As a last hurrah before heading back home I took a brief trip to Spain this past weekend. This had a nice sense of symmetry for me since my first trip outside of North America was to Spain when I was eleven. A pretty excellent note to end my year in Europe.
I spent a day in Madrid and two and a half days in a small (and gorgeous) town southwest of Madrid called Trujillo. The weather was super hot and sunny the entire time which allowed me to get one last taste of summer with some pool time and lots of hanging out in the shade and drinking cold beer. In fact, the majority of my trip involved drinking or eating, usually both. Basically, I'm obsessed with tapas. I mean, you order a drink (very cheap in Trujillo) and they just give you food. And I'm not just talking crisps or peanuts. I'm talking things like fried cuttlefish, pork in tomato sauce, and mini sandwiches of deliciousness. It's fantastic. Why don't we do this in the States? Seriously, someone get on making this happen.
In addition to the free food, there was much awesomeness to be had in actual meals as well. I'll just rattle off some examples here (non-foodies, feel free to skip ahead): cold melon soup with jamon iberico, churros, lots of grilled octopus, sea urchin, blood sausage on a baguette with caramelized onions, raw oysters, foie gras, chorizo, homemade fried sardines and empanadas, and excessive amounts of jamon iberico. I don't think I went more than one waking hour without eating. Plus there's the oddness of Spanish mealtimes--dinner starts around ten. It's kind of great, but also kind of exhausting. There were children out playing in the square at 1 AM and this is totally normal. I went to a club one night and it was just getting busy when I crawled home at 3:30 in the morning. I could get on board with the whole siesta thing though.
Outside of the whole culinary angle, Spain is a really interesting place. I didn't spend much time in Madrid but I enjoyed the Reina Sofia museum (some Dali, some Picasso, some Goya--no big deal) and I enjoyed wandering and finding cool neighbourhoods--the area near the university has some really cool little shops. When I travel, though, I almost always prefer to see the places that are more off the beaten track, like Trujillo. It's actually a pretty significant place; it has an impressive 10th-century castle and lots of well-preserved old fortresses and it was the birthplace of Pizarro. The town itself is on a hill so there are some amazing views of the surrounding countryside. It's got a great small-town vibe and I wish I spoke Spanish so I could have interacted more with the locals, some of whom were pretty interesting characters--like the bartender who looked a bit like a hobbit and insisted on refilling our drinks when we weren't looking and not charging us.
All in all, it was a highly enjoyable couple of days spent trying to deal with the intense heat beating down by walking very slowly through the town and stopping often for drinks. The in-ground pool overlooking the plains didn't hurt either. A lovely, leisurely end to my time in Europe (before the madness of packing that has consumed this week).
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Love Letter to London (Alternative Title: I don't want to leave and you can't make me)
My time in London is, very sadly, nearing its end. I would love to stay but I currently don't have any job prospects here and as my lease is ending, staying doesn't make much sense. Sure, I could find a random job, but if I can get a position in my field back in the U.S. more easily, that is the grown-up decision I must make. And, on the positive side, it will be really nice to see my family and friends (I can't believe that I haven't been back to the States for almost nine months).
I will, however, desperately miss London. I find it difficult to explain when people ask me why I like this city so much. And I certainly don't disagree when people point out the negative things about London. But there is just something about it. Just the atmosphere, the feel of London. It's not for everyone, and that's cool. But for me, it has been pretty fantastic. I love the rain, and how September actually feels like fall, not the weird bipolar situation we have back in Rhode Island. I love walking the streets at Christmastime, with lights everywhere (and yes, picturing scenes from Love Actually). Sitting in the grass in the parks on those rare, wonderful summer days. I love the buskers playing music everywhere, sometimes brilliantly and sometimes not so good. I love the graffiti. I love the views in any weather while crossing Waterloo Bridge--Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye on one side, the Gherkin, St. Paul's, and the City on the other. I love the pubs and the old cobbled alleys hidden among the busy, modern streets. I love riding on the top level of double-decker buses. I love the bizarre people you see on the tube. I love the grand architecture of the buildings. I love the feeling that the Thames gives--like it's the city's pulse and the source of it all. And I love that I can feel thousands of years of history flowing by me just by taking a walk.
As much as I enjoy waxing poetic and probably sounding pretty pretentious, one of my favourite quotes about London comes from the brilliant Neil Gaiman. Fittingly, I first discovered him while here in London. As he writes in his book Neverwhere:
Ok, overly-sentimental post done.
I will, however, desperately miss London. I find it difficult to explain when people ask me why I like this city so much. And I certainly don't disagree when people point out the negative things about London. But there is just something about it. Just the atmosphere, the feel of London. It's not for everyone, and that's cool. But for me, it has been pretty fantastic. I love the rain, and how September actually feels like fall, not the weird bipolar situation we have back in Rhode Island. I love walking the streets at Christmastime, with lights everywhere (and yes, picturing scenes from Love Actually). Sitting in the grass in the parks on those rare, wonderful summer days. I love the buskers playing music everywhere, sometimes brilliantly and sometimes not so good. I love the graffiti. I love the views in any weather while crossing Waterloo Bridge--Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye on one side, the Gherkin, St. Paul's, and the City on the other. I love the pubs and the old cobbled alleys hidden among the busy, modern streets. I love riding on the top level of double-decker buses. I love the bizarre people you see on the tube. I love the grand architecture of the buildings. I love the feeling that the Thames gives--like it's the city's pulse and the source of it all. And I love that I can feel thousands of years of history flowing by me just by taking a walk.
As much as I enjoy waxing poetic and probably sounding pretty pretentious, one of my favourite quotes about London comes from the brilliant Neil Gaiman. Fittingly, I first discovered him while here in London. As he writes in his book Neverwhere:
This, in my humble opinion, describes London perfectly. It isn't sugarcoated. He doesn't gloss over the curious, confusing, and sometimes irritating aspects of the city, but it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of it. At the end of a year in this amazing, frustrating, ridiculous place, I would like to thank London for one of the craziest, best years of my life.Three years in London had not changed Richard, although it had changed the way he perceived the city. Richard had originally imagined London as a gray city, even a black city, from pictures he had seen, and he was surprised to find it filled with color. It was a city of red brick and white stone, red buses and large black taxis, bright red mailboxes and green grassy parks and cemeteries.
It was a city in which the very old and the awkwardly new jostled each other, not uncomfortably, but without respect; a city of shops and offices and restaurants and homes, of parks and churches, of ignored monuments and remarkably unpalatial palaces; a city of hundreds of districts with strange names - Crouch End, Chalk Farm, Earl's Court, Marble Arch - and oddly distinct identities; a noisy, dirty, cheerful, troubled city, which fed on tourists, needed them as it despised them, in which the average speed of transportation through the city had not increased in three hundred years, following five hundred years of fitful road-widening and unskillful compromises between the needs of traffic, whether horse-drawn, or, more recently, motorized, and the need of pedestrians; a city inhabited by and teeming with people of every color and manner and kind.
Ok, overly-sentimental post done.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Castles, Haggis, and Scotch
As my dissertation, and therefore my Master's degree, is now done and dusted, I felt the need to reward myself with a little mini-vacation to Edinburgh. I had heard from lots of people that it's a really cool city and I was not disappointed. I stayed at this enormous hostel right beneath the castle in a really old stone building. Lots of great social areas (key when staying in hostels), the highlight being the room with the record player and tons of old albums. My favourite was a collection of 'Bawdy Sing-alongs' from the 50s that I discovered with a group of people one night and that we proceeded to play on repeat and sing along to (obviously). Seriously, look up Oscar Brand's Bawdy Songs--it's brilliant, and only mildly disturbing.
This trip really solidified my deep and abiding love for hostels. I met new people from all over the world every night and it's just such an awesome atmosphere. It makes me quite sad that the U.S. lacks this whole hostel culture. I've never had a bad experience at a hostel and there's something just really fantastic about having a network of people from all over the world that you've bonded with.
Edinburgh itself was also great. It's already started to get cool up there and since I love autumn it was pretty much perfect. For the most part I just wandered the city--I was staying in the Old Town and there are tons of great little cobblestone alleys, old buildings, and cemeteries. Slightly morbid on that last one, but got some great photos (and saw Tom Riddell's grave, the one that inspired J.K. Rowling, for you fellow Harry Potter nerds). Of course I toured the castle (and saw fireworks set off over it one night) and climbed Arthur's Seat which was a great little hike and had unbelievable views. I was pretty out of breath by the time I reached the top, but then I felt completely put to shame by the 60-year-old men who I then saw literally sprinting up and down. Respect.
Other highlights of Edinburgh were, obviously, the food and drink. I had my fair share of haggis which was really good (but I'm probably not to be trusted on this one because I'll eat some pretty weird stuff). And then one night I treated myself to a mildly fancy dinner of mussels, fresh French bread, and an old-fashioned. Congratulations to me. Then, of course, there was the Scotch. Don't ask me all the different kinds I tried. I do remember that my favourite was called Kilchoman--a nice peaty Islay. It was further enhanced by the fact that I drank it while listening to traditional Scottish music in a pub with a bunch of awesome people. While we're on the topic of alcohol (I seem to get on this topic rather often), the beer in Scotland is also not too shabby. I enjoyed quite a few pints in little pubs. There is also a great brewery called Brewdog that also has a bar and some wicked good beer.
One of my other favourite discoveries was a little record/coffee shop right near Grassmarket. They play some great music and have fantastic coffee (mocha with chili-flavoured chocolate? yes, please). Just a great place to chill. Plus I found a copy of True Romance for £5--if you haven't seen this film, please do so immediately (it's not really as the title suggests). Another great spot was the Stockbridge Market where I found delicious craft beers that were aged in bourbon and rum barrels (Eden Brewery) and a bakery that made a pear, fennel, blue cheese, and candied walnut tart. Pretty damn good breakfast.
Moral of the story: Edinburgh (and Scotland in general) are awesome. And I'm going to continue to be in denial over the fact that I will likely be leaving the UK soon.
This trip really solidified my deep and abiding love for hostels. I met new people from all over the world every night and it's just such an awesome atmosphere. It makes me quite sad that the U.S. lacks this whole hostel culture. I've never had a bad experience at a hostel and there's something just really fantastic about having a network of people from all over the world that you've bonded with.
Edinburgh itself was also great. It's already started to get cool up there and since I love autumn it was pretty much perfect. For the most part I just wandered the city--I was staying in the Old Town and there are tons of great little cobblestone alleys, old buildings, and cemeteries. Slightly morbid on that last one, but got some great photos (and saw Tom Riddell's grave, the one that inspired J.K. Rowling, for you fellow Harry Potter nerds). Of course I toured the castle (and saw fireworks set off over it one night) and climbed Arthur's Seat which was a great little hike and had unbelievable views. I was pretty out of breath by the time I reached the top, but then I felt completely put to shame by the 60-year-old men who I then saw literally sprinting up and down. Respect.
Other highlights of Edinburgh were, obviously, the food and drink. I had my fair share of haggis which was really good (but I'm probably not to be trusted on this one because I'll eat some pretty weird stuff). And then one night I treated myself to a mildly fancy dinner of mussels, fresh French bread, and an old-fashioned. Congratulations to me. Then, of course, there was the Scotch. Don't ask me all the different kinds I tried. I do remember that my favourite was called Kilchoman--a nice peaty Islay. It was further enhanced by the fact that I drank it while listening to traditional Scottish music in a pub with a bunch of awesome people. While we're on the topic of alcohol (I seem to get on this topic rather often), the beer in Scotland is also not too shabby. I enjoyed quite a few pints in little pubs. There is also a great brewery called Brewdog that also has a bar and some wicked good beer.
One of my other favourite discoveries was a little record/coffee shop right near Grassmarket. They play some great music and have fantastic coffee (mocha with chili-flavoured chocolate? yes, please). Just a great place to chill. Plus I found a copy of True Romance for £5--if you haven't seen this film, please do so immediately (it's not really as the title suggests). Another great spot was the Stockbridge Market where I found delicious craft beers that were aged in bourbon and rum barrels (Eden Brewery) and a bakery that made a pear, fennel, blue cheese, and candied walnut tart. Pretty damn good breakfast.
Moral of the story: Edinburgh (and Scotland in general) are awesome. And I'm going to continue to be in denial over the fact that I will likely be leaving the UK soon.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Yes, London is still brilliant
I can hardly believe it, but it has now been almost a year that I've been living in London. And I still love it. Although I do feel a little bit of wanderlust kicking in and I would be totally open to moving somewhere else for a job, I really still love living in London and I know I'll miss it if/when I leave.
The last few weeks have been pretty full of dissertation writing/editing/obsessing/mild panicking, but I've been able to do a few fun things around the city. I mean, it is the summer--I can't be expected to forego fun altogether.
A couple of weekends ago there was a fantastic (and free) jazz festival in Canary Wharf. I tagged along with my flatmate on two of the nights it was happening. It was in this little park in the middle of all the swanky high-rise office buildings, so it was a pretty cool setting. And the music was brilliant. The first night had a band that was kind of a mix between jazz and hip-hop with the frontman rapping on half the songs and playing the sax on the others. The second night was even better with a huge Cuban band who were just incredible. The frontman for this one played electric violin and sang and he was crazy good. So we chilled, jammed, and drank wine in the park. Not a bad way to spend a summer night.
Last weekend I went out to a super cool speakeasy-style bar with a friend of mine--you have to know the address and ring the bell to get in and it's set up like the office of a private investigator. It's called the Evans & Peel Detective Agency. The best part is that you have to make an 'appointment' and give them a case. When you get there, the receptionist does a little acting and asks you about your case before you're ushered through the door behind the bookcase to the bar. Theatrics aside, the drinks are fabulous and, while I didn't eat, their food menu looks pretty phenomenal as well. I had an amazing cocktail called the Rick's Cafe Americain which is a twist on an old-fashioned with 12yo bourbon, espresso bitters, and a spice-scented glass. Definitely my cup of tea.
So those are the highlights of my last couple of weeks. I should have some more stories of interest after this weekend as I'm off to explore Edinburgh and celebrate handing in my dissertation (sweet, sweet freedom...well, until I have to get one of those job things). Till then, stay classy and drink good whisky.
The last few weeks have been pretty full of dissertation writing/editing/obsessing/mild panicking, but I've been able to do a few fun things around the city. I mean, it is the summer--I can't be expected to forego fun altogether.
A couple of weekends ago there was a fantastic (and free) jazz festival in Canary Wharf. I tagged along with my flatmate on two of the nights it was happening. It was in this little park in the middle of all the swanky high-rise office buildings, so it was a pretty cool setting. And the music was brilliant. The first night had a band that was kind of a mix between jazz and hip-hop with the frontman rapping on half the songs and playing the sax on the others. The second night was even better with a huge Cuban band who were just incredible. The frontman for this one played electric violin and sang and he was crazy good. So we chilled, jammed, and drank wine in the park. Not a bad way to spend a summer night.
Last weekend I went out to a super cool speakeasy-style bar with a friend of mine--you have to know the address and ring the bell to get in and it's set up like the office of a private investigator. It's called the Evans & Peel Detective Agency. The best part is that you have to make an 'appointment' and give them a case. When you get there, the receptionist does a little acting and asks you about your case before you're ushered through the door behind the bookcase to the bar. Theatrics aside, the drinks are fabulous and, while I didn't eat, their food menu looks pretty phenomenal as well. I had an amazing cocktail called the Rick's Cafe Americain which is a twist on an old-fashioned with 12yo bourbon, espresso bitters, and a spice-scented glass. Definitely my cup of tea.
So those are the highlights of my last couple of weeks. I should have some more stories of interest after this weekend as I'm off to explore Edinburgh and celebrate handing in my dissertation (sweet, sweet freedom...well, until I have to get one of those job things). Till then, stay classy and drink good whisky.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Pretending to be Posh
Two weeks ago I hit the halfway mark in my dissertation and then I had a visit from my mom so that provided the perfect opportunity for me to take a break from researching and writing and do some fun stuff around London and take a little mini-break to Ireland.
Thanks to my mom and some brilliant internet deals I had the chance to do some stuff that made me feel super posh. Mainly, this was due to our stay at the Royal Horseguards Hotel (just try saying that without putting on a pretentious British accent). I felt a bit out of place arriving in my holey Converses and backpack but this ceased to bother me when I discovered our room had a heated bathroom floor and a TV in the shower. Yes, that's right, in...the...shower. If that wasn't enough to make me lose my mind I later found out that the floor we were on was used as the British Secret Service's headquarters during WWI. So, you know, it's basically like sleeping where the real-life James Bonds hung out. It was also frequented by Winston Churchill and he commanded operations from there during WWII. A fact I appreciated even more while having the drink named after him in their bar. It consisted of tobacco-infused bourbon, Scotch, tobacco syrup, and bitters. Big fan. The moral of the story is that I got really spoiled for three days and then had to return to my previously fine, but now slightly depressing flat.
Also during this week I finally made it over to Harrod's which, again, made me feel posh as I pretended that I could afford anything they sell there. The food halls were my favourite (unsurprisingly) and we did splurge and have a glass of wine and buy some fantastic salami and cheeses. Then we just stared longingly at the shoes and purses.
A similarly exciting outing was to the bar at the top of Heron Tower. I've been dying to go there and it did not disappoint. Great drinks and an unbelievable view. Plus the bartender gave us some free drinks and who doesn't get excited about that? I thoroughly enjoyed their posh twist on a Jack and Coke which came in its own flask.
The rest of the week was somewhat less fancy. We went to an awesome blues bar in Soho called Ain't Nothin' But... which is tiny, crowded, a little dirty and has great music--everything a blues bar should be. And I can't forget our little side-trip to Ireland. Instead of the typical Dublin excursion, we went to Limerick which was a pretty little city. We explored 12th century churches, villages with thatched-roof houses, King John's Castle, the Burren (a hilly, coastal region with ancient rock formations), the Saturday-morning market, and a pub or two. I loved seeing the castles and old buildings (again, history nerd) and of course I enjoyed drinking Guinness and Irish whiskey while listening to traditional Irish music. The countryside in the Burren was incredible and it was quite nice to be on the ocean again, particularly being a Rhode Island girl. It wasn't nearly enough time to spend in Ireland and I would love to get over to Dublin, but for now, a second trip to Belfast will have to do.
Thanks to my mom and some brilliant internet deals I had the chance to do some stuff that made me feel super posh. Mainly, this was due to our stay at the Royal Horseguards Hotel (just try saying that without putting on a pretentious British accent). I felt a bit out of place arriving in my holey Converses and backpack but this ceased to bother me when I discovered our room had a heated bathroom floor and a TV in the shower. Yes, that's right, in...the...shower. If that wasn't enough to make me lose my mind I later found out that the floor we were on was used as the British Secret Service's headquarters during WWI. So, you know, it's basically like sleeping where the real-life James Bonds hung out. It was also frequented by Winston Churchill and he commanded operations from there during WWII. A fact I appreciated even more while having the drink named after him in their bar. It consisted of tobacco-infused bourbon, Scotch, tobacco syrup, and bitters. Big fan. The moral of the story is that I got really spoiled for three days and then had to return to my previously fine, but now slightly depressing flat.
Also during this week I finally made it over to Harrod's which, again, made me feel posh as I pretended that I could afford anything they sell there. The food halls were my favourite (unsurprisingly) and we did splurge and have a glass of wine and buy some fantastic salami and cheeses. Then we just stared longingly at the shoes and purses.
A similarly exciting outing was to the bar at the top of Heron Tower. I've been dying to go there and it did not disappoint. Great drinks and an unbelievable view. Plus the bartender gave us some free drinks and who doesn't get excited about that? I thoroughly enjoyed their posh twist on a Jack and Coke which came in its own flask.
The rest of the week was somewhat less fancy. We went to an awesome blues bar in Soho called Ain't Nothin' But... which is tiny, crowded, a little dirty and has great music--everything a blues bar should be. And I can't forget our little side-trip to Ireland. Instead of the typical Dublin excursion, we went to Limerick which was a pretty little city. We explored 12th century churches, villages with thatched-roof houses, King John's Castle, the Burren (a hilly, coastal region with ancient rock formations), the Saturday-morning market, and a pub or two. I loved seeing the castles and old buildings (again, history nerd) and of course I enjoyed drinking Guinness and Irish whiskey while listening to traditional Irish music. The countryside in the Burren was incredible and it was quite nice to be on the ocean again, particularly being a Rhode Island girl. It wasn't nearly enough time to spend in Ireland and I would love to get over to Dublin, but for now, a second trip to Belfast will have to do.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Summertime in the UK Part II: Isle of Skye, Scotland
After the England adventures from my last post I trekked out to the Isle of Skye for a few days. (And trekked is definitely the right term since it took around 17 hours to get out there.) It was definitely a retreat...Google Maps couldn't even find me. But Skye certainly lived up to the high praise I had heard about it.
Over two days I hiked or walked well over 20 miles (in future, a car might be advisable). It was rather...let's say...interesting, walking on the curvy, single-lane roads but there were some adventures as a result. One was the incident involving a cow loose on the road which we assisted in herding back into its field with much difficulty. Lesson one from Scotland: cows are stubborn and will screw with you if given the opportunity.
I also hitchhiked for the first time. Most of the time it wasn't necessary because so many people from the hostel would offer us rides. The level of friendliness kind of took me aback since I'm now used to the gruff indifference of Londoners. But the hitchhiking was not as terrifying as expected, except for the actual driving part which involves, as I mentioned, one-lane roads that require those driving to swerve onto designated pull-off areas when they spot a car coming. Not the most calming experience.
I could go on for ages about how gorgeous the scenery there is, but I really couldn't do it justice. Massive rocky mountains shrouded in mist, green hills, lochs opening to the ocean, wildflowers. Just absurdly pretty. I'll just post some photos at the end to get the point across. Given this awesome scenery, the hiking was fantastic. I didn't 'bag any munros' as they say, but I did hike through the valley of one of the mountain ranges where there was a stream with a collection of 'fairy pools' and waterfalls. A bit chilly but I still wished I had brought a bathing suit.
One of the biggest highlights other than the scenery was the hostel we stayed at because the owners were just so unbelievably nice. (Plus they had the best Scottish accents.) And there was a bonfire on the hill overlooking the loch every night. Lesson two from Scotland: the people are fantastic. And if you get up to the Isle of Skye I highly recommend the Croft Bunkhouse.
Last but not least: the Scotch. I mean, you can't go to Scotland and not have Scotch. Lucky for me the Talisker distillery (the only distillery on Skye) was only three miles from the hostel. And you can be damn sure I walked the three miles for that. And of course I took back a little souvenir as well. Plus, we made some friends at the hostel later and they so nicely shared some Jura Scotch with me. Lesson three from Scotland: it's great to make friends, and it's even better if they're Scotch drinkers.
So, does anyone want to move up to Skye with me and work as a hiking guide/cow herder/Scotch sampler? This is my new postgraduate plan.
Over two days I hiked or walked well over 20 miles (in future, a car might be advisable). It was rather...let's say...interesting, walking on the curvy, single-lane roads but there were some adventures as a result. One was the incident involving a cow loose on the road which we assisted in herding back into its field with much difficulty. Lesson one from Scotland: cows are stubborn and will screw with you if given the opportunity.
I also hitchhiked for the first time. Most of the time it wasn't necessary because so many people from the hostel would offer us rides. The level of friendliness kind of took me aback since I'm now used to the gruff indifference of Londoners. But the hitchhiking was not as terrifying as expected, except for the actual driving part which involves, as I mentioned, one-lane roads that require those driving to swerve onto designated pull-off areas when they spot a car coming. Not the most calming experience.
I could go on for ages about how gorgeous the scenery there is, but I really couldn't do it justice. Massive rocky mountains shrouded in mist, green hills, lochs opening to the ocean, wildflowers. Just absurdly pretty. I'll just post some photos at the end to get the point across. Given this awesome scenery, the hiking was fantastic. I didn't 'bag any munros' as they say, but I did hike through the valley of one of the mountain ranges where there was a stream with a collection of 'fairy pools' and waterfalls. A bit chilly but I still wished I had brought a bathing suit.
One of the biggest highlights other than the scenery was the hostel we stayed at because the owners were just so unbelievably nice. (Plus they had the best Scottish accents.) And there was a bonfire on the hill overlooking the loch every night. Lesson two from Scotland: the people are fantastic. And if you get up to the Isle of Skye I highly recommend the Croft Bunkhouse.
Last but not least: the Scotch. I mean, you can't go to Scotland and not have Scotch. Lucky for me the Talisker distillery (the only distillery on Skye) was only three miles from the hostel. And you can be damn sure I walked the three miles for that. And of course I took back a little souvenir as well. Plus, we made some friends at the hostel later and they so nicely shared some Jura Scotch with me. Lesson three from Scotland: it's great to make friends, and it's even better if they're Scotch drinkers.
So, does anyone want to move up to Skye with me and work as a hiking guide/cow herder/Scotch sampler? This is my new postgraduate plan.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Summertime in the UK Part I: England
I haven't posted much recently because the majority of my summer has seen me spending long days at the library reading endless literature on identity, political violence, and Northern Ireland. Exciting, I know. But I have been lucky enough to take a little time off recently for fun stuff. I just returned from a trip up to Scotland, which I will write about in my next post, but for now, here are some highlights of the past few weeks.
I was finally able to see a performance at the Globe Theatre and it was well worth the wait. Not only was their production of Macbeth fabulous in itself, but I was super surprised and excited when I saw that Billy Boyd (aka Pippin from Lord of the Rings) was playing the part of Banquo. I had a nerd moment. Standing for two and a half hours in the heat watching the show was worth it for that.
The day after the Globe I attended a quite different type of show. It was an all-day concert/festival put on by Mumford & Sons featuring them (of course), Vampire Weekend, Ben Howard, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was an absolutely incredible show and Mumford & Sons gives one of the best live performances I've ever seen. Who knew banjos could be so badass? They ended the show by bringing everyone back on stage and performing a cover of 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac. Epic. I also greatly enjoyed the shenanigans by some of the people in the crowd, mainly when one guy after another decided to climb one of the festival flagpoles, each of them becoming progressively less-clothed. The final one was entirely naked and then the pole proceeded to tip over. Not good. But he seemed to be alright. Other than the fact that a huge crowd had just witnessed him fall off a flagpole completely nude.
Another highlight of the past weeks, although not quite as exciting, was a Jack the Ripper walking tour. Morbid? Yes. More than a little disturbing? Yup. But really interesting and pretty awesome? Definitely. It was really fascinating to walk around parts of London that I knew and learn not only the gruesome details of certain areas, but also what they were like in general during that time. Plus I now know the location of the pub where Jack and his victims hung out (which is still operating).
Recently I was also able to get out of London for a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge. Bath was very pretty and a nice mini-escape from the city. But the highlight of that trip was stumbling upon a funky little reggae bar with great (water buffalo!) burgers. And because I'm abit of a huge history nerd, Stonehenge was just awesome, in the true sense of the word.
Well that's it for now. A pretty eventful couple of weeks. And now it's back to the books for a bit. Scotland post to come soon.
I was finally able to see a performance at the Globe Theatre and it was well worth the wait. Not only was their production of Macbeth fabulous in itself, but I was super surprised and excited when I saw that Billy Boyd (aka Pippin from Lord of the Rings) was playing the part of Banquo. I had a nerd moment. Standing for two and a half hours in the heat watching the show was worth it for that.
The day after the Globe I attended a quite different type of show. It was an all-day concert/festival put on by Mumford & Sons featuring them (of course), Vampire Weekend, Ben Howard, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was an absolutely incredible show and Mumford & Sons gives one of the best live performances I've ever seen. Who knew banjos could be so badass? They ended the show by bringing everyone back on stage and performing a cover of 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac. Epic. I also greatly enjoyed the shenanigans by some of the people in the crowd, mainly when one guy after another decided to climb one of the festival flagpoles, each of them becoming progressively less-clothed. The final one was entirely naked and then the pole proceeded to tip over. Not good. But he seemed to be alright. Other than the fact that a huge crowd had just witnessed him fall off a flagpole completely nude.
Another highlight of the past weeks, although not quite as exciting, was a Jack the Ripper walking tour. Morbid? Yes. More than a little disturbing? Yup. But really interesting and pretty awesome? Definitely. It was really fascinating to walk around parts of London that I knew and learn not only the gruesome details of certain areas, but also what they were like in general during that time. Plus I now know the location of the pub where Jack and his victims hung out (which is still operating).
Recently I was also able to get out of London for a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge. Bath was very pretty and a nice mini-escape from the city. But the highlight of that trip was stumbling upon a funky little reggae bar with great (water buffalo!) burgers. And because I'm a
Well that's it for now. A pretty eventful couple of weeks. And now it's back to the books for a bit. Scotland post to come soon.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Just Give Me a Litre of Beer and A Giant Pretzel and I'll Be Happy
Last week I was lucky enough to take a somewhat impromptu trip to Munich. Germany wasn't really on my list of must-go countries, but I feel like this can actually make a trip better because you don't have any real expectations of awesomeness ahead of time. Because I went without much of an idea of what I wanted to see or what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised.
I found Munich to be really interesting because of the history and the ways in which it seems different from other European cities. A lot of this is because the buildings are mostly newer due to the bombing in WWII, but this makes the older buildings and those that were rebuilt in their original style stand out more. Apart from the cool architecture around the Marienplatz and at the various palaces and churches, my favourite parts of Germany were the beer gardens (I have been seriously missing the boat with German beer), the heavy and rich, but delicious, food, the surfers in the park, and going up into the Alps.
I am now an official convert to German beer. I tried at least three of Munich's six locally brewed beers and they are seriously delicious. Combine them with giant pretzels, massive hunks of meat, and lots of sauerkraut and I'm sold. One culinary highlight was a trip to Bavaria's largest beer garden called Hirschgarten where I succeeded in polishing off a one litre mug of beer, an enormous plate of sauerkraut with currywurst, and a pretzel that was larger than the plate--no exaggeration. However, this meal was rivalled by a trip to the gourmet delicatessen Dallmayr, aka, the place that I will probably go when I die. I cannot even put into words how amazing this place is. Any type of food you can imagine, they probably have. Fresh fruits and veggies, gourmet chocolates, pastries, fresh bread, fresh and prepared seafood, meats and cheeses, tea, coffee, wine, prepared salads and cooked veggies, need I continue? I had an unbelievable lunch with lots of seafood, including fresh raw oysters from France, and an absurdly good banana chocolate cake. As if this wasn't enough, dinner on my last night probably ties with this one as my favourite of the trip. It was a bit of a twist on traditional German cuisine and consisted of baked camembert with cranberry sauce, really fresh salad (have to eat veggies at some point), pork schnitzel cordon bleu, and a four-cheese spaetzle (which is like a German version of mac and cheese with fried onions on top and which I would like served to me as part of my last meal on earth). Obligatory half litre of Franziskaner beer included of course.
Sorry about that excessively long paragraph on food and beer. I just have my priorities straight. Anyway, in the little time I spent not eating or drinking, I particularly enjoyed seeing the surfers in the river in the Englischer Garten. Because of some concrete structure under the water, a permanent wave is created and for about thirty minutes, I was enthralled by the guys who jump in with their short boards and ride in place for a couple of seconds each. Besides the fact that it's really bizarre and cool to see surfers in the middle of a city, some of them were really good and fun to watch. One guy in particular did some awesome tricks such as jumping into the wave backwards and doing a headstand on his board mid-ride.
The final major highlight of my trip was a visit to the German Alps. I went up one of the mountains in a gondola and was able to explore the top a bit where they have various hiking trails and a platform that overhangs the rocky drop-off so you basically have nothing between you and some rocks a couple hundred feet below. There was also the entertainment of watching paragliders take off from the peak. There's something new to add to my bucket list.
I found Munich to be really interesting because of the history and the ways in which it seems different from other European cities. A lot of this is because the buildings are mostly newer due to the bombing in WWII, but this makes the older buildings and those that were rebuilt in their original style stand out more. Apart from the cool architecture around the Marienplatz and at the various palaces and churches, my favourite parts of Germany were the beer gardens (I have been seriously missing the boat with German beer), the heavy and rich, but delicious, food, the surfers in the park, and going up into the Alps.
I am now an official convert to German beer. I tried at least three of Munich's six locally brewed beers and they are seriously delicious. Combine them with giant pretzels, massive hunks of meat, and lots of sauerkraut and I'm sold. One culinary highlight was a trip to Bavaria's largest beer garden called Hirschgarten where I succeeded in polishing off a one litre mug of beer, an enormous plate of sauerkraut with currywurst, and a pretzel that was larger than the plate--no exaggeration. However, this meal was rivalled by a trip to the gourmet delicatessen Dallmayr, aka, the place that I will probably go when I die. I cannot even put into words how amazing this place is. Any type of food you can imagine, they probably have. Fresh fruits and veggies, gourmet chocolates, pastries, fresh bread, fresh and prepared seafood, meats and cheeses, tea, coffee, wine, prepared salads and cooked veggies, need I continue? I had an unbelievable lunch with lots of seafood, including fresh raw oysters from France, and an absurdly good banana chocolate cake. As if this wasn't enough, dinner on my last night probably ties with this one as my favourite of the trip. It was a bit of a twist on traditional German cuisine and consisted of baked camembert with cranberry sauce, really fresh salad (have to eat veggies at some point), pork schnitzel cordon bleu, and a four-cheese spaetzle (which is like a German version of mac and cheese with fried onions on top and which I would like served to me as part of my last meal on earth). Obligatory half litre of Franziskaner beer included of course.
Sorry about that excessively long paragraph on food and beer. I just have my priorities straight. Anyway, in the little time I spent not eating or drinking, I particularly enjoyed seeing the surfers in the river in the Englischer Garten. Because of some concrete structure under the water, a permanent wave is created and for about thirty minutes, I was enthralled by the guys who jump in with their short boards and ride in place for a couple of seconds each. Besides the fact that it's really bizarre and cool to see surfers in the middle of a city, some of them were really good and fun to watch. One guy in particular did some awesome tricks such as jumping into the wave backwards and doing a headstand on his board mid-ride.
The final major highlight of my trip was a visit to the German Alps. I went up one of the mountains in a gondola and was able to explore the top a bit where they have various hiking trails and a platform that overhangs the rocky drop-off so you basically have nothing between you and some rocks a couple hundred feet below. There was also the entertainment of watching paragliders take off from the peak. There's something new to add to my bucket list.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Sylvia Plath, David Bowie, and a caveman walk into a bar...
"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson
I first read this quote right before I left for London and I can now attest that I agree with it entirely. I thought of it again over the past few weeks as I enjoyed a number of the many perks one enjoys living here. Over the past three weeks or so I've gone to a number of museum exhibitions and a show which I think provides excellent evidence of the diversity of awesomeness this city has to offer.
First off, I went to a show at the Southbank Centre which, coincidentally, has an amazing location right on the Thames with a view of Big Ben and a great little outdoor patio with a bar (what more could you ask for than a Pimm's cup in the sunshine). Anyway, the show was somewhat less optimistic than the views, but it was still great. It was a reading of the original version of Sylvia Plath's last collection of poems by a group of female actors, poets, writers, etc. Pretty intense, but really impressive.
Now this may not be everyone's cup of tea but, again, London has pretty much anything anyone could ever be interested in. A week or so after that show, I took a trip over to the British Museum for a temporary exhibit of Ice Age art. This may sound boring to some people, but it's kind of incredible to see pieces of art 20-40,000 years old.
And if this still doesn't sound like your cup of tea (or whisky as the case may be), you could always take a trip over to the Victoria and Albert Museum (my personal favourite museum in the city) and see the David Bowie exhibit. I spent two hours there this past Friday and could have been there longer. It's an incredibly cool collection of costumes, handwritten lyrics, videos, and show memorabilia that is mind-blowing if you're a Bowie fan. I think my favourite part was the room at the end with a huge three-story screen showing unreleased footage of one of his shows. The exhibit pretty much solidified my belief that Bowie is one of the coolest people ever.
Clearly, if you get tired of London, you've missed something. If you look around just a little, you're guaranteed to find whatever it is that floats your boat.
— Samuel Johnson
I first read this quote right before I left for London and I can now attest that I agree with it entirely. I thought of it again over the past few weeks as I enjoyed a number of the many perks one enjoys living here. Over the past three weeks or so I've gone to a number of museum exhibitions and a show which I think provides excellent evidence of the diversity of awesomeness this city has to offer.
First off, I went to a show at the Southbank Centre which, coincidentally, has an amazing location right on the Thames with a view of Big Ben and a great little outdoor patio with a bar (what more could you ask for than a Pimm's cup in the sunshine). Anyway, the show was somewhat less optimistic than the views, but it was still great. It was a reading of the original version of Sylvia Plath's last collection of poems by a group of female actors, poets, writers, etc. Pretty intense, but really impressive.
Now this may not be everyone's cup of tea but, again, London has pretty much anything anyone could ever be interested in. A week or so after that show, I took a trip over to the British Museum for a temporary exhibit of Ice Age art. This may sound boring to some people, but it's kind of incredible to see pieces of art 20-40,000 years old.
And if this still doesn't sound like your cup of tea (or whisky as the case may be), you could always take a trip over to the Victoria and Albert Museum (my personal favourite museum in the city) and see the David Bowie exhibit. I spent two hours there this past Friday and could have been there longer. It's an incredibly cool collection of costumes, handwritten lyrics, videos, and show memorabilia that is mind-blowing if you're a Bowie fan. I think my favourite part was the room at the end with a huge three-story screen showing unreleased footage of one of his shows. The exhibit pretty much solidified my belief that Bowie is one of the coolest people ever.
Clearly, if you get tired of London, you've missed something. If you look around just a little, you're guaranteed to find whatever it is that floats your boat.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Talk Like a Brit
I've been meaning for awhile to do a post on British words and phrases that I've come to love while living here. Some of them I've become accustomed to using, but others I just appreciate upon hearing them, knowing that as much as I wish I had a British accent, there are certain things that would sound a little ridiculous out of the mouth of an American.
So here they are, in no particular order:
1. Cheers - This isn't 'cheers' in the American sense of when you're toasting someone, but as in another way to say thanks. For example: to a bartender when they hand you change, when someone holds the door for you, etc. (Note: can be combined with the friendly term 'mate,' but this is only acceptable if you're actually British.)
2. Brilliant - The wide range of applicability of this word in Britain is what gets me. Basically like their version of awesome--where we ('we' meaning Americans) would say something is awesome, they say brilliant. (e.g., 'That Rolling Stones concert was brilliant!'--on a totally unrelated note, I'm going to be going to a Rolling Stones Concert in Hyde Park this summer. No big deal.)
3. Rubbish - This is basically the exact opposite of 'brilliant.' (e.g., 'The Twilight films are just complete rubbish.')
4. Lost the plot - I really love this phrase and have taken to using it wherever applicable. (e.g., 'We were having a great political discussion at the pub but we lost the plot after a few pints.')
5. Proper - Used slightly differently than back in the States, it is basically interchangeable with the word 'really,' but has a slightly different feel. As in, 'It was his stag night [British version of bachelor party] so of course he was proper drunk.'
6. Posh - Of course Americans use this one as well but it's applied to a lot more situations here. And what's more posh than British people? Particularly applicable to pretty much everything and everyone located in Chelsea, South Kensington, the Hyde Park area, etc. And completely not applicable to...let's say, where I live.
And of course, all of the above sound a lot more charming when said in a British accent which, despite my sincerest hopes, I have yet to develop.
So here they are, in no particular order:
1. Cheers - This isn't 'cheers' in the American sense of when you're toasting someone, but as in another way to say thanks. For example: to a bartender when they hand you change, when someone holds the door for you, etc. (Note: can be combined with the friendly term 'mate,' but this is only acceptable if you're actually British.)
2. Brilliant - The wide range of applicability of this word in Britain is what gets me. Basically like their version of awesome--where we ('we' meaning Americans) would say something is awesome, they say brilliant. (e.g., 'That Rolling Stones concert was brilliant!'--on a totally unrelated note, I'm going to be going to a Rolling Stones Concert in Hyde Park this summer. No big deal.)
3. Rubbish - This is basically the exact opposite of 'brilliant.' (e.g., 'The Twilight films are just complete rubbish.')
4. Lost the plot - I really love this phrase and have taken to using it wherever applicable. (e.g., 'We were having a great political discussion at the pub but we lost the plot after a few pints.')
5. Proper - Used slightly differently than back in the States, it is basically interchangeable with the word 'really,' but has a slightly different feel. As in, 'It was his stag night [British version of bachelor party] so of course he was proper drunk.'
6. Posh - Of course Americans use this one as well but it's applied to a lot more situations here. And what's more posh than British people? Particularly applicable to pretty much everything and everyone located in Chelsea, South Kensington, the Hyde Park area, etc. And completely not applicable to...let's say, where I live.
And of course, all of the above sound a lot more charming when said in a British accent which, despite my sincerest hopes, I have yet to develop.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Greece (or The Post Where I Reveal my Nerdy, History-Obsessed Alter Ego)
It's now time for part II of my trip through Italy and Greece. From Rome I flew off to Thessaloniki, which is the second largest city in Greece after Athens and is in the northern part of the country. Personally, I think Thessaloniki is much prettier and more inviting than Athens--it's right on the Aegean Sea and has a lot of really nice museums and ancient ruins. My friend and I stayed with relatives while there so we got to have a real local experience, which is definitely my favorite way to travel--being a tourist without feeling like a tourist. My relatives cooked us amazing Greek food (and fed us non-stop, not that I'm complaining) and took us to all the interesting stuff in the city.
We had a lot of really awesome experiences in Thessaloniki. I loved just sitting and drinking cappuccino freddo (Greek iced coffee) with views of the sea (which we did at least once a day--major caffeine addiction after this trip). Then there was the Archaeology Museum with some incredible gold pieces from Alexander the Great's time. Late-night gyros are always a good thing. Then there was the evening that my friend and I sat and drank Metaxa next to some ancient ruins at dusk. The waitress gave us weird looks, probably because, as my friend put it, 'I ordered us the old man drink.' I think my favorite thing, though, was the night we drove up to Ano Poli, or the old town, to take in the amazing views and walk the narrow streets. Then we raced the sun and made it up to an even higher hill in the woods with a view of the entire city to watch the sun go down. It was also pretty great to just drive around the city with the windows down listening to Greek pop songs.
After a few days in Thessaloniki, I was off to Naoussa, a small town to the west of Thessaloniki where my great grandparents were from. Naoussa is probably one of the most interesting and beautiful places in Greece that no one really knows about. It's in the mountains and there are gorgeous fruit tree and grape farms all around. The town itself also has a river with lots of waterfalls running through it and it has two absolutely beautiful parks. It's also a pretty amazing place because it's the location of the school that was run by Aristotle where he taught Alexander the Great. I don't care if you're not really into history, that's still ridiculously cool. The school is basically a series of caves by a stream and it's preserved as an outdoor museum now.
Also, in a neighbouring town, there's the site where King Phillip II, Alexander the Great's father, was buried and had his palace. They have a museum there which is by far my favorite museum in the world which was built around the tomb of King Phillip, so you can actually go down into the site and see the door to the tomb. It's pretty incredible to walk down the creaky wooden steps into the cool darkness and stare at this marble tomb that's thousands of years old, especially when there's no one else down there and the sounds of the people in the museum above you are muffled. It's a good place to pretend that you're Indiana Jones. The artifacts from the tombs are also on display and it's crazy how well the delicate gold crowns and other royal accoutrements survived. Alright, that's enough of my mild archaeology obsession.
There's also a more personal attachment I have with Naoussa; other than the wonderful family that I have there, there was recently a monument put up of my great, great-grandfather who was killed while trying to negotiate a peace with Bulgarian armed bands who had been attacking the population while Greece was under Ottoman control. It's really nice having such a personal connection to the history in the area and I loved getting back to my Greek roots. Plus, it seems pretty fitting now that I'm studying conflict resolution and insurgencies.
It's only been a week and I already wish I could be back in Greece.
We had a lot of really awesome experiences in Thessaloniki. I loved just sitting and drinking cappuccino freddo (Greek iced coffee) with views of the sea (which we did at least once a day--major caffeine addiction after this trip). Then there was the Archaeology Museum with some incredible gold pieces from Alexander the Great's time. Late-night gyros are always a good thing. Then there was the evening that my friend and I sat and drank Metaxa next to some ancient ruins at dusk. The waitress gave us weird looks, probably because, as my friend put it, 'I ordered us the old man drink.' I think my favorite thing, though, was the night we drove up to Ano Poli, or the old town, to take in the amazing views and walk the narrow streets. Then we raced the sun and made it up to an even higher hill in the woods with a view of the entire city to watch the sun go down. It was also pretty great to just drive around the city with the windows down listening to Greek pop songs.
After a few days in Thessaloniki, I was off to Naoussa, a small town to the west of Thessaloniki where my great grandparents were from. Naoussa is probably one of the most interesting and beautiful places in Greece that no one really knows about. It's in the mountains and there are gorgeous fruit tree and grape farms all around. The town itself also has a river with lots of waterfalls running through it and it has two absolutely beautiful parks. It's also a pretty amazing place because it's the location of the school that was run by Aristotle where he taught Alexander the Great. I don't care if you're not really into history, that's still ridiculously cool. The school is basically a series of caves by a stream and it's preserved as an outdoor museum now.
Also, in a neighbouring town, there's the site where King Phillip II, Alexander the Great's father, was buried and had his palace. They have a museum there which is by far my favorite museum in the world which was built around the tomb of King Phillip, so you can actually go down into the site and see the door to the tomb. It's pretty incredible to walk down the creaky wooden steps into the cool darkness and stare at this marble tomb that's thousands of years old, especially when there's no one else down there and the sounds of the people in the museum above you are muffled. It's a good place to pretend that you're Indiana Jones. The artifacts from the tombs are also on display and it's crazy how well the delicate gold crowns and other royal accoutrements survived. Alright, that's enough of my mild archaeology obsession.
There's also a more personal attachment I have with Naoussa; other than the wonderful family that I have there, there was recently a monument put up of my great, great-grandfather who was killed while trying to negotiate a peace with Bulgarian armed bands who had been attacking the population while Greece was under Ottoman control. It's really nice having such a personal connection to the history in the area and I loved getting back to my Greek roots. Plus, it seems pretty fitting now that I'm studying conflict resolution and insurgencies.
It's only been a week and I already wish I could be back in Greece.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, But We Tried to See it in One (And Other Terrible Italy-Related Puns)
I have returned to grey sunny (!) London after two completely amazing weeks in Italy and Greece (where it didn't rain once!--quite a shock for a Londoner). It was my first time in Italy (where I was with my mum) and my second time in Greece (where I met my lovely friend from back home). I'll just aim to cover Italy in this post because I have far too much to say. I'll attempt to do this highlight reel style since there is just so much fabulous-ness and I can't possibly cover everything. (Also, I'm drinking ouzo brought back from Greece while doing this, so I apologize if I lose the plot at all towards the end.)
So, Italy. The trip started out in Venice, which is somewhere I've been dreaming of going to and which lived up to my expectations in a lot of respects. For one, the city itself is absolutely gorgeous. The architecture, the blue-green canals, the windy labyrinth of alleyways and bridges, the piazzas...the allure of Venice becomes clear very quickly. My favorite part of the trip was probably just wandering the alleys, stumbling upon little piazzas, and sitting and eating or having coffee or a drink while watching the light change. Or sitting on the edge of the Grand Canal while drinking spumante. Or wandering through Piazza San Marco at night listening to the live classical music and eating gelato...basically it was all pretty much unbelievable.
The food was also pretty fabulous and I really loved the Venetian-style cuttlefish in ink. I also had the best tiramisu of my life (accompanied by fantastic limoncello). I'm not even a huge tiramisu fan, but this stuff was life-changing. Then there was the chicchetti, which is basically the Italian version of tapas. Squid, eel, shrimp, arancini, and of course lots of wine.
After Venice it was off to Taormina/Giardini-Naxos, two little towns on the east coast of Sicily, or, in other words, paradise. The hostel where we stayed had a rooftop terrace with views of the ocean, the hills, and Mt. Etna. This alone was worth the journey. We were staying in Giardini-Naxos, which was the first Greek settlement in Sicily, but we took trips daily over to Taormina which is situated up on a hill (amazing views) and has a really cool ancient Greek amphitheatre. I loved the drive up the windy roads but they may pose issues for those individuals with a fear of heights (aka, my mom). The towns also offer some awesome beaches, including Isola Bella, a little island that's connected to the mainland at low tide.
Again, the food was a huge highlight (when isn't food a highlight for me?). I'm pretty sure I overdosed on seafood, gelato, and cannoli. The best meal of the trip was a four-course meal at a beachside restaurant which was really more like seven courses. Steamed mussels, three types of smoked fish, shrimp cocktail, seafood salad with octopus (these were just the appetizers), pasta with swordfish, shrimp and squid kebabs, panna cotta. And of course on other days I ate even more seafood, and perfect cannoli, and all-natural gelato (pistachio and melon anyone?). It's a wonder I didn't gain twenty pounds.
So Sicily made an excellent first impression and it was so relaxing to sit on the beach, drink cocktails in the sun, and wander the towns looking at ancient ruins.
Speaking of ancient ruins, Rome was the last place on the agenda and it was a whirlwind tour. We had one day and two nights so we zipped around to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain. All very impressive/pretty, but I was not a fan of all the people. It's quite the paradox, I'm a tourist, but I also hate tourists. I think my favorite thing was the Roman Forum which was just massive and had so much cool old stuff (I'm a fan of cool old stuff). I don't know about you but I think it's pretty awesome to walk on the oldest road in Rome which has been walked on for thousands of years and to see what was the heart of the Roman Empire. I won't go on and on about food again because it's getting a little ridiculous, but I will just say this: pasta. Pasta (gnocchi in particular), Roman-style artichokes, and lamb organs (YES).
So even just keeping with the highlights this post is getting quite long so I will wrap it up with two final points. One, when I was in Rome I actually started to say the phrase 'When in Rome...' in reference to something and, having such a sophisticated sense of humour, thought this was hilarious. My mom did not find it nearly as amusing, but I can't understand why because it's not like it's the most obvious joke possible to make in Rome. (Now I've definitely lost the plot, sorry about that. I blame the ouzo. And the fact that this post has become longer than the ending of the last Lord of the Rings movie.)
And secondly (and far more relevantly and practically), I just want to note that all the places we stayed were excellent and come highly recommended, particularly because of how nice the owners and employees were at all of them. So, for your future travelling adventures, if you go to Venice: Ca' Contarini Guesthouse, Taormina: Gianni House Hostel, and Rome: La Stella di Roma B&B. You're welcome.
So, Italy. The trip started out in Venice, which is somewhere I've been dreaming of going to and which lived up to my expectations in a lot of respects. For one, the city itself is absolutely gorgeous. The architecture, the blue-green canals, the windy labyrinth of alleyways and bridges, the piazzas...the allure of Venice becomes clear very quickly. My favorite part of the trip was probably just wandering the alleys, stumbling upon little piazzas, and sitting and eating or having coffee or a drink while watching the light change. Or sitting on the edge of the Grand Canal while drinking spumante. Or wandering through Piazza San Marco at night listening to the live classical music and eating gelato...basically it was all pretty much unbelievable.
The food was also pretty fabulous and I really loved the Venetian-style cuttlefish in ink. I also had the best tiramisu of my life (accompanied by fantastic limoncello). I'm not even a huge tiramisu fan, but this stuff was life-changing. Then there was the chicchetti, which is basically the Italian version of tapas. Squid, eel, shrimp, arancini, and of course lots of wine.
After Venice it was off to Taormina/Giardini-Naxos, two little towns on the east coast of Sicily, or, in other words, paradise. The hostel where we stayed had a rooftop terrace with views of the ocean, the hills, and Mt. Etna. This alone was worth the journey. We were staying in Giardini-Naxos, which was the first Greek settlement in Sicily, but we took trips daily over to Taormina which is situated up on a hill (amazing views) and has a really cool ancient Greek amphitheatre. I loved the drive up the windy roads but they may pose issues for those individuals with a fear of heights (aka, my mom). The towns also offer some awesome beaches, including Isola Bella, a little island that's connected to the mainland at low tide.
Again, the food was a huge highlight (when isn't food a highlight for me?). I'm pretty sure I overdosed on seafood, gelato, and cannoli. The best meal of the trip was a four-course meal at a beachside restaurant which was really more like seven courses. Steamed mussels, three types of smoked fish, shrimp cocktail, seafood salad with octopus (these were just the appetizers), pasta with swordfish, shrimp and squid kebabs, panna cotta. And of course on other days I ate even more seafood, and perfect cannoli, and all-natural gelato (pistachio and melon anyone?). It's a wonder I didn't gain twenty pounds.
So Sicily made an excellent first impression and it was so relaxing to sit on the beach, drink cocktails in the sun, and wander the towns looking at ancient ruins.
Speaking of ancient ruins, Rome was the last place on the agenda and it was a whirlwind tour. We had one day and two nights so we zipped around to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain. All very impressive/pretty, but I was not a fan of all the people. It's quite the paradox, I'm a tourist, but I also hate tourists. I think my favorite thing was the Roman Forum which was just massive and had so much cool old stuff (I'm a fan of cool old stuff). I don't know about you but I think it's pretty awesome to walk on the oldest road in Rome which has been walked on for thousands of years and to see what was the heart of the Roman Empire. I won't go on and on about food again because it's getting a little ridiculous, but I will just say this: pasta. Pasta (gnocchi in particular), Roman-style artichokes, and lamb organs (YES).
So even just keeping with the highlights this post is getting quite long so I will wrap it up with two final points. One, when I was in Rome I actually started to say the phrase 'When in Rome...' in reference to something and, having such a sophisticated sense of humour, thought this was hilarious. My mom did not find it nearly as amusing, but I can't understand why because it's not like it's the most obvious joke possible to make in Rome. (Now I've definitely lost the plot, sorry about that. I blame the ouzo. And the fact that this post has become longer than the ending of the last Lord of the Rings movie.)
And secondly (and far more relevantly and practically), I just want to note that all the places we stayed were excellent and come highly recommended, particularly because of how nice the owners and employees were at all of them. So, for your future travelling adventures, if you go to Venice: Ca' Contarini Guesthouse, Taormina: Gianni House Hostel, and Rome: La Stella di Roma B&B. You're welcome.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Northern Ireland Part II: Legen-derry
Continuing from where the last post left off...On Sunday, we hopped in our super cool rental mini-bus and headed along the Coastal Road to Derry/Londonderry. We took the entire day for what is usually a three-hour drive because we stopped at a bunch of fantastic places. First, we went on a tour of Carrickfergus Castle, which, for all you history buffs, was built in the 1100s I believe. The tour guide this time was great; she was clearly really into the history of the place and even mentioned her hobby of jousting, swordfighting, and archery. There's someone who takes her job seriously. The castle itself was pretty amazing, right on the ocean with stunning views.
We continued our drive through a number of little villages, up into the still snow-covered hills, and along cliffs over the green ocean. Picturesque doesn't begin to describe it. We stopped in a small village on the water for lunch. Fish and chips were in order and they were pretty damn good (as well they should be considering the proximity of the ocean). The long drive continued. We tried (unsuccessfully) to find the castle in Ballycastle, which, apparently, doesn't exist. But we did find some other pretty amazing castle ruins right on a cliff. There was a brief stop at the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, which we unfortunately didn't have time to go over but we walked the nearby cliffs and took an excessive number of photos of the unbelievable views. Our last stop was at Giant's Causeway. It doesn't sound all that exciting--a bunch of oddly shaped rocks--but it is quite an impressive spot and the rocks are, shockingly, kind of interesting. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything directly on the ocean.
By the time we actually arrived in Derry it was rather late so we checked into our bohemian-esque hostel, scarfed down some dinner at a Wetherspoon's, and popped into a local pub for the night. We met some interesting characters and had a few drinks. Irish whiskey for me of course, and I am extremely proud to report that my propensity for whiskey on the rocks successfully impressed a couple of Irish blokes. Life goal achieved. After the drinks a few of us took a stroll down to see the Peace Bridge which was quite pretty at night.
For our final day in Northern Ireland we had a whirlwind tour of Derry/Londonderry. Bright and early, a few of us trekked over to the 'Protestant side' of the city to see some unionist murals which were really interesting. Then we went back over the bridge to see the ancient city walls around what is historically the city's Catholic community. We also got a very interesting tour of the nationalist murals around the area where Bloody Sunday occurred. Again, really fascinating stuff (for conflict or history buffs anyway). After this it was back in the mini-bus, back to Belfast briefly, and back to London.
Even after such a short trip, I can enthusiastically say that the people in Northern Ireland overall are so helpful and friendly that despite the country's history of conflict, it really is a wonderful place to visit. It's so fascinating to go to a place that has experienced so many problems and tragedies but is still so welcoming and engaging. Hopefully I'll be back again soon.
We continued our drive through a number of little villages, up into the still snow-covered hills, and along cliffs over the green ocean. Picturesque doesn't begin to describe it. We stopped in a small village on the water for lunch. Fish and chips were in order and they were pretty damn good (as well they should be considering the proximity of the ocean). The long drive continued. We tried (unsuccessfully) to find the castle in Ballycastle, which, apparently, doesn't exist. But we did find some other pretty amazing castle ruins right on a cliff. There was a brief stop at the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, which we unfortunately didn't have time to go over but we walked the nearby cliffs and took an excessive number of photos of the unbelievable views. Our last stop was at Giant's Causeway. It doesn't sound all that exciting--a bunch of oddly shaped rocks--but it is quite an impressive spot and the rocks are, shockingly, kind of interesting. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything directly on the ocean.
By the time we actually arrived in Derry it was rather late so we checked into our bohemian-esque hostel, scarfed down some dinner at a Wetherspoon's, and popped into a local pub for the night. We met some interesting characters and had a few drinks. Irish whiskey for me of course, and I am extremely proud to report that my propensity for whiskey on the rocks successfully impressed a couple of Irish blokes. Life goal achieved. After the drinks a few of us took a stroll down to see the Peace Bridge which was quite pretty at night.
For our final day in Northern Ireland we had a whirlwind tour of Derry/Londonderry. Bright and early, a few of us trekked over to the 'Protestant side' of the city to see some unionist murals which were really interesting. Then we went back over the bridge to see the ancient city walls around what is historically the city's Catholic community. We also got a very interesting tour of the nationalist murals around the area where Bloody Sunday occurred. Again, really fascinating stuff (for conflict or history buffs anyway). After this it was back in the mini-bus, back to Belfast briefly, and back to London.
Even after such a short trip, I can enthusiastically say that the people in Northern Ireland overall are so helpful and friendly that despite the country's history of conflict, it really is a wonderful place to visit. It's so fascinating to go to a place that has experienced so many problems and tragedies but is still so welcoming and engaging. Hopefully I'll be back again soon.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Northern Ireland Part I: Paramilitaries, Politicians, and Pub Parleys
Yesterday I got back to London after a five-day trip to Northern Ireland. And even though it was a short one, it was definitely one of the best trips I have ever been on. Much of it was focused on my academic and intellectual interests as I'm writing my dissertation on Northern Ireland and I've always had an interest in the conflict there, but other than being informative and intellectually-stimulating, the trip was also enormously fun and refreshing in itself. Plus, the group I was with was fantastic--we had some excellent political discussions but also a lot of really fun moments. Since there was a lot that happened, I'll split it in two posts. This one will cover our time in Belfast and the next post will talk about our drive to and our time in Derry/Londonderry.
We were in Belfast for three days and in that time we visited a number of museums/historical attractions, met with Unionist politicians at Stormont, took tours with ex-paramilitary and military members, walked around the city, and had a lot of political discussions, mostly over a pint or two in the local pubs. I really enjoyed seeing the history of the city and hearing firsthand from people who were involved in or affected by the Troubles. The visit to Stormont was extremely interesting and we were able to speak with three Unionist politicians and ask them whatever we wanted for over an hour. Definitely a unique experience. We also had a great reception at the City Hall by a city council member who greeted us with fresh scones, tea, and biscuits and gave us some fascinating info about the current political climate and flag protests. While there, we also took a tour of the City Hall, but this was pretty terrible; so bad, in fact, that it was actually quite funny. That poor tour guide was trying so hard, but hearing how long it takes to hoover the carpet in the great hall is not exactly riveting.
The tours we took the next day were far more engaging--one was with an ex-IRA paramilitary through the Catholic neighbourhoods and the other was with an ex-British Army soldier through the Protestant areas. They definitely had opposing viewpoints on many things, but hearing both sides of the story, so to speak, was invaluable. Seeing the 'peace walls' separating the two communities in person was somewhat shocking because of the size and span of them and the murals detailing events from each side's history was also fascinating. If anyone out there goes to Northern Ireland, even if you don't necessarily have a vested interest in the conflict, I would recommend one of these tours.
The rest of our time in Belfast was spent walking the city (sometimes getting a bit lost) and eating and drinking (always a highlight). We had pints a few nights in the Duke of York pub, which was pretty popular, and we were able to have some great political discussions with locals. (And have our fill of Guinness.) We also became regulars at Maggie May's Cafe where they have delicious cheap food (such as milkshakes with espresso and Irish whiskey as well as Bailey's cheesecake--priorities). All in all, Belfast is interesting on a lot of different levels. Next post I'll cover the fantastic drive we took along the northern coast and our very brief stay in Derry/Londonderry.
We were in Belfast for three days and in that time we visited a number of museums/historical attractions, met with Unionist politicians at Stormont, took tours with ex-paramilitary and military members, walked around the city, and had a lot of political discussions, mostly over a pint or two in the local pubs. I really enjoyed seeing the history of the city and hearing firsthand from people who were involved in or affected by the Troubles. The visit to Stormont was extremely interesting and we were able to speak with three Unionist politicians and ask them whatever we wanted for over an hour. Definitely a unique experience. We also had a great reception at the City Hall by a city council member who greeted us with fresh scones, tea, and biscuits and gave us some fascinating info about the current political climate and flag protests. While there, we also took a tour of the City Hall, but this was pretty terrible; so bad, in fact, that it was actually quite funny. That poor tour guide was trying so hard, but hearing how long it takes to hoover the carpet in the great hall is not exactly riveting.
The tours we took the next day were far more engaging--one was with an ex-IRA paramilitary through the Catholic neighbourhoods and the other was with an ex-British Army soldier through the Protestant areas. They definitely had opposing viewpoints on many things, but hearing both sides of the story, so to speak, was invaluable. Seeing the 'peace walls' separating the two communities in person was somewhat shocking because of the size and span of them and the murals detailing events from each side's history was also fascinating. If anyone out there goes to Northern Ireland, even if you don't necessarily have a vested interest in the conflict, I would recommend one of these tours.
The rest of our time in Belfast was spent walking the city (sometimes getting a bit lost) and eating and drinking (always a highlight). We had pints a few nights in the Duke of York pub, which was pretty popular, and we were able to have some great political discussions with locals. (And have our fill of Guinness.) We also became regulars at Maggie May's Cafe where they have delicious cheap food (such as milkshakes with espresso and Irish whiskey as well as Bailey's cheesecake--priorities). All in all, Belfast is interesting on a lot of different levels. Next post I'll cover the fantastic drive we took along the northern coast and our very brief stay in Derry/Londonderry.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Stuff I Miss About the States
As much as I love London, I do occasionally get a little homesick and miss certain things about being at home. Friends and family go without saying, but here are a few random things that I just can't get my fix of over here:
1) Diners. Living in a different country really makes you appreciate a good, old-fashioned American diner. Cheap breakfasts with real bacon. Milkshakes. Omelettes the size of your face.
2) Driving. Now I wouldn't ever really want to drive in London, and I have no need to given the transport system, but I do sometimes miss driving my car with the windows down and the radio blasting.
3) Home-cooked food (not home-cooked by me). This isn't because the food I make isn't good, but I do miss having other people decide what's for dinner and make it for me. I sometimes lack the creativity to make the types of dinners I can get at home. Probably laziness more than anything.
4) Real snow. It snowed for a few hours here in London today. And not a single flake remained once they hit the ground. Very anti-climactic.
5) Trail mix. So this is rather random, and I probably could find this at the Whole Foods or somewhere similar, but it has been impossible to find at my regular markets and I basically lived on trail mix over the summer. I'm in withdrawal.
6) Having a microwave. Again, if I wanted to have a microwave here I could just buy one, but I'm incredibly cheap when it comes to things I feel like I can survive without. It was only when I went home for Christmas that I remembered how convenient it is to be able to reheat leftovers without having to turn on the oven and wait at least 15 minutes.
7) Coffee milk. This is a distinctly Rhode Island thing. Coffee syrup in milk--like chocolate milk except it tastes like coffee ice cream. I actually did bring a bottle here with me but it's nearly gone now even though I've been rationing it. I need a re-supply asap.
1) Diners. Living in a different country really makes you appreciate a good, old-fashioned American diner. Cheap breakfasts with real bacon. Milkshakes. Omelettes the size of your face.
2) Driving. Now I wouldn't ever really want to drive in London, and I have no need to given the transport system, but I do sometimes miss driving my car with the windows down and the radio blasting.
3) Home-cooked food (not home-cooked by me). This isn't because the food I make isn't good, but I do miss having other people decide what's for dinner and make it for me. I sometimes lack the creativity to make the types of dinners I can get at home. Probably laziness more than anything.
4) Real snow. It snowed for a few hours here in London today. And not a single flake remained once they hit the ground. Very anti-climactic.
5) Trail mix. So this is rather random, and I probably could find this at the Whole Foods or somewhere similar, but it has been impossible to find at my regular markets and I basically lived on trail mix over the summer. I'm in withdrawal.
6) Having a microwave. Again, if I wanted to have a microwave here I could just buy one, but I'm incredibly cheap when it comes to things I feel like I can survive without. It was only when I went home for Christmas that I remembered how convenient it is to be able to reheat leftovers without having to turn on the oven and wait at least 15 minutes.
7) Coffee milk. This is a distinctly Rhode Island thing. Coffee syrup in milk--like chocolate milk except it tastes like coffee ice cream. I actually did bring a bottle here with me but it's nearly gone now even though I've been rationing it. I need a re-supply asap.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Adventures with the Doctor in Cardiff
This Friday I journeyed to distant, mysterious Wales to spend the day in Cardiff. Nerdy and beer-accompanied shenanigans ensued.
I went with a friend of mine from the States mainly to go to the Doctor Who Experience. As any fellow Doctor Who fan could guess, it was completely awesome. I got to go inside the TARDIS (and yes, someone did say, 'It's bigger on the inside'), I saw Weeping Angels and Daleks, a whole collection of sonic screwdrivers, David Tennant's trench coat and so much more nerd paraphernalia. If you're not a fan you'll likely have no idea what I'm talking about, but trust me, it was fantastic. I also got to freak out about seeing locations from Torchwood (particularly the exact spot to get into the secret headquarters). Again, if you're not a fan, I apologize for how insane I sound right now. And you should probably start watching some Doctor Who.
Other than that, we wandered around the Cardiff Bay area, which is quite pretty. You've got the Millennium Centre, which is really cool, Roald Dahl Plass, and, of course, the views of the water. We also tested out a few different pubs and bars. Had some Welsh beer, fish and chips, lamb cawl (stew), and a slightly overpriced 'molecular cocktail' (not all at the same place, clearly). All-in-all, Cardiff was a pretty neat city. Fair bit of nightlife and some nice sights. I was also just glad to get out into other parts of Britain. The country girl in me was glad to see some countryside (including lots of sheep) on the train ride. Good company and beer didn't hurt either.
I went with a friend of mine from the States mainly to go to the Doctor Who Experience. As any fellow Doctor Who fan could guess, it was completely awesome. I got to go inside the TARDIS (and yes, someone did say, 'It's bigger on the inside'), I saw Weeping Angels and Daleks, a whole collection of sonic screwdrivers, David Tennant's trench coat and so much more nerd paraphernalia. If you're not a fan you'll likely have no idea what I'm talking about, but trust me, it was fantastic. I also got to freak out about seeing locations from Torchwood (particularly the exact spot to get into the secret headquarters). Again, if you're not a fan, I apologize for how insane I sound right now. And you should probably start watching some Doctor Who.
Other than that, we wandered around the Cardiff Bay area, which is quite pretty. You've got the Millennium Centre, which is really cool, Roald Dahl Plass, and, of course, the views of the water. We also tested out a few different pubs and bars. Had some Welsh beer, fish and chips, lamb cawl (stew), and a slightly overpriced 'molecular cocktail' (not all at the same place, clearly). All-in-all, Cardiff was a pretty neat city. Fair bit of nightlife and some nice sights. I was also just glad to get out into other parts of Britain. The country girl in me was glad to see some countryside (including lots of sheep) on the train ride. Good company and beer didn't hurt either.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
My Secret Life as a Hipster
The theme of this week's post is "enjoying the little things." Such as my new gym, which I pay way too much for but it makes me happy, so I'm just going with it. It's in Shoreditch, which can be summed up as: lots of hipsters with bleached hair and studded shoes and oh-so-cool bars (which are very aware of how cool they are). But in the case of this gym, the hipster vibe actually works. It's under some train tracks in this old factory or warehouse that they've fixed up--lots of exposed brick and architecturally-chic archways. The atmosphere combined with the fantastic dance classes I've been taking there make the fees worth it because it just brightens my day--and gets me off my ass and away from my seemingly endless stream of research.
Another day-brightening thing that occurred recently was my discovery of a new bar that I've fallen in love with. Usually when I go out, I just try to buy whichever drinks are cheapest, but occasionally, I like to get my hipster on and have really fancy artisan cocktails. I'm secretly just a little bit obsessed with cocktails made with egg whites or infused with thyme or made with housemade espresso bitters or any of that ridiculous stuff. Anyway, this past week I went out with a friend of mine to this great bar called the City of London Distillery, which has some great cocktails and makes their own gin, plus it's not overly pretentious. The drinks are actually reasonably priced (especially considering the price you pay for a whiskey and coke at any club in the city) and they effectively turned me into a gin fan. It also helped that as soon as I sat down and told the waiter I knew nothing about gin he proceeded to bring three bottles of different types to the table for me to sample. Many delicious drinks (and a few more free samples) followed and by the end of the night we were on a first-name basis with basically everyone who worked there. That is a good night out.
Another day-brightening thing that occurred recently was my discovery of a new bar that I've fallen in love with. Usually when I go out, I just try to buy whichever drinks are cheapest, but occasionally, I like to get my hipster on and have really fancy artisan cocktails. I'm secretly just a little bit obsessed with cocktails made with egg whites or infused with thyme or made with housemade espresso bitters or any of that ridiculous stuff. Anyway, this past week I went out with a friend of mine to this great bar called the City of London Distillery, which has some great cocktails and makes their own gin, plus it's not overly pretentious. The drinks are actually reasonably priced (especially considering the price you pay for a whiskey and coke at any club in the city) and they effectively turned me into a gin fan. It also helped that as soon as I sat down and told the waiter I knew nothing about gin he proceeded to bring three bottles of different types to the table for me to sample. Many delicious drinks (and a few more free samples) followed and by the end of the night we were on a first-name basis with basically everyone who worked there. That is a good night out.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Random Things I've Noticed Living in London
As I've been living in London now for almost five months (give or take a few weeks), here are a few random things that I've noticed about living here:
1. While it doesn't rain constantly as some people would have you believe, really, fully sunny days are pretty rare so it's important to take advantage of them, even if it's cold out. Unfortunately illness kind of ruined my weekend and I missed a lovely day today, but on Friday it was gorgeous out and I took full advantage. Even when it's a bit chilly, you can't go wrong with a sunny stroll through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
2. I've become pretty used to the British accent but there are still random moments when it's just so gosh darn charming. E.g., when the lady working at the corner pharmacy called me "my lovie."
3. This last one isn't so much something I've noticed as a problem that I've developed. Basically, my spelling has become bipolar. Do I write favor or favour? Criticize or criticise? When I'm taking notes I find myself writing half my words in British English and half in American English. Let's just say I'm grammatically confused.
That's all for now. Just a brief look at the random places my mind goes to when I'm out and about in London.
1. While it doesn't rain constantly as some people would have you believe, really, fully sunny days are pretty rare so it's important to take advantage of them, even if it's cold out. Unfortunately illness kind of ruined my weekend and I missed a lovely day today, but on Friday it was gorgeous out and I took full advantage. Even when it's a bit chilly, you can't go wrong with a sunny stroll through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
2. I've become pretty used to the British accent but there are still random moments when it's just so gosh darn charming. E.g., when the lady working at the corner pharmacy called me "my lovie."
3. This last one isn't so much something I've noticed as a problem that I've developed. Basically, my spelling has become bipolar. Do I write favor or favour? Criticize or criticise? When I'm taking notes I find myself writing half my words in British English and half in American English. Let's just say I'm grammatically confused.
That's all for now. Just a brief look at the random places my mind goes to when I'm out and about in London.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Tesco on a Saturday (aka: Hell)
So under normal circumstances I actually enjoy going to the supermarket. Once I got to college and was required to shop for myself, I found it to be a pretty enjoyable experience. I make a nice, organized list, I plan out meals for the week, I get free samples if I'm really lucky. Overall, I like food and I like finding yummy stuff to cook for myself.
However, since coming to the UK, I have found grocery shopping to be a hellish experience nearly every time I have to do it. This probably has to do with the fact that the supermarket near my flat is an enormous 24-hour monstrosity--like a SuperWal-Mart in the US. I made the terrible mistake of going there on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and nearly lost my life multiple times. There are so many people, but that's not the issue. At the risk of making a cultural generalization here, when I've shopped in the US, even when it's really busy people are usually (usually being the key word) relatively calm and (again usually) not overly rude in any way. At the Tesco, where I shop here, however, a large proportion of people seem pretty willing to plow you down in pursuit of their produce. There are no rules of the road, so to speak.
God forbid you stop on the side of the aisle to pick a cheese--you will have people on all sides swerving around you trying to be the first one's to reach the yoghurt section. I do my best to stay zen, but by the end of my trip I'm usually working hard to control the urge to ram my cart into the next person to cut me off or give me a dirty look for taking too long to choose a type of jam.
In conclusion, for my own sanity and the safety of the fine people at the Tesco I have decided that I should commit to online grocery shopping from now on. Small delivery fee, no carrying of groceries on the bus, and I don't have to experience homicidal tendencies? Sounds good to me.
However, since coming to the UK, I have found grocery shopping to be a hellish experience nearly every time I have to do it. This probably has to do with the fact that the supermarket near my flat is an enormous 24-hour monstrosity--like a SuperWal-Mart in the US. I made the terrible mistake of going there on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and nearly lost my life multiple times. There are so many people, but that's not the issue. At the risk of making a cultural generalization here, when I've shopped in the US, even when it's really busy people are usually (usually being the key word) relatively calm and (again usually) not overly rude in any way. At the Tesco, where I shop here, however, a large proportion of people seem pretty willing to plow you down in pursuit of their produce. There are no rules of the road, so to speak.
God forbid you stop on the side of the aisle to pick a cheese--you will have people on all sides swerving around you trying to be the first one's to reach the yoghurt section. I do my best to stay zen, but by the end of my trip I'm usually working hard to control the urge to ram my cart into the next person to cut me off or give me a dirty look for taking too long to choose a type of jam.
In conclusion, for my own sanity and the safety of the fine people at the Tesco I have decided that I should commit to online grocery shopping from now on. Small delivery fee, no carrying of groceries on the bus, and I don't have to experience homicidal tendencies? Sounds good to me.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Please excuse how cheesy this post is...
Today it was really sunny and mild out so I walked home from class across the Waterloo Bridge. With the view up and down the Thames and the sunshine it was a pretty nice reminder that my life right now is actually pretty awesome, despite the work and craziness that goes along with being a grad student. Sometimes I think everyone needs a little reminder of what's good in our lives because we can get so caught up in the stress and minutiae of things that really won't matter in a couple months or years time. That's a problem I deal with anyway. So it's important, every once in awhile, to be reminded that there's more to life than work and deadlines.
(Alright, that's it for the cheesiness. As you were.)
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Political speeches, Art, and Transvestites--A Normal Weekend in London
After a period of readjustment to London life, I had a fantastic weekend to jumpstart the semester. It started on Friday (as all weekends should) with a pretty major speech by Leon Panetta--the U.S. Secretary of Defense for all you non-political nerds. One of the perks of attending a renowned school in a major international city. So I got to hear some interesting points and rub elbows with some (presumably) important people. My excitement might come off as snobbish, but it's not often I get to feel so important, so just let me have this one.
After the speech I went to the National Gallery, which I surprisingly hadn't visited yet in the past four months. It was particularly pretty in Trafalgar Square that morning because it was snowing. I'm one of those strange people who actually loves snow so I was quite excited about this. In any case, it's better than rain. At the museum there was an interesting exhibit contrasting classic paintings with early and modern photographs. It was definitely interesting if you're into that whole "art" thing (which I am). I didn't wander the rest of the museum much but I will definitely go back to see the Van Goghs and Degas, preferably on a weekday to avoid the dreaded tourists. (I'm past the point of being a tourist at this point right?)
My enjoyable day continued later that night at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. And, yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. It's one of the oldest pubs in London with cool cave-like cellars and cozy fireplaces. I met a high school friend there who is here in London for a few months and we shot the breeze for awhile, while drinking numerous pints of course. We even made friends with a group of Brits who joined our table and proceeded to buy us more pints. It was an excellent night of comparing American and British culture which ended with us closing the place down. We may even have been asked repeatedly to leave because they were about to lock us in. But to be fair, most of the pubs here close shockingly early.
The rest of the weekend was quite good as well. Went out with some great people on Saturday night for a theme party (Thrift Shop clothing only) at a club (The Borderline, for future reference) which played some great old-school indie rock. I was also quite pleased because the crowd wasn't the usual 18-year-olds getting wasted and falling all over the place. Plus there were some lovely transvestites and/or cross-dressers we befriended. Love the eclecticism of London. Makes life a lot more interesting.
After the speech I went to the National Gallery, which I surprisingly hadn't visited yet in the past four months. It was particularly pretty in Trafalgar Square that morning because it was snowing. I'm one of those strange people who actually loves snow so I was quite excited about this. In any case, it's better than rain. At the museum there was an interesting exhibit contrasting classic paintings with early and modern photographs. It was definitely interesting if you're into that whole "art" thing (which I am). I didn't wander the rest of the museum much but I will definitely go back to see the Van Goghs and Degas, preferably on a weekday to avoid the dreaded tourists. (I'm past the point of being a tourist at this point right?)
My enjoyable day continued later that night at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. And, yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. It's one of the oldest pubs in London with cool cave-like cellars and cozy fireplaces. I met a high school friend there who is here in London for a few months and we shot the breeze for awhile, while drinking numerous pints of course. We even made friends with a group of Brits who joined our table and proceeded to buy us more pints. It was an excellent night of comparing American and British culture which ended with us closing the place down. We may even have been asked repeatedly to leave because they were about to lock us in. But to be fair, most of the pubs here close shockingly early.
The rest of the weekend was quite good as well. Went out with some great people on Saturday night for a theme party (Thrift Shop clothing only) at a club (The Borderline, for future reference) which played some great old-school indie rock. I was also quite pleased because the crowd wasn't the usual 18-year-olds getting wasted and falling all over the place. Plus there were some lovely transvestites and/or cross-dressers we befriended. Love the eclecticism of London. Makes life a lot more interesting.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Back to Reality
I'm back London. Just returned this morning from my three-week break from reality in good old Rhode Island, USA. It's definitely a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, I now have to get back to work (and having gotten next to no work done while on vacation, this is entirely unappealing) and I had to say goodbye to family and friends for an indefinite period of time. On the other hand, London is a pretty excellent place to live and, once my jet lag wears off, I'm excited to get back into the swing of things here.
The next two weeks probably won't provide much of interest to write about as I will be chained to a desk in the library attempting to write a paper that has proved impossible to research effectively. But hopefully this will be followed by a really eventful and exciting term with lots of fuel for the blog fire. For now, I'm off to readjust to Greenwich Mean Time (and use my jet lag as an excuse to push work off til tomorrow).
The next two weeks probably won't provide much of interest to write about as I will be chained to a desk in the library attempting to write a paper that has proved impossible to research effectively. But hopefully this will be followed by a really eventful and exciting term with lots of fuel for the blog fire. For now, I'm off to readjust to Greenwich Mean Time (and use my jet lag as an excuse to push work off til tomorrow).
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