beers that they have on tap they make (no Guinness or bands like that).

At the hostel that night, there was a person who was snoring like a truck driver.  Needless to say I was not happy, but I survived.

Kelly and I at the Porterhouse Bar

Sunday: We woke up at the crack of dawn to take a day trip to Glendalough, Wicklow, and Kilkenny.  I couldn't have asked for a better day trip.  The only thing that would have been better was if I didn't fall alseep everytime we were on the bus, since there was a tour guide detailing the history of the country.  Glendalough, meaning Valley between Two Lakes, was one of the locations where P.S. I Love You was shot.  It included two lakes (duh) and a bunch of walking trails. I've never loved nature more.  The view, the smell, and the quiet was something only a city girl could appreciate.  Then we went to Wicklow.  I'm not too sure what this was, or even if it was Wicklow that we went to, but it was just a bunch of rocks.  We weren't sure what it marked, but I think it was for a burial ground.  After that we headed to Kilkenny, which is a city.  However, it is more of a large town, and is only considered a city because it has a city charter from years and years ago.  A lot of the stores were closed, I guess because it was Sunday, but we still enjoyed walking around and getting candy from the candy shop!

The lake and mountains of Glendalough

On the trials at Glendalough

When we got back from the day trip we headed out for dinner and drinks.  We had to settle for a Johnny Rocket's type restaurant, since by the time we decided to eat, the pubs had closed their kitchens.  I was less than impressed with the food and the service.

After dinner, while the others went to a pub, Kelly, Francisco, and I went to The George, a gay bar.  Best night.  There was a drag show, and the talent that the three drag queens had was amazing.  The one had better legs than me!  They performed songs from The Little Mermaid, Cabaret, Kelly Clarkson, and Whitney Housten, to name a few.  Easily the highlight of the trip.  Because the bar closed at 11:30pm, we headed over to The Temple Bar (an actual bar in the Temple Bar area) to meet up with the others.  It was a chill place with live music.  I asked the bartender what were some good things on tap.  He pointed to Guinness, but not in the mood for it and excited to see Smithwick's (pronounced Smittick's), I decided to listen to my Dad's advice and try that.  It was pretty good; nothing special, but worth a half pint.

At The Temple Bar

Francisco and I, who roomed together at the hostel, didn't have any roommate's this night!  No snoring!

Monday:  Kelly, Fransico, Liam, Nicole and I decided to take a free walking tour today while the others ventured out into the city.  Our tour was with Sandeman's, a company that is all over Europe, and our tour guide was Robby, who was fan-frickin-tastic!  He was the #1 tour guide with his company a few months ago.  What was supposed to be a 3 1/2 hour tour turned into a 4 1/2 hour tour, but it didn't feel that long.  During the tour, Robby told us that hundreds of years ago Christchurch Cathedral used to have a bar and a brothel in the building.  An employee of the church just happened to be walking by, and stopped Robby to say that he needs to be respectful because this is still a working church and people use it for worship.  He was just spiting out facts and was not responsible for the actions of the church 400 years ago!  We all got a chuckle out of this.

We also learned that in 1916 (maybe it was 1919? not too sure) Ireland planned a rebellion, and they asked Germany to send them weaponry.  The Germans showed up on time, but the Irish showed up a day late!  They were late to their own rebellion!  So, they staged the attack the next day; 19 people showed up- 10 men and 9 women.  They're equal opportunity rebels.  They lost, but, at least they tried!

Another interesting fact was when they decided to commemorate the Easter Rising (the rebellion that they showed up late for), the IRA, a terrorist organization, successfully blew up Nelson's Pillar.  The government then asked the army to blow up the remaining part of the statue.  The army's explosion caused all the windows the area to shatter.  A terrorist organization was able to blow up exactly what they wanted to, but the army couldn't control the explosion!  That is crazy!

The tour was wonderful, and I'm glad I did it.

After that we walked around a bit, ate lunch, then headed for the airport.

The weekend went by too fast, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

-B

Checked off Two More Shows and Ireland!

1. See at least two shows a month (for a total of seven shows)

       The 39 Steps, The Wizard of Oz, Travelling Light, The Importance of Being EarnestThe Trial, and Lansbury, The Panto Girls
2. Portobello Market
3. Make friends with a Londoner
4. Take the Jack-the-Ripper tour
5. Eat fish and chips
6. Visit the British countryside

        Bath

7. Go to a lecture at Gresham College
8. East End Thrift Store
9. Celebrate the Chinese New Year

10. See the changing of the Guards

11. Volunteer with the Green Gym
12. Go to Ireland
13. Join a club at Imperial College
14. Go to Camdentown

A London Snowpocolypse

I'm sitting in a Kensington Starbucks and I'm about to write a blog; I feel like a posh hipster.

Saturday night I went with Julie Z. to see The Panto Girls at my internship.  We both loved it!  It set backstage and was about these two men who are the Ugly Stepsisters in the panto Cinderella.  An English pantomime is not the same as an American pantomime.  A panto here is a comedy, and though I don't really understand what it is, that's the basic gist of it.  The ending could have been a little clearer/definitive, but it was still good.

Before we left, it started snowing!  Just tiny, little flurries.  But, when we left it had started sticking and the city was becoming a winter wonderland.  They do not handle snow well, and though we only got about  four inches, we were told that the city sometimes shuts down because of it.  (Which is funny, because Temple experiences one of the worst blizzards in the history of ever, and we still have class.  Go figure.)

Luckily, we were still able to get home OK, and instead of going out for the rest of the night, we all stayed in and enjoyed being "snowed in."

-B

The Snow from Saturday.  So pretty!

How the Other Half Gets Their Education

This past Saturday we toured the oh-so-posh Oxford University, which is made up of about 30 or so different colleges.

Aside from having to be ready by 8am (yes, 8 IN THE MORNING ON A SATURDAY), and the weather being bone chillingly cold, I enjoyed the outside tour and the city that is part of the area.

We learned about some of the history of the buildings, the school, and who went there.  The graduation ceremony is conducted entirely in Latin.  There was a grassy area with a tree which was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.  Bill Clinton, as well as numerous Prime Ministers, have attended the school.

We had to end the tour a tad bit early because the cold was too much.  But, we did get to see the Great Hall, which was the inspiration for the dining hall in the Harry Potter movies.  It was much smaller than expected, and the more I stood in there, the more I realized that in its basic form, it was just a cafeteria!  A nice one, but a cafeteria nonetheless.

There was a market that few of us walked around in.  I got a "hot" milkshake at an ice cream shop called Shakespeare's, and it turned out to be just a regular, cold milkshake.

-B

The grassy part that inspired Alice in Wonderland

The Great Hall, aka a cafeteria

Chabad: London Style

Good morning! (Or afternoon if you're on my time)

Last Friday I celebrated Shabbat with the South Kensington Chabad.  There are five Jewish students in my study abroad, but nobody else wanted to go, so I decided to go by myself.

I was coming from work, so I missed the pre-dinner presentation, but made it just in time for the service.

(Note: This was a Unity Shabbat event, so it was not at the Rabbi's house.  It was in a mini hall at Imperial College)

Like I said, I didn't know anybody there, so when I sat down I started talking to the girl next to me, who was from Montana.  Across from me was a guy from Belgium.  There were a lot of people from Paris, a lot of students from the U.S., as well as a sprinkling of people from different countries.

The Rabbi's parents were there, and they both gave a mini lecture/speech.

Tonight is Tu B'Shvat, and I was invited over for the seder.  I have plans at 7, so I'm going to go over a bit earlier to help set up, then head out to East London.

More blogs to come later!

Spring Break is Booked!

I will be traveling to Paris and Barcelona during spring break at the end of February!

I am also going to Ireland on the 11th!  But for the record, RyanAir was extremely difficult to book with.  There was much frustration on my end.

And what I think is funny is my tickets to Dublin and back were over double what I paid to get to Paris, Barcelona, and back.  Maybe it won't be so funny when I actually get the bill...

Night,
B

#9. Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Fourth blog post of the night....

Although the Chinese New Year was last Tuesday, London had their celebration on Sunday.

I went with a few friends, and we stepped off the tube to a cramped Trafalgar Square.  We could here the drums, but couldn't see the parade.

Pushing our way through the crowd, Nichole and I were desperate for some "authentic" Chinese food, so the lot of us stopped at an outdoor, buffet type place (5 pounds for noodles and a sample of 3 side, yes please!).  We stopped and ate on the steps of what seemed like another restaurant, and Liam noticed that the dragon was headed our way!

The dragon eats lettuce, and if a restaurant/establishment hangs a thing of lettuce from the front, he will stop there, eat the lettuce, then spit it back up to the onlookers.  In theory this sounds disgusting, but in reality it was entertaining.  The steps that we camped out on were right in front of one of the places, and then I realized that there was lettuce hanging from our stoop's restaurant!  We had front and center seats to the coolest part of the Chinese New Year celebrations!

Sweet Dreams!
B

The buffet

The dragon about to eat the lettuce.

The dragon in his entirety.

AHHH scary dragon!

Updated the Bucket List

1. See at least two shows a month (for a total of seven shows)
       So far I've seen four shows (three West End, two with my internship) and January isn't even over!  The 39 Steps, The Wizard of Oz, Travelling Light, The Trial, and Lansbury
2. Portobello Market
3. Make friends with a Londoner
4. Take the Jack-the-Ripper tour
5. Eat fish and chips
6. Visit the British countryside
        Bath
7. Go to a lecture at Gresham College
8. East End Thrift Store
9. Celebrate the Chinese New Year
         This past weekend!
10. See the changing of the Guards
11. Volunteer with the Green Gym
12. Go to Ireland
13. Join a club at Imperial College
14. Go to Camdentown

A Bunch of Rocks and a Museum about Cleansing

Went to Stonehenge (I thought it was Stonehedge, oops) and Bath last Saturday.  I enjoyed Stonehenge in that it was a touristy thing to check off, but other than that, it was just a pile of rocks.  We couldn't go into the actual structure, and how many pictures can you take of the same thing?

Then we went to Bath, and pretty much only checked out the Roman Bath Museum.  It was interesting, but I would like to go back to explore more of the town, since it is a cutesy little place.

-B

One Saturday and Two Tours

My adoring followers (aka Mom and Dad),

This past week was an eventful one!

On Wednesday we visited the Olympics site, and let me say I do not think it will be ready in time.  However, I do appreciate that the Olympics Team is making this an eco-friendly, green event.  To get to the stadiums, visitors will need to use the tube, the athletes will walk to their games, and some of the buildings will use rain water for bathrooms and such.

On Saturday I took two free walking tours around the city.  The first was about the history of the buildings and area by the Thames river.  It was interesting and I'm glad I went, though the weather was freezing!  The tour was only supposed to be two hours, but two and a half hours into the tour, we decided to head back.

The guide told us the story of the day the London Eye went up (or rather, the day it didn't go up).  The eye was on its side, and as the cranes were pulling it upright, they got stuck.  Being sponsored by British Airways, the day, when the cranes worked and they were pulling the eye up, Virgin Airways flew a plane in the background with the banner "British Airways Can't Get it Up."

Then I went on a ghost tour later that night.  The group was too big; I wish they had more tour guides, but hey, it was free, so I can't complain too much.  And though I am one who is scared easily, this tour was scardy-cat friendly, and I thought the tour guide/actor was great.  He sand for us and got into character for each of the tales.

One story that stood out was about a nurse at St. Bartholomew Hospital.  This nurse can be seen in the medicine closet pointing to various medicines, unsure what to take.  When she was alive, the nurse accidentally gave the wrong medicine to a patient that killed him.  Upset, she hanged herself in the medicine room.

And on that happy note....
-B

A Smurf along the Thames.  There were other characters there to take pictures with.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral at night

Why There Are No Trash Cans in England

As I walk down the street and finish my hot chocolate, naturally I want to throw it away.  However, there are no trash cans, or bins as I've heard them called, on the streets.  Many of us experience this problem, and we finally have the answer: bombs.  I guess some people were using them as explosive receptacles, so everyone lost the privilege to street bins.

The Easiest Job

Hello!

On Wednesday my class went to Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

While at Parliament, it was told that the representatives who do not swear an oath the the Queen cannot sit in and take part in debates or vote.  So I asked, "What do these people do, if they can't debate and vote?"  The tour guide answered with, "We don't know."

What?!  What do you mean you don't know?  What do they do?  Seems like the easiest job, if you ask me. OK, maybe they don't partake in pressing issues, so I assume they take care of petty issues for their community?

Then we went to Westminster Abbey.  I never knew how much history is associated with the church (I can say this for any building here, actually).  About 3,000 monarchs and influential people are buried there.  In the first televised coronation, the Queen was crowned there.  And, obviously, this past April Kate married Will there!

Parliament

Westminster Abbey

Best, 

B

Portobello Market, or Where I didn't meet Hugh Grant

Well this post is almost a week late.  Bare with me....

Last Saturday a few of us set out for Portobello Market, which is only a few tube stops from our flat.

I always thought Rice's Market in PA was big, but boy was my judgement wrong.  Portobello Market is pretty much never ending.  it just goes on and on.  They have food/vegetable, clothing, antiques, crap that nobody needs....  It was an experience to just walk around.

We all started off the market by getting chocolate covered waffles.  Delicious!  Then sort of meandered around.

I guess I thought there was going to be more to this post, but how much can you truly say about a market without sounding like a crazy cat lady?

I'll leave you with some photos...

The waffle!

Keep Calm and Carry On, and Bansky

Man manning the paella

'nough said

Pretty houses.

-B