Saturday April 4
Got up around 6 and left around 6:30 to take the bus and the Metro to the airport. Everything went smoothly, and I landed in Krakow around 10:30. Here also I decided to take a cab rather than deciphering the public transportation, and then I just basically been chilling/napping in the hostel all day. But I guess I need to leave and find some food… I did eat, at a restaurant about half a block from the hostel, because they had their menu posted outside in Polish and English. I ordered chicken breast with spinach because I wanted a vegetable (spinach is gross). And, I was randomly served some sort of alcohol (a type of vodka?) when I asked for the check.
Sunday April 5
I got up and made some toast and tea for breakfast, then waited around until the one shower/bathroom was free – I waited for awhile. Then I took a shower and putzed around here on the Internet for quite some time. Around four I decided to wander around outside, checked out the main square, saw a street breaking group called “Missionaries of Rhythm.” Also need to locate something cheap to eat and then figure out how I am going to get to the airport to meet MaryElise. Should I brave public transportation or should I just take another cab? I should find the cheapest option (the bus, I know, but bus systems are sometimes challenging enough even when you do speak the language) or the train and just go.
Ended up taking the train there, and we took a cab back (which was doubly expensive because it was Sunday, ugh). And then basically hung about for a bit and went to bed.
Monday April 6
We got up around 10:00 and tooled around having a light breakfast and checking our emails at the hostel, then decided to just wander about the city. It’s an oddly small city, we covered pretty much the whole of the Old Town in a couple of hours going at a leisurely pace. We grabbed some “pizza baguettes” from one of the many kebab stands – basically a whole half of a baguette toasted with cheese on it, and you can get more things put on as well, and ate them in the main square. We wanted to branch out a bit outside of the Planty but we really had no idea where we were going. So we went back to the hostel to recoup a bit (and I took a shower), and then wandered out again to find somewhere relatively inexpensive for dinner. We ended up at a place that had some Italian foods, I ended up getting lasagne. Then we went out to locate an ice cream shop, grabbed small cones and headed back to the hostel as we ate them.
Tuesday April 7
I had to get up around 6 (but I didn’t actually until 6:30) in order to register for classes for next semester. Then I of course couldn’t really fall back to sleep. I sort of dozed on and off for a few more hours, and finally got out of bed around 10. We finally made our way over to the Wawel Castle, to check out what sort of admission prices there were. Kind of annoyingly, they charge you separately for every exhibition. So we picked one – the crown treasury and armory. Emphasis on the armory. Tons of spears, guns, swords, cannons. And then the treasury consisted mostly of golden goblets, plates, decorative items, etc. Also – no pictures allowed inside, though I took a couple illicit ones before I was informed of that rule. It’s a nice little castle. We wandered around in the beautiful weather some more, and then I think we went over to the Galeria Krakowska to browse the shops – it’s just a giant shopping mall, but whatevs. Oh also, we located one of the many organized tour places that had the lowest price we had seen for a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau (60 PLN), so we paid for that for the next day. We stopped back at the hostel and went out again to find food – we went to a place whose name I can’t pronounce for pierogis (with meat, not cabbage!), and they were tasty.
Wednesday April 8
We got up early to grab a bite to eat and walk over to the meeting point for the bus. After stopping at the other meeting points and picking people up, we got on the road to Auschwitz-Birkenau by around 9:30. They showed a 50 minute video/documentary on the way there, which was kind of unnecessary as the tour guide went over most of the information that had been covered. Anyway, we started the tour at Auschwitz I, where most of the blocks have been turned into exhibitions. Probably the most striking things I saw was the display of two tons of human hair that was cut off upon arrival to the camps and from the bodies of those who were almost immediately gassed – they used the hair for various things, rope among them, I believe. They have rooms and beds and washrooms set up as they were when they were used – also creepy was the cutesy little artworks on the walls of one of the washrooms – which of course we completely unsanitary when in use. We also walked through one of the crematoriums, which was kind of indescribable.
We then had a short break and then a short bus ride over to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Birkenau is so much bigger, but less well preserved than Auschwitz I. Most of the wooden barracks were destroyed, but a lot of their chimneys were left, and you could get an idea of the number of them. We went into one of the barracks, which housed the latrines, and another that was living quarters, and then we were able to go up into the main watchtower and get an idea of the size of the camp. We were only at the Birkenau camp for about 40 minutes – I wish we had had longer because I believe at one end of the rail tracks there is a memorial that I would have liked to see.
We got back on the bus, and after an early morning and suitably draining day, I dozed for most of the ride back into Krakow. We decided to go into St. Mary’s Church (it was 8 PLN for the entrance and photo permission), which was a good choice because it is a pretty beautiful church. We also decided to get an early dinner at one of the restaurants on the main square (called Sphinx) which had large portions for a not terribly unreasonable price. I got a Carlsberg and was carded, and I was trying to be helpful and show the waiter where it said on my license that I was over 18, but he was confused and just wanted to see the birth date, whatever. We ate, and got ice cream, and chilled in the square a bit, then came back and went to bed early.
Thursday April 9
We got up pretty late today – not until like 11. And then we both took showers and had some light breakfast, then wandered over to the Jewish district called Kazimierz. It was… kind of like every other part of the town. There’s apparently a bustling market in the main square over there on weekends and mornings, but we were there in the early afternoon, so everything seemed kind of dead. We decided to go into the Old Synagogue, it being the thing to do when in the Jewish district (?). They just had some interesting cases of not too old artifacts and religious paraphernalia. We got pizza and smoothies at a restaurant we located, then wandered back and chilled in the main square for an hour or so. Now we are taking a break at the hostel and will probably go back out in a bit to find something to eat for dinner, then likely ice cream again. Or maybe cotton candy.
Friday April 10
The last full day in Krakow! I’m glad, as I miss being in Copenhagen at this point. I didn’t really think I missed it after Paris, but as I took the cab home from the airport that night, I was really happy to recognize places on the streets, and know the rest of the route home. Didn’t end up doing anything extremely exciting today, we both bought something from the market on the square, and looked in shops, and then chilled and packed.
Saturday April 11
Flight back to Copenhagen! All went well.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Paris Day 5 and 6, 1 Day of rest in Copenhagen
Wednesday April 1
I got up and did my thing at the hostel, then met Heather after her class at the Catholic Institute. We bought sandwiches from a boulangerie before we headed out to spend the day at Versailles. Luckily our IDs got us in for free there as well, or that would have been 20 euros we were both out. Versailles is ridiculous. Every room is insane. And we just couldn’t believe that hundreds of people actually lived there at one time. We took our time walking through all the various chambers, including the Hall of Mirrors, and then went out to the gardens to find a spot to settle down and eat our sandwiches (rather late at this point, near 3). Oh you know, we were just chilling in the gardens of Versailles eating our lunch. Nothing special. !!! We took some toolish pictures and basked in the sun (seriously, the weather was beautiful the entire time I was there), and then went to get the train back to Paris. We didn’t realize until we were on the train back looking at our maps of Versailles that the garden extend so much farther than we knew. And it was a good thing we didn’t realize it, or we would have felt obligated to explore and we were tired. I nodded off a bit on the train.
We had dinner at a little café right across from the hostel, then went to meet up with people at the Smile for drinks. We stayed there for a couple of hours, then went and had some dessert (nutella) crepes, and went our separate ways for the evening.
Thursday April 2
I checked out of the hostel but left my large suitcase in the luggage room. We met up to try to go to the student cafeteria again, but they were checking IDs, so we bought sandwiches and ate them in the Luxembourg Gardens, which the Senate building is also on.
Then we walked quickly through Le Bon Marche and Le Grande Epicerie before running some errands. Heather bought some eyeliner, we picked up my computer and things from her home, went somewhere to print out my flight confirmation, picked up my luggage at the hostel, bought another bag of Surf Fizz (for me, as I’ve opened one and ate a bunch of them), and then went on a ridiculous trek to a Metro station. We bought my Orlybus ticket and found a café near the bus station to get something to drink and, as it turned out, ice cream. I got vanilla and a coke and it was glorious. Then we said our goodbyes (but not for long as Heather is coming to Copenhagen in a few weeks!), and I got on the Orlybus. It was a lot shorter than either of us knew, so I waited for check-in, then did all the security and more waiting, and it was midnight by the time I got my luggage and all at the Copenhagen airport. I decided to suck it up and pay for a cab, but I had to withdraw more kroner to do so. It was probably the best choice I made though, otherwise I would have had to take a train, then the bus, then walk a couple blocks. So I was home by about 12:30am, and in bed by 1 or so.
Friday April 3
I got up at 10, awake naturally as I had forgotten to turn on my alarm. My host mother was actually home, as her brother-in-law had come to help her take some measurements in the kitchen, she’s getting ready to redo it in the summer probably. But she went back to work shortly, and I popped in the first load of laundry. I basically spent the whole time this day when I wasn’t hanging laundry or taking a shower catching up on the TV shows I watch. So it was a nice relaxing day. And the weather was also beautiful in Copenhagen so I was able to hang my things outside. Packed up most of my things. Had my own pasta dinner as my host mother came home from work and then went to IKEA with a friend. Went to bed in preparation for an early morning.
I got up and did my thing at the hostel, then met Heather after her class at the Catholic Institute. We bought sandwiches from a boulangerie before we headed out to spend the day at Versailles. Luckily our IDs got us in for free there as well, or that would have been 20 euros we were both out. Versailles is ridiculous. Every room is insane. And we just couldn’t believe that hundreds of people actually lived there at one time. We took our time walking through all the various chambers, including the Hall of Mirrors, and then went out to the gardens to find a spot to settle down and eat our sandwiches (rather late at this point, near 3). Oh you know, we were just chilling in the gardens of Versailles eating our lunch. Nothing special. !!! We took some toolish pictures and basked in the sun (seriously, the weather was beautiful the entire time I was there), and then went to get the train back to Paris. We didn’t realize until we were on the train back looking at our maps of Versailles that the garden extend so much farther than we knew. And it was a good thing we didn’t realize it, or we would have felt obligated to explore and we were tired. I nodded off a bit on the train.
We had dinner at a little café right across from the hostel, then went to meet up with people at the Smile for drinks. We stayed there for a couple of hours, then went and had some dessert (nutella) crepes, and went our separate ways for the evening.
Thursday April 2
I checked out of the hostel but left my large suitcase in the luggage room. We met up to try to go to the student cafeteria again, but they were checking IDs, so we bought sandwiches and ate them in the Luxembourg Gardens, which the Senate building is also on.
Then we walked quickly through Le Bon Marche and Le Grande Epicerie before running some errands. Heather bought some eyeliner, we picked up my computer and things from her home, went somewhere to print out my flight confirmation, picked up my luggage at the hostel, bought another bag of Surf Fizz (for me, as I’ve opened one and ate a bunch of them), and then went on a ridiculous trek to a Metro station. We bought my Orlybus ticket and found a café near the bus station to get something to drink and, as it turned out, ice cream. I got vanilla and a coke and it was glorious. Then we said our goodbyes (but not for long as Heather is coming to Copenhagen in a few weeks!), and I got on the Orlybus. It was a lot shorter than either of us knew, so I waited for check-in, then did all the security and more waiting, and it was midnight by the time I got my luggage and all at the Copenhagen airport. I decided to suck it up and pay for a cab, but I had to withdraw more kroner to do so. It was probably the best choice I made though, otherwise I would have had to take a train, then the bus, then walk a couple blocks. So I was home by about 12:30am, and in bed by 1 or so.
Friday April 3
I got up at 10, awake naturally as I had forgotten to turn on my alarm. My host mother was actually home, as her brother-in-law had come to help her take some measurements in the kitchen, she’s getting ready to redo it in the summer probably. But she went back to work shortly, and I popped in the first load of laundry. I basically spent the whole time this day when I wasn’t hanging laundry or taking a shower catching up on the TV shows I watch. So it was a nice relaxing day. And the weather was also beautiful in Copenhagen so I was able to hang my things outside. Packed up most of my things. Had my own pasta dinner as my host mother came home from work and then went to IKEA with a friend. Went to bed in preparation for an early morning.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Paris Day 3 and 4
Monday March 30
We got up, borrowed some tape from the hostel, borrowed some scissors from the Metro information desk, and voila! I am an art history student named Emily. We went to the modern art museum, the Centre Pompidou, where my new identity worked like a charm. Pretty cool stuff in here too, Picassos and Braques and more. Then we picked up some lunch (panini and a drink and dessert) and at it in the gardens/park behind Notre Dame. I hesitate to say it, but that chocolate banana tart I had may have been the best thing I ate while in Paris. After that we walked in Notre Dame. It was of course crowded, but still amazing! We discussed how neither of us really liked the animated “Hunchback of Notre Dame” movie. And I just realized I should have tried to climb up to the bell tower and shout “Sanctuary!” Heh.
Then we went to Saint-Chapelle, a (I believe) Gothic chapel with these crazy stained glass windows. They are literally like fifteen or twenty feet high, and there are fifteen of them, not counting the rose window. The pictures I have are just like, walls of stained glass.
Then we Metro’ed it to the Montmartre area, to go into the Sacre Coeur and see the view of the city from the hill. We also wandered over to take a picture of the Moulin Rouge, then headed back to the hostel area for a drink and talking at The Smile. We decided to go to dinner at Breakfast in America, wherein I had some delicious pancakes and bacon. Mmm. My diet has been sorely lacking in bacon since I came to Europe. We went back to the Rue Mouffetard and had another drink at a place called Studentbar (they put glowsticks in our drinks!), then I went back to the hostel and Heather headed home, as she was booked just for the weekend in case the place was uber-creepy or something.
Tuesday March 31
I traversed the bus alone with detailed instructions from Heather, and met her a student cafeteria for lunch where we got a freshly made personal pizza and a dessert for under 3 euros. Technically you need an ID for this place, but they weren’t checking that day, so. Yay cheap! And good. Oh and also I discovered that a bird had apparently, at some point while I was waiting for Heather, shat on my purse.
Then we headed over to the Musee d’Orsay. There was kind of a long line through security, but once again, no waiting to buy tickets. Heather left me here to go to class, which was fine. There were so many artworks I recognized in there I was astounded. Mostly from that one art history class I took. And the building was really beautiful too, as it was a converted train station that Heather tells me they at one point were planning to tear down. The weather was so beautiful that when I finished in there I decided to walk outside along the Seine and down to have a look at the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris, but it’s called the new bridge, isn’t that hysterical). Had to do some texting with Heather when it wasn’t clear where I had ended up, but we met back up and sat for like an hour soaking up the sun along the Seine.
Eventually we walked to the Ile de St. Louis to try to get some ice cream that Heather says is the best in Paris, Berthillon. The main store was closed, but there are several vendors in the area. We ended up getting cones of raspberry sorbet and going back to the park behind Notre Dame to sit in the sun some more after we were done eating. Here, a random Spanish tourist must have though we were French, and wanted to take a picture with us. We totally didn’t get what was happening at first, and then when we finally did we were like, “uhhhh.” So that happened. Then we moved to a bench further away because it was more in the sun, even though we knew it looked like we were running away from the creeper. Whatevs.
Heather and I had crepes for dinner again at another creperie, then met up with her friend Emily in Bastille for a bit.
We got up, borrowed some tape from the hostel, borrowed some scissors from the Metro information desk, and voila! I am an art history student named Emily. We went to the modern art museum, the Centre Pompidou, where my new identity worked like a charm. Pretty cool stuff in here too, Picassos and Braques and more. Then we picked up some lunch (panini and a drink and dessert) and at it in the gardens/park behind Notre Dame. I hesitate to say it, but that chocolate banana tart I had may have been the best thing I ate while in Paris. After that we walked in Notre Dame. It was of course crowded, but still amazing! We discussed how neither of us really liked the animated “Hunchback of Notre Dame” movie. And I just realized I should have tried to climb up to the bell tower and shout “Sanctuary!” Heh.
Then we went to Saint-Chapelle, a (I believe) Gothic chapel with these crazy stained glass windows. They are literally like fifteen or twenty feet high, and there are fifteen of them, not counting the rose window. The pictures I have are just like, walls of stained glass.
Then we Metro’ed it to the Montmartre area, to go into the Sacre Coeur and see the view of the city from the hill. We also wandered over to take a picture of the Moulin Rouge, then headed back to the hostel area for a drink and talking at The Smile. We decided to go to dinner at Breakfast in America, wherein I had some delicious pancakes and bacon. Mmm. My diet has been sorely lacking in bacon since I came to Europe. We went back to the Rue Mouffetard and had another drink at a place called Studentbar (they put glowsticks in our drinks!), then I went back to the hostel and Heather headed home, as she was booked just for the weekend in case the place was uber-creepy or something.
Tuesday March 31
I traversed the bus alone with detailed instructions from Heather, and met her a student cafeteria for lunch where we got a freshly made personal pizza and a dessert for under 3 euros. Technically you need an ID for this place, but they weren’t checking that day, so. Yay cheap! And good. Oh and also I discovered that a bird had apparently, at some point while I was waiting for Heather, shat on my purse.
Then we headed over to the Musee d’Orsay. There was kind of a long line through security, but once again, no waiting to buy tickets. Heather left me here to go to class, which was fine. There were so many artworks I recognized in there I was astounded. Mostly from that one art history class I took. And the building was really beautiful too, as it was a converted train station that Heather tells me they at one point were planning to tear down. The weather was so beautiful that when I finished in there I decided to walk outside along the Seine and down to have a look at the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris, but it’s called the new bridge, isn’t that hysterical). Had to do some texting with Heather when it wasn’t clear where I had ended up, but we met back up and sat for like an hour soaking up the sun along the Seine.
Eventually we walked to the Ile de St. Louis to try to get some ice cream that Heather says is the best in Paris, Berthillon. The main store was closed, but there are several vendors in the area. We ended up getting cones of raspberry sorbet and going back to the park behind Notre Dame to sit in the sun some more after we were done eating. Here, a random Spanish tourist must have though we were French, and wanted to take a picture with us. We totally didn’t get what was happening at first, and then when we finally did we were like, “uhhhh.” So that happened. Then we moved to a bench further away because it was more in the sun, even though we knew it looked like we were running away from the creeper. Whatevs.
Heather and I had crepes for dinner again at another creperie, then met up with her friend Emily in Bastille for a bit.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Paris Day 1 and 2
Saturday March 28
Got up and checked out, then back to King’s Cross/St. Pancras, where I waited around for hours as my train wasn’t until 1:30, I couldn’t check in until around noon, and I had to be out of the hostel by ten. So I finished reading “Fire Watch,” bought some flip flops for use in hostel showers, had a crepe (right before going to Paris), eventually checked in and went through security (which included a dog sniffing all bags), then waited for the train to board. Found my seat and relaxed for the just over 2 hour ride. I got to the train station in Paris and only waited about 20 minutes for Heather to arrive!
Heather wowed me with her French skills as she figured out what type of Metro pass would be the best option for me to get. Bought a five day pass (which I couldn’t use until Sunday) for unlimited travel on the Metro and buses, as Heather had some other tickets I could use in the meantime. We dropped off my laptop and iPod/headphones at her home and so she could grab a bag of clothes, then headed to the hostel. It was about two blocks from a Metro stop on Rue Mouffetard, a pretty hopping street/area. Checked in and dropped off our stuff, then wandered the streets of Paris! Saw Notre Dame at night, and went to a creperie for dinner and conversation.
Afterwards, we met up with some of Heather’s friends outside a bar they frequent (The Smile) which was literally down the street and around the corner from the hostel. I don’t think either of the two Emilys recalled the most hilarious situation of the night, wherein Emily 1 (who shall be called Emily) crepe-slapped Emily 2 (who shall be referred to as her initials, EHC) with a nutella crepe, and then ran off to get another crepe but it had to be from a different crepe stand. Wandered some more, but ended up that Heather, myself, her friend Jess and her visiting boyfriend went briefly to a place in Bastille called The Hideout. We had one drink, but we weren’t really feeling it, so we headed back to the hostel area, got some nutella crepes and ended up talking for a couple of hours in the hostel lobby area. It was three by the time we went to bed (damn daylight savings time), but it was an auspicious start to the visit!
Sunday March 29
We got up in time for the hostel breakfast (of rolls and croissants, some cereal if you wanted it, orange juice and tea) and to take showers. The showers were kind of gross, but not overly, and shower shoes make all things tolerable. Heather’s program gives them passes that claims they are art history students so they can get into museums for free, and EHC never attached her picture to hers… so we went to pick it up for a little temporary doctoring. We intended to use it that day for the Louvre, but we couldn’t find a photobooth, and we didn’t have scissors or tape, so I sucked it up and paid for the Louvre (well worth it). Saw amazingly famous works of art up close and personal!
We took a break from the Louvre to go to Angelina’s for pastries and hot chocolate – but this hot chocolate was no watered down crap. It was basically like, pure melted chocolate. And then they give you a type of whipped cream to stir in yourself. Almost went into a sugar coma. Then we sat outside in the Tuileries gardens for a bit before going back into the Louvre to check out some of the Egyptian stuff. Also very cool!
After we were finally done with that whole scene, we went to the Arc d’Triomphe. How ridiculous is it that I can just type that? Oh, the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Arc d’Triomphe. No big deal. We walked a bit on the Champs Elysees, and when it threatened rain we headed back for a break at the hostel to use their Internet, and also to buy some soap and some Surf Fizz (a candy Andrew specifically requested). We met this girl who had just arrived from Canada who was going backpacking around Europe. So we invited her to come with us to get dinner and head our to the Eiffel Tower after. So we got fondue and wine, thenwent to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars to see it all lit up and chill there. So we did that, and all of a sudden the Eiffel Tower starts sparkling! It was crazy, crazy, awesome. After that wound down, we headed back to the Metro as it was getting a bit chilly, and went to bed.
Also at some point this night, I took my photobooth pictures in order to doctor myself up an ID. Oh yeah.
Got up and checked out, then back to King’s Cross/St. Pancras, where I waited around for hours as my train wasn’t until 1:30, I couldn’t check in until around noon, and I had to be out of the hostel by ten. So I finished reading “Fire Watch,” bought some flip flops for use in hostel showers, had a crepe (right before going to Paris), eventually checked in and went through security (which included a dog sniffing all bags), then waited for the train to board. Found my seat and relaxed for the just over 2 hour ride. I got to the train station in Paris and only waited about 20 minutes for Heather to arrive!
Heather wowed me with her French skills as she figured out what type of Metro pass would be the best option for me to get. Bought a five day pass (which I couldn’t use until Sunday) for unlimited travel on the Metro and buses, as Heather had some other tickets I could use in the meantime. We dropped off my laptop and iPod/headphones at her home and so she could grab a bag of clothes, then headed to the hostel. It was about two blocks from a Metro stop on Rue Mouffetard, a pretty hopping street/area. Checked in and dropped off our stuff, then wandered the streets of Paris! Saw Notre Dame at night, and went to a creperie for dinner and conversation.
Afterwards, we met up with some of Heather’s friends outside a bar they frequent (The Smile) which was literally down the street and around the corner from the hostel. I don’t think either of the two Emilys recalled the most hilarious situation of the night, wherein Emily 1 (who shall be called Emily) crepe-slapped Emily 2 (who shall be referred to as her initials, EHC) with a nutella crepe, and then ran off to get another crepe but it had to be from a different crepe stand. Wandered some more, but ended up that Heather, myself, her friend Jess and her visiting boyfriend went briefly to a place in Bastille called The Hideout. We had one drink, but we weren’t really feeling it, so we headed back to the hostel area, got some nutella crepes and ended up talking for a couple of hours in the hostel lobby area. It was three by the time we went to bed (damn daylight savings time), but it was an auspicious start to the visit!
Sunday March 29
We got up in time for the hostel breakfast (of rolls and croissants, some cereal if you wanted it, orange juice and tea) and to take showers. The showers were kind of gross, but not overly, and shower shoes make all things tolerable. Heather’s program gives them passes that claims they are art history students so they can get into museums for free, and EHC never attached her picture to hers… so we went to pick it up for a little temporary doctoring. We intended to use it that day for the Louvre, but we couldn’t find a photobooth, and we didn’t have scissors or tape, so I sucked it up and paid for the Louvre (well worth it). Saw amazingly famous works of art up close and personal!
We took a break from the Louvre to go to Angelina’s for pastries and hot chocolate – but this hot chocolate was no watered down crap. It was basically like, pure melted chocolate. And then they give you a type of whipped cream to stir in yourself. Almost went into a sugar coma. Then we sat outside in the Tuileries gardens for a bit before going back into the Louvre to check out some of the Egyptian stuff. Also very cool!
After we were finally done with that whole scene, we went to the Arc d’Triomphe. How ridiculous is it that I can just type that? Oh, the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Arc d’Triomphe. No big deal. We walked a bit on the Champs Elysees, and when it threatened rain we headed back for a break at the hostel to use their Internet, and also to buy some soap and some Surf Fizz (a candy Andrew specifically requested). We met this girl who had just arrived from Canada who was going backpacking around Europe. So we invited her to come with us to get dinner and head our to the Eiffel Tower after. So we got fondue and wine, thenwent to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars to see it all lit up and chill there. So we did that, and all of a sudden the Eiffel Tower starts sparkling! It was crazy, crazy, awesome. After that wound down, we headed back to the Metro as it was getting a bit chilly, and went to bed.
Also at some point this night, I took my photobooth pictures in order to doctor myself up an ID. Oh yeah.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
London/Oxford (Day 5 and 6)
Thursday March 26
This day was kind of absurd. We were all supposed to be on the bus and on our way to Oxford by 9. Of course people are late, and we don’t even get going until around 9:30. Then there’s obviously ridiculous traffic, as London is one of the most congested cities, and I think it took us over an hour to get out of London proper. Also one of our teachers was annoying the hell out of everyone by playing at tour guide and telling us all about the things we had heard on our bus tour a few days ago, when all anybody really wanted to do was sleep.
When we finally get to Oxford and have mostly unloaded everyone’s luggage, we realize we’re at the wrong Holiday Inn (we were staying at the Express by Holiday Inn). So load back up and back on the bus for a bit. Finally make it to the right hotel (also, this whole trip took so long that we missed a guided walking tour of Oxford that I think I really would have enjoyed), and they don’t have our rooms ready? So they want us to leave our luggage in the lobby and they’ll put it in our rooms. Uhhhh, what? No. It’s somehow worked out that they give us our room keys so we can all drop our stuff off. Back on the bus to take us into central Oxford for lunch.
We make it slightly (15 minutes) late to the place we’re having lunch, the Vaults and Garden Café. It was apparently supposed to be a buffet, but since we were late they decided to take orders giving us options of like four dishes. I decided that the vegetable tart sounds most appealing. It was delicious (turned out to basically be a big slice of a quiche) and I think I may have gotten the last serving of it, as they were running out of dishes and having to redo orders. They also got us slices of cake for dessert, and promised us all a drink on DIS after our lecture.
So we got to a lecture by an Iranian born journalist, and it ended up largely being a lesson in Iranian history (which I didn’t need) and illustrative of the ignorance of select members of my group. So that happened and then we all went to a big Irish pub/restaurant wherein we ordered any drink we wanted (vodka and cranberry). Then Kathryn, Caitlin, Anna, Jenna, and I went to try to locate Christ Church (to see the Great Hall) – we found it but it was closed. Also stopped by the pub where C.S. Lewis did a lot of writing, then went back to the same Irish pub to get food as we knew it was cheap (and cheaper than anything else we had seen). Took a black cab back to the hotel and watched “Waitress” on my laptop, then went to bed.
Friday March 27
Get up and have breakfast and a “wrap-up” lecture from one of our teachers. Highly annoying. It ends up that we’re basically going to be able to have an hour or so in Oxford. They call cabs for us and pay for the cabs we take back to the hotel, we just leave our luggage in a holding room and they will load it onto the bus before we get back (I took my backpack with me though, wasn’t leaving my laptop to be flung into storage under the bus). Jenna, Lauren, and I go to Christ Church even though the Hall is closed, but the Cathedral and rest of the building was pretty cool. We also popped over briefly to the covered market, and I bought a cookie from what I had been told was the best cookie place in the world. It was pretty good, but I don’t know about best. Took a cab back to the hotel – it was amusing because there were like three cabs in a row all filled with DIS people. Hopped on the bus for the transport to Stansted Airport.
When we got to Stansted I left the group to wait for my bus back into London. Worked out well. Then I hopped on the tube to King’s Cross/St. Pancras. I found the Eurostar luggage services to make sure my bag wasn’t too big to take on the train (it wasn’t), and then walked to the hostel. Then I bought some Internet time and drained my battery completely, and went to bed.
This day was kind of absurd. We were all supposed to be on the bus and on our way to Oxford by 9. Of course people are late, and we don’t even get going until around 9:30. Then there’s obviously ridiculous traffic, as London is one of the most congested cities, and I think it took us over an hour to get out of London proper. Also one of our teachers was annoying the hell out of everyone by playing at tour guide and telling us all about the things we had heard on our bus tour a few days ago, when all anybody really wanted to do was sleep.
When we finally get to Oxford and have mostly unloaded everyone’s luggage, we realize we’re at the wrong Holiday Inn (we were staying at the Express by Holiday Inn). So load back up and back on the bus for a bit. Finally make it to the right hotel (also, this whole trip took so long that we missed a guided walking tour of Oxford that I think I really would have enjoyed), and they don’t have our rooms ready? So they want us to leave our luggage in the lobby and they’ll put it in our rooms. Uhhhh, what? No. It’s somehow worked out that they give us our room keys so we can all drop our stuff off. Back on the bus to take us into central Oxford for lunch.
We make it slightly (15 minutes) late to the place we’re having lunch, the Vaults and Garden Café. It was apparently supposed to be a buffet, but since we were late they decided to take orders giving us options of like four dishes. I decided that the vegetable tart sounds most appealing. It was delicious (turned out to basically be a big slice of a quiche) and I think I may have gotten the last serving of it, as they were running out of dishes and having to redo orders. They also got us slices of cake for dessert, and promised us all a drink on DIS after our lecture.
So we got to a lecture by an Iranian born journalist, and it ended up largely being a lesson in Iranian history (which I didn’t need) and illustrative of the ignorance of select members of my group. So that happened and then we all went to a big Irish pub/restaurant wherein we ordered any drink we wanted (vodka and cranberry). Then Kathryn, Caitlin, Anna, Jenna, and I went to try to locate Christ Church (to see the Great Hall) – we found it but it was closed. Also stopped by the pub where C.S. Lewis did a lot of writing, then went back to the same Irish pub to get food as we knew it was cheap (and cheaper than anything else we had seen). Took a black cab back to the hotel and watched “Waitress” on my laptop, then went to bed.
Friday March 27
Get up and have breakfast and a “wrap-up” lecture from one of our teachers. Highly annoying. It ends up that we’re basically going to be able to have an hour or so in Oxford. They call cabs for us and pay for the cabs we take back to the hotel, we just leave our luggage in a holding room and they will load it onto the bus before we get back (I took my backpack with me though, wasn’t leaving my laptop to be flung into storage under the bus). Jenna, Lauren, and I go to Christ Church even though the Hall is closed, but the Cathedral and rest of the building was pretty cool. We also popped over briefly to the covered market, and I bought a cookie from what I had been told was the best cookie place in the world. It was pretty good, but I don’t know about best. Took a cab back to the hotel – it was amusing because there were like three cabs in a row all filled with DIS people. Hopped on the bus for the transport to Stansted Airport.
When we got to Stansted I left the group to wait for my bus back into London. Worked out well. Then I hopped on the tube to King’s Cross/St. Pancras. I found the Eurostar luggage services to make sure my bag wasn’t too big to take on the train (it wasn’t), and then walked to the hostel. Then I bought some Internet time and drained my battery completely, and went to bed.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
London (Day 3 and 4)
Tuesday, March 24
Up again early for breakfast and setting out to another academic visit. Travel went much more smoothly, as none of us really waited for anyone, and met up successfully at the final destination – which was a PR firm, Edelman. The guy who spoke to us, Luke Pollard, was a pretty interesting guy; had trouble making his presentation about the company and PR very intriguing. I can’t honestly say that I learned much from the presentation, but I learned that Luke is into Twitter and thinks we should all try it, and is running to be an MP from Devon.
The visit was short and sweet and then we had the day until 4 (when we were to meet somewhere) free. Anna and I went direct to Buckingham Palace to take pictures and wait for our compatriots in the other section. We ended up waiting there a lot longer than I would have liked, as their presentation ran late as ours did. They eventually meet up with us, and we do a lot of things that mostly involved seeing the exteriors of buildings. Up close to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey. Then we went to Leadenhall Market, where Diagon Alley was filmed for the Harry Potter films, and had lunch at a random sandwich shop. After that we walked and saw the exterior/what was visible from the entryway of Saint Paul’s, as you had to pay to see it and couldn’t even take pictures inside. We walked across the Millennium Bridge, wanting to do a tour of the Globe Theater, but it was nearly 3 by this point – tours were 40 minutes long and we needed to be at the Museum of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising by 4 (in Notting Hill Gate).
So we followed some orange lampposts to the nearest tube station, and had a ridiculous time trying to find this museum. We ran into like ten other people from our group trying to find it. We were fifteen or twenty minutes late, so we “only” had an hour in the museum. We only needed like twenty minutes. It was lame. Just cases and cases of old packaging and such. Kind of interesting, but not in the way it was laid out.
Then we head back to Covent Garden area for dinner. Somehow my friends and I and a few other people ended up totally separate and way ahead of the group, so we got to the restaurant and were seated way before the others arrived. Roasted bell peppers for an appetizer, some weird fishcake thing for the main, and a type of cheesecake for dessert? I only tried the dessert and gave it (male) Alex to finish. Also, pomegranate and berry martini.
The last scheduled thing of the night! Performance of Chicago. It was good, I enjoyed the music and everyone had great voices, but the production itself was weirdly minimalist. And not really what I was expecting. Also really tired at this point, so when it was over Kathryn and I jetted out of there to the tube as fast as we could. Sleeeeep.
Wednesday March 25
Lecture by one of our teachers at the London School of Economics (basically like any other classroom ever). We were supposed to have a guest lecturer as well, but he had been called away to cover some story in Devon. Then we had a group lunch in some hole in the wall café nearby. It down poured as we tried to find the place and we got pretty soaked, which was annoying. After lunch, my section had about an hour free before we needed to head off to the offices of The Guardian, so Anna and I spent like 45 minutes in the British Museum. I really just wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, which was cool. Checked out a couple of other rooms really quickly, then traveled to The Guardian. Also kind of a boring visit – though we did learn that 40% of their online readership is from North America, which is pretty interesting. After this we also had the evening free, so Anna and I met Kathryn, Jenna, and Alex in King’s Cross to be tools and take pictures of Platform 9 ¾.
Then Kathryn, Anna, and I went on a quest to find somewhere with Internet, as the hotel’s had been down for two days. We tried the Holborn public library but the staff was incompetent, so we ended up tracking down a souvenir shop/Internet café in the area that we had heard about. It was really cheap – one pound for half an hour, so we split that and afterward tried to find some shops around Oxford Circus. Basically all just big department stores, so we grabbed some food at another pub (The Spread Eagle), and went back to the hotel.
Up again early for breakfast and setting out to another academic visit. Travel went much more smoothly, as none of us really waited for anyone, and met up successfully at the final destination – which was a PR firm, Edelman. The guy who spoke to us, Luke Pollard, was a pretty interesting guy; had trouble making his presentation about the company and PR very intriguing. I can’t honestly say that I learned much from the presentation, but I learned that Luke is into Twitter and thinks we should all try it, and is running to be an MP from Devon.
The visit was short and sweet and then we had the day until 4 (when we were to meet somewhere) free. Anna and I went direct to Buckingham Palace to take pictures and wait for our compatriots in the other section. We ended up waiting there a lot longer than I would have liked, as their presentation ran late as ours did. They eventually meet up with us, and we do a lot of things that mostly involved seeing the exteriors of buildings. Up close to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey. Then we went to Leadenhall Market, where Diagon Alley was filmed for the Harry Potter films, and had lunch at a random sandwich shop. After that we walked and saw the exterior/what was visible from the entryway of Saint Paul’s, as you had to pay to see it and couldn’t even take pictures inside. We walked across the Millennium Bridge, wanting to do a tour of the Globe Theater, but it was nearly 3 by this point – tours were 40 minutes long and we needed to be at the Museum of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising by 4 (in Notting Hill Gate).
So we followed some orange lampposts to the nearest tube station, and had a ridiculous time trying to find this museum. We ran into like ten other people from our group trying to find it. We were fifteen or twenty minutes late, so we “only” had an hour in the museum. We only needed like twenty minutes. It was lame. Just cases and cases of old packaging and such. Kind of interesting, but not in the way it was laid out.
Then we head back to Covent Garden area for dinner. Somehow my friends and I and a few other people ended up totally separate and way ahead of the group, so we got to the restaurant and were seated way before the others arrived. Roasted bell peppers for an appetizer, some weird fishcake thing for the main, and a type of cheesecake for dessert? I only tried the dessert and gave it (male) Alex to finish. Also, pomegranate and berry martini.
The last scheduled thing of the night! Performance of Chicago. It was good, I enjoyed the music and everyone had great voices, but the production itself was weirdly minimalist. And not really what I was expecting. Also really tired at this point, so when it was over Kathryn and I jetted out of there to the tube as fast as we could. Sleeeeep.
Wednesday March 25
Lecture by one of our teachers at the London School of Economics (basically like any other classroom ever). We were supposed to have a guest lecturer as well, but he had been called away to cover some story in Devon. Then we had a group lunch in some hole in the wall café nearby. It down poured as we tried to find the place and we got pretty soaked, which was annoying. After lunch, my section had about an hour free before we needed to head off to the offices of The Guardian, so Anna and I spent like 45 minutes in the British Museum. I really just wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, which was cool. Checked out a couple of other rooms really quickly, then traveled to The Guardian. Also kind of a boring visit – though we did learn that 40% of their online readership is from North America, which is pretty interesting. After this we also had the evening free, so Anna and I met Kathryn, Jenna, and Alex in King’s Cross to be tools and take pictures of Platform 9 ¾.
Then Kathryn, Anna, and I went on a quest to find somewhere with Internet, as the hotel’s had been down for two days. We tried the Holborn public library but the staff was incompetent, so we ended up tracking down a souvenir shop/Internet café in the area that we had heard about. It was really cheap – one pound for half an hour, so we split that and afterward tried to find some shops around Oxford Circus. Basically all just big department stores, so we grabbed some food at another pub (The Spread Eagle), and went back to the hotel.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
London (Day 1 and 2)
Sunday, March 22
So on Sunday, I got up to allow myself a lot of time, figuring I wouldn’t want to rush. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to meet the group. We checked in and went through security, and by that point we had about 45 minutes before boarding, so we just found some seats near the gate and chilled.
We eventually arrived at London-Gatwick, did all the necessary airport stuff and got on a bus to take us to our hotel. This, of course, took longer than expected due to traffic. We make it to the hotel – the Britannia International at Canary Wharf, around 6:15 or so, when we had a dinner reservation for 6:30 that was pushed back an hour. They’ve assigned us rooms, but we end up working it out that Caitlin, Anna, and I are in the same room. Drop off our stuff and head out to dinner at MemSaheb, and Indian restaurant in walking distance on the Thames. We’re all starving, and we don’t even actually start getting food until close to 8:30 or 9, as which point dishes just continually arrive at our table. Also, we probably annoyed the wait staff by continually asking for more pitchers of water – to be a trend on this trip. But dinner was good and we took a few pictures by the Thames, then we went back to the hotel to go to bed.
Monday, March 23
Get up early and meet the group after breakfast in the lobby to go to our first academic visit at The Telegraph. People are late for the meeting (also to be a trend), so we head out to the Underground around 8:10am. On our way there we find out that the line that serves our nearest station (the Jubilee Line at Canary Wharf) is down, so we have to take the overground DLR (Docklands Light Rail). We get up to the platform for that, and every single train that comes through is packed. We’re trying to travel in a group of like 20-odd people, since none of us really know where we’re going, but we do get broken up a bit. We cram on to a train and head to a station with a nearby Tube stop (but end up turning right instead of left out of the station and have to backtrack). We make it to The Telegraph a full 45 minutes late.
At The Telegraph – England’s only remaining broadsheet newspaper – we have a talk mostly about advertising, as that’s what the guy who gave the presentation is involved in. It was interesting, but not really what I was expecting and went on for way too long – two hours even though we were late. We also had a short tour of the newsroom, which is actually a pretty cool design. There’s a central table with basically spokes coming out from it, and the editors of the sections sit nearest the middle.
After that we headed off to our group lunch at a place called Medieval Banquet – it was fish and chips served family style, and it was pretty good. Then, we hopped on a coach bus for a bus tour of London. It was all right I suppose, but I think I would have rather had the time free. Our tour guide was kind of amusing. We get dropped off at the London Eye with a bit of time to spare, but we get our tickets and hop on. It moves really slowly, and doesn’t stop as you get on or off, so we had to rush a bit to get on as we had our group split in two and pretty much the maximum occupancy of two of the cabins. Cool views indeed – unfortunately it rained just before and some during while we were up in it, but it was still impressive!
Afterward we had the rest of the evening on our own. Caitlin, Anna, Kathryn, and I went to the Notting Hill Gate area and just walked around, browsed some shops, and got some cheap pub food for dinner at the Prince Albert. Also – got a Guinness, and it made me tipsy for about 20 minutes. Then we just headed to the hotel, took showers, and went to bed.
So on Sunday, I got up to allow myself a lot of time, figuring I wouldn’t want to rush. I made it to the airport in plenty of time to meet the group. We checked in and went through security, and by that point we had about 45 minutes before boarding, so we just found some seats near the gate and chilled.
We eventually arrived at London-Gatwick, did all the necessary airport stuff and got on a bus to take us to our hotel. This, of course, took longer than expected due to traffic. We make it to the hotel – the Britannia International at Canary Wharf, around 6:15 or so, when we had a dinner reservation for 6:30 that was pushed back an hour. They’ve assigned us rooms, but we end up working it out that Caitlin, Anna, and I are in the same room. Drop off our stuff and head out to dinner at MemSaheb, and Indian restaurant in walking distance on the Thames. We’re all starving, and we don’t even actually start getting food until close to 8:30 or 9, as which point dishes just continually arrive at our table. Also, we probably annoyed the wait staff by continually asking for more pitchers of water – to be a trend on this trip. But dinner was good and we took a few pictures by the Thames, then we went back to the hotel to go to bed.
Monday, March 23
Get up early and meet the group after breakfast in the lobby to go to our first academic visit at The Telegraph. People are late for the meeting (also to be a trend), so we head out to the Underground around 8:10am. On our way there we find out that the line that serves our nearest station (the Jubilee Line at Canary Wharf) is down, so we have to take the overground DLR (Docklands Light Rail). We get up to the platform for that, and every single train that comes through is packed. We’re trying to travel in a group of like 20-odd people, since none of us really know where we’re going, but we do get broken up a bit. We cram on to a train and head to a station with a nearby Tube stop (but end up turning right instead of left out of the station and have to backtrack). We make it to The Telegraph a full 45 minutes late.
At The Telegraph – England’s only remaining broadsheet newspaper – we have a talk mostly about advertising, as that’s what the guy who gave the presentation is involved in. It was interesting, but not really what I was expecting and went on for way too long – two hours even though we were late. We also had a short tour of the newsroom, which is actually a pretty cool design. There’s a central table with basically spokes coming out from it, and the editors of the sections sit nearest the middle.
After that we headed off to our group lunch at a place called Medieval Banquet – it was fish and chips served family style, and it was pretty good. Then, we hopped on a coach bus for a bus tour of London. It was all right I suppose, but I think I would have rather had the time free. Our tour guide was kind of amusing. We get dropped off at the London Eye with a bit of time to spare, but we get our tickets and hop on. It moves really slowly, and doesn’t stop as you get on or off, so we had to rush a bit to get on as we had our group split in two and pretty much the maximum occupancy of two of the cabins. Cool views indeed – unfortunately it rained just before and some during while we were up in it, but it was still impressive!
Afterward we had the rest of the evening on our own. Caitlin, Anna, Kathryn, and I went to the Notting Hill Gate area and just walked around, browsed some shops, and got some cheap pub food for dinner at the Prince Albert. Also – got a Guinness, and it made me tipsy for about 20 minutes. Then we just headed to the hotel, took showers, and went to bed.
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