What an experience!

I can't believe I'm at home already. Where did the past 6 weeks go? I'm so sorry I neglected posting during my last week in London. We did so much and were so busy, I just couldn't find the time. I promise I will recap my last week in London soon enough and post more pictures.

Now that I'm home, I'm trying to unpack my suitcases (I went shopping A LOT in London!) and get my room organized since I will be living at home this next semester. I'm also working at SnoBiz to make some extra money and trying to find an internship for this fall. Since it's my last semester in college, I'm hoping for a great internship that will point me in the career direction that I want.

Sometime this week I'm also hoping to write a conclusion to my trip and a sort-of "The End" to this part of my blog. I've changed a lot over the past 6 weeks, and I want to try and express that and explain what I've learned. I'm mulling over in my head what I want to say, but I'm not quite ready to put it to paper (or the computer screen) just yet. It will come though, I promise!

I hope everyone has had a fantastic summer so far, and I can't wait to see all of you!

Where did this week go?

Holy cow--it's Thursday already! When did that happen?

Time is flying here, and I can't believe it. I'm so in love with London that I barely have any time to blog here!

I guess I should start with the weekend...

Friday's dinner at DiMario's was absolutely delicious. DiMario's is in Kensington, and Princess Diana would go there with her sons when she lived in the area. There are pictures of her on the walls. The pizza was incredible--very tasty and different from the standard "American" Domino's or Papa John's. It was kind of like St. Louis style thin crust, but not quite that thin. After dinner, we walked around the town and enjoyed the weather.

On Saturday, the girls and I headed to Hyde Park again to enjoy the 80 degree weather. We are in the middle of a heat wave here, and it's incredible. It's nice to have heat without the humidity! Saturday night I went to see Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens with Andy. The show was incredible--the stage was in the middle of the tent, and at times, the actors were suspended from the ceiling to look as though they were actually flying. The acting was great, and the staging of the show was fantastic. The top of the tent was a screen so that when the actors were "flying," their background was London, or Neverland, or something like that. Very cool!

Sunday was another fun day--I went to Kew Gardens with Andy. It is a giant park a little ways south of the city, and it contains several green houses, a conservatory, a "tree top walk way," an aquarium, and other things. We walked around all day, and I saw more plants than I ever knew existed! There was even a carnivorous plant exhibition, and we tried to feed our map to a venus fly trap...it wasn't hungry, though. :) Sunday night I hung out with the girls in our flat--we had a blast!

Monday was another park day--relaxing in Hyde Park is my new favorite thing to do! We bought lunch at the grocery store, rented chairs, and sat near a duck pond and had picnic. After our picnic, we went to the Natural History Museum as part of our class. There were tons of dinosaur fossils, including a triceratops-my favorite! There are many other exhibits in the museum--it is HUGE--but it was crowded and hot (very few buildings here have A/C because the temperature is usually very mild), so we left after spending about an hour and a half looking at all of the dinosaurs. I'd never seen fossils before, so that was an interesting thing to see. I've been so blown away by British history that dates back a few centuries, I can't believe we saw things from millions of years ago! After the museum, the girls went to an Italian restaurant while I met with my teacher for a class I'm taking on the side. After, the girls and I got gelato (delicious!) in Leicester Square then walked to Trafalgar square to watch the sunset. There were so many people there hanging out, enjoying each other's company, and overall having a great time. The night was clear and warm, and the lights on the National Gallery and the fountains in the Square were beautiful. We sat there, eating our gelato, and soaking up as much of London as we could.

Tuesday was back to class...BUT we went to Shakespeare's Globe! Unfortunately it's not the original, but it is built just as his would have been, and we even watched a show-- As You Like It. The show was good, very entertaining, but as it's not one of my more favored plays, I would have preferred something like Twelfth Night or A Midsummer Night's Dream. Oh well--I still saw a Shakespeare show at the Globe! We may try to go back and see Romeo and Juliet, which is also one of my favorites, so I hope we are able to do that. After, we ate dinner at The Anchor, a pub that sits on the spot of the ORIGINAL Globe. The sign said that Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, and others had been to that place. Incredible! Tuesday night, Jenna, Rachel, and I went to Bush Hall to see one of Jenna's favorite singers, Justin Nozuka. It was a great, small venue, and we were SO close to the stage! We also met two girls from Norway, Christine and Annabelle, and we hung out with them all night. After the show, Justin came out and we met him, took pictures, and Jenna got his autograph. He was very nice and friendly!

Last but not least, yesterday we woke up early to attempt to get tickets for Hamlet, starring Jude Law! We got tickets--but they were for STANDING only, in the back of the balcony. Oh well, they were only 10 pounds. Ok-more about that in a minute. After buying tickets, we went shopping for something cute to wear for Jude. haha. H&M was having a giant sale, and we all bought some cute items. For class yesterday, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is only a short walk from our flat. It was a huge museum, I think almost as big as the Natural History Museum that we went to on Monday. There were tons of exhibits, including displays on fashion, sculpture, modern design, theatre, jewelry, Buddhism, and much more. My favorite was the one on medieval Christianity. There were chalices from the 13th and 14th century, items that survived Henry VIII's Reformation in the 16th century, and even relic holders and actual "relics." I'm not sure if the relics are actual saints' bones, but it was still neat to see them right there. Some of the crucifixes on display were the most beautiful I've ever seen. After the museum, the girls and I went out at a Mexican restaurant near the theatre. We have all been craving Mexican food since we got here (apparently, it's not very popular here), and we thought it would be a fun outing before our show. The food was delicious, but not quite the same as back home. The Brits just don't understand salsa and creamy white cheese. On the flip side, my margarita was to die for! :) Ok, now on to Jude. Hamlet was by far, the most incredible play I've seen. Jude Law was amazing as the lead, really capturing the "is he crazy or isn't he?" mentality of Hamlet. The staging, set design, lighting, and costumes were also out of this world. It almost made me miss doing those things back at good ol' SDH! It was a very minimalistic set, but the lighting made it seem like new rooms all of the time. Brilliant. ANNDDD.... after the show, we met Jude Law! Yes, that's right, MET him. Talked to him, took pictures with him, and got his autograph. He was so sweet, nice, and seemed happy to be there. He almost seemed humbled by all of it. Oh, and yes, he is just as gorgeous in person! :) I'll post a few pictures at the bottom of this blog.

Today we're heading to the British Museum, then we're going out tonight for a bit. Tomorrow and Saturday will be busy days--we're seeing Oxford, Stratford, Bath, and Stonghenge! I'm very excited. Since Saturday is the 4th of July (not very celebrated over here--haha), we're going to an "American" themed party with Andy and his friends. A British celebration of the American Independence Day definitely should be a fun time!

Us with Jude Law!!! (Don't worry, he is happy to see us, he was all smiles when were talking to him, but he hardly smiled for anyone's pictures!)

Poster of Jude as Hamlet

Me, Jenna, Rachel, and Amy with our margaritas!

My first full week in London

I can't believe it's been 3 days since I last posted. This week has flown by, and yet it hasn't because each day has brought a new and exciting adventure. Tuesday's Museum of London was great. The museum spans the Roman civilizations in London through to more modern exhibits, with many things to touch/try on/etc. It was great. Also by the museum are remains from the original Londinium Wall, built by the Romans around the original Roman town, Londinium from approximately 50AD. I climbed on top of it and walked along it! My professor almost had a heart attack, but it was nothing compared to a balance beam! :)

Wednesday was a new experience for me--we went to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. While I am not an avid art lover, I did get a lot out of the experience. I saw original portraits of Elizabeth I, Henry the VII, and Shakespeare, all from the 16th century. Incredible. At the National Gallery, I saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers and several paintings from Monet's Waterlilies series. Talk about awe inspiring. I remember grade school art classes where we colored worksheets that were similar to the original paintings. I can't believe I actually got to stand in front of them! The brush strokes and colors and layers of paint are a sight to see. I never understood being "moved" by a painting until I visited the Gallery.

Wednesday night we went to see the musical Chicago, starring Jerry Springer as the lawyer Billy Flynn. I have to admit, I was sceptical of Jerry's singing ability, but he definitely did not disappoint! I had never seen the show on stage before, and it was by far one of my favorite experiences of my trip! We got up early Wednesday morning and went to the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, the only licensed discount ticket booth in London. We got 3RD ROW SEATS for only 30 pounds! (That's about $50). Most tickets at the St. Louis Fox are more than $50, and they are in the very back of the theatre! All I can saw is "wow." I can't wait to see more shows! We're hoping to see Hamlet (with Jude Law as Hamlet), Wicked, and maybe The Lion King.

Yesterday was my favorite class day so far--we went to Westminster Abbey. Originally a Catholic church, and at one time a Benedictine Monastery, the Abbey was changed to an Anglican church in the 16th century by Henry VIII when he separated from the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England. The Abbey is the home of the tombs of Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Henry VII, and my favorite--Poet's Corner, including Chaucer, Dryden, Hardy, and many more. It was an unforgettable experience to see the burial places of some of my favorite writers and memorials to many of my other favorites. Also buried in Westminster are Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Issac Newton, and Darwin.

Thursday night was our first "night out" in London. Our RA, Andy, took us to the Ice Bar, which is a leveled bar where the basement is kept at -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). The whole room is made of ice, and the chairs and tables are also frozen ice structures. With the cover price comes a free drink in your very own ice glass--no kidding, the glasses are really made from ice! We also had to wear blue parka things with gloves and hoods to keep us warm, and you are only allowed inside for 40 minutes at a time. My the end of the 40 minutes, my toes were freezing! It was a bit pricey, but totally worth the money for the experience. We took some great pictures and had a fantastic, memorable time. The rest of the evening consisted of a few more bars, a dance club, and finally a bus ride home. It was a GREAT night out on the town! (And don't worry, we were in a group the whole time, and with Andy, who lives here, so he knows his way around the entire city.)

Today we spent the day lounging in Hyde Park listening to The Killers performing a concert a little ways away from where we were sitting. I read a book, took a nap, and had a gloriously relaxing afternoon. Tonight we're heading to DiMario's for dinner, a famous pizza place that Princess Di frequented when she lived in Kensington. So cool!

I love London!

The past two days have been a blur! This city is incredible--I can't believe all of the stuff I'm seeing. Sunday we took a "Big Bus Tour" around London and saw most of the sites. It was a double decker-open top bus, and we all had a blast! We drove by all of the famous buildings, up fleet street, down Oxford Street, over Tower Bridge, London, Bridge, and Jubilee Bridge! After a quick dinner at a local pub, the rest of the students and I were going to go on a walking tour of London titled the "Ghost Tour," during which the tour guide points out all of the "haunted" places around the city. Well, it turns out the tour was actually just a disguise to get us to spend money at local pubs, so we bailed and gave ourselves our own walking tour. We walked up the Thames River, crossed London Bridge, walked to Big Ben and Parliament, then alongside Westminster Abbey. It was almost dusk, the sky was clear, and the weather was beautiful. It was so awe-inspiring to walk alongside these buildings that have been standing for over 10o years. Then we took the Tube to the Tower of London and watched the sunset from Tower Bridge-the bridge that opens to allow tall ships to go through. It was beautiful, and I hope we get to do it again while we're here. We also successfully navigated the Tube a couple of different times--all by ourselves! It is SO easy to do--STL should definitely look into putting in a public transportation system like that!

Yesterday we went on the boat tour that came with our bus ticket. We sailed down the River Thames to the borough of Greenwich which is the home to the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time, the start of time changes. From this point, 0 degrees latitude, all other latitude lines start. All of the time zones around the world originate at that point. It is also the dividing line between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Also on the on the boat ride, we sailed past Shakespeare's Globe (I can't wait to go there), many old pubs, and the boroughs of The City, Bankside, and Westminster. After, Jenna and I wanted to shop while the rest when back to the flat, so we hopped on the Tube and went to Covent Garden. (This public transportation thing is so EASY!). We walked around, looked in many different stores, tried on some clothes, and bought a few things. It was a blast! On the down side, things here are VERY expensive, especially with the pound-dollar conversion, so I'm going to have to be careful about how much I shop! I'm a sucker for a good deal! Last night we had a pretty casual, easy-going evening. Most of the other students came up to our flat, our RA came up to help us with the fridge, and we all hung out for a couple hours. It was a great, relaxing end to my second full day as a Londoner!

Today we have our first day of class and our first trips to museums. We are going to the Museum of London and the National Portrait Gallery. Those should be interesting. Tomorrow we're going to Westminster Abbey, and I am super psyched for that. So many famous people are buried there--I can't wait!

One last thing-- Last night I posted pictures of our first weekend in London on Photobucket. Check them out! :)

Cheers!

LONDON!!

I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to report that I made it safe and sound to London!  We moved into our flat yesterday, and it's incredible! It's tiny-basically one room with a couch, two sets of bunkbeds, and a wall of kitchen appliances (sink, stove, etc.) but I LOVE it!  We are right in the middle of Kensington, and there are rows of flats and hotels all around us.  We can walk everywhere, and use the Tube to get to anywhere else.  I will post picture as soon as I have more time!

Last night we went on a pub crawl with our RA, Andy.  We took the Tube to Covent Garden and walked around there for a bit.  That is a GREAT part of town with shops, pubs, restaurants, and lots and lots of people!  We went into three pubs, and each was very unique and very interesting.  The first was a traditional English pub, with the wooden bar and mirrors, etc.  The second was more ritzy, half restaurant half bar, with great music.  The third was a giant brewhouse (it kind of reminded me of Trailhead in Old St. Charles, but much much cooler).  We also watched a street performer in Covent Garden, who tied himself up in a straight jacket and chains, then got out of them in only 3 minutes!  It was crazy to watch--I think he had to dislocate his shoulder to get out of the straight jacket!

Today we're doing a bus tour of London and then a scavenger hunt where we have to use the tube to navigate London and take pictures of various landmarks around the city.  I'm really excited!   

Almost to London!

This week has been pretty calm.  On Wednesday, we went to Lincoln for the afternoon.  It is a small, VERY hilly town about an hour from Grantham by train.  Jenna and I toured Lincoln Cathedral while the other girls shopped.  I think it is the most beautiful Cathedral I have ever seen.  It has been around since 1092 AD, but due to fires and other destruction, the church that stands today is from the 14th century.  It is the 3rd largest cathedral in Britain  It was incredible.  Jenna and I also went through a museum that dates the inhabitants of Lincoln to Roman times.  There were artifacts, elephant bones, and even a tree trunk canoe that dates back about 900 years.  It was fascinating and humbling all at the same time.  The museum stood on top of what was once a Roman house; parts of the floor were on display through see-through floor.

The rest of this week has been very relaxing.  Half of our group left today, including my roommate Katie.  They are in London for tonight and their planes leave for STL tomorrow.  I can't believe I'm at the half-way point already.  I honestly don't know where all of the time has gone.  I have seen so much, and cannot wait to see even more!  I have loved my time in Grantham, but I am very ready for the next part of my adventure: London!  We leave in the morning to move to our flats.  We will be living in the South Kensington section of London; from what I've heard, it's a very nice part of the city.  I think Princess Di lived there!  Today I'm doing laundry and packing.  I need to condense everything I have as small as I can--I think we have to take the Tube to get to our flats!  That should definitely be an experience.  I'm not entirely sure what the weekend will hold, but I have full faith that it will be great. 

My next post will be from my flat in London! :)

Here are some photos from Lincoln:

New Favorite City: Cambridge

On Sunday, we went to Cambridge for the day, and it was absolutely incredible.  Getting there, however, was quite the experience!  We have been using a Brit Rail pass to get to these various cities.  It is a great deal only available outside of the UK.  We ordered an 8-day pass, and because they were ordered before June 1, we received a 9th day for free.  Basically, the pass allows for 8 (in our case, 9) days of unlimited travel on the British rail system.  I have come to absolutely love the train system.  It is so easy to get around--well, in most cases!  On Sunday, we arrived at the train station to take a 10:05 train to Stevenage, where we would catch another train to take us to Cambridge.  Well, we get to Stevenage, and we found that there wasn't a train to Cambridge!  Instead, we had to take a train to Letchworth, a bus to Royston, and then a train to Cambridge!  Luckily, it didn't take very long to do all of these, but it was still unexpected.  None of the info about the extra travel was on the website that I used to plan the trip.  It was an experience, and Cambridge was completely worth it!!!

Once we got to Cambridge, we rented bikes to ride for the day.  The city is England's version of  "college town" so there are bike riders and pedestrians everywhere, with a few cars in between.  However, unlike American colleges towns, where there are several universities in a town, but each is kind of segregated to its own part of the city (think Columbia, MO with Mizzou, Stevens, and Columbia College), Cambridge is the city that houses Cambridge University, but the individual colleges within the university (like Maryville's School of Business, School of Health Professions, etc.) are spread out all across the town.  There were people and people on bicycles EVERYWHERE.  By riding bikes, we were able to see so much more of the city than we would have if we were walking.  The architecture was incredible.  The University itself is celebrating its 800th anniversary this year!  I can't imagine going to a school that has been in existence for 800 years.  That more than twice the age of the United States!  Too bad it's so expensive (Dr. Murray said about the cost of Harvard, probably, plus the cost of living in England), or I would transfer there in a heartbeat!

Yesterday, the 15th, we went to York as a class trip.  The architecture of that city was beautiful, but in a different way than Cambridge.  I wish I could describe better all of these different places.  (I'm having some difficulties with my camera, but as soon as I figure it out I will post as many pictures as I can.)  York was originally a Roman city, built in 71 AD when the Roman empire stretched all the way to what is today Great Britain.  We toured York Minster, which is built on top of a medieval cathedral, which is on top of a Norman cathedral, on top of a Roman building.  We were able to go in to the undercroft below the church to see the remains of the original building that has survived from around 600 AD.  Touching the stone that has been there for that long is such an awe-inspiring feeling.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures in the main portion of the undercroft, but I hope the things I saw and touched will stick with me forever.  We also climbed into one of the towers of the Minster--275 steep, narrow, circular steps!  The sky was clear that day, and the view was incredible.  I could see for miles and miles!  I'm not sure how high it was, but it felt like I was on top of the world!

After York, I went with two friends, Mark and Amie, to visit the town of Leeds, only about a half hour train ride from York.  Amie wanted to go to the Corn Exchange, which we thought was a market (sort of) where you can sample and purchase chocolates, wines, cheeses, etc.  Well, it turns out, the Corn Exchange is a giant, beautiful, circular building in the city centre.  Originally, I think it was a type of market, but now it is being renovated to house offices/shops in the top portion, and a restaurant and mini shops in the bottom.  Unfortunately, the top portion is not completed, but we were able to look around the bottom part, which had a fancy restaurant, a cafeteria-styled restaurant, and small "outlet" styled shops that sold breads, cheeses, chocolates, baked goods, and other things.  I bought some cupcakes and chocolates, and they were DELICIOUS!!  For dinner, we ate at "The Hog's Head," like in Harry Potter!  It was a small pub on a side street.  I'm not sure which came first, this pub or the books, but the food was delicious, and it was nice to eat a meal that wasn't cooked in Harlaxton's kitchens! :)  I ordered fish and chips, and it was even yummier than the meal I had in Nottingham two weeks ago.

I always try to write short entries about each place so I'm not posting paragraph upon paragraph, but I can't help it.  Traveling across the country this past weekend was a great experience, and I'm very happy that we  chose to do that instead of going to one place for the whole weekend.  I'm actually getting a sense of the geography of England through all of the train-riding I've been doing (and we all know how terrible at geography I am), and I hope I remember it.  Also, I've come to LOVE public transportation.  I wish the US had a better system.  It makes getting around so much easier and more affordable.

This Saturday we move to London to live for three weeks.  I can't believe my time at Harlaxton is almost over.  I feel like I just arrived!  As much as I love the Manor and the cute town of Grantham, I am definitely ready for a change.  I can't wait to explore the city and everything it has to offer.  The class I'm taking, Museums and Galleries, will hopefully give me a more hands-on insight to both British history and language.  Can't wait!! :)

Touching History

Today we went to Stamford, which is a small country town about an hour or so (by train) from Grantham.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside, and I got to wear shorts! (Finally!)  It was sunny and breezy and fantastic.  

The town had shopping festival/antique fair, but it cost 4 pounds to get in (about $7) so Brooke, Katie, and I opted to walk around the town and explore.  We ended up walking across town to find the Burghley House, the largest and grandest house left from Elizabethan England.  To get to the house, we had to walk through a huge park filled with deer, sheep, and cows.  In fact, the deer on the land have been living and breeding there for over 45o years.  Hunting deer is illegal in England, so there were tons and tons of them.  It would have been a Missouri hunter's dream!

We took a tour of the house, which was furnished and decorated as it would have been in the 18th century.  Even though it was built in the 1500s, it was redecorated to "keep up with the times" in the 17 and 1800s.  The rooms and the furniture were beautiful.  Many of the rooms had floor to ceiling murals that also covered the entire ceiling.   I have never seen anything like that up close.  Unfortunately, taking pictures wasn't allowed, but my friend snuck a few so I'll see if I can post them! :)  If you have seen the movie Pride and Prejudice (the new one that came out in 2005 with Keira Knightly), the outside of the Burghley House and several rooms inside the manor were used for Lady Dubourg's house.  I can't wait to watch the movie again and pick out the rooms I walked through!  Also, the owner of the house in the 1920s was a British Olympian in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.  He won the gold in 400m hurdles in 1928 and the silver in the 4x400m relay in 1932.  The medals were on display, and I almost cried looking at them.  I wish I could have touched them!  In one of the bedrooms was a case containing a pair of gloves that Queen Victoria left when she visited Burghley House in 1844.  Being that close to history was absolutely incredible!  I wish I could have taken only a few pictures!

Tomorrow we head to Cambridge, and we are going to rent bikes and ride around town.  It should definitely be a unique and exciting experience!

Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon

Today we had our 3rd Day Trip.  First we went to Warwick Castle in Warwickshire, about an hour bus ride from Harlaxton Manor.  The English countryside is beautiful, and it is fun to look out the window and see the horses, cows, and sheep, since I don't see much of those at home!  

Warwick Castle was built in the 1100s after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the Norman French nobles took the places of power in England.  The castle was divided into different parts, including a dungeon (which I had to climb down steep, narrow stairs to get into), a house/living quarters, and a display of armor making.  The places were all furnished as they would be in the 1100 and 1200s, and there were even wax mannequins dressed in the appropriate clothing.  The wax people were supplied by Madame Toussand's wax museum in New York.  They were scary real looking, and I was ready for one to start moving.  There was even a horse and a cat in one part, and the horse's tails moved!  It was creepy.  We took some great pictures with the statues, and hopefully I'll have time in the next few days to post them.

I really liked the castle, but at times it seemed as though it had been turned into a theme park/tourist trap.  Although the history had been preserved in a very unique way through the wax figures, it was almost hokey at times.  I've seen three very different castles so far in my travels, and I think I prefer Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Nottingham Castle did not have enough castle but had a great museum and art gallery, and Warwick Castle was borderline touristy.  I think Edinburgh Castle had a great mix of the historical info as well as preserving how the Castle would have really looked 900 years ago.  At Warwick I did not feel as though I was exploring history; I felt like I was at a theme park.  Although, part of that feeling may have stemmed from the 300 or so school children running around on class field trips! :)

After Warwick Castle we took the bus to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birth and burial place.  It was great.  We didn't go into the birth place (which has been turned into a museum) because it cost 11 pounds (a little more than $20), but wondering around the town was great.  We will be going back as part of the class I'm taking in London, and I will be able to see his burial place and his church.  I'm very excited about that.  Dr. Murray went today and scoped it out while the girls and I shopped around, and she said it is very moving.  I can't wait to see it in a few weeks!  We only explored several main streets in Stratford, and I was very amused by the use of Shakespeare-themed stores.  There was an "As You Like It Cafe" and a "Much Ado About Toys" store.  I get a kick out of plays on words like that.  It reminded me of the "Merchant of Venus" store in Disney World!  I hope the next time I'm there I can get away from the touristy/expensive stuff and see more of the town.  

Tomorrow we are going to Stamford, a small town about an hour away from Grantham by train.  There is an outdoor market as well as a real Elizabethan house and gardens.  In fact, the house was used in the most recent Pride and Prejudice movie-it was the location for Lady DuBourg's house.  I am very excited to see that.  We are going with Dr. Murray, and she knows a lot of history about things like that, so it should be very interesting.

One last thing: I've changed my photo sharing website to a Photobucket page.  I've uploaded all of my pictures up until today (including Nottingham, Edinburgh, and London), and the link on the right-hand side of the page will take you to my main Photobucket site.  Hopefully I will have more time tomorrow to post pictures.  If not, I will definitely do it early next week!  

Relaxing a bit...

The past two days have been mostly low key.  We've had class and been doing homework as well as hanging out and relaxing. It's been nice to not be "going going going" for a few days.  This weekend we have 4 day trips planned for 4 days, so it's going to be super busy.  We are going to Warwick Castle, Stamford, Cambridge, and...some place that is escaping me at the moment, but I'll be sure to post it later.

Last night we hit The Goose and the Infernos again.  There was a George Micheal impersonator; he was terrible, but the night was a blast.  We danced and hung out and had an amazing time.  Since I'm not old enough to get into bars in the States, its a great change of pace to really be able to "go out" with friends while I'm here.  I can't wait to turn 21 back home! :)

This morning in class we played a "British word/American word" game.  Dr. Murray gave us an American word or phrase, and we had to come up with the British version.  For example, a cookie is a biscuit, a raincoat is a macintosh, and a baby stroller is a pram.  It was super fun, and my team won!  It also made me think about all of the other things that are different over here.  I don't want to say "weird," because they're not, they are just foreign to me.  Here are some that I've noticed:

--the Accent! (of course)  And they have just as much trouble deciphering our accent as we do with theirs.

--Driving on the left side of the road.  I don't think I will ever get used to this.  It still startles me if I'm not paying attention.

--The ketchup.  It's definitely not Heinz

--Ranch dressing (the white dressing over here is a mix of Cesar and ranch, I think.  It doesn't taste bad, but it is definitely different from home)

--No ice cubes, and drinks are served at room temperature or slightly colder

--Portion size at restaurants is so much smaller.

(I just realized these are mostly food related--oops!)

--No free refills at restaurants.

--The lack of humidity.  I didn't think I would miss it until it's gone.  It's odd to have the sun shining, know it's summer, but not be hot and sticky!

--American DVDs do not work on UK DVD players

--Stoplights.  The yellow light flashes before green light.

--Air conditioning is not common, at least in the castle.  I don't think anywhere in the Manor is air conditioned.  Good thing there's no humidity! :)

--People read EVERYWHERE.  In London on the Tube, everyone was reading a newspaper, a book, or a magazine.

--There are a lot of flags.  There were probably over 300 in London alone.  There are hardly as many flying in the US anymore.

--The clothes sizes are a lot smaller.  They are approximately 1-2 sizes smaller; for example, an American size 10 is a UK size 12 or 14, depending on the store.

--People walk a lot more.  In Edinburgh and London, there were hundreds of people walking everywhere.  There were cars too, but not nearly as many as in the States.

--Speaking of cars, there are few to no trucks or SUVs.  I've seen one truck in Grantham, and it belongs to the University.  I saw only one or two small-ish SUVs in Edinburgh.

--The public transportation ROCKS.  Trains throughout the UK make traveling England so much easier, and the Tube in London is very simple to navigate (once you understand the color coding and the symbols).

This is a very short list; I know there are many more things that I've noticed, but I can't remember them right now.  I'll make a written list and post updates on here as time goes on.

An EVENTFUL Weekend

I feel as though I haven't been on here for a very long time, but it' only been about 4 days!  So much has happened!

Friday we went with class to visit Nottingham, England.  It was about a 45 minute train ride from Grantham, and it was a blast!  The city itself is very modern, and there is a tram that runs through Nottingham.  We toured Nottingham Castle, which is on the top of a huge hill that you have to walk up.  From the bottom of the hill, the castle looks beautiful.  There are flowers and gardens at the base of the hill.  But once you get to the top, you can't tour the actual castle; it has been converted to museum.  I was ok with that, the museum was really cool!  Part of it had clothes you could dress up in, and that was really neat.  We also took the tram to Hucknall, a sort-of suburb of Nottingham.  We wanted to visit the house of Lord Byron, a Romantic-era poet, but the house was very far away and we only had about a half hour.  Instead, we visited a beautiful church, and it turned out that was where he was buried!  I love love love Lord Byron's poetry, so it was really cool to get to see a place like that, so steeped in history, with my very eyes.  I also learned that Nottingham Castle, the original building, was where King John and King Richard the Lionheart had been.  If you know the Robin Hood legend at all, those were two kings in the legend.  It was great!

In the gardens below the castle.

The Castle!

The girls and me at the train station

***

On Saturday morning, we left bright and early for Edinburgh, Scotland.  It was about a 4 1/2 hour train ride, but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.  I slept part of the way, but mostly I looked out of the window.  After a few hours, we went through a town called Berick-upon-Tweed, and it was absolutely beautiful.  This town marks the border between England and Scotland, and it is on the coast.  The land was green, and the ocean (I think it is the North Sea) is so blue.  It is a deep, sparkly, dark blue, and the sun was out so it made it even prettier.  I wanted to get off the train and explore the coast!  About an hour from there, we finally got to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital.  This city had some of the coolest architecture I've ever seen.  The coolest thing about Edinburgh is that it is divided into two parts: New Town and Old Town.  Old Town is primarily located on a huge hill all around Edinburgh Castle, the original fortress in Edinburgh.  These buildings date as far back as the 1100s.  New Town is at the bottom of the hill (and I mean HUGE hill), and it was built around 1791.  It is crazy to me to think that this is their "New" Town, which is over 200 years old, and the USA didn't start that far before it did!  And that is our entire nation's history.  It is incredible.

Saturday we mostly walked around town took tons of pictures.  We ate dinner at a pub and relaxed, that was great. We had some craziness with our hostel (not a good experience, but definitely a meaningful one that I have learned a great lesson from) and ended up staying in a hotel.  We spent most of Saturday night around the"Grassmarket" which is a oddly-shaped cobblestone "square"-sort of, with lots of pubs.  Toward the end of the night, we were talking to the security guard at the pub, and she had a friend who did PR for a club in town.  He offered to take us on a FREE Hummer limo ride around the city and then drop us off at the club!  We got discounted tickets into the club (only 2 pounds!)  When I say club, I mean full out dance club--strobe lights, smoke machines, loud music, and girls in tiny skirts and 6inch stilettos.  Then here comes us Americans, in our hoodies, jeans, and tennis shoes.  It was hilarious.  We danced and had a great time!

Sunday morning, we toured Edinburgh Castle.  It was built in the 12th century, and is a complete fortress.  It was used to house prisoners of war as recent as WWI, and it is the home of the Scottish Crown Jewels.  Unlike Nottingham Castle, we actually got to walk around in the rooms and hallways and dungeons of Edinburgh Castle.  We got to stand in the room where Mary, Queen of Scots, (Elizabeth I's rival who was beheaded by Elizabeth) gave birth to James VI of Scotland, who became King James I of England, the first of the House of Stuart.  I am such a history buff--to be able to stand in this room, in an actual castle, was one of the coolest things I have ever done.  Also on Sunday, we ate lunch at "The Elephant House," the coffee shop where JK Rowling went when she was writing the first Harry Potter books.  She would stare out the window in the back room and look at Edinburgh Castle, and it was her inspiration for Hogwarts!  Since I am a huge HP fan, it was very fun to get to eat at the exact restaurant she went to!  All in all, Scotland is an incredibly fascinating place.  There were also cathedrals and so much more to the city that we didn't even get to explore.  I would go back in a heartbeat!

Katie and Me with a man in full Scottish dress.  After we took this picture, his friend lifted up his kilt, and he flashed us!  Scots really don't wear anything under their kilts!

At The Elephant House!

Edinburgh Castle!

***

On Monday, we woke up REALLY early (5:15AM) and walked a mile to the train station to catch the 7am train to London.  We spent the day visiting various tourist places in London, and I got to see my high school friend, Joe!  He was in London for the past week, and he left today for a month-long tour of Europe with a tourist group.  We have been friends for a long time, and it was great to experience London with him!  It was only a small taste since we only had a few hours, but it was great to get a taste of it before I get to live there!

I want to try and write smaller blogs more often, but the time gets away from me so easily.  I'm also working on finding a photo sight.  My friend suggested a few other photo hosting sites, so I am going to check those out this week.  I can't believe I've only been here a week.  I have already experienced so much, and I cannot wait to see what the remaining 5 weeks have in store for me!

The past few days...

I can't believe I've been here almost a week already!  I have been meaning to blog, it's just so hard to find the time.  Classes have been going really well.  Luckily, Dr. Murray lessened our writing assignments to only 4 page a week instead of 12.  That was awesome.  We still have a lot of reading to do, and I'm a little behind, but I'm going to catch up tonight and then be set.  I'm finally on a pretty regular sleeping schedule, and I'm getting used to the beds.  I'm on the top bunk in our dorm room, so that has definitely been interesting!  I've never slept on bunk beds in my life!  In my last blog I wrote that the hardest thing to get used to was the money, but I'm getting pretty good at using the coin pounds.  Now, the most different thing is the food served at school.  For example, today we had steak and kidney pie.  It was definitely something I'd never had before.  I tried it, but it wasn't the best thing I've ever eaten! haha!  It makes me miss Mom's homemade chicken pot pie-yum!  The mashed potatoes were amazing though!  

Yesterday we took a tour of the entire Manor, and it was absolutely fantastic.  This place is one of the coolest places I've ever been.  I still can't believe I LIVE here!  I'll post more pictures at the bottom of this entry.  Two other students here were telling me ghost stories they had heard about the place, which kind of creeps me out!  And, I was told that the original The Haunting movie was filmed here, but I'm not sure if that's true.  I'll have to look it up and post what I find.  Yesterday I had a meeting with Dr. Murray in the Conservatory (doesn't it make yo think of the board game "Clue"?)  It is absolutely beautiful in there!  There are plants everywhere, the air is crisp and cool, and there is even a small fountain and fish pond!  The glass windows and walls allow for the sun to shine through, and the sky is so blue it doesn't look real.  We have had really great weather here lately, so I hope it continues.  I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow, though, so I shall see!  There is still so much of the ground around Harlaxton Manor that I want to explore.  There is a croquet field, large green fields, a smaller stone structure that we've nicknamed "Rapunzel's Castle" in the back corner, and so many other places.  I also want to explore Grantham and the village of Harlaxton more, so hopefully we can do that next week.

Last night we went out on the town for the first time, and it was a BLAST!  When we got out of the taxi, the place we were going to go, The Inferno, was still getting ready to open, but the owner invited us in and gave us tickets for free champagne AND cards to get into the pub every night without a cover that we can use for the rest of our time in Grantham.  How cool is that?  To pass the time until The Inferno opened, we went to The Goose, a pub across the street.  It was REALLY nice, and the inside was decorated better than most Applebees or Krieger's in the states!  The drinks and food were really reasonably priced, and I was able to have my new favorite drink, a Strongbow, for only 2 pounds (about $3.5o).  The atmosphere was great, and we sat outside in a gated patio area for a while because the weather was beautiful.  The sun doesn't set until 10 or 10:30 here, so you are able to stay outside for longer in the States.  There also isn't humidity, and it isn't buggy, so sitting outside is very enjoyable.  At The Inferno, there was a Freddie Mercury (from Queen) impersonator.  The singer was awful, but the atmosphere of the club was incredible.  There were smoke machines and a big dance floor.  The drinks were pricier than at The Goose, so I chose to use my coupons for free champagne instead.

Today was a pretty easy day.  We had class this morning, and I was able to take a nap this afternoon to catch up on the sleep I missed last night.  Dinner was definitely better than lunch, and then 6 of us planned our trip for this weekend.  We were going to try to go to Dublin, Ireland, to tour the Guinness Brewery, but the traveling we would have to do (planes, trains, and ferries), turned out to be too expensive and time consuming to do within 2 days.  This was kind a bummer, but instead we are going to Edinburgh, Scotland, and are able to stay until Monday because our class is going to London on Monday.  It is going to be a long, exciting weekend!  I cannot wait!  My high school friend, Joe, will be in London on Monday, and we are going to meet and spend the day exploring the sites in London.  I've talked to a few students from other schools here at Harlaxton, and they have all said that both Edinburgh and London are great places to visit!  

I tried to put pictures from my last few days on my Flickr site, but it went over my "monthly picture limit" available for my free account.  I don't want to pay for the extra space, so I'm going to look for another option to post my pictures.  I've been taking so many, and I want to share all of them!  I will post what I'm going to do once I decide.

Tomorrow we are going to Nottingham, where "Robbin Hood" is supposedly from.  We are talking about the legend in class, so it will be cool to see the city.  Also, the city has 250,000 people, so compared to the 30,000 in Grantham, it should be very interesting.  I've also heard there is a huge mall there, so maybe we will get a chance to do some shopping!  I bought a Harlaxton t-shirt yesterday at the "boutique," and I think next week I'm going to by a fleece jacket that is embroidered with "Harlaxton College, England" and the Harlaxton crest on it.  It is really cool and looks warm.  

I need to catch up on some reading, so I'm going to sign off here.  I promise I will try to update more frequently so my entries aren't as long!  Below are some of my favorite photos from the Manor and a few from last night!

Shaun, Jenna, and Me after we got out of the taxi before heading to The Goose.

The lion and me! (outside the Manor)
Monday night at The Bistro

The land in front of the manor, beyond the gates

The building we've nicknamed "Rapunzel Castle"

Carriage House!  I live right behind the door on the right.
Side view of the Manor.  The "refectory," the cafeteria, is in there.

The front of the Carriage House, where the girls live!

Front courtyard

From the bottom of "The Grand Staircase."  Its a two-story circular staircase with this sky image at the top.  All around the staircase and on the banisters are wooden-carved angels.  This picture does not do it justice.

Standing on a wall over looking the land in front of the Manor

This is where I live: Harlaxton Manor!

I'm an international traveler!

All I can think is HOLY COW!  I have experienced more in the past 3 days than I ever thought I could.  I started to write this entry last night, but I was so tired my mind could not string thoughts together, so I'll make up for it with an extra detailed post now.  :)

We left for Atlanta from STL on Sunday at 3:20.  That flight was nice, and there was no turbulence, but I was still nervous because it was my first flight EVER.  It was very sunny, and I looked out the window a lot.  The guy in the seat next to me was nice and talkative, so we also talked part of the way.  We landed in Atlanta around 5 (Atlanta time), and were starving, so after finding the E terminal (that airport is HUGE) a group of us ate dinner at TGI Friday's.  It tasted so great and was nice to be waited on and be with the people in my group.  The layover in the airport lasted until 10, and our plane took off for England at 10:30pm!

That flight was not as bad as I was warned it would be.  The city lights were great, and we flew up the East Coast so there were lots of them.  I think we flew over (or around?) DC, Boston, and parts of Canada.  I tried to sleep (with the help of Tylenol PM), and the plane food also wasn't too bad.  We also flew over Ireland while eating breakfast, so that was really neat to see.  It really is as green as everyone says!  When we landed, it was 12noon English time, but 6 am STL time, so the day was a little disorienting.

After the flight, we caught a bus to make the 3 hour drive to Harlaxton Manor.  It is 3 miles outside of the town of Grantham, which is approximately 75 miles north of London.  We drove past lots of fields and tree-filled areas on our way up here.  It really is the English countryside!  We stopped for a late lunch around 3pm, and guess where it was...McDonald's.  I still can't believe my first official meal in England was McDonald's.  Definitely NOT what I had been expecting!  The food was good, but it did taste a little different from back home.  Someone told me that the Brits use a different type of beef in their burgers, so maybe that's it?  We finally got to Harlaxton around 4pm on Monday, and after 24 hours of traveling, it was so worth it!  Harlaxton Manor is a large manor house, but to me it's more like a castle! (See pictures below).  It has so many hallways and amazing artwork and woodwork.  It is beautiful, and everytime I look around I still can't believe I'm living and going to school here.

 

Last night a group of us girls went to the pub/get together place in the basement of the manor.  It's called "The Bistro," and there are comfy couches, benches, tables, a big tv, and a bar.  I had a "Strongbow," a British beer.  (The legal drinking age is 18 in the UK-I didn't even get carded!) It's a cider, so it was fruity and light, and tasted really good after 2 days of traveling.  After, a few girls and I explored the Manor a little more.  It was kind of creepy at night, and the shadows made areas seem scary.  We found an awesome room with a staircase and lots of wood carvings and a mural on the ceiling.  We went back today and took more pictures, and I can't wait for the tour tonight!

Today we had our first classes, and I think they are going to be challenging but fun.  I'm excited about doing the History of the English Language (my capstone class) and that I'm going to be researching it while in England.  Just thinking about it makes me excited!  After class and lunch, we took the school van to Grantham, the town about 3 miles away.  It's small and quaint, just how you would imagine a British town to be!  There were lots of shops, and Katie and I wondered around looking at things, taking pictures, and browsing at the different stores.  I bought a Diet Coke (it tastes the same-yum)--it was my first since the small cup of soda I had on the plane to Atlanta--and it was great.  I think my caffeine addiction is going to be one of the hardest things because our cafeteria doesn't have a soda fountain, haha!  There is a soda machine, but I'm trying to save my money for more worthwhile things, like a trip to Ireland! :)

So far, the most different part is definitely the money.  The 5 and 10 pound bills aren't too bad, but the one 1 and 2 pound coins are confusing since I'm not used to having coin dollars.  The pence are similar to US pennies, but there are 1, 5, and 50 pence coins.  I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, and I'm already getting better at doing the pound-dollar conversion in my head.

We have a class trip to Nottingham on Friday, so that should be super fun, and as I mentioned earlier, I think we are going to plan a trip to Ireland for the weekend.  We still have to work out the details for that, though.

I have to go to homework now before dinner, and then we have a complete tour of the manor after, so I will probably take a lot more pictures.  I've posted some on my Flickr, so check that to view them (in the links on the right hand side of the page).  Here are some of my favorite that I took yesterday:

Katie and Me in front of the Manor!!  We're finally here!

Harlaxton Manor and Me:

Just the Manor: 

 Close up:

It all starts tomorrow!

It is Saturday night, and I am so so so excited to say that I leave TOMORROW!  I cannot believe the past months have gone by so quickly.  I feel as though I have been looking forward to this trip for forever, and now that it is here, it doesn't seem real.  I have my suitcase packed (and boy is it heavy!), my carry-on ready to go, and my passport in my purse.  I am ready to go!  I'm sure I will be in a frenzy tomorrow before we leave, but I'll worry about that tomorrow. :)

I had a great day today with Miss Lindsay and her family--her house is like my second home.  It was absolutely wonderful to spend some quality time at her house, laying out (what we do best in the summertime!) before my crazy 12 hours of traveling tomorrow.  The only thing I am worried about is the flight as I've never flown before.  I'm grateful for the short flight to Atlanta so that I can get used to the whole "flying thing" before the 8 hour trip to London.  I'm excited for my window seats!

I suppose that is all for now...not much exciting has happened yet!  I will hopefully be able to write about the trip on Monday night (afternoon in the states, I will be 6 hours ahead of central standard time) from my room at Harlaxton and maybe be able to post some pictures from the journey.  Until then! :)

P.S. To check out the school where I'll be staying for the first 3 weeks (June 1-20), Click Here!