Last Class Today

I cannot believe it was the last class today!! I am kind of sad actually...
Anyways, time for more updating! I believe I am now on Thursday of last week...

yeah, I just realised that I only have pictures up until 10 June...and, honestly, I do not remember exactly what has happened without looking at the pictures!! I guess I will have to go to pret later and upload them!

I am quite excited about tomorrow, we are taking a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath...so I am going to go back to the flat today, pack, charge my camera, and finish up writing my journals.

Until laters!

cheers and aloha,
amanda

More Pictures!!

A Lovely Day in London Town

So it has been almost a week since I last did an update, and while I am very sorry it was quite unavoidable.

Tuesday
After leaving the cafe, we got on the tube and headed towards the train station at Marlybone - to which we then bought a few things to eat on the train at Marks and Spencer's - and then proceeded to get on the train. The train ride was a lot of fun, honestly, I think everyone should travel by train!! If I had any say in the matter I would only travel via train!

After a VERY short two hour train ride we arrived in Stratford and trudged the mile or so to the hotel - with all my stuff it really did feel like longer!! - to which we were met with horrible news: our rooms would not be ready for another four hours! So we decided to all go our own way until that time - I ended up sitting in the lobby with a few other people. At some point they all fell asleep, but I stayed up and worked on picture stuff.

After we brought our stuff up to our rooms and unpacked the few things we brought with us for this very short over-night trip, we got ready to go to dinner and than to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of Julius Caesar. Here is where things got fun. We were told that dinner started at 6:30, so the first group went down to eat than and they would not let them in - our play started at 7:30...and we had to walk there. So when I came down close to 7:00 (the irony was that I was told by Prof. Dinielli and Sharon where to send everyone for dinner and I was the one who could not find the place!!) they had all just barley eaten. After a rather yummy meal that was included in our stay (yes, we all were really quite excited about this!!) the first group of us started heading towards the theatre. Long story short, what we did not realize was that it was HELLA far away!! so we left at about 7:20, figuring that would give us plenty of time...yeah, we were 10 minutes late! After we got to our seats the other group sat down about 10 minutes later. But Julius Caesar was very well done and we all enjoyed it...mostly. The beds in the hotel were nice at least - we stayed in a Holiday Inn, I just realized I forgot to mention that - although I must say, I was quite disappointed in the fact that there was only shampoo and no conditioner - lisa and I ended up borrowing from allie.

Wednesday
We woke up, got dressed, and than headed down to eat breakfast (also included...again, we were all thrilled!!). It was quite yummy! We than had another hour before we were suppose to meet in the lobby, so we all went back to our rooms - lisa slept and I read my book. We than headed down to the lobby to check our bags and check out.

We than all walked down to Shakespeare's birthplace and went on a tour of the house. It was really something. Afterwards we had the rest of the afternoon to wonder around - our train did not leave until 5:40. Everybody, in someway or another, did a bit of souvenir shopping as well as general shopping. After wandering around for just over an hour, Cynthia and I decided to go to Poundland - think 99 cents store but better - and than we decided to go on the hop-on-hop-off tour around Stratford-Upon-Avon - it would take us to his grave site, to Anne Hathaway's cottage (his wife) and Mary Arden's house (his mother). It was actually 9£ well spent.

We then all headed back to the hotel and collected our things and headed over to the McDonald's to pick up some food for the ride back. We than headed off to the train station - I swear, the walk back to the station felt longer than the walk there!! But eventually we made it, and I got to enjoy another two hours on the train.

We than got back to London and had to navigate our way back to the flat. See, right after we left (Tuesday) a tube strike started at 7:00 PM, and we got back the day before it ended; so we had to figure out which bus to take from which stop. Long - and exceedingly BORING - story short, we found a bus and managed to get to the flat...two hours later! Than we all went to our rooms and died - except for the girls from the other class and a few girls from mine, who went out - crazies. (:

I think I will leave off here...I have a couple of journals to work on and I have to get back to the flat because we are going to see A Winter's Tale with Ethan Hawke tonight! There are pictures below, enjoy!

cheers and aloha,
amanda




NOTE: Just so you know, I will be re-posting the picture slide shows, because I was re-organising pictures and they may not show up now. They will be organised by day, so enjoy!

Yes I am actually still alive

HEY ALL!!

Sorry it has been so long since I last updated, I have not had internet and I have been on the move.  Since the post will be REALLY long, I am working on it in word and I will be transferring it to here, but that means that I have to write it first. (:  So if you could just bear with me I should have it all set and ready to go by tomorrow. Until then...

cheers, amanda

quick note on the layout

Just wanted to say that I am working on finding a way to add a scroll bar to the side so that the text will stay in place...but I have sadly run out of time for the moment, please bear with me...thanks.

cheers, amanda

After a Looooong Weekend...

...of sleeping ^-^
no joke, I literally slept most of the weekend - it was QUITE exciting!

After I left off on Thursday, we went back to the flat and hung out for a few hours and then headed over to the Tube and got off on Tower Hill - across the street from the Tower of London(!! I know, I was excited). As fate would have it, we were able to take the tour with Shaughn (the same guy who lead the Shakespeare one) and it therefore far more brilliant that it would have been otherwise - with the exception that the man walks REALLY fast!! Honestly, he is about sixty years old and he was faster than EVERYONE in the group - we were all run walking to keep up with him. The tour was quite exciting - we walked around London town learning about the different murders and the facts of the case. I think I have been too desensitize to gory stuff because I watch so much CSI related things with Michelle - they were telling us what he did to some of the victims and I kept thinking 'oh, that sounds soo cool! ... ya know, aside from the fact that they were dead and tortured...' (mac...stop laughing! I know you are :p). Then, after the tour ended, the guide brought us to what he labeled pub row - there was a pub on every corner for quite a few blocks (think the number of Starbucks on any given block and double it). We decided to go into The Ten Bells - a pub that has been around since 1666!!! I had a strawberry beer here, and it was actually quite yummy (as always, pictures to follow...eventually). We kind of hung out there just chatting and hanging out. After awhile we decided to move down the block a bit - it was getting FAR too crowded. We ended up at The Golden Heart - where a bunch of us took a shot of tequila and danced to REALLY bad American music and talked to some REALLY drunk brits...iT WaS aWeSoMe!! Then we decided to try one more, so we went to this bar/club we had passed on our tour - since there was only 20 minutes left until they closed, we decided to just leave - plus their drinks were WAY over priced.
This is when the real adventure started. See the tube here - while completely awesome - stops running at midnight. Well, we realized at 23:45 that we were still blocks away from the tube stop, but if we ran we might make it. So we headed off in the direction that Shaughn had pointed us...and then two of the girls (who were quite pissed by this time ^-^) did not see the rest of the group so they ran back to the last bar - what they did not realize was that everyone else was ahead of us! So Stephanie and I went after them - none of the girls had a mobile, so I figured I should stick around just in case. Well, Stephanie ended up catching up with them and we headed towards the tube - the four of us walking quite quickly, I was also on my mobile trying to get a hold of one of the other girls to let them know that we were alright and on our way. As it turns out, two of the other girls (there were a total of 10 of us) also got separated. Eventually we asked a city worker (who was in the process of finishing up relieving himself...yeah...welcome to the other side of London (: ) and he pointed us in the right direction of the tube. So we thought we had made it in time...we were wrong...sort of. So we follow the signs and are waiting for the train when Sara reads a sign and that says that we have to go to the other side of the track to get to our stop - we get there just as the train is arriving. As we are just starting to relax, the voice of the tube (yeah, apparently everything here talks...even my phone. When the alarm goes off in the morning it says "it is time to get up the time is 7:30" and just repeats that. It is quite amusing) is saying the next stop...yeah we realize at this point that it is going in the very much wrong direction. So we try to keep our cool and not panic...and with the help of a really nice British lady we managed to figure out where we were; and when we got off the train we found one that went in the other direction...sadly, it did not go to our stop. So we ended up going to Paddington station (which is on the other side of Hyde Park from where our place is...UGH!) where we were suppose to look for a bus to Kensington. Well, after a lot of walking and a lot of *not* finding a bus (they have these things called Night Buses (Harry Potter is making SOOOO much more sense now!!) that run 24/7...so no matter what you can always get where you need to go) we all gave up and ended up taking a black cab (after checking the boot to make sure he was licensed) and it was about 4£ a piece...so it really was not bad.
We had finally made it home around 2 in the AM, enough time to eat a quick sandwich, change our clothes, and then go to bed.
On Friday I did SOO much...sleeping! I was quite excited! Ok, so I did not sleep ALL day, I woke up every few hours and read my book, but then I promptly fell asleep again. It really was quite lovely! Then a bunch of the girls decided to go out clubbing, but I decided to just stay in the flat - I did not want to have to navigate London in the rain...and it was really threatening when they were leaving - Lisa went though. As it turns out, it did end up raining...so I was glad that I stayed in.
On Saturday, we slept in until about noon...at which time Britney came to see if we wanted to go to the Tate Modern and Westminster Abby. Of course we said yes! The Tate Modern was eh...then again, I am not a big fan of modern art (yes, I was bored out of my skull!! I tried I really did); plus it was really really crowded - I think it had something to do with the Brits bringing their kids to museums on the weekend to culture them...I do not know. So we ended up going to the cafe on the first floor and it was quite good - and cheap! I got a panini and chips - which I shared with Lisa. As we were sitting at the table a whole bunch of people dressed as pirates walked by. Seriously, there was SOOOOO many! AND THEY KEPT COMING! Then there were none. Just as we were moving on they all came back! So me being me I starting snapping pictures...and some of the pirates even posed! It was awesome.
We then got back on the tube and headed towards Westminster Abby. OH. MY. GOSH. IT. WAS. AMAZING!! I can know officially say I have gone to service in THE Westminster Abby!! (ok, it was Evensong, but same thing). I walked on Darwin and waved to Newton...and given a hats'off to Churchhill. It was so COOL!! We then went in search of a toilet; we ended up finding one in Methodist Hall! It was quite an adventure!
Eventually we made our way back to the flat - with a quick stop at Tesco to get some amenities. A couple of the girls decided that they wanted to go out again, but Lisa and I decided to stay in and work on papers. Yeah, funny I know right?! I rang up Shells to say hello and she had said that she and Kylie were going to walk down to KFC cause they had a coupon. That made Lisa and I realize that we too wanted KFC...and there actually is one here! What we forgot about was the fact that our pants were all in the wash...and we were in pjs. But the desire for chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes was far too great! We grabbed an umbrella, put on our shoes and coats and headed out. It was not until we got there that we were disappointed. The KFC only had chicken and fries; but we had walked so far to get the chicken we decided we would get it any way. Yeah, it was HoRRiBLe KFC, but the chicken itself was not too bad. Since we did not want to just sit there we decided to watch X-Files: I Want to Believe (we tried to watch something on Netflix, but apparently you cannot Watch Now outside the states...BAH!). We ended up getting about half way through it when Lisa's bf called...so we agreed to finish it another night.
On Sunday we really did not do much of anything...until 15:00...when we went on a London Walks HaRRy PoTTeR eDiTioN!!! It was not what I had hoped for, but it was quite amusing, interesting, and factual. I can now say I have been in Diagon Alley, stood outside of Gringots bank, and I know where the entrance to the Ministry of Magic is...exciting, I know right?!! Our tour guide was quite interesting and amusing...and he looked a bit like Hagrid's brother or something. :P
We then realized - at the end of the tour that were really quite hungry...so we found this little hole in the wall Indian place called Maharajah of India. If you are in London DO NOT GO THERE!! IT IS HORRIBLY OVER PRICED!!! They charged us 3.95£ for a 1.5 L Evian water bottle - if we had crossed the street we could have gotten three of those. UGH! But I did find out that I really like Nan (it is kind of like bread) [: .
This morning I woke up and went to check my email but the internet would not connect...it was 20 minutes later when I realized that it was because stupid T-Mobile was charging us 2£ a day instead of the 15£ for the month that it was suppose to...UGH! Now we have to go and have a few words with the Carphone Warehouse people. BLEH! So if I can get that fixed I should be able to get pictures up by tomorrow...if no, idk.
Off to the Carphone Warehouse and then maybe H&M and then Argos to get a straightener and hair dryer...fun yeah?! Wish me luck!!

cheers, amanda

PS I have a new picture to put as the background and as soon as I can get pictures loaded I will...and this one will be more clear...promise! (:

PiCTuReS!!!!

Here are the pictures I have so far...if you click on the them it will take you to the photobucket page where they are posted.
CHeeRS!
amanda

A Blustery Day in London...FiNaLLy!!

Yesterday was certainly an adventure!! After leaving the AIFS centre we headed over to the Duck and Dive for lunch; I decided to try their Margarita pizza...after what felt like forever my number was up...AND IT WAS SOOO YUMMY!! Since it took SOOO long for my food to come out, I was not able to finish it, so I went to the window to ask for a take-away box.

SIDENOTE
take-away: to go (you get take-away here, not something to go)
also, we were warned by the AIFS people that people here to no take home leftovers. what they do not finish, they just leave.
END

So, when I get to the window and ask the guy for a take-away box he asks me what I had. When I tell him pizza he tries to give me a pizza box. Yeah, I REALLY did not want to carry that around so I asked him if he had a smaller container. After a bit of back and forth he gave me a burger container to put my extra pizza in. As I was walking back to my table, I could see that he had TOTALLY given me the stupid American look. Oddly enough, it was more amusing that offensive. (:

Then the group of us - Barbara, Nelie, Allison, Cynthia, Lisa, and myself - headed back to the Russell Square tube stop to make our way to Monument for the London Walks Shakespeare edition. We ended up getting off on the right stop, but the wrong side. We were typical tourists, with our mobiles out calling people trying to figure out where we were suppose to be. Eventually we made it - it was up the block and to the right.

I suggest that if you eVeR come to London, you HaVe To HaVe To do a London Walks tour!! They really are the best way to see the city. And if the tour guide is anything like ours was, it will be the best 5£ you ever spend here!

Ok, so after the tour around London we ended up at the Globe. (It must be noted that about half way through the walking tour my camera decided that it did not want to work anymore so it promptly shut off. And stayed that way. So I will just have to steal pictures from Lisa when she finally is able to post them.) Since we had been on this side of town the night before, we were kind of familiar with the area. We ended up at The Anchor - a pub with a fish and chips restaurant. I can now say I have officially had my first beer. It was a Stella Artois and it had a strange aftertaste, but I attribute that to the fact that I have never had beer before; but I finished it all. I even had Lisa take a picture to prove it.

It was as we (Cynthia, Allison, Lisa, and I) were walking out of the pub that I suddenly regretted not bringing a jacket. Not only was a it cold, but it was HeLLa windy!! So of course we were walking along the Thames which only made it colder. And then we had to cross the Millennium Bridge. UGH!! SOOOOO CoLD!!!!

We eventually made it back to the flats - I took a minor pit stop to the Tesco express (a mini supermarket) for juice and CHoCoLaTe!! yuMMMMMM!!! I then tried to read The Tempest, but that did not work out too well considering I fell asleep sitting up in my bed. O.o Lisa told me I should just go to bed...so I did.

For some unknown reason, I woke up at 5 in the A.M.!! I think the sun coming up at quarter to five might have had something to do with it, but I am not entirely sure. BaH! So, in a very un-me move, I actually got up and started my day (see mom I can do it, I just usually do not want to [: ) After I got dressed, I went online to read The Tempest. I actually found a version on SparkNotes.com that shows the Shakespeare text next to a more modern text. It actually helped me understand it a lot more. Just to be on the safe side, though, Lisa and I made a pact to try and keep the discussion as much on Romeo and Juliet as possible. ^-^

So it is now after class, and I am going to go to the duck and dive in a few for lunch - and I am really kind of excited cause I am really kind of hungry. Lisa, Cynthia, Allison, and I were suppose to go on a Harry Potter London Walks tour today, but then Lisa discovered that it only happens on Sundays...so we are going to go on a Jack the Ripper one tonight at 7:30 in the P.M. I am actually kind of excited. Although, I might have to go back to the flat to take a small nap first...I am kinda tired.

Oh, in case you did not see, I put up a picture slide show in the post after this one (ok, technically, it shows up before this one, but you get the idea yeah?). These are all the pictures I have to date. Enjoy and if you wanna leave a comment, please feel free! I look forward to reading comments (you can either do them here, or click on the picture and do it at photobucket).

Hope everyone is having as pleasant a day as I am!!

cheers, amanda