Life without ranch dressing.

What up, Peeps!

So, not much has been going on since I got back from my previous trip. School is boring, but my teachers think I’m the best thing since sliced bread, seriously, so I think I’m okay. Since half the people on this trip are pretty much stupid or hung over half the time, I get to show them up with my astute knowledge. Yes, I’m afraid my ‘Miss Know-it-All’ comes out a bit over here, mostly because she’s allowed to. Our grades are based mostly off of classroom participation I think, so I take every opportunity to pipe up and say something smart.

My boring classroom. :P

Michelle DenBeste, mom’s old boss from Fresno State, is really cool, but she seems like she’s always trying to be my best friend. It’s hard because I don’t really know how to respond to her, AND she wants us to call her Michelle. Now that’s a hard thing to do. None of us, not even the Grad students, can bring ourselves to call her Michelle, so we call her ‘D.’ Yeah, it’s kinda funny when we walk into class and say, “Hey, what up, D?” She laughs.

Regina and the rest of our flat still aren’t getting along, so nothing new there.

On Thursday, our group went to the London Transport Museum. I wasn’t expecting to like it that much, but it was SO COOL! It was totally interactive and we could walk and sit in old trolleys from the early 1900’s. They recreated an entire exhibit dedicated to the tunnels during WWII when civilians camped out in there during the Blitz. It made me want to cry after seeing how brave those people were. It was neat because the museum took you back in time through an elevator—kind of like a ride. So I, being the absolutely cute and funny girl I am, was like, “C’mon, Marty! We gotta get the Delorean up to 88 miles an hour!!!” They laugh at me. So they think I’m funny and/or stupid. Either way I’m happy. =D

Then, yesterday, we went to Windsor Castle. Wow. We could see that much of the castle, but what we did see was amazing! We started off by watching the Changing of the Guard. This time I had a front row seat (well, I was standing) so I could see everything, unlike at Buckingham Palace where I could basically see nothing. I got some awesome pics! The band played some classical British marching songs, which put us in a very patriotic (and traitorous =D) mood. Then they immediately go into playing the Mission: Impossible theme song. The British tourists there are like “Yeah, Cool!” and the American tourists are like, “WTF, Mission Impossible?!” I was trying so hard not to laugh at everyone’s faces. Then they played, of all things, the theme to Harry Potter, and that made me feel better. And the guards were so cute in…erm, I mean…the guards were so strong and manly and scary in their uniforms. I wanted to take one home with me, but Marika talked me out of it. They’re too expensive and they’d never fit in my suitcase anyway. :P

We saw Queen Mary’s dollhouse. It makes the Barbie Mansion look like a cardboard box. This dollhouse has electric lighting, hot and cold running water, real marble floors, real porcelain tubs and sinks…it’s incredible! The dollhouse was built by one of the royal architects and the castle’s gardens were planned and “built” by some really famous gardener for the royals. Gold, precious jewels, jade, ivory…it’s all in this freakin’ doll house! It was so totally awesome! The whole thing stands at, maybe four feet high. Mind boggling. After the dollhouse, me, Marika and Josh walked through the State Apartments, most of which are still used during state events today. We sat St. George’s Hall, which I’d seen on some PBS presentation called “Windsor Castle.” I remember watching it with dad when the servants were setting up the grand banquet table and measuring the distance of the plates with a ruler and laughing. Well, now I’ve been in that room! It’s so cool! The amount of detail in the paintings and gilding is so stunning it’s impossible to describe. I was able to see the original paintings of so many works of art I’ve studies; for example, the portrait of the young Elizabeth I in her red dress holding a book. It’s so famous and I saw the real one—like two feet in front of me. I could see the brush strokes!
There were no pictures allowed inside the State Apartments, or St. George’s Cathedral, so you can Google them if you want pictures. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

Last night we had a “Cool Peeps Only” party. It was the three girls from our flat (Regina wasn’t invited, not like she’d come anyway. She was out drinking or something), the two couples from next door and Josh. Everyone brought different meals, so it was really eclectic. We had tacos, complete with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, tortilla shells and cheese. Trust me, it’s not easy to make Mexican food here! We tried to make guacamole, too, but we couldn’t find some of the ingredients, plus avocados are pickin’ expensive here. There other thing that’s hard to find here is ice cream, surprisingly. Most ice cream comes in bar form, so you can eat in on the go, but good luck trying to find a quart of ice cream. The cheapest we could find was ₤4.50. That’s over $9 for a pint of ice cream! Ahhhhh!

It’s weird how you start to miss things you’d never think you’d miss. I miss Ranch dressing. It doesn’t exist here. I also miss the sugar packed cereals here. Here there are aonly about 8 different kinds of cereals: Cherrios, Frosties (Frosted Flakes), Shredded Wheat, Cocoa Pops (like Cocoa Puffs, but even more disgusting) and about four other wheat/grain cereals. I miss Fruit Loops and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, even though I never ate them much at home. And the fresh fruit. I MISS the big selection of fruits and veggies. The veggie/fruits aisle is about half the size of one of our basic grocery store aisles back home. So sad.

So, now I’m just catching up on homework and emailing and organizing my pictures with no ice cream. *sigh* The weekends are crazy busy here, so I probably won’t go out much today. It’s homework time! Whoot!

That’s all folks!

Stratford, Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury

Long time, no see! I just got back from a very long trip. We traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon, which was completely amazing! It was so nice and refreshing to go out of the big city and get the taste of small town life. I probably saw more Shakespeare stuff than I cared to see, but now I can be a total nerd and flaunt that I saw his house, his mom’s house, his wife’s house, his daughter’s house and his church. Yeah….
We saw two plays in Stratford: “Noughts and Crosses,” which was terrible beyond all reason; and “Henry V,” which was way too long, but wonderful~

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

So quaint! =D

Shakespeare's Birthplace

I really enjoyed Stratford. It was the small, quaint English village I’d hoped and expected to see here in England—we even had dinner at one of the oldest pubs in Stratford, The Garrick Inn, which dated back to 1595! Food was good, but the service was terrible! =D

Garrick Inn

Our Bed and Breakfast in Stratford, called Green Haven, was so cute and quaint, and the couple who owned it were so nice. She made breakfast every morning and it was delicious~! We saw so many buildings related to Shakespeare. I really liked visiting Mary Arden's Farm (Shakespeare's mother). I met a sheep, a rooster and a hawk named Betsy. I even got to do some falconry with her. She landed on my arm and ate the chicken foot I was holding in my hand. =D So awesome. I had a hawk on my arm~!

Me and a sheep!

We also made a day trip to Warwick Castle. So cool! They say it's the best preserved castle in Britain. I was able to climb up onto The Mound--the outermost ramparts built by William the Conqueror. They had everything inside recreated to make it seem like you were walking back in time--sorta like walking through Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. We had lots of fun.

It's only a model...

Dance, Dance Revolution!

Me and some fake guy.

On the way to Bath, we stopped at a very small village called Bourton on the Water. It looked like a place right out of Alice in Wonderland. We were only there for a few moments, but it was enough time for me to take some cute pictures and find the local bakery.

I bought some Lemon and Orange curd for Mom and Grandma—handmade right there. I hope the jars make it home—I’m so tempted to eat them myself! :P

The Main Square in Bath

Then, we traveled to Bath for a day and I have to say it was one of the most interesting experiences. The Roman baths were INCREDIBLE! It was shocking how close you were allowed to come to the baths—you could even touch the water if you wanted to, but no one did because there was bird poopies in it. Ewww. But at least the birds can still enjoy the hot water! After the Bath tour, a group of us trouped around Bath. We paid a visit to the Royal Crescent Hotel (and started walking in places we shouldn’t), saw the big tree and the Jane Austen museum—but we were too tired to go in. But we can say we saw it! Haha.

The Royal Crescent Hotel.

The Roman Baths.

We were staying at the YMCA that night. I went to bed early and everyone---yes, everyone, went out that night and got totally plastered. Of course, this provided no end of hilarity for me when I heard the stories and giggled at all my hung over cohorts the next morning over deep fried toast.

Ah, the good times roll~

On our way home we stopped at Stonehenge, which is actually a lot smaller than you’d imagine. And unbelievably cold! I have never been so cold in my life! The wind was so powerful up there I almost fell down several times. But the ancient stones were amazing to see and I could get a lot closer to them than I’d thought I’d be able to. It’s very humbling to stand beside those stones—if only we could hear them tell us what they’ve seen, eh?

Me and the Stones!

The Stonehenge Bandit!!! Grawr!

Next was the beautiful town of Sainsbury. This is John Constable's painting of the cathedral. It still looks like that. :) I want to live there. Really. We did a coach tour of the town and only stopped at the cathedral, which was great.

Along the river in Salisbury.

Even though all the cathedrals are typically the same, each one is unique in its own way. The Salisbury Cathedral houses the best preserved copy of the Magna Carta. It was unreal how clear the script was! And for being written in 1215…very impressive.

Echo.....echo.....echo......!

Josh and Charlie.

In the Cloisters again...

Then it was home. No food…no clean clothes. Haha. So after a quick grocery run and renting a few movies from the local Blockbuster, we were home and relaxing after our long trip. And I dyed my hair.

*the audience gasps*

Yes, yes, it’s not very drastic though, but my hair is a bit lighter now. I guess I like it? =D So today’s mission is to pay for my France trip (more about that later), buy more groceries and get some boots! Big, fat, rubber boots! Strangely, my feet remain dry and warm, but my pants get soaked!!! So, off I go to do my errands.

Cheers!

To Rule after Death comes...

Today I went back to the British Museum. I’ve decided to make several trip there over my stay here and each time see a different exhibit. The museum is so overwhelming! There’s so much to see! Today I explored the Greek and Roman exhibits and almost cried over the artifacts I saw; most of them were straight out of my textbooks! It’s weird to think the only think separating you from these incredible objects is glass. So neat. I’m sure mom and dad would have been on cloud 9 seeing some of the things in there. I know I was!

Emperor Augustus

Achilles and Ajax

I want a coffin like this...

Then later I returned to see the special exhibit on the terra cotta army amassed by the first Emperor of China. That was mindboggling. Simply awesome. They look so real and they are so well preserved. I saw some armor from the early Qin dynasty and it looked like someone could still wear it. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of the exhibit, which is a shame, because there was so much more than the stone figures—armor, floor and roof tiles, wall sconces, pottery, jewelry and so much more.

Some people have asked about my roommates. Two of them Monica and Marika (they’re in the room next to me), are very nice. The three of us get along really well. We’ve planned a weekend trip to Paris and later are going to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. Yay us!
Then there’s Regina. Yeah. She’s my roommate and I cannot figure her out. One day she’s nice and the next she hates me. So actually wrote a blog about me and how I “wake up at the freakin’ crack of dawn” and how I move around loudly. >_> Hm—I get up early so she can sleep in a shower late, and I try to be quiet, but alas. She stays up annoyingly late with the light on, so I call it even. =D

I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow…probably try and go grocery shopping and sleep. I’ll be gone Monday thru Thursday on a long field trip and I have a feeling it’ll be very tiring. And hopefully we’ll actually have some tours. “Tours” equate to Carla and Chris dropping us off somewhere saying “Well, have fun!” That can be a little daunting—especially if we don’t know what we’re looking at, and they expect us to join/pay for tours at a certain place. It’s a little annoying. Like they dropped us off at the Tower of London and left us to our own devices. Sometimes it’s nice to do things at your own pace, but sometimes it’s nice to have someone tell you what you’re looking at and how it’s a neat thing! >_<

Anyway, I’m off to bed soon. I love and miss you all so much!!!!

Platform 9 & 3/4 and The Windsor Castle.

Hey fellow Muggles~

Today was INCREDIBLE! Oh my goodness!!!!

Today we visited the Tower of London. Wow. Just Wow. Amazing! The things there are so old and in was just…like walking into the tower where Richard III had the two princes murdered….Anne Bolelyn’s grave…the beefeaters….I can hardly explain it. Overwhelmingly historical and mindboggling old, by American standards anyway. ;) And sorry for the really bad quality of my pictures there; somehow my camera had gotten switched over to a weird setting…but I’ll just say my pictures are hazy because of the ghooosts in the towers. Scary.

The Bloody Tower

The Tower Bridge

...and all the king's horses...

The Execution Spot

Then, me, my roommate Marika, and Josh went to King’s Cross Station and found Platform 9 ¾ !!!! That’s the entrance to the magical platform where the Hogwarts Express takes magical children to Hogwarts—and it’s the place THE Harry has been too!!! I had a little fangasm there and took loads of pictures. I even found the bridge over the trains that have been used in several of the movies. Whootz!

I got my book! Yay me!

Going to Hogwarts!

Josh and Marika

THEN, we pooled our money and made hamburgers back at our flat. Yummy. We had found this burger place earlier this week, but…they were interesting. The relish was more like apple chutney and pretty disgusting, but at least the bathrooms were clean!

And finally, we went to the Windsor Castle Pub down the street and I drank my first half pint of this Strawberry Ale stuff. It was okaaaaay, but I still can’t stand the smell of alcohol. But the owner really likes Americans, so he’s gonna stay open late so we can watch the superbowl. Yay us!

Yeah…so I’m feeling a little happy right now; I think it’s the strawberry stuff, but at least Katie will be glad that I “went wild.” So yes, I’m feeling a little “buzzed,” whatever that really means.

Time for bed~

Just some old church...

Today we went to Westminster Abbey. It kind of reminded me of my trip a couple summers ago at the Vatican in Italy—there’s too much beauty and history to take in in one visit. I saw the coronation chair of Edward the 1st…made in the 1300’s! :-0 I also saw the main alter where Princess Diana was married and where nearly every monarch has been crowned. I felt dizzy for a few minutes. It’s so hard to believe how old the things in there were, some dating back to the 900’s.

The Church from the outside.

In the Cloisters...

Pictures were not allowed inside the church, sadly. L I don’t think my pictures would have done the chapels, architecture, mosaics and tombs justice anyway.
^////^ (That’s a blushing face, haha). I lit a candle and said a little prayer for all of you at Westminster—I miss you all so much!

I saw the tombs of Elizabeth 1, Mary 1 and Mary, Queen of Scotts---also Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling and the Bronte sisters and SO many others. It was interesting to read their epitaphs, too. So overwhelming! I felt like I should bow down and kiss Dickens’s headstone, but I refrained. Josh, Maddie, Gurinder and I are planning to go back and attend a service there when the choir is singing. We’ve already been down to the church on our street for a service and it was somewhere between a Catholic and Lutheran service. Lots of kneeling, muttering, kissing of the Bible, and there was a very somber mood…kind of calming in a way. We took communion—the vicar feeds you, and the communion wine wasn’t grape juice. I tried not to choke on the wine when I was up there, kneeling at the front.

"Elementary."

Hello again everyone!

Today I ventured out by myself after class and explored Baker Street. Yes, that would be THE Baker Street of Mr. Sherlock Holmes! I even navigated the Underground by myself and didn’t get lost; it’s easy one you get everything down. I’m an expert now!

Holmes' Apartment

I went to the Sherlock Holmes Historical Museum and it was so incredibly neat! It was so incredible to see the “real” place my favorite detective lived and solved his cases. ^_^

Dr. Watson was in...but I couldn't find Sherlock! :(

We might go to the British Museum later. OMG. So excited. And I bought a British copy of the last Harry Potter book. I feel like an official fan now. Yay me!
That’s all folks~

Mind the Gap and Step to the Right...!

We have nothing planned for today, so I went back to the store and while on the way I found a little cafe called "Julia," (=D) so I think I'll go over there this afternoon and try to get a coffee or something.

Shopping here is so funny! I shop at the TescoExpress--the closest store we have. They have al lthe same things we do, but they have different names. Like, Best Foods mayonaise is called Hellman's Mayo. And actually, the things here are pretty cheap! I can get two full bags of groceries for about 12 pounds.

But shopping/groceries/restaurants are limited around here, which is probably good, and I have yet to brave the underground. I did get my "Oyster card" which is basically a debit card you use for the Underground. Some people went to Picadilly Circle last night and went to the "pub" scene and said it was crazy busy. I was too tired.

So, the best food I've found so far have been these little Chicken Caesar salad wraps. They're so good! My ploughman lunch with apple chutney was...interesting. I really didn't like it; there was too much cheese. :P But the Chutney was pretty good. Haha.

Thse sky was blue and cloudy today. Later I'll take some pictures of my neighboorhood. Yes, and I got stuck in the elevator this morning! It's really old and slow, but I use it when I'm carrying things because we live on the top floor and the stairs are killer. Thankfully, I was able to pull the door open, but now it looks like I'll be climbing a LOT of stairs. Poopy.

I watched Friends this morning and I almost wanted to cry. I was like "Look! Real American people!" XD I don't like the British shoes too much, and they're obsessed with soap operas. They have a "Soap Update" every morning on their news shows. ?? Is that weird or what?

Today we went on a short tour of London; we didn’t stay very long in each place because we’ll be having longer field trips to those places later this week. This tour was just supposed to help us understand the lay of the land and to excite our inner historian…or lack there of for some.

St. Paul's Cathedral

My roomies and I found the coolest store yesterday—Primark! It rocks! It’s kind of like a Target or WalMart, just more classy. I got this very bohemian bag thing (for weekend trips and stuff) for 1 pound 50 pense! Awesome possum! They also have really cheap clothes—sweaters, jackets, pants and other things, too. I got a jacket for 4 pounds. XD It was a welcome sight to see cheap things after staring forlornly into the designer shops.

I’ve become pretty good at navigating the Tube tunnels and line transfers—oh, and of course, the Tube etiquette. “Mind the Gap” and “Step to the Right.” Sounds like a groovy new dance step~
It seems everyone in our little group now has an Orange phone, so I feel very connected and safer now.

Tomorrow is our first day of class, and then in the afternoon some of us are going to go exploring—and I’ll need to go shopping again. I’m living on salad at the moment and it’s not very filling. Haha. But, with all the walking, stair climbing and salad eating, I better loose weight!

As it turns out, the British accent is a lot harder to understand than I thought! I often have to ask twice or three times for someone to repeat something before I understand. I actually understand the French people better! But, I’ve managed to say things like “Excuse me,” “Hello,” and “Thank you!” in a somewhat authentic accent, and I seem to fit in fairly well with the ‘natives’ here—it must be my Parisian air~.

Well, that’s all for now. Oh, and I apologize for some of the bad pictures. It was crazy crowded at Buckingham Palace so I had to stand on my tippy-toes to take pictures over people’s heads! Our group was like, “It’s like a Disneyland parade, but REAL!”

The Gates of Buckingham

Queen Victoria's Statue...look at all the people!

Here they come!

We get strange looks often. =D

First Day in London

Hey Everybody!

I’m in LONDON! Wow. Just wow. It’s amazing. The sky is completely gray and the wind is chilly, but it’s not exactly cold, at least, not bitterly. =D All my stuff arrived safely and I had fun organizing my little room that I share with my roomie, Regina. I have three roommates, actually, and they’re all very nice and friendly. We’re actually living in the town adjacent to London, Westminster. (It’s kinda like a Fresno/Clovis thing).

My Street!

Our building is pretty old and very tight…the stairs are so narrow and steep, and everything creaks like a haunted house. I love it. Our bathroom is big and we have an enormous tub and a weird toilet. I can’t even explain it. Haha.

Our bedrooms are downstairs and upstairs is the common room/kitchen area. We’re on the third floor of our building and we have quite the view, so to speak. It kinda looks like the street Mary Poppins lived on with the Bank’s family…what was it, #3 Cherry Tree Lane? =D Josh and I were singing “Step in Time” on the bus ride over to Clifton Gardens (our apartments) because we were fascinated when we saw all the chimney with smoke coming out of them. I wonder if they have no burn days?

On the way over, I happened to look out of the window down at a car beside us and the guy in the left seat was texting on his “mobile.” I said in a very loud voice, “Oh no, that man is texting when he should be….oh wait, he’s not driving…*blush*”

Yeah. >_> Sorry, Elise had an American moment. It’s so WEIRD looking right and seeing traffic. *shudders*

Well, my brain is dead and I can’t think of anything else to write right now. We’re not doing anything tomorrow, so I might explore a bit…maybe take the underground down to see Big Ben or something.

Warwick Station Tube Entrance

Daunting. But the people are nice if you ask them politely for directions. It’s weird, at home if someone had a British accent, we’re like “Oh, wow, cool!” Now I’m just like, “Shut up, that accent is annoying me.” =D Seriously. Try watching an hour of some cheap British ripoff of “Good Morning America” and youll see what I mean. Oh, and their commercials are hilarious!...and very neurotic. I love them, too.