London holiday

Goodbye Brighton

2008-06-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

My stay in Brightontown is almost over! I am now sufficiently sick of fried fish and beer but I have to say that chips have now become a part of my regular diet. I never went for them back home but for some reason I crave having them at least twice a week. It could be because they come with everything here...Even at Chinese restaurants! I will be sad to leave though and can't believe this year has flown by so quickly...

Anywho, it has been quite awhile since my last update! These are from the past few months and include pictures from around town and some of my last trips. Nicky visited at the end of March when I was on Easter Holiday and we did a fabulous job going through London and Brighton...Unfortunately, I can only post some of the Brighton pictures.

The first picture has the new pier in the background and the second has the old one which burned down. It would be really costly to take down the remnants of the old one so they haven't yet.

These are only a few pictures but over the course of the trip Nicky had his tarot cards read in the Salvador Dali museum, found a fur stole for 15pounds, saw the Sound of Music in Piccadilly Square, ate a Sunday Roast, fish and chips, Chinatown, Indian in Brick Lane...

And then shortly after Nicky flew home, it decided to snow! I was hoping for summer to reach Brighton before I left and seeing snow in April wasn't a good sign...It hailed, rained and moaned for about a week but when I woke up one morning to huge flake I decided to walk to the beach and take some pictures.

All the real photographers came out to take pictures also as you can see from the man in the boat!

To continue with what has been happening the last couple of months I want to include pictures from one of my favorite trips this year. The wonderful city of Paris! Alex and I went to visit our friend Kevin and having a French speaker was key. We didn't experience any of the French stereotypes and were treated wonderfully. I even went home with a love for French wine and escargot! You can buy cheese and escargot in the little wine shops for dirt cheap...

First: Sacre Couer (At the top of these stairs you'll find the best view in Paris)...

The men you see seated on the benches approach you at the bottom and make these little friendship bracelets on your wrist while you stand. If you want one you have to give them a couple of coins but if you don't you need to forcefully ignore them and walk away! They are pretty pushy...Later we found out that they also sell marijuana to the locals...! Which job do you think is the cover-up?

The Moulin Rouge...Still open for business but nowadays you pay 20-30 Euro for cabaret.

Escargot!

Carousels were everywhere...?

Alex and I stumbled on the Jewish quarter and all our dreams came true in the form of one of the best pastrami on ryes we'd ever had.

The Centre Pompidou was one of the best modern art museums I have ever been to. The building was a site to behold in itself. The architect designed it to look the inverse of a normal building. It looked like scaffolding and all the interior piping was on the outside and the escalator is even along the side of the building!

There she is!

So we had to do a typical cheesy American tourist activity and go to the famous cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried; Pere Lachaise. This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip because the weather was beautiful, we were outdoors, and the surroundings were incredible.

Oscar Wilde is also buried there. A few things to notice: the marks on the front are from lipstick. It somehow became a tradition to honour Wilde's gravesite with a kiss! Also, the statue had an erect penis that someone broke off and stole...Before there was a bust of the writer but it was also stolen. I'm not really sure how either were able to happen...?

The Louvre..

I think that is enough for now! I will be adding additional posts over the next few days so don't worry about another long absence!

xoxo

V for Vendetta

2007-11-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

This blog is a little late but I have been really busy the past couple of weeks and have just barely had the time to catch up. Earlier this month though I visited a tiny village named Lewes (pronounced Lewis) about 15 minutes away that hosts a huge celebration for November the fifth. This is also known as Bonfire Night, Remember the Fifth, or Guy Fawkes Night. It is an annual festival that remembers Fawkes' failed plot to blow up the English Parliament building. We watched a parade that lasted over three hours and involved most of the town and many residents of the neighboring towns as well. If anyone has seen the movie with Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta, this is celebrating what was planned in the film. Some of the pictures are a little out of focus but the air was smokey and they are mostly action shots. There were pubs with special ales, loads of costumes and a lot of fire...

The boys in the pirate looking costumes pull the barrels on the ground between them in an annual race...

Alex decided to jump in to this one!

Sergeant Peppers and the Lonely Hearts! There were some costumes and floats that I didn't really understand but I loved this one so I had to add it.

The best views were from the apartments up above the street and there were a lot of people even sitting on the roofs. I really don't think that there was anyone at home on Bonfire Night unless they had a view from their window.

Ever wonder if English bbq's have hot dogs and burgers like the States? Think again...

This picture shows how many people participated in the parade if you look all the way down the road.

Yes, that is a real pig hoof in the middle of the condiments.

Mary Poppins really does live in England!

Thats all I can do for now but check back in a couple days for my Germany and Dublin pictures. I am hoping to get them up any day now...Cheers my dears.

Broken Social Scene and London at Night

2007-10-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

London at night is incredible to view because all of the famous buildings and locations that you are already in awe of from having seen so often in pictures and in films are completely lit up and glow from miles away. Starting at the Westminster Cathedral, we walked around central London until our hands were freezing and our faces were flushed from the icy winds coming off of the Thames River. Its' dropping to the low 50's and 40's here so when looking at these pictures you may want to turn up your air con to get the full experience...!

This was the first place we visited so it was still light out. Westminster Church is the leading church in Britain and the Pope was here a few months ago!

Valet boxes in England are a little more traditional looking than just a plain box! I had to take a picture because I thought it was so cute...

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben at night is really a London landmark. You can see it from miles away and the way it is framed by the London Eye and the Parliament Houses makes the setting even more perfect!

If you walk out along the Thames River at night you can go aboard different dinner cruise ships that have full bars and restaurants floating on the water. The nights can get chilly with the breeze coming off of the water but it is worth a go every once in awhile for the view.

The next night we headed out to Covent Gardens for Broken Social Scene. We stopped at a little Japanese restaurant for dinner and I took pictures of all the origami for my cousin Logan to see because he is the origami master of the family. The rock fountain at the front was covered along with the walls and the sides of the stairs. All the little bright colors you see are different origami pieces!

The music venue for Broken Social. The venue was called Koko and was one of the largest I have ever been to. The giant disco ball made the red walls sparkle and even the guys in the band were impressed by the four storeys and size of the building.

Sunny Thoughts

2007-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend tossed ideas I had about glum English weather out the window and gave us sunny skies with warm breezes. It was perfect, in fact, for a day at the beach. There were a couple brave individuals out in the water but it wasn't quite warm enough for a swimsuit and a tan...Even so, it was great being out under blue skies!

Jesse taught me how to skip rocks the right way! My way didn't really get any skips...

Nights are always the best when you can end them with a walk to the beach and some fish and chips wrapped in paper (the traditional way).

Tate Modern

2007-10-01T16:19:00.001-07:00

After move in and orientation at Sussex I had a few days on my own so I went to visit Jesse in London. While I was there we discovered all different parts of the city, including Bricklane, Tate Modern and the nightlife in Soho.

The local art adorning the sidewalks of Bricklane, which is apart of the Bengali district in East London. On Sunday Jesse and I went to an outdoor market and went through tons of local vendors. There was also a lot of food stands that had everything from Spanish to Indian to Japanese. We both had fun walking around and feeling like locals...!

This was an old bus that was made into a food stand! It was called the RootMaster and there were all fresh organic soups with an upstairs on top of the bus that you could either dine out of or order from the wine bar.

Later in the night, Jesse and a friend of ours bought tickets for dinner and a show at a theatre in Soho. This was a pub we stopped off at to kill some time before we ate. I thought it looked like one of the conventional pubs you would expect to see in England.

Dinner was at a restaurant called Tiger Tiger Bar but it was just mediocre. The play made up for the ok dinner and was at this great little theatre. We saw 'The 39 Steps,' which is a comedy/mystery that is supposedly based on an Alfred Hitchcock film but I'm not exactly sure which one. The whole play was performed by only four actors and they did a wonderful job; even Jesse was glad that we dragged him along!

A lot of the streets around Soho look like Times Square in NY with the exception of the many historical monuments and classic architecture in certain spots.

This was the front of the theatre we went to; it was only one of about 15 different playhouses in the West End.

China Town was right around the corner from where we were and so we walked over and discovered that on the weekends you can get Chinese food at 1:30 in the morning at a great restaurant...Unfortunately, we had already eaten so we opted for a pub called O'neills. I was looking forward to hearing British music in the clubs but the DJ at O'Neills played Rihanna and Gwen Stefani all night...

By the Beachside

2007-10-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

After a lot of sightseeing and venturing around the city I finally hopped on the train to Brighton and moved into my tiny flat. I am basically back in the dorms but things aren't so bad because we have two kitchens and single rooms. The city makes living a bit outside of London worthwhile because there are loads of fun restaurants, small shops and pubs/clubs to visit. Take a look at the first glimpses of my new home...

The first night we found a Spanish restaurant that was in a trendy part of Brighton and had tapas and sangria. It was a great way to spend the last night that my mom was in town.

This is the famous Brighton Pier during the day. It is really quite nice but I don't think I would go on any of the carnival rides...

As international students that are new to the school we are grouped with the 'freshers' at University of Sussex. Every year there is an annual initiation for the freshers called the 'Pub Crawl' and one ten pound ticket will gain entry and inexpensive drinks at numerous clubs and pubs. These are some pictures from the places we visited that night...

This was a traditional pub called Ye Old King and Queen and was my favorite that night. Tuesdays are Karaoke and we got there in time for a Spanish exchange students rendition of 'Your Song' by Elton John. We were with a lot of other international students so we also got to see a lot European girls go crazy when a girl sang the Maquerena (spelling?). It made the whole night worthwhile!

This was the Spanish Elton John. Can anyone read the drinks on the signs behind him? And would anyone order the one in the middle? I hope not...

The Brighton boardwalk all lit up at night. This is the view we have from most of the clubs.

The beach here doesn't have one grain of sand. Instead there are huge and rounded smooth rocks covering the shore.

Cheers!

British Museum and More

2007-09-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is just a short post of a day with some of the girls from my orientation group and my dear Jesse. We went to the British Museum and saw exhibits from Greece, Rome, Egypt and other displays that had relics from ancient civilizations. This included the Rosetta Stone, which was a lot larger than I thought. Later that day we went on a ferry tour of the Thames River and saw London from a different angle.

Inside the British Museum:

I love having castles in the background of my pictures...That is part of the Tower of London.

This is right over the bridge where the boat docked that took us on our water tour.

This was on top of one of the many double decker bus tours going around London. It was the most embarrassing tourist activity that I participated in but I will admit that it was also one of the best! We saw so much of the city, the tickets were a free part of our school's orientation and my feet weren't killing me afterwards! Along the way there were the many famous monuments but we also saw Margaret Thatcher's Rolls Royce parked outside of her apartment (she was home!), the street that Mama Cass and Jimi Hendrix lived on and places the Beatles visited. We also went by Prince Williams home (yet another castle), the Ritz that serves a cup of tea for 35 pounds ($75) and the Hilton that was supposed to be 33 storeys but was lowered to 28 because the Queen didn't want anyone looking into her backyard...It was great and I think that the background of this photo makes us look cropped in.

Traditional Sites

2007-09-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

The tourist activities are mandatory when visiting a nation as old as the United Kingdom and so here I continue with some of the famous sites in London. This includes the Tower of London, Big Ben and Westminster. After the Tower of London my mom and I went to the new Globe Theatre and saw the Merchant of Venice. The acting troupe was really good and our seats were right over the stage. I wasn't able to to take any pictures but it was one of my favorite experiences so far here. The round theatre was completely outdoors and so it got a bit chilly but it was exciting thinking that we were seated in a theatre designed exactly like the one that the famous playwright worked out of. It was rebuilt because during a performance of Henry the Eighth the actors failed to predict the consequences of lighting off a real cannon through a straw roof and burned the whole place down. Shakespeare may have been brilliant but I suppose even geniuses have lapses in judgement...

So first...The Tower

This is the inner courtyard of the Tower of London. The Tower is famous because it is a palace that criminals were held and many times tortured before they were executed or put on trial. This includes royal offenders, such as Anne Boleyn and William Wallace (Braveheart/Mel Gibson...anyone?).

The first view of the London Bridge.

This was a little prayer room and if you look on the floor you can see the little kneeling mat and stand to the left.

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The staircases here give you maybe half of a foot of room to walk on each step and if you are much taller than I am forget about comfortably walking and not bending over.

Across from this tall white building are the Crown Jewels. The jewels are more impressive then I ever imagined and there are diamonds the size of my fist. A collection of gold platters, rubies, emeralds and every other kind of stone fill three different rooms...

A second view of the famous London Bridge from inside the Tower.

The crooked egg shaped building across the water is the City Council. This building was designed to be energy efficient and runs on about 25% of the energy of a normal business building.

The first pictures of Big Ben with the London Eye in the background. The London Eye is basically a half hour ferris wheel ride that you can see the entire city from. It may be nice at night but it is a little bit pricey and I can't bring myself to do it yet...

Here are the views of Westminster Abbey that I first had on my trip. It was everything I expected and more.

The abbey is actually attached to Westminster Palace, which was one of the King's favorite abodes (James?). The back part houses the different Parliament buildings and part of my orientation here included a tour of the different rooms. We were able to visit the places that many famous political figures in the U.K. work out of and even rub the foot of a statue of Winston Churchill, which is an English tradition said to bring good luck!

This statue was erected in memory of Oliver Cromwell who fought in a battle overseas and died right after he learned that the English had conquered the country they were fighting. Our tour guide told us that he was preserved in a barrel of alcohol so that he could be brought back to land for a proper burial. Apparently, when they finally docked there was almost nothing left in the barrell because the soldiers had been dipping into the supply the whole way back...I hope that's not true.

Hugh Grant May Be Cute But We Do It Better

2007-09-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

As you may guess from the the title, in this blog we visited Notting Hill. Although, Notting Hill didn't really compare to the much more fabulous Buckingham Palace. After strolling through the posh neighborhoods around Notting Hill, Mom and I visited all of the State Rooms. These beautiful rooms were definitely fit for a Queen, even though some of the more ornate rooms were built by John Nash who was actually hired by King George (Who happens to have a palace in Brighton that was for him and his mistress and further gives our town the reputation for being a place for 'hanky panky'). We also went when the guards in front of the Majesty's home change positions for the public to watch, which occurs every other day. I wasn't allowed to record the inside of Buckingham so your imagination will have to start with the tall fur caps and enter the Palace by working from the outside in...

These next few pictures are of the "Royal Mews," which are considered the Royal modes of transportation. There were carriages that had been presented from different countries under the Queens' rule, including Africa and New Zealand. I also posted pictures of the Phantom, a Rolls Royce that Queen Elizabeth abhored, but remained in the Mews Stables. Compare the Chaffeurs' uniform to the grill of the impressive car to understand exactly how large the vehicle is.

These are apart of the Mews but are the Horse Stables. The Gold horse drawn carriage was the one that Queen Victoria was pulled in when she was brought to the Palace for her coronation.

These are some views from the back of Buckingham Palace, including the gardens.

Later in the night, Jesse and I went out to a pub named "Goat's Tavern." I only have one picture but I added it because it was the first time I experienced Guinness in England. Guinness here tastes nothing like the thick and hard to swallow kind back in the States. It is the most delicious beer I have ever had and is quite smooth and tasty! The difference could be blamed on the fact that in the U.S. Guinness is made in Canada and here it is from the U.K. Either way, it is much better.

By the way, for those of you that are reading, if you would like more labels or have requests. I will change the format of my blog when I can!

Portabello Road Market

2007-09-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we explored Portabello Road Market, which is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. There was everything you could imagine available, including fresh produce, antiques, Moroccan food stands, flowers and clothes. The market prices weren't bad but if you stopped in at the cafes or stores that lined the streets you could expect to shell out pounds. My mom and I stopped for two coffees and a cheese and onion pie (quiche) and it was about 15 pounds (thirty dollars).

Wandering away from the market led us to a great pub that served us our first fish and chips. Here in England, pubs have just about the same menu whether or not you are in the country or in the West End of London. The appetizers generally have stuffed mushrooms, chicken and prawn skewers (prawns are very popular here), chips, etc. and the main courses are the same everywhere also and include some kind of minced meat pie, fish and chips and a beef dish. Later, we took a look around Notting Hill and then caught a cab to the Victoria Albert Museum. The V&A had an exhibit displaying Lee Miller photos that had a span of subjects, but had her most famous WWII pictures and a section with her work from Vogue.

These are everywhere and I couldn't help sending a picture home...

The front of the Victoria Albert Museum. The London Fashion Week tents were next door.

Hyde Park and Kensington

2007-09-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

The trip to London was about 11 hours and I was lucky enough to be able to go with my mom. We flew Virgin Atlantic and that was beginning of our experience with the Richard Branson empire. All the stewards were beautiful women with British accents and we enjoyed watching the 100 movie and television channels that were provided for us through an OnDemand type program. I have to admit, although I enjoyed the mod fabric that I sat on and the club like blue lights that lit the bathrooms, the seats were just as small and uncomfortable as airlines that are less trendy.

After landing and checking into our hotel we walked over to Hyde Park and visited Kensington Palace. The palace was housing an exhibit with dresses, photos and film footage of Princess Diana.

When we were walking through the park the first person we saw was an older English man seated at one of the benches who looked up at us and then told us to watch as he hand-fed a squirrel. You know the expression, "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore"...?

A cafeteria style restaurant outside of the palace.

Statue of Queen Victoria outside of Kensington Palace

Hyde Park.