Week 16

My last week in London was pretty much spent again in my apartment. It was really frustrating but I had to finish my last assignments and exams. Sunday was spent doing this. Monday I actually got to leave the house early because I realized that I still hadn’t seen the Changing of the Guard. When I arrived at the Changing of the Guard, there were huge crowds. However, nothing really happened. I stood there for an hour and the occasional group of guards passed by but not much else. I had checked the schedule and in the spring, the Changing of the Guard happens everyday.

I think the reason nothing happened is due to the bomb threat that occurred that day. After the Changing of the Guard, I went to my theater class to pass in my last paper. As the class was leaving, people started making comments about not using the Tube because of the bomb threat. I didn’t know what they were talking because I had left my apartment before checking the news. I went to the library for a little while and then decided to walk home. I wasn’t taking my chances with only a few days before I was leaving. As I was walking home, I saw the headlines for the Evening Standard. The headline read, “IRA bomb threat shuts down the Mall.” The Mall is the avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace. The headline was scary considering I had just been outside Buckingham Palace a few hours earlier. I guess I was fortunate that nothing happened.

I went back to studying at my apartment. Tuesday I had my art history final and then once again headed back to the books. Wednesday, I had considered leaving early to go see Abbey Road because it’s somewhat near my apartment. I decided to use the Tube. However, there was a problem. Someone was under the train on the line I needed. I thought it was interesting that my last day in London was the first time I had ever had an issue with the Tube. I hope the person was okay though.  Instead, I passed in my history paper and took the final.

I returned back to my apartment to finish my London Met paper. I was really excited because I finished it a lot earlier than I expected. So I walked over the Tube where once again I had more problems. The line I needed to get to my university was closed. I had to take the National Rail Service, which only left every 30 minutes. I sat on the train for a while and when I finally reached my destination, I had no clue where to go. I tried to ask for directions, but people were pretty vague. I started walking down the street not really sure where I was go. My London map didn’t go out this far and there were no maps around like in central London. I finally called my mom to ask if I could pay for a taxi because at this point, it was getting dark and I wasn’t in the best part of town. When I got in the taxi, the university ended up being only five minutes. Thank god I took the taxi though because when I went to the building, the security guard was locking up. I begged with him to let me in and put my paper in an office mailbox. He finally gave in. To avoid getting lost and taking the National Rail Service, I took a taxi to the point where I could get on the Tube. My two-hour adventure just to hand in a paper was finally over.

I luckily enough still had time to go to the restaurant where I wanted to have my last meal in London. I want to this fish and chip place in my area of town called the Golden Hinde. I had seen good reviews about it and I finally had the chance to go because all my work was done. I got a huge plate of fish and chips and for dessert I got a plate called “spotted dick,” a hot raisin cake topped off with hot custard. When I got home, I was already mostly packed, so I finally got some sleep after getting none for the last few weeks. I woke up around 8 and my shuttle picked me up at 9. It was a beautiful sunny day and I pretty much received a tour around London on my way to Heathrow. I got on my plane and flew to Iceland for a three-hour layover.  After a five-hour flight from Reykjavik, I was finally home.

I have been home for a few days now and I’m not really having culture shock. I am just trying to transition as best as I can so I’m not depressed about not being in London. I am just bored being back in reality. In London, I went and explored every day. Here in Woburn, I just sit at the home. The most exciting thing I do is go to the mall.  I just need to realize that I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity for such a great experience abroad.

 

 

Week 15

Again, I was studying for most of my Sunday. I finally got myself out of the apartment and went for a meal at the restaurant on the ground floor of my building. I had been meaning to go to The Volunteer restaurant for some time, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. I had another traditional British Sunday roast. It was absolutely delicious with roast beef, gravy, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and broccoli. It was nice to have a real meal for once because I have been surviving on pasta for the last few weeks. I then went back upstairs to study. The next few days were a tad boring. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday classes were mainly reviews for next week’s finals. Wednesday night I was supposed to go see a play for class, but I ended up having to go to my drawing class for requirements. I ended up talking to some of the fellow participants like some girls from Wales who were studying in London. It was my last class so I had to say goodbye to my drawing teacher, who was really kind and taught me a lot.

Thursday was a day filled with Shakespeare. I went to the play that I had missed the night before. The standing seats at the Globe Theatre were only seven pounds. The first play of the days was Alls Well that Ends Well at 2pm. The actors came out and talked to the crowd, which I thought was really nice. The play was really entertaining and I liked the Globe’s interpretation. The next play was with class, and we saw Hamlet. It was interesting getting to see plays at the Globe. Teachers always tell you about the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s plays in the Globe, how the audience had to listen to know the setting. For example, it was weird to watch the beginning scenes of Hamlet, where it is supposed to be night but in reality, it was day. Like Alls Well, Hamlet ended in a dance, which was a lot of fun.

Friday I spent trying to get my last few sightseeing activities done. I spent the morning at the British Museum. I visited the Parthenon sculptures, Egyptian sculptures, mummies, and Viking artifacts. I quickly ran over to the National Gallery of Art. I tried to explore as many room as I could but I only got half way through the museum. I took the Tube to the Tate Modern. I visited the artworks that I had missed a few weeks earlier in class. I also viewed some artworks from Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dali. It was so exciting to see works that I have always seen in books. Being an art history major, it was exciting to be in front of the works of such great artists.

After some time at the Tate Modern, I went along the south bank to the London Eye. I had waited to go on the London Eye because I had wanted it to be one of my last experiences of London. I took the 9:30 pm ride because I wanted a beautiful night view of the city. London was so beautiful all lit up and I could see everything from the Ferris wheel. The ride made me sort of sad, because I know in only a few days I have to leave this amazing city. However, I had an enjoyable time. 

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Week 14

Sunday was my last day of vacation. It was a beautiful day so I spent the day walking through the parks. I first went to Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Speakers Corner is where people can speak on various issues and opinions. The speakers today weren’t that interesting. There was a man from the States wearing a cowboy hat and ranting about Jesus. The other person was this older woman, but I had no idea what she was talking about because all these men in the crowd were just taunting her. I just found what was going on annoying and not interesting so I started walking around the park instead. I walked around and then sat by the large pond in the park.  I traveled over to the Princess Diana Memorial, which was a small circular fountain that a bunch of little children were wading through. I then passed Kensington Gardens and then took the Tube home to Baker Street. Once I returned to Baker Street, I walked over to Regents Park. Regents Park is absolutely amazing. I felt like I was in this magical garden with all these beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and I had to leave and study.

Monday was just a typical theater class. Tuesday my art class visited a Joan Miro exhibition at the Tate Modern. As an art history major, I normally tend to enjoy learning about modern artists. Joan Miro just confused me. His art was so abstract. For example, he had faces that only consisted of two intersecting lines. What was also frustrating about his art was there was not one distinct style. Unlike Picasso who is known for his Cubist technique, Miro had several different styles, so much so that you wouldn’t be able to tell the same person painted them.

That night my theater class went to see Cause Celebre. It was my favorite play I have seen in London. It was about a 1930s murder trial about a woman killing her elderly husband, when really her 18-year-old lover did it. I enjoyed the story, and the ending was an interesting surprise. The acting was amazing and the set was brillant. At one point, the ceiling dropped down and revealed a jail cell. It was just a great night.

Wednesday was a surprise and instead of having class inside, we took a stroll through Soho. The group of us walked through such areas as Leicester Square and Chinatown. It was a fun afternoon. Thursday I took the train outside the city to Hampton Court Palace. Hampton Court Palace was one of the popular homes of Henry VIII. I had an enjoyable day. The palace had people dressed up as Henry VIII and his wives. They reenacted scenes from Henry VIII’s life which that day included his wedding to Katherine Howard.  I thought it was a fun way to teach people about history. I then got to see Henry VIII’s apartments, as well as the chambers for William and Mary and George III. I was surprised by how much was preserved. I walked around the grounds for a little while before heading back to London.

Friday was spent studying and so was Saturday, although Saturday was a tad more interesting. So the week before, the United States had killed Osama bin Laden. As I was studying in my living on Saturday afternoon, I started to hear shouting and chanting outside my window. I looked outside but couldn’t see anything because whatever was taking place was still around the corner. I eventually I saw a group of people holding up signs like “UK and USA are terrorists” and “Islam will dominate the world.” They were chanting such things as “Obama terrorist,” “USA you will pay,” and “US army burn in hell.” It was kind of scary. I know the USA warned travelers and my parents were freaked out, telling me to not wear anything America related. I just ignored it. I didn’t think anything was going to happen. The experience though was just a bit frightening to see how some people feel about the United States.

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The Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding has finally happened! I am kind of sad it’s already over. I have been waiting since November for this day. I just need to be happy that I got to see it. So in preparation, I left my apartment Thursday afternoon around 5pm to get a good spot outside Buckingham Palace. I ended up going on my own. Some people in my program were originally going to come, but they decided to go to Hyde Park the next morning and watch it on the big screens instead. I had promised myself since the engagement that I would be outside Buckingham Palace so I still went anyway. Once I got there, I met some women who said I could sit with them. One of them was Zoey, a woman from Massachusetts who only just the day before decided to come to the UK for the big day. The other woman was Sheena, a woman originally from Liverpool now living in London. She was leaving work when she decided she would camp out for the wedding. Not too long after me, another girl asked to join us named Carolee. She was from outside Vancouver and added a few days to her vacation in Europe.

We talked for a while and watch the crazy crowds and flurry of cars go by. Eventually we were joined by Linda and Lindsey, two women that Sheena and Zoey were holding seats for. Linda and Lindsey were from Manchester who decided to come down for the royal occasion. We chatted for some time and then some interesting things began to take place. The queen was having a banquet that night so cars were rolling out of Buckingham Palace for the event. I got to see the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla as the cars went by. Then about two hours later, Linda received a text that Prince William was shaking hands outside Clarence House. Zoey, Carolee, and I ran down to Clarence House and we were able to catch glimpses of Prince William and Harry as they went inside. We then went back to our little campground.

We sat around for some time and chatted. We were lucky because it was supposed to rain but didn’t. It was still cold. I was fortunate that someone lent me a chair because I had been planning to just sit on a trash bag. Most of us however used trash bags as blankets because we had nothing else. After hanging out for a few hours, a reporter from Sky News said he wanted to talk to us. Around midnight, we were interviewed and toasted the prince and future princess. It was exciting because it was the first time I had ever been on television. I tried to sleep for the next few hours but it wasn’t really working. The sunrise came around 4am and people behind us were trying to push their way to the front with us. The wait from then was tediously long. I noticed behind the crowd were Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer from the Today Show so that was really exciting. Around 9am, things finally to started to get exciting. Various troops either on horseback or with instruments started passing by. There were hundreds of them; it was crazy.

Then around 10, Fern Cotton came up to us. I don’t really know who she is, but she is a famous news reporter for the BBC in the UK.  She asked if she could interview us! We then interviewed and I was able to get a few lines in. Everyone was excited and started calling their families that they had just been on the BBC. I figured no one had seen me because no one would really be watching the BBC back in the States. But then I received a text from one of students in my program, in cap letters, telling me that everyone in my program just saw me on the big screen in Hyde Park and were cheering. Eventually when I got home, I received a few Facebook posts from people back in the States saying they saw me on BBC America. The experience was pretty amazing.

Fern Cotton stood with us for a little while as Prince William was leaving down from the road to head to Westminster Abbey. Previously we had seen a few buses with guests, but now we were finally getting to see the royals. The Queen passed by us, waving in her bright yellow outfit. Kate and her father drove by on the other side so we really didn’t get a first glimpse of the dress. We listened to the wedding service from the loud speakers. The wedding was interesting from the viewpoint of an American. They said their “I dos” first and then they started the regular Mass, which is the other way around in the States. We sang along and waved our British flags to “God Save the Queen.” It was fun. Eventually the service was over and we all waited anxiously for the royal procession back to the palace. The procession came about ten minutes. There were bands playing and the guards on horseback. Then came Prince William and Kate in their carriage. They were waving at the crowds and I was only able to catch glimpses of them as I was taking photos. Soon after them, there were Harry and Pippa; Charles, Camilla, and the Middletons; and then the Queen herself.

We waited for about 20 minutes, and kept asking the police officers when they were going to allow us to go up to the gate for the balcony kiss. Eventually we were told that the police officers would bring down the crowds down starting from the back of the Mall and down to the gate. As Mom said Matt Lauer commented on, this way didn’t really seem far to those of standing by the palace because we would have to get behind the crowds from the back. Carolee and I decided to go for it, even though the others told us we would probably get crushed. I walked as quickly as I could as the crowd rushed to the gate. I ended only being three rows from the gate. My spot was pretty amazing considering the whole Mall was crowded. Eventually, Kate and William came out on the balcony. Kate looked beautiful in her dress and William looked pretty handsome in his Irish Guards uniform. The family then joined the newlyweds out on the balcony. The couple finally kissed and the crowd went wild. We then started shouting “One more time!” Kate and William originally ignored our request, but then eventually went in for another kiss. The family went back inside and so did William and Kate. I almost started to get teary eyed during the whole experience because I just couldn’t believe I was there. I was witnessing history. I could tell my children and grandchildren that I was there, that I was at King William’s wedding. I eventually wandered my way back home.

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Athens!

For the last four days of my trip across Europe, I went to Athens, Greece. I had left Budapest around 11 o’clock at night, and arrived in Athens around 2am. I was planning to sleep for a few hours at the airport, and I felt fortunate that I was not doing so as I saw people laid out across benches. I slept on and off for the next few hours until around 6am, when I headed for my hostel. When I arrived at my hostel, I couldn’t believe how close it was to the Acropolis. I then handed over my luggage and I could come back and check in at 2pm.

I walked over to the Acropolis and looked up in awe. I couldn’t believe I was there. I passed by two ancient Greek theaters on my way up. I was astonished at how much was preserved. I got up to the top and I was somewhat confused because the ticket office was closed. I found out that because it was Easter weekend, the Acropolis was free for the day. Then a tour guide came up to me asking if I wanted a tour. I went with a few couples and we paid 20 Euros, which was kind of a rip-off for a one-hour tour. I got the chance to learn about the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion. After, the tour walked the site for while. The Parthenon looked so pretty in the sunshine.

There wasn’t as much to see as I had expected and there were only so many times I could circle the Parthenon, so I headed down to the Agora. The Agora, to me, was a lot more interesting because that was the city of Athens in ancient times. There were so many ruins of buildings I just can’t believe there were all there. It was also fascinating that experts know what the buildings’ functions were too. You could imagine the ancient city and like one man I was talking to said, you were walking where such greats as Plato once walked. Once I was done there, I walked the bustling district of Plaka with all its shops and cafes. Finally, it was time to check in at the hostel, where I pretty much slept the entire day away.

When I woke up, I waited until around 10 pm to walk over to the nearby church. Near midnight before Easter, Greek Orthodox followers have a mass where everyone lights candles. The church I went to was beautiful and was built in the 12^th century. I tried to keep my mouth shut so the churchgoers didn’t know that I was just a tourist. It was a beautiful scene with everyone outside the church in the dark and holding their candles. Shortly after the midnight masses, fireworks went off all across the city.

Easter morning I walked around Athens. I checked out Parliament and the Changing of the Guard. The guards’ outfits were quite interesting. They wore berets with long tails and shoes with huge pom-poms. After going to Parliament, I went back to the hostel for a free Easter lamb feast. It was absolutely delicious. The hostel handed out huge sausages in pita bread, pieces of lamb, and Greek salad. I was so full afterward. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with fellow travelers at the hostel. I mainly hung out with these Canadian guys from Toronto and Montreal. They were also living in London, one of them for school and the other for work. I probably hung out at the hostel for nine hours. The rooftop area of the hostel overlooked the Acropolis so I get to see the beautiful sunset. Eventually, I headed to bed.

Monday I went with the free hostel tour of the city. The guide took us to the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, and other sites in the city. After the long walk, I took a small nap to get ready for the exercise of walking two major hills in the city. I went up the major hills of Lykavittos and Philippapou. It was exhausting but it was worth the views of the city and the Acropolis. Later that night, I went and participated in a pub quiz at the hostel. I played with a Canadian guy and two Australians. It was funny because we were all living in England. We lost the quiz, which was all a little frustrating considering one of the Australians was a Rhode Scholars. I was a little embarrassed as well because the team who won was a bunch of Americans that were my age. They started chanting “USA.” All I could think was way to maintain stereotypes that we are self-absorbed.

My last day in Greece I went with the Canadian and one of the Australians outside the city to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounio. The temple was small but the location was so beautiful above the ocean. What was also interesting was the graffiti. There were etchings from up to the early 1800s, which was amazing. We had our lunch there and headed back to the city. I spent the rest of my afternoon at the new Acropolis Museum. The Museum had so many artifacts and had a glass floor where you could the remains of the ancient city of Athens. After a few hours at the Acropolis, I hung out the hostel bar before heading to the airport after a wonderful trip. 

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Budapest!

For my vacation, I got into Budapest around 9 o’clock at night and found my way to the hostel. When I got there, the hostel was so pleasant. The staff came out of the building to introduce themselves. They got me adjusted and then I started talking to the fellow travelers. My roommates were a group of friends from Austria. They were funny when I told them I was from Boston. One guy said, “All I know about Boston is The Departed. Are you Irish Boston or Italian Boston?” After they left for the night, I met some fellow American girls and some other travelers who were going to a hostel party. I put on some costume make-up and was already out in Budapest within an hour of getting there!

The next morning I set out for the other side of Danube River to Buda. Budapest is made up of two cities: Buda, the historic town and Pest, the bustling city. In Buda, I made my way up to Buda Castle on this high mountain. The Castle today is made up of various museums. I ended up spending time at the Budapest History Museum. After I visited Fisherman’s Bastion. It was this crisp white terrace with small curving towers at the edge of the Buda complex. The best building on the complex was St. Matthias Church. The church was brightly white with a colorful tiled roof. The inside was outstanding. Colorful frescoes covered every wall. I could have sat in that building for hours. However, my stomach was rumbling so I headed back to Pest for dinner. I went to this Hungarian restaurant where the food was amazing. I had this big bowl of goulash, which is a Hungarian beef stew with lots of Hungary’s famous paprika. I then returned to the hostel and hung out with the staff and some more travelers.

Day Two was spent in Pest. I went to the City Park to some of the famous sites. The major site I went to see was the Szechenyi bath house. Budapest is known for its grand bath houses, and Szechenyi is the most popular. It was this grand, yellow, classical building with mosaics. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the pools because I didn’t have enough money to go in. I strolled down afterwards to Heroes’ Square where there were large beautiful monuments. I walked down Embassy Street, the main road down to St. Stephens Church. St. Stephens Church holds the mummified hand of King Stephen, the 1000 year-old king who unified Hungary and brought Christianity to the kingdom. After visiting the beautiful church, I waited to take a free tour of the city. It was interesting to hear the girl talk about Hungary finding a national identity after post-Soviet control. Even 20 years later, Hungary is still reeling from the effects of communism.

Later that night, I went back to the hostel and hung out with some of the guests. I made friends with some German girls. One was named Hannah and she spoke English really well. Her knowledge of American politics and business just amazed. I barely know anything about Germany. I also finally made some British friends! Three British guys were staying at the hostel. Roland, Nick, and Siggy lived in Canary Wharf on the outskirts of central London. The German girls, the British guys, and I went to a Hungarian ruin pub called Szimpla. It was the coolest hangout I have ever been to. If there was one in the States, I’d be there all the time. Budapest is known for its ruin pubs, bars and cinemas that take place in dilapidated buildings. Szimpla was lit with twinkle lights with graffiti all over the walls. People were sitting on old couches, chairs, and even cars. We chatted, laughed, and just overall had a good time. It was sad leaving  because I met so many great people at my hostel. I even got a few hugs as I left. Now its time though to head off to Greece!

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Torino!

When I got back to London, I had a few classes before I flew to Torino, Italy. My art history class went again to the Tate Britain for a Watercolor exhibition. I had a newfound appreciation for watercolor because I didn’t know it could be used in so many ways. At night, my theatre class went to a play called Remembrance Day. The play discussed the tension between Russians and Latvians in post-Soviet Union Latvia. It was interesting to learn the history in an intimate family setting. My history professor took us the next day around Westminster. He showed us monuments along the River and discussed Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, and 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister. Let’s just say, it’s no White House. It looks like a standard London building. I got home after and packed for Torino the next morning!

The next morning I took a flight out of Stansted Airport to Torino. I then met by my good Italian friend Cristina. I haven’t seen her in two years so I was really excited to visit not only her, but her family as well. We started our day by having lunch at her house and getting the chance to meet up with our friend Julia. Julia, Cristina, and I walked around Via Garibaldi, the main shopping street in Torino. I then caved into my Italian food addiction. I forced to the group to go have a few slices of farinata, seasoned chewy bread served like pizza. After, I desperately wanted some gelato. We sat out of Piazza Castello, the main square and home to the Savoy royal palace, and ate gelato out in the Italian sunshine. Cristina and I then went home for the night.

The following day was my first day of high school in two years. It was a bit daunting because I now not use to being in school for so many hours at a time. It was fun though because I got to see my other Italian friends. I had met them all two years earlier on an exchange to my high school. After school, we had to get ready for one of the student’s birthday party. It was funny; the student was the one girl in my friend’s class that I didn’t know so it was a tad awkward. The birthday party was totally amazing. It ended by shown on Italy’s version of My Super Sweet 16. There were string quartets, circus performers, lots of food, and massive cakes. I ended up dancing the night away with all my friends. It was one of the best nights of my time abroad.

On Saturday morning, I woke up to meet Cristina’s nephew, Marco. He was absolutely adorable. Back when I visited the family two years ago, Cristina’s sister was pregnant. We played with Marco for a hour or two at the playground before we met up with Cristina’s friends. Her friends and I walked around the city for a bit before arriving at CioccolaTO, Torino’s famous chocolate festival. There were just so many types of chocolate I couldn’t buy or eat them all. I tried a chocolate kebab with cake and whipped cream that was so delicious. We then went home for one last meal together before I headed back home in the morning.

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