Stonehenge and Salisbury

Today was a long but fantastic day. At 8:30 AM well over fifty students, including Sarah S., Callie, Jesse, Christine, and I, met on Gloucester Road and boarded a coach that would take us all the way to Stonehenge and then to Salisbury. It takes about two hours to drive to Stonehenge. Everyone in my group slept on the way to the monuments. We woke twenty minutes before our arrival and it didn't take long for Stonehenge to appear right in front of us. Because it is the tourist season and because it was such a good day outside, the place was packed with people and I counted around ten coaches.

Most of my group had never seen Stonehenge before. I had when I visited London when I was sixteen. However, we all agreed that it actually looks smaller in real life than from what you're lead to believe. Though, no matter, the size the site is amazing. We only had about thirty to forty-five minutes to walk around the entire monument, but despite the time restraint we took plenty of pictures of ourselves. We had visited the gift shop before we got to the actual stone circle, and it was impossible to buy anything because of the crowd and because it was quite pricey. They were selling little black and white lambs and, for the those who are interesting, Sheep Droppings, a chocolate candy. I was tempted, but because of the price and the crowd I settled for a picture of them instead.

Salisbury is only thrity minutes away from Stonehenge. Here our tourguide took us into the Salisbury Cathedral. He showed us the tombs of certain historical figures and Europe's oldest clock. It was very hard to take pictures of because of the other tour groups. We explored the whole cathedral and it was absolutely amazing. Once we were finished with the tour, we were set free to roam the town of Salisbury and find lunch. The girls and I decided, after walking around for quite a bit, on a great little place called Suzette's Pancakes Ltd, which is on Butcher Row. The menu consists of sweet pancakes, where you can pick from fruit or differnt types of syrup pancakes. Then there are "savery" pancakes, which includes pancakes with cheese, veggies, and meat. At first I didn't understand the concept of the savery pancake, but when I got my bacon and chedder pancake I understood it. What they do is they cook a thin pancake, which is almost has thin as a crepe and then they put on it what you ordered, bacon and chedder in my case, and then they fold the pancake over it. It was great. Also, their drinks come in American size glasses. An added plus.

After eating, Sarah S. and I left the group to explore the market. It was fun to look at all the differnt types of stalls. There were fruit, meat, cheese, bags, scarves, underwear and socks (yes, that's right - underwear and socks), and clothes. It was fun.

After walking forever and finding the only known public toilet, we met up with the rest of the group at Queen Ann's Gate and boarded the coach to go back to Kensington.

Back at the Atlantic House we relaxed and checked out email in the computer lab. It was about an hour later that our stomachs began to growl, "Feed me." We collected Callie from her room and we took the Tube to Picadilly. We decided that we should go into Lillywhites for the umpteenth time. Lillywhites is the official sports store in London. and right now they're having a great sale. The second floor is dedicated to football, so that is where we went. I decided to splurge and I bought a unnamed jersey and a large England flag for a total of £11. Now I'm ready to cheer England's football team during the World Cup.

After Lillywhites, we walked to Leicester Square, looking for dinner. We decided on a little take-away Chinese place called Chopsticks. for £5 you can get a medium box that is stuffed with fried rice, noodles and your choice of chicken and a bottle of water. We found a little spot in grassy part of the sqaure to sit and eat our dinner. We were so hungry that we ate we saw the bottom of the take-away box.

Back at the house we discussed and planned what we wanted to do for the following week, especially since Sarah S. has only one week left before she goes home. As of now, our calender is full. Stay tuned.

A Little Adventure in Mayfair and Marylebone

To celebrate finishing another week of class and the fact that I did very well on my presentation, Sarah S. and I decided to venture a little northeast to the Mayfair and Marylebone area. We were specifically heading towards the Beatles Store and the Elvis Store on Baker Street and right next door to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. The Beatles Store was quite cool with authentic memorabilia, but I personally wanted to go the Elvis Store, just like any die hard Elvis fan. I bought four little buttons and then took pictures of the life size Elvis statue. It was great. Sarah S. and I also took pictures of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. It cost money to go, but we were satisfied with just taking a picture of the place. Across the street at a Sherlock Holmes memorabilia store I bought four post cards for £1. Great deal!

To continue our adventure, we walked down to Oxford Street. It was Friday and it was after work hours. In other words - it was crowded! There were tons of great stores for window shopping. The only store that we wanted to go into was the Disney Store. We had to look at the new Pirates of the Caribbean items. They're all preparing for the big premire on July 6. You'll know where I'm going to be on that day!

After the Disney Store we hopped on to the Bond Street Tube and went back to the Atlantic House for a good and free dinner and an early bed time. Tomorrow we have yet another cultural event - a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury.

Flying Over London

Today was pretty much all work and very little play. I've been working hard on a presentation for my class. I have to discuss two to three topics about the short story "The Jack Randa Hotel" by Alice Munro. After discussing some ideas with my teacher, I believe that I've come up with several good topics such as techniques, obsession (of someone), identity, and travel writing. I have my notes all typed up and now all I have to do is present it to the class.

Even though I spent the entire day in the computer lab, I was still able to unplug myself to eat dinner and go off to my next cultural event. Today it was the London Eye. The wheel was built for the Millennium and they were actually planning on tearing it down afterwards. Just like the Eiffel Tower. However, just like the Paris monument, the London Eye is now here to stay. Two other little facts to know is that it is officially called the British Airways London Eye, and so this means you're taking a "flight" not a "ride," and it is the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world. A word of advice, it would be good to book your flight at least a day in advance. You can either do this at the ticket office that is right across from the wheel or you can do it online.

Sarah S., Callie, Anne, Alexis, Courtney, and I took to the Tube to Westminster and walked across the bridge to the giant Ferris wheel. After going through the line and passing through the brief security point, the six of us and a few more people boarded a capsule. You have to move quickly to board the capsule cause it actually moves at a good steady pace. When you look at the wheel from any where along the Thames the wheel appears not to be moving, however once you are inside you can see and feel that you are moving at a good pace. The flight only takes 45 minutes and you fly 135 meters or 442.91 feet above the city skyline. The view was amazing! And yes, I did take pictures!

Once the flight was over, our little group split up. Only Sarah S., Alexis and I stayed on the pier and watched the sun set. It was so gorgeous to see the Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye glow in the golden rays of the setting sun. It was beautiful.


Even though we would've liked to stay longer and explore the city by night, we left to get back to Atlantic House. Though, on the way back we had to treat ourselves to a Deliciousness before we had to go back to the computer lab to finish anything we had left for our classes. This was amazing and I can't wait to share it with you when I come home with all my pictures (the ones you see above are temporarily borrowed from elsewhere on the web).

Jack the Ripper

'Allo all. I've just come back from a Jack the Ripper walking tour. It was very fascinating. Since it was a Session B AIFS cultural event, there was a large group of students. We all met outside the Tower Hill Tube station. There we were split up into different groups and were taken into the the city by our guide.

To begin the story of Jack the Ripper, our guide told us that one of the reasons why the murderer was never caught was because there were two police forces in the city and they never communicated with each other. He also told us what the city would have been like during the late 19th century and how life would have been like for prostitutes during that time. Since conditions back then for someone constantly in need of money was dire, the guide informed us that he never blames the women for their own deaths. They were doing what they could to get by.

As we walk along, we end up in a very clean nondescriptive sqaure called Mitre Square where the victim Catherine Eddowes' body was found. Down the alley way to the main street there is a little church called St. Boldoph, which is near the Aldgate Tube, but it is also known to Ripperologists as the Prostitute's Church. St. Boldoph was a church for travelers, so the prostitutes would walk around it waiting for cosutmers. (They had to walk around the church cause it was illegal just to stand and sell yourself during this part of the century).

The walking tour continued on to other parts of the area that pertait to the story of the murders. The tour ended up at the Spitalfields Market. Across the way was the pub The Ten Bells. This pub was frequented by all of the Jack the Ripper victims. To finish his wonderful tour, our guide discussed some of the conspiracy theories of who the murder might have been. Supposedly there are more theories of who is the true murderer than there are conspiracy theories for the JFK assassination. One theory even includes the Royal Family. However, all in all, these murders are still a mystery and they still thrill today's society - tourists and Ripperologists alike.

A Weekend in the City

Well, I spent my first official weekend in London. It was quite interesting and exciting.
On Friday I joined Alexa, Christine, and Sarah D. and went to a pub called the Hog in the Pound, which is just around the corner from the Bond Street Tube station. The girls, with their ordered beverages, and I with my water bottle sat at a sidewalk table and talked until closing. It might not be as exciting in comparison to a museum or a movie, but it was really nice to get to know one another. I had already shattered the ice earlier that evening when we were at the Gloucester Tube. We were walking down the spiral staricase to the platforms, and suddenly my foot slipped off the step. I landed on my bum, and because of the momentum and the fact that my bum was quite larger in comparison to the steps, I start bouncing my way down the stairs, one right after the other. If it wasn't for my friends I would've taken the faster and more dangerous way to the platform. Once at the pub we made several jokes about my incident. Back in my room at Atlantic House I discovered that I had a lovely dark purple bruise across my hip and bum. It was very lovely as bruises go. From now on, I'm going to avoid that staircase at all cost.

On Saturday, Alexa, Christine, and I woke early and took the tube to St. James Park to watch the Trooping of the Colours. Through the mass of people we were able to find a space available in the third row from the fence, standing room only of course. We watched the guards dressed in their red and black uniforms and their black bear fur hats spread down the Mall. Then, as the clock hands moved closer to 11 AM, guards playing instruments marched by. After that, in evenly spaced intervals, the rest of the soldiers marched by. As the time for the Queen's first appearance grew closer the spectacle grew grander. There were guards on horse back playing instruments and then the Household Calvery. Just behind them came the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the carriage. Since it is always a conversation piece, Her Majesty was wearing a skirt and jacket out fit with a marvelous hat in a lovely shade of purple. To my surprise it didn't take long for the first part of the parade to pass us.

The crowd began to disperse, heading toward the little food stands in the park or to the long line for the toilets. The girls and I walked around as we ate fruit and then found a second row spot closer to Buckingham Palace. There we stood in the sun and watched the troops march the Queen and the Royal Family back to the palace.



Once the Queen was behind the Buckingham gates, the street turned into a sea of spectators. Alexa, Christine, and I were drawn immediately into the current. We swam our way through the crowd and found a spot on the right side of the palace. As we waited for the Queen and the Royal Family to fill the balcony, cannons were fired in Green Park. I started out counting each shot, however I soon lost track. Once the cannons became silent, it didn't take long to hear the cheer from the sea of people when the Queen and her family appeared on the balconythat looks over the Queen Victoria Memorial. As she waved to the people below, there was a series of airal salutes. At one point there were three airplanes that left red, white, and blue smoke. It was breathtaking.

Once we had taken enough photos that would satisfy the tourist side of us.(BTW, those above are from the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy), the three of us left via the Green Park Tube and travelled all the way to King's Cross St. Pancras station. We had decided to venture out to the Camden Market. After walking quite a while we found the market and ventured around the little booths. At first I honestly thought that the market was going to bigger, however upon reflection I believe that we barely touched the extent of the market. However, what we did see were antiques tha ranged from watches, pipes, war medals, tea cups, silverware, a pair of perscription opera glasses, and so much more. Leaving empty handed, we walked around until we found a little cafe for a late lunch. I decided to splurge and I bought a club sandwich for £6.75. I ate the entire thing. There was nothing left on the plate but a few straggly pieces of lettuce.

With a new burst of energy we popped into Harrod's on our way back to the Atlantic House. We explored the same things that Sarah S. and I did earlier that week. I popped into the pet shop once more to say "Hello" to the adorable Bengal kittens. Once we had seen almost everything, we finally made it back to the Atlantic House exhausted.

Sunday morning, for the first time since I arrived, I slept in. Normally I wake at 6:30 AM. Likely due to the time zone shift, my internal clock was set to wake me up at this ridiculous time in the morning. For once I ignored it. My roommate, Michelle, her group of friends, and I went down to a little cafe called Petite Delice, which is located on a little side street off Gloucester Road. For around £2.50 I got a Ham Tornio Panini, which was ham, fresh Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and olive oil, and a cup of English Breakfast tea.

From there we took the Tube to the Liverpool Station and walked to Spitalfield Market. Out of the two markets that I've been to during the weekend, I liked this market the best. Instead of antiques at the Camden Market, there were stalls that were selling hand made skirts, shirts, ties, and handbags. There were photographers selling prints of their works. Further into the market there were food vendors selling organic rain forest food, different types of fudge, and so on. It was very cool. I've decided that I need to take a trip back to Spitalfield market to explore it even more.

For the rest of the day I stayed in my room and read for my class. Later that night I met up with Sarah S. She had just returned from her Paris weekend trip with the AIFS program. She showed me hundreds of pictures she took from the Eiffel Tower and even more pictures from the bus tour. Everything sounded so exciting. I couldn't wait till I take the trip myself next session!

Also Sunday night, Sarah and I had discovered what can only be described as "Deliciousness." At the Tesco Express, which is a little convience store across the street from the Gloucester Tube, we bought a chocolate sponge pudding cup. It is basically a chocolate cake/brownie with chocolate pudding at the bottom. It is the best tasting dessert we have had since we've been here! And the best part about it - it was only 72 pence!!

Along with the Deliciousness we also bought a banana. We didn't have spoons and so we decided to purloin some coffee stirrers from the Burger King next door. It was a challenge to eat such a wonderful dessert with a coffee stirrer. Every so often there would be an explosion of chocolate that would cover our laps. Despite all that, it was worth the effort. We enjoyed it and instantly deemed it as our official inexpensive treat.