It's here! The Spring Break Post! And all thanks to the lovely, talented, and totally loyal Liza Manfred. Let's get to it.
1. What was the ratio of hours spent in transit to hours spent in cities? Basically, was it worth it?
Well, simply, yes. The whole trip was totally worth it. However, I could have dealt without the flight from Florence to Madrid to Barcelona. I didn't investigate the options since I tagged along to this spring break plan a little late, but apparently this was the cheaper option than flying straight to Barcelona. We had to leave Florence at around 8am and then change terminals in Madrid (which is the biggest airport I have EVER seen - we took two different buses on got on a highway to get between terminals. It was ridiculous). We then spent 2 hours chilling in our gate and then flew to Barcelona. I also would have rather taken a train from Barcelona to Madrid, but again, apparently it was cheaper to fly at 6 in the morning...
But we certainly had a TON of time to explore the cities. If I had to do it again, I would have cut out Florence and spent an extra day in Barcelona. I also would have done it in May. It was freezing EVERYWHERE. Kind of a negative question to start out with Liza...
2. How many articles of clothing did you bring? Laundry? How big was your bag?
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 7 t-shirts
- 2 dresses
- 3 cardigans
- pajamas
- sneakers, boots, and flip-flops (for hostel showers. You never know...)
- a towel
- lots of socks and underwear
I didn't do any laundry. Everything was pretty grody by the end, especially since everywhere we went people smoked like chimneys, so all of my clothes smelled like I walked off the set of Mad Men. My bag was this pretty sweet suitcase that doubles as a backpack from L.L. Bean, so it was big enough to hold the things I needed, but small enough to fit on my back. This trip was an amazing view of the types of things people travel with. The most impressive was probably when we were walking to the train station in Venice, we saw this guy who had a backpack on that could have doubled as a body bag. When he had it on his back, it literally went about a foot over his head. It was quite the feat of physics that he could actually stand up straight.
3. You said it was busy and not exactly 'vacation'. Better? Worse? Explain.
Since I've grown up with the idea that "vacation" is waking up, going for a run, sitting on the beach, playing a little golf, having happy hour, eating dinner, and doing it all over again for a week, this definitely didn't fit into that definition. We woke up, packed our crossbody bags, put our walking shoes on, whipped out or our maps, and set out for epically long days of sightseeing and exploring. And when we didn't wake up and do that, we woke up and got on a bus or train that took us to the airport. I went through five security lines in a span of 8 days. I don't know how you do it, Dad.
But to answer your question, not better or worse, just different. I think the main difference was that instead of being recharged at the end, I was exhausted. Everyday I was on sensory overload - the sights were different, the smells were different, the food tasted different, even the sounds of the cities we visited all had their unique characteristics. It was tiring just trying to take it all in.
4. How much did you miss Liza?
Sooo much. No one in my group knew that I didn't function very well before I had my coffee. It would have been nice to have you there to explain it to them...
5. What are hostels like? Sketch? Awesome? Did you have to share a bathroom with people you don't know?
The hostels were all very different. The Rundown:
VENICE: A quaint hostel right by the Rialto Bridge. We had to go through three different doors and up four flights of stairs to get to it. However, they made us breakfast in the morning and it was very clean and quiet.
FLORENCE: A modern hotel. A well-appointed kitchen, clean rooms, blow-dryer in the bathroom. For 10 euro a night. It was a steal. We think it might have been a drug-dealer's front...
BARCELONA: What you think of when you think of a "hostel". The rooms were tiny tiny and had nothing but steel-framed bunk beds and lockers. However, there was a huge common area with a bar, computers, pool table, etc. When we were checking in "Brown-Eyed Girl" started playing and the bartender yelled, "the first person to sing along gets a free beer!" I sang. I got free beer. I was in love.
MADRID: This was probably the weirdest one. It certainly had the most comfortable beds, but it was definitely a converted doctor's office. It was on the 6th floor of a building that also had a lawyers office and a psychiatrist's office. But it was close to where our friend who showed us around lived, so no complaints.
6. Did you buy anything in Florence? Was it cheap?
I bought a scarf, but the best purchase might have been the change purse Conor got. It may sound unnecessary, but every time the boys sit down here, change falls out of their pockets, and unlike in the states, coins are pretty valuable here. He loves it. And all the money he doesn't lose in the couch anymore.
7. How many times a day did you think about Liza?
432842704958304958304913984713 times 385247502841893109347204857. 9 days, Liza!
8. Biggest difference between American cities and European cities?
I would say that even the big cities in Europe are far more walkable than any city in the States. In America, they just assume that you will be driving a car. Here, all of the maps are directed at pedestrians that may be using the underground rail system (if the city has it). Venice doesn't even have cars. Their taxis are boats. Ridiculous.
9. Does it really rain all the time in London?
Well, they always predict rain, so if it is raining you say, "Well, they said it would rain." But if it's nice outside, you're pleasantly surprised. The weather here is a total mind game.
10. Why can Frankenstein be described as a "hybrid fictional species"?
I don't think you want to read 1500 more words...
Well, that was ridiculously long, but it's done! Please either leave a comment with more questions or just e-mail them to me if you have them!
Birthday at the Waitrose
Alright I get it. I've been extremely neglectful of the blog lately. Not only have I truly been swamped by work since I've been back - philo paper, writing scenes for a play, thesis proposal, Brit Lit Paper - but it was probably the most eventful week of celebrations that the London Program has ever seen. In a span of seven days, there were six birthdays, starting with Conor Bruen's and ending with my own, but also St. Patrick's Day. Needless to say, I've been treating my body more like a tent than a temple, and last night my body retaliated. It started with the heavy head, sore throat, and really gross cough that starts way down in your chest. It culminated in me wearing all of my sweats to bed, still freezing cold, and resigning myself to the fact that I had a fever. So I slept til 10am and then went back to sleep at 1pm, woke up at 3:30, and then forced myself to rally so that I could go see the play required for my Intro to London Theater class, which was painfully bad.
But no more excuses. I'm back and ready to blog, but it's not going to be about spring break. At least not yet. I've asked for some collaboration on my spring break post from one of my possibly not so loyal followers - my sister Liza - because just the thought of blogging about that week is horribly daunting to me, so I thought that if she asked me questions (or if anyone asked me questions!!! hint hint)I would be able to tell y'all what you want to know, instead of me go through the rundown of each day like a 7th grader writing in her diary...
This post is going to be about two of my favorite things - my 21st birthday and my favorite grocery store ever, Waitrose. My birthday was simply one of the most fun nights I've ever had. It started on Saturday the 20th (I decided to celebrate into my real birthday) with a fun meal with my London crew at a pub down the street. We then had a gathering at the flats until we went out to a pub/club that had a DJ that played anything I wanted him to. I just danced the whole night to my favorite guilty pleasure pop songs, and then went home and woke up on birthday feeling wonderful. I went for a long run to kick off my 22nd year and then Conor and Patrick and I decided to make a nice birthday dinner (since all establishments are closed on Sundays for some reason here. Sundays are the days I miss America most...). In order to make said birthday dinner, there was only one place we needed to go - Waitrose.
Waitrose is the epitome of what a grocery store should be. You walk in and everything just looks pristine. The food is beautiful, the store is clean and organized, that have a big cheese bar (which won Patrick over) and if you can't find something they'll find it for you. Not only that, but their Waitrose brand things are AWESOME (with a really cool font and design) and it's not even more expensive than the run of the mill Tesco and Sainsbury grocery stores. It's also closer than those grocery stores to our flats. Not only that, but they sell toilet paper that is made with cashmere threads. Seriously. I bought some. It's awesome.
So the boys and I set out to buy groceries, but with it being beautiful outside and my birthday, we decided to stop for a pint on the way and sit out at one of the picnic tables. Once we made it to the Waitrose, we found all of the things to make chicken tikka masala from scratch, brought it home, and started cooking. For the production that it could have been, the team effort put forth by the three of us made the chicken tikka adventure fairly painless (the G&T's probably helped that too). We made a delicious meal, and then went over to - where else - Exmouth Arms for a night cap.
So now I'm old and sick, which makes me feel like I should have decided to stay 20, or at least not have run my body into the ground for the past two weeks, but hey, you do what you've got to do. Stay tuned for the spring break interview, and if you have questions, please pass them along! I'm begging for a little push.
But no more excuses. I'm back and ready to blog, but it's not going to be about spring break. At least not yet. I've asked for some collaboration on my spring break post from one of my possibly not so loyal followers - my sister Liza - because just the thought of blogging about that week is horribly daunting to me, so I thought that if she asked me questions (or if anyone asked me questions!!! hint hint)I would be able to tell y'all what you want to know, instead of me go through the rundown of each day like a 7th grader writing in her diary...
This post is going to be about two of my favorite things - my 21st birthday and my favorite grocery store ever, Waitrose. My birthday was simply one of the most fun nights I've ever had. It started on Saturday the 20th (I decided to celebrate into my real birthday) with a fun meal with my London crew at a pub down the street. We then had a gathering at the flats until we went out to a pub/club that had a DJ that played anything I wanted him to. I just danced the whole night to my favorite guilty pleasure pop songs, and then went home and woke up on birthday feeling wonderful. I went for a long run to kick off my 22nd year and then Conor and Patrick and I decided to make a nice birthday dinner (since all establishments are closed on Sundays for some reason here. Sundays are the days I miss America most...). In order to make said birthday dinner, there was only one place we needed to go - Waitrose.
Waitrose is the epitome of what a grocery store should be. You walk in and everything just looks pristine. The food is beautiful, the store is clean and organized, that have a big cheese bar (which won Patrick over) and if you can't find something they'll find it for you. Not only that, but their Waitrose brand things are AWESOME (with a really cool font and design) and it's not even more expensive than the run of the mill Tesco and Sainsbury grocery stores. It's also closer than those grocery stores to our flats. Not only that, but they sell toilet paper that is made with cashmere threads. Seriously. I bought some. It's awesome.
So the boys and I set out to buy groceries, but with it being beautiful outside and my birthday, we decided to stop for a pint on the way and sit out at one of the picnic tables. Once we made it to the Waitrose, we found all of the things to make chicken tikka masala from scratch, brought it home, and started cooking. For the production that it could have been, the team effort put forth by the three of us made the chicken tikka adventure fairly painless (the G&T's probably helped that too). We made a delicious meal, and then went over to - where else - Exmouth Arms for a night cap.
So now I'm old and sick, which makes me feel like I should have decided to stay 20, or at least not have run my body into the ground for the past two weeks, but hey, you do what you've got to do. Stay tuned for the spring break interview, and if you have questions, please pass them along! I'm begging for a little push.
I'm not dead, but back in reality
I wish I had time to sit down and detail my past week via blog post right now, but unfortunately I have returned to the UK with two massive papers hanging over my head, a ton of laundry, and absolutely no academic drive. I will however give you a little teaser with my photos, which will hopefully hold you over until I can write (which will most likely be Saturday).
In order to supplement the photos, here's the Cliffs Notes version of my week:
1) Venice - my best friend from, well, life, is studying there and coincidentally she is new besties with Ryanne, a girl who is besties with Conor, my bestie from London. Confusing? Yes. Awesome? Hell yes. The best word to describe this city and how small this world is? Surreal.
2) Florence - Bags, boots, jackets, wallets EVERYWHERE. The Duomo was breathtaking. Seriously. We had to climb up 463 steps and then we saw the view.
3) Barcelona - Snowing with the sun out? I guess only in Barcelona (and South Bend - their only similarity). This city is so rich. Out of all of the places we went, this is where I want to go back most.
4) Madrid - If I was offered a job in Europe and had to choose between Madrid and London, I'd have a hard time choosing. Not a tourist city, but since we had a study abroad native there to show us around, we saw a phenomenal city.
Alright, now it's time to write 1500 words on why Frankenstein can be described as a "hybrid fictional species"...
In order to supplement the photos, here's the Cliffs Notes version of my week:
1) Venice - my best friend from, well, life, is studying there and coincidentally she is new besties with Ryanne, a girl who is besties with Conor, my bestie from London. Confusing? Yes. Awesome? Hell yes. The best word to describe this city and how small this world is? Surreal.
2) Florence - Bags, boots, jackets, wallets EVERYWHERE. The Duomo was breathtaking. Seriously. We had to climb up 463 steps and then we saw the view.
3) Barcelona - Snowing with the sun out? I guess only in Barcelona (and South Bend - their only similarity). This city is so rich. Out of all of the places we went, this is where I want to go back most.
4) Madrid - If I was offered a job in Europe and had to choose between Madrid and London, I'd have a hard time choosing. Not a tourist city, but since we had a study abroad native there to show us around, we saw a phenomenal city.
Alright, now it's time to write 1500 words on why Frankenstein can be described as a "hybrid fictional species"...
Spring Break, Here I Come!
After an amazing two evenings hanging out with the one and only Lee Manfred, I am headed out of London for a European excursion. Yep, I'm headed to Venice, Florence, Barcelona, and Madrid. That being said, I most likely will not have the ability or time to blog this coming week, but that also means that when I get back I should have some pretty bitchin' stories to share with my readers. We'll catch up in a week!
Knitting With Dolly
Another thing most of you already know about me: I love knitting. I learned how to knit when I was young and since my Grandmother, Mom, and sister all knit as well, they are good motivation for sticking with whatever project I have going on (Especially when it is a marathon of a blanket...)
One of the classes I'm in is called "Theater and Social Concerns" and it is taught by a, shall we say, very eccentric professor who I had sophomore year, but is a visiting professor for the Spring 2010 session. Basically, we are studying the immigrant culture of London by going into communities largely composed of immigrants, interacting with the people and learning their stories, and then writing a play and performing it - all in one semester. Interesting? Yes. Implausible? Hell Yes. How are 5 students who are having totally independent experiences, supposed to get involved with the community enough for them to open up about their lives, write individual scenes, then compose a play together, and then put on a production, in 8 weeks? Being the straightforward and at most times rational person that I am, I told my professor this and he said, "Have some confidence, Katherine." And I thought, "Pull your head out of you ass, Professor."
Yesterday, after two attempts to get this show on the road, I was finally able to go to the parish that I will be working with for the rest of the semester. It is an Anglican Church out in East London with a large Indian and African population. I went out early in the morning and attended church with them, and then was able to chat with some of the people at their reception afterward. It was mostly small talk, but I realized that they have a KNITTING GROUP that meets on Monday afternoons! So I asked if I could attend and they said, talk to Dolly.
Dolly is an 85 year old woman who is a born and raised Londoner. She wears a bright yellow coat (just like me) and pushes this cart around everywhere she goes. When I asked her if I could come to knitting She said in her Cockney accent, "You knit? Well 'ow 'bout that! We meet at 2 o'clock. Just come right in an' yell, Dolllyyy!"
So I made the trek back out today and my spirits were high because not only was it a beautiful day and I was going to knit for once, but I got to miss the class for which I am doing it for. Count it! I walked into the church and wandered through, following the voices until I found a small room with five women sitting around, chatting and knitting. "Yesss" I thought to myself. Granted, I brought the average age of the room down to about 60, but I was more than happy to whip out the square I was working on and knit right along with them. Dolly actually arrived after me, but she pulled up a chair right next to me and showed me this adorable baby cardigan she was just finishing that had all of these little loops on it. She showed me how to do it and then asked what I was working on. I explained, "I'm making a blanket, but I'm making it out of 20 different squares. It's like a sampler." She said, "We're making a blanket! Out of all these squares!" She pulled out these 4x4 squares and said, "you should make some!" So that's what I worked on.
I brought my unfinished square back with me so I can go back in a couple weeks with it all finished. It felt so nice to be welcomed, and I also didn't feel like I was "that American girl". When I was leaving I said to Dolly, "Thanks Dolly. I'll see you in a couple weeks!" And she replied, "What a fortnight? Alrighty then, we'll see you." So not only is she a knitter, but she uses a "fortnight" as an increment of days. Talk about kindred spirits...
One of the classes I'm in is called "Theater and Social Concerns" and it is taught by a, shall we say, very eccentric professor who I had sophomore year, but is a visiting professor for the Spring 2010 session. Basically, we are studying the immigrant culture of London by going into communities largely composed of immigrants, interacting with the people and learning their stories, and then writing a play and performing it - all in one semester. Interesting? Yes. Implausible? Hell Yes. How are 5 students who are having totally independent experiences, supposed to get involved with the community enough for them to open up about their lives, write individual scenes, then compose a play together, and then put on a production, in 8 weeks? Being the straightforward and at most times rational person that I am, I told my professor this and he said, "Have some confidence, Katherine." And I thought, "Pull your head out of you ass, Professor."
Yesterday, after two attempts to get this show on the road, I was finally able to go to the parish that I will be working with for the rest of the semester. It is an Anglican Church out in East London with a large Indian and African population. I went out early in the morning and attended church with them, and then was able to chat with some of the people at their reception afterward. It was mostly small talk, but I realized that they have a KNITTING GROUP that meets on Monday afternoons! So I asked if I could attend and they said, talk to Dolly.
Dolly is an 85 year old woman who is a born and raised Londoner. She wears a bright yellow coat (just like me) and pushes this cart around everywhere she goes. When I asked her if I could come to knitting She said in her Cockney accent, "You knit? Well 'ow 'bout that! We meet at 2 o'clock. Just come right in an' yell, Dolllyyy!"
So I made the trek back out today and my spirits were high because not only was it a beautiful day and I was going to knit for once, but I got to miss the class for which I am doing it for. Count it! I walked into the church and wandered through, following the voices until I found a small room with five women sitting around, chatting and knitting. "Yesss" I thought to myself. Granted, I brought the average age of the room down to about 60, but I was more than happy to whip out the square I was working on and knit right along with them. Dolly actually arrived after me, but she pulled up a chair right next to me and showed me this adorable baby cardigan she was just finishing that had all of these little loops on it. She showed me how to do it and then asked what I was working on. I explained, "I'm making a blanket, but I'm making it out of 20 different squares. It's like a sampler." She said, "We're making a blanket! Out of all these squares!" She pulled out these 4x4 squares and said, "you should make some!" So that's what I worked on.
I brought my unfinished square back with me so I can go back in a couple weeks with it all finished. It felt so nice to be welcomed, and I also didn't feel like I was "that American girl". When I was leaving I said to Dolly, "Thanks Dolly. I'll see you in a couple weeks!" And she replied, "What a fortnight? Alrighty then, we'll see you." So not only is she a knitter, but she uses a "fortnight" as an increment of days. Talk about kindred spirits...
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