The City of Canals and Bicycles

Holy crap, I am far behind. I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a profound and heartfelt apology to Mr. Jesse Goldman, whose many night of drunkenness have been in vain for, alas, there was no updated blog to read. Sadly, after my return from Amsterdam I had school work to do in preparation for midterms, then I left for Ireland, then I actually had midterms upon my return. But, thankfully, that’s all over with now, so let’s pick up right where we left off, traveling to Amsterdam.

Friday, February 9

While there are a fair number of budget airlines that fly in and out of London’s remote airports which offer good rates, getting to these small airports actually takes longer than the flight itself. So, although our EasyJet flight was not until 9:30, we had to leave the IES Residence hall at 5:30 in the morning in order to catch the night bus to Victoria Coach Station to catch the 6:30 Green Line shuttle to Luton Airport, which takes 75 minutes, on a good day. Given how much I love the morning, I was clearly psyched about this plan, although everything did work itself out. There was a bit of chaos when Lauren’s alarm failed to go off and the night bus was severely delayed, but nevertheless, at 9:30 Lauren, Ashley, Sarah, and I took off for Amsterdam!

We got into the central airport and took a train to the central bus station where, after a great deal of confusion and a trip to the tourist information booth, we finally figured out which tram to take to Leidseplein Square. The trams that run throughout the city are really neat, although they are virtually impossible to understand unless you know the city well, which we clearly did not. At last, we found our way to the Hans Brinker Hostel, which is where we staying and after waiting for an hour for a high school group of at least 100 to finish checking in, we got the keys to our room: an eight person room with lockers and a private bathroom and shower. Not bad for €15 per night.

The first thing I noticed about Amsterdam was how many bicycles there are. It’s really incredible: parking lots have been constructed for bikes only, and the majority of people you see in transit are on bike. Since it’s not a large city, this works out well and, it’s really cool to see a bunch of Dutch families biking around like it’s their job. The rules of the road and right of way system is quite confusing (I think bikes have a permanent right of way?) but more about that later.

Once we dropped off our backpacks at the hostel we realized how hungry we were, and set off to find a café recommended in the ‘Let’s Go!’ travel guide, which is an absolute bible (and written by Harvard students, so you know it’s got to be good). Seriously, if you are traveling you should have a ‘Let’s Go!’ book. We strolled around the city for a while and made our way over to Vondelpark, a huge garden/park in the city which the café sat on the edge of. On a random guess, I led the four of us down a dead-end street only to literally bump into Lainie and her friends, who were also in Amsterdam for the weekend! Although we were never able to actually hang out, it was wonderful to see her for a few minutes. We ate lunch at Café Vertigo, a very cute little café/bar/restaurant. It’s attached to the Film Museum and consequently, the décor was quite fun: the walls were covered with shots from famous films as well as portraits of actors. It was here that we discovered the wonder that is a Dutch sandwich: an open-faced, toasted visual masterpiece. Ok, maybe that’s too strong of praise, but you must keep in mind how hungry we were and the fact that we expect your ordinary rull-of-the-mill sandwich.

Anyways, after our delicious lunch it was pretty late into the afternoon so we walked around Vondelpark for a bit then headed over to the Van Gogh Museum, one of the things I was most anxious to see. Friday nights the museum is open until 10:00, and they have local musicians performing in the lobby and drinks and small snacks for sale. People just come to chill out and watch the performances and browse around the museum. In addition, the entire lobby is covered in blue carpeting, which I thought was odd at first, but later discovered was actually a blue screen, displaying all the acts on the walls of the museum superimposed over Van Gogh’s work. It’s a pretty neat set-up. Ironically, as soon as I walked into the museum lobby I spotted Adam sitting with his friends on a couch! (Seriously, what are the odds of bumping into the two friends I knew were going to be there without any planning!) They had already looked at the exhibit, so we exchanged numbers and decided to meet up later that night.

The museum itself was incredible- one of the best art museums I’ve ever been to. They had an exhibit which highlighted the direct and indirect ways that Van Gogh’s work influences more contemporary expressionist movements, and included some amazing works from artists like Schiele and Kandinsky. There was also a floor dedicated to modern art, housing some amazing paintings from the Stedelikj Museum of Modern Art while it undergoes construction. And then, there were the floors dedicated to Van Gogh himself. More incredible than his actual works was the fact that he had no formal art training, and literally woke up one morning and decided he was going to be an artist and just happen to revolutionize the entire world of art. It was really surreal to be able to stand in front of famous painting that you see prints of everywhere and the progression of his work over time was quite interesting to witness. Wonderful museum- if you are ever in Amsterdam you should make sure you save some time to check it out.

After we were done in the museum it was already after 7, and we’d been up for well over 12 hours. Understandably, the other girls were tired, so we split up and I went to find Adam. However, this proved to be a much more arduous task than I had initially imagined. Feeling the effects of the Amsterdam’s most famous product he had no idea where he was when I called, and I literally spent the next two hours following him and his friends around Amsterdam, as they kept moving from place to place each time I call. Not going to lie, this was probably the most frustrating evening I’ve had abroad so far. As this was my first day in Amsterdam I admittedly did not know the city that well, and as a result moving from place to place was a bit of an ordeal. One good thing I learned- most tram stops have city maps in them that very clearly mark where you are, so that helped a whole lot. I stopped at a bar to warm up for a bit (it was really cold out!) and talked a bit with a very cute bar tender, who, coincidentally was from London, but being a girl sitting alone in a bar has its negative aspects, so I left right after finishing my beer. Finally, I tracked them down in the Red Light District, which is amazingly and wonderfully sketchy in it’s own right, with half naked women in windows lit by red florescent lights, men trying to coral drunk individuals into sex shows, and more people trying to sell crack, coke, and any other drug you can think of in the middle of the street. It was an area I had wanted to visit, but I have to admit, I was a bit nervous walking around alone. I met up with Adam and his friends from IES Dublin, who were very nice, and we went to a coffee shop, then to a bar (which had the most overpriced drinks I’ve ever seen), then to another coffee shop. I had a really good time while we were hanging out, and it was great to see Adam and catch up a bit. After a while, the guys, Adam in particular, decided they were going to see a sex show and not interested in paying €30 or seeing a sex show, never mind the both together, I did not accompany them. Thus began my least favorite hour- trying to get out of the red light district and navigate my way back to the hostel, all while high and, in all honesty, a bit paranoid. Leaving the district was by far the hardest part, and after dodging a very persistent man who was hell-bent on selling me crack, I decided to simply find my way to the central bus station and take one of the trams back to the other end of the city. I had been talking to Lainie all evening, and was initially trying to meet up with her and her friends. But, after the stress of finding my way back to my hostel, I wasn’t all that comfortable with trying to fine another random place, so sadly we weren’t able to hang out. Lainie understood though, and I’m still really glad I got to see her, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Saturday, February 10

We woke up early in order to get our free breakfast at our hostel, which disappointingly turned out to be just bread and an assortment of spread. Still, it was free, and despite my dislike of breakfast in the morning, we all took advantage of it. After getting ready for the day, we decided to split up, and Ashley and Sarah set off for a canal tour, while Lauren and I went to rent bikes and tour the city ourselves, under the guise of locals. Luckily, right next door to our hostel was a great bike rental shop, Mike’s Bikes, which was surprisingly cheap and run by some really chill people. They showed us how to work the bike lock, gave us a map, and we were on our way. Thanks to my wandering the night before, I had some idea of how the city was set up, and we biked around going up and down the canals. I was stuck by how gorgeous Amsterdam actually is: with its beautiful canals, its quaint houseboats, just the whole overall atmosphere was enchanting. We did, however, run into a few complications with the way traffic works and the right-of-way etiquette, and were yelled at by an elderly Dutch woman waiting to cross the street, but since she yelled in Dutch I have no idea what we did wrong. On our travels we came across a cathedral, which looked admittedly out of place, and decided to check it out. Typically, when I think of Dutch religion I think of austere Protestants, but the interior décor was the complete opposite. Everything was brightly painted and statues and carvings adorned the majority of available space. The highlight of this stop was ‘chatting’ with the sweetest old Dutch woman, who proceeded to give us advice about something- of course, she spoke to us in Dutch. She was so cute and friendly, that Lauren and I just smiled and nodded, praying the she wouldn’t ask us a question and force us to revel that we had no idea what she was saying to us. Luckily, she did not, and we made our escape, only to spend the next 5 minutes trying to figure out how to unlock my bike with the wrong key…I’m so smart.

We biked around for a few hours, and once it started to rain a bit we decided to stop for lunch, ending up at this funky Asian fusion restaurant (I know, very fitting for Amsterdam). We had an amazing lunch of fruit and cucumber salad with had a delicious dressing, then some rice and vegetables, topped with peanut sauce and paksoy- no idea what the hell it was, but it tasted amazing. It kind of resembled the texture of veggie crisps, but not…I don’t know. After lunch it was time for desert, what else?! We found an adorable bakery and Lauren got herself a bonbon truffle while I chose a rice pie topped with berries, which was unlike anything I’d ever eaten, apparently it’s a Dutch recipe, and was quite tasty. We rode our bicycles for a bit longer, and then headed back to our hostel to meet up with Sarah and Ashley.

We rendezvoused (I think that’s a word), only to promptly split up again due to time constraints. Ashley and Sarah headed for the Heineken Factory, while Lauren and I went to see the Anne Frank Huis. We stopped at an adorable Dutch delftware shop near the house that Lauren’s aunt had recommended, and spent longer than we intended looking at beautiful tea sets, plates, and jewelry, and finally making a few small purchases.

Then, we went to the Anne Frank Huis. It was, by far, the most moving museum I have ever been to, and surprisingly well set-up and curate. [Becca, I wish you could have seen this- I thought about you for a good amount of time while we were there, and soon we shall have to be wicked cool and chat about museum layouts.] The museum takes you through the secret annex where Anne Frank, her family, and another family, hid during the Holocaust, and give a detailed history about the Frank family, the take-over of Amsterdam, the construction and implementation of the annex, the individuals who assisted those in hiding, and Anne herself, as a writer, an individual, and the impact her diary has made worldwide. The rooms themselves were interspersed with photographs and film clips of interviews, but the most telling room was Anne’s. The walls, which she covered with newspaper clippings, postcards, and pictures of movie stars, have been partially preserved, with original decorations still there. It was an extremely sobering experience, as all Holocaust museums are, but incredibly powerful, and my favorite experience of the trip.

We met up with Ashley and Sarah and went to Barney’s Coffeeshop, which is fairly well known, and an extremely chill and laid-back place. Ashley and I got some delicious and legal marijuana and space cakes, and we generally just hung out and chatted for a bit. After our detour, we were ready for food, and went back to the Anne Frank House area to the aptly named Pancake House, which came highly recommended by Mr. Andy Holte. Ate some incredible Dutch pancakes, which are nothing like American pancakes- they are almost like a cross between a crepe and a pancake, covered with dinner toppings. Mine was Thai themed, and had chicken, vegetables, lots of bean sprouts, and was covered in a peanut sauce, I guess I was really feeling the Asian peanut thing. After dinner we went in search of some ice cream for Ms. Eriks, and ended up at an extremely large and really nice Häagen Dazs café, where we hung out and ate some delicious ice cream and hot chocolate. Perfect low-key evening after a pretty long day.

Sunday, February 11

Got up early, and after our free breakfast headed to the train station to catch our train to the airport. Our flight was a bit delayed, but we made it back to London safe and sound. Wonderful trip, wonderful city- I really hope I am able to go back in the near future, and hopefully for a longer period of time.

Theater in London

As you may or may not know, London has an incredible Theater District and countless theaters, both small and large, across the city. There are so many unbelievable shows here ranging from huge musicals, to one person dramatic productions, to Shakespeare, to a show in which Harry Potter is naked... Anyways, London also has a lot of discount ticket offices and some very good student deals, so we've been able to take advantage and see quite a few productions, especially last week.

Monday, February 5
As you may recall, this was the incredibly stressful morning that we arrived back from Paris. However, before we went, Lauren and I found out about an incredible deal the Novello Theater (Home of the Royal Shakespeare Company) has. Every morning beginning at 10:00am the box office puts a set number of student tickets on sale for £5, on a first come first serve basis. Now, at this time, the company is putting on a production of Antony and Cleopatra staring, wait for it, Patrick Stewart. That’s right, as in Star Trek commander Patrick Stewart! As soon as our Eurostar train got into Victoria Station I hurried over to the theater and Lauren and I got tickets for that evening at 7:30.

After making our purchase we stopped at a café to get some much needed espresso shots and catch up and tell stories about our respective weekends (Lauren was in Nantes, France, where hopefully I will be able to visit with her when we travel after our program is over!)

Fast-forward a few hours, and we arrive at the theater psyched up to see Mr. Stewart and become friends with him and have all of our life concerns put to rest as a result of the deep friendship we are certain will ensue. Our plans look more and more promising when we take our seats and realize we are in the front row, literally 3 feet from the stage! As it was the front row and a £5 seat, they weren’t the best in the house, and it was difficult at time to see action that took place upstage and on the ground, but being that close to the actors and being able to see their facial expressions so clearly made it entirely worth it. The play itself was beautifully orchestrated, the set was terrific, and both leads did an amazing job.

Wednesday, February 7
Another play that is in London for a short run is Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie with Jessica Lange (of King Kong, Big Fish, and Broken Flowers fame, to name a few) in the role of Amanda, Laura and Tom’s mother. Luckily, the Apollo Theater has a student ticket policy in which they give the best available seats to students for the lowest ticket price, and Lauren, Emma, Saul, Lance, and I got wonderful seats for only £20.

Since we had to get to the theater an hour early to pick up the tickets and we were in Soho we all went to Café Amato (where else?) for tea and dessert before the show. Sadly, Emma and Saul are vegan and couldn’t share any of the wonderful cakes with us, but we may have a new life plan pertaining to the opening and running of a vegan bakery/coffee shop/ bookstore.

The production itself was very well done, and the acting was incredible. I haven’t been this moved by a play yet. Although ‘Tom’ struggled a bit at times with the Southern accent (we’re pretty sure he was actually British) he was my favorite actor and completely captured the character.

It’s times like this that I feel so lucky to be in such a vibrant and assorted city!

Excusez-moi, je voudrais une carage d’eau, s’il vous plait.

Our Trip to Paris
Excusez-moi, je voudrais une carage d’eau, s’il vous plait. (Translation: Excuse me, I would like a pitcher of tap water, please.)
There it is, my first official real sentence in French. The first one I was able to come up with on the spot without practicing or looking at Lauren's guide for- it was a very exciting moment! But, I suppose I'd better backtrack.

Friday, February 2
Ashley, Sarah, and I left for Victoria Station around 7:30 in the morning and caught our 9:05 Eurostar train to Paris! If you're ever going from London to Paris, you need to take the Eurostar: it's a £55 return (round) trip if you go during non-peak hours, and the view of the English and French countryside is beautiful. Once we officially crossed into France, all the announcements switched from English to French, and thus began the beginning of the confusion. When we arrived at the Nord Gard and the signs were all in French I think I was hit with a bit of culture shock. Nevertheless, we eventually maneuvered our way, though not at all gracefully, through the currency exchange, Serbian beggars, the ticket machines that would not accept American credit cards or Euro bills, and, after a confusing array of maps and many repetitions of "Parlez-vous anglais ?", we found the correct metro line to connect us to our desired metro line.

The metro system in France is decent, but it is very difficult to switch from line to line. In addition, the cars are always crowded, and it was here I had my first encounter with the famed French rudeness. We all boarded the metro with our large hiking backpacks, and in trying to twist myself into a seat I bumped a French woman with my backpack. I had no idea until I heard an exceptionally loud and horrified gasp from behind me, and turned around to see this woman glaring at me. I tried to apologize in Franglish the best I could, but the woman just gave me a stare of death so hilarious that we all burst into laughter as soon as she got off the train. Once we arrived at our stop we still needed to find our hostel, and this presented a bit of a problem: asking for directions. I tried my best to ask inside small shops where we could find Barrone street, but my pronunciation was abysmal, and I had to resort to pointing at the address. Finally, we found the Aloha Hostel with our friend Jordie (who had to take an earlier Eurostar) passed out in the lobby. Since we couldn't check in until 5:00, we dropped off our luggage and set out to explore Paris!

Our hostel was about a 15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, and we could see if over the skyline, so we simply headed toward the landmark. Even though it was a cloudy day, it was an amazing sight to see. I had to literally pinch myself to try and realize that I was in Paris! The Peace Memorial there was also beautiful, and the two modern structures contrasted beautifully with the 18th century architecture of the city. After hanging around and taking a fair number of pictures we decided to walk over to the Louvre, which is free on the first Friday of each month. Anyone who has been to Paris will understand how little we knew about the city, and we soon discovered that the Louvre is a good hour or so walk from the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, it was a nice walk along the Seine and we got to really see the city and orient ourselves.

We finally arrived at the Louvre, which is absolutely beautiful, and all split up with an agreement to meet up in 2.5 hours. I wandered off the the Dutch and Flemish galleries, and then saw some ancient Roman sculptures before heading off to 18th century Italian paintings. Within the last half hour I flew through and saw the famous stuff: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. Still, I was no where near as impressed with that as I was with some of the smaller galleries. An incredible museum that I would absolutely love to go back to.

By that time we were starving, so we set off to find a crêperie that Lauren recommended to us. After a few wrong turns and complete disorientation, we finally retraced our steps back to the St. Michel metro stop and eventually found la Crêperie des Pêcheurs. It's an adorably tiny and crowded restaurant with a great maritime decor. Anyone who travels to France should go here: the majority of the patrons are French and the food is to die for. Apparently, no one in France waits for a table- the concept is a novelty to them, but we were more than happy to. Since there was no where to stand, the four of us sat on the staircase heading up to the second floor, and the girl who was working as the hostess/waitress/bus-boy/cashier kept coming over and apologizing, eventually bringing us each a free cup of cidre (delicious French cider). Once we were seated we ordered a bottle of white wine and a dinner crêpe (none of us really knew what we actually ordered). Right before our order came out a large party of French students came in, and the waitress asked us in French if we would mind moving, and hinted that we would be compensated for the inconvenience. How I understood this, I have no idea, but body language conveys a lot more than you think it will. The idea of private tables is not seen as necessary in Europe, and we were placed next to a very affectionate French couple on a date. Still, the PDAs did nothing to damper the meal, which was incredible. I ended up with a spinach and cheese crêpe with a fried egg on top, and I would not have wanted anything else, even if I had known what I was ordering. After we devoured out meals were each given a free desert crêpe with butter and melted chocolate...mmmm!

Once we were finally done with our extensive meal it was after midnight, and, exhausted, we headed back to the hostel, stopping to pick up some tasty beverages as it was Jordie's 21st birthday. We hung out for a bit and chatted and made plans for the following day. A wonderful first day in Paris!

Saturday, February 3
The four of us woke up early today (and by early I mean we left at 10) and headed out to the Notre Dame Cathedral. After wandering around the Latin Quarter we finally turned a corner and there it was- Notre Dame. The church is absolutely breathtaking- more gorgeous than any building I've ever seen. After taking in the facade for a good half hour, we finally headed inside, where we were once again rendered speechless. Every inch of the cathedral is detailed with an ornate carving or sculpture, and the stained glass windows are beautiful, especially the famed Rose window. After walking around and watching part of a service performed in French we headed outside to wait in line to go up the tower. While we waited in the freezing cold, Sarah and I bought a beurre-sucre (butter and sugar) crêpe from a street vendor (delicious). The three of us (Jordie decided not to come up) each paid €4,80 (student price) and climbed the millions of stairs up to the top of the tower (no exaggeration). Given that Sarah’s MCL is most likely torn, this proved to be an arduous task. Nevertheless, we made it up, and the view was worth it ten times over. I know I can’t describe this justly, except to say that it was better than any city view I’ve ever seen. Paris stretches as far as the eye can see, and the landmarks seem to spring up at you: the Eiffel Tower, San Chappelle, Sacré Coeur, Musée d’Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe- you can see them all over the stone buildings. Up that high we were also afforded an incredible view of the cathedral itself and it’s infinitely detailed exterior. Even that high up the carvings and sculptures are done to perfection, and the gargoyles next to you are better than any picture. We continued to climb upward to the bell tower and the absolute top of Notre Dame, and despite the freezing wind, I never wanted to leave.

Finally, we went down to find Jordie napping inside the cathedral (that girl can sleep anywhere!) and headed over to San Chappelle. Although it’s exterior is under construction, its phenomenal stained glass windows more than made up for it. Each window depicts a chapter in a biblical story, with the overlying theme being the comparison of the French monarchs to the Catholic saints. Simply beautiful. It really makes you stop and think about how much time and man power went into the construction of all of these monuments.

From there were walked over to the Palais de Justice, took some silly pictures, and then wandered across the river to Le Marais, a funky gay community and Lebanese area, with some great shopping. Although I stayed mostly in the outdoor market, I dared to venture into Zara briefly, which turned out to be a frightening experience. In France, the sales are government regulated, and only allowed to happen twice a year for two weeks each. As this was the last day of the sale, women were crazed (think Mean Girls style in the animal scenes…yeah) I was looking at a shirt on a rack and a women pushed me aside and snatched it up. Looking around, people were grabbing clothes from one another’s’ hands, and tearing through piles of shirts looking for the right size like they were in a box of tissue paper. Way too much for me. Luckily, I found a poncho/jacket at a market that I absolutely love!

We all met up and headed back to the hostel to shower and take a nap. I, however, was the only one who showered, and that was quite an experience in itself. The shower is simply a room with about 1 foot outside a 2 inch “shower rim” and a button that dispenses freezing water for 10 second intervals…loads of fun, but I suppose it cuts down on water consumption.

After our nap we decided to walk back down the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night. It was so beautiful, much more so than during the day, but really just a tourist attraction. The tower just doesn’t fit with the feel of the rest of the city at all, but I’m still glad we saw it. The four of us finally found a restaurant that wasn’t ridiculously expensive and got to eat dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower, which was horribly romantic. Walking back to the hostel we got pretty lost, but after awhile and frequent map checks we figured it out and made it back safe and sound!

Sunday, February 4
Our last full day in Paris! Slept in a bit and then headed out to a huge out-door market all the way at the end of the 4 line, towards the top of the city. We split up and I browsed for a bit, determined not to spend any money. However, after meeting up with Sarah we both remembered an amazing bakery we had passed earlier, and went back there to get a treat for breakfast. We each got a delicious tart (mine was lemon, hers raspberry) and remembered to take a picture for Lauren about half-way through. Found a little bench to sit on and ate the rest of our tarts, which tasted better than they looked, and that’s saying a whole lot.

When we all met up again, Jordie decided to stay at the market and shop for antiques, so Sarah, Ashley, and I headed back into the heart of the city to go see the Arc de Triomphe, but not before stopping back at the bakery to pick up some lunch! We found a bench right across the rotary from the Arc and ate while admiring the view and the weather. Each of us got a baguette sandwich, and I just had brie on mine, which was scrumptious. I think I could live in France for the rest of my life and grow fat in peace! Once we were done we walked through the underground tunnel to the Arc and emerged from below ground to a beautiful sight: the sun was streaming through the arc, casting beautiful shows on all the sculptures. We hung around the arc for a bit, taking in the structure, the view, and the weather, then decided to go amble up and down the Champs Elysée. Passed some ridiculous stores, such as Cartier and Dior, and generally took in the ambiance.

After our walk, Ashley headed out to go see the Moulin Rouge, and Sarah and I headed back toward the river. We took a lovely romantic stroll along the Seine, and arrived in view of Notre Dame just as the sun was setting. The sky around it was beautiful shades of pink and purple, and this was, by far, my favorite moment in Paris. We walked around a little bit, then went to grab dinner at the other crêperie Lauren endorsed, which is right next to the one we went to on Friday. This one, the Crêperie des Arts, has a fun Mediterranean décor, which, although not as cute as the first one, was still adorable. We got some more cidre and decided that desert crêpes for dinner was a great idea! Sarah ordered a crêpe with banana, raspberry and chocolate sherbet, and melted chocolate, and I got a crêpe with crème anglaise, pineapple, caramel, and coconut ice cream…as Rachel Ray would say, “YUM-O!” It was here that I got the attention of the waitress and uttered my first spontaneous French sentence, asking for some water (yay me!)- we were pretty excited.

We headed back to the hostel, stopping to pick up a bottle of cidre, and prepared to watch the Superbowl, which was playing in the bar in our hostel. Since Ashley and Sarah are both Bears fans and I hate the Colts there was a lot of emotion riding on this game, and we felt that it would be worth it to watch. In the meantime, we goofed off in our room, and I played hairdresser washing Sarah’s hair in our sink so she wouldn’t have to shower. Since the game didn’t start until 11:45 in Paris we had some time to kill, and in those few hours Sarah got a little ambitious with her wine consumption, which resulted in a few hysterically drunk escapades and conversations. Ashley, Jordie, and I went down to watch the game, and after the first quarter I went back upstairs to hang out with Sarah and try and force her to drink more water. The other girls came upstairs at halftime, and we all fell asleep very soon after since Sarah’s dad was taping the game to mail to us in London.

Monday, February 5
Since Sarah technically has a lecture at 10:00am Monday mornings we booked our return Eurostar for 7:16am. By chance, I woke up Monday, and climbing down from the top bunk and checking my phone discovered it was 6:45- our alarm had not gone off. Realizing there was no way we were going to make our train, we still had to hurry as the next one left at 8:09 and the station was about an hour away. In a frantic rush we packed and practically ran down to the metro station. [In our rush I barely noticed it, but I later realized that even though it was 7:00am, the city was dead. One of the best parts about Paris is, unlike London, it stays open all night, but because they have 35 hour maximum work weeks, most businesses are closed on Sunday and don’t open until 11:00 or so…I think I could do worse than live in France!]

When we got to the station we had to try exchange our tickets, which you’re allowed to do once. Still, we got chastised by an angry French woman for missing our train, although it turned out not to be an issue as there were plenty of available seats on the next train. However, if meant that our tickets had to be punched in manually at the gate, and luckily I was in a different line from the other three. It was 8:00, and the clerk who was handling my ticket was completely incompetent. True, it could have been the fact that she was flirting like the world was going to end with one of the security guards and talking on the phone while entering my information, but after several minutes she concluded that my ticket was fake and I was trying to illegally sneak onto the Eurostar (keep in mind, my passport and everything had already been cleared…). Ignoring her instructions, which were in French, to go back and buy a new ticket I simply went to the other clerk who entered my information while the other woman continued to yell at me. She cleared me, and I took off running down the escalator, making it onto the train literally a minute before it left.

So that was it- au revoir Paris! All in all, I have to say the city does not quite live up to all of its hype. It was a beautiful city, don’t get me wrong, but on the whole it’s not as picturesque as everyone always makes it out to be. I suppose I’d have to go back in spring or summer to make this claim definitive. However, the food is far better than I could even imagine, and the museums and history are fascinating! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to come. I am also quite glad that Lauren wrote us up her “Wonderful Guide to Paris”! Seriously, if anyone is traveling to Paris you should ask me to send it to you- it’s amazing and gives a great overview of major attractions, basic phrases and pronunciation, and, of course, food!

Bloc Party and Twelfth Night

Hello- I apologize for the serious delay in entries (please don't be mad at me Jesse!). So much has been going on, and I promise I'll stop keeping you in suspense and catch you all up to date! Let's see, where to begin?

Wednesday, January 31
Started out as a normal day of classes. Then, at lunch break, a kid in our program came into the lounge area and asked if anyone wanted to buy tickets to the Chelsea football game off of him since he got free tickets to the sold-out Bloc Party concert through his internship. No one did. On my way to class, I passed him on the stairs, and asked if he'd found anyone to take the tickets, and then he asked me if I wanted to go to the concert! (It ended up working out so that I paid £20 for the ticket, he sold the football ticket for £20, and then he was only out £20.) Very exciting. Bloc Party is a really fun band (even though their new album sucks) and the concert was awesome.
My new friend's name is Mike, and he's interning for a company called Traffic, which deals w. music promotions and publicity. So, to get the tickets, we had to work a bit first, which was kind of fun. We hung up posters all around the venue- The Astoria, which is an awesome music club, but is sadly being torn down soon, and then walked through the que handing out pins, which the British call 'patches', and getting people to sign up for the fan club mailing list. We had to do this a bit more once inside, but overall it was a fun time. Mike is a really nice kid as well, so it made the experience a lot of fun.
The band that opened for Bloc Party, well, sucked. They were horrible and seemed to think that playing as loud as they possibly could would make up for the fact that all their songs sounded the same. Thankfully, they only played for about 40 minutes. Apparently, Bloc Party is a lot bigger in the UK than in the US, and as soon as they came on, the place went crazy. The British, as we soon discovered, love to mosh, and the entire floor became one giant mosh pit. Being pushed up against a lot of sweaty, drunk people was actually a lot more fun than it sounds, and I had a blast. Music was decent, but the atmosphere they created was great, and the entire crowd was so into it that the place was one giant dance party.
When the concert ended I emerged absolutely disgusting and covered in sweat, beer and smoke, but very happy. Found Mike (we got separated during the first song) and made our way back to the res hall where I immediately showered. A very fun and unexpected evening!


Thursday, February 1
Thursday night our Shakespeare class went to see a production of Twelfth Night at the Old Vic Theater. I headed over there with Ashley, Lauren, and Emma, and we decided to take the tube part of the way and walk across the Thames via footbridge to get to the theater. The walk was beautiful, and in the middle of the bridge we got a perfect view of Parliament and Westminster Abbey lit up for the evening. Although we had to briskly walk (that may be an understatement) to make it there on time, we did, and had wonderful seats on the floor.
The production itself was brilliant and the actors were absolutely amazing. In the tradition of Shakespeare, it was an all male cast, and if you are familiar with the play you'll realize it only added to the humor. With the exception of one scene, which was horribly misinterpreted, the play was fantastic- the best I've seen in London so far.
Came back to the res hall after to pack for Paris!

Alicia goes to Church?!?

That's right kids, yesterday, Sunday, January 28, I, Alicia Wickham Green, voluntarily attended church. Lauren, Ashley, Sarah, and I woke up early and took the #11 bus to St. Paul's Cathedral for the 11:30 mass. (Note for anyone coming to London- the #11 bus is even better than a sightseeing bus. It takes you past all the major attractions: Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's...pretty amazing ride.) Arrived at the cathedral a bit early, but since it was freezing outside we went inside and were able to sit down and take the whole thing in. It's an incredible building- I can't even fathom how it was constructed. The entire interior and exterior is decorated w. elaborate carvings and sculptures and artwork; the stained glass windows and paintings are beautiful as well- it's fairly difficult to describe such a building, but it was gorgeous.
The mass itself was beautifully orchestrated as well: everything was performed perfectly, with five priests and about five alter servers all dressed in a manner that can only be described as elegant. The choir that performed was incredible- it was a boys' and mens' choir, and the sound that came out of some of these 10 year olds was enough to give you goosebumps, although part of that may have been that fact that it was almost as cold inside the cathedral as it was outside. The choir boys were absolutely adorable in their robes and neck ruffles, and were the best part of the service by far.
After mass we headed back to the residence hall to get some reading done (yes, Melissa and Daryn, reading for school!) and cook yet another pasta dinner.
Later that night, the four of us headed out to Ain't Nothing But the Blues Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's an adorable little hole-in-the-wall bar, and it is the only place in London which has live blues music seven night a week. The band that played was really quite good, and I had a great time! The good news is that there's no cover on Sunday nights, as well as Monday-Wednesday, so I am definitely going back.


Today, Lauren and I went back to our favorite cafe in Soho, Amato, for some jasmine tea. I was able to resist their amazing pastries in a valiant attempt to save money for traveling, but it was still lovely. Had to go to a film screening for my philosophy class, which was interesting, as usual. Then, we went out to the cinema where we saw 'The Last King of Scotland'. Although not a terribly uplifting movie (but what movie about Ugandan genocide can be?) I thought it was really well done, and I would definitely recommend seeing it- great acting, and a really important story.
So, here I am, procrastinating and not reading about metaethics. I'm going to Paris on Friday, and I can't even begin to describe how excited I am! I'm a bit worried about only knowing roughly 3 phrases in French, but Lauren has promised to write out a couple key sentences for us, and it's a touristy city, so I'm sure we'll be fine. I can not wait to see all the museums and I've heard stories of amazing food- crepes and baguettes to be specific. I'll let you know all about it soon!

Hampstead/Keats

Ok, I lied. I did not, in fact, go to Jane Austen's house today. Sadly, Lauren was not feeling well and couldn't accompany us, so Sarah and I decided to wait until we could all go to make the trek out to Winchester. However, being up so early, we figured that we might as well make the best of a strangely sunny day! After checking out the bus schedule for when we do go to Jane's former abode, we jumped back on the tube and headed out to visit John Keats's house. After a few minor confusions due to track work, we arrived in Hampstead, which is a very cute little town at the edge of zone 2. Not being prepared for this trip, we really didn't have any idea where to go, so we wandered around for a bit, stopping to have a cup of delicious French hot chocolate in Maison Blanc, one of the many pastries.
After stopping and asking for directions several times, we finally stumbled upon Keats's house, which is directly next to a public library. Somehow, we found an open gate, and hung out in the gorgeous front yard, sitting on the stoop until the house officially opened at 1:00. The Keats House is really well managed, and has student admission for a pound seventy-five, which is valid for an entire year, so if you're in London, you should definitely go check it out. Each room in the house was explained and designed with artifacts to simulate its appearance when Keats lived there with Charles Brown during the time period where he wrote virtually all of his poetry. Originally two separate houses, Fanny Brawne, his love and finance, lived 'next door', and the house had a lot of very interesting information about her as well as Keats.
After spending a significant amount of time there, Sarah and I went for a walk through the enormous public park nearby, Heath Dairy, where Keats and Shelley used to go walk and write. It is an incredibly beautiful open space, with paths, ponds, wildlife, woods, and open meadows. I know I'm not describing it well, but it's incredible and breathtaking. On our walk/hike we saw tons of families with adorable children (one little girl reminded me of Hannah- she was chasing pigons trying to kick them and screaming and laughing rather maniacally...), old couples feeding the birds, and countless individuals walking dogs- I think everyone in Hampstead has a dog, and it just made me want to move here, buy some galoshes, and get a puppy! We ventured off the path a bit and found a beautiful oak tree, which we climbed and just sat and thought in.
After a few hours the sun started to set, so we headed back to the tube, stopping at another amazing French bakery, Paul's, to buy a loaf of bread for dinner. When we got back, Sarah, Lauren, and I cooked dinner together and then, after failing to get enough tickets to see a movie in the cinema, watched some Arrested Development- a nice quiet night after a very long day.

High Tea and Other Adventures

Today, Sarah, Lauren, Ashley, and I went to Kensington Gardens for High Tea at the Orangery. The site of the Orangery was built for Queen Anne in the early 18th century in the middle of her extensive gardens and next to Kensington Palace. So, essentially, we were able to have a very posh tea where royalty used to have theirs. It was such a beautiful building and an extremely sophisticated tea. I ordered a pot of Deereling tea and a fruit scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream- in the words of Rachael Ray, 'yum-o'! Plus, at 5 pounds, it didn't even break the bank. (Some local stranger must have pointed it out to me in a dark alley [that's for you Jesse and Melissa!])
After our classy tea time we headed to Neal's Yard in Covent Garden to get Sarah a chic little European haircut at a trendy little place call the Hair Fairy. Contrary to popular belief, they do not dye every customers' hair bright pink, and Sarah got a cute trim and some angles- adorable.
By that time, it had been about 3 hours since we had last eaten, so we wandered into Soho and found a cheap all-you-can-eat Thai buffet.
After another detour at the best pastry/coffee shop in London (Amato) where Lauren and Sarah could not resist the chocolate croissant, we split up and Ashley and I headed to Brick Lane for the Hookah Lounge. Eric, when you come to visit, I am taking you here- best hookah bar I've ever been to. It's an adorable little one room hookah/tea/middle eastern food/bar shop filled with comfy chairs, couches, and footstools. The owners dog perpetually naps, blocking the bathroom door, and everyone is comfortably packed in, fogging up all the windows. I loved it! Ashley and I got some peach hookah and a bottle of red wine and had an amazing talk. (Cheesy sidenote: I am so amazingly lucky that I have met such incredible people in this program- I could not have asked for better friends after two weeks, and I really am thankful)
After hanging out for a bit we stopped by Beigel Bake, a 24 hour beigel (bagel) shop with delicious, homemade, cheap bagels on Brick Lane- I chose cream cheese and chives. We ate our little treats riding back on the Number 11 night bus, which took up by Big Ben and Parliament, all lit up for the evening.
Can't wait for tomorrow- we're going to visit Jane Austin's house and museum!