Well, off and on rain all day. The rain held off at the important times though, so it was okay.
Got up and made it into London with Katie (an anthropology grad student) by 10:20. I took the tube for the first time today. It's not that difficult if you know where you're going. And I have to say the Oyster cards are handy. We got a little turned around coming out of the station, and it took us a while to figure out that the Museum was on the skywalk, but after that, we made it to the Museum fine.
The Museum of London begins at that end of the last ice age and works it's way to present day London. Some of the stuff was really neat, but I enjoyed the gallery after the Roman gallery (which is what I primarily went there to see) which took you from the Anglo-Saxons, through the Normans, and up to King Henry VIII. It seamlessly took you through a whole lot of time in a fairly small space. I liked the museum, but I stopped after the Great Fire so I could go to St. Paul's.
St. Paul's was AMAZING! If you are ever anywhere near, I highly suggest you go. It's a little pricey to get in, but so worth it. Make sure that you climb to the golden gallery at the top. You can see FOREVER! I was so happy when it didn't rain while I was up there. I was able to take some amazing pictures The church is so beautiful. I'm sad I couldn't take pictures, but I can see why they wouldn't want you to. The audio tour is really good. They take you through the whole church and even explain things that a non-Christian might not be familiar with. The church is absolutely beautiful. They history of it is amazing, and the crypt is a history lesson all in itself. In the main church, behind the high altar, there is a chapel that is dedicated to the American soldiers who lost their lives in WWII in Britain or on the way to Britain. They have all of their names in a book and the page is turned everyday. They also have a beautiful painting that is called 'The Light of the World' and shows Jesus holding a lantern and knocking at a door with no handle on the outside. It's supposed to be an allegory, that you have to let Jesus in. The church is the fourth (or possible fifth) to sit on the site. It was built after the Great Fire of 1666 burned the old one down. It had been hit twice by bombs in WWII, but the dome held, they rebuilt and it is still beautiful.
I made it back to the Museum to meet Katie (she didn't go to St. Paul's and really missed out) and all the rain clouds passed while we were looking around the gift shop, so we actually had sunshine for our walk to the tube station. We went back on the skywalk and got to see these apartments (sorry, flats) that were just beautiful. Almost every balcony was thick with flowers. They also had a pond and a space where you could actually sit below the level of the water. We made it back to the train station and it was pouring rain. Luckily the tube came up in the station so we didn't have to get wet. We made it back to Canterbury and the rain had stopped so we didn't get soaked on the way back, then I made dinner and came in to write up the blog and upload photos. I think I'm going to bed soon. All those stairs (and coming down on iron grate spiral stairs *shudder*) really took it out of me.
Oh, and speaking of amazingness, I got 100 on my first paper! Yay!
Night all. :)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Back to Class
So my free days were fun. I finished my essay, made it to the British Museum on my birthday (see below and also, picture are up now. :)) and rested from both Salisbury and the British Museum. So today is back to class. Had class at 8 in the morning and we discussed a bit of scheduling, and then, at 11:30 we are going to the Roman Museum here in Canterbury. We have dinner tonight at 5:30, so it's not quite enough time to go anywhere, so I'm planning on going to the library to get a serious start on the research for my independent study. It kind of makes me sad because it is an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside. It doesn't look like rain and I'm not wearing a jacket! It's been rather cold and always looking like rain for the past few days, so it's nice to see the sun. Everything is so green here, but it all the rain does have a price. I would actually rather be warm and see the sun in Texas than live here year round. Especially since this is the first day IN JULY that I've been able to go out without a jacket. It's a nice break from heat, but I am not a cold weather girl.
Tomorrow at some point we are all supposed to go to the Museum of London to see their Roman stuff, which is the unit we're on for my anthropology class. Since a bunch of people are taking an 11:45 train to see the Freud house, we've discussed the whole class leave at 9 or so and seeing the museum before they go to the Freud house. Since I'm not going to the Freud house, I'm planning on going over to Hyde park and maybe Covent Gardens. I hope the weather stays nice, but I brought heavier jacket so I'll be alright to be outside either way, but I'd rather have a sunny day to walk around and take pictures.
I've discovered that I absolutely LOVE salt and vinegar chips. They have them everywhere here so I can get a bag with lunch. Half the time I save them for a snack later. I'm currently eating a bag I bought with lunch yesterday at the British Museum and never got to. They'll hold me over until I can eat lunch after the museum. I'm going to hold this post until then and finish when I get back.
Well, I accidentally left this until this morning. Oh well.
The museum was pretty cool. We went down stairs so that we were at the level of Roman Canterbury, which is about 15 feet below modern Canterbury. They had displays of what the city would have looked like in Roman times, as well as before and after. They had also excavated part of a house and you could see the remains of it in the museum, because they'd put up glass and left caverns where the foundations and a couple of mosaics were.
I made it to the library to get started on the research for my independent study, then dinner and bed. Today I'm going to see the Museum of London and St. Paul's cathedral.
Tomorrow at some point we are all supposed to go to the Museum of London to see their Roman stuff, which is the unit we're on for my anthropology class. Since a bunch of people are taking an 11:45 train to see the Freud house, we've discussed the whole class leave at 9 or so and seeing the museum before they go to the Freud house. Since I'm not going to the Freud house, I'm planning on going over to Hyde park and maybe Covent Gardens. I hope the weather stays nice, but I brought heavier jacket so I'll be alright to be outside either way, but I'd rather have a sunny day to walk around and take pictures.
I've discovered that I absolutely LOVE salt and vinegar chips. They have them everywhere here so I can get a bag with lunch. Half the time I save them for a snack later. I'm currently eating a bag I bought with lunch yesterday at the British Museum and never got to. They'll hold me over until I can eat lunch after the museum. I'm going to hold this post until then and finish when I get back.
Well, I accidentally left this until this morning. Oh well.
The museum was pretty cool. We went down stairs so that we were at the level of Roman Canterbury, which is about 15 feet below modern Canterbury. They had displays of what the city would have looked like in Roman times, as well as before and after. They had also excavated part of a house and you could see the remains of it in the museum, because they'd put up glass and left caverns where the foundations and a couple of mosaics were.
I made it to the library to get started on the research for my independent study, then dinner and bed. Today I'm going to see the Museum of London and St. Paul's cathedral.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Birthday at the British Museum
Word to the wise: Do NOT try to do the British Museum in one day. It was amazing, but my feet hurt. A lot. And there's way to much to see to pay attention to half of it when you're trying to pack everything in. But it was still awesome. Kiki (one of the girls in the program, who was actually supposed to be my roomate, before we got lucky and both got singles) came with me and I'm glad she did. Museums are more fun with somebody, so long as they know how to be about a musuem. Kiki was a lot of fun. She even let me look around the bookstore. :) I didn't get anything, but not for lack of looking. While both of the Egypt halls were packed with people all day, the rest of the halls were reasonable and we could look around at our own pace.
I had two favorite galleries. The first was the gallery that was themed 'Enlightenment'. It was almost a history of the museum! But is was really how scientific thought developed through the early 1800's. The room was set up like a giant study, with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with books and stuff! And the stuff was so cool I forgot to look at the books. They had a Rosetta Stone that you could touch. Which was good, because I think I elbowed people so I could just see the real one. They had a bunch of busts and statues of people, as well as random stuff, like stuffed birds, canopic jars, Moche pottery, astrolabes, the usual.
My other favorite room was the hall of Egyptian statues. Not the Rosetta Stone, necesarily, that was kind of a pain, but the really big people were cool. There was guy whose head was as big as I was!
I am slowly realizing that I'm a bit punch drunk and if you want proof, you should look at the descriptions for the pictures I took today and put on facebook. To spare the world a similiar fate here, I'm going to bed. I have a productive day planned for tomorrow. We'll see how well that turns out. :)
Oh, and pretty much nothing happened yesterday. I ate lunch and wandered a bit, read a book and went to bed. It felt wonderful.
I had two favorite galleries. The first was the gallery that was themed 'Enlightenment'. It was almost a history of the museum! But is was really how scientific thought developed through the early 1800's. The room was set up like a giant study, with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with books and stuff! And the stuff was so cool I forgot to look at the books. They had a Rosetta Stone that you could touch. Which was good, because I think I elbowed people so I could just see the real one. They had a bunch of busts and statues of people, as well as random stuff, like stuffed birds, canopic jars, Moche pottery, astrolabes, the usual.
My other favorite room was the hall of Egyptian statues. Not the Rosetta Stone, necesarily, that was kind of a pain, but the really big people were cool. There was guy whose head was as big as I was!
I am slowly realizing that I'm a bit punch drunk and if you want proof, you should look at the descriptions for the pictures I took today and put on facebook. To spare the world a similiar fate here, I'm going to bed. I have a productive day planned for tomorrow. We'll see how well that turns out. :)
Oh, and pretty much nothing happened yesterday. I ate lunch and wandered a bit, read a book and went to bed. It felt wonderful.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Stonehenge!
Well, after 12 hours of sleep I'm finally ready to write this post.
We had dinner last night as a group, and I had lamb and roast potatoes. Both were very good, but it was way too much to eat in one sitting. Then to bed early because...
I was up at 1:45 the next morning to get ready for the bus. We got a knock on our door at 2, loaded the bus (which the Brits call a coach) at 2:15 and were on our way at 2:30. It was cold. All so we could get there an hour before our tour started. But it was okay because we took a mini field trip to the round barrows that you can walk to from the parking lot at Stonehenge. We started walking as the sun came up at 5:15 or so and I got some really cool pictures of the sheep in the field. They were so... sheepy. And sheepish for that matter. Then we had to walk through a cow field to get to the barrows. McGees says that we have cows back home, to which his daughter replies, 'yeah, but these are dairy cows. We only have meat cows.' We were all rather punch drunk at the time and as such, this was a hilarious statement.
The barrows were really cool. Their are a lot of them around Stonehenge. They've found a lot of stuff buried with the people in the barrows and as our guide said, this was kind of the 'Valley of the Kings' for prehistoric Britain. While we were on the barrows, the fog started to lift and we could sort of see Stonehenge in the distance. I got some neat pictures of Stonehenge just peeking out of the fog.
We went to meet our tour guide, and thankfully it had started to warm up as the sun came out. Our tour guide was a nice old lady who had done the tour for the Texas State group for seven years. She took us to various stones and explained what they were and why they were called what they were called. She explained the current theories on what Stonehenge was used for as well as where the stones came from and the various building stages. Then we got to wander around and take pictures. She also gave us some dowsing rods to play with. They were nifty, but I think my hands were too cold for them to work properly. I got a bunch of pictures. The color of the stones is wonderful with the green green grass and the blue sky.
We then got back on the bus to be dropped off at a youth hostel in Salisbury, where we ate breakfast. We then walked to Salisbury Cathedral, which was so beautiful. The church is huge. I don't usually like people in my photos, but I had to have some just for scale. I was on the edge of the green space around the cathedral and I could barely get the front in the picture. The inside is split into a bunch of smaller areas. There are little rooms off the sides of the cathedral and the main center area is split up by the altar in the middle and the columns running down either side. They also have a copy of the Magna Carta, but I honestly don't remember seeing it. They also had a 400 year old King James Bible, turned to the beatitudes. They had a lot of displays about the Magna Carta, but that's not really my area.
Then, to the gift shop! I found a bunch of post cards and a bell for Grandma. :) They also had a couple of Stonehenge post cards, so I got one. Then I hung out with some people for a while while we were figuring out who all was doing what. The group that was going to the museum for anthro was all going to bath, and the people who were going home weren't going to the museum. So I went through the museum (which was alright, but I think I was too tired to properly enjoy, and they didn't have some of the info I was hoping they'd have, though they did have a cool model of sunrise on the summer solstice at Stonehenge) and then went home by myself. I asked the guy at tickets the easiest way to get from Salisbury to Canterbury and he printed me out a timetable with the appropriate trains on it. I was lucky because the next train for London (where I had to change) left three minutes after I got there. Then I got on another train at Waterloo station in London and came home. I actually made it here ahead of the people who left before I went to the museum. They tried to take the high speed train, which necessitated going all the way across London and then waiting an hour for a train.
At that point I uploaded photos, talked to Mom, and went to bed. 12 hours later, I'm feeling more like a human being and I'm going to have to start in on my essay. Fun!
We had dinner last night as a group, and I had lamb and roast potatoes. Both were very good, but it was way too much to eat in one sitting. Then to bed early because...
I was up at 1:45 the next morning to get ready for the bus. We got a knock on our door at 2, loaded the bus (which the Brits call a coach) at 2:15 and were on our way at 2:30. It was cold. All so we could get there an hour before our tour started. But it was okay because we took a mini field trip to the round barrows that you can walk to from the parking lot at Stonehenge. We started walking as the sun came up at 5:15 or so and I got some really cool pictures of the sheep in the field. They were so... sheepy. And sheepish for that matter. Then we had to walk through a cow field to get to the barrows. McGees says that we have cows back home, to which his daughter replies, 'yeah, but these are dairy cows. We only have meat cows.' We were all rather punch drunk at the time and as such, this was a hilarious statement.
The barrows were really cool. Their are a lot of them around Stonehenge. They've found a lot of stuff buried with the people in the barrows and as our guide said, this was kind of the 'Valley of the Kings' for prehistoric Britain. While we were on the barrows, the fog started to lift and we could sort of see Stonehenge in the distance. I got some neat pictures of Stonehenge just peeking out of the fog.
We went to meet our tour guide, and thankfully it had started to warm up as the sun came out. Our tour guide was a nice old lady who had done the tour for the Texas State group for seven years. She took us to various stones and explained what they were and why they were called what they were called. She explained the current theories on what Stonehenge was used for as well as where the stones came from and the various building stages. Then we got to wander around and take pictures. She also gave us some dowsing rods to play with. They were nifty, but I think my hands were too cold for them to work properly. I got a bunch of pictures. The color of the stones is wonderful with the green green grass and the blue sky.
We then got back on the bus to be dropped off at a youth hostel in Salisbury, where we ate breakfast. We then walked to Salisbury Cathedral, which was so beautiful. The church is huge. I don't usually like people in my photos, but I had to have some just for scale. I was on the edge of the green space around the cathedral and I could barely get the front in the picture. The inside is split into a bunch of smaller areas. There are little rooms off the sides of the cathedral and the main center area is split up by the altar in the middle and the columns running down either side. They also have a copy of the Magna Carta, but I honestly don't remember seeing it. They also had a 400 year old King James Bible, turned to the beatitudes. They had a lot of displays about the Magna Carta, but that's not really my area.
Then, to the gift shop! I found a bunch of post cards and a bell for Grandma. :) They also had a couple of Stonehenge post cards, so I got one. Then I hung out with some people for a while while we were figuring out who all was doing what. The group that was going to the museum for anthro was all going to bath, and the people who were going home weren't going to the museum. So I went through the museum (which was alright, but I think I was too tired to properly enjoy, and they didn't have some of the info I was hoping they'd have, though they did have a cool model of sunrise on the summer solstice at Stonehenge) and then went home by myself. I asked the guy at tickets the easiest way to get from Salisbury to Canterbury and he printed me out a timetable with the appropriate trains on it. I was lucky because the next train for London (where I had to change) left three minutes after I got there. Then I got on another train at Waterloo station in London and came home. I actually made it here ahead of the people who left before I went to the museum. They tried to take the high speed train, which necessitated going all the way across London and then waiting an hour for a train.
At that point I uploaded photos, talked to Mom, and went to bed. 12 hours later, I'm feeling more like a human being and I'm going to have to start in on my essay. Fun!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Church Day
Warning: This post (and a couple others) has been edited and added to. That'll show me to make a post in the middle of the day. So, there's new stuff here. :)
Compared to the last few (and tomorrow), today is a pretty slow day. I had class this morning, where we talked about Neolithic Britons and the henges, after I made it there, of course. I got a little bit turned around and had to find the rest of the class to follow to make it to the cafeteria.
Afterward, we met to go on a walking tour of the churches. First we went to St. Martin's Church. St. Martin's church has a wonderful history. It was built by the Romans and used by Queen Bertha, a Christian princess from France who was married to the pagan King Ethelbert. Pope Gregory sent St. Augustine to King Ethelbert to bring Christianity back to the British Isles, and St. Augustine used St. Martin's as his main church, expanding it. Later, the Norman's added on to the church, but the church is supposed to be the oldest continually used Christian church.
Then we went to St. Augustine's Abbey. The abbey was built by St. Augustine on land given to him by King Ethelbert. The Anglo-Saxon buildings were mostly torn down by the Normans, who built a larger abbey on the grounds, rededicating it as St. Augustine's Abbey (originally it was dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul). Then, Henry VIII broke with the Church and the abbey was destroyed and some of the larger buildings were used as a palace for Anne of Cleves. Elizabeth I and Charles I also used the palace, then it passed out of royal hands and eventually was abandoned. The ruins are uncovered now and make a very peaceful place to visit. There is very little of the walls still standing, but quite a bit of the crypt is still there, including a chapel with some painted tiles and an altar with crosses carved into it. One of the signs showed a picture of a coconut that was held in silver because it was so rare and valuable. To which I had to immediately begin "Where'd you get the coconuts?" "We found them." "In Mercia?!" I also got to try some Honey Mead. It was just too English of a thing to pass up. Besides, that was the one thing that I'd always wanted to try. It tasted like honey, but it had a bit of a kick.
I found the Catholic Church today! It was actually only a block or two over from how we get to the train station, so once I saw the spire it was easy to find. It's called St. Thomas and it's named for Thomas a Becket, who made Canterbury a pilgrimage spot. It actually has relics and a shrine for St. Thomas. It's a beautiful old church, but I didn't take any pictures. I'll have to when I go back. The choir was just starting practice when I got there. I was sitting there for a while when they started playing 'Here I Am, Lord.' I was off to the opposite side of the church, so I sang along softly. I love that song. They have a lute! It makes for a beautiful sound. I got a postcard and I'm going to go look at the little store that they have.
I've started on a bit of homework and looked at how to get to Battle to see the Battlefield for the Battle of Hastings (which didn't actually take place in Hastings) and the Abbey that William the Conqueror built there. I'd also like to see Hastings Castle, but I don't know if it's open. From Google, it looks amazing. McGee suggested that I invite the military history specialist and he's agree it's something he wants to see.
Tomorrow is Stonehenge! I'm so excited! I was thinking of taking Tuesday to crash, go to daily mass, write my paper and run errands and then go to the British Museum on Wednesday (my birthday!). I know another girl who is planning on going to an art museum or might go with me to the British Museum, but I'd be able to at least ride the train up with her. The house is emptying out for our free days, but I don't mind. I'm trying to think if there's something I want to do Tuesday afternoon and I still need to find something to do on Thursday. I don't want to sit around here. I can do most of the stuff here after a class day, so I want to get out to see England while I can. Maybe I'll go to Dover Tuesday afternoon...
Compared to the last few (and tomorrow), today is a pretty slow day. I had class this morning, where we talked about Neolithic Britons and the henges, after I made it there, of course. I got a little bit turned around and had to find the rest of the class to follow to make it to the cafeteria.
Afterward, we met to go on a walking tour of the churches. First we went to St. Martin's Church. St. Martin's church has a wonderful history. It was built by the Romans and used by Queen Bertha, a Christian princess from France who was married to the pagan King Ethelbert. Pope Gregory sent St. Augustine to King Ethelbert to bring Christianity back to the British Isles, and St. Augustine used St. Martin's as his main church, expanding it. Later, the Norman's added on to the church, but the church is supposed to be the oldest continually used Christian church.
Then we went to St. Augustine's Abbey. The abbey was built by St. Augustine on land given to him by King Ethelbert. The Anglo-Saxon buildings were mostly torn down by the Normans, who built a larger abbey on the grounds, rededicating it as St. Augustine's Abbey (originally it was dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul). Then, Henry VIII broke with the Church and the abbey was destroyed and some of the larger buildings were used as a palace for Anne of Cleves. Elizabeth I and Charles I also used the palace, then it passed out of royal hands and eventually was abandoned. The ruins are uncovered now and make a very peaceful place to visit. There is very little of the walls still standing, but quite a bit of the crypt is still there, including a chapel with some painted tiles and an altar with crosses carved into it. One of the signs showed a picture of a coconut that was held in silver because it was so rare and valuable. To which I had to immediately begin "Where'd you get the coconuts?" "We found them." "In Mercia?!" I also got to try some Honey Mead. It was just too English of a thing to pass up. Besides, that was the one thing that I'd always wanted to try. It tasted like honey, but it had a bit of a kick.
I found the Catholic Church today! It was actually only a block or two over from how we get to the train station, so once I saw the spire it was easy to find. It's called St. Thomas and it's named for Thomas a Becket, who made Canterbury a pilgrimage spot. It actually has relics and a shrine for St. Thomas. It's a beautiful old church, but I didn't take any pictures. I'll have to when I go back. The choir was just starting practice when I got there. I was sitting there for a while when they started playing 'Here I Am, Lord.' I was off to the opposite side of the church, so I sang along softly. I love that song. They have a lute! It makes for a beautiful sound. I got a postcard and I'm going to go look at the little store that they have.
I've started on a bit of homework and looked at how to get to Battle to see the Battlefield for the Battle of Hastings (which didn't actually take place in Hastings) and the Abbey that William the Conqueror built there. I'd also like to see Hastings Castle, but I don't know if it's open. From Google, it looks amazing. McGee suggested that I invite the military history specialist and he's agree it's something he wants to see.
Tomorrow is Stonehenge! I'm so excited! I was thinking of taking Tuesday to crash, go to daily mass, write my paper and run errands and then go to the British Museum on Wednesday (my birthday!). I know another girl who is planning on going to an art museum or might go with me to the British Museum, but I'd be able to at least ride the train up with her. The house is emptying out for our free days, but I don't mind. I'm trying to think if there's something I want to do Tuesday afternoon and I still need to find something to do on Thursday. I don't want to sit around here. I can do most of the stuff here after a class day, so I want to get out to see England while I can. Maybe I'll go to Dover Tuesday afternoon...
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Two Days In!
So, Wow! Long two days. I've managed to cram a lot in. Friday morning I woke up and went to my first class. We met in the courtyard and then went to the cafeteria. We mainly talked semantics. Afterward, McGee was going to the i-zone (IT) and it's in the same building as the library, so I tagged along and found the books on the Normans (my independent study topic). I ate lunch a cute cafe with a couple of the other girls and found out that lemonade is actually funny tasting sprite. Then we went on a walking tour of Canterbury. We saw the city walls, some of which were knocked down by Cromwell's army, Dane John's hill, which used to be a Norman palisade, some bomb shelter's from WWII, Canterbury Castle, which was amazing, and then we went to the Greyfriars' Garden. It's the garden of an actual monastery and is absolutely beautiful. Then we took a tour of the Pilgrim's Hospital and were off for tea. That night was one of the girl's birthdays, so we went out to the Penny, a pub less than a block away from the House and everyone (but me) had a pint.
Today, we went to London. We went a took a tour of Parliament, which was really neat. The building is incredible and the traditions are pretty cool too. If you aren't a peer, you can't sit in the House of Lords. Which was sad because our feet hurt from waiting in line. I got a couple of post cards and I got Mom a thimble. We had a really cool experience just as we got out. We were standing around eating our snacks outside the cafe in Parliament when Big Ben started ringing. If I'd been smart, I would have had a video going, but I didn't think about it until it was almost done ringing. Then, we went to the Imperial War Museum. They had a gun out front with shells bigger than I was. I also looked through the spy exhibit. At that point, Sam and I couldn't find anyone we knew, so we headed back to the train station. I got some pictures of Big Ben and Parliament from across the Thames and we made it on a train back home, where we ran into some very drunk Englishmen, who proceeded to give us advice on the best pubs in Canterbury. They were rather vulgar, but actually pretty funny. It was definitely an experience.
My feet hurt from all the standing and walking and I am definitely tired.Tomorrow is a walking tour of the churches of Canterbury and Monday is STONEHENGE! Up at 2 in the morning, but so worth it.
Today, we went to London. We went a took a tour of Parliament, which was really neat. The building is incredible and the traditions are pretty cool too. If you aren't a peer, you can't sit in the House of Lords. Which was sad because our feet hurt from waiting in line. I got a couple of post cards and I got Mom a thimble. We had a really cool experience just as we got out. We were standing around eating our snacks outside the cafe in Parliament when Big Ben started ringing. If I'd been smart, I would have had a video going, but I didn't think about it until it was almost done ringing. Then, we went to the Imperial War Museum. They had a gun out front with shells bigger than I was. I also looked through the spy exhibit. At that point, Sam and I couldn't find anyone we knew, so we headed back to the train station. I got some pictures of Big Ben and Parliament from across the Thames and we made it on a train back home, where we ran into some very drunk Englishmen, who proceeded to give us advice on the best pubs in Canterbury. They were rather vulgar, but actually pretty funny. It was definitely an experience.
My feet hurt from all the standing and walking and I am definitely tired.Tomorrow is a walking tour of the churches of Canterbury and Monday is STONEHENGE! Up at 2 in the morning, but so worth it.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I'm Here!
I finally made it to Canterbury! Yay! However, due to messes with the internet and getting the slideshow up and running, I'm now posting this at 8 o'clock Canterbury time. Or 20:00 as they say here. Luckily, I brought a notebook that I've been writing in all day, to prepare for this, so I still have my initial impressions down. :)
By far the coolest thing about the plane ride was watching the sunrise from 37,000 feet. You can actually see the point on the horizon where the night is giving way to day. Due to being up at dawn, my internal clock has been reset, and despite getting at most an hour of sleep on the plane, I'm actually not quite ready to go to bed. However, knowing how that will catch up with me, I'm going to finish this, then take a shower and bed for me.
When we left the airport, it was raining, but by the time we got here, the sun was shining and while a bit chilly (somewhere in the mid-60's F, I think) it turned into a beautiful day. We had pizza for lunch while going over the basics and then we received the necessaries for our stay, like food money. We were given a break to settle in a little (though not to nap) and then we were off.
The group made two forays out into Canterbury today. We split into two groups, one to go with Dr. McGee (or McGee, or His Excellency) and one to go with Mrs. McGee (which she doesn't answer to, only Stacie). I went with McGee first and got a bit of a walkabout for Canterbury. He showed us where to get sim cards for our phone so we can get a local number as well as the best place to exchange money. We took a small detour to Canterbury Cathedral, but we'll get a full tour later. He took us in to meet the owner of the Jolly Sailor, a pub near our flats that has, I kid you not, hung a Texas flag to celebrate our arrival. We also got to see what seems to be the main tourist shopping district in Canterbury where even our relatively large group of 15 blended in with no problem. It has a Burger King, a McDonald's, and a Claire's. As well as a street that (minus the subway) could be a dead ringer for Diagon Alley.
The second foray was to the supermarket. Where I got batteries for my poor camera and muffins for breakfast tomorrow. I figure I can go back tomorrow for lunch or try to make it to the school cafeteria. I have discovered two things from this trip. The first is that people in Britain are not nearly as quick as Texans to try to get out of your way. They move fast and they expect that you'll get out of the way either by jumping forward or back. Or of course, like the natives, by never getting in the situation in the first place. The second thing I learned is the the front door to Lefranc House is hard to find. I walked past it three times before I figured out where it was and another two times before I figured out how to get in.
Of course after this, I rather desperately needed the internet, not only to post, but to let my mom know that I was alive. So I managed to get a cord by going to talk to the resident people, but then I had to go to the computer lab to sign in because the internet didn't feel like working. Which, in hindsight, was completely unnecessary because the problem was the internet not the sign in and I fixed the internet rather quickly when I got back. But that's life. And now, I'm going to unpack a little and go to bed.
P.S. If you click on the slideshow, you can go to my flickr account and see all of the pictures in a slightly bigger format as well as comment. I look forward to hearing from all of you. :)
By far the coolest thing about the plane ride was watching the sunrise from 37,000 feet. You can actually see the point on the horizon where the night is giving way to day. Due to being up at dawn, my internal clock has been reset, and despite getting at most an hour of sleep on the plane, I'm actually not quite ready to go to bed. However, knowing how that will catch up with me, I'm going to finish this, then take a shower and bed for me.
When we left the airport, it was raining, but by the time we got here, the sun was shining and while a bit chilly (somewhere in the mid-60's F, I think) it turned into a beautiful day. We had pizza for lunch while going over the basics and then we received the necessaries for our stay, like food money. We were given a break to settle in a little (though not to nap) and then we were off.
The group made two forays out into Canterbury today. We split into two groups, one to go with Dr. McGee (or McGee, or His Excellency) and one to go with Mrs. McGee (which she doesn't answer to, only Stacie). I went with McGee first and got a bit of a walkabout for Canterbury. He showed us where to get sim cards for our phone so we can get a local number as well as the best place to exchange money. We took a small detour to Canterbury Cathedral, but we'll get a full tour later. He took us in to meet the owner of the Jolly Sailor, a pub near our flats that has, I kid you not, hung a Texas flag to celebrate our arrival. We also got to see what seems to be the main tourist shopping district in Canterbury where even our relatively large group of 15 blended in with no problem. It has a Burger King, a McDonald's, and a Claire's. As well as a street that (minus the subway) could be a dead ringer for Diagon Alley.
The second foray was to the supermarket. Where I got batteries for my poor camera and muffins for breakfast tomorrow. I figure I can go back tomorrow for lunch or try to make it to the school cafeteria. I have discovered two things from this trip. The first is that people in Britain are not nearly as quick as Texans to try to get out of your way. They move fast and they expect that you'll get out of the way either by jumping forward or back. Or of course, like the natives, by never getting in the situation in the first place. The second thing I learned is the the front door to Lefranc House is hard to find. I walked past it three times before I figured out where it was and another two times before I figured out how to get in.
Of course after this, I rather desperately needed the internet, not only to post, but to let my mom know that I was alive. So I managed to get a cord by going to talk to the resident people, but then I had to go to the computer lab to sign in because the internet didn't feel like working. Which, in hindsight, was completely unnecessary because the problem was the internet not the sign in and I fixed the internet rather quickly when I got back. But that's life. And now, I'm going to unpack a little and go to bed.
P.S. If you click on the slideshow, you can go to my flickr account and see all of the pictures in a slightly bigger format as well as comment. I look forward to hearing from all of you. :)
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