last day in Paris

today was pretty chill and we lazily walked around the city and saw the sacre creu, and the moulin rouge. We had a delcious crepe from a little stand in a back alley and just wandered around. I am excited to come back to Paris again some day and do somethings I really couldn't do this short trip....this city is so beautiful (a little smelly) and has so much to offer! I really do admire Europe....

Since I am so exhausted we decided to come back to the hotel and chill for a while before heading out to see some fireworks later tonight and then calling it quits and going to bed early so we can get up early and catch out train back to London! I am so excited to get to Sweden I can hardly stand it....only a few more days.

xoxo Jackie

catch up day

30 July, 2008
Today we spent all day in Dublin walking around the city…I think I walked 100 miles, or at least 10 for sure. I saw all of the typical tourist stuff like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Stephen’s Green, The Customs House, the Famine memorial, Christ Church, and St. Catherine’s. Of course we did not miss the Guinness storehouse tour! That actually may have been my favorite part of the day! Just to touch on some key points of the trip:
- When we tried to go to bed the night before, there were people in our beds….drunk passed out teenagers….American too. Oh, well. We got it sorted out and slept for a few house before getting up at 630am and walking to a coffee shop.
- We couldn’t get into Christ Church because they were filming a TV show called the Tudors. It didn’t matter too much because it was good enough just looking at the outside.
- We went to the Guinness factory as soon as they opened at 930 in the morning. It was actually really interesting and we spent over an hour walking around and learning about beer! Barley, Hops, Water, Yeast….that is all!
- I got Dad to split a Donor Kebab with me for lunch and for a man who says he doesn’t like lamb, he sure liked the Kebab as it only last 10 seconds on our plate.
- When we went to St. Steven’s Green we sat in the park for an hour and watched the Irish Army Band play. They were quite good and it was a much needed rest for the ole feet.
- We decided that we had seen enough and had enough fun (aka spent enough money) and headed to the airport a little early just to chill. We got back to England around 10 and just packed and went to bed early because our train was leaving at 853 the next morning.

31 July, 2008
Oh what an early morning it was. I woke up at 530am to shower, get completely packed, checked out, and ready to leave. I also must say that lugging a 50+ pound bag one mile is definitely not what you want to be doing at 630 in the morning. We caught a train then switched to a tube (which meant lugging that same bag up and down flights of stairs) and finally made it to Kings Cross to catch our Eurostar train to PARIS! I can’t say that I remember much about the train ride because I slept the whole two hours it took to get there…I must have been very tired and trains just rock me to sleep.
When we finally got to our stop at Disneyland, we took a quick little bus to our hotel where I had an interesting encounter with a Swedish family. I figured out that they were a Swedish family when the mother was laughing at a large American southern woman who was being rude to the bus driver for not knowing exactly what to say to her in English as he was French. When we got off the bus, the husband grabbed by bag for me and took it off the bus for me and I thanked him in Swedish. The funny part was when the mother continued to speak Swedish to my dad assuming that since I said thank you in Swedish that he would obviously know it too! Anyways, I continued to have a quick five minute conversation with her and her 10 year old daughter in Swedish of course, before parting ways. My dad was in awe because I don’t think he knew I could actually hold a little conversation with someone, and continued to ask me what I had said. I am excited to get to Sweden to learn more and try to practice!
Anyways, we checked in and walked over to the parks to check them out for a bit. We wandered around, grabbed some lunch and then walked back to the hotel to get our bags into our room. Oh it is so nice to have a big bed, and a shower that I don’t have to get out of to think. We went back to the parks later to catch some of the shows like the Lion King Stage show and of course a parade with all of the Disney characters. Side note, I sat next to a Danish dad and his 2 daughters during the parade….random I know.
All of that aside, my favorite thing about Disneyland Paris is definitely its multilingual experience. At first, I was put off that a lot of the stuff was in English and basically a smaller scale of Disneyworld in Orlando, which is nothing new for me. However, the more time we spent in the park the more I realized the real diversity of the park. We went in this one presentation called “The Art of Animation” and the last part of the show was in a theatre where they showed a movie montage of different classic Disney movies. At first I thought that they were all in English and French but as I continued listening, I realized they had almost every language recognizable. Just a few clips I saw was Mulan in Chinese, Aristocrats, Beauty in the Beast, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French, Pinocchio in Italian, Lion King in Spanish, Jungle Book and Lady and the Tramp in German, and Aladdin in Arabic….there were a few clips in English, but I’ve seen those so they weren’t as exciting! I honestly have not heard any Americans since we have been here and the only English speaking people I have heard have been British or Irish. I don’t mind though and I like being able to use the little bits of other languages I know ( I ordered in French today…thank goodness the menu was numbered because that is all I know in French beside hello, thank you, goodbye, and Do you speak English?)
Dad and I are spending the next 2 days in Paris which I am very excited for! I definitely am enjoying traveling a lot and may have opened Pandora’s Box. Oh well, I’ll run out of money and then I won’t be able to travel until I get a job….no fun! Oh, I’m not so happy about the fact that the wifi is broken at all of the hotels here so I can’t get online….evidently it has been broken for 2 weeks, which I don’t understand with how much people rely on the internet when traveling internationally which is the majority of the people in these hotels. I hope it gets fixed soon!
1 August 1, 2008
Bonjour and greetings from Paris! Today we spent all day in Paris and I had a wonderful time. We woke up around 6 and went and got breakfast downstairs at our hotel. One thing I love about Europe is the amazing breakfast food. I think I am permanently hooked on Yogurt and granola with sandwiches! Yuuumy! After we got all ready to go we caught a train into Paris and got off around the Notre Dame Cathedral. We took some pictures and walked around a bit and then caught a boat to Champs Elysee (walk of champions) to the Arc de Triumph! It was so cool!! There were a ton of designer stores too!! We walked around a bit and went into some random shops and then decided to walk to the Eifel tower. It was good 15 minute walk to the tower and once we got there I was surprised at just how tall it really was! Dad and I got in line and walked up 686 stairs to just the second level! What a view of the city! We didn’t go all the way up because the top floor was closed for some reason when we were there but it was still an amazing view! We saw the Socre Creaue, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, and other great landmarks. After we made our descent, which I must admit was a little painful and I am quite proud of my dad for sticking it out, we got back on the boat and made our way back to the Louvre. It was only around 5pm and I wanted to wait until 6pm when it was free for students. We walked around the area and I ended up finding a great painting of the Eiffel tower that I think will compliment the painting I have of Big Ben from London….my new decorating scheme is definitely international! Finally it was 6 and we went into the Louvre and straight to the Mona Lisa. Weirdly enough they let you take picture in the museum so I have some great ones of the Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s Dying Soldier and Venus de Milo! I couldn’t believe how many people were there to see the Mona Lisa…I mean it was like a fight to the death just to get up and see the painting…people were more vicious than the day after Christmas sales.
After the Louvre we decided to head home since it was already past 8 and time for a nice dinner. We ended up having an amazing dinner with such amazing food including salmon, duck, cheese and bread, prawns, and other assorted gourmet dishes. I must say that the cheese was absolutely amazing second only to the great wine we had. Dad and I split a bottle, which we efficiently knocked out in an hour, which was a chardonnay from France…probably one of the best wines I have ever had. Oh yes, btw, I couldn’t take the heads off the prawns and I made Dad do it because it freaked me out. However, when it came time for dessert, I was slightly disappointed because they were out of tiramisu by the time I wanted dessert. I was so sad that I really almost cried. I made it through and dealt with the dilemma as best I could. By the end of the meal I think I tried everything there, and have thus determined that French food and wine is in a whole other league than the rest of the world. More to come tomorrow!
Xoxo Jackie

Greetings from Dublin!

So this morning Dad and I set out for Ireland for the next 2 days. We got up and had an english breakfast then caught the train to Gatwick and finally got to Dublin around 5. We checked into our hostel and then set out into the Temple Bar district. We walked around a bit and scoped things out then foudn this one pub called Oliver St. Gogarty right in the center of town with real irish music and everything. We had some AMAZING irish food ( cornbeef and cabbage and fish and chips) and then washed it all down with a pint of Guiness!! mmmmm.....I can't think of anythign more Irish to do while in Ireland! After we were finished drinking and eating ourselves silly we wandered around Temple Bar somemore and on O'Connell's Street ( the main drag in Dublin) then eventually found our way back to the hostel. My dad and I are going to play some billiards/pool upstairs then hit the hay because we are getting up really early to see all that we can before we have to catch our flight back to London at like 7 or 8 tomorrow night. We are hitting all of the historical places like the Guiness Storehouse, Jameson Whiskey Distillary, and Christ Church....all you need booze and god...word to live by. I'm going to Hell.....

See you all there!

xoxo Jackie

Very Long day

Today we woke up early and took a train into the city in efforts of seeing all of the things I have not seen in the month I have been here. The first place we went was Westminster Abbey, and it was a sight to see. If anyone ever goes to London spend the time (at least an hour) and the money to go inside the abbey. It was amazing to see the graves, memorials, and tombs of so many influencial people in Britain. (Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Issac Newton, Edward the Confessor, Handel, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Chaucer, and all monarchs dating back hundreds of years as well as the memorials of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Winston Churchill). It was easy to be humbled.

After that we wandered up to Whithall again and took pictures of the guards, then caught a tube to St Pauls, which we elected to just take a look inside rather than pay the inflated entrance fee. We decided to walk back to Westminster from St Pauls which was quite a trek, but at least Dad got to see Shakespeares Globe and part of the Queen's Walk. After that we headed to south Kensington to Harrods, but got side tracked by a pub called The Bunch of Grapes. We had a pint and split a fish and chips then made our way to Harrods. We didn't go in any stores but just hung around in the food halls which was fine with me....I may have gained 10 pounds just by looking at all of the candies and chocolates for sale in those rooms! After that we simply made our way home and relaxed being that we had been on our feet for 8 hours and walked nearly 10 miles! Tomorrow it's off to Dublin and I am very excited to be doing something new!

Until Then,
xoxo Jackie

Dad is Here!

Today Dad flew into London and I was going to pick him up at the airport around 730 or so. unfortunatly, the train stations had other plans for me. There was a fatality on my line earlier in teh morning which altered, delayed, and cancelled all of the trains going from Surbiton to Waterloo. I had to wait until half past 8 to leave the station and then all of those delays made delays on the tubes, so I didnt get to the airport until 10:30! I felt really bad because he had been waiting fo rme for 3 and a half hours! Oh well.....at least I got heathrows number and left him a message at the front desk so he didnt worry too much!

We headed back to Surbiton to drop off his bags and then off we went into the city! Our first stop was Camden Market where we had some great Indian Food and Potstickers, follwed by a dessert of a nutella crepe...ohh so good! We headed back toward central London and saw Buckingham Palace, said hi to the Queen for Grandma, and walked to Hard Rock Cafe. After that we headed toward oll of the tourist stuff liek BIg Ben, House of Parliment, Westminster Abbey and all that jazz. The coolthing was that this guy asked me for directions to 10 Downing Street which is where the Prime Minister lives so we decided to stop by there too! We walked through St. James Park and saw all of Whitehall (government district) and Gordon Browns current Prime Minister residency!

We walked back to Waterloo and hopped a train home, stopped by the grocery store and jsut relaxed....i think its a about bed time too bc we are both falling asleep and it's only 9:30. Oh well, we will just get up early tommarrow and head into London and see more things....I think Abbey Road, the Tower of London, and St. Pauls catherdral are on the docket tomorrow, then Westminster Abbey and other such things on Monday...thens its off to Ireland and Paris!! YEAH! Then I guess I will go to Stockholm and see my lovely boyfriend, who I miss a lot! :)

Until then,
xoxo Jackie

Last Day of Classes!!!!

So today was my last day of class and I am soooo happy! Now I can vacation and be stress free from school...no more learning for another 4 weeks! :)

I've done a few things this week that are worth mentioning:

-went to Brick Lane and ended in a pub with my class and professor...and then he bought us all a drink. London is such a different world....

-I won an award in my British Culture and Society class for the best independent essay....it was the one I wrote on Abbey Road! I got a little bag from the contemporary art museum.....if anyone wants it, its yours. It was nice though to be picked out of 80 other people for the best essay

-the farewell dinner was last night, and it was so fun! They provided each table (10 people) with 3 bottles of wine...weeee......and then we had a 3 course meal!! It was yummy!!!!!! After that almost all of us went out to a bar in Kingston and celebrated our last day....class was a little difficult this morning though.

-I'm alll done with class and I am ready to travel...I pick up dad at the airport tommarrow morning and then the fun begins!

cheers!
xoxo Jackie

Oxford

Today I went to Oxford with my class. It was ok, but nothing too incredibly exciting. The only really exciting part was that we found some really cool teeny tiny pubs and had a few pints of local brew. One of the pubs was where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein go to relax....I'm sure they don't go anymore now that it is relatively famous and well known as their hangout. WE went on a walking tour and then into the Christ Church which is the Hall that Harry Potter was modeled after. We spent alll day there and that was really all we did....oh well, at least I went and saw it. Oh I almost forgot. In the middle of one of the streets there is a section of the pavement that is old cobble stone that wasn't removed and paved over. It is the spot where The Arch Bishop of Canterbury was burned at the stake during the reformation....I'm pretty sure that is right?!? Oh well, my brain is on information overload right now so excuse my uncertainty. Well, only 1 more paper to write and a test on Thursday...then I am done!!!!!!! I am off to a rock and roll party downstairs then its off to bed....talk to you all later!

xoxo Jackie

Museums Galore!

Yesterday was a very educationally rich day to say the least! Actually, I think by the end of the day my brain was on overload from all of the things we saw and learned. Oscar and I woke a little earlier than usual and decided to go to some museums in London, being that they are nice and FREE! Oscar ran to the grocery store while I showered and got some stuff to make sandwiches for lunch. Mmmm and they were yummy...tomatoe, pesto, and mozzarella on a baguette! I packed up the lunches and we made our way into London around Kensington. The first museum we went was the Natural History Museum. We ate our lunch out on the lawn ( much more economical than eating at a cafe or something) and then made our way inside. There was some really interesting stuff too. Evidently, London is famous for its palentology work with dinosaurs and other prehistoric fossils. They had other sections on the human body, which was ok....but a little juvenille and uninteresting to me. After we muddled around in the there looking at dinosaurs and petrified trees, We made our way over to the Science Museum across the way. It was nothing like what I expected though. It was more about machines and technology than "science" or what I would call science. They had everything from steam engines to the first powered looms, to spaceshuttles, to other random machinery. The one part that I was somewhat interested in was the part where they had medical equiptment. They had the first MRI and the first CT scanners with info boards on when they were first created and how they were first created. Interesting to me I guess only because I have learned throughout my schooling how the new ones work and it was interesting to see how different and crude the first ones where...and how incredibly small and incomfortable they were. But then again, not everyone thinks that would be interesting but would love the steam engines....oh well.

The Next museum we went to was the Victorian Albert Museum. I don't know what I expected, mostly art I guess, but there was so much cool stuff to see in this museum. The one part I really loved was the fashion part. There were shoes and dresses dating back to the 1700s clear up to the present. Its so cool to see how things have changed over the years. They even had different styles of dress according to different fashion forward regions of the world like New York, London, and Milan. The other part of the museum we got to see was Raphael's cartoons for the tapestries in the Sistine Chapel. Oscar had a funny joke but I'm going to use it now....I guess that now I've seen Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael....the only one left is Donatello ( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?? I thought it was funny!) The last thing we did before the museum closed was we made our own coat of arms on this little computer thing and then you can email it to yourself! I think that is what I'm going to write my last paper on for my British Culture and Society class...liek the history and components of a coat of arms.

After we left the museum, we stopped in Harrods, which I have never been so it was interesting. I was surprised a little about how it was set up. Its kind of like a mall but more like little individual areas/designers/shops arranged in no particular fashion but more like a labyrinth that you could easily get lost in. I could never afford anything in there either, except maybe the stuff in the food court. They had a sweet shop that looked a little tempting I must say.

We decided that it was definately time to head home around 8 and caught a train. On our way home we were thinking about what we wanted to eat, realzing not too much is open that late on a Sunday night. However, there is an Indian Restaurant in Surbiton that we had been wanting to go too and it was open until midnight everynight!! Around 915 or so we went to the restaurant and I must say...it was delicous!! I had something called Chicken Tikiea Mussella which was chicken in a creamy spiced sauce. My favorite part of indian food in the non bread!! yummy fried like bread!! mmmmm. We had a nice little dessert called Fantasica....which it was...and then headed home around 1030....I love being able to eat out late!!

We headed to bed bc Oscar had to be at Liverpool Street Station at 540 this morning, which proved a little difficult considering the tubes dont start running until 550. We caught the first train into waterloo at 424.....oh yeah....we got up at 330....im pooped. Anyways, no one works that early in the morning obviously so we had to figure out how to get ourselves from Waterloo to Liverpool by Bus, which is my weak area....I hate buses! There happened to be a nice guy standing at the station who told us how to get where we were going and we made it with a few minutes to spare! Anyways, Oscar is on his way back to Sweden and is going up north with his family for a week. Only 4 more days of class for me though....I guess I should get on my 2 papers and start studying for my exam then. I can't wait to be done with classes so I can really enjoy my time here in Europe, worry free!! And in the next 2 weeks I will have added 2 more countries to my list....Ireland and France!! I'm so excited!!

Until Next time,
xoxo Jackie

Camden Market and Hyde Park

Today I slept in until 11....it was a late night out in Kingston last night. We finally got up and showered and decided to go to the Camden Market with Oscar, Rachel, and Sammy. It is such a cool market too!! There are 3 Markets in Camden Town that are called Camden market, Camden Lock, and Inverness Market. It reminds me a lot of the Markets in the Bahamas where you barder and haggle the prices down. I actually got a dress for 10 pounds that the guy started at 20 pounds, and bracelet made of handcrafted glass for a pound!! He told Sammy and I that it was because we asked the price with a smile. We walked around in the markets for at least 2 hours and I don't think we saw everything. They had clothes, jewlery, paintings, toys, fresh fruit, purses...anything and everything. My favorite part of the whole market was in the Camden Lock where there were TONS of Chinese, Indian, Moraccan, Italian, and other types of food stands. it was like walking into another world....it reminded me of what you see on the travel channel in places like Bangkok where it is really crowded and people are yelling at you different prices of their food and then yelling at each other ...it was really fun!

Sammy and Rachel decided to go see a show if they could get cheap tickets, and oscar and I decided to stay and check out more of the Market. We ate dinner from an Indian stand, which was DELICOUS, and then found our way back to the tube station. We made our way to Hyde park and walked around a bit...it definalty is a beautiful place. We are actually planning on going back tomorrow and eating a picnic lunch there! Anyways, we walked around a bit in the gardens and got a mint chocolate chip icecream cone and layed in the park by the lake and relaxed! After about another hour, it started getting cold andwe made our way back to Surbiton. We are going to be boring and just watch a movie and chill to conserve some money!

Tomorrow is Oscars last day here...we are going to museums, lunch in hyde park and then who knows. We have to get up very early on Monday because his flight leaves at 8am from Stanstead.....we will be leaving Surbiton around 5am....ewwwww.

Until Next time,

xoxo Jackie

Date Night in London!

So yesterday I had class until 4....ugh lecture for like 5 hours!!! I met Oscar at the train station and we went into London for the evening!! We went into Chinatown bc he wanted chinese food REALLy bad! We decided to go see what times Mamma Mia was playing before we ate and decided to wait until after the movie to get a full meal and just bought our tickets and split a donor kebab while we waited. Btw, movies in London are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive but it was such a great movie! I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can buy it! The music was so good, but it was pretty funny seeing 007 James Bond singing ABBA songs. We got programs bc we saw it in Leicester Square where the Opening was in London, nice little souveniere. After the movie, we decided to walk a round a bit to find a place to eat and decided after an hour that we should just go back to Kingston and find somewhere. We almost gave up when we found one real place open, a little Thai Restaurant. mmmm I love thai food! It was delicious! After we ate, it was after 1030 ( i love eating that late) and we decided to walk home which is about a 25-30 minutes walk. By the time we got home it was around 1115 and we just crashed....or at least I did. I had been up and going since 715 that morning and I was really looking forward to sleeping in! too bad the stupid cleaning people woke me up at 8am. Oh well, I just went back to sleep until 11, and now I'm going to work on a paper, do laundry, and grocery shop while oscar goes into London. I will meet him later I assume, and we will figure out what we are doing this evening! My flat mates are going to an IceBar....little chilly I would think, but it sounds fun! Until then,

xoxo Jackie

Catch up day...

Ok so we have been out of internet since Saturday, so I have a bit of cathcing up to do. I wrote what I would have posted in a word document and then I am cutting and pasteing them in order. Here you go...

Fabulous Saturday...July 12, 2008

So I decided that today would be a day of things I wanted to do and I would just go off and do them by myself and enjoy the lovely day!! I slept in as long as I could…which was about 1030…and got up and ate breakfast and just messed around awhile on the internet checking emails and booking my Eurostar ticket to Paris. Finally Ii decided to get in the shower and make my way into London! My original plan was to go to Madame Tussauds, but when I got there the queue 2 hours long. I decided that waiting for 2 hours to pay 20 pounds was not in my best interest so I decided to wander around the theatre district and see what was on for shows that evening. I wandered into the Avenue Q box office and asked the people there about tickets for the 5pm showing. I had found out earlier in the week that there were 10 pound tickets available with a restricted view but the guy told me that it wasn’t worth it because the view was rubbish. I asked him what the next cheapest tickets were and he said there were seats in the back row of the upper balcony for 20 pounds. But then he stopped himself and asked me if I was a student and then proceeded to tell me about the student deal they have. For students they offer a flat rate of 20 pounds for the best seat available in the house that night. Well it just so happened that front row center of the royal balcony was free for one seat, and it took me less than 1 second to jump on that! Those tickets are normally 55 or 60 pounds! What a DEAL! Anyways, I poked around the west end and decided to head over to the National Gallery. I saw some amazing paintings by DaVinci, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo. My favorite though was one by DaVinci, and I must have stood and stared at it for at least 20 minutes studying its every detail. It was just a simple sketching but it was so captivating. When I got up close to it, I realized that it was just a piece of canvas or paper that they had to slip into a frame for protection but the crude edges could still be seen within the frame. I illegally took a picture of it because I didn’t realize there was no photography until after I took the picture. Oh well, I didn’t take anymore.

After that I kicked it around the west end until 430, when I made my way to the theatre to get my seat. I talked to the guy in the seat next to me for a while who was also by himself. He is a member of the Royal Navy and was from Liverpool, which meant that his accent was so thick that I could barely understand him. Quib is a slang word for pound, and he actually called me a Yank! Anyway, the show was absolutely amazing! It was the first time that I had nothing negative to say about any of the actors’ talent. They were all absolutely outstanding and I would have to say that it was one of the best musicals I have ever seen in my entire life. I can’t wait to see another show again. I am hoping to see Phantom of the Opera!!

Well after that, I made my way back to my flat and had a Mexican fiesta with Rachel, Rachel, Sammy, and Sue. It was delicious! Oh how I miss Mexican food! Anyways, we just sat around and played cards, listened to music and chatted, and then headed off to bed because I have to get up kind of early to pick up Oscar at Liverpool Street train station tomorrow morning at 9am! Silly kid couldn’t wait to get here so he is leaving Sweden at 6 in the morning!! I am very excited to see him though!

Until Next Time, Cheers!

xoxo Jackie



Oscar is here...July 13, 2008

Today I woke up very early to meet Oscar at the train station! I actually left the first time without my cell phone, which I needed when he got here. So I ran back home and then ended up running to the train station to catch the train or I would have to wait another 20 minutes! I made it just as the doors were about to close…phew!!

It was so wonderful to see his smiling face though! I guess I kind of missed him a little bit…When he got there we bought him a train ticket for the week and headed back home to Surbiton! Unfortunately, the lady gave us the wrong ticket which was only good in Zones 1 and 2, and I live in Zone 6! We will sort it out tomorrow! We stopped at the grocery store because I had no food left in the fridge besides 2 slices of bread, some cereal and some peanut butter and jelly! We went home and crashed! I guess getting up at 3am makes a young lad tired! Same with a young lady getting up at 7am I guess. We woke up around 2 and decided to go for a walk to Kingston along the Thames. We walked around a bit and found a Kebab place and got 2 Kebabs and sat outside and had a little picnic. We found our way back to the river and took a little break to sit on the benches by the river and relax. There was actually a rowing competition going on while we were there so we had some free entertainment! Man can those kids move those boats fast! We walked back home and are just hanging out and waiting to make dinner a bit later! Chicken Fajitas!! Yuuuummmmy! My flatmates and I are starting to make dinners together and it does work out nicely! Maybe I can talk Oscar into making us dinner this week?? He is quite a good cook so I think maybe we should test his skills! Anyways, that’s all for today since the internet is still broken! I can’t even do research for a paper that I have to have done by Tuesday! They said it would be fixed tomorrow though….crossing my fingers! Off to class in the morning…but only a few more days of lecture because I have a four day weekend!! Time sure is flying by!

Cheers,

xoxo Jackie

PS: We ended up playing Plump! For those of you who don’t know it’s a Swedish card game that’s a lot like O Heck. It got pretty intense but it was so much fun!! Oh yeah, and I won, by 5 points over Oscar!! Hehe!!



Stonehenge and Bath Trip...July 15, 2008

Today we got up really early and left for Stonehenge, which is about 2 hours away from London. Once we got there we had about 45 minutes to do our picture taking and walk around the site...but that was pretty much it. Although I am so grateful to have this oppurtunity to see such an immportant piece of history, it was pretty much what I expected and nothing more...all of the pictures you have seen over the years give you a pretty good idea of what it is all about. Unless it had been part of my trip, I don't know if I would have gone because it is very difficult to get too and is pretty expensive once you include transportation and the ticket to get in....none the less it was cool to see and think about how those rocks really did get there.....

After our short visit to Stonehenge, we headed off to Bath, which was another 45 minutes away. On the way there we really started to get into the Roman countryside, which was really breathtaking! I really loved all of the rolling hills and houses built right into them. Once we got there we had 45 minutes to walk around if we wanted and to grab some lunch. Oscar and I wandered around until he found a sandwich place and then we headed back to the Bath Abbey to meet our tour guide. He took us on a walking tour of the city of Bath, and it was by far, the best tour I have been on! the tour guide was very knowledgeable and very funny and could answer every question we had for him. Did you know that Bath is the only place in England with natural hot springs? It comes up at 46 degrees Celcius/ 117 degrees Farenheit, and is still used today in modern bathhouses for medicinal purposes!! cool eh? Our guide took us to the royal cresent were apartments run for up to 5 million pounds for an 8 bedroom apartment ( a one bedroom can set you back a nice 1 million pounds though if you on a budget). He showed us where Nicolas Cage just bought a house, and told us that he was home if the shutters were open...which they were...we didn't bump into him though, shame. He also showed us places that Jane Austen wrote about in her novels such as the gravel road...if anyone knows her work....and also her place of short residence where she wrote her most famous works like Pride and Prejudice. After his tour was over, he dropped us off in front of the Roman Bath Houses. That was SO COOL! I was originally excited about going to Stonehenge but the Roman Baths stole the show. It took Oscar and I over an hour to walk through the site! We ended the tour with a little drink from the baths of the warm mineral water....no, not warm, HOT water. It tasted kind of funky, but the Romans strongly believed that the Baths had a healing power and both rich and poor, healthy and sick, men and women would gather in the Baths. Many believe that the baths were the only palce were class and position and society were left at the door and everyone was the same status. All for a swimming pool!!! :)

anywho, we got home late and made some dinner and headed to bed....it was definalty a LOOONG day, but well worth it. Back to class for 2 more days then its a nice long weekend!! YAY!

Cheers,

xoxo Jackie

The Longest Day of My Life!

I guess I should give you some background info first so you get the full effect: Middsummer Nights Dream= standing for 3 hours + staying up until 230 writing a paper and talking to Emily online + getting up at 645 for a trip. Yes, I am exhausted!

Anyways, I got up that early because my class was invited by the local representative to take a tour of the House of Parliment. Evidently in England, you have to be invited by a representaive of the parliment to be admitted for a tour, no exceptions! anywhoooo, So we got there, went through extensive security screening, and even got a photo ID and lanyard to wear! We met our tour guide, a sweet older lady who obviously knows everything about everything and was so good about telling us interesting details about the rooms we were in. All in all I saw the Main Hall which used to be part of the old Westminster Palace, the Robing Room where the Queen dresses in her stately dress when adressing Parliment, The House of Commons, The House of Lords, and the Room in which voting takes place which is essentially just a hallway! Our guide explained that much of the House of Parliment is new because of the direct bomb hit the ouse of Commons took during WWII. Interestingly enough, the House of Lords survived and allowed the House of Commons to use their room while they collected in a different gathering Hall for about 10 years...aww how mice of them! He also told us that when the House of commons was rebuilt, it was constructed using gifts from all of the countries of the Commonwealth. The wood panelling was from New Zealand, the Main table from Canda, the Archway from Australia ect. Similarly, on the Main table at which the prime minister and the head of the opposition debate from there are boxes from new Zealand. Within these bozes are all of the religous texts fo the members of parliment so that they may swear an oath with their hand on their specific religous text. the texts however, must be brought in my the member of that faith. Btw, the throne in the House of Lords was magnificent! If you have ever seen videos of the House of Lords, it simply doesnt do it justice. The designer/ architect that created this throne was shortly after its finish, diagnosed as insane....I guess genius and insanity flirt a fine line.

I was a little shaken by the fact that so many great prime ministers had sat right there in the House of Commons in heated debated, that I actually got to sit in! Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair....it was pretty cool to see the age and the wear on the seats and doors for all of the many thousands of people that had used them to date. I was half hoping that Gordon Brown would happen to walk around a corner and I could say I saw the Prime Minister, but obviously that didn't happen, maybe next time.

After we left the House of Parliment, I went to go see Westminster Abbey which was so beautiful ono the outside. I didn't go in bc I figured I could wait and go with someone later in my trip! I would really like to see the inside which has so many amazing people buried there like Sir Issac Newton! From there I just ended up wandering for a bit, towards Saint Pauls Cathedral but stopped bc I had to go on a walking tour for Charles Dickens. If anyone goes to London, DO NOT go on this walking tour. I did not directly pay for it bc it is included in my tuition, but I would never waste money on that. It was uninformative, boring, and completely irrelevant material. It might as well have been a lecture or a story time bc we did not go anywhere that was within what the guide was talking about. We basically just walked around and stopped on random doorsteps and she would tell us parts of his novels....not really my cup of tea. My classmates and I high-tailed it out of there quickly and here I am, back in my flat....feet aching, back sore, and completley exhausted! Time for a quick nap before I kick off this weekend.

Tommarrow i am speding the whole day bymyself and doing some exploring or my own. I think that way I will actually get to see things I want to see. i might even catch a musical, who knows? Then on Sunday Oscar comes!! I am so excited to see him!!

Until next time,
xoxo/Jackie

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I just returned a bit ago from the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London, and it was spectacular! I have read the play numerous times before and never has the story been so interesting to me. Although I enjoyed the play when reading it as it is basically a 17th Century soap opera with silly mixups of lovers, seeing it performed was the best thing any non-shakespeare fan should do. I have never been a fan of shakespeare and I was quite honestly dreading having to see it played out while I stood as a groundling for 3 hours....but to my pleasant surprise, it was the best play I have ever been to in my entire life. I actually laughed so hard that I cried because of some of the slapstick humor as well as some of the very dirty jokes written into the script! Theatre really has no censorship laws, even in Shakespeares day!! Anyone going to London, I highly reccomend a showing at the Globe...its only 5 pounds for a groundling spot....then again you have to stand the whole time. but to be honest I was so involved in the show that I didn't even realize that my feet and back hurt until the very end. Oh, unfortunatly you are not allowed to take pictures once the show starts so I don't have anything to show you but the empty theatre....guess you'll have to go see it yourself!!

Anyways, I am just taking a short break from my paper that is due tommarrow so I better get crackin'. Tommarrow its off to the House of Parliment to see a hearing in the House of Lords and then a guided walk about Charles Dickens for my Literature Class. Time for the comfy shoes I guess.....

Cheers,
xoxo Jackie

Greenwich

Today we went to Greenwich and it was certainly an adventure!! We had to make our own way there ( I guess as a test of our London transport knowledge?) but I realized how completely annoying most Americans really are. There were some other girls from my class traveling close by us and they were LOUD and abnoxious using foul language the whole time on the train! Then when we got to the tube station they couldnt figure out anything to save their lives. I think that those girls would have a hard time navigating their way out of a paper bag...Its really not that hard to read a tube map and figure out where your going!! At least Rachel and Sue and I tried our best to separate ourselves from them and we got there just fine!

Moving on, we got there and took tours of the Queens House, the Painted Hall, and the Chapel at the Old Royal Naval College, which were absolutely beautiful! The architecture and the paintings and ornate details were just so captivating! Our professor was walking next to me through most of the tour and was telling us some cool stories about how the wounded officers would live here and it was a MANS place. Teh funniest story he told us was about a cricket match put on by the men that was the 1 legged officers against the 1 armed officers!!! Evidently the 1 legged officers one? Go figure?

The coolest part of the trip though was learning about the Royal Observatory used to establish longitude for the sailors at sea. We walked up this incredibly steep hill to the top where the obervatory sits. It is so high up ono the hill because London is known for its dirty and unclear air, so it had to be situated on a hill to get a clear look at the stars. Just for the record, yes I did take a picture with one foot in each hemisphere! However, my professor told me that the actual perfect 0 degrees longitude is abotu 200 meters away marked by a dustbin....I guess they didnt want to move all of the touristy things that had already been established! Silly people! There is also a red ball at the top of the conservatory that raises at 12:55pm then drops precisely at 1pm so the sailors down in the docks can reset their clocks to the correct time. In those days, the colck in the Observatory was the most accurate clock in the world!

Anyways, we left after that and walked around Greenwich (which is pronounce Gren- Itch...not Green Witch like those stupid girls I was talking about earlier called it). We found some cute markets and ate at a little mom and pop joint! I got Cottage Pie, which is just Shepards Pie for Englanders! Iwas some serious down home cooking though!

Well here we are, back in the flat. I'm going to be boring and do laundry, study, and read more Shakespeare...I'm a party animal I know!!

OH PS: I spoke Swedish today!! I was buying a water and the cashier was counting my change and I heard her counting in Swedish and I asked her if she was Swedish and then I had a quick 5 sec conversation with her and told her that no, I wasnt swedish but my boyfriend was and he lives in Sodertalje ect ect. It was FUN! I like practicing my new skill!!

Until next time, Cheers!

xoxo Jackie

New Friends!

I made some Polish friends at the bar last night! Caroline, Kate, Derek, and Christopher. We made plans to hook up at Oceana next weekend so that will be fun I think!

Franz leaves tommarrow early and then I'm going to spend the day doing errands and maybe some shopping!! I need to read a little more Shakespeare...boooo.....

Until then, xoxo

Jackie

RELAXING!

Just for the record...I did absolutely NOTHING today besides write a paper and read some Shakespeare! I am going out to a club with Franz and then calling it a night. All of the things I had planned on for today will be happening tommarrow! Until then, Peace and Love

xoxo Jackie

First Relaxing Weekend!

So this is my first long weekend here in London and I have to say that I thouroughly enjoyed not having an itinerary!! We (being the six girls I always talk about) and Franz went out to Oceana last night to celebrate Sammy's birthday. We got all dolled up in our cute little dresses and went out around 1030 or so and got to the club and there wasn't very many people there, but we definatly made a party of it. When we first got to the line the bouncers/bodyguard men who are Jamacian btw, were so funny about it being sammy's birthday. After she told him that it was her birthday the one bouncer asked sammy to stick her arms out because he wanted to see her "wingspan" and then gave her a BIG hug! It was really cute! After we got inside the rest of the girls and Franz went to the bathroom and just Sammy, Rachel and I were at the bar talking and deciding if we were buying drinks. Then this group of British guys came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and the one guy said to me, " Excuse me, but I heard you talking and I was wondering if you were Americans?" Not really a great pick up line eh? I told him yes, cautiously, and he started talking to me for a while bc he obviously thought it was really cool that I was American?? Why, I don't know?? Anyways, eventually they found out that it was Sammy's birthday and they decided to buy the three of us Champagne!! PS: it was reallllly expensive but I didn't pay for it so oh well?!?! After that we decided to go up stairs to the dance floor and shake our groove thangs....sort of!! We had such a great time dancing just the 6 of us and Franz, who was our bodyguard that night!! Around 1 we decided to walk back to the flat and go to bed...or so I thought! When we got back, I was the only sober one as usual, and I played mommy again. Sammy was feeling good but wanted to take a shower so I had to make sure she was ok, all while I was checking on the pizza that Emilie put into the oven and walked away from, and talk to rachel bc she was not having such a good night. Anyways, finally around 3 I got to bed and boy did I hit the bed hard! My flatmates all had to get up and be ready to leave by 645 for Scotland and they asked me to make sure they were up around 530, which I did! After they left I went back to sleep and didnt wake up until noon!! It was amazing!! It was a great feeling knowing that I didn't have a schedule today and I could do whatever I wanted to do all day!

Anyways, Franz and I finally got out of bed and made some food and got out of the flat around 3. We decided to wing it in London and just see whatever, whenever. We ended up having a great day too! We first went to Covent Garden market and watched some street entertainers and did some window shopping...or I did and he watched! I did get a really cute pair of shoes! Anyways, We left and got to the West End and I did some browsing for broadway tickets. I learned that the cheap seats are best purchased in the morning....note to self for the future! After that we wandered around and looked at theatres for a while. We decided to go back and find the Tower Bridge and the tower of London, which we mysteriously stumbled right upon....totally on accident. It was really great and we saw so many pubs jam packed with business people ready to kick off the weekend the right way! After we walked around quite a bit, we decided around 8 that we should probably head home. We got back to Surbiton and went to The Elm Tree, my favorite pub ( only been there twice but its my favorite!) We had a pint then decided we needed some food and the bards kitchen closed at 6. We left and decided to have an English smorgasbord....fish and chips and a donor kebab ( made with Lamb)!! mmm mmm mmmmmmmmm!!! We walked back to the flat and ended up meeting a bunch of french kids outside of my flat....they played in Jr. Nationals at Wimbeldon. Well evidently the myth about french guys loving blondes is true because these boys were relantless. They must have saw me in my kitchen window and were yelling up at my for a good 20 minutes until I had Franz come up to the window and wave at them! They were about 12 years old too so I think they got the hint that they were not wanted! Haha! We split up our kebab and fish and chips and had a great British meal and just talked all night. We are going to watch the Olympic Trials on the internet and then hit the hay. I think we are doing the same thing tommarrow but maybe with a little more structure. We want to go to Hyde park and read a bit, as well as go get a picture between platforms 9 and 10...Harry Potter fans would understand....

Until then,
xoxo Jackie

Abbey Road

Today after lecture Rachel and Sue and I decided to go to Abbey Road! We met up with Franz who had been wandering around Kingston all day and caught a train into London and made our way to Abbey Road. There were so many tourists trying to mimick the Beatles picture that the cars were getting pissed! My favorite part was outside of Abbey Road studios where people had written all over the walls different lyrics and signed their names....so I followed in step and Rachel and I wrote the lyrics from our favorite songs (All you need it Love....) and signed our names. It was pretty cool just being there and seeing all of the peoples names and the songs they love.

Anyways, I just finished eating dinner and I think we are going out later. All of my friends are going to Scotland on one of the schools optional trips but I am not going and I am regretting it a lot. I didn't sign up for it because it was so expensive ($450) but I am rethinking all of that too. When will I ever be able to go and do the things they are doing like swimming in the Lock Ness Lake and going to the Warwick castle and learning how whiskey is made. Oh well, I will just have to get over it and make the best of it. There are plenty of things I still want to see in London so I will just use this as a relaxing weekend. Maybe I could even talk Franz into going to a musical with me? Or a concert in Hyde Park. I think I can find something to do...I am in London....

xoxo Jackie

To Be....Or Not to Be....

Today after another boring lecture....shakespeare....I ran back to my flat to pick up my friend Franz. We got him his travelcard and made our way into London where he went off and explored and I met up with my class to go to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We went on a tour of the exhibition inside and then omitted paying the extra money to go into the theatre since we are going back next week to see the performance of a Midsummer Nights Dream. I am pretty excited about that because I am going to be a groundling and stand on the bottom of the theatre among the other "peasants"...aka poor students with no money. Fact of the Day: The Globe theatre that is still showing shakespeares work is not the original Globe Theatre. All of the theatres along the Southbank burned down in the 17th Century and were rebuilt in the 1990's in a differnt stop closer to the river in a style that is as close as possible to what historians think is the original as there were no architecture plans. After our quick tour we walked to Southwark Cathedral (THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD!) and then across the street to the last remaining Victorian style Pub in UK, where our prof bought us all a pint...on the schools tab of course. I wonder if they know where their "educational" money is going?

Anyways, I left and met Franz at Waterloo Station where he told me that he wandered around in the oddest places but didnt really get to see anything "touristy." I took him to go see some of the stuff I saw the first day like the London Eye, Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Parliment, and Buckingham Palace. We grabbed a pasty on the way home and here we are. I am finishing a paper then seeing where the night may lead us...most likely out somewhere but the destination is still to be determined.

I am quite sad though because I am not sure I will make it to Ireland this weekend because tickets are so expensive and most hostels are booked. Oh well, some other time. I'm sure we can find things to do here. Tommarrow after lecture a bunch of us are heading to Abbey Road to do the pose across the street like the Beatles did....hopefully without getting hit by cars!! I wonder where this weekend will take me? At least there isn't class Friday or Monday!

xoxo Jackie

Kew Gardens

Today after lecture we went to Kew Gardens. Evidently it has the oldest Victorian Style greenhouses in all of Europe! They also had this cool treetop walk were you could climb a bunch of stairs and walk along the tree tops and get a pretty amazing view of the whole garden.

I learned that the Kew Gardens was designed to look natural and follow flowing circular patterns but was actually all man made, in contrast to the geometrically designed gardens we have been seeing at previous castles from the 17th century. Interesting....I got some great pics so take a look at my photobucket.

I'm leaving to go to the Airport to pick up my friend Franz so this will be interesting! I'm excited to have a visitor, but I feel bad for the poor boy sleeping on a floor for a day until my roomates leave for scotland. I guess I should figure out what to do with him this weekend! Maybe Ireland?? We shall see....

xoxo Jackie

Class Today

Today was my first day of official class, sort of! My literature class met our professor (or tutor as they say) at Waterloo Station . From there, we walked along the Thames to the National Film Gallery and say outside of the Cafe while he lectured briefly about what our day was to entail! Then he broke us up into 4 groups that were to observe and report about the place they went too. My group was assigned the Tate Modern Art Museum, so we walked around along the Thames until we finally found it (granted we had no maps or anything...just shoty directions from our professor!) The exhibts were interesting and I did get to see some Monet's, Picasso's, and Mondrian's. However there were some incredibly explicit exhibitions including videos of self mutilation and some other very sexually explicit videos. I understand the artists attempt at approaching topics that are so taboo, but some of them really crossed the line from art to grotesque.....I guess I will stick to my classic art!

There was one really cool exhibition that was of all silver pieces collected from junkyards that had been steamrolled and then suspended from wires in a geometric pattern. I liked it very much and I could see the amount of work the artist had put in.

After we had had our fill of modern art, we had lunch at the top of the museum in a very posh restaurant, which has an amazing view of the city! We then met back up with our groups, discussed our excursions and then made our way out of London. I decided to meet some friends at the Kingston Shopping District and we meandered around for andhour until everything shut down....I really wish things stayed open longer and later here!!

Now its time for beddy bye because it will be an early morning. Cheers!!

xoxo Jackie

Hampton Court Palace

Today I went to Hampton Court Palace for my British Culture Class. We took a boat down the Thames right up to Palace courtyard!! All I can say is WOW!! They broke us up into 2 groups and the first group went on a tour of the inside of the palace. My group however was free to wander the gardens for 2 hours! Sounds like a long time right? Well, we used the ENTIRE 2 hours! There are gardens upon gardens all around the palace each with a different look to them. The first garden we came to was this magnificant rose garden! I can't even begin to describe how amazing the smell was! Just imagine a thousand roses in bloom....it was like someone sprayed the air with popurri, but definately a million times better!

After that we made are way around to the next garden called the Tiltyard. There was a little cafe there but the interesting thing to me was there were so many people there with picnics just spralled out on the grass laying down, reading or playing with their kids. In fact, there is a sign saying that they welcome and encourage people with picnics! How fun is that!! Then we rounded into the next garden which included a maze! Actually, the whole garden used to be filled with mazes but this is the only one left in the garden and is actually the oldest maze in all of the UK!! The next garden we came too was the Great Fountain Garden. Evidently, this is the main garden and you can tell so because the Kings Quarters lines up directly with this garden from the castle. It was a very beautiful and well manicured garden with trees in the shape of Hershey Kisses!! They actually reminded me of the Kebbler Elf Trees that are perfectly pointed at the top. The grass was so perfect and all of the flower beds were in perfect blume. I guess we picked a great time to go and see this place because it was amazing!!

The next garden we walked into was the Knot Garden which was my second favorite to the Fountain Garden. It was so interesting to see a garden that was so geometrically and perfectly laid out and groomed. I really wanted to ask someone how they mowed the grass because the pathways were so ornated and winding that a mower of anysize would never fit. Oh well, its magic!

Around the next corner we walked into the Pond Gardens that had the Great Vine in it. How cool is this, the great vine was planted in 1768 and still produces great crop year after year of grapes. That plant is older than America!! It was interesting to think about at least.

Finally, it was my groups turn for a tour. It was interesting and I took notes for the paper I have to write about it. We just did a main tour of the kitchens, main rooms, great hall (BEAUTIFUL!!), bedrooms, and eating rooms. Unfortunatly we couldnt take pictures inside, but I will say this: the great room was breath taking, and the Bedroom ceiling was painted in a baroque style and has an optical illusion painted in it. It's very difficult to describe but definately worth seeing! I also enjoyed learing the random trivial facts about things in the palace, which led me to the point of my paper that I will be writing. I was very intrigued by how the architecture was used as a form of expression of not only status and wealth, but as a way to communicate to the illiterate via sculptures and paintings, and also as a tool of propaganda. I think it will be an interesting topic to research and write about.

Well folks, thats all for now. I was sad Germany lost the Euro cup to friggin Spain but other than that my evening has been relaxing and boring. Real class starts tommarrow and I will be meeting my professor at Waterloo Station in London! I love these kinds of classes!!

Talk to you soon xoxo
Jackie

Welcome to my Summer Abroad!

Hello everyone!

I decided to create this blog to keep you all updated on what I have been doing. I will post quite often and you are free to look as often or as little as you wish to see how I'm doing. I also created a site on PhotoBucket, which I am trying desperately to update, so you can look at pictures whenever you wish. The website is as follows: http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll200/swmgrl2005/. I think that the best way to view all of the pictures is to go to the upper right hand corner and pick Slideshow. That way, you can see the pictures big and at your own pace. Anyways, since I decided to do this so late I have quite a lot of catching up to do...like a whole week and a half's worth...and 3 countries....Hope you’re in for the long haul because this one's a doozie!!

Ok here we go! Yes, I made it to Sweden and I had the most wonderful time!!! I can hardly believe sometimes that I actually made it over here!!! First, my flight was delayed on the runway for 2 hours, so my 8 hour flight turned into a 10 hour flight!! We couldn't get out of our seats either for the whole 2 hours because we were on an "active runway"....paaalease! I had to pee so bad and I was STARVING by the time we finally got into the air.

Finally, I did make it to Sweden and my wonderful boyfriend picked me up at the airport in Stockholm. I was soooo great to see his smiling face...I kinda missed him! ;) Then we went into Stockholm and met his brother and one of his friends for lunch at this very posh restaurant. (Good thing I traveled in a cute summer dress and not sweatpants!!) He showed me around Stockholm a bit and I have to say it was so amazing to say the least. I don't know if you guys know but Stockholm is built on a bunch of islands and completely surrounded by water. The buildings date back to the 13th century and were the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my life. Even with severe jetlag, it was easily the most beautiful city I've ever seen. (I don't have any pictures yet but I will in August so be patient!)

Then, his parents wanted Oscar to bring me by there work to say hello, so we dropped by and had a quick chat and headed back to his town of Södertalja. He gave me a quick tour and showed me some beautiul places in his city, like a pretty river that connects to the sea where the buildings were soooo beautiful where he had his graduation from highschool. I can't wait to come back in August and see more of his town!
Then we just went back to his house and relaxed and hung out until his parents got home. We all had dinner (mom dad brother and us) and sat around the table and talked until Erik came over and we all got in his car and drove to Skåne (southern Sweden) to stay with Jenny.
The next day, Friday, was the Swedish Midsommer Festival. We woke up and got ready and then went into the forest and picked flowers to make our Midsommer kranz (or crown). Aren't they beautiful!!! Oscar wanted his to be MANLY so it doesn’t have very many of the pretty flowers! After that we went to a traditional Midsommer festival in a small town close to Jenny's. We dressed the Midsommer pole with leaves and flowers and then sang and danced around it, which was so much fun even when your 20! We played games and had a wonderful picnic and talked and met a bunch of really nice people. I had sooo many people start speaking to me in Swedish and about 2 sentences in, I'm sure they could see the confused look on my face and realized I could understand them. However, almost all of them thought I was from England at first!! haha!! Ironic, huh??
After that we went back to Jenny's house and the party was just beginning. Evidently it is customary on Midsommer to get together with all of your closest friends and just get REALLY drunk and sing songs and just be happy!! I love that kind of holiday...Sweden has it right!! All of Jenny's friends came over and we ate and drank and sang and drank and danced and drank!! Ohh btw, after every song we sang we took shots....got to love Swedish traditions!!! I had the best time ever and I was pleasantly surprised of how wonderful everyone was about my terrible Swedish....if anything, they all wanted to speak a lot of English with me to practice!We played games like Kubb (traditional Swedish game) and then did a säckhoppning (which is a sack race...oh yeah, really fun when you are drinking!!) and ended up having a big dance party in Jenny's patio! It was crazy fun and I think we all finally went to bed around 3am!! The next day, Oscar, Jenny, Erik and I biked to the Osbysjön which is just a big Lake with a camp site in her town. We had a delicious picnic and went swimming in the lake. The lake was very clear clean water but the water was a brown red color from the iron in the soil! Cool eh? After that we went home and showered up and had a nice dinner. We then went over to one of Jenny's friend's house that I had met the night before named Emilie! We ended up playing Swedish Pictionary and I definitely learned a lot of new words that night!! In fact, Jenny and Erik and I won the game!! :) my Swedish is getting sooo much better just by being here!! Around 1am we went home and watched Borat which is the perfect movie for the company I was in if you know them at all!
Sunday, the boys had to go home...silly people with jobs...and Jenny and I had a great day. We went to a toy museum in her town. I don’t know if any of you have ever played with those little trains in the toy stores that have magnets on the ends so they stick together, but I know I have. Well, those are made here in Osby at the Brio toy factory! The owner knows Jenny and her family because they work there so she gave me like 100 Brio key chains because she wanted me to have a little something to remember Osby by! Anyone want a free keychain when I get home!?!? haha. Then we just went on a really long bike ride around Osby and saw everything! Sweden is so beautiful guys. If there is one thing I can say to describe it here is UNSPOILED. Everything here is just so beautiful and green and natural. There is no invasion of commercialism and certainly no stupid McDonalds or Burger King!! It’s really a wonderful place so far and I hope everyone decides to come here some day!!

The next morning, I got up very early and Jenny took me to the train station to Helsingborg where Jonas lives. When I go there, he picked me up at the train station and we parked the car and did a bit of a walking tour of his town. Helsingborg is situated right on the southern tip of Sweden and you can literally spit across the water to Denmark! He showed me around the town center, which had some great shopping btw, which I resisted! Aren’t you proud!! Then we went back to his house and relaxed. For some reason I was super exhausted so I had to take a nap for an hour…I think I was getting a summer cold so I was dragging a little. After that we watched some TV until his Mom and brother got home and had dinner. We had a typical Swedish dish, that I can neither spell nor pronounce but it was delicious. It was a sort of stew with potatoes and lingonberry sauce…mmmmm. We talked quite a lot and I must say that his parents were so nice and welcoming to me. After dinner, Jonas, his brother Martin and I watched a Swedish Movie called Hotet (the threat), which is basically the Swedish version of Top Gun!! It was a very good movie though, and it was all in Swedish which is big for me….but of course there were English subtitles!

The next day, we slept in which was so nice! After breakfast we decided to shower and go back into town so I could take pictures of everything I was seeing. We went up in this 13th century tower that was in place to defend Sweden from Denmark back in the day. There used to be so much to the fortress but only the tower is left. We walked up in it and it was a beautiful view of the city. The architecture is unparalleled and I really enjoyed just being up there and looking around.

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant by the water and it was delicious! One thing I have learned is that there are no preservatives in food and its always fresh! After lunch Jonas suggested that we take a ferry to Denmark! We got on the ferry and walked outside to the front of the boat that was pointing towards Denmark. It was s windy that I could lean on the wind!! Once we got there we walked around the footpaths! The shops were all so cute and small sprinkled with cafes and street performers! The sounds and smells were unlike anything I have ever seen! After we walked a bit in the shopping district we walked to Hamlets castle!! Shakespeare based his story in this castle in Denmark although he never lived in Denmark! Cool eh? It was breathtaking! I have never seen a castle before so I was very taken aback! There are so many things that you can tell were defense mechanisms to defend against Sweden during all of their years of fighting for control. We walked around a bit inside the castle then outside around the walls where people were fishing and picnicking by the ocean. After that we just walked back to the ferry and headed back home just in time for dinner. His Mom was dead-set on preparing all traditional Swedish meals while I was there so that night we had a type of pork meatloaf meal with something that looked like filo dough on top with, of course, boiled potatoes. It was really delicious whatever it was!! For dessert though, she made rhubarb pie with a homemade vanilla sauce…..AMAZING!!! The interesting thing was that the rhubarb was from their garden outside! Can’t get much fresher than that I guess!! We just chilled the rest of the night and I caught up on some emails and checked flights in preparation for my flight to London!

The next morning, Wednesday, Jonas and I got up VERY early again and he drove me to the train station where I caught an hour long train across the bridge to Copenhagen, Denmark right to the airport. The trains here in Europe are wonderful and so comfortable! So much better than what I was used to in Chicago when using the Metro! After I got there I was confused beyond belief! I was in the right terminal but I had no idea how to check my bags or get my boarding pass or anything!!!! I looked around and I got in a line and then realized that it was only for baggage drop, so I moved to another line. When I got through that one they told me that they don’t even have you check in at desks anymore when flying SAS but you have to check in using the kiosks in the middle of the area to print everything including your bag tags. So I did that, and I ended up having to go back because my boarding pass got jammed in the printer!! I have the best luck! Finally I got it all figured out and checked in and my bags checked and I went off to the duty free stores and shops in the airport. Copenhagen airport is such a chic airport with all of their designer stores and sleek furniture and wood floors, although it did look a bit minimalistic and industrial. All the same, I grabbed a bite to eat and a beer and relaxed in the main area. The flight itself was nice and easy compared to my transatlantic flight! I did find a new boyfriend though. I didn’t catch his name but he loves me and couldn’t keep his hands off of me the whole plane ride. He was also 2 years old. There was a couple sitting a few rows ahead of me that were letting their twin boys run in the isles while they were waiting to get back to the bathrooms. He was so cute and kept coming up to me and hanging on my legs and talking gibberish to me. His mother came up to me later and told me that he “sure took a shine to you” (insert thick British accent).

I got to the terminal and had to wait in the LONGEST line in customs…close to 45 minutes. Finally I got up to the lady and I had to show her all of my papers which she studied quite intensely! After 5 minutes of grilling my intentions in HER country, I finally got out of the baggage area and started looking for my party. I found a guy wearing a Kingston shirt and walked up to him and said hello and that I was Jackie Nagle. He looked at me and started talking very loudly and slowly like was mentally handicapped. He asked how my flight was and if any of my family members would be coming to visit since I live so close. I gave him a confused look and then he said, “Well, you are from Denmark aren’t you?” He said that since I was flying in from Copenhagen he thought I was Danish! He even told everyone else that was waiting that I was Danish. So I had to introduce myself as Jackie, the NOT Danish girl! It was entertaining none the less.

Finally, we got on the bus and headed to Kingston! The streets were sooo small and the cars even smaller! The funny thing was that EVERYONE was driving on the wrong side of the road!! What is that about?!?! Just kidding! But in all reality, I don’t know how they drive as crazy as they do without getting killed. Well, by the hand of God, we finally got to Seething Wells, which is where my flat is located in the town of Surbiton. I got there and I got my keys and they sent me to drop off my stuff in my room and get as situated as I wanted, then to come down and grab a sack lunch and eat out on the courtyard. I went to knock on the doors of my flatmates and then walked out into the hall real fast but the main door shut behind me shut, locking me out of my flat!! I’m such a dummy! So I went out to the courtyard and found my flatmates and ate lunch and then went back inside and tried to unpack. Around 4:30, some people were going on a tour of Surbiton to get us familiarized with the area and to point out important places like the grocery store, the pharmacy/everything else store, and of course the best pubs and restaurants. We ended the tour by stopping at the grocery store, Sainsbarys, to get some essentials

Later in the evening, I decided that sitting in my flat was not what I wanted to be doing so I went and knocked on everyone’s doors and rallied the troops to go to a pub down the street called the Elm Tree to watch the Euro Cup game between Germany and Turkey. GO GERMANY!!! I met some people and some locals and got some good tips on where to eat, where to drink, and where to avoid completely!

Thursday, we had an orientation thing starting at 10 am on campus, which is just a 5 or 10 minute bus ride or a 20 minute walk. We got there and went through all the boring welcome crap and all of the silly paper work, followed by a walking tour of Kingston. Here’s a fun fact for you; in the town of Kingston there is a stone in the ground surrounded by iron gates or something like that. Although I have not found this spot yet, I am determined to do so because I was told by a professor that it was the spot where Kings where crowned in the 10th Century before they were anointed in Westminster Abbey. Cool eh? Anyways, Kingston is such a great place. The shopping, restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs are amazing. There are so many cool clothing stores that I can’t wait to go in and look around since I know that I will not be able to afford anything in them! There is actually this nightclub called Oceana that is 2 stories tall and has 7 rooms in it with different themes! Hopefully I will get there sometime this summer!

After the walking tour of Kingston we headed back to the campus to get some lunch and chill before heading into London. We collected our travel cards and student IDs and then were given a packet with a photo scavenger hunt to complete while in London with our flatmates. I guess I should take this opportunity to introduce all of my flatmates quickly. First there is Rachel, who is ironically a senior at Ashland also. We had no idea who the other was prior to coming here or even that the other was coming here, but have soon become fast friends. Next is Sammie, a 19 year old from South Dakota. She is a farmer girl as naïve as they come, but nice as can be. She is very very peppy all the time, but so much fun to be around. Finally, is Emilee from Massachusetts. She is definitely an east coast kind of girl; loud, fun, and stylish. All in all, we are very different and have very different personalities, but somehow manage to mesh perfectly. We are all four independent but tend to enjoy the company of the others, making for a great mesh of people.

Moving on, we caught our first train and headed into London! It took us 15 minutes or less from the time we got on the train to the time we stepped off in Waterloo station. Then, it all began! Within the first 15 minutes of being in London, I saw Waterloo station, the London Eye, Big Ben, The House of Parliament, the London Aquarium, and Westminster Bridge. Talk about sensory over load! It was seriously an amazing thing to be a part of, and I definitely got a ton of pictures! After we got our pictures and watched the Clock Tower strike, we walked to the Westminster Tube stop and went down, and down, and down. We got off at the Green Park stop and came up on Piccadilly. We walked through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace! Wow, what a sight! It was like we walked through this beautiful wooded park that magically opened up to a majestic palace with so much history behind it, not to mention the beautiful marble fountain. I can only imagine the masses that have been here before and will continue to come for years to come. Humbling, to say the least. I did not see any of the traditional guards with the cool hats and serious expressions. There were policeman by the gates with big machine guns though!!! I went up to one to ask him a question that we had to figure out about the flag on top of the palace. Interesting factoid, when the union jack flag is flying over the palace it means that the Queen is not at home, but when she is the white flag with the royal crest on it fly on the palace. Similarly, the number of guards is doubled up when she is home vs. when she is away. When I looked, the Union jack flag was flying but the number of guards was still doubled up. The policeman offered to me that the Queen was currently in Windsor but was returning home today. However, they are unaware of when she is returning until moments before she arrives. I wish I could have stayed there all day just so I could have had the opportunity to see the Queen of England!! We took a bunch of pictures at Buckingham Palace and of the fountain then headed back through the park and caught a bus to Trafalger Square. We walked around outside of the National Gallery, where it is evidently illegal to feed the pigeons! Good thing no one actually follows that rule!! After poking around a bit we walked over to Leicester Square to see the infamous red phone booths which I most certainly did get a picture in! I would like to return sometime soon to check out China town and Soho right around that area, although the West End was great and very reminiscent of New York Broadway.

From there, we decided to meet some friends for dinner at Covent Square Market which is famous for its street performers, which was so fun to see. We walked around the Market briefly, and decided that most restaurants were tourist traps with much overpriced meals, so we found an underground bar that was serving half price appetizers and buy one get one free drinks! We all split a few things and got some drinks adding up to me spending less than 10 bucks! Worked out great for me! After that we decided it was a good idea to head back to our flat and crash because it was a very long day, and we had class the next day!

Friday morning, Rachel and Emiliee and I took the bus to our first class, British Culture and Society. Although most of the first part of the class was introductory, it ended up being quite interesting ending with a discussion about the stereotypes of the British, why we pick up on those stereotypes and how they came about in British Society. The one interesting part about the discussion that I participated in was on the topic of nationalism. A few of the people mentioned that they thought that Brit’s were very proud of their nationality as British people. The professor then asked them to support this statement and no one could, so he then opened it up for the opposite position. I raised my hand and explained that I did not think that British people are nationalistic in the sense that Americans understand Nationalism. I explained that I did not think that Britain was a flag waving nation like the USA, but was silently proud of the struggles they have overcome in the past, as well as their ability to maintain their status as a major power in the world for this long no matter their size. Furthermore I explained that I thought Brit’s were more inclined to be proud of and to identify with their region rather than being British. For example, people living in Wales identify themselves as a Welsh man rather than a British man, and an English woman is not the same as a British woman. The professor was surprised and said that he did not expect to get a response like that from a summer school student, as it was very intelligent and worldly. I could care less that he said it was intelligent, but I was quite happy with being considered worldly!!

After another rather boring lecture on the Monarchy, Rachel and I took a lunch break and then headed to class at 2:00. I had my London and its Literature class, which was definitely started off in an interesting way. Our professor walked in and the first thing he asked us was if we had seen the Beer Festival outside? He then proceeded to tell us which beers to try when we went! I really like him because I feel that he will not be making us read for the sake of reading, only to be followed by a meaningless paper written at the last minute. He is very interested in showing us the places we are reading about in the form of fieldtrips. Basically the way the class will work is as follows: we have lecture in the morning followed by lunch at leisure and we meet at Waterloo station for the second part of our class to walk around different areas to see the locations written about in the books we are reading in class. I think that this class will be much better than any English class I could have ever taken at Ashland for my elective English class.

After class, some girls from my class and I walked back to our flat and agreed to meet up later to stop by the beer festival. We went and I spent the best 3 pounds ever. When you enter you pay 2 pounds for a glass then I got a half pint for 1 pound of a beer to taste from a local microbrew. Delicious by the way! You could return the glass if you wanted your 2 pounds back but I liked it and just kept it for a souvenir. I headed back to campus and met up with some friends and went into Kingston to a pub to watch a local band perform which was really fun. I was supposed to meet my flatmates close to where I was already in Kingston to go out to this really great club I described earlier called Oceana. Then, right as we were leaving the pub I got something in my eye and ended up losing my contact!! I couldn’t see a thing and I knew that I needed to get back to my flat to get a new contact before we went out so I called one of my flatmates and told her I had to hurry back and get a contact. So one of the guys walked me to a bus station and found me the right bus to get me back to my flat.....or so we thought!!!I ended up getting on the wrong bus and I had no idea where I was, and I was by myself. Good thing it wasn’t too late, but I was scared none the less. It gets better... So I tried to ask the bus driver and he didn’t speak English at all. I got off the bus and asked for directions and finally got in semi-familiar territory and ended up walking a freaking mile back to my flat.My flatmates, bless their hearts, waited for me to get back so I could get my contact. So we left to go back to where I had supposedly just come from to go to this club and everything was fine! I was with my girls and we all looked so cute.We got in line at this club, which by the way is super posh with 7 different rooms and 3 floors! We got hit on by these cute British boys in line and things were really looking up for me...or so I thought! I got up to the bouncer and I showed him my International ID....and he said I needed my passport since I showed him my International ID first....I had 3 other forms of ID with me but since I had shown an international ID I needed my passport. So basically, they wouldn’t let me in. I was so upset and I felt horrible because we had waited in line and the girls all got out of line for me. I told them that they should go in without me but they wouldn’t let me be alone again after my traumatic experience earlier in the evening!! I am the last person to ever be in that situation....I am always the most responsible and prepared in situations like this and it was completely horrible for me. I felt so bad because one of the girls didn’t even go in and walked all the way back to our flat with me.

I found out later that one of my flatmates tried to call us because once they got back in line the bouncer told them to call me because he would sneak me in, but we were already on a bus home. We got back home and I just went to bed. I woke up at 2 and my flatmates had come back already because they were bored without me and Rachel. They also told me that they got lost on the way back and have no idea how I made it back to the flat at all.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and walked to the grocery store to get eggs and bacon to make my flatmates breakfast for putting up with me the night before. I got back and opened the windows immediately because I was cooking bacon and I didn’t want to set off the fire alarm because they told us it was a 50 pound fine. Well evidently in this country you aren’t supposed to open any doors or windows when cooking because there are smoke alarms outside that are very sensitive. Well, as you can figure out, I set off the fire alarm because I was cooking with the window open and the detector outside went off. Long story short, the lady in charge of our flats was not a very nice person and ended up making me cry, which then softened her a bit. She began the conversation by threatening me and telling me that I needed to fork over 50 pounds to her now. By the end of the conversation she realized that I was trying to do everything the right way which just happened to be the wrong way and she was more pissed that no one gave up an introduction to how to used the equipment in our flats. Evidently, there is also a cord behind the refrigerator to turn in a fan in the kitchen. Note to self: Cook with all windows and doors shut and cook bacon in the oven (that’s what they do here I guess). You know what really got me though, I didn’t even burn anything! It was just the steam that set that stupid thing off. Oh well, things happen and I learned from it.

After that fiasco was resolved and I was through crying with my flatmates, we all showered and spontaneously decided to go to Brighton, the gay capital of England. When we got there we had to buy new train tickets because we had traveled out of our zone in Kingston. Then we walked out onto the street and it was like walking in San Francisco! The train station was set on a big hill so all of the hills were on an angle heading down toward the ocean. Once we got to the ocean, it was so incredibly windy! Had I not eaten anything that day, I very well could have blown away. We decided to walk along the beach and grab fish and chips from a beach hut food place (which was so good!) and then walk a bit along the beach up to the pier. The cool thing was that the shops lining the beach were all art galleries. Beautiful work too! We got to the pier and walked around a pit, took pictures and just talked and chilled! I was very relaxing to be by the sea and just unwind! The interesting thing was that the beach was not sand but smooth pebbles and rocks. It was definitely different! Before leaving I got a crepe with chocolate and cream (delicious again!) and devoured it in a second! We started walking back toward the station and stopped in some shops along the way. The other interesting thing we saw was the Royal Pavillion, where the architecture was amazing and so ornate! After that we grabbed a train back to Surbiton and ended up crashing because we were so tired from the last few days. Probably a good idea considering we still have 3 weeks of this.

That about does it for now….I think you are all caught up on my life thus far and hopefully I will be posting frequently and MUCH shorter so they are easier to read in one sitting. Thanks for sticking it out with me. More to come so be excited, and on that night I’m off to sleep.

xoxo Jackie