Woohoo! The time has come to see America again, and I'm ready.
I had a very lovely time visiting Kris and Ari and Robin, it was fun and the country is beautiful (and the creamed tea is delicious!). We saw Castle Drogo, Moors, Sheep and Ponies in the road, and so on. It was splendid. I will fill in more details at a later time in my life.
For now, I have made it back to the original hostel after picking up my monster luggage. The brother/sister duo from my room are STILL here, and, unsuprisingly, are napping. It's nearly 8pm here. Nice to see them, though, or their backs as they slept, really. All we need is Greg, sort of.
Anyway, I prepare for tomorrow. I relax and read a book Kris loaned me, I shower, I sleep, I get up early and head to the airport, I go for an 8 hour ride, and I get picked up by my dear, dear Jeffrey.
And I see two of his shows this weekend, Sat and Sun. Woo! I'm excited.
Adieu London, Bath, Cambridge, Dartmoor...
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Monday, August 01, 2005
Museums and Birds
Well, I've arrived in Bath. Just about half an hour ago, not including finding my hostel. I'm only online because I was checking my e-mail and was forced to purchase a £3 block of time, thus I have the time. The hostel here is not bad. Above a pub, which seems trendy. I can get in a side door and walk the several flights to my room.
London was fun. It may not have been had I 1) not stored my luggage, and 2) not run into a guy (Greg) in my hostel who gave himself the job of friend and bodyguard for the whole of my two days there. Also, it may not have been if there had not been a brother and sister living in our room who were very nice and fricking hilarious. My favorite conversation goes like this:
Her: OW (hitting head on bed)
Him: Shut up!
Her: Get out of my way!
Him: Shut up!
I laughed and laughed. Ah, siblings. How I miss being young. ;)
So anyway, I saw a lot of sites in London. British Museum (plus lunch on the steps there), Leicester Square, "As You Like It" at Wyndham's Theater, for the first day.
Next day, I set off for Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard by 11:30, and Greg, who was just getting up when I left, found me there (which is pretty amazing, since there are huge numbers of people there, making the changing of the guard the tiptoeing of the silly people trying to catch a glimpse of red guard outfit).
From there we walked through the park, fed ducks, walked through Trafalgar Square to the National Gallery, and climbed those steps. There at the top, a man had a bag of seed and was feeding many, many pigeons. We got handfuls and held them out, and the pigeons flew onto our hands and arms to eat it. It was really fun. Then we went into the National Gallery. Saw that, left, had Burger King, went to the National Portrait Gallery. I liked that, especially the Tudor area and, more, the portraits of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Really cool. Towards the end of this excursion, I got a call from Jackie, who goes to my school and is also staying in London after Cambridge. We arranged to meet up with her and did so, taking her with us to the Victoria and Albert Museum. That was fun, and they have a garden with a large, shallow fountain in it. We took off our shoes and went in with the little kids; again very enjoyable. From there we parted ways with Jackie to go back to the hostel to nap and eat. We arranged to meet Jackie at Piccadilly Circus at 9 to see it at night. Greg went to the store and was way late getting back; we didn't get to Piccadilly Circus until 9:15. Jackie was nowhere to be found; and attempts to locate her amounted to nothing. However, she wasn't sure she wanted to come, so hopefully she just decided not to. We were worried.
After waiting a bit, we pressed on and walked through Picadilly. New York, but much smaller scale, I'd say. Crazy. We went down and hung a left into Soho as well, where a gay pride festival had recently (within hours) ended. There was glass and garbage everywhere, streamers hung from light posts, and one street was still full of people, a few dressed as the opposite sex. Very interesting. We departed and walked back down the street, ending up at Leicester Square again, where we sat in the park and watched people go by until it closed (Greg talked to some French guys who said they were studying law here as well). Then we headed back to the hostel. Ran into the brother and sister combo again, and sat in the common room with them for awhile. Greg found out his plane left at 8:40 instead of 1:00, so I stayed up and played a game of chess with him, then said goodbye and went to bed.
When I awoke, he was gone and it was time to pack. So I did, and went down for some cereal and tea, and then left. Took the tube to Victoria, waited in line for train ticket, found out after finally getting to the booth that I needed to get my Bath Spa ticket from Picadilly, paid to get back on the tube and go to Picadilly, got my Bath ticket, missed my train by about 30 seconds (it was still sitting still as I walked up to it, but doors had closed), waited for the next (went to the store and got a water and a nice southern chicken wrap with sourcream sauce and salsa in it), got on, got to Bath, actually asked for directions since the St. Christopher's online ones suck, and found this place. So here I am. For the next two days.
Am going to nap and relax for a little bit, then head out. Thinking about a bus tour, where I can sit on top and see everything. Then probably to the Jane Austen insitute for the rest of the day, then to bed early.
More later, when I feel like spending £3 again just to get online.
London was fun. It may not have been had I 1) not stored my luggage, and 2) not run into a guy (Greg) in my hostel who gave himself the job of friend and bodyguard for the whole of my two days there. Also, it may not have been if there had not been a brother and sister living in our room who were very nice and fricking hilarious. My favorite conversation goes like this:
Her: OW (hitting head on bed)
Him: Shut up!
Her: Get out of my way!
Him: Shut up!
I laughed and laughed. Ah, siblings. How I miss being young. ;)
So anyway, I saw a lot of sites in London. British Museum (plus lunch on the steps there), Leicester Square, "As You Like It" at Wyndham's Theater, for the first day.
Next day, I set off for Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard by 11:30, and Greg, who was just getting up when I left, found me there (which is pretty amazing, since there are huge numbers of people there, making the changing of the guard the tiptoeing of the silly people trying to catch a glimpse of red guard outfit).
From there we walked through the park, fed ducks, walked through Trafalgar Square to the National Gallery, and climbed those steps. There at the top, a man had a bag of seed and was feeding many, many pigeons. We got handfuls and held them out, and the pigeons flew onto our hands and arms to eat it. It was really fun. Then we went into the National Gallery. Saw that, left, had Burger King, went to the National Portrait Gallery. I liked that, especially the Tudor area and, more, the portraits of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Really cool. Towards the end of this excursion, I got a call from Jackie, who goes to my school and is also staying in London after Cambridge. We arranged to meet up with her and did so, taking her with us to the Victoria and Albert Museum. That was fun, and they have a garden with a large, shallow fountain in it. We took off our shoes and went in with the little kids; again very enjoyable. From there we parted ways with Jackie to go back to the hostel to nap and eat. We arranged to meet Jackie at Piccadilly Circus at 9 to see it at night. Greg went to the store and was way late getting back; we didn't get to Piccadilly Circus until 9:15. Jackie was nowhere to be found; and attempts to locate her amounted to nothing. However, she wasn't sure she wanted to come, so hopefully she just decided not to. We were worried.
After waiting a bit, we pressed on and walked through Picadilly. New York, but much smaller scale, I'd say. Crazy. We went down and hung a left into Soho as well, where a gay pride festival had recently (within hours) ended. There was glass and garbage everywhere, streamers hung from light posts, and one street was still full of people, a few dressed as the opposite sex. Very interesting. We departed and walked back down the street, ending up at Leicester Square again, where we sat in the park and watched people go by until it closed (Greg talked to some French guys who said they were studying law here as well). Then we headed back to the hostel. Ran into the brother and sister combo again, and sat in the common room with them for awhile. Greg found out his plane left at 8:40 instead of 1:00, so I stayed up and played a game of chess with him, then said goodbye and went to bed.
When I awoke, he was gone and it was time to pack. So I did, and went down for some cereal and tea, and then left. Took the tube to Victoria, waited in line for train ticket, found out after finally getting to the booth that I needed to get my Bath Spa ticket from Picadilly, paid to get back on the tube and go to Picadilly, got my Bath ticket, missed my train by about 30 seconds (it was still sitting still as I walked up to it, but doors had closed), waited for the next (went to the store and got a water and a nice southern chicken wrap with sourcream sauce and salsa in it), got on, got to Bath, actually asked for directions since the St. Christopher's online ones suck, and found this place. So here I am. For the next two days.
Am going to nap and relax for a little bit, then head out. Thinking about a bus tour, where I can sit on top and see everything. Then probably to the Jane Austen insitute for the rest of the day, then to bed early.
More later, when I feel like spending £3 again just to get online.
Friday, July 29, 2005
A Long Walk Home
Well, I haven't felt like posting in quite some time -- either too busy or too weary. But I feel tonight as though I must. Summer school has really ended, and I am wearing the dress to prove it. That is, we had a special dinner this evening where we all dressed up and the Shakespeare director, Sean Connery (aka Dr. Charles Moseley) spoke. This is his last year with the Summer School, I am afraid, and I find that quite said because he is so cute and sweet and knowledgable and well spoken. Not necessarily in that order.
I have apparently made quite a few friends during this time, which is good for me -- more friends than I ever made at CMU I think! I took lots of pictures, as did everyone else. Dinner was chicken wrapped in ham; very good. Also, walnut salad with egg, which I also enjoyed very much (even though mine came without the nuts). I had a good time. I couldn't decide who to sit with. I was walking in with some friends, so I felt obligated to sit with them and did, and then I got up and moved to sit with the older women because I just wanted to have dinner with them once more. Charmazel is from Texas and fricking hilarious, Ellen (from Canada) is very amusing in her serious way, and everyone else is enjoyable. I will miss having dinner with them quite a lot, now that I think about it.
I may be having a late night gathering in my room to watch Bridget Jones 2. FYI.
I have been reflecting, due to my Shakespeare and Memory class, which turned out to be extremely pleasant, on the life span of individuals and what is important to them. We were discussing how many people are buried under the walk blocks at the churches -- as in people were often buried underneath the ground nearest the spot they worshiped from. Not really aware of this but fascinated, I trekked to the nearest church and looked around outside the door. Sure enough, the ground cement was a veritable novel, filled with deaths from the 1800's. Crazy, I say.
On another note, we also discussed in my course the way people then went to court like we did (not suprising), and for this reason there are records of gifts given between people. Such as listings of gloves, ribbons, etc.
And, just like now, for what? The people are under the church floor, and hundreds of years have passed. So I say, whatever you want to do, find a way to do it and try not to let things hold you back or make you forget how short life is.
This is just my usual revelation that I like to have every month or so. It used to be on the drive home from CMU, now it's on the last night of Cambridge. So there you go.
With that said, I move onward from here and try not to feel too happy or too sad, but merely reflective. This was a really nice experience for me, and I'm glad I had it. I do miss Jeffrey very much, as well as my parents and my nephews and our friends, and I am always aware that I am missing moments with them. As long as I make it home, it will have been worth it.
If I get blown up on the tube, it was not worth it at all.
But that's another story.
Anyway, time for me to pack and go to London for a couple days, then to Bath for a couple days, then to Dartmoor to visit Dr. Kristen McDermott. Should be nice. Hope I don't let travelling alone keep me sitting in McDonalds sipping coffee for comfort until it's time to go.
I have apparently made quite a few friends during this time, which is good for me -- more friends than I ever made at CMU I think! I took lots of pictures, as did everyone else. Dinner was chicken wrapped in ham; very good. Also, walnut salad with egg, which I also enjoyed very much (even though mine came without the nuts). I had a good time. I couldn't decide who to sit with. I was walking in with some friends, so I felt obligated to sit with them and did, and then I got up and moved to sit with the older women because I just wanted to have dinner with them once more. Charmazel is from Texas and fricking hilarious, Ellen (from Canada) is very amusing in her serious way, and everyone else is enjoyable. I will miss having dinner with them quite a lot, now that I think about it.
I may be having a late night gathering in my room to watch Bridget Jones 2. FYI.
I have been reflecting, due to my Shakespeare and Memory class, which turned out to be extremely pleasant, on the life span of individuals and what is important to them. We were discussing how many people are buried under the walk blocks at the churches -- as in people were often buried underneath the ground nearest the spot they worshiped from. Not really aware of this but fascinated, I trekked to the nearest church and looked around outside the door. Sure enough, the ground cement was a veritable novel, filled with deaths from the 1800's. Crazy, I say.
On another note, we also discussed in my course the way people then went to court like we did (not suprising), and for this reason there are records of gifts given between people. Such as listings of gloves, ribbons, etc.
And, just like now, for what? The people are under the church floor, and hundreds of years have passed. So I say, whatever you want to do, find a way to do it and try not to let things hold you back or make you forget how short life is.
This is just my usual revelation that I like to have every month or so. It used to be on the drive home from CMU, now it's on the last night of Cambridge. So there you go.
With that said, I move onward from here and try not to feel too happy or too sad, but merely reflective. This was a really nice experience for me, and I'm glad I had it. I do miss Jeffrey very much, as well as my parents and my nephews and our friends, and I am always aware that I am missing moments with them. As long as I make it home, it will have been worth it.
If I get blown up on the tube, it was not worth it at all.
But that's another story.
Anyway, time for me to pack and go to London for a couple days, then to Bath for a couple days, then to Dartmoor to visit Dr. Kristen McDermott. Should be nice. Hope I don't let travelling alone keep me sitting in McDonalds sipping coffee for comfort until it's time to go.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The Great Yarmouth Excursion... and other short stories.
Realized since this is really trip based it should be posted here... so here 'tis. Hopefully I'll feel the urge to write about my weekend excursions to The Globe and Bodiam/Leeds castle sometime soon.
For today, though...
Well, I'm officially back from my day off "mini break."I set out this morning at about 9:30, determined, for some reason, to reach the east coast of England and sit near the ocean for a bit. Easily shoving down the occasional voices telling me not to bother (including the one that told me to stay in bed and continue my morning's dream), I walked towards the bus station and caught a bus to the train station. Caught a train to Norwich (only after riding on four different trains do I realize how lucky I was to have caught that first train immediately... but then I remember that I had checked the time and was there about 10 minutes early, so not too astounding), and then switched to get to Great Yarmouth. Arrived a bit after noon.Great Yarmouth is, as the website and other tourist advertisements will tell you, quite a tourist/vacation town. Tons of stores and shops, a great span of sand, pier, and ocean tide, and many many fun things for the kiddies and adults alike.Being there alone, I was not overcome by the need to take part in much of these activities, but I did enjoy snapping some pictures for Jeffrey's viewing and walking through a few shops. I actually stopped into a store called "Size Up" which was quite fantastic, as clothing stores go. I purchased 4 items and spent around 75 american dollars --- £40.I made my way to the beach. It was a chilly and cloudly day, but I like that kind of weather so I wasn't bothered. The wind was a bit troublesome, however, as I had insisted on purchasing a take away meal and walking down onto the sand to eat it. Yum, sand and fish. The meal wasn't good anyway, so I ended up throwing it away and later going to McDonalds. Before that, I removed my shoes and sat stubbornly on the beach, wiggling my toes into the sand and pretending the beachfront was peopled by children and sunbathers and colorful umbrellas. I read some Shakespeare and wrote a bit in my journal. Quite enjoyable overall. And, after awhile, the sun actually did peep out. Quite marvelous -- if it had been too hot I'd have been grumpy, with no one to get grumpy AT (ah, how I miss you Jeffrey).Anyway, at half past four I tore myself away and walked back through a park and then the shops, picking up my Filet-o-fish on the way. I arrived at the train station by 5:00, and the train arrived by quarter after. Lovely. Boarded, switched at Norwich, arrived Cambridge, awaited a bus, disembarked at the city center, walked to Sainsbury's to purchase some more milk, cheddar, and frosted mini-wheats, and the rest, as they say, is that I walked home and came down here to check my e-mail.
For today, though...
Well, I'm officially back from my day off "mini break."I set out this morning at about 9:30, determined, for some reason, to reach the east coast of England and sit near the ocean for a bit. Easily shoving down the occasional voices telling me not to bother (including the one that told me to stay in bed and continue my morning's dream), I walked towards the bus station and caught a bus to the train station. Caught a train to Norwich (only after riding on four different trains do I realize how lucky I was to have caught that first train immediately... but then I remember that I had checked the time and was there about 10 minutes early, so not too astounding), and then switched to get to Great Yarmouth. Arrived a bit after noon.Great Yarmouth is, as the website and other tourist advertisements will tell you, quite a tourist/vacation town. Tons of stores and shops, a great span of sand, pier, and ocean tide, and many many fun things for the kiddies and adults alike.Being there alone, I was not overcome by the need to take part in much of these activities, but I did enjoy snapping some pictures for Jeffrey's viewing and walking through a few shops. I actually stopped into a store called "Size Up" which was quite fantastic, as clothing stores go. I purchased 4 items and spent around 75 american dollars --- £40.I made my way to the beach. It was a chilly and cloudly day, but I like that kind of weather so I wasn't bothered. The wind was a bit troublesome, however, as I had insisted on purchasing a take away meal and walking down onto the sand to eat it. Yum, sand and fish. The meal wasn't good anyway, so I ended up throwing it away and later going to McDonalds. Before that, I removed my shoes and sat stubbornly on the beach, wiggling my toes into the sand and pretending the beachfront was peopled by children and sunbathers and colorful umbrellas. I read some Shakespeare and wrote a bit in my journal. Quite enjoyable overall. And, after awhile, the sun actually did peep out. Quite marvelous -- if it had been too hot I'd have been grumpy, with no one to get grumpy AT (ah, how I miss you Jeffrey).Anyway, at half past four I tore myself away and walked back through a park and then the shops, picking up my Filet-o-fish on the way. I arrived at the train station by 5:00, and the train arrived by quarter after. Lovely. Boarded, switched at Norwich, arrived Cambridge, awaited a bus, disembarked at the city center, walked to Sainsbury's to purchase some more milk, cheddar, and frosted mini-wheats, and the rest, as they say, is that I walked home and came down here to check my e-mail.
Friday, July 15, 2005
My Hair's All a Mess...
That (the title) is actually just supposed to go with the last title, as something that probably no one but jeffrey has chance of getting, but my hair really is all a mess. It's hot here, and I went to the SuperDrug, found a hair dryer for £5, decided not to buy it, changed my mind the next day, returned, and found that they were all gone. Having no one to impress here, I am not interested in spending £15 (in my mind, $30) for a hair dryer. So there you have it.
Anyway, I DID buy a digital camera card reader today. For £20. The smallest one she had was a 7-1 card reader. I only wanted a compact flash card reader. She SAID they'd probably be about the same price anyway. I should have moved on to the next store, but am tired and a bit cranky, and since I'm going on my excursions this weekend, I knew I needed to get the little video clips of Suessical onto my laptop. So I shut my eyes tight, cringed on the inside, and bought it.
Classes weren't bad today. The last one is near torture. Love the prof, but I must have a hard time following him because I have to fight quite hard to stay awake. Seems ridiculous to say I'm tired after only two other lectures before that one, but I can't deny it... I need a major nap by the end of that class.
Tonight there is a special opening at Heffer's Bookshop for Shakespeare Students. Should be nice. Bet I could have bought two books with my £20, if only I'd remembered to bring my own card reader. Darn it all...
There is also a disco this evening, but I will skip that. Attend the optional evening lecture, then off to bed to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow's Globe journey.
Oh, and I'll probably be on much more, because they have actually designated that we can use these basement computer labs in our college (instead of us semi-sneaking in)-- and I have a key (along with my room key) that opens it. Woohoo!!
More later, Milks out.
Anyway, I DID buy a digital camera card reader today. For £20. The smallest one she had was a 7-1 card reader. I only wanted a compact flash card reader. She SAID they'd probably be about the same price anyway. I should have moved on to the next store, but am tired and a bit cranky, and since I'm going on my excursions this weekend, I knew I needed to get the little video clips of Suessical onto my laptop. So I shut my eyes tight, cringed on the inside, and bought it.
Classes weren't bad today. The last one is near torture. Love the prof, but I must have a hard time following him because I have to fight quite hard to stay awake. Seems ridiculous to say I'm tired after only two other lectures before that one, but I can't deny it... I need a major nap by the end of that class.
Tonight there is a special opening at Heffer's Bookshop for Shakespeare Students. Should be nice. Bet I could have bought two books with my £20, if only I'd remembered to bring my own card reader. Darn it all...
There is also a disco this evening, but I will skip that. Attend the optional evening lecture, then off to bed to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow's Globe journey.
Oh, and I'll probably be on much more, because they have actually designated that we can use these basement computer labs in our college (instead of us semi-sneaking in)-- and I have a key (along with my room key) that opens it. Woohoo!!
More later, Milks out.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
It's Raining At Cambridge
Ok all, I know it's been a long time. Computers are somewhat hard to come by here. Apparently, since they have such fabulous libraries here, they don't depend on internet access. Go figure.
Here are some excerpts from my recent e-mail to Jeffrey about my stay so far:
Ok, so here's what my day is like.At 8:00, I am up and get off to breakfast. Breakfast is like.. well, not unlike the cafeteria when you worked at the museum.. that kind of deal. a line where you get what you want. We have English breakfast though, which varies. Yesterday I had what looked like undercooked fried eggs but were in fact merely glossy poached-like eggs (very good) with toast and a piece of ham. Today was french toast. No syrup here though, just marmalade. Ew. In addition to the varying selection, they seem to always have corn flakes, or whatever they're called. the kind with and without sugar. I have some. With orange juice.After breakfast, we have to be at our classes by 9:15. It takes me about 15 minutes to get there. My college (dormitory) is right on the edge of the city center, so I leave, take a right, turn right on the corner, and walk all the way down to the teaching buildings. I cross a bridge on the way, which is where the punting begins. in the day time guys stand around with signs so you can hire them to "punt" you around.My first class is "Romanticizing Shakespeare". It is a class I wanted to switch, but then I thought I must have chosen it for a reason and made myself keep it. So far it is my favorite class! It's nice, I think because he explains a lot.
That class gets over at 10:45, and then we have a "plenary lecture" promptly at 11:30, which is a lecture for everyone in the shakespeare program, regardless of which smaller classes they are in. No coffee allowed in any buildings, by the way (not any food item but water as well).After the plenary ends at 12:30, we have time for lunch. I have taken to going to the college that has a dining option -- it's a lot like the hospital cafeterias we've been too. Bigger "pick what you want and pay" with actual meals. So far the meals have not been familiar enough to make me choose them. I have learned, however, that it seems anything they make with a tomato based sauce -- soup in particular -- is pretty good. then I walk back through a garden like area towards our teaching site.
Our second class begins at 2:00pm. I like this professor a lot, but the class is tiring. No desks to lean on, just a regular seat, and for an hour and a half. He's not quite as organized as the first professor and assumes more knowledge (perhaps rightfully so). Interesting but by this time, and after the plenary, I have become quite tired.That class gets out at 3:30, and we're done for the day, really. The shops close at like, 6pm around here, so today, for example, I rushed back into town so I could find shoes. There are tons of streets and alleys filled with little stores. Easy to get lost but small enough that it's not hard to accidentally end up on a recognizable street again. I found a lot of new streets when I was looking for shoes. In the middle of town is a market... a ton of tents where people come every day to sell stuff. There is also a play theater down an alley near my college... I thought you would like it. Keep in mind that everywhere I'm telling you about is surrounding by old, old, buildings and tiny streets with tiny sidewalks. I know, it's whoville!
Anyway. Nothing we have to do until dinner at 6:30. That requires promptness as well. They don't get mad at you, but the dinner is served so you miss food if you don't show up on time. We get a little appetizer first.. a melon, a small serving of soup, tonight a little mosticcoli like dish in a tiny bowl. Then comes, on a three hole serving tray, the salad (a very light oil dressing, hardly there), a vegetable, and usually potatoes of some sort. Tonight little potatoes, last night little breaded potates, etc. Then comes the main dish. Tonight it was some kind of fish. Very dense and tasted a bit like tuna. Yesterday was roast beef, which was alright. the first day chicken -- very good. After dinner is desert with tea or coffee. The first two nights were really really good. Tonight not so much. Tonight was like fruit cocktail with strawberries. I ate the three strawberries in mine and left the rest. Last night was this absolutely awesome sugar coated banana nut muffin type thing. Yum.. Mom would have loved it. The first night was stawberries with sugar and cream to pour on them.Dinner gets over about 7:30, and we are really done for the night. There are optional concerts and lectures, like the strings one tonight, but we don't have to go. Optional.
So far I have walked around after dinner, then fallen in to bed and slept soundly until morning when I do it again.I like it though, and I'm on the edge of loving my room. The other two girls from CMU don't like there's that much. One dislikes her building, the other her room.. mine is nice. Except for being on the third floor. but it has a bed in the corner, a dresser, a closet with a tiled sink/mirror/light, a amoire, two chairs, and a desk. Very cozy. My window looks out onto the main street where people hang out at night. My room is on a landing with one other room. I may have mentioned that to you before. So in between the two rooms is a toilet and a little, kind of dirty and sparse kitchen.What else... I need to take pictures for you. the buildings here are beautiful The grass and landscaping is also beautiful at the colleges. There are signs all over that request everyone keep off the grass.
About British Airways... They run the movies soon after you get on, and they run previews first. Then they all start at the same time. Then previews run until all of them end, and they restart them. So I watched "Guess Who" and then a bit of "Constantine". There are little packs on your seat when you come in. A little back pillow, a light blanket in a plastic bag for you to open, and a bag with socks, "eye shades" (those eye things you put over to darken things), a tiny toothbrush/toothpaste, and... something else I think. They offer beverages often, and the meals weren't bad. Ravioli for dinner. I suddenly feel like I've told you this, so I'll stop for now. ;-)
--
The cheap way out for now... that's all I'm writing. I have a feeling there will be a lot of excerpts on here in the days to come.
Here are some excerpts from my recent e-mail to Jeffrey about my stay so far:
Ok, so here's what my day is like.At 8:00, I am up and get off to breakfast. Breakfast is like.. well, not unlike the cafeteria when you worked at the museum.. that kind of deal. a line where you get what you want. We have English breakfast though, which varies. Yesterday I had what looked like undercooked fried eggs but were in fact merely glossy poached-like eggs (very good) with toast and a piece of ham. Today was french toast. No syrup here though, just marmalade. Ew. In addition to the varying selection, they seem to always have corn flakes, or whatever they're called. the kind with and without sugar. I have some. With orange juice.After breakfast, we have to be at our classes by 9:15. It takes me about 15 minutes to get there. My college (dormitory) is right on the edge of the city center, so I leave, take a right, turn right on the corner, and walk all the way down to the teaching buildings. I cross a bridge on the way, which is where the punting begins. in the day time guys stand around with signs so you can hire them to "punt" you around.My first class is "Romanticizing Shakespeare". It is a class I wanted to switch, but then I thought I must have chosen it for a reason and made myself keep it. So far it is my favorite class! It's nice, I think because he explains a lot.
That class gets over at 10:45, and then we have a "plenary lecture" promptly at 11:30, which is a lecture for everyone in the shakespeare program, regardless of which smaller classes they are in. No coffee allowed in any buildings, by the way (not any food item but water as well).After the plenary ends at 12:30, we have time for lunch. I have taken to going to the college that has a dining option -- it's a lot like the hospital cafeterias we've been too. Bigger "pick what you want and pay" with actual meals. So far the meals have not been familiar enough to make me choose them. I have learned, however, that it seems anything they make with a tomato based sauce -- soup in particular -- is pretty good. then I walk back through a garden like area towards our teaching site.
Our second class begins at 2:00pm. I like this professor a lot, but the class is tiring. No desks to lean on, just a regular seat, and for an hour and a half. He's not quite as organized as the first professor and assumes more knowledge (perhaps rightfully so). Interesting but by this time, and after the plenary, I have become quite tired.That class gets out at 3:30, and we're done for the day, really. The shops close at like, 6pm around here, so today, for example, I rushed back into town so I could find shoes. There are tons of streets and alleys filled with little stores. Easy to get lost but small enough that it's not hard to accidentally end up on a recognizable street again. I found a lot of new streets when I was looking for shoes. In the middle of town is a market... a ton of tents where people come every day to sell stuff. There is also a play theater down an alley near my college... I thought you would like it. Keep in mind that everywhere I'm telling you about is surrounding by old, old, buildings and tiny streets with tiny sidewalks. I know, it's whoville!
Anyway. Nothing we have to do until dinner at 6:30. That requires promptness as well. They don't get mad at you, but the dinner is served so you miss food if you don't show up on time. We get a little appetizer first.. a melon, a small serving of soup, tonight a little mosticcoli like dish in a tiny bowl. Then comes, on a three hole serving tray, the salad (a very light oil dressing, hardly there), a vegetable, and usually potatoes of some sort. Tonight little potatoes, last night little breaded potates, etc. Then comes the main dish. Tonight it was some kind of fish. Very dense and tasted a bit like tuna. Yesterday was roast beef, which was alright. the first day chicken -- very good. After dinner is desert with tea or coffee. The first two nights were really really good. Tonight not so much. Tonight was like fruit cocktail with strawberries. I ate the three strawberries in mine and left the rest. Last night was this absolutely awesome sugar coated banana nut muffin type thing. Yum.. Mom would have loved it. The first night was stawberries with sugar and cream to pour on them.Dinner gets over about 7:30, and we are really done for the night. There are optional concerts and lectures, like the strings one tonight, but we don't have to go. Optional.
So far I have walked around after dinner, then fallen in to bed and slept soundly until morning when I do it again.I like it though, and I'm on the edge of loving my room. The other two girls from CMU don't like there's that much. One dislikes her building, the other her room.. mine is nice. Except for being on the third floor. but it has a bed in the corner, a dresser, a closet with a tiled sink/mirror/light, a amoire, two chairs, and a desk. Very cozy. My window looks out onto the main street where people hang out at night. My room is on a landing with one other room. I may have mentioned that to you before. So in between the two rooms is a toilet and a little, kind of dirty and sparse kitchen.What else... I need to take pictures for you. the buildings here are beautiful The grass and landscaping is also beautiful at the colleges. There are signs all over that request everyone keep off the grass.
About British Airways... They run the movies soon after you get on, and they run previews first. Then they all start at the same time. Then previews run until all of them end, and they restart them. So I watched "Guess Who" and then a bit of "Constantine". There are little packs on your seat when you come in. A little back pillow, a light blanket in a plastic bag for you to open, and a bag with socks, "eye shades" (those eye things you put over to darken things), a tiny toothbrush/toothpaste, and... something else I think. They offer beverages often, and the meals weren't bad. Ravioli for dinner. I suddenly feel like I've told you this, so I'll stop for now. ;-)
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The cheap way out for now... that's all I'm writing. I have a feeling there will be a lot of excerpts on here in the days to come.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Quite "chuffed" with my planning so far...
Well, not a lot has changed over the past several days; I'm still making plans that are subject to change. Faffing about, as they say (I guess "Faff" means to be indecisive, so there you go). So much to see and so little time. I think I'm alright though, and have decided that I really must make some solid plans here (solid not synonymous with completely inflexible) so that I can get the most out of my time there.
My current decision is between finding a bed and breakfast in London and taking day trips out, as my professor suggested, or actually traveling to each place (at this point all in the Southern UK) and staying in a hostel at each town. Benefits to both, I'm sure.
Currently, my overall plan looks like this:
July 9: Depart for England
July 10: Arrive at Heathrow; Travel to Cambridge by coach
July 11-15: Classes
July 16: Cambridge Excursion to London and The Globe (Tempest)
July 17: Cambridge Excursion to Bodiam and Leeds Castle
July 18-19: Classes
July 20: Free Day (Travel somewhere -- East to an ocean town?)
July 21-22: Classes
July 23: Cambridge Excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon (Comedy of Errors)
July 24: Skip Excursions, Travel somewhere (Canterbury?)
July 25-29: Classes (official end time is 3:30 pm)
July 29-31: London
July 31-1: Oxford
Aug 1-2: Bath (Jane Austen!)
Aug 2-3: Salisbury (Stonehenge!)
Aug 3-4: _______________ (visit Dr. McDermott in Dartmoor?)
Aug 4-5: Back to London
Aug 5: Depart for home in early afternoon (arrive home 3:30 pm MI time)
All of these (outside of Cambridge planned excursions, which are also by coach) I've been planning with coach transportation and hostels for accommodation in each town.
Oh, and there's a slight possiblity I'll replace the first couple of days of my plan with a flight over to Dublin... in which case I would also try to adjust so I could spend more time in London at the end of my stay.
Whew. More later...
My current decision is between finding a bed and breakfast in London and taking day trips out, as my professor suggested, or actually traveling to each place (at this point all in the Southern UK) and staying in a hostel at each town. Benefits to both, I'm sure.
Currently, my overall plan looks like this:
July 9: Depart for England
July 10: Arrive at Heathrow; Travel to Cambridge by coach
July 11-15: Classes
July 16: Cambridge Excursion to London and The Globe (Tempest)
July 17: Cambridge Excursion to Bodiam and Leeds Castle
July 18-19: Classes
July 20: Free Day (Travel somewhere -- East to an ocean town?)
July 21-22: Classes
July 23: Cambridge Excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon (Comedy of Errors)
July 24: Skip Excursions, Travel somewhere (Canterbury?)
July 25-29: Classes (official end time is 3:30 pm)
July 29-31: London
July 31-1: Oxford
Aug 1-2: Bath (Jane Austen!)
Aug 2-3: Salisbury (Stonehenge!)
Aug 3-4: _______________ (visit Dr. McDermott in Dartmoor?)
Aug 4-5: Back to London
Aug 5: Depart for home in early afternoon (arrive home 3:30 pm MI time)
All of these (outside of Cambridge planned excursions, which are also by coach) I've been planning with coach transportation and hostels for accommodation in each town.
Oh, and there's a slight possiblity I'll replace the first couple of days of my plan with a flight over to Dublin... in which case I would also try to adjust so I could spend more time in London at the end of my stay.
Whew. More later...
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