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