For those who were either afraid I had died or were simply waiting for an update, you’re in for a real treat. These next posts were written over various days and so may not flow well, so please don’t judge. I’ve resorted to writing and updating in a Pub down the street from me because they have Wi-Fi here unlike my apartment. This should bring you up to my arrival in Italy. I’ll have to post about my crazy time and my awesome roommates some other time. Oh also, I’m about two pints in and they are giving out free apperativos (small appetizers to enjoy with your beer). Hallelujah, Europe!
Two things before I began, 1. I’m going to Rome tomorrow for the weekend and I am really fucking excited and 2. I really wish I had been able to bring all my clothes because I feel so undressed in the fashion Mecca.
May 18, 2008
I had to wake up early today because they wanted me to check out of my room by 11 because a larger party was coming into the hostel. So I woke up at 10.00 got ready and had to lug my stuff downstairs. I sat down on the computer for a while trying to figure out where I wanted to go and then I left to get something to eat. I decided to just eat from the supermarket because it would be a lot cheaper this way. I got a sandwich and drink and ate it on a bench outside of the market. The sandwich was actually really good. Elodie came today and so we met up at King’s cross around noon. After going meeting up we caught the tube up to Camden town, a row of street vendors and a plethora of food stands. The shops had some amazing stuff (some were a bit weird) but everything cost so damn much. After walking around for about an hour we decided to head elsewhere. We took the underground down to Trafalgar square where we went into the National Gallery. We walked through the gallery looking at artwork from different time periods and countries throughout Europe. It was at this point that I realized I knew nothing about art while Elodie knew a lot more. After getting yelled at for taking a picture on the stairs, we walked out to view the rest of the square. After taking obligatory pictures of the fountains we walked towards St. James park. The park was absolutely gorgeous with all sorts of birds and animals. As we were walking down ‘The Mall’ (the path to Buckingham palace) we saw that there was a group of Guards lining up in a field. As we walked to find out what was going on, people began to crowd around to see what was going on as well. Soon enough there was a full on parade of Royalty and Guards in honor of something we couldn’t identify. We think it has to do with the Guards memorial or WWII. We continued our walk to the palace after the spectacle. I took some photos of the palace, watched the guards pace back and forth, and then went on my way. We walked to Westminster abbey from there and walked around to see Big Ben. From there we walked over to the bridge and caught a glimpse of the London eye. Which I’ve been told is not worth going up. From there we caught the train back up to Kings Cross for dinner before she had to leave. It was about 6 o’clock and the last time I had eaten was at 11.30. Tired and hungry, we ate at the first place we saw- it happened to be Indian food. The food was okay, nothing compared to Bombay grille, and the service was pretty bad. Walking around London I’ve seen that Indians don’t have the best rep here as a whole. After walking into brooks by the station to buy some Lip balms (I’d forgotten to pack some) I saw Elodie off to her train. Since I was in Kings Cross already I decided to venture on down to Platform 9¾. Low and behold it was there, not as spectacular as I would have liked it to be but it did still give me chills. It was only seven o’clock but a long day of walking and a full stomach helped make the decision to go back to my hostel. I came back and set around for a while listening to music and uploading pictures. I also had to re-check into the hostel because they had me switch rooms, what a pain. One of my roommates in this room, a man from north England who’s down here working to promote a program he helps with that tries to get students to volunteer abroad, asked me if I wanted to go get a beer. So we walked out to a pub, but the first two we went to were closed. We decided that we still wanted to go have a drink so we walked further down to this Australian bar. I got a pint of Strongbow, this English alcoholic cider. It was actually pretty good. He and I talked a while about his job, his travels to America, and what I thought about England. We hung out for a while and then headed back to our hostel. I decided I had postponed sleeping long enough and went back to bed.
May 19, 2008
I had planned on getting up early today but that didn’t go as expected. I woke up again at 10, took a shower and got ready. I had planed on going to the southwest part of the city today. I wanted to check out this department store called Harrods that had been raved about by everyone. The place was amazing and bit classier than Selfridges. They too had an immense selection of clothing, 5 stories high, and easy to get lost in. I think harrods had a better selection of food, one could buy anything their heart desired. I decided on getting a slice of strawberry cheesecake because it wasn’t very expensive and looked really good. As I left harrods hunger struck and so I started walking towards the museums I wanted to visit and planned on stopping at a restaurant. I walked for what seemed like 20 minutes and didn’t find anything. Eventually I found the Knightsbridge café and decided to just go ahead and eat there. They weren’t serving lunch till 12.30 and it was only 12.10 so I decided to go ahead and have some breakfast. I ended up eating a traditional english breakfast: two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and baked beans. It was rather delicious and very filling. I asked the waitress how far I was from the museum and it turned out that I had been walking in the opposite direction. So I pay my bill and walk back the same way I came. I stopped in some of the stores along the way. As soon as I passed Harrods I saw a chain of restaurants that I would have seen earlier had I went the right way. Fifteen minutes later I arrive at the Victoria and Albert museum. In London all the museums are free to enter, so they are a really good place to visit. I see that there is a tour starting in 20 minutes so I decide to hit the gift shop first. Knowing that I’m not going to buy anything, I browse the gift shop in about 5 minutes. I decide to spend the next 15 minutes taking a rest. The tour guide I had was extremely old, in fact she says that she was studying fabrics in the 1930s. She was a cute old woman and her tour was pretty interesting. I learned that the museum is one of the largest in the world and so she only took us to a few galleries. The tour lasted for an hour and 15 minutes, and since I wanted to go see a few other museums I decided to go ahead and move on. I went to the National science museum, which was just as interesting. They had this area called the launchpad where you got to take an hands on approach to science. I stayed in the museum and browsed around for about another hour and a half. While I was there my camera died so I decided I needed to go back to the hostel. I made it back here around 6.00. I sat down on my computer and let the camera charged. I had plans on going to see wicked tonight and so I looked up show times. The show was going to start at 7.30 so I decided I needed to leave soon. I ended up leaving around 6.30 from the hostel. I made it to Leicester square around 7.10. I went into the first discount ticket place to see if there were any tickets available for the show tonight. The guy said there were tickets but that there would be no way I could make it time to the theater. It turns out that the wicked theater is much further way near the Victoria station. I walk out of the station really upset and not knowing what to do. I decide I’ll go see something else. I had wanted to see Chicago a while ago and so I asked for tickets. The only ticket available was for 34 pounds, but I really wanted to go and so I decided to splurge (I also told myself that I couldn’t spend money like this on anything else). The show had about 30 minutes before it started. I walked towards the Cambridge theatre where the show was so that I could be sure of making it. After finding it, I bought a sandwich and coke for 5 pounds stuffed it down and went to the theatre. I actually had pretty good seats, row k seat 9 (center right). The show was really good and the music and stage were great. After the show finished I walked to the underground and went back to the hostel.
Day 20, 2008
For the first time in my stay I woke up in time for breakfast. Instead of showering as soon as I woke up, I washed my face and headed downstairs to see what they had. Yea I know, you’re surprised that I went somewhere without showering. It happens occasionally, typically when free food is involved. I got some cereal, toast with sunflower spread (substitute butter for those who are strict vegetarians) and a croissant. Not an exceptional breakfast but enough to hold me till lunch and also free. I took some fruit from the buffet for later, I guess my trips to lenior have taught me well. After showering and getting ready, I decided I needed to pack up my things because I was going to be leaving late tomorrow night and so would have to check out tomorrow morning. After getting my things situated I was about to walk out the door when I thought to myself, “self, why not check to see if there are any Feist tickets available?” Surfing the web led me to a website called Gumtree, a London version of Craigslist. After calling a few of the listings without any luck I decided enough was enough. I walked down to the tube station, and made my way to the Tower of London. As I was trying to find my way to the tower from the station, I get a phone call. I got really excited because it could only be one of two things: either it was someone who dearly loves me and decided to give me a call or someone I had rang for the Feist tickets was calling me back. When I answered the phone it was indeed one of the listers that I had tried to contact earlier. The guy told me he had a seat in the fifth row of the arena (the center seating) and would be willing to sell it to me for 30 pounds (60 dollars). I know I had said I would not spend a lot of money on anything else, but I just couldn’t pass it up. We made plans to meet the next day so that I could get the ticket. I finally found my way to the tower and purchased a ticket to go in. A tour was going to start in twenty minutes so I decided to hang around the gate. The tour of the Tower was really interesting, I would definitely recommend doing it at least once. The tour was given by a ‘beefeater,’ a nickname for yeomen warders (does anybody know the origin of the nickname?) of the royal guard. The small village within the fort is now home to beefeaters that work within. Supposedly the chapel within the fort is haunted and people have seen ghosts over the years. Famous people of the fort include Sir Isaac Newton who worked in the mint and Sir Walter Ralegh who was imprisoned in fort three different times. After the tour I went to take a gaze at the Crown Jewels, they aren’t all that really—just a shit ton of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and gold. My stomach started grumbling again, but I didn’t want to pay for anything expensive. I went into the café and bought a tuna sandwich and ate it with the apple and orange I had snagged earlier. The three made a filling and delicious lunch. I decided I had spent enough time in the tower and began walking across the Tower Bridge. For those of you who don’t know, the London Bridge isn’t very spectacular. The ornate bridge that is often shown on postcards is really the Tower Bridge. After crossing the bridge, I walked for about thirty minutes down the riverside in search for the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe. After having to stop twice to get directions, I finally made it to the Globe and walked in to see what shows they were playing. The Theatre had just changed its evening show to Midsummer about a week ago. I purchased a ticket for 5 pounds in the groundling section, deciding that this was the only way to see the show. After pocketing my ticket, I walked around the corner to the Tate Modern museum. The building is a piece of art on its own; it has a very urban New York loft feel to it. A bit tired from walking all day, I made my way through the building with a bit of disinterest. The artwork was very good and interesting, but the pain from my feet was overriding all other sensation. After taking a glance at all the galleries, I walked back over to the globe to get a bite to eat. I decided on getting a sandwich again with some crisps (chips) this time. The sandwiches here are actually really good, I think it has to do with the bread. After quickly downing my food, I went back outside to wait in front of the gates. I showed up about 30 minutes before the gates opened so I was first in line. After walking through the gate, we had to wait for about 30 minutes at the door before we were allowed into the theatre. Because of a complication in the ‘queue,’ I got pushed back in the line. Soon enough the doors opened up and the crowd began to file into the theatre. I ended up situating myself on the left hand side of the stage, in the front row. The seat turned out to be amazing. Since we had a few minutes to wait, I turned to my left and sparked a conversation with the girl sitting next to me. Turns out she was a rising junior at Penn state. The show itself was absolutely amazing, the actors, stage, and dialogue created a show unlike anything I’ve experienced. The parts were played so well that I couldn’t think of casting anybody else for any of the parts. If you ever get the chance to see a show at the globe please do it! After standing up in the show for about 3 years, my feet had enough for the day and so I headed back to my hostel and called it a night.
May 21, 2008- May 22, 2008
Today was a really long day! I woke up early because I needed to shower and check out of my room in time. My stay at the hostel was really good; it was nice roof over my head. The bed was a pretty difficult adjustment, but one that was easily made. I showered, dressed, and placed my luggage in the storage room. I decided on holding off on some food because it would be cheaper and if I waited to eat I could just skip a meal (yea I was getting worried about money). I took the underground out to puntey, an area outside the center of London, so that I could meet up with the guy who had my ticket. The trip took forever because the trains out there are not as frequent and it was pretty far away from my hostel. The guy was waiting outside of the station when I got there. We talked for a few minutes, he gave me some suggestions of what I should see and how to get to the venue and then I bought the ticket and left. I stopped on my way back into the city to see the Chelsea stadium, which was really awesome. Chelsea and Man U. are playing tonight for the Champion’s league final so the street had a bunch of people already drinking for the game. Let me emphasize that it was 11 in the morning and the game wasn’t till 8. I walked around for a while and then got back on the train into the city. I had plans on going to the National British Museum for the day so I got off at Tottenham Court Road and walk down to the museum. On my way there I stopped in a pub for some food. I decided since I hadn’t had fish and chips yet, today would have to be the day. I got a tall glass of Bulmers (Irish Apple Cider, which is the shit) and some fish and chips with mushy pea sauce. For those who have yet to try the food of common Brits should not judge till they have had some. The meal was really good, really filling, and knocked me out for the long count. Having been induced to a food coma, I sat for a while after lunch finishing my drink. I slowly crawled out of the pub into a bright London day that was painful on weary eyes. I finally made it to the Museum and quickly walked in for refuge. The Museum had an amazing array of displays- from Egyptian mummies to America’s own Pollock. I walked around the museum until I was kicked out by the curators because it was closing, and I still didn’t see everything I had wanted to. I decided that I would forgo dinner so that I could make it to the hall a little earlier and check it out a bit before it started. The Royal Albert Hall was a really Majestic place; I think that almost every form of entertainment (except for the x rated stuff) has been performed in the building. When I stumbled upon a sandwich shop for those people sitting in the arena (the very front of the hall, where I was sitting) I decided that I would enjoy the show on a fuller stomach. I bought myself a sandwich and crisps and did work to them. The show was going to start soon so I went to find my seat. I ended up being in the fifth row back near the center of the stage, I don’t’ think I could have gotten any better. The guy to my left was sort of big in the muscular sense and so he sort of ‘overflowed’ into my seat, leaving me little room to dance. The hall was embarrassingly empty when I sat down for being a sold out show. The opening act began starring Lawerence Arabia, which was a pretty good band. I think I may have heard of them before from one of you guys. The show took another break, so it wasn’t till about 9 o’clock when Leslie came on stage. However, the wait was well worth it, she sang very well and did an amazing job of engaging the audience. I tried to get my sway on but I the large man next to me seemed to be getting upset. Before I knew it the entire hall was packed and people were dancing everywhere. I don’t think there could have been a better nightcap to my trip. The show let out a little bit after 11:30 and so some of the underground stations were closed. Luckily I just followed the masses to the closest open station. I took the tube back home and went to start my 3-hour wait. My flight out of Gatwick was at 7:40 and so I wanted to get there at 5:40 to ensure enough time. This required me to catch a train from St. Pancras at 3.54 so I could get to the airport at 5. I decided I would sit down with my luggage in the common room and try to get a nap in. However, one of the friends I had made during my stay, Eddie, was awake and so I talked to him for a while. At 3.30 my cab came and I threw my things to get to the station. Unsurprisingly I was the only person in the train station. I bought my ticket, which was completely unnecessary because no one checked it, and went to wait by the tracks. The train was on time; I got on and quickly passed out. I set an alarm on my phone to make sure I woke up for my stop. I got to the Airport, found my terminal, and checked in with ease. I ended up having over 2 hours to kill so I decided the first thing to do was get breakfast. I got a traditional English breakfast, I knew it would be my last chance, and slowly worked my way through the whole thing. I waited around for a while looking through pictures and working on some posts. When I went to go check in to my flight, I got drilled with questions, something I’m use to by now: “where are you going, why are you going, how much money do you have?” Maybe I should have taken my moms advice. The airplane was really nice and I had a window seat: however it was all a deception! We don’t like Brussels airlines! They were late getting out of Gatwick, about 45 minutes, so I missed my connecting flight. Also, during the flight they handed out food and the woman left me a plate because I had fell asleep. When I woke up, I asked for a glass of water and I intended on eating the food. But as I came to finishing my water, the airhostess picked it up and threw it away without even asking me if I was done. Once I got into the airport to try and figure out what I needed to do, people were unresponsive and unhelpful. I walked towards the ‘B’ gates because I vaguely remembered the airhostess said something about going there. I had to go through security in order to get to the service desk, but I left some change in my pocket and the metal detector went off. I tried to tell the man that it was only change, but he refused to listen and did a body check. I then tried to find a service desk, but I couldn’t find any in sight. Luckily I found some people that were on my flight and walked towards them. When I went to work out the problem, the hostess told me they had a flight out of Brussels to Florence in an hour, so they changed me to that flight. The gate, however, was in the ‘A’ section. Therefore I had to walk across the entire airport and go through security for a second time. When I got to my gate, I sat down and waited for boarding. I had about 40 minutes to wait so I began to overlook stuff for school. Out of the corner of my eye I look up to the screen to see if boarding would start soon and I found that they had changed me gate. It was only two gates down, so it wasn’t a big deal. But they didn’t even make an announcement that they had made the change! Anybody who wasn’t paying attention to the sign could have missed the plane and been screwed. I picked up my things and moved to the new gate. The hostess behind the desk was cold to everyone and seemed to be preoccupied with the computer. Ten minutes after they had intended on boarding the plane, the woman called for passengers to line up. I got in the very front of the line to guarantee nothing wrong would happen. My seat on the plane was in the first row by the window. The seat was great, the hostesses weren’t terrible, and the food, now that I actually got to eat some, wasn’t half bad. All in all, the airport and airline have much to improve on and I would not recommend flying with them. The woman sitting next to me seemed pretty interesting, so I begin to talk to her. It turns out she’s a French doctor and writer. She gave me some help in terms of figuring out where I should stay in Paris and we talked about the environment and health care. She and I continued to talk till we got out of the plane at which point we decided it would be economically and environmentally beneficial to share a cab. I helped her get her bags and we walked out to wait in the cab line. When we got up to the front, she busted out some crazy Italian and asked if we could get a cab together. The angry driver said we couldn’t and begin to berate us in Italian. She let me have the first cab and so I put my stuff in and we said goodbye to one another. I realized I was in over my head when the man talked to me in only Italian and I couldn’t answer him because he knew no English. After much trial and error I gave him my address and he angrily began to drive. The streets here are jam packed with pedestrians, bicyclist, scooters, and cars. I finally made it to the school and checked in. I decided I would save some money and walk to my apartment which was only 15 minutes away. The combination of heavy bags, heavy eyes, tremendous heat, and being completely lost made it an exciting adventure. I finally made it over the river (I live in a river front apartment) and searched for my home for the next month. After asking at least twenty people “parli inglese” without any luck, I finally got some directions from a construction worker. I opened up my door after try number four and carried my things up to my place.
I’m going to have to stop here because I need to leave now and make use of the rest of the day. Updating without Internet in the apartment and not having any time is making it difficult to update as regularly as I would like. Hopefully I can provide you with some pictures and updates of my adventures in Italy. Take care and send love and maybe money so I can buy some Ferragamo loafers (I pass the main store every day, it makes me cry).
