Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Dublin where are you?
The last 24 hours in Paris have been kind of a blur. I think I need to sit on it for awhile to decide my feelings on this city. All I can say is Amanda and I are definitely ready to be in Ireland. The MIA concert is cancelled and while Im pretty bummed about that, Im still very excited for my trip. We have to get up at about 5:30AM to be at the airport early and catch the ryanair flight into Dublin. Im pretty sad that we have to check our bags since we have bought so much crap - we got a backpack to put our new trhings in, but we almost had to get the tragic rolly backpacks that come in bright colours.
We are through with the touristy things for the most part. Today was our time at the Eiffel Tower and Liz, I completed your request (photos soon to come).
That is pretty much all I can update for now. Im SO tired!
BONSOIR!
We are through with the touristy things for the most part. Today was our time at the Eiffel Tower and Liz, I completed your request (photos soon to come).
That is pretty much all I can update for now. Im SO tired!
BONSOIR!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Zürich
Im going to stop going into counrties so blindly. I mean Swiss Francs? All I had were Euros. And really, is it German they are speaking. Why didnt I listen to mom and Terry more when they speak their random phrases around the house? Luckily I loved my experience in Zürich, despite my naïveté.
We arrived early afternoon after a beautiful and exhausting train ride. Our hostel was more like a hotel with all of its accomodations, great location in the old town and fantastic decor. Other than the heat, everything else pretty much fell into place. Again, Amanda and I went with no plan and ended up having a good time by just exploring on our own. The European football tournament was held in Zürich at the time and the game that night was Italia v. España. Fans absolutely filled the streets, it was more like an enormous festival with booths set up, games and rides all along the river. Amanda and I got lucky AGAIN and found this great funk/hiphop/soul band. They were a twelve piece band, complete with horns, saxes and the works. We got right up front and just danced like we didnt just spend 6 hours on a train. The rest of the night we continued to explore and ended up at the bar that was a part of our hostel where the game was on and there were some obvious Spain fans. We figured they won since the air horn blew and all we could hear was "España, España!" The parties were still going on so after our pint, we ran down to the river and grabbed some take away Mexican food, I kid you not, it was amazingggg.
Our last few hours in Zürich were mostly spent shopping. New ruby slippers and some swiss chocolate were my new additions.
We arrived early afternoon after a beautiful and exhausting train ride. Our hostel was more like a hotel with all of its accomodations, great location in the old town and fantastic decor. Other than the heat, everything else pretty much fell into place. Again, Amanda and I went with no plan and ended up having a good time by just exploring on our own. The European football tournament was held in Zürich at the time and the game that night was Italia v. España. Fans absolutely filled the streets, it was more like an enormous festival with booths set up, games and rides all along the river. Amanda and I got lucky AGAIN and found this great funk/hiphop/soul band. They were a twelve piece band, complete with horns, saxes and the works. We got right up front and just danced like we didnt just spend 6 hours on a train. The rest of the night we continued to explore and ended up at the bar that was a part of our hostel where the game was on and there were some obvious Spain fans. We figured they won since the air horn blew and all we could hear was "España, España!" The parties were still going on so after our pint, we ran down to the river and grabbed some take away Mexican food, I kid you not, it was amazingggg.
Our last few hours in Zürich were mostly spent shopping. New ruby slippers and some swiss chocolate were my new additions.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Parlez-vous anglais?
We have arrived in PARIS! The trip on the Eurostar yesterday evening was very nice, but we were still running on empty. Trying to get currency exchqnged and figuring out the metro did not sound so appealing at 11PM so we dragged ourselves over to the very long queue for the taxis. I looked over my Rick Steven phrase book about 30 times to figure out how to say "can you take us..." and after an intense ride in the back of a mercedes, we got to our hostel, Le Montclair . To our amazement, it was clean, nicely decorated and very friendly. Even more surprising, our room is above all hostel expectations. Sure we climbed 5 flights on a spiral stair-well, but we have a small private room with a private bathroom. Oh, and the view is wonderful. We have two long windows that open up to a skinny balcony that over looks north-east Paris. Sacred Heart is illuminated at night beyond the other buildings and residences and the light from the Eiffel Tower could be seen in the clouds just to the right of us.
Because of our lack of sleep this last month, we slept in, missed our complimentary breakfast and didnt get started until after noon. As we searched for hostels for our upcoming trip to Switzerland, we mingled with two english speaking twenty-somethings. Cal from NYC and Eric from Sweden ended up being really nice and helpful. We went out together and ate our first Parisian meal; a HUGE bowl of 3 cheese penne pasta and you better believe I ate all of it.
After being sent in the right direction by our fellow english speaking friends, we finally arrived at a train station to figure out our Eurail passes. In short, Amanda and I are travelling to Zurich, Switzerland in about 5 hours and staying there for about 24. Lame, I know, but we want to go to Switzerland!
The rest of the day we spent shootin the breeze, doing Parisian things. Our plan was to visit the Louvre, but it had started to close by the time we got there. It was still nice to get around, shop and explore Paris as the sun set. Solidays, a music festival was going on and there were bands on every block playing all sorts of tunes. Of course we had to watch the band playing awful covers of English songs. It was a really good time watching cute French hipsters and an old man strung out dancing to songs they didnt know the words to (except for "I shot the sherrif" I guess everyone knows that one), plus Amanda got to dance with a drunk French guy until I literally pealed him off of her. All the craziness made us hungry and we had some pizza and the best red wine I have ever had.
wooo Zürich tomorrow!
Because of our lack of sleep this last month, we slept in, missed our complimentary breakfast and didnt get started until after noon. As we searched for hostels for our upcoming trip to Switzerland, we mingled with two english speaking twenty-somethings. Cal from NYC and Eric from Sweden ended up being really nice and helpful. We went out together and ate our first Parisian meal; a HUGE bowl of 3 cheese penne pasta and you better believe I ate all of it.
After being sent in the right direction by our fellow english speaking friends, we finally arrived at a train station to figure out our Eurail passes. In short, Amanda and I are travelling to Zurich, Switzerland in about 5 hours and staying there for about 24. Lame, I know, but we want to go to Switzerland!
The rest of the day we spent shootin the breeze, doing Parisian things. Our plan was to visit the Louvre, but it had started to close by the time we got there. It was still nice to get around, shop and explore Paris as the sun set. Solidays, a music festival was going on and there were bands on every block playing all sorts of tunes. Of course we had to watch the band playing awful covers of English songs. It was a really good time watching cute French hipsters and an old man strung out dancing to songs they didnt know the words to (except for "I shot the sherrif" I guess everyone knows that one), plus Amanda got to dance with a drunk French guy until I literally pealed him off of her. All the craziness made us hungry and we had some pizza and the best red wine I have ever had.
wooo Zürich tomorrow!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Goodbye London
I'm spending my last few minutes on Edgware Road at the i-caf to give a little update. Amanda and I rushed this morning to miraculously get packed up and head with Laura and Allison to Heathrow(they were nice enough to take our luggage back to the states for us). It's really hard to believe I only have a few more hours here. Last night was pretty emotional saying goodbye to everyone (students and faculty) at our closing banquet. We walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to arrive at this beautiful French restaurant where we had the top floor just for our group. There was a cake there with all of our names on it. After dinner the faculty members said a few words and we all hugged them goodbye. We still had a few finals to finish up last-minute, but we somehow got it done. The entire group met up later at the pub (The Duke of York, of course) and had a few rounds before saying our goodbyes.
We are set to get on the eurostar to Paris in about 2 hours. I'm really excited and nervous, but most of all I'm sad to leave London. This program has been so much more than I expected. Hopefully everything will go smoothly for my 5 days in France and 3 days in Dublin. I really do miss all of you and I got some sweet souvenirs. Mom, I had them sent home so please watch for them in the next week or so. Liz probably has the most to look forward to, mainly because every store I went in to I would say "aw this reminds me of something Liz would like."
Since Amanda and I pulled an all-nighter 2 nights ago and only got 4 hours of sleep last night (not even a nap!) we are pretty exhausted and ready to nap on the chunnel. I think our plan for tonight is to get there and somehow figure out how to get tickets for the metro. After the initial mayhem, we'll walk around, eat some baguettes and find our hostel. We don't know any French, but we're equppied with our street smarts, wit, American charm, a map and a phrase book. Should be an adventure! I will do my best to keep you posted on here.
All my loving.
We are set to get on the eurostar to Paris in about 2 hours. I'm really excited and nervous, but most of all I'm sad to leave London. This program has been so much more than I expected. Hopefully everything will go smoothly for my 5 days in France and 3 days in Dublin. I really do miss all of you and I got some sweet souvenirs. Mom, I had them sent home so please watch for them in the next week or so. Liz probably has the most to look forward to, mainly because every store I went in to I would say "aw this reminds me of something Liz would like."
Since Amanda and I pulled an all-nighter 2 nights ago and only got 4 hours of sleep last night (not even a nap!) we are pretty exhausted and ready to nap on the chunnel. I think our plan for tonight is to get there and somehow figure out how to get tickets for the metro. After the initial mayhem, we'll walk around, eat some baguettes and find our hostel. We don't know any French, but we're equppied with our street smarts, wit, American charm, a map and a phrase book. Should be an adventure! I will do my best to keep you posted on here.
All my loving.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Avebury, Amesbury & Salisbury
First I want to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Father and step-Father. Both of whom made this trip possible for me. I love you!
It's been awhile, but I'm back for a little game of catch up. I really wish I had more time for things like this because as we're now into our last week, I find myself already forgetting little things I've done/seen. This last week especially has been a whirl-wind week so this is my attempt to pick up where I left off.
Last Wednesday (4 June), we took our first site study trip outside of the city of London. I was especially enthused because I do miss the calmness of the country and I heard nothing but great things about the English countryside. We all hopped on the coach early in the morning and tried to nap, but our bus driver was pretty scary. I can recall being about 45 minutes into the trip when I woke up and all of the sudden it was great expanses of countryside and then patches of little town. The sky looked like a Bob Ross painting or something. We first went to a town and saw our first bit of Neolithic stone structures. We were dropped off at what seemed like a very quiet park with trails and everything, but really, it was more like a farm. There were sheep just roaming around (we had to watch where we stepped) the grassy areas with these prehistoric stones sticking up. We hiked for awhile, then took the coach to Stonehenge.
It was great to see it, after learning about it for some length in Art History. People get disappointed when they see it because it's only about 25 feet tall, but it's an amazing structure. I absolutely loved it, but what they don't tell you is how many beetles there are. We were swarmed, constantly picking them out of our hair. The only other negative to Stonehenge in comparison to Avebury is that you have to stay behind a roped off area.
The rest of the day was spent in Salisbury where we got to see the famous Salisbury Cathedral (aslo made familiar by Art History class) and we also roamed around the town a bit. Oh, and I definitely had my best veggie burger EVER there at a place called "Fish n Chips". It was super unhealthy, but made my stomach smile.
I have so much more to tell, but I must get started on the 11 papers due this week. Woo finals!! Tomorrow is our last real day out for a site-study trip :(
And quick highlight of my day today: going to Abbey Road (we definitely took the tourist photo) and seeing another Shakespeare play at the Globe.
Peace & Love
-Hill
It's been awhile, but I'm back for a little game of catch up. I really wish I had more time for things like this because as we're now into our last week, I find myself already forgetting little things I've done/seen. This last week especially has been a whirl-wind week so this is my attempt to pick up where I left off.
Last Wednesday (4 June), we took our first site study trip outside of the city of London. I was especially enthused because I do miss the calmness of the country and I heard nothing but great things about the English countryside. We all hopped on the coach early in the morning and tried to nap, but our bus driver was pretty scary. I can recall being about 45 minutes into the trip when I woke up and all of the sudden it was great expanses of countryside and then patches of little town. The sky looked like a Bob Ross painting or something. We first went to a town and saw our first bit of Neolithic stone structures. We were dropped off at what seemed like a very quiet park with trails and everything, but really, it was more like a farm. There were sheep just roaming around (we had to watch where we stepped) the grassy areas with these prehistoric stones sticking up. We hiked for awhile, then took the coach to Stonehenge.
It was great to see it, after learning about it for some length in Art History. People get disappointed when they see it because it's only about 25 feet tall, but it's an amazing structure. I absolutely loved it, but what they don't tell you is how many beetles there are. We were swarmed, constantly picking them out of our hair. The only other negative to Stonehenge in comparison to Avebury is that you have to stay behind a roped off area.
The rest of the day was spent in Salisbury where we got to see the famous Salisbury Cathedral (aslo made familiar by Art History class) and we also roamed around the town a bit. Oh, and I definitely had my best veggie burger EVER there at a place called "Fish n Chips". It was super unhealthy, but made my stomach smile.
I have so much more to tell, but I must get started on the 11 papers due this week. Woo finals!! Tomorrow is our last real day out for a site-study trip :(
And quick highlight of my day today: going to Abbey Road (we definitely took the tourist photo) and seeing another Shakespeare play at the Globe.
Peace & Love
-Hill
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Skye-lander
Hello all! For those of you I was supposed to call, I apologize. We just made it back to London from Skye, Scotland. It was mind blowingly beautiful. I will make a post about it, but with the 12 hour train ride today I am pretty tired and I've got a big day tomorrow in the city. I just wanted you to know I'm safe and had a wonderful time. Goodnight! And by the way, the title of this post is just one of many puns I've come up with dealing with "Skye"
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
London's Mine
Look! I finally added photos - in sequential, album form! click HERE to view them from my Facebook - Or just go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090093&l=34998&id=21907984. Whichever. They are photos from take off and our first day or two out in the city. Let me know what you think.
I'm currently working on getting a few postcards to you guys. Also, I'm still up for receiving letters! :)
Yesterday was our trip to St. Paul's Cathedral, the first Protestant Cathedral in England. It's very spatious in everyway, unlike some of the other churches we've visited. Every part of it is very open and naturally lit. The Dome is definitely the most attractive part of the design and I started to get dizzy just looking up at it. Like other cathedrals and museums, photography was not permitted, and like other cathedrals and museums we've visited, I managed to sneak a few. After that experience, Amanda and I had an awkward moment as we attempted to get our photo together on the front steps. Let's just say she tends to fall into me sometimes.
After St. Paul's we crossed the Millennium Bridge and talked about it for awhile before heading to the Tate Modern. Since Pizza Express was not so express, we only got to see the inside of the museum for about 15 minutes. What I saw was great, so we're definitely going back there to explore. We ended the day with some more English rain and a walk across the Tower Bridge.
I cannot wait until this weekend. It's our long weekend, since we get Friday off. Most people are going to Dublin or Paris, but Amanda (and 2 others in the group, Kathleen and Nathan) and I are going to Skye, Scotland. We still have to figure out the details with the train and hostels there, so I'm guessing it's going to run up the bill a bit. But it's SCOTLAND! And we were told Skye Isle is a wonderful place, so I'm sure it will be worth it.
Tomorrow we have to be ready to leave at a grueling 7AM to travel to Avebury and Salisbury. I'm ready for a day in the countryside of England and I have no idea what to expect. After the site study trip is our second group dinner, marking the middle of the program. I cannot believe it's almost half over already. I've become accustomed to the flow of the city, the sirens, the people, the food, I can't imagine being back in America quite yet.
To answer a few specific questions about life in London:
cell phones - called mobiles here, and people here are just as attached to them as they are in the States. Since most people go through their day as if only they existed, there aren't too many unspoken rules of etiquette I've picked up on. Most don't use them in the underground, but that may be because service is so poor. I wouldn't even say the English are any quieter on their mobiles, just maybe more respectful of a quiet area.
city travel - like many other cities that use a subway/underground/metro system, the London underground has the choice of getting tickets or a scanning card. We have cards (called oyster cards) that are scan-able for use of the tube or the bus systems. It's cheaper than buying weekly tickets and more efficient since it's faster to scan a card rather than feeding in a ticket - and trust me, you want it to be fast when gobs of people are rushing to get to their platform. So you go to the tube station, scan the card and the doors let you through - same goes for exiting as well. If you get through without scanning (which can be done), you are at risk of a fine if they do a random check, and those don't happen often. The oyster card works the same for the buses, but it's harder to sneak on since the drivers keep an eye on who scans their card. Buses are a neat experience, but I prefer the tube, even though it's hotter and dirtier.
food - Sure bangers and mash or fish and chips don't seem like fantastic meals, but that's British food for ya. I have not eaten any of these meals, but the pub food I have tried is fried, boiled and deliciously bad for you - especially at the Irish pub. Since London is full of European immigrants, there is literally every type of ethnic food available and it sure is good. It is kind of a joke that is said around here that the national dish is the Indian dish, chicken tikki masala. Even the "fast food" is great because they are usually sandwich shops that are chains like EAT, Enjoy, or my personal favourite, Pret a Manger. They make various sandwiches daily and it works kind of like a classy grab and go. All of these places, inluding the ethnic foods have a lot more vegetarian options as well. They are creative and really yummy - also properly labeled. The grocery stores have a lot of the same general selections, but with most animal products and other things being organic. The best thing I have eaten so far would have to be either the pasta at the pub or the avacado, spinach, tomato, cheese, yogurt wrap I had today at Pret. mmm.
internet - Our flat does technically have wireless, but it is awful strength and mostly annoys me. Only one of the guys has a computer here, and I'm the only other one with internet access because I can access it through my iPod, however this is a huge distraction and I try to make Amanda break my habit. So we've mostly been going to the i-caf to update and such. 1 pound per hour!
I hope everyone is diong well. Thanks again for the comments, I love it! Please check out my first batch of photos by clicking HERE .
Peace & Love
I'm currently working on getting a few postcards to you guys. Also, I'm still up for receiving letters! :)
Yesterday was our trip to St. Paul's Cathedral, the first Protestant Cathedral in England. It's very spatious in everyway, unlike some of the other churches we've visited. Every part of it is very open and naturally lit. The Dome is definitely the most attractive part of the design and I started to get dizzy just looking up at it. Like other cathedrals and museums, photography was not permitted, and like other cathedrals and museums we've visited, I managed to sneak a few. After that experience, Amanda and I had an awkward moment as we attempted to get our photo together on the front steps. Let's just say she tends to fall into me sometimes.
After St. Paul's we crossed the Millennium Bridge and talked about it for awhile before heading to the Tate Modern. Since Pizza Express was not so express, we only got to see the inside of the museum for about 15 minutes. What I saw was great, so we're definitely going back there to explore. We ended the day with some more English rain and a walk across the Tower Bridge.
I cannot wait until this weekend. It's our long weekend, since we get Friday off. Most people are going to Dublin or Paris, but Amanda (and 2 others in the group, Kathleen and Nathan) and I are going to Skye, Scotland. We still have to figure out the details with the train and hostels there, so I'm guessing it's going to run up the bill a bit. But it's SCOTLAND! And we were told Skye Isle is a wonderful place, so I'm sure it will be worth it.
Tomorrow we have to be ready to leave at a grueling 7AM to travel to Avebury and Salisbury. I'm ready for a day in the countryside of England and I have no idea what to expect. After the site study trip is our second group dinner, marking the middle of the program. I cannot believe it's almost half over already. I've become accustomed to the flow of the city, the sirens, the people, the food, I can't imagine being back in America quite yet.
To answer a few specific questions about life in London:
cell phones - called mobiles here, and people here are just as attached to them as they are in the States. Since most people go through their day as if only they existed, there aren't too many unspoken rules of etiquette I've picked up on. Most don't use them in the underground, but that may be because service is so poor. I wouldn't even say the English are any quieter on their mobiles, just maybe more respectful of a quiet area.
city travel - like many other cities that use a subway/underground/metro system, the London underground has the choice of getting tickets or a scanning card. We have cards (called oyster cards) that are scan-able for use of the tube or the bus systems. It's cheaper than buying weekly tickets and more efficient since it's faster to scan a card rather than feeding in a ticket - and trust me, you want it to be fast when gobs of people are rushing to get to their platform. So you go to the tube station, scan the card and the doors let you through - same goes for exiting as well. If you get through without scanning (which can be done), you are at risk of a fine if they do a random check, and those don't happen often. The oyster card works the same for the buses, but it's harder to sneak on since the drivers keep an eye on who scans their card. Buses are a neat experience, but I prefer the tube, even though it's hotter and dirtier.
food - Sure bangers and mash or fish and chips don't seem like fantastic meals, but that's British food for ya. I have not eaten any of these meals, but the pub food I have tried is fried, boiled and deliciously bad for you - especially at the Irish pub. Since London is full of European immigrants, there is literally every type of ethnic food available and it sure is good. It is kind of a joke that is said around here that the national dish is the Indian dish, chicken tikki masala. Even the "fast food" is great because they are usually sandwich shops that are chains like EAT, Enjoy, or my personal favourite, Pret a Manger. They make various sandwiches daily and it works kind of like a classy grab and go. All of these places, inluding the ethnic foods have a lot more vegetarian options as well. They are creative and really yummy - also properly labeled. The grocery stores have a lot of the same general selections, but with most animal products and other things being organic. The best thing I have eaten so far would have to be either the pasta at the pub or the avacado, spinach, tomato, cheese, yogurt wrap I had today at Pret. mmm.
internet - Our flat does technically have wireless, but it is awful strength and mostly annoys me. Only one of the guys has a computer here, and I'm the only other one with internet access because I can access it through my iPod, however this is a huge distraction and I try to make Amanda break my habit. So we've mostly been going to the i-caf to update and such. 1 pound per hour!
I hope everyone is diong well. Thanks again for the comments, I love it! Please check out my first batch of photos by clicking HERE .
Peace & Love
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Gallery Hop
Short post, but picture previews!
Amanda and I went to 4 galleries here in London yesterday. The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, the Photographer's Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was so overwhelming seeing amazing works of art. Tomorrow we'll visit the Tate Modern with the group as a part of our site study trip, which I'm very excited about. Today was spent getting started on the 10 papers I have due this week. Also, I have a novel to start, finish and write a paper on by wednesday. Amanda, Laura and I spent about 5 hours at our favourite pub, the Duke of York writing papers.
The weekend went very quickly and was productive, yet I'm still not ahead. Friday we went back down to covent gardens and found a cool place to hang out with everyone. Last night was a good old fashioned dance party in our flat, then ended with some good conversation with friends -- and we finally got music to play on our speakers!
If you want postcards, please e-mail me your address to hopkins.hillary@gmail.com
And mom & terry, I got the email and I'll answer the questions ASAP - they're good ones, keep 'em comin! I love all you Yanks!
Here are some obligatory shots of the last few days:
Mind the Gap!
My Flatmates on the tube
On Millennium Bridge going to the Globe
Tower Bridge from the Ferry
Amanda and I went to 4 galleries here in London yesterday. The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, the Photographer's Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was so overwhelming seeing amazing works of art. Tomorrow we'll visit the Tate Modern with the group as a part of our site study trip, which I'm very excited about. Today was spent getting started on the 10 papers I have due this week. Also, I have a novel to start, finish and write a paper on by wednesday. Amanda, Laura and I spent about 5 hours at our favourite pub, the Duke of York writing papers.
The weekend went very quickly and was productive, yet I'm still not ahead. Friday we went back down to covent gardens and found a cool place to hang out with everyone. Last night was a good old fashioned dance party in our flat, then ended with some good conversation with friends -- and we finally got music to play on our speakers!
If you want postcards, please e-mail me your address to hopkins.hillary@gmail.com
And mom & terry, I got the email and I'll answer the questions ASAP - they're good ones, keep 'em comin! I love all you Yanks!
Here are some obligatory shots of the last few days:
Mind the Gap!
My Flatmates on the tube
On Millennium Bridge going to the Globe
Tower Bridge from the Ferry
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