Just touched down in Londontown

London calling, I never felt so much alive!

So these past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and there’s no end in sight. A few weeks ago, I hopped onto a plane once again, this time destined for London. The trip was pretty rushed, but I still had the chance to be a good little tourist and see the sights. I met up with Alex (friend from way back when at SJA) and we headed out into the dreary London afternoon to explore. Alex goes to the University of Southampton only about two hours outside of London, so it was much to my surprise when I realized that he knew absolutely nothing about the city. I had (of course) made a detailed itinerary for the weekend so I could fit in as much as possible, but I had originally expected to have Alex as my tour guide; Alex decided his role was more of a general sidekick than an information-giver, as he has apparently not visited London the million times I would have expected in the six years he’s lived in England.

Top sights:

- Big Ben

- Houses of Parliament

- London Eye

- Westminster Abbey

- Trafalgar Square

- Attempt at seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral: Ok, so this one didn’t quite go as planned. Who would have thought that when one types ‘Saint Paul’s Cathedral London’ into Google maps, one will be faced with approximately ten possible locations to choose from. I chose the first on the list, figuring that would be my best bet of having the correct location. There is only one St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and I did not see it. I instead saw the Southwark Cathedral, which coincidently is actually older than St. Paul’s (circa AD 606) though notably no as famous. This would have been another situation in which Alex having some knowledge about his capital city might have been useful.

- Victoria & Albert Museum

- Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace: This was probably the most entertaining congregation of tourists I have yet seen in Europe—hundreds of people crowd around Buckingham Palace, but no one seems quite sure of where they’re supposed to be looking or what they’re looking for. Then, suddenly, the guard begins processing along the street, music, marching, and all, and the entire crowd perks up excitedly and shoves towards the fence, cameras aloft, as the guard marches inside, leaving every single person who isn’t a small child sitting on a parent’s shoulders, with no view at all. I luckily was able to guilt-trip a tall man into snapping a photo or two for my short-statured self.

- London Tower

- Jubilee Market

- London Bridge

I was also lucky enough to get an authentic British experience, when Alex and I, after sightseeing Friday and Saturday morning, headed out to Southampton to attend his baseball team’s awards function—which basically consisted of a British meal at a British pub followed by a British club, and then back to Alex’s house where I was greeted by approximately twenty boys, all apparently visitors of his other three housemates. Sleeping in the same house as twenty dirty (sorry Alex) boys is not the most pleasant of experiences.

I then got to round out the weekend by heading back to London Sunday morning and seeing Suz (!) for the afternoon before flying back to Barca.

Halloween weekend, we were treated to approximately a million visitors, making for a weekend jam-packed with sightseeing and catching up. Nicole, Patty, Colby, Amy, and Krisitn all came from various locations in Europe, and among the highlights were a visit to Parc Guell at sunset as well as a trip up to Montjuic to watch the Magic Fountain show held every Saturday night. We witnessed the most captivating light show I’ve ever seen set to cheesy movie soundtrack tunes. Perched on the steps at the foot of the Palau Nacional, armed with bread, cheese, wine, and good company, suffice it to say we felt too euro for words.

Next up:

PARIS (November 6-8)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39332893@N03/

Besos,

Liz

Here goes, a more interesting update of my adventures (I still go to classes and all, but only out of habit).

A few weeks back, in full sightseeing mode, we made the trek up to Montjuic, a full-blown tourist’s Mecca complete with the gorgeous Museo Nacional d’Art de Cataluña (National Cataluñan Art Museum) housed in the Palau Nacional (National Palace) at the top of a huge hill. The Palace also overlooks fountains that, on Saturday nights, are the sight of an astounding light show. We walked a little further up and were treated to sights of some of the most famous structures of the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona, including the Estadi Olímpic (Olympic Stadium). Montjuic also houses a number of museums and at the very top, after a worthwhile gondola ride, we experienced some great views from the Castell de Montjuic (Your standard fortress structure). Definitely a day well spent.

Next on the list:

A la Richmond’s study abroad program, we were treated to a trip to two beautiful areas of Cataluña, the riverside town of Girona, and the coastal region called Costa Brava. At Girona, we got the chance to do some sightseeing including Banys Arabs (Some of the best-preserved Arabic baths in Spain), and of course a Cathedral that’s been around since Roman times (Europe's go-to tourist highlights usually seem to be cathedrals or churches).

Next, it was bus time as we headed towards the coast to Costa Brava, where we explored vast Roman and Greek ruins the following day. After a beachside lunch, it was back on the bus for a long ride back to Barcelona. I must note how unpleasant for one’s stomach a four-hour bumpy, rickety, jerky bus ride can be.

And next, during our first semblance of a break from class (actually a single day off tacked onto a weekend), Katie, Courtney, Jess and I headed off to Amsterdam, excited but completely unsure of what to expect.

As we were informed by our tour guide on our three-hour free (sort of) tour of the city, Amsterdam has three rules of toleration:

1) Be discreet.

2) Don’t hurt anyone with your behavior.

3) Do what’s good for business.

And as we learned as we explored this fascinating old city, these three rules are what each and every Dutch individual governs him or herself by. After a bleak past marked by the war and repression, Amsterdam has rejected conventionalism and is all the better for it. Through the numerous coffee houses we passed in our wanderings and the multiple times we walked through the Red Light District, I was in awe of this people who insist on doing things their way. Biggest regret of the weekend: not paying a prostitute to just talk to us about herself and her city—definitely would have been an unforgettable experience (though I’m still unsure whether any of them would have actually taken us up on the offer).

Another of my favorite experiences of the weekend was our visit to the Anne Frank Museum (the actual house Anne Frank and her family hid in during Hitler’s regime). Though much to my despair, we were not permitted to take photos inside of the museums, it was nonetheless a memory that I’ll retain for years to come.

My biggest surprise was remembering the clarity and maturity with which the young girl wrote, as the museum included segments of Anne’s book on the walls:

I know what I want,

I have a goal,

I have opinions,

a religion

and love (April 9, 1944).

I can shake off everything

if I write,

my sorrows disappear,

my courage is reborn (April 5, 1944).

(No one ever said anything about not being allowed to frantically jot notes into my dorky Oh, the Places You’ll Go journal).

The rest of our weekend was packed with visits to Waterlooplein (A huge flea market), Bloemenmarkt (Only floating flower market in the Europe), and the Heineken Experience (I now officially know how to drink a beer), to name a few.

We were also treated to two food indulgences that I never would have suspected I would like:

1) French fries with mayonnaise? Surprisingly delicious.

2) Pancakes—But these are not your run-of-the-mill pancakes and syrup pancakes. At The Pancake Bakery we were faced with decisions such as whether to have the Cheese, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes pancake…or the Nutella, powdered sugar, and bananas route. Though vastly different, I went with the savory route and my decadent mushroom and cheese pancake more closely resembled a crepe morphed with a pizza, most certainly 10 euros well-spent. Plus I got to snag a bite or four of Jess’s Nutella and caramelized banana pancake.

A few more weeks passed and another UR field trip sent us to Figueres, another Cataluñan town, which houses the Dalí Museum. In a (in my artsy opinion) way too short-lived tour of this crazy museum, we got to see Salvador Dalí’s extensive and eccentric body of work. I spent most of the day with my head tilted sideways like a confused puppy trying to understand what the hell this crazy guy was thinking—but the finished result was always impressive if strange.

Next up:

London (Ok, so I already went here, but I’m saving the writing about it part for another time when I’m more inspired)

Paris: November 6-8

And everything in between!

Absolutely cannot believe it’s already November...

As usual: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39332893@N03/ (Reverse chronological order)

Besos,

Liz