So yesterday when I woke up, I thought to myself, "Where can I go to get heckled by locals, covered in mud, hike up a two-lane highway with no shoulder and get hit on by Serbs?" As it turns out, the answer is Dover and Canterbury.
When we bought our train tickets out to the coast, we thought we were in for the picturesque white cliffs of Dover and the gorgeous Canterbury Cathedral. We did manage to get around to those places, but not before we'd navigated some obstacles.
There was only a slight hitch in getting to Dover -- train maintenance meant we had to take a bus transfer into the city. And once we got there it was beautiful despite the rain -- tiny and well-preserved with an enormous castle on the hill overlooking the sea. We walked through town to the tourist center, but it was closed. So after a delicious pub lunch, we decided to make it up to the cliffs ourselves. We had a map with a road labeled "To the cliffs," although the cliffs themselves were not on the map. We bought bus tickets up to the castle and figured we had to walk the rest of the way. We were certain we were headed in the right direction until the sidewalk ended and the road turned into a two-lane country road with cars speeding by. We trudged through the mud and weeds until we began to doubt our decision. We paused at the roadside, on the brink of turning back, when a jogger came running by and we asked directions. We decided if he could jog up the hill, then we must be able to make it. Thirty minutes later we did make it up and found ourselves atop one of the famous white cliffs. And to our right we saw the "pedestrian path" leading straight down to the city center for what would have been a ten-minute hike at most.
We were tired, out of breath and already covered in mud. I think I even said, "Let's get this over with." There's a path that runs along the edge of the cliffs that you have to walk in order to get a good view. We set out in our tennis shoes and jeans and began taking dumb pictures, trying to fashion ourselves after dramatic poses of the Victorian era. But the paths were more like rivers of mud and we slid and slipped along the edge of the cliffs. After seeing our fill of the cliffs and realizing our jeans were covered in mud (I had already fallen once), we decided to turn back so we could get to Canterbury. We walked down the pedestrian path without incident and took the bus to Canterbury.
There we checked out another old castle, this one much smaller and filled with beer bottles and trash, before going to the Cathedral. As luck would have it, we arrived about 5 minutes after it closed for visits. A little disappointed, we took pictures of the outside and snuck inside the exit doors for a quick look. We tried to figure out where Thomas Beckett met his end, but we couldn't find his tomb or anything. It was getting dark and we rushed around town to see a few other landmarks, including the West Gate Towers. I had my camera up and was about to take a photo when two guys posed in front of me and asked if I wanted to take their picture. We thought they were making fun of us, but they kept chatting us up. They were from Kosovo and were nearly pleading with us to go get drinks with them. We declined (repeatedly) and told them we had a train to catch (which was true, even though we were still an hour early when we turned up at the station). And that is when our trip returned to normal.
26 February 2007
24 February 2007
Pigeons and Protests
Today TJ, our friend from TU who's studying at Leicester, came to London for some sightseeing, so we ran around the city with him for a while. We started out at Trafalgar Square (to see the Naional Gallery) where an enormous anti-war protest was going on. The entire square was full of people parading in from other parts of the city, all carrying protest signs and yelling crazy things. Many of the protesters were socialists but most just seemed to be against the war in Iraq and further conflicts with Iran. They had even strung a huge banner on Nelson's Column, the giant obelisk in the middle of the square. Not quite our cup of tea, but fun to watch for a few minutes.
We also hit up my favorite spot in London -- the British Library. The library houses pretty much every book printed plus a huge room full of famous handwritten manuscripts, first editions, etc. Some of the great stuff they have there: works from James Joyce and Lewis Carroll, Handel's Messiah and other great compositions, three versions of the Magna Carta, pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's and Charles Darwin's notebooks, the Gutenberg and King James Bibles. The nearest tube station -- King's Cross -- is home to platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter books. The station has embedded a luggage cart in the wall under a 9 3/4 plaque, so we took to opportunity to do cheesy tourist photos there.
Next we went on a tour of all the random free attractions around London that I could think of, including: 221b Baker Street, fictional home of Sherlock Holmes; Abbey Road, of Beatles fame; and a plaque at the place where William Wallace (think Braveheart) died.
After dinner at Mr. Wu's (an amazing 5-pound buffet in China town) we walked around Picadilly Circus for some souvenir shopping before telling TJ 'peace out."
We also hit up my favorite spot in London -- the British Library. The library houses pretty much every book printed plus a huge room full of famous handwritten manuscripts, first editions, etc. Some of the great stuff they have there: works from James Joyce and Lewis Carroll, Handel's Messiah and other great compositions, three versions of the Magna Carta, pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's and Charles Darwin's notebooks, the Gutenberg and King James Bibles. The nearest tube station -- King's Cross -- is home to platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter books. The station has embedded a luggage cart in the wall under a 9 3/4 plaque, so we took to opportunity to do cheesy tourist photos there.
Next we went on a tour of all the random free attractions around London that I could think of, including: 221b Baker Street, fictional home of Sherlock Holmes; Abbey Road, of Beatles fame; and a plaque at the place where William Wallace (think Braveheart) died.
After dinner at Mr. Wu's (an amazing 5-pound buffet in China town) we walked around Picadilly Circus for some souvenir shopping before telling TJ 'peace out."
Overdue Update
I realize it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated -- my apologies. Every week in London has sped past, so I haven't known where to start describing my adventures. Consequently, I think I've already forgotten some of what's past. I'll try to include all the good stuff this time and will resolve to update more regularly. Make sure you check my photos on the link to the right; I do update those often.
Academics
I'll get the boring stuff out of the way first. I spent most of the last few months working on my applications to graduate school. I finally finished applying a few weeks ago -- hooray! My classes here are still far easier than those at TU, but I've done enough reading to keep me busy. My Travel Writing and Creative Writing classes have been some of my favorite college courses so far. I love my creative writing professor -- she's in to "inspiration" and "emotion" and other foreign ideas. She's always giving us wacky assignments and creative exercises. Our class meets for three hours on Friday afternoon so it's nice to break up the time; she sends us out to cafes or art galleries or on walks around the city. My art class has taken me to all sorts of galleries around London. We usually only go to private shows with small collections -- places I would have normally never heard of. A few weeks ago I saw a show of early Andy Warhol work. Yesterday we visited the strangest exhibit yet. It was in a huge warehouse-like gallery in the East End, an immigrant section where the Jack the Ripper murders occurred. You walk in the show and everything you see is art. The whole warehouse was full of simulated apartments and tiny restaurants and trash piles. In on corner was a mound of probably 200 refrigerators. Railway cars full of auto parts and a mechanic shop were in another corner. There were even tunnels underground that you could climb through. It's hard to describe and ever harder to figure out what it all means.
Now heading way back to early February and the rest of my adventures...
Meeting the Mayor
Our study abroad program hosted a fancy shindig the first week of school at the Kensington and Chelsea city hall. It was held in the mayor's private lounge -- a posh, blue-carpeted pad -- and the mayor himself was present, sporting a bling'n neck chain and lame jokes. It was one of those fancy catered parties where the servers bring the food to you on little silver trays. There wasn't much to the event, just a ceremonial hello from the mayor and photo ops.
Super Bowl Party
Imperial College hosted a party for the SuperBowl, so Ape and I went with some friends. The room was packed and the party wasn't entirely fun -- we left at half time to finish up the game at the dorm. However, we did enjoy the American ambience -- most of the people there were Americans, they served hamburgers and fries. I hadn't really been feeling too homesick but I'll admit that my heart swelled when the national anthem came on and the whole room joined in ardently.
Stratford and Oxford
You can find photos of this trip on my picture site. The Saturday before the SuperBowl, Apryll and I went on a school-sponsored bus trip. At Stratford we stopped at the Shakespeare museum at his home and walked around the city. Not much else to see in that town, although we did manage to get lost 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet the bus. At Oxford our tour guide whipped us through town at a record pace, barely stopping to admire the sights. We looked at several of the colleges, saw the sight of the last cock fight in England and the pub where Bill Clinton reportedly didn't inhale. Next, we went on a tour of Christ Church College, famous for the great hall of the Harry Potter movies. We didn't have time to see much else, but on the way back to the bus we got a picture with the Eagle and Child, a pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to hang out.
Groupies/ V-Day/ Captain Picard
A few weeks ago we went to watch a band that some of our friends knew from the States. They had a show at the Hard Rock, which is fun in itself since London hosts the original restaurant. We'd never heard the band before, but they were great and we got to hang out with them afterwards.
The next night Apryll and I spent Valentine's Day together in search of a hamburger. Of course all the restaurants were booked and we ended up eating at McDonald's (the American embassy). We ended the night at Imperial and went home early.
That Thursday we finally got tickets to Antony and Cleopatra, which we'd been trying to see for at least a week. A great adaptation of Shakespeare's play, it featured Patrick Stewart (we're told he's the second-best Shakespearean actor of his generation) as Antony. On the way back home from the theatre, we ran into a kid from TU who neither of us had even met before.
Fantastic Friday
Last Friday was one of Apryll and I's favorite day in London thus far. Through her parents, Apryll knows a woman living in London whose husband works for BP. She came in to the city to hang out with us. While I was in class the two of them went to the Tower of London. Afterwards, we all went to lunch at the Albert Pub, which has been voted the best pub of the year. We expected pub food, but instead found an elaborate three-course meal that included barbecue chicken, wacky English hors deurves and probably the best dessert of my life: waffles with bananas. Next, we went on the London Eye -- an enormous ferris wheel on the Thames River that gives you a view of the city. And finally, we capped off our day with tickets to the ballet -- Swan Lake. Not only was it incredibly beautiful with an amazing orchestra, but we actually had fantastic seats -- far closer than the tickets we got to the Tulsa Ballet. They were close enough to see the dancers' expressions. The lead ballerina was very talented and the three hour program passed by as if it were 15 minutes. It was as close to a perfect day as we've had in London.
Amsterdam Cruise
In December Apryll and I booked a trip to Amsterdam with P&O Ferries, thinking it would be a cheap way to get to Holland. We expected a tiny little ferry with cramped cabins and an uncomfortable ride. But when they said cruise, they really meant it. Our ship was almost as large as any Carribean cruiser and had three decks devoted to restaurants, casinos, movie theaters and bars. Of course the prices were outlandish and the entertainment corny, but we enjoyed watching the drunk people on the dance floor. Apryll and I shared a tiny cabin with bunk beds and a bathroom that, although small, was still larger than those in some of the hotels I've stayed at in Europe.
It was quite a trip just getting to the cruise, though. We took the tube to King's Cross Station (site of platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter) and then caught a three-hour train to Hull. From there, we meandered through the city to catch a bus down to the port. It was amazing we got to the boat as smoothly as we did.
After an overnight boat ride, we arrived in Holland near Rotterdam and were met with a two-hour bus ride into Amsterdam. We only had about seven hours in the city-- not quite enough to go to all the attractions. Apryll and I spent most of the time walking through the city, admiring the canals and taking tourists photos like crazy. We did visit a few museums, including a random exhibit in a church all about Istanbul. We walked by Anne Frank's House and did some souvenir shopping before heading back to the bus. Before letting us on the ship, everyone was inspected by a drug dog and several people had their "souvenirs" confiscated.
We spent most of the second evening on the ship at the piano bar on the top deck and went to bed early. After another overnight ride, we were back in England. But our trip was still far from over. Although we were among the first off the boat, we were delayed filling out landing forms at customs because we're not UK/EU citizens. Then the saucy passport control official was giving us trouble and suggesting that we should have visas. After being generally grumpy to us, he made us wait until most of the other 500 passengers went through before addressing us. We had to speak with another official who gave us the third degree about why we were in England, what we were studying, how long we would be in the country. They seemed to think we had chosen to arrive in London by boat via Holland instead of merely being on holiday. But we eventually got it straightened out and had three more stamps for our passports.
Tonight
Apryll and I had a solo night out on the town. We saw China Town for the first time and ate at a tiny restaurant in its center. Then we followed a few walking tours through China Town and Soho before coming back to campus.
Academics
I'll get the boring stuff out of the way first. I spent most of the last few months working on my applications to graduate school. I finally finished applying a few weeks ago -- hooray! My classes here are still far easier than those at TU, but I've done enough reading to keep me busy. My Travel Writing and Creative Writing classes have been some of my favorite college courses so far. I love my creative writing professor -- she's in to "inspiration" and "emotion" and other foreign ideas. She's always giving us wacky assignments and creative exercises. Our class meets for three hours on Friday afternoon so it's nice to break up the time; she sends us out to cafes or art galleries or on walks around the city. My art class has taken me to all sorts of galleries around London. We usually only go to private shows with small collections -- places I would have normally never heard of. A few weeks ago I saw a show of early Andy Warhol work. Yesterday we visited the strangest exhibit yet. It was in a huge warehouse-like gallery in the East End, an immigrant section where the Jack the Ripper murders occurred. You walk in the show and everything you see is art. The whole warehouse was full of simulated apartments and tiny restaurants and trash piles. In on corner was a mound of probably 200 refrigerators. Railway cars full of auto parts and a mechanic shop were in another corner. There were even tunnels underground that you could climb through. It's hard to describe and ever harder to figure out what it all means.
Now heading way back to early February and the rest of my adventures...
Meeting the Mayor
Our study abroad program hosted a fancy shindig the first week of school at the Kensington and Chelsea city hall. It was held in the mayor's private lounge -- a posh, blue-carpeted pad -- and the mayor himself was present, sporting a bling'n neck chain and lame jokes. It was one of those fancy catered parties where the servers bring the food to you on little silver trays. There wasn't much to the event, just a ceremonial hello from the mayor and photo ops.
Super Bowl Party
Imperial College hosted a party for the SuperBowl, so Ape and I went with some friends. The room was packed and the party wasn't entirely fun -- we left at half time to finish up the game at the dorm. However, we did enjoy the American ambience -- most of the people there were Americans, they served hamburgers and fries. I hadn't really been feeling too homesick but I'll admit that my heart swelled when the national anthem came on and the whole room joined in ardently.
Stratford and Oxford
You can find photos of this trip on my picture site. The Saturday before the SuperBowl, Apryll and I went on a school-sponsored bus trip. At Stratford we stopped at the Shakespeare museum at his home and walked around the city. Not much else to see in that town, although we did manage to get lost 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet the bus. At Oxford our tour guide whipped us through town at a record pace, barely stopping to admire the sights. We looked at several of the colleges, saw the sight of the last cock fight in England and the pub where Bill Clinton reportedly didn't inhale. Next, we went on a tour of Christ Church College, famous for the great hall of the Harry Potter movies. We didn't have time to see much else, but on the way back to the bus we got a picture with the Eagle and Child, a pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to hang out.
Groupies/ V-Day/ Captain Picard
A few weeks ago we went to watch a band that some of our friends knew from the States. They had a show at the Hard Rock, which is fun in itself since London hosts the original restaurant. We'd never heard the band before, but they were great and we got to hang out with them afterwards.
The next night Apryll and I spent Valentine's Day together in search of a hamburger. Of course all the restaurants were booked and we ended up eating at McDonald's (the American embassy). We ended the night at Imperial and went home early.
That Thursday we finally got tickets to Antony and Cleopatra, which we'd been trying to see for at least a week. A great adaptation of Shakespeare's play, it featured Patrick Stewart (we're told he's the second-best Shakespearean actor of his generation) as Antony. On the way back home from the theatre, we ran into a kid from TU who neither of us had even met before.
Fantastic Friday
Last Friday was one of Apryll and I's favorite day in London thus far. Through her parents, Apryll knows a woman living in London whose husband works for BP. She came in to the city to hang out with us. While I was in class the two of them went to the Tower of London. Afterwards, we all went to lunch at the Albert Pub, which has been voted the best pub of the year. We expected pub food, but instead found an elaborate three-course meal that included barbecue chicken, wacky English hors deurves and probably the best dessert of my life: waffles with bananas. Next, we went on the London Eye -- an enormous ferris wheel on the Thames River that gives you a view of the city. And finally, we capped off our day with tickets to the ballet -- Swan Lake. Not only was it incredibly beautiful with an amazing orchestra, but we actually had fantastic seats -- far closer than the tickets we got to the Tulsa Ballet. They were close enough to see the dancers' expressions. The lead ballerina was very talented and the three hour program passed by as if it were 15 minutes. It was as close to a perfect day as we've had in London.
Amsterdam Cruise
In December Apryll and I booked a trip to Amsterdam with P&O Ferries, thinking it would be a cheap way to get to Holland. We expected a tiny little ferry with cramped cabins and an uncomfortable ride. But when they said cruise, they really meant it. Our ship was almost as large as any Carribean cruiser and had three decks devoted to restaurants, casinos, movie theaters and bars. Of course the prices were outlandish and the entertainment corny, but we enjoyed watching the drunk people on the dance floor. Apryll and I shared a tiny cabin with bunk beds and a bathroom that, although small, was still larger than those in some of the hotels I've stayed at in Europe.
It was quite a trip just getting to the cruise, though. We took the tube to King's Cross Station (site of platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter) and then caught a three-hour train to Hull. From there, we meandered through the city to catch a bus down to the port. It was amazing we got to the boat as smoothly as we did.
After an overnight boat ride, we arrived in Holland near Rotterdam and were met with a two-hour bus ride into Amsterdam. We only had about seven hours in the city-- not quite enough to go to all the attractions. Apryll and I spent most of the time walking through the city, admiring the canals and taking tourists photos like crazy. We did visit a few museums, including a random exhibit in a church all about Istanbul. We walked by Anne Frank's House and did some souvenir shopping before heading back to the bus. Before letting us on the ship, everyone was inspected by a drug dog and several people had their "souvenirs" confiscated.
We spent most of the second evening on the ship at the piano bar on the top deck and went to bed early. After another overnight ride, we were back in England. But our trip was still far from over. Although we were among the first off the boat, we were delayed filling out landing forms at customs because we're not UK/EU citizens. Then the saucy passport control official was giving us trouble and suggesting that we should have visas. After being generally grumpy to us, he made us wait until most of the other 500 passengers went through before addressing us. We had to speak with another official who gave us the third degree about why we were in England, what we were studying, how long we would be in the country. They seemed to think we had chosen to arrive in London by boat via Holland instead of merely being on holiday. But we eventually got it straightened out and had three more stamps for our passports.
Tonight
Apryll and I had a solo night out on the town. We saw China Town for the first time and ate at a tiny restaurant in its center. Then we followed a few walking tours through China Town and Soho before coming back to campus.
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