10. Salt and Vinegar. A popular variation is salt and balsamic vinegar, if you're feeling fancy.
9. Flame roasted steak
8. Canadian Ham
7. Cheese and onion
6. Roast chicken
5. Roast beef and horseradish
4. Ketchup
3. Pickled onion
2. Prawn cocktail
And the number one crisp flavor is...
1. Marmite!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Good times...and Alnwick Castle
I had a really good weekend. It started out by getting lunch and shopping all day with Alissa on Friday. Some girls from my program invited me to a bar in Jesmond (like a suburb area in Newcastle, but close to the city center) so Alissa and I went to meet up with my school friends. The bar is called Mr. Lynch's, and it was really nice. There was a live band, and it was more like our crowd. Most of the pubs/bars near our building contain really young students, and/or older people. We have been looking for a place that feels like more of our crowd, and I believe we found it. We did a little dancing, a little socializing, and a little drinking. We met lots of nice people, and had a stellar time. We didn't get home till around 3am.
I am pretty sure I saved a man's life, cause when we got home, there was a guy passed out in the grass in front of our building. He wouldn't wake up, and I noticed he was shaking with cold. The grass was damp, and it was probably in the 40's. He finally became slightly conscious, so I helped him into the reception area. He proceeded to become unconscious again. I couldn't find a wallet or phone, and since he was passed out, he couldn't help us to figure out who he was, or where he belonged. So I called the guy on duty, who then called the warden, so Alissa and I went off to bed.
I fell asleep around 3:30, and had to get up at 7:30 to catch the bus to Alnwick. The alarm/testing system of the football stadium went off at 6am, and I had my window open, so it woke me up. Thus I had around 2 hours of sleep before my big day at Alnwick. I was slightly hung over, and clearly sleep deprived, but didn't feel too bad initially.
It takes about an hour to get to Alnwick by bus. It is only like 30 miles away, but of course it takes awhile to get there. Alnwick Castle is one of the homes of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. It is where parts of the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed, as well as Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Elizabeth, and a few others. We took a tour that told us the spots where Harry Potter and other movies were filmed. It was pretty fun. Part of the living areas are open to the public, so that was cool to see. It would be awesome to live in a castle!
After the castle, we walked to the town to have lunch. We then proceeded to a large well-known bookstore, and browsed for a bit. We caught the bus back, and it was a double decker bus! We sat up top, but by the end of the trip, I was very motion sick. I then went to my room to take a nap.
Alissa and I met up with some new friends Saturday night. We went back to Mr. Lynch's and had a pretty mellow night. We woke up today and got some breakfast and got a few groceries. We also swapped photos and music, when I really should have been reading! Oh well, it was the first weekend that has been pretty relaxed, and I got to hang in Newcastle and enjoy myself, so it was worth it.
Now I am a bit tired, and must prepare for a serious day of reading tomorrow. Should be good times. Ciao!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
This is the gift shop of Mary Kings Close. Doctors during the 16th and 17th centuries believed the plague was spread through bad smells (and there were a lot of them!) so they had these raven-type masks with the nose stuffed with sweet smelling flowers and herbs. They also wore big long leather coats to block the smells. Incidentally, this getup often worked, because the fleas couldn't get to their skin through their leather!
This is one of the "closes." During the early modern period, they would be some of the most populated and busy streets in Edinburgh. You can see that it is steep, at the bottom used to be the lower loch, where the cities drinking water was brought, as well as where the waste was drained down too. The tour we went on showed a few closes that were closed over in the 18th century.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Edinburgh!
This weekend, I met Alissa, Anik and Liz in Edinburgh. On Friday, I slept in, then got up and prepared for my trip. Alissa and Anik were in Edinburgh for the day for school, so the plan was to meet them in the afternoon when they were done. My friend Liz from St. Andrews also went to Edinburgh on Friday afternoon to meet up with us. I packed my backpack and headed off. I got to the train station a little early, so I had time to sit and ponder. There are no garbage cans in any of the train stations, presumably so no bombs can be placed in them to bomb the train station. There were also many pigeons in the train station, and I saw at least two with deformed feet/claws/toes. And they fly really close to your head.
After I time, the train arrived, and I found my seat. I am not sure what the protocol is for assigned train seats, but a gentleman was in my seat, and his friend was next to him. I politely asked about the seat, since it was assigned to me, and he got his stuff to move. Meanwhile, there was a line of people behind me, waiting to find their seats. Awesome. So I sat by the window, so I could look out at the countryside. While listening to "Don't Panic" by Coldplay, on the Garden State Soundtrack, we passed through some really beautiful Scottish countryside. The lyrics go "we live in a beautiful world..." so I thought it was really appropriate at the time. The train followed the coastline which was glorious.
I got to Edinburgh around 5:15, and then made my way to the hostel. It wasn't too hard to find, and I was meeting all three girls at 5:30. Checking in was easy. I was given a quick run down of my keys and other various tidbits of information about the hostel. I was in a room with five other girls. There were three sets of bunk beds, and we each had a locker. I placed my backpack in my locker, and then met the ladies. We found a place to eat dinner, and then went to a pub for a drink. We had tickets to go on an underground tour at 9pm.
The tour was called Mary King's Close, and it went through the "closes" of the old part of Edinburgh. The closes were streets perpendicular to the Royal mile, and headed down to the lower loch. So basically they look like tiny little alleyways, but in fact thousands of people would live on each street. They had gates at each end that could be shut, I guess to keep the people in. All classes lived in the closes, from the very poor, to the well-to-do. In the 18th century, most of the closes were closed up in an effort to make the city nicer. But during their heyday, which was the 16th and 17th centuries, they were bustling with activity. In fact, Mary King's close was the second busiest street in Edinburgh next to the Royal Mile. Because they were closed up, it is like being underground. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the streets had the world's first sky scrapers. The buildings could be as tall as 11-13 stories high. The streets were on a steep slope, which led down to the lower loch. Because it was the most densely populated area of the city, some really poor families lived in horrible conditions. Up to 15 people could live in one room at a time, with ceilings no more than 6 feet tall. Often multiple families would live in one room. There were no windows or chimneys. The fire would be kept by the door to try to eliminate smoke, but Scotland is very windy, so the smoke would inevitably end up and stay in the house. They also used one bucket for the toilet, garbage and drinking water. Most people drank ale at this time, for good reason. The bucket was allowed to be emptied twice daily, 7am and 10pm. With 15 people, it would be quite full. And when it was time to empty it, you just chucked it out your doorstep, and yelled "guardi loo!" In addition to human feces and garbage, animal waste was also deposited on the ground of the close, and it eventually trickled to the lower loch, where the city got their drinking water from. The poor could not afford shoes at this time, so they walked around in the poo. It was a very informative tour, and one that I highly recommend.
After this, we went pub hopping. We went to 3 pubs, and then settled on a dance club. Anik and Liz were tired, and not much in the mood for dancing, so they went back to the hostel. Alissa and I were all about dancing, so we stayed and had a couple drinks and busted some moves. The thing about the British Isles is that no one has rhythm. And they don't care! They just get down with their bad selves and have a great time. So Alissa and I were quick to join in the rhythmless happenings. We had a couple of guys come dance with us, and they were very nice, if not really drunk. Around 1am, we decided to head back to the hostel at an attempt to sleep for the exciting day ahead.
Once back at the hostel, I was the last of the girls to go to bed in my room. That meant I had to try to get my stuff in the dark. I managed all right, and then went to my bed on the top of one of the bunks. I somehow only managed to bring one earplug to bed, so I alternated it between ears. I didn't get much sleep the first night, so was pretty tired the next day.
In the morning, the four of us had breakfast. Anik had family friends in the country, so she left to hang out with them. That left Alissa, Liz and myself to go on a free walking tour of the city. It was a long walking tour, and there were some interesting bits, but some stuff we had already been told the night before. Our guide kept referring the the "layer of crusty poo" on the lower loch in former times. Incidentally, when the city closed up the closes, they also drained the lower loch, so it no longer exists. We also learned that bodies were dumped in it by criminals, witches were drowned in it, and the corpses of plague victims were thrown in with rocks to weigh them down. Mind you, this was still the city's source of drinking water into the 18th century. There was a myth that there was such a "layer of crusty poo" that you could walk across the loch.
After the walking tour, we went to the Elephant Tea Room, where J.K. Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter books. We had a bit of lunch before heading off to the castle. The castle was pretty cool. It contains the crown jewels and the seat of destiny. It was fun, but not the most thrilling of castles. We saw two weddings there, back to back, which was crazy.
Liz had to head back to St. Andrews in the evening. Alissa and I decided to go to a pub to watch the rugby finals, which was England vs. South Africa. It was fun to watch the game, but since we were in Scotland, the Scots were for South Africa, because of some love-hate relationship with England. South Africa did win, so the Scots were happy. A nice Australian couple sat with us so they could eat since the pub was packed, and the guy explained some of the rules of rugby, so that helped. After that, we went to a few more pubs, but were so exhausted from our day and lack of sleep, that we went home kind of early.
On Sunday, we had breakfast, and then decided to climb Arthur's Seat. This is a mountain on the edge of the city, overlooking the city. It was a steep climb, but worth it. There is some myth that Arthur was there, or had something to do with the mountain, which is why it's called Arthur's Seat. You could see the Sea from the mountain, the castle, and everything else in the city. It was windy and cold, and drizzled for a bit, but that didn't take away from it's awesomeness.
We then went to The World's End pub on the Royal Mile for lunch. I had nachos, the first nachos I ordered since I have been here. Allissa had fish n chips. For dessert, we decided to try a traditional Scottish dish called Cronach(?) it was berries soaked in honey and whiskey, on top of oats with whipped cream and a shortbread. It was yummy.
We then went to the hostel to get our bags. Incidentally, the hostel was built in 1564 and was the home of James Douglas, fourth Earl of Morton. He was found guilty of conspiracy against the queen, Mary of Scots, and her husband Lord Darnley, so he was executed by guillotine. The hostel wasn't bad. It certainly wasn't a hotel, but it was pretty clean, and everyone was really nice. There were communal toilets and showers. I forgot a towel, so I got one from the front desk for 20p. Granted it was a used towel, but it worked. The shower was much nicer than my own, you could adjust the temp, and it had nice flow, so on Sunday, I took a long shower to bask in the gloriousness of it. In all, my hostel experience was a good one, so I will definitely look into them in the future.
After picking up our things, we decided to sit and have a whisky since we had time to kill before our train arrived. I ordered the first one, and asked the bartender what he recommended. He suggested something light, which I agreed with since it was our first time. It wasn't bad. It wasn't too strong and had a nice initial flavor. However, the after taste was like vomit. Maybe I have thrown up some Jack Daniels or something, but the aftertaste was not pleasant. Alissa ordered the second one, and she picked one that was a little darker and stronger, it was also organic. This one wasn't bad either, but for some reason, I still kept getting a vomit aftertaste. Whisky also creates breath of fire, which Alissa appreciated when I blew into her face!
After our whisky experience, we walked to the train station. It took a little over two hours to get home, which was longer than my trip up there. Once we got back to Newcastle, we commented to each other how happy we were to be home. Walking our familiar streets, we realized that we truly consider Newcastle home! Of course I love to travel, but I love Newcastle, and how it's my home for the next nine months! It's good to be back!
I will post pictures later, as I want to get some from Alissa before I post them on the blog. So stay tuned for my exciting pictures of Edinburgh!
A Lovely Tuesday
Today was a busy day for me. I woke up early, ate breakfast, got ready, and packed myself a lunch. I met my fellow classmates at ten to go over the reading for today's class. I had a bit of a break where I printed some articles and ate my lunch. I then headed off to class.
At four, my fellow American students and I went to the Shefton museum for tea and coffee, and to meet a visiting professor from the states. It was nice, we met the professor and briefly chatted. He is here partly because he is responsible for the exchange program at his university, so he wanted to find out about our university. Then we went to a lecture by a modern European historian whose book just came out. It was actually quite good. I then came home around seven, and went up to my kitchen to wash a couple of my dishes from this morning.
When I got upstairs, my kitchen mate who lives right above me was cooking, and invited me to join him and his friends. He is from India, so he was making home made curry, in a couple different varieties. Of course I couldn't turn him down, partly cause it was free food, but also because I love Indian food. It turns out there were seven of us total, and a couple of the girls were helping to cook. One of the guys who was there is from India, but got his bachelor's in the US, and has now been in Newcastle for two years. He brought along some Foster's, which is popular here. Of course, I couldn't turn that down either, so I had one. It was interesting watching them cook. I obviously have never seen a home made curry cooked before, and I was fascinated, and also really excited. They were so nice and welcoming. Once the food was ready, the four of us girls sat down and ate. Apparently the guys waited till we were totally done before they ate, so they basically watched us eat. One of the girls was so sweet and motherly, she kept putting food on my plate, and I am sure she was younger than me. I ate till my little heart was content, and it was amazing. So delicious! After this, we were kind of hanging out, and one of the girls kept taking pictures. So I was the white girl who was randomly in all the shots. I offered to take a group shot of them, but was turned down because they wanted me in the shot! I was also invited to a party on Friday. I might go for a bit, because they were really nice and fun. I also told them I would cook up some Mexican food for them sometime. It was a sweet evening.
Yesterday I had a lazy day from my return home from Edinburgh. I had to get groceries, and read for class. Rob and Jamie invited Alissa and I over to dinner. Rob cooked salmon, roast corn, and a delicious wild rice. He also made homemade crepes with apple filing. I love free food! I received a package from Jason that was AWESOME. He included all kinds of goodies that really made my day. Have I mentioned how much I love packages?
So I have had an amazing few days, and am really happy. Tomorrow, Rob, Jamie, Alissa and I are going to a movie, so that should be fun. I am meeting with my tutor as well because I submitted a paper for him to mark so that I know what to do for my assignments. I am getting pretty excited about some research, so I will be trying to figure out some ideas for my dissertation soon. On Saturday, Rob, Jamie, Alissa and I are going to Anwick castle, which is where a lot of the Harry Potter films were filmed. We are only going for the day, so I am looking forward to a weekend at home, where I can be lazy, and do some research. We might hit up Costco on Sunday, so that could be good times.
At four, my fellow American students and I went to the Shefton museum for tea and coffee, and to meet a visiting professor from the states. It was nice, we met the professor and briefly chatted. He is here partly because he is responsible for the exchange program at his university, so he wanted to find out about our university. Then we went to a lecture by a modern European historian whose book just came out. It was actually quite good. I then came home around seven, and went up to my kitchen to wash a couple of my dishes from this morning.
When I got upstairs, my kitchen mate who lives right above me was cooking, and invited me to join him and his friends. He is from India, so he was making home made curry, in a couple different varieties. Of course I couldn't turn him down, partly cause it was free food, but also because I love Indian food. It turns out there were seven of us total, and a couple of the girls were helping to cook. One of the guys who was there is from India, but got his bachelor's in the US, and has now been in Newcastle for two years. He brought along some Foster's, which is popular here. Of course, I couldn't turn that down either, so I had one. It was interesting watching them cook. I obviously have never seen a home made curry cooked before, and I was fascinated, and also really excited. They were so nice and welcoming. Once the food was ready, the four of us girls sat down and ate. Apparently the guys waited till we were totally done before they ate, so they basically watched us eat. One of the girls was so sweet and motherly, she kept putting food on my plate, and I am sure she was younger than me. I ate till my little heart was content, and it was amazing. So delicious! After this, we were kind of hanging out, and one of the girls kept taking pictures. So I was the white girl who was randomly in all the shots. I offered to take a group shot of them, but was turned down because they wanted me in the shot! I was also invited to a party on Friday. I might go for a bit, because they were really nice and fun. I also told them I would cook up some Mexican food for them sometime. It was a sweet evening.
Yesterday I had a lazy day from my return home from Edinburgh. I had to get groceries, and read for class. Rob and Jamie invited Alissa and I over to dinner. Rob cooked salmon, roast corn, and a delicious wild rice. He also made homemade crepes with apple filing. I love free food! I received a package from Jason that was AWESOME. He included all kinds of goodies that really made my day. Have I mentioned how much I love packages?
So I have had an amazing few days, and am really happy. Tomorrow, Rob, Jamie, Alissa and I are going to a movie, so that should be fun. I am meeting with my tutor as well because I submitted a paper for him to mark so that I know what to do for my assignments. I am getting pretty excited about some research, so I will be trying to figure out some ideas for my dissertation soon. On Saturday, Rob, Jamie, Alissa and I are going to Anwick castle, which is where a lot of the Harry Potter films were filmed. We are only going for the day, so I am looking forward to a weekend at home, where I can be lazy, and do some research. We might hit up Costco on Sunday, so that could be good times.
Friday, October 19, 2007
It's Official...I Have Been Here One Month!
Hello everyone. I have officially passed my one month mark here in England. It seems like a long time, and then it doesn't! I sometimes get the feeling that I am on a really cool vacation, and then I realize, I LIVE here! It's crazy. I do feel very comfortable here, but there is still a lot for me to learn, and I do get shocked at times. It's just like a jolt that hits me randomly, and I remember that I am living in England!
The money situation has improved this week. Everything seems to be coming together nicely. I had three classes this week, and I am still excited about that. My class yesterday focused on crime and witchcraft in the early modern period, so I was totally into that. I am toying with the idea of doing my dissertation on something to do with folklore, magic, witchcraft, cunning men/women and customs. Not sure how that would all create a great paper yet, but I have time. I was also thinking about maybe doing a comparison with witches in England and werewolves and vampires on the continent. All three were used to explain things that the normal person couldn't explain, like illness or sick animals. We shall see. I also went to a seminar after class yesterday with a leading British historian. It was a small, informal setting, and I really enjoyed myself. I am such a nerd! Getting all excited about academics and readings! But it reinforces why I am here, and how much I love learning. Yay!
After the seminar, Alissa and I hung out with a few people at a pub. It was fun. We stopped into a few places that we hadn't been to before, so now we know a few more places to go. We were home by 10:30 since Alissa had to leave early for Edinburgh. I am taking the train to meet up with her this afternoon. My friend Liz, from St. Andrews is also meeting us, so I am really excited about a weekend in Scotland! I will scope some stuff out for my future visitors :) It will be an adventure for me to take the train by myself, and then find the hostel by myself, but I am excited to do it. I will have tons of pictures I am sure, so keep your eyes out for them!
The money situation has improved this week. Everything seems to be coming together nicely. I had three classes this week, and I am still excited about that. My class yesterday focused on crime and witchcraft in the early modern period, so I was totally into that. I am toying with the idea of doing my dissertation on something to do with folklore, magic, witchcraft, cunning men/women and customs. Not sure how that would all create a great paper yet, but I have time. I was also thinking about maybe doing a comparison with witches in England and werewolves and vampires on the continent. All three were used to explain things that the normal person couldn't explain, like illness or sick animals. We shall see. I also went to a seminar after class yesterday with a leading British historian. It was a small, informal setting, and I really enjoyed myself. I am such a nerd! Getting all excited about academics and readings! But it reinforces why I am here, and how much I love learning. Yay!
After the seminar, Alissa and I hung out with a few people at a pub. It was fun. We stopped into a few places that we hadn't been to before, so now we know a few more places to go. We were home by 10:30 since Alissa had to leave early for Edinburgh. I am taking the train to meet up with her this afternoon. My friend Liz, from St. Andrews is also meeting us, so I am really excited about a weekend in Scotland! I will scope some stuff out for my future visitors :) It will be an adventure for me to take the train by myself, and then find the hostel by myself, but I am excited to do it. I will have tons of pictures I am sure, so keep your eyes out for them!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tuesday
Today was a good day. I woke up to a fire drill in my building at 7:30am. It takes me back to a time when I was ten, and had to do fire drills at my school regularly. It was pretty awesome. We have to be out of our building within 5 minutes, or they will make regular fire drills till we get it perfect. So we all stood outside half awake in our pajamas for 15 minutes!
I had class today, so some classmates and I meet every Tuesday before class to discuss the readings. Between our meetings and class we have a two hour break. I ran to the bank to transfer money into my American account, which was surprisingly easy. Then I met up with some classmates and got a quick bite to eat. Today, I felt adventurous, and decided I should start trying things that are typically British, but that I view as "weird." So I had a tuna mayonnaise sandwich. My British classmate Tom really likes Prawn cocktail potato chips, so I tried those as well. Not bad. He also had a Lion bar, which is a candy bar, and shared some with me. I am opening my mind!
Class was good. I really like being in class talking about scholarly stuff (that sounds smart, huh). But I do feel really good doing my reading and attending classes, so I know that I am in the right place.
After class, I ran into Alissa, and we decided to make dinner. We had to stop at the store to get pasta sauce for the pasta I have. We stopped at Marks and Spencer, which is a high end grocery store, clothing store, and other stuff all in one. I had not been in before, because I was afraid of the "high-end" prices. They actually weren't too bad, and they had lots of neat stuff. So I picked up a few things to last me the week, that I know will be delicious! I also bought roast beef and horseradish flavored potato crisps. I am getting fancy!
I came home, and picked up my mail. I got a card from Jason, and a package from my aunt Beth. Yay!!! I was so excited, and know I am loved :) Jason will actually be here in a few weeks, and I am so excited to see someone from home! Anyway I came upstairs to put my groceries away, and tooled around a bit on the computer before I go to cook. I had a myspace message from an old boyfriend, so I replied, and did some looking around. My friend TJ got married this weekend in Denver, and I obviously couldn't go. I have been pretty sad about it, but not as sad as I was to see some pictures of the wedding on his myspace. I started crying really hard. Don't really know why, except that I really wanted to be there. I haven't even met his wife yet, and I feel left out :( I know it will pass, but I was sad that I couldn't go to Cindy's wedding too, and cried at her pictures as well! Oh well, I am just an emotional lady :) So now I am off to cook dinner for Alissa and myself. She just booked a ghost tour for us for this weekend in Edinburgh. Yay!
I am sitting at my desk, and a red Jetta just drove by my window! Funny coincidence. I have also seen a few WRX's, which as Noah tells me are bad ass cars. Most cars are little British or European cars, but every now and then I see something different...Ok, now I am rambling, so I am off. Love you all!
I had class today, so some classmates and I meet every Tuesday before class to discuss the readings. Between our meetings and class we have a two hour break. I ran to the bank to transfer money into my American account, which was surprisingly easy. Then I met up with some classmates and got a quick bite to eat. Today, I felt adventurous, and decided I should start trying things that are typically British, but that I view as "weird." So I had a tuna mayonnaise sandwich. My British classmate Tom really likes Prawn cocktail potato chips, so I tried those as well. Not bad. He also had a Lion bar, which is a candy bar, and shared some with me. I am opening my mind!
Class was good. I really like being in class talking about scholarly stuff (that sounds smart, huh). But I do feel really good doing my reading and attending classes, so I know that I am in the right place.
After class, I ran into Alissa, and we decided to make dinner. We had to stop at the store to get pasta sauce for the pasta I have. We stopped at Marks and Spencer, which is a high end grocery store, clothing store, and other stuff all in one. I had not been in before, because I was afraid of the "high-end" prices. They actually weren't too bad, and they had lots of neat stuff. So I picked up a few things to last me the week, that I know will be delicious! I also bought roast beef and horseradish flavored potato crisps. I am getting fancy!
I came home, and picked up my mail. I got a card from Jason, and a package from my aunt Beth. Yay!!! I was so excited, and know I am loved :) Jason will actually be here in a few weeks, and I am so excited to see someone from home! Anyway I came upstairs to put my groceries away, and tooled around a bit on the computer before I go to cook. I had a myspace message from an old boyfriend, so I replied, and did some looking around. My friend TJ got married this weekend in Denver, and I obviously couldn't go. I have been pretty sad about it, but not as sad as I was to see some pictures of the wedding on his myspace. I started crying really hard. Don't really know why, except that I really wanted to be there. I haven't even met his wife yet, and I feel left out :( I know it will pass, but I was sad that I couldn't go to Cindy's wedding too, and cried at her pictures as well! Oh well, I am just an emotional lady :) So now I am off to cook dinner for Alissa and myself. She just booked a ghost tour for us for this weekend in Edinburgh. Yay!
I am sitting at my desk, and a red Jetta just drove by my window! Funny coincidence. I have also seen a few WRX's, which as Noah tells me are bad ass cars. Most cars are little British or European cars, but every now and then I see something different...Ok, now I am rambling, so I am off. Love you all!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Mexican food!!!
After our trip to York on Saturday, my friends and I decided upon a relaxing Sunday. For me that consisted of doing two giant loads of laundry, that didn't get fully dried. Oh well, you can't have everything! Then around 3:30, Alissa and I went to the grocery store for the ingredients for a Mexican fiesta! We were going over to Rob and Jaime's to cook dinner and watch Harry Potter movies, since Jamie and Rob hadn't seen them. At our local store, Alissa and I found all the fixins to make a taco dinner. Complete with seasoning, taco shells, plain doritos tortilla chips, hot doritos salsa, and some fresh salsa stuff as well. We also made brownies and had a mint chocolate chip ice cream. I ate so much delicious Mexican food, it was painful! We watched the first two Harry Potter movies, and it was a good time. By the way, the first book and movie over here are titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Fun!
Today, I had to have a meeting with the rest of my kitchen mates and the head cleaner in our kitchen to discuss our "problems." Only myself and two others showed up out of 8! I expressed my concern that I haven't actually cooked in my kitchen because it has been so dirty. In fact, when I got home last night, there was left over food all over the counters as well as a ton of dirty dishes. These were left for the housekeeper this morning, but it's not their job to clean dishes and pick up food. So anyways, if the situation doesn't become better, we risk being fined, and the cleaning service withdrawn. Even for those of us who clearly aren't making a mess! I can't really blame them, because if they don't know who the culprit is, then they have no choice but to fine everyone. But from my point of view, I shouldn't have to pay for stuff in the kitchen since I barely use it. However, I would use it more often if it were clean...and the saga continues.
I had a great day overall though. I got some stuff done, so I feel accomplished, and I was in a pleasant mood. Tomorrow I have class in the afternoon, and a few things to do before that. I am feeling more settled in. In fact when I got home today I was happy and felt like I was coming home. Either I am liking my living situation more, or I am getting used to it, or both! So I am trying to maintain a positive attitude. Things seem to be going in my favor lately, and I should hopefully hear about some financial stuff within the next two days. Things are looking up!
I also ran into a couple of guys in my building who I met the first week was here. Alissa and I will probably get together with them soon, so I am excited at making new friends. Right now, most of my friends seem to be American, so I am looking forward to meeting some other people.
My room has also developed a funk, so I have been trying to air it out with the windows open. It's strange, and I can't discover the source! Maybe since it has been relatively warm and humid, there is just an odor that occurs from the old building . I don't want to be the stinky lady! I might have to invest in some Febreeze!
Today, I had to have a meeting with the rest of my kitchen mates and the head cleaner in our kitchen to discuss our "problems." Only myself and two others showed up out of 8! I expressed my concern that I haven't actually cooked in my kitchen because it has been so dirty. In fact, when I got home last night, there was left over food all over the counters as well as a ton of dirty dishes. These were left for the housekeeper this morning, but it's not their job to clean dishes and pick up food. So anyways, if the situation doesn't become better, we risk being fined, and the cleaning service withdrawn. Even for those of us who clearly aren't making a mess! I can't really blame them, because if they don't know who the culprit is, then they have no choice but to fine everyone. But from my point of view, I shouldn't have to pay for stuff in the kitchen since I barely use it. However, I would use it more often if it were clean...and the saga continues.
I had a great day overall though. I got some stuff done, so I feel accomplished, and I was in a pleasant mood. Tomorrow I have class in the afternoon, and a few things to do before that. I am feeling more settled in. In fact when I got home today I was happy and felt like I was coming home. Either I am liking my living situation more, or I am getting used to it, or both! So I am trying to maintain a positive attitude. Things seem to be going in my favor lately, and I should hopefully hear about some financial stuff within the next two days. Things are looking up!
I also ran into a couple of guys in my building who I met the first week was here. Alissa and I will probably get together with them soon, so I am excited at making new friends. Right now, most of my friends seem to be American, so I am looking forward to meeting some other people.
My room has also developed a funk, so I have been trying to air it out with the windows open. It's strange, and I can't discover the source! Maybe since it has been relatively warm and humid, there is just an odor that occurs from the old building . I don't want to be the stinky lady! I might have to invest in some Febreeze!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Welcome to York!
Yesterday, October 13, Alissa, Jamie, Rob and myself ventured into York. We took the train at 8:30 in the morning, and it lasted about an hour. Yesterday was the earliest I have woken up since I have been here! The sun rises around 7:15 these days, but it will continue to rise later, and later into the Winter. We didn't have much of a game plan before arriving, but we knew there was tons to see, so we were excited!
After our arrival, we got a map and brochure with things to do from the train station. We decided to go to the Viking museum at first. York has a ton of history starting before the Romans. The Romans came to the area, and "founded" the important city of Eboracum. I am not exactly sure when it became known as York, but it went through Norman invasion, Viking invasion and colonization, and then the rest of typical British history, I suppose. So we learned that York has been an important city for a long time.
Back to the Jorvic Museum. Archaeologists discovered a bunch of Viking stuff under the city in the 60's. The museum itself was a little hokey, but educational. We first had to go through a "time machine" to get us to the date in the 9th century when the Vikings settled there. We then had to get on a Disneyland type ride that took us through a re-created Viking village/settlement. At the end of that, we got to peruse the real artifacts that were found there. It was a stinky place, on purpose. I don't know if they re-created smells, or that is what it smells like from the dig. At one point on our Disneyland ride, there was a re-created Viking pooping in the back yard, and a whiff of the stench was sent our way. I guess they were going all out on the sensory front. One of the big finds there in fact, was a whole piece of human poop. It is on display, and it shows what the Vikings ate, and I guess some other important information that poo-ologists look for. I was excited to find however, that the Vikings used a type of sea shell to ward demons away. They would hang this shell outside their homes to catch the demons. And if you put your ear to it, you could hear the demons inside of it. Of course I bought one, and I am very happy about that. (For those of you who don't know, I am a HUGE shell freak. In San Carlos this summer, I found so many shells and was so obsessed, I feared I needed shells anonymous!) There were also Viking skeletons on display, and bones that showed weapon injuries. It was pretty cool. The museum was informative overall, however much different from what myself, and my friends were expecting.
We then decided to go to York Dungeons, which I had heard was a must see. Now when I am told that I have to go see the York Dungeons, I think I am really going to see an old dungeon, and get some pretty cool history. Wrong, it was more like a cross between a haunted house and some kind of hokey show. It was informative, however it got a little old after awhile. It discussed the plague in York, and what they did to plague victims. It also went through Roman times, the Guy Fawkes plot, a torture room, a Tudor period court room and we witnessed the "hanging" of a fake body that was supposed to be some notorious highwayman. It did go through the history of the town and it's sometimes unfortunate inhabitants, but I was looking for something a little more serious I guess. There were lots of people dressed up in character to demonstrate to us certain things.
After this, we had worked up quite an appetite. So we wandered around trying to find a place. We ended up at a Greek restaurant, and we all ordered pizza. It was quite good. So we then went to go find Shambles Alley, which looks like it could be Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. It was a tiny little alley with shops all along it, in really old buildings. It was good fun.
Then we decided to track down the castle, or Clifford's Tower. It is not really a castle, but a tower. It was built in Norman times, and it's pretty cool. It sits on top of a hill, so it has a good vantage point of the city. We walked around and took pictures. I like being in old castles like that. So far it hasn't gotten old!
We then decided to go to the York Minster, which was glorious! It was really pretty, and my pictures don't do it justice. It is pretty big, much bigger than Durham Cathedral. We paid to tour the Minster, and it's crypts and treasures. We didn't have enough time to climb the tower, so if I go back, I will probably do that. Inside the minster, it was beautiful. Amazing carvings and artwork. It was hard to take it all in. Below, there is an audio tour of the history of the place, and the treasures and crypt. There was a Roman basilica built on the same site. Then came a Norman cathedral, and lastly the medieval minster. It was neat to see the progression of the history of the place. And there were beautiful treasures like silver cups and holy things. It was beautiful, but at the end of a long day, a little bit overwhelming.
One of the things I wanted to do was a ghost tour that I read about in a book that my aunt Julie gave me. It started at 8 at a famous pub on the river. We decided that we could just eat and hang out there till the tour started. Oh wait, they stopped serving food. That is one thing that I don't understand about England. It is impossible to figure out when food is served, and I don't know when the appropriate time to eat is! We have gone to many pubs that say they serve food all day, and then once inside we are told that they stopped serving. It's kind of weird. Anyway, we found another restaurant to eat in, and killed some time before the tour.
The ghost tour was awesome. It was an older gentleman who gave it, and he was a fabulous story teller. It wasn't so much a ghost tour, as a very informative history tour that happened to deal with ghosts or strange things. Like the story of the blood flowing from the walls at Clifford's Tower. I am glad it wasn't that scary, cause I am a baby when it comes to that.
We then made our way back to the train station, it was around 9:30. There was a train getting ready to leave for Newcastle, but we didn't make it in time. So we had to wait around an hour for the next one. Alissa and I decided to get some beer, because it is perfectly legal to drink in the train station, and on the train. In fact, EVERYONE was drinking. I guess England beat France at I believe rugby yesterday, so everyone was all riled up. People were of course loud and drunk, falling everywhere, etc. It was good people watching.
Once we got on the train it got a little worse...or perhaps even more entertaining. The drunkards were loud and a little obnoxious, but more funny than anything. Walking through the train, many people were passed out in a drunken stupor. There was garbage everywhere, most of which was empty beer cans. The bathrooms however were disgusting. I needed to go, so I went to the nearest one, and someone had puked all up in it. Then I tried to find another one, but needless to say the drunks were all over the bathrooms, so I decided to wait. It was definitely an experience, and I take it that it is quite a common experience. A little taste of some culture for me!
We got home around midnight, and dragged ourselves to our rooms. It was a long, but awesome day!
After our arrival, we got a map and brochure with things to do from the train station. We decided to go to the Viking museum at first. York has a ton of history starting before the Romans. The Romans came to the area, and "founded" the important city of Eboracum. I am not exactly sure when it became known as York, but it went through Norman invasion, Viking invasion and colonization, and then the rest of typical British history, I suppose. So we learned that York has been an important city for a long time.
Back to the Jorvic Museum. Archaeologists discovered a bunch of Viking stuff under the city in the 60's. The museum itself was a little hokey, but educational. We first had to go through a "time machine" to get us to the date in the 9th century when the Vikings settled there. We then had to get on a Disneyland type ride that took us through a re-created Viking village/settlement. At the end of that, we got to peruse the real artifacts that were found there. It was a stinky place, on purpose. I don't know if they re-created smells, or that is what it smells like from the dig. At one point on our Disneyland ride, there was a re-created Viking pooping in the back yard, and a whiff of the stench was sent our way. I guess they were going all out on the sensory front. One of the big finds there in fact, was a whole piece of human poop. It is on display, and it shows what the Vikings ate, and I guess some other important information that poo-ologists look for. I was excited to find however, that the Vikings used a type of sea shell to ward demons away. They would hang this shell outside their homes to catch the demons. And if you put your ear to it, you could hear the demons inside of it. Of course I bought one, and I am very happy about that. (For those of you who don't know, I am a HUGE shell freak. In San Carlos this summer, I found so many shells and was so obsessed, I feared I needed shells anonymous!) There were also Viking skeletons on display, and bones that showed weapon injuries. It was pretty cool. The museum was informative overall, however much different from what myself, and my friends were expecting.
We then decided to go to York Dungeons, which I had heard was a must see. Now when I am told that I have to go see the York Dungeons, I think I am really going to see an old dungeon, and get some pretty cool history. Wrong, it was more like a cross between a haunted house and some kind of hokey show. It was informative, however it got a little old after awhile. It discussed the plague in York, and what they did to plague victims. It also went through Roman times, the Guy Fawkes plot, a torture room, a Tudor period court room and we witnessed the "hanging" of a fake body that was supposed to be some notorious highwayman. It did go through the history of the town and it's sometimes unfortunate inhabitants, but I was looking for something a little more serious I guess. There were lots of people dressed up in character to demonstrate to us certain things.
After this, we had worked up quite an appetite. So we wandered around trying to find a place. We ended up at a Greek restaurant, and we all ordered pizza. It was quite good. So we then went to go find Shambles Alley, which looks like it could be Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. It was a tiny little alley with shops all along it, in really old buildings. It was good fun.
Then we decided to track down the castle, or Clifford's Tower. It is not really a castle, but a tower. It was built in Norman times, and it's pretty cool. It sits on top of a hill, so it has a good vantage point of the city. We walked around and took pictures. I like being in old castles like that. So far it hasn't gotten old!
We then decided to go to the York Minster, which was glorious! It was really pretty, and my pictures don't do it justice. It is pretty big, much bigger than Durham Cathedral. We paid to tour the Minster, and it's crypts and treasures. We didn't have enough time to climb the tower, so if I go back, I will probably do that. Inside the minster, it was beautiful. Amazing carvings and artwork. It was hard to take it all in. Below, there is an audio tour of the history of the place, and the treasures and crypt. There was a Roman basilica built on the same site. Then came a Norman cathedral, and lastly the medieval minster. It was neat to see the progression of the history of the place. And there were beautiful treasures like silver cups and holy things. It was beautiful, but at the end of a long day, a little bit overwhelming.
One of the things I wanted to do was a ghost tour that I read about in a book that my aunt Julie gave me. It started at 8 at a famous pub on the river. We decided that we could just eat and hang out there till the tour started. Oh wait, they stopped serving food. That is one thing that I don't understand about England. It is impossible to figure out when food is served, and I don't know when the appropriate time to eat is! We have gone to many pubs that say they serve food all day, and then once inside we are told that they stopped serving. It's kind of weird. Anyway, we found another restaurant to eat in, and killed some time before the tour.
The ghost tour was awesome. It was an older gentleman who gave it, and he was a fabulous story teller. It wasn't so much a ghost tour, as a very informative history tour that happened to deal with ghosts or strange things. Like the story of the blood flowing from the walls at Clifford's Tower. I am glad it wasn't that scary, cause I am a baby when it comes to that.
We then made our way back to the train station, it was around 9:30. There was a train getting ready to leave for Newcastle, but we didn't make it in time. So we had to wait around an hour for the next one. Alissa and I decided to get some beer, because it is perfectly legal to drink in the train station, and on the train. In fact, EVERYONE was drinking. I guess England beat France at I believe rugby yesterday, so everyone was all riled up. People were of course loud and drunk, falling everywhere, etc. It was good people watching.
Once we got on the train it got a little worse...or perhaps even more entertaining. The drunkards were loud and a little obnoxious, but more funny than anything. Walking through the train, many people were passed out in a drunken stupor. There was garbage everywhere, most of which was empty beer cans. The bathrooms however were disgusting. I needed to go, so I went to the nearest one, and someone had puked all up in it. Then I tried to find another one, but needless to say the drunks were all over the bathrooms, so I decided to wait. It was definitely an experience, and I take it that it is quite a common experience. A little taste of some culture for me!
We got home around midnight, and dragged ourselves to our rooms. It was a long, but awesome day!
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