Thursday, October 21st
Got into the Stansted airport and caught a bus into London. The bus dropped us off at Finchley Road and then we took the tube to Willesden Green. The tub is FANTASTIC! We checked into our hostel and met our roommates for the first 4 days, Josephine and Evie who are both from Sweden and are very nice. Then we went downtown to Oxford Circus and walked around looking for a place to eat. Turns out they don't serve late in London like they do in Italy, kitchens here close at 10 or 10:30! So since it was 10:30 we just grabbed some McDonald's which actually tasted pretty darn good. I had a massive headache though from being tired so we went back and called it an early night. Hostel perks: free breakfast and internet!
Friday, October 22nd
We woke up, ate breakfast and headed back down to Oxford Circus today. We walked around for a long time just looking at buildings and shops. Then we went to Buckingham palace but were a little disappointed because they only change guards every other day in the fall/winter. Then we walked to Westminister Abby and Big Ben and took some pictures. We ate at a little pub nearby and had jacket potatoes with chicken, bacon and cheese. They were delicious! I washed it down with a Strongbow, a cider that is hard to find in Italy.
After that we stopped back by Oxford Circus at a tourist shop and bought postcards and souvenirs. We went back to the hostel and got ready to go out on the town. We went to the Soho district and once we located the bar we wanted to go to we found some food. It was unusually difficult to find a place with fish and chips, but we did. I was a little disappointed though, it wasn't that great. We stayed at Candy Bar all night and it was......."unforgettable" I guess. We even met some "nuns" at the bar who were really fun :P
Saturday, October 23rd
Today was the best so far because I went and saw WICKED!!!! It was AMAZING! I had delays getting there because the train doesn't run at some of the stops on weekends so I had to take the bus, but apparently it was to my advantage. I arrived 40 minutes before the show and the ticket guy said if I had come 1 hour earlier there would've been nothing. Then he told me it would be 62 pounds and my jaw dropped! That's a lot of money for a matinee! I asked if he had a student discount and he did. It was only 25 pounds since I am a student. Score!!! Since I saved so much I even bought a program :) After seeing the musical I kind of want to go into that industry. They do tons of public relations/communications work. I think it would be fabulous...but it would mean living in Chicago if I want to stay in the Midwest...we will see.
Didn't really do much else the rest of the day since the musical was right in the middle of the day. Paige and I ordered a late night pizza and had it delivered. It was delicious and tasted like America :P
Sunday, October 24th
What a busy day! We woke up and had breakfast and then headed right to the bus (because the train was still out) and went to Tower Hill to see the London Tower and the Tower Bridge. It was a little pricey to get in but it was pretty cool. I thought the part on the old torture techniques was pretty interesting, and scary! I also finally got to see one of those guards in the red uniform with the big, black furry hat! Paige and I actually made him laugh, so that was pretty fun. We got lunch inside the castle walls and it was delicious! I had winter minestrone soup and french baguettes. It was soooo good!
When we left the Tower we looked at the Tower Bridge, took pictures, then crossed it. We stopped by Shakespeare's Globe Theater but there was a performance going on so we couldn't go inside. We continued along the river to Tate Modern Museum where there was the sunflower seed display that I really wanted to see. It was really neat! A huge room filled with hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. You could sit along the edges and write things with the seeds. Very cool!
Then we caught the tube to Camden Town to go to the market. We were pretty tired by this time so we didn't go very far into the market, but we did find some awesome Converse shoes! I bought my first pair of Chucks ever :) They are black and have a double tongue that you can fold down so it is bright blue! I like how it looks. I also had the best steak sandwich ever! It was basically a Philly cheese steak, but so much better! It had steak, mushrooms, onions, and cheese on a french baguette (my new favorite type of bread). Simply amazing! And it was only 3.50 and was probably as long as a footlong sub, if not longer, made fresh right in front of me.
The rest of the evening consisted of Paige and I packing our bags and hanging out because we had to switch rooms for the last night in the hostel.
Monday, October 25th
Another busy busy day! Paige and I started out at Oxford Circus because she wanted to go to a couple of clothing stores. I ended up giving up to peer pressure and buying my first pair of true skinny jeans. They are light gray...I haven't decided how I feel about them yet, but they do look pretty sweet with my new chucks! After shopping we went to Covent Garden and found a tea shop! I bought some instant tea and it is delicious and very very sweet :) Like me! When we left the store we caught the end of a street performance that was pretty cool. This guy climbed a free standing ladder and then juggled knives at the top!
After the show we got lunch at White Lion. I hesitantly tried fish and chips again and was NOT disappointed! It was AMAZING! Very very very good fish and chips. I also had some Strongbow again...had to drink it while it was available! After lunch Paige and I split ways because we wanted to see different things and I had a great time.
I went to Hyde Park which was amazing. I have missed being around grass and trees since I have been overseas and this place definitely fulfilled my nature needs. The trees were turning, the sun was shining and it was just beautiful. Throughout the park there were sculptures by a featured artist that were reflective but turned everything upside down. They were really neat. I spent a long time just walking around and snapping pictures.
After the park I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I had a lot of time to burn, so I went to the Clockmakers museum first. It wasn't the most thrilling thing I've ever seen, but it was still interesting. Even after the museum I had some time to waste so I bought a chocolate milk and a granola bar and sat on the steps of the cathedral while I waited for the Evensong Mass. The mass was very cool. Unfortunately the choir boys were gone on 1/2 semester break (just like me!) so they weren't there. However, they brought in another choir and they were really good. The acoustics of the church made the singing very cool.
After mass I headed back to the hostel, stopping on the way to grab some take-out Chinese food. It was actually pretty good! It was nice to be in a country where I could get the same type of food I get in the States. I had Doritos too! They were delicious. The rest of the evening was packing and preparing to leave the hostel at 3 AM for Sicily. Yucky!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
European Chocolate Festival, Venice and Midterms
Last Friday I joined my friend's class to go to the 2010 European Chocolate Festival in Perugia. It was AWESOME! The bus ride was a little long, about 2 hours I think each way, but it was definitely worth it. We paid 30 Euros and that paid for the transportation and a chocolate card that allowed you to have free samples at a few of the places!
The best thing I had were these chocolate raviolis that were made of 40% chocolate pasta and filled with a chocolate cream. The ones I had were almost the texture of a croissant and then they were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberries. It was simply amazing. I also bought a hunk of dark chocolate with almonds inside which was quite tasty.
One of the stands for free samples was hot cocoa, except it is NOTHING like the hot chocolate in the states. Here it is basically melted chocolate, they served it to us with a spoon! The brand is Ciobar and they were filming commercials for Italian MTV at the festival. My friends and I volunteered and they had us put on silly costumes and gave us silly props, then had us dance around to their theme song. It was really fun, AND we got another free hot chocolate out of the deal :P
On Saturday morning the program I came here with (Wells College out of NY) had a trip to Venice. I was really excited to see the blown glass and have a gondola ride, but my spirits were quickly dampened. The weather was not pretty at all and the tide was really high, so we were unable to get to Murano, the island with the blown glass, and we also didn't get a gondola ride. However, I had a really good time hanging out with the girls from my program who I don't get to see very often at school because of different schedules. That was probably the best part, just having a relaxing weekend. We went on a couple of tours of a church and some historical buildings, but other than that we didn't do much. The main highlight of the trip was the dinner we had paid for. I had the BEST vegetarian lasagna I have ever had in my life. It was delicious.
You will all be happy to know that I have completed my 5 midterms! This week I had 2 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday (and a paper due!), and 1 today (Thursday). It was definitely stressful, but now I am done and get to go on VACATION!
I will post pictures from the chocolate festival and from Venice when I get back. I will also try to post my pictures from this break soon after my return! I love you all and miss you!
A Presto!
The best thing I had were these chocolate raviolis that were made of 40% chocolate pasta and filled with a chocolate cream. The ones I had were almost the texture of a croissant and then they were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberries. It was simply amazing. I also bought a hunk of dark chocolate with almonds inside which was quite tasty.
One of the stands for free samples was hot cocoa, except it is NOTHING like the hot chocolate in the states. Here it is basically melted chocolate, they served it to us with a spoon! The brand is Ciobar and they were filming commercials for Italian MTV at the festival. My friends and I volunteered and they had us put on silly costumes and gave us silly props, then had us dance around to their theme song. It was really fun, AND we got another free hot chocolate out of the deal :P
On Saturday morning the program I came here with (Wells College out of NY) had a trip to Venice. I was really excited to see the blown glass and have a gondola ride, but my spirits were quickly dampened. The weather was not pretty at all and the tide was really high, so we were unable to get to Murano, the island with the blown glass, and we also didn't get a gondola ride. However, I had a really good time hanging out with the girls from my program who I don't get to see very often at school because of different schedules. That was probably the best part, just having a relaxing weekend. We went on a couple of tours of a church and some historical buildings, but other than that we didn't do much. The main highlight of the trip was the dinner we had paid for. I had the BEST vegetarian lasagna I have ever had in my life. It was delicious.
You will all be happy to know that I have completed my 5 midterms! This week I had 2 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday (and a paper due!), and 1 today (Thursday). It was definitely stressful, but now I am done and get to go on VACATION!
I will post pictures from the chocolate festival and from Venice when I get back. I will also try to post my pictures from this break soon after my return! I love you all and miss you!
A Presto!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Un po di Pisa e Cinque Terre (A little of Pisa and Cinque Terre)
This past weekend I went with my friends Jessica and SaraClaire to Cinque Terre. We left at 6:30 AM to head to the train station, expecting to leave at 7:10 at arrive in the Cinque Terre around 11. The train did not leave until 7:40AM and when we got to Pisa I thought we needed to change trains. Turns out we didn't have to change trains, but it was too late. Since it was a two hour wait until the next train, we decided to go find the leaning tower of Pisa! It turned out to be just perfect. We got to the tower, took the stereotypical pictures holding up/pushing down the tower and then walked back to the station. On the way back we stopped at a pastry/chocolate shop and I got a croissant filled with Apricot marmalade. It was delicious!
Once we were back on the train we were golden until we had to switch trains at La Spezia. We ended up having an hour wait for the train so we went and got lunch. That turned out wonderful too because I got a HUGE margarita pizza for only E5! We caught the train from La Spezia and finally arrived in Monterosso. We found our hotel and it was very comfortable. It was nothing too fancy, but it was clean and pretty spacious-all for only E25 each! Not bad!
Then we hopped on the train to go back to Riomaggiore, the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre and were going to work our way back up to number 3. However, once we got on the train it went zooming past all the towns and arrived in La Spezia! We had accidentally gotten on the express train! Thank the Lord the conductor didn't ask to see our tickets because we would've gotten fined! Luckily too we were able to get right back on a train to go back to the town we needed. Once we got off in Riomaggiore we started our amazing walk. We walked between Riomaggiore and Manarola. This walk is called "Via Del'Amore" or "Walk of love". It was very beautiful and not very long at all. Along the path are locks locked to chains, ropes, rails, everything really. The locks represent people locking their love there forever. Pretty cute :) The little towns also had tons of character! From Manarola to Corniglia we had to take a train because the path was closed. Once we arrived in the train station we had to climb 382 steps to get to where the town was located. (I only know how many steps because there was a sign at the top!) It was very beautiful though!
After Corniglia we headed back to our town (Monterosso) and went out to dinner. The place was very nice and the food was excellent. Jessica and I both got pasta with a mushroom sauce and SaraClaire got an amazing Pesto pasta dish. Of course after dinner we had to get gelato too :) We went to bed very early that night and got a great night's sleep. It was perfect!
In the morning we packed up and walked around the sea in Monterosso. Then we got on the train and headed to the last town that we had not seen, Vernazza. Vernazza was very beautiful. We looked in a lot of the different shops, hung out by the sea for a while, and got delicious focaccia bread. Mine had pesto on it! Then Jessica and SaraClaire wanted to look at more shops but I didn't really want to, so I sat on a bench and read my book for a while. It was nice to relax! Once we had burned some time we hopped on the train to La Spezia and from there we returned home with NO PROBLEMS! It was way better than the trip there!
I can't wait for my parents to come because I know my mom really wants to go to Cinque Terre. It is very beautiful, and if the weather is nice I would like to spend more time there and hike some of the longer trails! I know it would be absolutely breathtaking!
Make sure to check out my online photo album for pictures from this trip! Click here to go to the photo site!
Once we were back on the train we were golden until we had to switch trains at La Spezia. We ended up having an hour wait for the train so we went and got lunch. That turned out wonderful too because I got a HUGE margarita pizza for only E5! We caught the train from La Spezia and finally arrived in Monterosso. We found our hotel and it was very comfortable. It was nothing too fancy, but it was clean and pretty spacious-all for only E25 each! Not bad!
Then we hopped on the train to go back to Riomaggiore, the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre and were going to work our way back up to number 3. However, once we got on the train it went zooming past all the towns and arrived in La Spezia! We had accidentally gotten on the express train! Thank the Lord the conductor didn't ask to see our tickets because we would've gotten fined! Luckily too we were able to get right back on a train to go back to the town we needed. Once we got off in Riomaggiore we started our amazing walk. We walked between Riomaggiore and Manarola. This walk is called "Via Del'Amore" or "Walk of love". It was very beautiful and not very long at all. Along the path are locks locked to chains, ropes, rails, everything really. The locks represent people locking their love there forever. Pretty cute :) The little towns also had tons of character! From Manarola to Corniglia we had to take a train because the path was closed. Once we arrived in the train station we had to climb 382 steps to get to where the town was located. (I only know how many steps because there was a sign at the top!) It was very beautiful though!
After Corniglia we headed back to our town (Monterosso) and went out to dinner. The place was very nice and the food was excellent. Jessica and I both got pasta with a mushroom sauce and SaraClaire got an amazing Pesto pasta dish. Of course after dinner we had to get gelato too :) We went to bed very early that night and got a great night's sleep. It was perfect!
In the morning we packed up and walked around the sea in Monterosso. Then we got on the train and headed to the last town that we had not seen, Vernazza. Vernazza was very beautiful. We looked in a lot of the different shops, hung out by the sea for a while, and got delicious focaccia bread. Mine had pesto on it! Then Jessica and SaraClaire wanted to look at more shops but I didn't really want to, so I sat on a bench and read my book for a while. It was nice to relax! Once we had burned some time we hopped on the train to La Spezia and from there we returned home with NO PROBLEMS! It was way better than the trip there!
I can't wait for my parents to come because I know my mom really wants to go to Cinque Terre. It is very beautiful, and if the weather is nice I would like to spend more time there and hike some of the longer trails! I know it would be absolutely breathtaking!
Make sure to check out my online photo album for pictures from this trip! Click here to go to the photo site!
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