Monday:
Just because I don't have class today doesn't mean that I sleep in! In order to get a head start I wake up at 7 and go to the gym. My motivation? That impending triathlon. And the fact that I can watch "Friends", "Gilmore Girls", and really old episodes of "Everwood". Yay for individual TVs on the treadmills!
After cleaning up, I head to "The City", the oldest part of London. This part of London used to be part of the Roman Empire, and was referred to as "Londinium". In certain areas, you can see remains of the ancient Roman wall that used to protect the city from Nordic invaders. I decided to check out two museums dedicated to the history of London while I was here- Guildhall and The Museum of London. Both are required visits for my "Museums of London" class, so besides sightseeing, I am also doing some coursework! WIN!
My first stop is Guildhall. Over the years it has been used for many important functions. Now, it houses an art museum holding the coronation portraits of some of England's royalty. The best part of the museum, however, is in the basement. While making additions to Guildhall for the art museum, the builders stumbled upon what turned out to be the remains of the Roman's Londinium Amphitheater! (Think of gladiators) Archeologists uncovered most of the remains, which are now on display for the general public!
Guildhall
Remains of the Roman Amphitheater in the basement of Guildhall...On the way from Guildhall to The Museum of London, I came upon this ad, just outside of PRET. I. Love. This. Country.
My next stop was the Museum of London. This museum caters exclusively to London's past, present, and future. From Roman artifacts to spoils of the Great Exhibition to predictions of London's future, this museum has it all. I spent a good 3 hours here. Although interesting, it doesn't compare to the British Museum or the V&A. But I still enjoyed it!
Entrance to the Museum of London
Part of Londinium's Roman wall, located outside of the Museum of London...Tuesday:
Today I did have class, so after the gym I went to my castle-library in order to get in some reading. After attending my lecture for "Museums of London" on Roman and Greek Art and Architecture, our class walked to the British Museum to see specific examples of these. Although I had already been to the parts of the British Museum that our professor brought us to, I still enjoyed it. Our professor really opened our eyes to the purpose of many of the artifacts. Our last stop was to the Parthenon Marbles, and we talked about Archeological Ethics. Yes, even my British Museums professor confesses that England should not be in possession of these artifacts. I say the Greeks go all James Bond on Britain's ass and steal the artifacts back!
Wednesday:
My busy day. After a very interesting lecture and discussion in "Environmental Risk", I went to my "Social Theory and the Environment" class and learned about how "wonderful" communism is. Yay. Not. However, now we only have lecture for the first hour of class. After that, a group presents on a topic relating to the lecture. And this is when I had an epiphany. Although all my British student counterparts are well read and are amazing writers, they can not present AT ALL! Apparently, they do not get much practice in presenting, and instead of coming up with interesting speeches, they put all their information on a Powerpoint Presentation and then proceed to READ OFF THE SLIDES! HA! If they did that in the US they would fail in a second! So now, I feel much better about this class.
After realizing that I still had over half of the British Museum to see after yesterday's Museums class, I walked to the BM after my classes were over. And FINISHED it! It only took me another 3 hours... 3 hours of me basically glancing at objects in cases. If you try to take in EVERY object here you would be here for years, considering that the BM has OVER 7 MILLION artifacts on display! But still, well worth the experience.
Thursday:
No classes today! I spent the morning running errands, and then met up with Caitlin. We went to the Tate Modern to see some modern art, and then ate delicious pizza, followed by a trip to a bakery that is just a minute from our flat! HOORAY! Instead of explaining some of the art, here are some pictures!
Today I did have class, so after the gym I went to my castle-library in order to get in some reading. After attending my lecture for "Museums of London" on Roman and Greek Art and Architecture, our class walked to the British Museum to see specific examples of these. Although I had already been to the parts of the British Museum that our professor brought us to, I still enjoyed it. Our professor really opened our eyes to the purpose of many of the artifacts. Our last stop was to the Parthenon Marbles, and we talked about Archeological Ethics. Yes, even my British Museums professor confesses that England should not be in possession of these artifacts. I say the Greeks go all James Bond on Britain's ass and steal the artifacts back!
Wednesday:
My busy day. After a very interesting lecture and discussion in "Environmental Risk", I went to my "Social Theory and the Environment" class and learned about how "wonderful" communism is. Yay. Not. However, now we only have lecture for the first hour of class. After that, a group presents on a topic relating to the lecture. And this is when I had an epiphany. Although all my British student counterparts are well read and are amazing writers, they can not present AT ALL! Apparently, they do not get much practice in presenting, and instead of coming up with interesting speeches, they put all their information on a Powerpoint Presentation and then proceed to READ OFF THE SLIDES! HA! If they did that in the US they would fail in a second! So now, I feel much better about this class.
After realizing that I still had over half of the British Museum to see after yesterday's Museums class, I walked to the BM after my classes were over. And FINISHED it! It only took me another 3 hours... 3 hours of me basically glancing at objects in cases. If you try to take in EVERY object here you would be here for years, considering that the BM has OVER 7 MILLION artifacts on display! But still, well worth the experience.
Thursday:
No classes today! I spent the morning running errands, and then met up with Caitlin. We went to the Tate Modern to see some modern art, and then ate delicious pizza, followed by a trip to a bakery that is just a minute from our flat! HOORAY! Instead of explaining some of the art, here are some pictures!
Ever wanted to know what over 100 million porcelain, hand-painted sunflower seeds look like? Well here you go!
Wow, who told the Tate Modern I was art?!?!
If this is art, then my dad owes me A LOT of money for painting walls all these years...
Andy Warhol Room!
My DELICIOUS pizza at Gourmet Pizza- grilled chicken, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. YUM!
Friday:
I took the morning to get some work done, and then after my class, I headed to a Fish and Chips joint that I heard was the best in London. And the cheapest. And a 30 second walk from my flat. A win and fail at the same time- win because the fish and chips are so close, and fail due to the fact that this place is gonna take all my money and make me obese.
What is this Fish and Chips place called, you ask? It's called Fishcotheque. Like Discotheque. Yes.
AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! I went in, ordered cod and chips, and had my food in less than a minute! The inside is decorated with old 50's era ads, and there are many old men sitting there eating with their newspapers. One thing to know is that whenever you see old men sitting in a place, it's gonna be a good place. Old men will not go somewhere that is no good. So all in all, I would definitely go back.
Saturday:
Caitlin and I decide to head to Hampton Court Palace. After getting our tickets (at quite a steal!) from a friendly ticket sales person, I purchased my breakfast- my VERY FIRST Krispy Kreme donut (Butterscotch Fudge) and a coffee. Yeah, I know Krispy Kreme is popular in the US. But whatever, I never do anything right- in Germany, my first taste of beer was at a Mexican techno bar, and my first drink was at an Irish pub. So I guess it just follows that I will have something American for the first time in the UK.
I took the morning to get some work done, and then after my class, I headed to a Fish and Chips joint that I heard was the best in London. And the cheapest. And a 30 second walk from my flat. A win and fail at the same time- win because the fish and chips are so close, and fail due to the fact that this place is gonna take all my money and make me obese.
What is this Fish and Chips place called, you ask? It's called Fishcotheque. Like Discotheque. Yes.
AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! I went in, ordered cod and chips, and had my food in less than a minute! The inside is decorated with old 50's era ads, and there are many old men sitting there eating with their newspapers. One thing to know is that whenever you see old men sitting in a place, it's gonna be a good place. Old men will not go somewhere that is no good. So all in all, I would definitely go back.
Saturday:
Caitlin and I decide to head to Hampton Court Palace. After getting our tickets (at quite a steal!) from a friendly ticket sales person, I purchased my breakfast- my VERY FIRST Krispy Kreme donut (Butterscotch Fudge) and a coffee. Yeah, I know Krispy Kreme is popular in the US. But whatever, I never do anything right- in Germany, my first taste of beer was at a Mexican techno bar, and my first drink was at an Irish pub. So I guess it just follows that I will have something American for the first time in the UK.
PROOF!After a quick train ride, me and Caitlin got off at Hampton Court- the favorite palace of Henry VIII. We were able to tour the private apartments of many monarchs, AND wear court attire used in Henry's time! DRESS UP FTW! This palace is absolutely breath-taking, and the gardens are fabulous. I truely believe anyone that goes to England MUST visit this site!
Hampton Court Palace
Fountain Court inside Hampton Court Palace
Me in some of the gardens at Hampton Court
After we were done touring the palace, Caitlin and I ventured into the surrounding village. It was so quaint, and full of antique stores and cafes. We even stopped at a cafe called "Dish", where I feasted on a smoked Salmon and cream cheese sandwich with some tea!
Clever Marketing.
My lunch at "Dish"- Mint Tea with a Smoked Salmon and Creme Cheese Sandwich... my new favourite!After bidding adieu to Hampton Court, we hopped on the train back to Waterloo, where we met Naeemah for dinner. And the vote was for Pizza Express! YAY!
Now, usually when you think "Express", you think fast food. This is not the case. Pizza Express has candlelit tables with flowers. And all the pizzas are to die for! I had the Pandera, which is pizza with a tomato base, goats cheese, caramelized onions, and spinach. Again, delicious! After inhaling my pizza, we decided that all the desserts were too good to pass up. I have never had gelato in my life, so it was here that I decided to finally have it! Enter Toffee Fudge Overload.
Now, usually when you think "Express", you think fast food. This is not the case. Pizza Express has candlelit tables with flowers. And all the pizzas are to die for! I had the Pandera, which is pizza with a tomato base, goats cheese, caramelized onions, and spinach. Again, delicious! After inhaling my pizza, we decided that all the desserts were too good to pass up. I have never had gelato in my life, so it was here that I decided to finally have it! Enter Toffee Fudge Overload.
Toffee Fudge Overload. You guessed it- DELICIOUS!
After eating enough food for a week in one day, we called it a night.
Sunday:
Once again, this Sunday I went to St. Patrick's Church. And once again, a different priest. Seriously, back home we have to fight to keep one priest. How do they have an endless supply?!
After church I fit in a quick workout in order to compensate for all the delicious food I ate yesterday. And also because I knew I was headed to Brick Lane Market at 2- which is in the center of the Indian/Pakistani/Turkish section of The City.
Caitlin, Mark, Matt, and I headed out into London with blue skies and a brilliant sun shining overhead. We got off at the Liverpool Street Tube stop, and were confronted with the largest skyscraper in London. And by largest, I mean only. Most of the city's buildings are not that tall.
After eating enough food for a week in one day, we called it a night.
Sunday:
Once again, this Sunday I went to St. Patrick's Church. And once again, a different priest. Seriously, back home we have to fight to keep one priest. How do they have an endless supply?!
After church I fit in a quick workout in order to compensate for all the delicious food I ate yesterday. And also because I knew I was headed to Brick Lane Market at 2- which is in the center of the Indian/Pakistani/Turkish section of The City.
Caitlin, Mark, Matt, and I headed out into London with blue skies and a brilliant sun shining overhead. We got off at the Liverpool Street Tube stop, and were confronted with the largest skyscraper in London. And by largest, I mean only. Most of the city's buildings are not that tall.
Brand new skyscraper in London
Next, we headed toward Brick Lane Market. Brick Lane is very similar to Camden Market, but on a smaller scale. Still, all the food being made here smells divine! You might go to the market on a full stomach, but within minutes you want to eat everything in sight! I passed on all the ethnic food since they are known to cook with nuts and peanut oil, and settled on a scone stand. I made the right choice. Behold, my new favorite snack:
Cheese and Herb scone, slathered in apple chutney and filled with slices of vintage cheddar, then warmed. About 2 seconds after I took this picture, the cheese melted. Glorious.
After perusing the market some more, the cold air finally got to us, so we decided to turn back and return home. Then we were greeted with this sign. Apparently, the Brits aren't as proper as we thought....
And thus ends another successful week in London! I realize these posts are getting long, so I hope to update the blog biweekly. Tune in Wednesday for some updates!
Cheers!
Did you know you can shorten your urls with LinkShrink and receive cash for every visitor to your shortened links.
ReplyDelete