So as some of you may know by now, I've made a few whirlwind decisions over the last 48 hours. See, Queen Mary has what is called "Reading Week" in the middle of February, which allows students to catch up on their course work and write those papers which are due halfway through term. Study abroad students, however, tend to take it as a sign that it is time to take the hills and have some fun, and my friends and I are no exception. That's why I'll be spending my Reading Week in Italy and Switzerland! We'll be spending time in Rome, Venice, Lucerne and Geneva, before trekking home. The final schedule is still being hammered out, so I'll post it once all the details are set in stone.
I'm very excited to be seeing some of Europe; it should be an awesome experience!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
Yesterday, I took off by myself after class to track down the Sherlock Holmes Museum, located at 221B Baker Street (if you aren't as big a Sherlockian as myself, that is the actual address of Sherlock Holmes in the stories). It was a pleasant, if a tad over-priced experience. Below you can see the outside of the museum. The property is split two ways: the actual museum is behind the door guarded by the constable (a museum employee) while the door underneath the sign is where one buys tickets and a finds a great assortment of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.
The first floor of the house was the parlor and Dr. Watson's bedroom. Dr. Watson himself was there to greet me and point out some various aspects of the room (Mr. Holmes was out for the day). He was a very pleasant fellow, and as it was a slow day, we spent quite a few minutes chatting (he was very enthusiastic about the food to be found out in California).
The detailing in the rooms was quite amazing. This fireplace, for instance, was chock full of little bits and pieces mentioned in various stories: the persian slipper where Holmes kept his tobacco, the letters which he kept pinned down with a knife and many more items.
This picture on the mantle piece is of Irene Adler, the only woman Holmes ever respected (perhaps because she outsmarted him and got away in the story "A Bohemian Scandal")
And of course, the famous hats and items of our two favorite detectives.
The subsequent floors included Sherlock Holme's bedroom and a floor of wax figures from scenes in different Sherlock Holmes stories. I took too many photos to put up here, so a link will be provided at the end of this post to my Facebook album.
I did stumble across this amazing statue. I think the inscription says it all.
More pictures of the museum can be found here.
More exciting news to follow soon, so stay tuned!
The first floor of the house was the parlor and Dr. Watson's bedroom. Dr. Watson himself was there to greet me and point out some various aspects of the room (Mr. Holmes was out for the day). He was a very pleasant fellow, and as it was a slow day, we spent quite a few minutes chatting (he was very enthusiastic about the food to be found out in California).
The detailing in the rooms was quite amazing. This fireplace, for instance, was chock full of little bits and pieces mentioned in various stories: the persian slipper where Holmes kept his tobacco, the letters which he kept pinned down with a knife and many more items.
This picture on the mantle piece is of Irene Adler, the only woman Holmes ever respected (perhaps because she outsmarted him and got away in the story "A Bohemian Scandal")
And of course, the famous hats and items of our two favorite detectives.
The subsequent floors included Sherlock Holme's bedroom and a floor of wax figures from scenes in different Sherlock Holmes stories. I took too many photos to put up here, so a link will be provided at the end of this post to my Facebook album.
I did stumble across this amazing statue. I think the inscription says it all.
More pictures of the museum can be found here.
More exciting news to follow soon, so stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Visit to the National Gallery
Saturday was bright and beautiful, if cold, as a few of us trekked down to the National Gallery (currently home to Van Gogh's "Sunflowers") and Trafalgar Square. No photography is allowed inside the building, but I did get some wonderful outside shots of the area.
A statue of George Washington. According to legend (and one of my friends) Washington swore he'd never set foot on English soil, so when this statue was installed in front of the gallery, they imported ground from America to set it on.
St. Martin-in-the-Field's Church.
I was definitely having a Mary Poppins moment here.
A Panoramic video of the area:
We were a bit surprised by the heavy police activity when we came out of the Gallery, and found out that there was a big anti-Gaza protest rally planned that night; as a result, most of the streets leading to the square were shut down.
Before we took our leave of the area, we were desperately in need of some food (contemplating all those paintings is an exhausting task!) so we stopped at a restaurant called Little Frankie's, a New York American Italian food chain that has crossed the ocean to set up shop in England. There was pizza and milkshakes all around! The rally, complete with the communist party, no less, was just getting underway when we finished, so we decided that it was probably a good idea to leave.
Complete photos can be found here.
Cheers for now!
A statue of George Washington. According to legend (and one of my friends) Washington swore he'd never set foot on English soil, so when this statue was installed in front of the gallery, they imported ground from America to set it on.
St. Martin-in-the-Field's Church.
I was definitely having a Mary Poppins moment here.
A Panoramic video of the area:We were a bit surprised by the heavy police activity when we came out of the Gallery, and found out that there was a big anti-Gaza protest rally planned that night; as a result, most of the streets leading to the square were shut down.
Before we took our leave of the area, we were desperately in need of some food (contemplating all those paintings is an exhausting task!) so we stopped at a restaurant called Little Frankie's, a New York American Italian food chain that has crossed the ocean to set up shop in England. There was pizza and milkshakes all around! The rally, complete with the communist party, no less, was just getting underway when we finished, so we decided that it was probably a good idea to leave.Complete photos can be found here.
Cheers for now!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Walk Down Brick Lane
Last night, a group of my friends and I ventured down to Brick Lane, a street in Whitechapel, less then a ten minute bus ride from campus, which is composed of nothing but Indian food eateries. It was a completely different experience, not just because of the cuisine, but because of the way of doing business. Employees stand outside of the restaurant, trying to convince you to come in, not only by espousing on the virtues of their cooking but by negotiating price deals. Luckily Vanessa had made friends with a British student who was well acquainted to the process and taught us how to haggle. Before long we were all spinning sob stories about how we were only poor college students, and after all, London had just declared that morning that we were in a recession, so how could we afford their prices? We walked up and down Brick Lane negotiating with various restaurants until we we found a good looking restaurant with a reasonable deal. The final arrangement: a drink, a starter, a main course, and a side of either rice or nan (a kind of flat bread) for each person for ten pounds a head. Adding up the prices on the menu, I say we shaved at least 4 or 5 pounds off the bill.
To make matters even better, we decided to all order different dishes (which come in small serving bowls) and pass them around the table so we could sample a large variety of the food. For those who have never had Indian cuisine, it is mostly chicken or lamb dishes cooked in different kinds of sauces with varying degrees of spiciness. It was all wonderful, though sampling some of the hottest spiced chicken was perhaps a bit much for me. Trying to keep track of which pile of chicken on my plate was which sauce was also a feat in itself, but somehow I managed. All in all it was a great experience.
Today we're going to venture down to the National Gallery (we did part of the Victoria and Albert last weekend if I didn't mention that). Many of these museums are just too huge to do in one trip, so I'm sure that return trips are in order.
Cheers for now!
To make matters even better, we decided to all order different dishes (which come in small serving bowls) and pass them around the table so we could sample a large variety of the food. For those who have never had Indian cuisine, it is mostly chicken or lamb dishes cooked in different kinds of sauces with varying degrees of spiciness. It was all wonderful, though sampling some of the hottest spiced chicken was perhaps a bit much for me. Trying to keep track of which pile of chicken on my plate was which sauce was also a feat in itself, but somehow I managed. All in all it was a great experience.
Today we're going to venture down to the National Gallery (we did part of the Victoria and Albert last weekend if I didn't mention that). Many of these museums are just too huge to do in one trip, so I'm sure that return trips are in order.
Cheers for now!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Photo Album Updates
Hello all!
It's been a slow week as I settle into things and try and recooperate from the exertion of the activities I've done the last few weeks. But a little tidbit for you readers at home is that I have finally put my recent photos on Facebook! The links are listed below.
Natural History Museum
Cabinet War Rooms
Enjoy!
It's been a slow week as I settle into things and try and recooperate from the exertion of the activities I've done the last few weeks. But a little tidbit for you readers at home is that I have finally put my recent photos on Facebook! The links are listed below.
Natural History Museum
Cabinet War Rooms
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Little Touch of Home
I have a little spare time on my hands tonight (finally!), so I thought I'd post some pictures of what my flat looks like. Below are the dizzying flights of stairs I have to climb every day to get to my flat on the fourth floor (or what they call the third floor here, since they count ground, one, two, etc).
The directly across from my window at first appears to be very boring buildings, until you look to the side, and see the canal that runs along the edge of campus. That white on the grass there is what little snow we received one morning during my first week here, when all the ponds were frozen over.
Some shots of my room:
The pink door leads to the hallway that connects the rest of the rooms in the flat, including the kitchen (which is occupied at the moment, so no picture now). The white door leads to my ensuite shower and toilet (very small).
As you can see, even enrolled at a different school, I still bleed cardinal and gold.
Cheers!
The directly across from my window at first appears to be very boring buildings, until you look to the side, and see the canal that runs along the edge of campus. That white on the grass there is what little snow we received one morning during my first week here, when all the ponds were frozen over.
Some shots of my room:
The pink door leads to the hallway that connects the rest of the rooms in the flat, including the kitchen (which is occupied at the moment, so no picture now). The white door leads to my ensuite shower and toilet (very small).
As you can see, even enrolled at a different school, I still bleed cardinal and gold.
Cheers!
Thursday at the Opera
Thursday night, two of my friends and I made it our business to wander down to Leicester Square and see what kind of deals were being offered on West End shows. After a bit of wandering, we settled on The Phantom of the Opera, where an hour before the show we secured 45 pound tickets for 30 pounds! We sat in the first balcony, known as the Royal Circle; because of the way the balconies overlap each other, the level below them, we were remarkably close to the stage. The performance was wonderful, the way Phantom was meant to be seen. I saw a traveling production of the show last April when it was at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, which was good, but didn't do justice to the show I saw Thursday. The music filled the entire house and gave me goosebumps. It was definitely worth every pence. And as you can see from the photos below, I came home with a souvenir! The last picture is one I took of a map on my computer off the official London Theatre website (click photo to enlarge). It has every theatre in the West End marked on it; as long as I have my camera with me, I can find my way to whatever show I end up seeing.
On a side note, we did find the official half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square, but didn't avail ourselves of it this time because they didn't have any Phantom tickets that night. The bargain we found was at the theatre box office itself.
On a side note, we did find the official half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square, but didn't avail ourselves of it this time because they didn't have any Phantom tickets that night. The bargain we found was at the theatre box office itself.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Awe-Inspiring
Tuesday Night was time for a bit of silly fun with a free Ghost Tour of London, paid for by the International Student House (ISH). This tour, part of London Walks, took place in the area around St. Paul's Cathedral. While not particularly spooky, it was a fun way to see some of the area, as well as get filled in with the local lore about ghosts and poltergeists, and to top it off, some film locations were pointed out to us (one church we stopped outside of was one of the many churches in Four Weddings and a Funeral). Due to it being dark and I not wanting to use my flash and annoy other people on the tour, I only got a handful of photos, but this one is my favorite:
The above is St. Bride's Church, known as the Wedding Cake Church because it was based on this architecture that a baker got the idea for a wedding cake he was designing, an inspiration that would become the common form of wedding cakes from then on.
Wednesday was field trip day for my architecture class, where we visited the outside of Parliament and the House of Lords.
My Foreign Office photos were taken from very close up, and were more reference photos for my architecture class, so they are not included among the sampling of photos.
The Gaza conflict is a huge issue here right now, evidenced by the 24-hour protest going on outside of Parliament (these people have camping tents set up!).
But by far my favorite part of the day was the visit my friends and I paid to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. What was supposed to be a quick stop in the day turned into a three hour extravaganza, only ended by the fact that the museum closed at six. It is to this particular experience my blog post title refers.
Visitors to the museum take self-guided tours, aided by these handy dandy devices. Punch in the number you see on the display, hit play, and hold it to your ear like a telephone to hear your tour guide explain some of the exhibits. The commentary also gives you optional sound bits to hear, like an excerpt from a memo from one secretary to another about how to handle Churchill's dictation, and a recreated dialogue from one of the debates that took place among the commanding heads of the army and Churchill.
Below are some of the pictures of the exhibit. The quality varies as many of the displays had glass in front of them, which made them difficult to photograph.
o
The last photo at first glance is a restroom which was notorious for always being locked. Rumor had it that it was Churchill's private toilet that only he could access. But in reality, this led to a secret transatlantic telephone room where Churchill could contact the President of the United States. Only a handful of people knew the real identity of this room.
I will hopefully add the rest of my photos to Facebook soon and post the link here. Its much easier to add and caption photos there then it is here.
But before I leave you, some more videos! These were taken in the new wing, the Churchill Museum. By far the most time we spent was in that room, which contained material from his birth until his death (which included footage from his funeral). The man led an absolutely fascinating life; for instance, did you know he was a journalist during the Boer War in Africa, was captured, escaped from prison and made his own way back to friendly territory, at one point spending three days in a mine where he was being hid by some farmers? Its absolutely amazing. The first video is of a huge interactive table that ran down the middle of the room that was essentially a huge time line, with the options to read extracts from various memos or to see pictures of certain events. The second is a simple pan around to help give you an appreciation for the size of the exhibit.
That's all for now! Cheers!
The above is St. Bride's Church, known as the Wedding Cake Church because it was based on this architecture that a baker got the idea for a wedding cake he was designing, an inspiration that would become the common form of wedding cakes from then on.Wednesday was field trip day for my architecture class, where we visited the outside of Parliament and the House of Lords.
My Foreign Office photos were taken from very close up, and were more reference photos for my architecture class, so they are not included among the sampling of photos.
The Gaza conflict is a huge issue here right now, evidenced by the 24-hour protest going on outside of Parliament (these people have camping tents set up!).
But by far my favorite part of the day was the visit my friends and I paid to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. What was supposed to be a quick stop in the day turned into a three hour extravaganza, only ended by the fact that the museum closed at six. It is to this particular experience my blog post title refers.
Visitors to the museum take self-guided tours, aided by these handy dandy devices. Punch in the number you see on the display, hit play, and hold it to your ear like a telephone to hear your tour guide explain some of the exhibits. The commentary also gives you optional sound bits to hear, like an excerpt from a memo from one secretary to another about how to handle Churchill's dictation, and a recreated dialogue from one of the debates that took place among the commanding heads of the army and Churchill.
Below are some of the pictures of the exhibit. The quality varies as many of the displays had glass in front of them, which made them difficult to photograph.
o
The last photo at first glance is a restroom which was notorious for always being locked. Rumor had it that it was Churchill's private toilet that only he could access. But in reality, this led to a secret transatlantic telephone room where Churchill could contact the President of the United States. Only a handful of people knew the real identity of this room.I will hopefully add the rest of my photos to Facebook soon and post the link here. Its much easier to add and caption photos there then it is here.
But before I leave you, some more videos! These were taken in the new wing, the Churchill Museum. By far the most time we spent was in that room, which contained material from his birth until his death (which included footage from his funeral). The man led an absolutely fascinating life; for instance, did you know he was a journalist during the Boer War in Africa, was captured, escaped from prison and made his own way back to friendly territory, at one point spending three days in a mine where he was being hid by some farmers? Its absolutely amazing. The first video is of a huge interactive table that ran down the middle of the room that was essentially a huge time line, with the options to read extracts from various memos or to see pictures of certain events. The second is a simple pan around to help give you an appreciation for the size of the exhibit.
That's all for now! Cheers!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Back in Action
Hello everyone!
I return to this blog after spending multiple days of frantic battling with a fairly nasty virus my laptop contracted, which was threatening to corrupt my entire system. Things seem to be back to normal now, and I've learned a valuable lesson about backing up files (though thankfully nothing was lost) so I'm ready to return to reporting my exploits once again.
When last we met, I had just described to you the adventures of ice skating at the Tower. Today I tell you about Saturday's adventure, the Natural History museum. After going shopping for a cheap phone with a friend, we decided to go spend some time at the Natural History Museum. This rather imposing structure has some beautiful detailing.
Outside, the First Annual London Ice Sculpture Contest was under way. Because of the crowds, it was difficult to get a good picture. The official link is here. No word on who won the competition.
The museum is split up into three "zones": the Red Zone, the Green Zone, and the Blue Zone. The zones are more areas of the museum than categories of material (for instance, fossils are in both the green zone and the blue zone, and although the red zone seems to be dedicated to geology, the mineral exhibit is in the green zone). Since we got there rather late in the day, we only had time to visit the Blue Zone before the museum closed. Not to worry though! The museum is free, so all it means is that we'll have to take another trip over there! Here are some select pictures from the Blue Zone (Home to dinosaurs, mammals, and reptiles):
What's a museum without a giant fossil in the entry way?
These were some displays scattered around the main lobby:
Giant Extinct Sloth
Pretty Tiger! Apparently it was bred in a zoo and has a unique coloring of fading stripes.
The Dodo Bird!
Gypsum!
From the entry way we entered the Blue Zone. I only photographed the dinosaurs, as they were a bit more out of the ordinary than the stuffed bison further in the exhibit.
Rawr! A quite impressive Triceratops Fossil.
They also had fossils hanging on platforms from ceilings, which you could get closer to by way of a catwalk. Amazing what you can do when you don't have to worry about earthquakes.....
And of course, a new video! Have I mentioned how much I love my new memory card?
TTFN!
Caitlin
I return to this blog after spending multiple days of frantic battling with a fairly nasty virus my laptop contracted, which was threatening to corrupt my entire system. Things seem to be back to normal now, and I've learned a valuable lesson about backing up files (though thankfully nothing was lost) so I'm ready to return to reporting my exploits once again.
When last we met, I had just described to you the adventures of ice skating at the Tower. Today I tell you about Saturday's adventure, the Natural History museum. After going shopping for a cheap phone with a friend, we decided to go spend some time at the Natural History Museum. This rather imposing structure has some beautiful detailing.
Outside, the First Annual London Ice Sculpture Contest was under way. Because of the crowds, it was difficult to get a good picture. The official link is here. No word on who won the competition.
The museum is split up into three "zones": the Red Zone, the Green Zone, and the Blue Zone. The zones are more areas of the museum than categories of material (for instance, fossils are in both the green zone and the blue zone, and although the red zone seems to be dedicated to geology, the mineral exhibit is in the green zone). Since we got there rather late in the day, we only had time to visit the Blue Zone before the museum closed. Not to worry though! The museum is free, so all it means is that we'll have to take another trip over there! Here are some select pictures from the Blue Zone (Home to dinosaurs, mammals, and reptiles):
What's a museum without a giant fossil in the entry way?
These were some displays scattered around the main lobby:
Giant Extinct Sloth
Pretty Tiger! Apparently it was bred in a zoo and has a unique coloring of fading stripes.
The Dodo Bird!
Gypsum!
From the entry way we entered the Blue Zone. I only photographed the dinosaurs, as they were a bit more out of the ordinary than the stuffed bison further in the exhibit.Rawr! A quite impressive Triceratops Fossil.
They also had fossils hanging on platforms from ceilings, which you could get closer to by way of a catwalk. Amazing what you can do when you don't have to worry about earthquakes.....
And of course, a new video! Have I mentioned how much I love my new memory card?
TTFN!
Caitlin
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekend Update
Hello all!
First order of business: I think I've finally sorted out my album sharing problems so that I can post the much-promised link to my photos from the bus-tour. They are located at:
London Bus Tour Part One
London Bus Tour Part Two
These links will take you to a page where you then click on the album title to actually view the photos. Let me know if there are any problems!
Another note of interest: I've dropped my geology class in favor of Architecture in London, a class that spends every other lecture in the city looking at examples of architecture discussed in the previous lecture. I figure that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a class like this, and I might as well take advantage of it!
The boat trip on the Thames was an amazing time! We had a two-decker boat all to ourselves, one floor being the buffet eating area, and the second floor being a dance floor, with an outside observation deck.
Some views from our boat:
That last one with the green laser is from Greenwich, and marks the Prime Meridian Line, which is the first of the many many time zones that go around the world.
Me and some of my new friends!
Thursday Night we went ice-skating at the Tower of London! Tickets were sold for one-hour skating sessions, and since the next few were already booked, we bought tickets for the 9 PM session and went to get food and wander about the area. After getting dinner at a little fish and chips restaurant, we found refuge in a nearby pub called the Hung, Drawn, and Quartered:
The inside had an interesting collection of replicas of rather famous portraits of various monarchs, as well as some people being led to the Tower for a less-than-pleasant fate.
When we finally got to go ice-skating, we had a blast!
See Caitlin post. See Caitlin post video.
The voice in the background is one of my friends who is glad that there are not "fifty little hockey-skating children" down there who could potentially run us amateurs into the ground.
Well, that's about it! Ta Ta for Now!
First order of business: I think I've finally sorted out my album sharing problems so that I can post the much-promised link to my photos from the bus-tour. They are located at:
London Bus Tour Part One
London Bus Tour Part Two
These links will take you to a page where you then click on the album title to actually view the photos. Let me know if there are any problems!
Another note of interest: I've dropped my geology class in favor of Architecture in London, a class that spends every other lecture in the city looking at examples of architecture discussed in the previous lecture. I figure that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a class like this, and I might as well take advantage of it!
The boat trip on the Thames was an amazing time! We had a two-decker boat all to ourselves, one floor being the buffet eating area, and the second floor being a dance floor, with an outside observation deck.
Some views from our boat:
That last one with the green laser is from Greenwich, and marks the Prime Meridian Line, which is the first of the many many time zones that go around the world.
Me and some of my new friends!
Thursday Night we went ice-skating at the Tower of London! Tickets were sold for one-hour skating sessions, and since the next few were already booked, we bought tickets for the 9 PM session and went to get food and wander about the area. After getting dinner at a little fish and chips restaurant, we found refuge in a nearby pub called the Hung, Drawn, and Quartered:
The inside had an interesting collection of replicas of rather famous portraits of various monarchs, as well as some people being led to the Tower for a less-than-pleasant fate.
When we finally got to go ice-skating, we had a blast!
See Caitlin post. See Caitlin post video.
The voice in the background is one of my friends who is glad that there are not "fifty little hockey-skating children" down there who could potentially run us amateurs into the ground.
Well, that's about it! Ta Ta for Now!
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