I'm off to London for a semester of new faces, new places, rain clouds and coats, tea and crumpets, fish and chips, and of course, finishing up school.
With only a few days remaining, I feel as though I did when we (the study abroad students) took our "flight" in the London Eye: here I am, in London, and it's beautiful...yet the more I try to enjoy it, the faster it keeps spinning by. It was stunning to see the city all lit up at night. It made me realize how "homey" London has become, yet at the same time, seeing this sea of lights beneath me made me strangely homesick for the softer glow of a distant farm town.
I shall be there soon enough. Yet in the meantime, Pam and I are trying to make sure we have covered all of our bases. This morning we took a break for cramming for our last test and venture up to Abbey Road. Check (see picture above). Tomorrow will probably entail the British Museum, laundry, and some last minute Christmas shopping.
Today I finished my last ever undergraduate test (hopefully). To celebrate, Pam and I came back and took the most glorious nap. Now it is snowing/sleeting out, and making my mind drift towards the Midwest. Christmas Eve is only a week away!
Well, Mom and I "trotted" over to Paris this weekend via the Eurostar. Yes, I know, we're world travelers. The first thing that must be said is that Paris in the middle of December, like Minnesota, is freezing. I thanked God that I was from the Midwest and could handle it, while Mom put on 7 layers of clothes. Then, with our "Lonely Planet" guide book in hand, we were off to see the city.
I won't even try to recount the entire weekend, b/c we really did see the city. So, as Mom tries to stuff more treasures into her already +50 lbs. suitcase and I further procrastinate my final papers, we will make a list of some of our top observations/memories of our Parisian adventure:
1) It's true: if you don't know French, don't expect a warm welcome. My attempts to learn the basics did not even suffice. 2) Paris, like any big city, has many different faces. From the small, twisted streets of the Latin Quarter to the extravagant boulevards such as the Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the hilly paths of Montmartre (to the more "colorful" area near our hotel)...we saw them all. 3) The French know how to make pastries...and crepes. 4) It's expensive. However, one can save 30-40 euro a meal by purchasing some cheese, fresh baguettes, wine, and grapes - bon apetit! 5) Mom still does not have an appreciation for nude art, but this is not from lack of studying it. 6) The Eiffel Tower is beautiful. However, if you actually want to go up it, either pre-order your tickets or be prepared to wait in line for several hours. 7) The art scene is still alive and well: although Manet, Degas, Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gough are memorialized in the numerous museums, check out the Montmartre square to see masterpieces being created. 8) If you don't have a significant other, don't be deterred...it's just as romantic w/ your mother.
On Monday afternoon, I found Mom sipping a hot chocolate in the arranged meeting cafe. It was somewhat miraculous, yet so commonplace at the same time, to see such a familiar face so far from her usual habitat. But wonderful all the same.
Since then, we have been busy, busy. Monday we went to the British Library, one of the first things I had first explored. The rain prevented any further excursions except for grocery shopping. Ah, I love grocery shopping, especially w/ Mom. We picked up some crumpets for breakfast (Mom was not a fan, however).
Tuesday we toured the east side of London, including St. Paul's Cathedral, the Millenium Bridge, and some other cool neoclassical buildings. Then we met up with my art class to explore some independent art galleries. Mom really liked the first one, a fabricated WWII bunker. After class, we went to Harrod's department store w/ Pam and picked up some Christmas gifts in the famous food stalls. Mom got some good pics of the pretty food displays, as well as the boy behind the counter selling us our Belgium chocolates - so good!
With our feet beginning to drag, I prodded her onto the Albert and Victoria Museum. I hadn't been there yet, so we had a good time oohing and ahhing over the 1000 yr.-old articfacts. Highly recommend it. After that, we stopped off at the Hummingbird Bakery for a chocolate cupcake, then sped back to Nido on the tube.
We rested our feet while watching "Notting Hill" in preparation for today. This morning we had breakfast at a very chic cafe that I've passed every Wednesday on my way to class and always say to myself "I'll take Mom there when she comes." I left her to entertain herself while I went to class, then we shopped the cute botiques and gift stores on the way back to my dorms.
A power nap later, we were refueled for a trip to Notting Hill. We were very successful in our trip down Portobello Road, lined with antique shops and their owners waiting to tell a story to anyone with a wallet.
The highlight of the day was dinner at the Norwegian YMCA w/ Anja. Turns out it was Christmas card and gingerbreak making night. So, this evening we decorated Christmas cards to the smell of baking gingerbread and hum of Norwegian chatter in Notting Hill. Very pleasant day.
I will try my best describe how perfect this weekend was, but I doubt I will do it justice. This is the trip that Pam and I waiting in line for two hours at the International Student House to make sure we got. On Saturday morning, Pam, Anja, and I, along with a bunch of other international students (from Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, S. Korea, China, and America) took the mandatory trip to Stonehenge, where we took the mandatory photos. The English clouds never cease to amaze me.
After contemplating why there were several-ton rocks in the middle of nowhere, we loaded ourselves back into the ISH minibus and made our way into Salisbury. We grabbed a quick lunch (which entail "pasties" = delicious pot pies of a sort) and then took a tour of the Salisbury Cathedral. The most wonderful old man showed us around this magnificent monument, which boasts the highest spire in all of the UK. It really was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've been in. We also got to see one of four copies of the MagnaCarta; on the way out, two old men were joking about how awful it must have been to have "smudged-up" while making of copy of that. I love old men humor.
The next stop on the agenda was Bath. It quickly became one of my favorite UK cities. The whole town was very orderly and all made of the same cream-colored stone, paralleling Milwaukee in a way. We checked into the White Hart, which is, coincidentally, mentioned in Jane Austen's "Persuasion," then went into the city center to elbow our way through the packed Christmas market. We warmed up with some mulled wine, which was not quite as wonderful as I was expecting, but warmed me nonetheless.
The Bath Christmas market at night was absolutely story-bookish, with Christmas carolers singing in front of the Abbey, stalls selling all sorts of crafts and baked goods jammed into the town square, lights twinkling...you get the picture. After purchasing some Christmas gifts, we went to a local pub for a group meal. The food was delicious, but surpassed by the company; we laughed and joked about all the different British quirks we had encountered, made fun of our own cultures, yet defended them when necessary, and realized how similar people really are, regardless of place of birth.
This morning was the highlight of the trip: a thermal spa session. It was the perfect boost to prepare us for the last few weeks of the semester. There were steam rooms w/ different scents, from mint to lavender to chamomile; a hot minerva bath surrounded by an indoor swimming pool; foot baths, and best of all, an outdoor hot bath on the top floor overlooking the city. As I floated around in the heated, bubbling water, the December sun glittering off the ripples and the town of Bath basking in its ancientness all around us, I was just waiting for someone to wake me from this dream. Perfection.
We finished the trip with a tour of the actual Roman baths, which included "taking the waters" (warm, coppery tasting), then a full English tea at the famous Sally Lunn'sTeahouse. As I chatted with some girls about regional accents, an eavesdropping woman on the way to the restroom corrected us on our pinky angle and scone-eating manners...I am now a professional tea-taker.
On the ride home as everyone dozed, a slideshow of my life passed before with each passing song on my iPod and I couldn't believe how good God has been to me. And I daydreamed about what will come after the next two weeks fly by - hopeful, world-changing dreams that only a 22-yr. old can entertain. How much happy is one person allowed to have? B/c I felt like I was hogging it all at that moment...here's me trying to send some back to you all.
But now it is late. And tomorrow Mom comes! Off to bed!
Since I wasn't able to make it to Switzerland, my friend Marie (aka Mahee) came with a friend to visit me in London. She was a foreign exchange student at my high school when we were juniors, and when I said good-bye 5 years ago I really didn't think I'd see her again...what a small world :)
So, this past weekend was a test of how well I really know London. I think we were able to see all the big tourist draws in two (exhausting) days: Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill, St. Paul's, Tate Modern, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, some parks, Natural History Museum, attempt at Harrods, Oxford Street and Primark (not once, but twice!...think Wal-Mart fashion store).
In exchange for tube/underground lessons, they helped me with my French for when I go to Paris: "J'aimerais une table pour deux, s'il voux plait." She also brought me some Swiss chocolate, and I took them to get fish-n-chips.
It was a fun weekend, and I think I passed the tour guide test, so if anyone wants to come over, I'm your girl!
This past week Pam and I actually set aside our homework for some night outings, namely Wicked on Wednesday and a stand-up comedy club on Friday. Wicked was just as wonderful as the last time I saw it in Chicago, even though this Fiyero wasn't as good. I love how common going to the theater is here; I feel like back home it might be one of those once every 5-yr. "special treats," but w/ how affordable and prevalent it is here, it's no wonder going to the theatre is the same as going out to eat.
Friday night Pam took me with her GSE program to the FmyFyg Bar for a comedy night...my abs are still a little sore. I love British humor. None of us admitted to being Americans, so we were able to sit back and laugh at the American-targetted jokes w/o being put on the spot. However, the comics' favorite source of humor was making fun of themselves. After actually experiencing how they do seem to be less streamlined and more patient w/ doing things the most difficult way possible just b/c "that's how it's always been done," we all thoroughly enjoyed the bit about how they are bound to screw up the Olympics. Also, one of the comedians highlighted how heartless he finds Brits b/c whenever we hear of a train delay due to someone falling on the tube tracks, anger seems to prevail over sympathy: "What? How dare someone throw themselves on the tracks when I have work to get to? He better have died!"
It's nice to have so many after-dark options, especially since dark has started coming before 4 pm.
My first Thanksgiving away from home was a wonderful as it could be...instead of family, I was able to share it with new friends and improv foods. Pam and I went to the American service at St. Paul's this morning - who knew there were so many of us over here? It was packed, and comforting in a way, to be surrounding by so many other people who were thinking of loved ones back home.
After class, we made some chicken, pasta, instant tators, gravy, another girl made corn, another brought cheesecake, and we found some strange room w/ beanbag chairs and a projector, where we feasted and watched "Friends." Very American. To any NF readers: so glad I loaded up on turkey and pumpkin everything this summer :)
At any rate, this seems like the opportune time to tell you all how thankful I am for all of you. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity, and even more so to know that in a few weeks, I have such wonderful family and friends to welcome me home. Thanks for your prayers and support, and I hope you all had a wonderful day w/ family. Love you!
With only a few days remaining, I feel as though I did when we (the study abroad students) took our "flight" in the London Eye: here I am, in London, and it's beautiful...yet the more I try to enjoy it, the faster it keeps spinning by. It was stunning to see the city all lit up at night. It made me realize how "homey" London has become, yet at the same time, seeing this sea of lights beneath me made me strangely homesick for the softer glow of a distant farm town.
