Say Goodbye by Sanctus Real
So say goodbye 'cause you'll be leaving soon
I know it's hard, and I'll be missing you
I know it's time to say goodbye
I know the road, has worn you down
You never broke, you always held your ground
But now it's time to say goodbye
And I know we'll meet again,
But I wish it'd never end
You don't mean to make me cry,
But it's so hard to say goodbye
Say goodbye
Say goodbye
And thought you're gone I remember now
The time we shared, your words still ring out
You're never far, you're in my heart
Someday we'll meet again,
'cause that's how the story ends
It's so hard to say goodbye
Say goodbye
I was writing out one of my last papers and this song came up on iTunes shuffle... it seems to reflect the bittersweet feelings that I'm getting about leaving the UK soon.
It's going to be really hard to leave here on Thursday, especially since I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back again.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bath and a little Lyme
Monday, November 23, 2009
Another week has gone by, and I’m another week behind on my blog. But this time I got smart (after 3 months of travel) and started jotting down a few notes about each day in my notebook. So at least I won’t have the typical problem of trying to remember what I did. Too bad I didn’t think of this system earlier!
I’ll start back on the 17th, on our second day in Bath. That’s when we did the typical things that people do in Bath – tour the Roman baths and go to the spa.
Let’s see… Roman baths. The baths were surprisingly well intact considering that much of Bath was built on top of them. The water was green and didn’t look too inviting for bathing, but it was still steaming and bubbling. Plus, we got to walk around the baths with awesome audio guides held up to our ears – some of the commentary was actually entertaining in that there were ridiculous trumpet calls that made it so I had to move the audio guide away from my ear because it was so loud.
After touring the Roman baths, we all went to lunch in the Pump Room. When I thought of “pump room,” I thought about some mechanical pumps in a hot, steamy, loud room. I thought, “Why would anyone want to eat lunch in a pump room?”
Well, the Pump Room at Bath is a prestigious restaurant that’s been around for quite a while. We had a three course meal (I had mushroom soup, pumpkin penne, and a white chocolate torte with chocolate sauce) while a musician played classical piano in the background. The room was white with a huge, glittering chandelier in the center. I also got to “take the waters” – meaning I had a glass of the natural spring waters from the Roman baths. The water was treated for diseases and such, but it was natural. I think the most disconcerting thing about the water was that it was warm – it tasted mineral-y, but other than that, not bad. Apparently the water is supposed to have healing powers, so we’ll see if it holds off any sickness.
After lunch was one of the most exciting things about Bath: the spa. We went to the Thermae spa and had a two-hour session. Let me tell you – the spa was absolutely fabulous at this point in the trip. Three months of travel really makes a person appreciate time to sit and soak in warm water.
The Thermae spa had three main attractions: the rooftop pool, which was outside and still warm enough to swim in even though it was November (“and we can swim any day in November” – Postal Service, anyone?); a hot bath, which was a beautiful indoor pool with (again) warm water and a partially separate area with jets and bubbles; and several steam rooms, each of which were scented with different fragrances (the only two I remember are frankincense and mint, though there were four rooms). One of the steam rooms was so hot that it was difficult to breathe, but it was so wonderful. I was content just to be back in the water – it’s been so long since my swimming days, and I was more relaxed to swim back in forth in a partial breaststroke than to just sit and float. I miss spending time in the water; I just feel so much more coordinated and natural when I’m moving in the water.
The only downside was that about 10 minutes before I left, someone stole my towel (that I had rented from the hostel for 50p) right out from under my shoes. Granted, all the towels there were white, but my shoes had been directly on top of my towel, and when I looked to grab it, my shoes were on the floor and out of the mesh cubbies. It’s not like the Bath hostel had any way of knowing who had rented towels, but I felt bad that they were going to be short one towel because someone took it from me.
After the spa, a majority of people went to Starbucks for a cup of Christmas – a gingerbread latte. I had to grab mine to go since I had a Skype date with Seth, but no one else was ready to go so I walked back up the hill alone in the dark. Since it was kind of a back roads trail, I was a little nervous that I was alone, but fortunately I made it back okay, even if I was still a good 20 minutes late for Skype.
That night was also Kaari’s birthday, so we had cheesecake and wrote her Jane Austen-esque compliments to celebrate.
Wow, I can write so much more about each day now that I’m keeping a few brief notes. I really wish I did this earlier…
But on to the 18th of November, the day we left Bath for Lyme Regis. I had no idea where Lyme Regis was except that it was in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, so it was kind of a surprise.
But first – our stop on the way to Lyme Regis. Our deviation this time was to Glastonbury, the reputed site of King Arthur’s grave and the location of Glastonbury Abbey, which is supposed to be the monastery that the Knights of the Round Table went to after Arthur’s death. I visited Glastonbury Abbey long enough to see Arthur’s “grave” (I’m not sure how much I believe that) and then went out into Glastonbury for lunch. I went to the Mocha Berry Café with Erin, Hannah, and Alea for some coffee and light lunch. I’m sure Glastonbury would have been cool to explore, but I was a little thrown off by the absurd amount of magical/mystical stores.
After that stop, it was onward to Lyme Regis. We stayed at the Alexandra Hotel, which was absolutely wonderful after staying in hostels. I stayed in a room with Evie, and we had a big fluffy bed and a seaside view. The bathroom was shiny, clean, and appealing to the eye. The towels were fluffy and huge, and we were even provided with towel bathrobes.
A little bit after settling in to our room, Evie and I went out to explore. To me, Lyme Regis felt like a combination of Amalfi and Sligo. I think it reminded me of Sligo just because the ocean was just a short walk from the place that we were staying, but it was incredibly like Amalfi because it was an off-season tourist destination. A lot of the stores and restaurants were closed early because nobody goes to Lyme during November – it’s a lot more popular when it’s warm out. But it also resembled a California beach town since all the buildings were painted pastels: blues, pinks, yellows, greens, lavenders.
Apparently Lyme is also known for a bunch of fossils – Evie and I ran across a place called “Dinosaurland” when we went on the “Riverside Walk.” It was worth it though – I did find a very friendly kitty with beautiful green eyes as we walked along the path.
After our adventures, Evie and I went to the Mad Hatter for tea. It was just a few yards down the street from our hotel, and it was called the Mad Hatter. Really, that’s the main reason that I wanted to go there.
Mmm well that’s all for now – I had a conversation with Evie and Melissa and it’s now 11:35 pm – time for bed!
Another week has gone by, and I’m another week behind on my blog. But this time I got smart (after 3 months of travel) and started jotting down a few notes about each day in my notebook. So at least I won’t have the typical problem of trying to remember what I did. Too bad I didn’t think of this system earlier!
I’ll start back on the 17th, on our second day in Bath. That’s when we did the typical things that people do in Bath – tour the Roman baths and go to the spa.
Let’s see… Roman baths. The baths were surprisingly well intact considering that much of Bath was built on top of them. The water was green and didn’t look too inviting for bathing, but it was still steaming and bubbling. Plus, we got to walk around the baths with awesome audio guides held up to our ears – some of the commentary was actually entertaining in that there were ridiculous trumpet calls that made it so I had to move the audio guide away from my ear because it was so loud.
After touring the Roman baths, we all went to lunch in the Pump Room. When I thought of “pump room,” I thought about some mechanical pumps in a hot, steamy, loud room. I thought, “Why would anyone want to eat lunch in a pump room?”
Well, the Pump Room at Bath is a prestigious restaurant that’s been around for quite a while. We had a three course meal (I had mushroom soup, pumpkin penne, and a white chocolate torte with chocolate sauce) while a musician played classical piano in the background. The room was white with a huge, glittering chandelier in the center. I also got to “take the waters” – meaning I had a glass of the natural spring waters from the Roman baths. The water was treated for diseases and such, but it was natural. I think the most disconcerting thing about the water was that it was warm – it tasted mineral-y, but other than that, not bad. Apparently the water is supposed to have healing powers, so we’ll see if it holds off any sickness.
After lunch was one of the most exciting things about Bath: the spa. We went to the Thermae spa and had a two-hour session. Let me tell you – the spa was absolutely fabulous at this point in the trip. Three months of travel really makes a person appreciate time to sit and soak in warm water.
The Thermae spa had three main attractions: the rooftop pool, which was outside and still warm enough to swim in even though it was November (“and we can swim any day in November” – Postal Service, anyone?); a hot bath, which was a beautiful indoor pool with (again) warm water and a partially separate area with jets and bubbles; and several steam rooms, each of which were scented with different fragrances (the only two I remember are frankincense and mint, though there were four rooms). One of the steam rooms was so hot that it was difficult to breathe, but it was so wonderful. I was content just to be back in the water – it’s been so long since my swimming days, and I was more relaxed to swim back in forth in a partial breaststroke than to just sit and float. I miss spending time in the water; I just feel so much more coordinated and natural when I’m moving in the water.
The only downside was that about 10 minutes before I left, someone stole my towel (that I had rented from the hostel for 50p) right out from under my shoes. Granted, all the towels there were white, but my shoes had been directly on top of my towel, and when I looked to grab it, my shoes were on the floor and out of the mesh cubbies. It’s not like the Bath hostel had any way of knowing who had rented towels, but I felt bad that they were going to be short one towel because someone took it from me.
After the spa, a majority of people went to Starbucks for a cup of Christmas – a gingerbread latte. I had to grab mine to go since I had a Skype date with Seth, but no one else was ready to go so I walked back up the hill alone in the dark. Since it was kind of a back roads trail, I was a little nervous that I was alone, but fortunately I made it back okay, even if I was still a good 20 minutes late for Skype.
That night was also Kaari’s birthday, so we had cheesecake and wrote her Jane Austen-esque compliments to celebrate.
Wow, I can write so much more about each day now that I’m keeping a few brief notes. I really wish I did this earlier…
But on to the 18th of November, the day we left Bath for Lyme Regis. I had no idea where Lyme Regis was except that it was in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, so it was kind of a surprise.
But first – our stop on the way to Lyme Regis. Our deviation this time was to Glastonbury, the reputed site of King Arthur’s grave and the location of Glastonbury Abbey, which is supposed to be the monastery that the Knights of the Round Table went to after Arthur’s death. I visited Glastonbury Abbey long enough to see Arthur’s “grave” (I’m not sure how much I believe that) and then went out into Glastonbury for lunch. I went to the Mocha Berry Café with Erin, Hannah, and Alea for some coffee and light lunch. I’m sure Glastonbury would have been cool to explore, but I was a little thrown off by the absurd amount of magical/mystical stores.
After that stop, it was onward to Lyme Regis. We stayed at the Alexandra Hotel, which was absolutely wonderful after staying in hostels. I stayed in a room with Evie, and we had a big fluffy bed and a seaside view. The bathroom was shiny, clean, and appealing to the eye. The towels were fluffy and huge, and we were even provided with towel bathrobes.
A little bit after settling in to our room, Evie and I went out to explore. To me, Lyme Regis felt like a combination of Amalfi and Sligo. I think it reminded me of Sligo just because the ocean was just a short walk from the place that we were staying, but it was incredibly like Amalfi because it was an off-season tourist destination. A lot of the stores and restaurants were closed early because nobody goes to Lyme during November – it’s a lot more popular when it’s warm out. But it also resembled a California beach town since all the buildings were painted pastels: blues, pinks, yellows, greens, lavenders.
Apparently Lyme is also known for a bunch of fossils – Evie and I ran across a place called “Dinosaurland” when we went on the “Riverside Walk.” It was worth it though – I did find a very friendly kitty with beautiful green eyes as we walked along the path.
After our adventures, Evie and I went to the Mad Hatter for tea. It was just a few yards down the street from our hotel, and it was called the Mad Hatter. Really, that’s the main reason that I wanted to go there.
Mmm well that’s all for now – I had a conversation with Evie and Melissa and it’s now 11:35 pm – time for bed!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The land of Shakespeare
Monday, November 16, 2009
Last Tuesday we left Oxford and traveled to Stratford via the “Cotswolds.” If you’re anything like me, you have no idea what the Cotswolds are. Like Mark Bruce said, “We’re only going there because they’re pretty.” And really, that was it. The Cotswolds are just quaint little villages with pretty rivers, hills, and trees. I think they were important somehow in the production of wool, but I don’t remember the details. I did find a pair of mittens (finally!) at the Edinburgh Woolen Mill, though.
Stratford was busy, but it was a lot of fun. We spent most of our days at the Shakespeare Center taking classes from and having discussions with RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) associated people.
The most memorable part of Stratford was going to see Twelfth Night performed by the RSC. I’m not kidding – these amazing performances of Shakespeare may ruin my opinions of future Shakespeare plays. First it was As You Like It at the Globe, and now Twelfth Night by the RSC. This is quality stuff right here. Plus, we got to see Twelfth Night twice – once with the main cast, and once with the understudies. It was really cool to see how just switching the actors and actresses could change the performance. And anyway… Shakespeare is just great to start with. Add an amazing cast, amazing location, and an amazing set and director, and it’s golden.
I also spent a few nights at the Dirty Duck – officially called the Black Swan, though no one else calls it that. The Dirty Duck is the pub that all the RSC actors and actresses visit right after their shows, so obviously it was a great spot to hang out. But despite that claim to fame, the Dirty Duck really wasn’t all that crowded. The only time it seemed crowded enough that you might have to search for a table was on Saturday night – but that could be because the RSC actors and actresses had Sunday off and were there for a lot longer than other nights. Who knows. But because it was really easy to get to (it was just a couple minutes walk from our B&B) and there was lots of room, the Dirty Duck was probably another one of my favorite pubs. Plus, they had a countdown to Christmas and some fun Christmas decorations, including a 4-foot high dancing Santa.
Another highlight of Stratford was our stage combat class with Jean-Marc and Ivan. Both guys worked with the RSC and had a lot of experience and training in stage combat. Jean-Marc actually played the part of the young Prince Caspian in the 1989 BBC version of the Chronicles of Narnia.
We spent the first part of stage combat doing fencing and we learned a choreographed fight from the end of Hamlet and the second part learning a choreographed wrestling match from As You Like It. Surprisingly enough, I had a lot of fun with it, even though I wasn’t very good. I do feel like I could get a lot better with the fencing if I had more time to work with it and practice – since we only had three hours, it was more of a crash course than actual learning.
That’s Stratford in a nutshell – Shakespeare, Shakespeare, and more Shakespeare. Especially since I also visited the birthplace and grave of Shakespeare. All of the Shakespeare was so much fun, and I think I have a whole new appreciation for his work. I actually want to read a bunch of the Shakespeare plays that I haven’t read yet, so hopefully I’ll get on that once I’m back home.
Yesterday we left Stratford and traveled to Bath, stopping at Tintern Abbey along the way. All I knew about Tintern Abbey was the Wordsworth poem… probably all anyone knows about Tintern Abbey. It turns out that Tintern Abbey is actually in south Wales, so yesterday I took a jaunt over to Wales for the afternoon (I feel so weird saying that).
Tintern Abbey is the ruins of an Abbey (surprising, right?). Just the stones are left, though it’s eerily cool to wander through the main hall with all its pillars and big windows, though the roof is gone and there’s grass growing inside.
I did buy myself a £2 mood ring with the red Welsh dragon on it – don’t worry, it’s awesome. I hadn’t gotten myself anything from Wales, so the mood ring was the way to go.
Right now I’m in Bath. We’re staying at the Bath YHA Youth Hostel, which is actually up a hill and about a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of Bath. It’s probably a good thing… I don’t feel like we’ve done quite as much walking in this second half of the trip. Best to get my legs back into shape again before everything is destroyed during the Christmas season at home. Because it’s literally uphill the entire way back to the hostel.
I enjoy Bath, but it’s probably not my favorite place. It’s cool and all, but if we were here more than a couple days I’m not sure what I would do. Today we went on a walking tour, so we saw a lot of the places that Jane Austen uses in her novels (including Persuasion, which we just read). So we saw places like the Royal Crescent, the Circus… places where 17th – 18th century aristocrats would hang out and socialize. Then I went with Joel and Melissa to see the Abbey, which was kind of a strange experience because it was the first old cathedral building to have modern equipment like TV’s for the pews with a view blocked by pillars. On the other hand, it was the first old cathedral building to have a prayer walk and actually encourage tourists to use the building for a spiritual purpose rather than just looking at pretty architecture.
Tomorrow we’re touring the part of Bath that everyone else thinks about: the Roman baths. Plus, we’re spending some time at the Thermae spa, which should be an excellent time investment.
Well, I’m finally caught up. Not for long, though, I’m sure. Oh well – as long as I get there eventually.
Last Tuesday we left Oxford and traveled to Stratford via the “Cotswolds.” If you’re anything like me, you have no idea what the Cotswolds are. Like Mark Bruce said, “We’re only going there because they’re pretty.” And really, that was it. The Cotswolds are just quaint little villages with pretty rivers, hills, and trees. I think they were important somehow in the production of wool, but I don’t remember the details. I did find a pair of mittens (finally!) at the Edinburgh Woolen Mill, though.
Stratford was busy, but it was a lot of fun. We spent most of our days at the Shakespeare Center taking classes from and having discussions with RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) associated people.
The most memorable part of Stratford was going to see Twelfth Night performed by the RSC. I’m not kidding – these amazing performances of Shakespeare may ruin my opinions of future Shakespeare plays. First it was As You Like It at the Globe, and now Twelfth Night by the RSC. This is quality stuff right here. Plus, we got to see Twelfth Night twice – once with the main cast, and once with the understudies. It was really cool to see how just switching the actors and actresses could change the performance. And anyway… Shakespeare is just great to start with. Add an amazing cast, amazing location, and an amazing set and director, and it’s golden.
I also spent a few nights at the Dirty Duck – officially called the Black Swan, though no one else calls it that. The Dirty Duck is the pub that all the RSC actors and actresses visit right after their shows, so obviously it was a great spot to hang out. But despite that claim to fame, the Dirty Duck really wasn’t all that crowded. The only time it seemed crowded enough that you might have to search for a table was on Saturday night – but that could be because the RSC actors and actresses had Sunday off and were there for a lot longer than other nights. Who knows. But because it was really easy to get to (it was just a couple minutes walk from our B&B) and there was lots of room, the Dirty Duck was probably another one of my favorite pubs. Plus, they had a countdown to Christmas and some fun Christmas decorations, including a 4-foot high dancing Santa.
Another highlight of Stratford was our stage combat class with Jean-Marc and Ivan. Both guys worked with the RSC and had a lot of experience and training in stage combat. Jean-Marc actually played the part of the young Prince Caspian in the 1989 BBC version of the Chronicles of Narnia.
We spent the first part of stage combat doing fencing and we learned a choreographed fight from the end of Hamlet and the second part learning a choreographed wrestling match from As You Like It. Surprisingly enough, I had a lot of fun with it, even though I wasn’t very good. I do feel like I could get a lot better with the fencing if I had more time to work with it and practice – since we only had three hours, it was more of a crash course than actual learning.
That’s Stratford in a nutshell – Shakespeare, Shakespeare, and more Shakespeare. Especially since I also visited the birthplace and grave of Shakespeare. All of the Shakespeare was so much fun, and I think I have a whole new appreciation for his work. I actually want to read a bunch of the Shakespeare plays that I haven’t read yet, so hopefully I’ll get on that once I’m back home.
Yesterday we left Stratford and traveled to Bath, stopping at Tintern Abbey along the way. All I knew about Tintern Abbey was the Wordsworth poem… probably all anyone knows about Tintern Abbey. It turns out that Tintern Abbey is actually in south Wales, so yesterday I took a jaunt over to Wales for the afternoon (I feel so weird saying that).
Tintern Abbey is the ruins of an Abbey (surprising, right?). Just the stones are left, though it’s eerily cool to wander through the main hall with all its pillars and big windows, though the roof is gone and there’s grass growing inside.
I did buy myself a £2 mood ring with the red Welsh dragon on it – don’t worry, it’s awesome. I hadn’t gotten myself anything from Wales, so the mood ring was the way to go.
Right now I’m in Bath. We’re staying at the Bath YHA Youth Hostel, which is actually up a hill and about a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of Bath. It’s probably a good thing… I don’t feel like we’ve done quite as much walking in this second half of the trip. Best to get my legs back into shape again before everything is destroyed during the Christmas season at home. Because it’s literally uphill the entire way back to the hostel.
I enjoy Bath, but it’s probably not my favorite place. It’s cool and all, but if we were here more than a couple days I’m not sure what I would do. Today we went on a walking tour, so we saw a lot of the places that Jane Austen uses in her novels (including Persuasion, which we just read). So we saw places like the Royal Crescent, the Circus… places where 17th – 18th century aristocrats would hang out and socialize. Then I went with Joel and Melissa to see the Abbey, which was kind of a strange experience because it was the first old cathedral building to have modern equipment like TV’s for the pews with a view blocked by pillars. On the other hand, it was the first old cathedral building to have a prayer walk and actually encourage tourists to use the building for a spiritual purpose rather than just looking at pretty architecture.
Tomorrow we’re touring the part of Bath that everyone else thinks about: the Roman baths. Plus, we’re spending some time at the Thermae spa, which should be an excellent time investment.
Well, I’m finally caught up. Not for long, though, I’m sure. Oh well – as long as I get there eventually.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Two weeks too late
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It’s been two weeks since I last did any sort of blogging or journaling. I’m sure I say this just about every time I start a post, but I’m feeling incredibly intimidated. Somehow, I need to write about Canterbury, Oxford, and Stratford as I sit in the lounge of the youth hostel in Bath. To help me out, I’m going to post a very rough outline of my days and elaborate off of that.
CANTERBURY:
Wed. Nov. 4: Left Salomon’s for Canterbury. Stopped in Ashdown Forest to visit the Winnie the Pooh bridge and play Pooh sticks.
Thurs. Nov. 5: Morning class, then shopping with Melissa K. Watched V for Vendetta.
Fri. Nov. 6: Morning class. Tour of Canterbury Cathedral.
Sat. Nov. 7: Morning class, then walking on the medieval walls with Allison, Kaari, Anna S, and Nelly. Bonfire night / Guy Fawkes day bonfire and fireworks.
OXFORD:
Sun. Nov. 8: Left Canterbury and stopped at Blenheim Palace. Arrived in Oxford and went to dinner at the Eagle and Child.
Mon. Nov. 9: Morning trip to Café Nero to work on my paper. Tour of Oxford colleges – Ben’s Cookies and Cake shop. Dinner out again at the Eagle and Child.
STRATFORD:
Tues. Nov. 10: Left Oxford and drove through the Cotswolds – bought scarf and mittens. Arrived at Stratford and stayed at Forget-Me-Not B&B. Spent the night in relaxing.
Wed. Nov. 11: Morning classes at Shakespeare Center – discussed Twelfth Night and saw some archives. Visited Shakespeare’s birthplace. 7:15 performance of Twelfth Night by RSC at the Courtyard Theatre.
Thurs. Nov. 12: Voice class. 1:30 understudy performance of Twelfth Night. Evie’s birthday – dinner out at the Dirty Duck.
Fri. Nov. 13: Twelfth Night discussion and Q&A session with Miltos (plays Feste). Visited Shakespeare’s grave. Three hours of stage combat with Jean-Marc Perret (Prince Caspian) and Ivan. Watched Charlie and Lola. Went with Evie to the Dirty Duck.
Sat. Nov. 14: Laundry day. Chinese food for dinner. Went back to the Dirty Duck.
As you can tell, I’ve been busy. So I’m going to do my best to pick the highlights of these cities and write more than just the itinerary. =)
So… I’ll start with Ashdown forest. Can I just say that it was awesome to go to the 100 Acre Woods and play Pooh sticks? I’m not sure what else I can say about that – we had a tour guide who wore all purple, but I don’t think she told me anything I didn’t already know. I brought a bundle of sticks and we had some pretty intense competitions – I finally won a game near the end, once the games dwindled from six or seven people to just two. Plus, we visited Piglet’s house, which was a tiny door on a tree nearby the Pooh bridge. So nerdy, but awesome.
Canterbury was and awesome city. It’s one of the few cities that still has all its medieval streets, so all the streets were narrow and winding. We stayed in the Cathedral Lodge in the Cathedral precincts, so we were actually right next to Canterbury Cathedral. It makes me feel like I’ve been here too long, but it just seemed normal to be able to look out of my window and see a huge cathedral.
Canterbury was also a great shopping town. Since we were right in the center, there were stores everywhere – it was hard to resist spending a bunch of money I didn’t have. But I contented myself with just doing a lot of window shopping. Plus, Melissa and I got to have a great time hanging out and talking over some coffee.
One of the great things about Canterbury was that it was the 5th of November – remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. The only thing cooler would be if we were in London, but just being in England was pretty cool in itself. We marked the date by renting V for Vendetta off of iTunes, and the official celebrations took place on Saturday night, since Thursday is part of the work week. Though people do call it Bonfire Night instead of Guy Fawkes day. So a few of us (the Bruces, Evie, Erin, Dan, and I) went out to a huge bonfire on – Tyler Hill, I think? Something like that. But there really was a huge bonfire… we could see the flames flickering over the rooftops of the houses as we approached. Then there was a fireworks display, which was really long and set off to a music soundtrack including The Beatles and Michael Jackson. If the English do anything well, it’s bonfires.
As far as literature… Canterbury was where we studied the Canterbury Tales, believe it or not. It was kind of weird to study them while we were right outside Canterbury cathedral, since that was the final destination of the pilgrims, though they never make it to Canterbury in the tales. When we toured the cathedral, we saw the shrine for Thomas Beckett, which is where the pilgrims would have come at the end of their journey.
A week ago we left Canterbury for Oxford with a stop at Blenheim Palace on the way. Apparently, Blenheim Palace is the home of the Churchill family – including the one and only Winston Churchill. So we hung out there for a little while, wandering through the state rooms as well as an interactive ghost exhibit on the second floor. That was an exhibit with moving displays and narration about the history of all the people who have lived at Blenheim. I also visited the secret garden – no, really, it said it was the secret garden on the map.
Oxford was excellent, even if we were only there for two nights. I’m going to generalize and say that college towns are always fun, if only because I feel like I fit in better because I’m in the right age range. We stayed in the Oxford YHA Youth Hostel – it was quite nice for a hostel, but I’m glad we were only there two nights. It sucks showering with a hand towel instead of a bath towel and having very little room for suitcases. Other than normal hostel not-quite-as-nice-as-a-hotel-ness, it was great.
I spent a lot of time at Oxford hanging out at the Eagle and Child. That’s the pub that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien would spend time in and discuss their writing and such with their group – the Inklings. It was totally worth it to go and sit in the same pub for dinner and channel the creative spirits of such great writers – the groups I was with actually had some really great conversations while we were there. I could definitely see why Lewis and Tolkien chose that pub – it had great nooks and crannies, wood paneling, dim lighting, and plenty of small tables tucked away in the corners. On the second night, Evie, Kaari, and I actually ate dinner in the Rabbit room, which was the actual room of the pub where Lewis and Tolkien would meet. They called the pub the Bird and the Baby as well. Actually, this was probably one of my favorite pubs in England. (Obviously Dublin has my top favorites overall.)
We didn’t do a whole lot more outside of our tour of the Oxford University colleges, so I think I’ll finish up for the night. I’m exhausted. I’ll do my best to finish up with Stratford soon.
It’s been two weeks since I last did any sort of blogging or journaling. I’m sure I say this just about every time I start a post, but I’m feeling incredibly intimidated. Somehow, I need to write about Canterbury, Oxford, and Stratford as I sit in the lounge of the youth hostel in Bath. To help me out, I’m going to post a very rough outline of my days and elaborate off of that.
CANTERBURY:
Wed. Nov. 4: Left Salomon’s for Canterbury. Stopped in Ashdown Forest to visit the Winnie the Pooh bridge and play Pooh sticks.
Thurs. Nov. 5: Morning class, then shopping with Melissa K. Watched V for Vendetta.
Fri. Nov. 6: Morning class. Tour of Canterbury Cathedral.
Sat. Nov. 7: Morning class, then walking on the medieval walls with Allison, Kaari, Anna S, and Nelly. Bonfire night / Guy Fawkes day bonfire and fireworks.
OXFORD:
Sun. Nov. 8: Left Canterbury and stopped at Blenheim Palace. Arrived in Oxford and went to dinner at the Eagle and Child.
Mon. Nov. 9: Morning trip to Café Nero to work on my paper. Tour of Oxford colleges – Ben’s Cookies and Cake shop. Dinner out again at the Eagle and Child.
STRATFORD:
Tues. Nov. 10: Left Oxford and drove through the Cotswolds – bought scarf and mittens. Arrived at Stratford and stayed at Forget-Me-Not B&B. Spent the night in relaxing.
Wed. Nov. 11: Morning classes at Shakespeare Center – discussed Twelfth Night and saw some archives. Visited Shakespeare’s birthplace. 7:15 performance of Twelfth Night by RSC at the Courtyard Theatre.
Thurs. Nov. 12: Voice class. 1:30 understudy performance of Twelfth Night. Evie’s birthday – dinner out at the Dirty Duck.
Fri. Nov. 13: Twelfth Night discussion and Q&A session with Miltos (plays Feste). Visited Shakespeare’s grave. Three hours of stage combat with Jean-Marc Perret (Prince Caspian) and Ivan. Watched Charlie and Lola. Went with Evie to the Dirty Duck.
Sat. Nov. 14: Laundry day. Chinese food for dinner. Went back to the Dirty Duck.
As you can tell, I’ve been busy. So I’m going to do my best to pick the highlights of these cities and write more than just the itinerary. =)
So… I’ll start with Ashdown forest. Can I just say that it was awesome to go to the 100 Acre Woods and play Pooh sticks? I’m not sure what else I can say about that – we had a tour guide who wore all purple, but I don’t think she told me anything I didn’t already know. I brought a bundle of sticks and we had some pretty intense competitions – I finally won a game near the end, once the games dwindled from six or seven people to just two. Plus, we visited Piglet’s house, which was a tiny door on a tree nearby the Pooh bridge. So nerdy, but awesome.
Canterbury was and awesome city. It’s one of the few cities that still has all its medieval streets, so all the streets were narrow and winding. We stayed in the Cathedral Lodge in the Cathedral precincts, so we were actually right next to Canterbury Cathedral. It makes me feel like I’ve been here too long, but it just seemed normal to be able to look out of my window and see a huge cathedral.
Canterbury was also a great shopping town. Since we were right in the center, there were stores everywhere – it was hard to resist spending a bunch of money I didn’t have. But I contented myself with just doing a lot of window shopping. Plus, Melissa and I got to have a great time hanging out and talking over some coffee.
One of the great things about Canterbury was that it was the 5th of November – remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. The only thing cooler would be if we were in London, but just being in England was pretty cool in itself. We marked the date by renting V for Vendetta off of iTunes, and the official celebrations took place on Saturday night, since Thursday is part of the work week. Though people do call it Bonfire Night instead of Guy Fawkes day. So a few of us (the Bruces, Evie, Erin, Dan, and I) went out to a huge bonfire on – Tyler Hill, I think? Something like that. But there really was a huge bonfire… we could see the flames flickering over the rooftops of the houses as we approached. Then there was a fireworks display, which was really long and set off to a music soundtrack including The Beatles and Michael Jackson. If the English do anything well, it’s bonfires.
As far as literature… Canterbury was where we studied the Canterbury Tales, believe it or not. It was kind of weird to study them while we were right outside Canterbury cathedral, since that was the final destination of the pilgrims, though they never make it to Canterbury in the tales. When we toured the cathedral, we saw the shrine for Thomas Beckett, which is where the pilgrims would have come at the end of their journey.
A week ago we left Canterbury for Oxford with a stop at Blenheim Palace on the way. Apparently, Blenheim Palace is the home of the Churchill family – including the one and only Winston Churchill. So we hung out there for a little while, wandering through the state rooms as well as an interactive ghost exhibit on the second floor. That was an exhibit with moving displays and narration about the history of all the people who have lived at Blenheim. I also visited the secret garden – no, really, it said it was the secret garden on the map.
Oxford was excellent, even if we were only there for two nights. I’m going to generalize and say that college towns are always fun, if only because I feel like I fit in better because I’m in the right age range. We stayed in the Oxford YHA Youth Hostel – it was quite nice for a hostel, but I’m glad we were only there two nights. It sucks showering with a hand towel instead of a bath towel and having very little room for suitcases. Other than normal hostel not-quite-as-nice-as-a-hotel-ness, it was great.
I spent a lot of time at Oxford hanging out at the Eagle and Child. That’s the pub that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien would spend time in and discuss their writing and such with their group – the Inklings. It was totally worth it to go and sit in the same pub for dinner and channel the creative spirits of such great writers – the groups I was with actually had some really great conversations while we were there. I could definitely see why Lewis and Tolkien chose that pub – it had great nooks and crannies, wood paneling, dim lighting, and plenty of small tables tucked away in the corners. On the second night, Evie, Kaari, and I actually ate dinner in the Rabbit room, which was the actual room of the pub where Lewis and Tolkien would meet. They called the pub the Bird and the Baby as well. Actually, this was probably one of my favorite pubs in England. (Obviously Dublin has my top favorites overall.)
We didn’t do a whole lot more outside of our tour of the Oxford University colleges, so I think I’ll finish up for the night. I’m exhausted. I’ll do my best to finish up with Stratford soon.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sleepy Sunday
Sunday November 1, 2009
Fortunately for England Term, Salomon’s really is a great place to rest. Lots of people have been hit with colds and are either ill or recovering. As of today, I’ve avoided the worst of it, but my time may still be coming. I did have a cold back in September, and I’m hoping that’s enough to pull me through the rest of the semester without catching another one.
But I’ve really been taking it easy this week. I didn’t bring any of my own books, so I’m getting ahead on class reading. I figure that it’ll pay off once we leave this place – there has to be more to do in Canterbury than here. I’ve been getting to bed early or on time, and I’ve just been relaxed in general.
If anything, though, my schedule at Salomon’s is centered on food. Some days – especially today, since it was Sunday – I consider sleeping in, but then I remember how wonderful the breakfasts are. I really need to stop eating three big meals a day, but it’s there, it’s free, and it’s good. And after just scraping by in London, it seems to be a waste if I don’t eat it.
Today is Sunday, and it’s been rainy and drizzly all day. It’s just one of those days to do absolutely nothing, and it’s been wonderful. I finished watching the two most recent episodes of Heroes with Alea, so she’s caught up on season 4 as well. We actually had a long discussion about what’s going on in Heroes when we finished, which was a great relief after keeping all my theories to myself for the beginning of the semester. I even pulled out the English major card and related some of the characters to the works we’re studying (Othello, White Teeth). Oh! I know this makes no sense to anyone who doesn’t watch Heroes, but I need to tell Alea: maybe Gretchen is somehow in league with Becky? I’ve got to pass that one along and see what she thinks.
Yesterday was Halloween, and even though we’re all living out of suitcases and don’t have costumes, we still found fantastic ways to dress up and celebrate. We all invented costumes for dinner yesterday, and the results were amazing, considering our limited wardrobes. I went with three other girls as grapes: we dressed in all purple (except me; I was the rotten grape so I wore black with a little purple) and formed a grape cluster with a green scarf for the vine. We also had Joel Slotman dressed up as Jesus, which was probably the best costume. Anna Wilson was a Russian spy, Emily Wick was Emily Dickinson (also one of the best costumes), Nelly was Annie Taylor, Annie Taylor was a menorah, Zach was Aladdin, Carrie was Harry Potter, Emily Coleman was Draco Malfoy, Erin Buchen was Ron Weasley, and Melissa Haunty was someone from the 70’s (I’ve never seen her comb her hair into a fro, but it was awesome!). I know I’m missing some people, but it was a pretty awesome costume collection.
After dinner, we stopped back in our rooms so that Rhiannon could come around trick or treating (Mark and Julianne had given us some candy). After that a bunch of us went back to our classroom for a Halloween dance party. It took a while to get going because we had to figure out how to get the music to play from the speakers in there, but after that, it was pretty awesome. Granted, none of us were fantastic dancers, but we still had a great time.
Let’s see… what else have I been up to? Oh! Funny faux-hawk and pigtail story from Friday. It was after I was done on my laptop, and I was walking back to my room to put it away before dinner at 7:00pm. There’s not a long distance to walk, but on the short walk up the hill, a car stops next to me.
“Can you tell me where the Science Theatre is? Where the show is tonight?” the guy in the driver’s seat asked.
I dutifully explained that it was just down the hill and in the doors. Then the guy asks me where parking is, causing one of the girls in the back to start laughing. “It’s just that you have an American accent and we’re asking you for directions!” she said in a proper English accent.
She’s right; it was funny. But I told them where I thought there was parking available and then continued on my way. But as I was walking up the stairs, it struck me: I still had a ridiculous hairstyle. Those poor Brits probably have a terrible image of America now!
Ohhh well. It was entertaining for me, at least. And apparently for them as well, if the girl in the back was any indication.
The rest of the week is mainly classes and homework, though we are having another talent show on Tuesday night. Shoot – that means Kaari, Evie, and I have to get busy writing tomorrow. Then we’ll leave Salomon’s on Wednesday and head off to Canterbury. I’ve started reading some of the Canterbury tales to get ahead, but I don’t think it’ll ever be the same now that I associate Chaucer with my goldfish.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully this relaxing stay at Salomon’s will give me the energy I need to enjoy the last month of England term.
Fortunately for England Term, Salomon’s really is a great place to rest. Lots of people have been hit with colds and are either ill or recovering. As of today, I’ve avoided the worst of it, but my time may still be coming. I did have a cold back in September, and I’m hoping that’s enough to pull me through the rest of the semester without catching another one.
But I’ve really been taking it easy this week. I didn’t bring any of my own books, so I’m getting ahead on class reading. I figure that it’ll pay off once we leave this place – there has to be more to do in Canterbury than here. I’ve been getting to bed early or on time, and I’ve just been relaxed in general.
If anything, though, my schedule at Salomon’s is centered on food. Some days – especially today, since it was Sunday – I consider sleeping in, but then I remember how wonderful the breakfasts are. I really need to stop eating three big meals a day, but it’s there, it’s free, and it’s good. And after just scraping by in London, it seems to be a waste if I don’t eat it.
Today is Sunday, and it’s been rainy and drizzly all day. It’s just one of those days to do absolutely nothing, and it’s been wonderful. I finished watching the two most recent episodes of Heroes with Alea, so she’s caught up on season 4 as well. We actually had a long discussion about what’s going on in Heroes when we finished, which was a great relief after keeping all my theories to myself for the beginning of the semester. I even pulled out the English major card and related some of the characters to the works we’re studying (Othello, White Teeth). Oh! I know this makes no sense to anyone who doesn’t watch Heroes, but I need to tell Alea: maybe Gretchen is somehow in league with Becky? I’ve got to pass that one along and see what she thinks.
Yesterday was Halloween, and even though we’re all living out of suitcases and don’t have costumes, we still found fantastic ways to dress up and celebrate. We all invented costumes for dinner yesterday, and the results were amazing, considering our limited wardrobes. I went with three other girls as grapes: we dressed in all purple (except me; I was the rotten grape so I wore black with a little purple) and formed a grape cluster with a green scarf for the vine. We also had Joel Slotman dressed up as Jesus, which was probably the best costume. Anna Wilson was a Russian spy, Emily Wick was Emily Dickinson (also one of the best costumes), Nelly was Annie Taylor, Annie Taylor was a menorah, Zach was Aladdin, Carrie was Harry Potter, Emily Coleman was Draco Malfoy, Erin Buchen was Ron Weasley, and Melissa Haunty was someone from the 70’s (I’ve never seen her comb her hair into a fro, but it was awesome!). I know I’m missing some people, but it was a pretty awesome costume collection.
After dinner, we stopped back in our rooms so that Rhiannon could come around trick or treating (Mark and Julianne had given us some candy). After that a bunch of us went back to our classroom for a Halloween dance party. It took a while to get going because we had to figure out how to get the music to play from the speakers in there, but after that, it was pretty awesome. Granted, none of us were fantastic dancers, but we still had a great time.
Let’s see… what else have I been up to? Oh! Funny faux-hawk and pigtail story from Friday. It was after I was done on my laptop, and I was walking back to my room to put it away before dinner at 7:00pm. There’s not a long distance to walk, but on the short walk up the hill, a car stops next to me.
“Can you tell me where the Science Theatre is? Where the show is tonight?” the guy in the driver’s seat asked.
I dutifully explained that it was just down the hill and in the doors. Then the guy asks me where parking is, causing one of the girls in the back to start laughing. “It’s just that you have an American accent and we’re asking you for directions!” she said in a proper English accent.
She’s right; it was funny. But I told them where I thought there was parking available and then continued on my way. But as I was walking up the stairs, it struck me: I still had a ridiculous hairstyle. Those poor Brits probably have a terrible image of America now!
Ohhh well. It was entertaining for me, at least. And apparently for them as well, if the girl in the back was any indication.
The rest of the week is mainly classes and homework, though we are having another talent show on Tuesday night. Shoot – that means Kaari, Evie, and I have to get busy writing tomorrow. Then we’ll leave Salomon’s on Wednesday and head off to Canterbury. I’ve started reading some of the Canterbury tales to get ahead, but I don’t think it’ll ever be the same now that I associate Chaucer with my goldfish.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully this relaxing stay at Salomon’s will give me the energy I need to enjoy the last month of England term.
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