My latest adventure was a weekend trip into Wales. With Elissa and two of her Notre Dame friends, Grace and Katie, I went to the unofficial Welsh capital of Cardiff. We took a train from Paddington Station, and it only took us two hours to get to Cardiff. Elissa and I had fun watching the British country-side fly by and compare it with our knowledge of the UK from Jasper Fforde novels (which is really not much at all). Once off the train, we were a twenty minute walk to our hostel. We left our bags there and headed out to the city center for the evening.
Overall, Cardiff reminded me of a smaller, quieter version of London. I guess I should have expected it, with Cardiff being run by the same overall government as London, but it pleasantly surprised me nonetheless. There was a small shopping area on a more modern street when, lo and behold, we ran into a castle! Yep, Castle Cardiff, standing since the 11th century, was smack dab in the middle of Cardiff. After asking for a restaurant recommendation at the castle gift shop, we wandered around till we found the Owain Glyndwr pub. We stopped there mainly because it had an awesome name and partly because we wanted some traditional pub fare. After an excellent meal of fish and chips, we headed over to a pub called The Goat Major. Apparently, back in the day, troop regiments would have a mascot animal that would actually go into battle with them. The Royal 41st regiment of Wales carried a live goat through the Crimean War and actually introduced it to Queen Victoria.
The pub drew a crowd as crazy as its name (excepting current company, of course). While there, a group of office buddies came in to enjoy the rugby game after a day at work. One of the guys came over and asked for our best pick-up line (aka a "chat-up line" in Anglo-English. Totally threw us off for a second). This led to a rousing conversation with a few of the other guys, in which I was asked
1. If I was Canadian;
2. If I knew Jerry Springer (after they learned I was from Chicago);
3. If I'd slept with my brother;
4. If I lived in a trailer.
Interesting, to say the least. Right before we left, one of the men offered us each a fake rose that he had bought just outside the pub (imagine what you might have bought at a gas station). It was sweet, yet not enough to make us stay! Passing by the countless clubs in Cardiff - we didn't want to stay out late because we had an early morning planned - we settled for desert at a small italian restaurant on our way back to the hostel.
The next morning we were up and out of the hostel by 10 because we had big things ahead. First, some intense shopping along the way to Cardiff Castle. The castle was our ultimate destination, however, as there was a massive British Cheese Festival! Just imagine my delight, eating fabulous British cheese in a beautiful castle in Wales. We had so much fun, doing tastings and walking through the cheese market and around the castle. At one point, we laid down on the grass and napped a bit to digest from all the delicious food. Cheese can only support one for so long, however, and we left after a few hours to see some more of Cardiff. We made our way down to the bay area, where there are a few shops and restaurants. It was nice to see the water for a bit, but after a while of sitting and chatting we decided to grab a train back home.
Since then, I've mainly been resting my feet. I spent Sunday and Monday reading ahead for my Modern Lit class. Today, I explored around UCL before a meeting with the Economics department. My next outing is to Edinburgh next weekend, so look for a update soon after.
Today has been a lazy-ish day for me. I don't have any more orientation activities until Tuesday, and classes don't start until Oct 4, so I decided to read a bit and explore London today. After an abrupt awakening by the cleaning staff (who arrived unannounced at 9am), I lounged around for a bit and read The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was a lovely day to stay in, the first day we've had with rain and very gloomy looking clouds, but I really wanted to walk around. I had no firm location in mind. I headed first towards Soho and an area known for its book shops. I searched through one for a bit, but I didn't want to buy anything without consulting my reading lists first - both of my English classes have impressively long lists, and I need to focus on those for the next few weeks rather than any free reading! I meandered back towards Oxfords Street from there, just looking for a place to eat and read (of course I brought Dorian Gray with me), and getting my shoes thoroughly wet. I didn't plan my footwear so well, but I need to break in the rest of my rain appropriate shoes a bit more before I go frolicking through the city. Off of the main road, I found a cafe where I bought a baguette sandwich and soda for only #2.80. It was delicious, and I'm glad I found something so inexpensive after a week of indulgences. Now, I'm relaxing in my room...going to read a bit more momentarily...and then off to Elissa's for dinner and a night out with her Notre Dame friends.
Here are a few photos from my visit to Windsor. Though it was a chilly day, with the threat of rain always hoovering on the horizon, the crowds were out in true British fashion.
I was actually surprised to see some of the beaver-hatted guards out and about since the queen was absent. This gentleman was extremely diligent in his duties, despite the relentless rotation of tourists who took their photo with him.
This is a detail photo of the carvings on the outside of St. George's Chapel. Some of the gargoyles have eroded over time and, in their spots, current artists have installed new creations.
This is the center of the castle complex and has been used since William the Conqueror established fortifications in 1066. The tower rests on the original defensive mound he constructed, and the flower garden would have been a moat in his day. Windsor, as it turns out, is the longest continually used castle in the world.
This is the exit from the castle complex. The walls are very imposing, and I would definitely think twice about storming the castle (with anything less than a wooden rabbit, that is).
My feet have had enough from the past few days, and I’m glad that everything is closed on Sunday evening so I am forced to stay in and give them a little rest.
The torture for my feet began on Friday night, when I went out with my roommate and a few other IFSA-Butler UCL students. We went to a club called Fabric with an outrageous cover fee and overpriced drinks. It was an experience though, to be sure, to be in a three-story club with multiple dance floors…a little overwhelming at times. The initial damage was done to my feet here when, instead of being sensible, I wore heels. A few blisters later, I was happy to pass out in bed after a long night.
On Saturday I met ELISSA for a fabulous day of touring and sightseeing throughout London. We met in Leicester Square to buy discounted theater tickets for that evening. There is a booth there called “Tkts” that sells all the unsold tickets at half price (or even greater discounts) and we were lucky enough to get seats in the middle of Row M seats to Avenue Q. I couldn’t believe our luck! After that, we did a tour from Trafalgar Square down to Westminster and through St. James Park before stopping for lunch in the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Renovated, thankfully, it was still neat to eat there with the vaulted ceilings and tomb covers inlaid into the floor. After touring the church briefly, we continued on to the National Portrait Gallery. This contains portraits of important British figures from the time of Queen Elizabeth I through the modern era arranged by year. It was fun to see some of the famous works I knew in person, rather than reproduced in a textbook. Elissa and I got dinner in Chinatown, choosing a restaurant at random (with decent prices, of course). The fried rice was amazing, and thankfully the portions were large enough that I brought my leftovers home for an entire second meal! I had a great time walking through Chinatown; it is elaborately decorated and the smells all mingled together to nearly overwhelm the senses. After a “quick” detour to Elissa’s flat to drop off our food, we went to Avenue Q. It was utterly hilarious, enjoyably raunchy, and very touching when it wanted to be. I loved the use of puppets; I’m not sure I can pinpoint why, but I thought the ingenuity behind it was so clever. When Elissa and I returned to her flat, we had quite a job of figuring out how to get me home. Not only does the city close some tube lines over the weekend for construction repairs, but with the Pope in town it seemed that half the city was closed! We figured it out though, and I got back safe and sound. Not to disregard the foot theme, my feet were definitely sore by the end, though thankfully no new blisters had formed. I wore bandaids and socks, which saved me from any more strife.
Today I visited Windsor Castle, the oldest castle to be continuously used (since William the Conqueror took over England in 1066). I took a train about 45 minutes southwest of London straight into town and, lo and behold, straight up to the castle. I had no idea it would be so close, but I literally walked out of the train station, down a short block of shops, and found myself face to face with a very imposing castle wall. I was glad I didn’t have to walk far to get to the castle, my feet were already tired and wearing new-ish flats was shaping up to be a bad idea. Once inside the castle grounds, I picked up an audio tour guide. Its messages corresponded to points around the grounds as well as in the rooms on display. Outdoors was beautiful, and I loved examining the architecture. Only a portion of the castle is open to the public, including the state apartments, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and a collection of art from the royal collection (in particular a selection of Da Vinci’s sketches!). The whole interior tour was actually a bit overwhelming; after viewing five or six of the ornately decorated rooms I became rather desensitized to the beauty of the rest. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back and see it again! My only regret about going today is that St. George Chapel was closed. On Sundays, they need time to prepare for multiple services and are closed to sightseers. Since then, I’ve been recouping and straightening up my room after a few hectic days of throwing things wherever I had room.
I start UCL orientation on Tuesday, which gives me another day to explore tomorrow. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I know my roommates want to do some more tourist activities in London and check out a breakfast place that serves traditional British fare. Keep your fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy it if I do eat there!
I'm finally here! It seems like it has been a week already, with the time change and being in a massive city and being in LONDON and walking around everywhere. Utterly sublime. Luckily, I moved straight into my flat when I arrived (some students are staying in hotels until they move into their dorms on Saturday). I think it's rather far from UCL, and that I will invest in a student discounted Oyster card to get around on the tube, but I'll have to walk the distance to make sure.
The area surrounding my flat seems nice. There are two small grocery/convenience stores, one open 24 hours, as well as a post office (with free atm machine) and a drug/beauty store. We are about one block from two different tube stops, and a 5 minute walk from a third. Situated half way between Hyde Park and Regent's Park, the area seems to have a high density of muslims...many of the signs on the main thoroughfare, Edgeware Rd, are written in English and Arabic.
The flat itself is fabulous. I feel like I'm on the Commons in its first year again! Apparently, a Russian millionaire bought the place at a time when he bought a number of properties together. He forgot about my building for a few years, and only just renovated the space into modern flats. I am one of the first to live here, and it really shows. There are seven girls in my flat, and I'm in a "double" with Lily, from CA. There is a flat screen TV, massive (and well supplied) kitchen, and three and a half baths. It still seems unreal that I actually live here. I'll make sure to post some photos of it soon.
Since I've been here, I've...
1. Taken the tube a lot. It reminds me of the Boston public transit system, so it hasn't been too hard to figure out.
2. Realized that street signs aren't on anything as uniform as posts, they are on the sides of buildings. And never in the same general location, so one must be diligent in searching the buildings that surround an intersection to determine a street's name.
3. Met Elissa at Trafalgar Square!!!!!!! It was so amazing to see her, and FINALLY be in London together. She had to attend a performance at the Globe that night for her Shakespeare class, so we crossed the Thames and walked all the way there on the South Bank. I can't wait to attend a performance myself!
4. Definitively determined that it is St. Paul's Cathedral, not St. Peter's...Elissa was having a hard time with this :)
5. Got some groceries and a cell phone, and figured out how to work it!
That's the general outline of my past two days. I've spent a lot of time with my roommates and in IFSA Butler meetings. I'm now off to bed, as it is swiftly approaching 1 AM my time and I have to be out the door at 9 for, you guessed it, more meetings.
