England gives their students a week off from school, called Enrichment Week so I decided to spend my week in Germany!
So, last night, I flew from London to Berlin to spend eight days with my great friend Kuebra! She was an exchange student my senior year of high school and one of my closest friends. We haven't seen each other since then, so when I came to London I made sure to find time to visit her.
She lives in Berlin, so today we wandered through different parts of the city. We visited her father's clothing store, ate an assorted kebab plate at Orient Eck, rode the Underground a lot, ate at Wonder Waffel, went shopping, and relaxed with her friends at the restaurant she works at.
So far, the best thing about Germany is the food. Holy crap, it is soooo much better than British food. I can't really explain why but I might gain 10 pounds this week. Also, it actually feels like fall here. Back in the UK, it's always rainy and cold but in Germany I get to actually see the trees changing colors and the sun is shining!
I'm really looking forward to rest of my stay here. Maybe I'll even get to go on the autobahn! ;)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Houses of Parliament and the Globe Theatre!
Today I went with my British Life and Culture class into London to tour the Houses of Parliament and the Globe Theatre! I couldn't take pictures of Parliament, but I did snap a couple at Globe, so stay tuned :)
Kalee and I rode the train into London and grabbed some BK breakfast at Waterloo before meeting up with Kelsey and Kelly. We rode the tube over to Parliament, where when we emerged onto the street were met with a LOT of police men and some of the streets being blocked off. We asked our instructor what was going on and she explained that the Tories (Conservative political party) were trying to pass some new legislation that dealt with the unions and people were planning a protest today! How interesting.
We headed into Parliament after that, where we had to undergo security checks very similar to ones at the airport. We split into groups and headed off! The tour was actually quite long, almost an hour and a half. We visited the Norman Arch, saw a lot of busts of previous Prime Ministers, walked our way into a long processional chamber where there were portraits and statues of influential monarchs (like my favorite Queen Elizabeth!). Then we headed into the Prince's Chamber, where I was SO PLEASED to find portraits of important people from the Tudor reign circling the room. Gotta love those crazy Tudors. The House of Lords was the next stop on the tour. The House of Lords is the non-elected part of Parliament. Up until Tony Blair's rule as Prime Minister in the 1990's, it was actually a hereditary position, passed down from father to son. They don't have nearly the amount of power they used to and actually have to answer to the House of Common's now as the real power in Parliament. We walked through a few more rooms before heading to the House of Commons. It was much less elegant and regal looking than it's counterpart, and our tour guide explained that during the bombing of World War II, the House of Commons was completely demolished. So Winston Churchill re-built it, but on a less grander scale since the UK was broke.
The tour was very informative and I loved seeing the splendor of the Houses and witnessing the history of the UK proudly shown throughout the building.
After the tour we headed out into the streets, where the protest was in full swing. I have never witnessed a protest at this scale, so it was really strange but interesting to see it happening right in Central London. We took the tube across the Thames and found our way to the Globe. The tour at the Globe was much shorter than our previous one, but just as enjoyable. The Globe is actually the 3rd one to be built and opened in 1997. The first Globe, the one from Shakespeare's time burnt down 400 years ago and the second one was closed during the rule of Oliver Cromwell. Our tour guide gave us a bit of history lesson and we were able to take some pictures inside the theatre.
Unfortunately, I missed the Globe's season since they only run shows during the summer, on account of the fact it doesn't have a roof. But I guess it's just another reason I have to come back to London sometime! :)
Oh, and these are the super cool souvenirs I bought at the gift shop. The shot glass reads "I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again." I got a pin too that says "All the world's a stage."
Sadly, I've also caught a cold in the past couple days so hopefully I'll be able to get over it soon! I'm going to see a play on Wednesday at the National Theatre, and then we're visiting Oxford in one week! And then I'm going to GERMANY. Lots to look forward to!!! :)
Kalee and I rode the train into London and grabbed some BK breakfast at Waterloo before meeting up with Kelsey and Kelly. We rode the tube over to Parliament, where when we emerged onto the street were met with a LOT of police men and some of the streets being blocked off. We asked our instructor what was going on and she explained that the Tories (Conservative political party) were trying to pass some new legislation that dealt with the unions and people were planning a protest today! How interesting.
We headed into Parliament after that, where we had to undergo security checks very similar to ones at the airport. We split into groups and headed off! The tour was actually quite long, almost an hour and a half. We visited the Norman Arch, saw a lot of busts of previous Prime Ministers, walked our way into a long processional chamber where there were portraits and statues of influential monarchs (like my favorite Queen Elizabeth!). Then we headed into the Prince's Chamber, where I was SO PLEASED to find portraits of important people from the Tudor reign circling the room. Gotta love those crazy Tudors. The House of Lords was the next stop on the tour. The House of Lords is the non-elected part of Parliament. Up until Tony Blair's rule as Prime Minister in the 1990's, it was actually a hereditary position, passed down from father to son. They don't have nearly the amount of power they used to and actually have to answer to the House of Common's now as the real power in Parliament. We walked through a few more rooms before heading to the House of Commons. It was much less elegant and regal looking than it's counterpart, and our tour guide explained that during the bombing of World War II, the House of Commons was completely demolished. So Winston Churchill re-built it, but on a less grander scale since the UK was broke.
The tour was very informative and I loved seeing the splendor of the Houses and witnessing the history of the UK proudly shown throughout the building.
After the tour we headed out into the streets, where the protest was in full swing. I have never witnessed a protest at this scale, so it was really strange but interesting to see it happening right in Central London. We took the tube across the Thames and found our way to the Globe. The tour at the Globe was much shorter than our previous one, but just as enjoyable. The Globe is actually the 3rd one to be built and opened in 1997. The first Globe, the one from Shakespeare's time burnt down 400 years ago and the second one was closed during the rule of Oliver Cromwell. Our tour guide gave us a bit of history lesson and we were able to take some pictures inside the theatre.
Unfortunately, I missed the Globe's season since they only run shows during the summer, on account of the fact it doesn't have a roof. But I guess it's just another reason I have to come back to London sometime! :)
Oh, and these are the super cool souvenirs I bought at the gift shop. The shot glass reads "I'll ne'er be drunk whilst I live again." I got a pin too that says "All the world's a stage."
Sadly, I've also caught a cold in the past couple days so hopefully I'll be able to get over it soon! I'm going to see a play on Wednesday at the National Theatre, and then we're visiting Oxford in one week! And then I'm going to GERMANY. Lots to look forward to!!! :)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
encounters with awesome people.
Today I met my favorite Youtube vlogger, Charlie McDonnell also called charlieissocoollike.
My friend Kalee and I met up around 11 to head into London, when we found out that the trains running from Surbiton station were shut down. So instead we had to take a bus to Clapham Junction and get a train from there to Waterloo. Then we had to navigate the Tube to get to the Youtube gathering. The process of getting there took longer than expected, so we arrived late to the event and were in the back of a very, very long line. And we had to stay in that line for 4 hours before I was able to meet Charlie, his lovely girlfriend and fellow vlogger Bryaryl Bishop and another of my favorite vloggers, Michael Aranda.
After meeting them, I couldn't wipe this crazy grin off my face despite the fact that I was cold, stiff, and very hungry.
I had put "Meet Charlie McDonnell" on my list of things I wanted to do while I was in England. Honestly, I thought that would be one of the things I would never get to do. It feels unbelievable that I can! :)
Here's one of Charlie's videos if you're curious why I would spend four hours in the cold to meet this British vlogger.
My friend Kalee and I met up around 11 to head into London, when we found out that the trains running from Surbiton station were shut down. So instead we had to take a bus to Clapham Junction and get a train from there to Waterloo. Then we had to navigate the Tube to get to the Youtube gathering. The process of getting there took longer than expected, so we arrived late to the event and were in the back of a very, very long line. And we had to stay in that line for 4 hours before I was able to meet Charlie, his lovely girlfriend and fellow vlogger Bryaryl Bishop and another of my favorite vloggers, Michael Aranda.
After meeting them, I couldn't wipe this crazy grin off my face despite the fact that I was cold, stiff, and very hungry.
I had put "Meet Charlie McDonnell" on my list of things I wanted to do while I was in England. Honestly, I thought that would be one of the things I would never get to do. It feels unbelievable that I can! :)
Here's one of Charlie's videos if you're curious why I would spend four hours in the cold to meet this British vlogger.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Stonehenge and Bath.
Yesterday, I visited this beautiful historical landmark.
With the GORGEOUS weather we had yesterday, I was slightly in awe of Stonehenge. I know some people find it to be just a bunch of rocks, but this is the most important pre-historic monument in Britain. It's older than the Pyramids in Egypt. It's still a mystery how the ancient peoples even got the stones to the site. There have been modern attempts to do so and they all failed. If that's not remarkable, then I don't know what is.
After the short visit we traveled to Bath, which is my second favorite city I've been to yet. After London, of course. Bath was literally stunning. All of the buildings in the city are made of the same kind of limestone, so when you enter it you see the remarkable view of these offwhite buildings glistening in the sunlight. Unfortunately I didn't snap a picture of that, but here's an example of the buildings around the city.
When we arrived, we had an hour for lunch. We went to a cafe where I ordered a pie that had potatoes, onions, peas and cheese. It was sooo yummy. After lunch we did a walking tour of Bath. We saw the most important locations in just over an hour, so we were moving around! Then we did a tour of the ancient Roman Baths.
We were able to move through the museum at our own pace. I enjoyed listening to the audio guide that was provided and seeing the remains of the once great temple and bath built by the ancient Romans. I could definitely see how grand and beautiful it once was and I really enjoyed the tour.
Then, we had to stop and buy some real Italian ice cream to end the day :)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
call me crazy but...
The thing I miss most about home (besides my loving family and crazy friends) is the food.
So, I am just starting my fourth week here in the good ol' UK and I'm starting to miss certain things like crazy. While I love the city, the pubs, my classes (not the school so much, but that's a rant for another time), and the people... I miss the greasy American fast food I'm used to.
Sure, they have McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut over here. But it's not the same.
I miss Menna's and Rallys. I miss Mountain Dew icees. I miss Spanky's pizza and breadsticks.
But they do have top notch chips (fries) over here that I eat all the time. Really healthy, I know. But I walk everywhere so I've actually lost weight since being here. So ha!
But yea, this was basically a blog stating how much I miss fattening food.
And my friends and family. Because I really do miss you guys a lot. <3
So, I am just starting my fourth week here in the good ol' UK and I'm starting to miss certain things like crazy. While I love the city, the pubs, my classes (not the school so much, but that's a rant for another time), and the people... I miss the greasy American fast food I'm used to.
Sure, they have McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut over here. But it's not the same.
I miss Menna's and Rallys. I miss Mountain Dew icees. I miss Spanky's pizza and breadsticks.
But they do have top notch chips (fries) over here that I eat all the time. Really healthy, I know. But I walk everywhere so I've actually lost weight since being here. So ha!
But yea, this was basically a blog stating how much I miss fattening food.
And my friends and family. Because I really do miss you guys a lot. <3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)