Scottish Countryside

Today was beautiful and sunny, so we ventured out from Edinburgh into the Scottish countryside.

The Scottish Wool Centre is about an hour away and does daily sheepdog demonstrations, so we drove to the town, Aberfoyle, first. We got there about 30 minutes early for the demonstration, so we wandered around the store first. Mom and Dad both bought nice Scottish wool sweaters, but I couldn't find one that I liked or that fit. Unfortunately, all the colours and patterns I really liked were men's sweaters, and the smallest size still fit like a sack. Instead, I ended up getting a raincoat because although I've been on this rainy island for 5 months, the only "rain gear" I own is an umbrella from Poundland, and even that can't withstand the slightest breeze (as I learned when the spokes on my first Poundland umbrella snapped like twigs in a gentle wind). I didn't really pack for the northern cold, so hopefully the raincoat will also keep me a bit insulated over the next couple days of travel.

Anyways, the sheepdog demo was fascinating, but on account of the demonstrator's thick Scottish accent, we really only understood the "pretty dog moves angry geese" part.


Just a note: the coughing in the video is NOT me. It was the girl next to me who was determined to infect me with her plague!


The sheep were pretty ridiculous creatures. They kept baaing, but it sounded more like an angry chain smoker.

Next, we took a scenic "Three Lochs Forest Drive", but there weren't any particularly breathtaking views and Dad sped through the whole thing. Perhaps the most interesting part of the drive was when we had to stop for a bunch of West Highland Cattle in the road.



We continued on to the Inchmahome Priory, perhaps one of the prettiest sights so far this trip. We had to take a 12-person ferry boat to the island where the priory ruins are located. The priory was active until the Reformation when the building was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It's really quite magical.



When we were back on the mainland, we were all pretty ravenous and immediately began searching for lunch. As it's a bank holiday, it took us a little while to find somewhere to eat, and I was in "attack wildlife" mode. Lunch was tasty, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered a cheese starter, a local trout, and a side of mash. This is really the second time I've ordered fish in the UK, and as with the Whitebait, I was served the WHOLE fish!



Our lunch gave us the energy to continue on to visit Rob Roy's grave. I don't actually know who Rob Roy is. The best explaination my parents could provide was "Liam Neeson played him in the movie adaptation." The guidebook description didn't offer much enlightenment either... But it was on the way, so we stopped.



Within a few minutes, we were back on the road, and we took the long drive to pass Loch Lomond. Unfortunately, Dad had a bit of a headache and couldn't keep driving. We stopped at a rest stop so Dad could take a nap. Mom and I watched some young children playing in the water, which was Titanic-type cold. Unfortunately, the only photos I was able to get of the Loch were with my iPhone as my camera ate through two sets of batteries today.



When Dad recovered enough to drive, we got back on the road, but at this time, it was evening and all the bank holiday travelers were driving home and stopping traffic. Then, we got lost. It took 3hrs 15min, instead of 1hr 40min, to get back to Edinburgh.

In the past day or so, I've developed a strange tightness in my chest accompanied with a dry, itchy cough. Mom and I have a bet going about whether or not I'm catching a cold.

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Yesterday, I forgot to mention that I tried haggis. It wasn't so bad. Actually, it tasted kinda good. I also had black pudding (which I've had before), but this time, it was a bit harder to eat...

137 Photos of Rubble, 48 Hours of Wet and Cold, 17 Hours of Daylight: Priceless

Yesterday, we drove up to Edinburgh with a diversion to see Hadrian's Wall. We stopped at two forts, one of which was a cavalry fort. Both were absolutely incredible!

The truly amazing thing was how the site was treated. In the past, huge chunks of rock were moved around for building projects elsewhere, and border reavers built houses into the forts. Now, children and sheep climb all over the ruins, and it's amazing they haven't done more damage. I saw a child do a flip off a wall.


The "lockers" in the fort's changing room.

Even so, the site was INCREDIBLE and there were so many Roman artifacts! The whole day was raining on and off, and by the end of the day, I was completely soaked through. Just absolutely drenched.

We arrived next in Edinburgh for a lovely pub dinner. As we've gotten further north, the days are getting longer and longer. In Edinburgh, we have a little more than 17 hours between sunrise and sunset. It's a bit disconcerting.

This morning, we went up to Edinburgh Castle. When we first got there, the sky was sort of blue, but after we'd queued for tickets, the sky was already cloudy. Within about an hour, it was raining.


The view from Edinburgh Castle... PRE-rain.

We walked around the Royal Mile and wandered around to try to find the church from the Da Vinci Code movie; however, it is actually six miles outside the city, so we didn't find it and wasted quite some time. Instead, we decided to hike up to Arthur's seat. Mom and I are both terrified of heights, and Mom was unable to climb it. I made it to the top, but I had left my camera with Mom and didn't really get any pictures.

Other than that, we really haven't done too much...

I've taken a bunch of videos during the trip that I hope to post soon!

So... Who is John Ruskin, Anyways?

Today marks our second day in the Lake District, and it's been significantly better than yesterday. Firstly, the sun was out today, so it was a bit warmer. Secondly, we actually had a decent meal.

First thing in the morning, we took a local hike to get a good view of the lakes and fells. It was a great walk and totally justifies my puddings and ales later on in the day.



Afterwards, we took the ferry to the other side of the lake to explore the towns there. We stopped first at the home of Beatrix Potter. We were able to wander the gardens and gift shop, but the house itself was closed.



We drove over to Hawkshead to explore the town, but it was very touristy. Most of the town was filled with tiny gift shops selling chintzy Hallmark-knockoff-style tchotchkes. We drove BACK to Sawrey, where Beatrix Potter's house is, to get lunch at a pub that had come recommended by a local. The pub really was pleasant, and we had a large, delightful lunch.

On our way to the next town, we came across Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin, and we ended up spending a large portion of the day there. I didn't know who John Ruskin was previously, but his house was incredible and the gardens and grounds were lovely.




We were finally able to get down to the lake shore (thanks to the Brantwood Harbour Walk).


A snail cell and a piece of ceramic that I found in the Brantwood gardens.

The day was relatively uneventful but a lot of fun; however, dinner was again disappointing. We went to a pub that specializes in a very specific sheep breed, Herdwick, for their lamb. The meal was pretty good although nothing special, but the staff and overall atmosphere were very unpleasant.

And he says, "I'm goin' crazy out there at the lake."

Last night, we arrived in Lancaster after a 3+ hour drive from Warwick. The owners of the B&B we stayed at were perhaps the nicest people I've ever met. The town is a bit depressed (though still charming), and our hostess directed us to a local pub, The Borough.

The Borough is one of the best pubs to which I've been, and it certainly helped that it was Wednesday steak night (and they were willing to give me the steak practically raw). All the food was wonderful, the ales and cider were excellent and varied, and the staff was so helpful and friendly!


This is Lancaster Castle... Part of it is currently being used as a prison...


The Roman Bath ruins here were full of litter, and we were allowed to clamber all over them (if one were willing to climb around the rubbish).

We were only staying in Lancaster as a layover on the way to the Lake District; however, the more time I spend in the Lake District, the more I wish we were still in Lancaster. There were very few things to see or do in Lancaster, but the Lake District is so cold and all my meals here have been disappointing.

When we arrived, we stopped by the Visitor Centre first to learn a bit more about the area. From there, we pretty much beelined it to lunch. We went to a cafe down town, which turned out to be one of our worst meals thus far. From there, we drove to a couple nearby towns: Ambleside, Grasmere, and Keswick.

The countryside here is beautiful, and I was really hoping to do some hiking here; however, it's so miserably cold and windy (and ALWAYS threatening rain) that no one else is interested. Also, I'm not really prepared for the weather. I packed for a cold Spring day... in London. My warmest outfit is a T-shirt and sweatshirt, and the cold here just rips through it.



Still, if the weather is less ominous tomorrow, we're going to take a ferry across Windermere and hike a bit in the Fells.

When we got back to Windermere in the evening, we began searching for a local, traditional pub. The Internet turned up very few possibilities and we ended up at a restaurant in the neighboring town. Bad decision. The atmosphere was a bit odd, and the decor was all very modern. My food was decent, but my parents' dinner was not. At all. They both had beef, which the menu claimed was local; however, it came fried and horribly overcooked.

Conclusion: The Lake District is gorgeous... for hikers and tourists.

Castles and Country

Initially, I was hoping to update every day, but it's been a bit difficult. For most of the day, I don't have Internet, and I'm navigating our driving route. We don't get back until late usually, and since we're sharing a room, I can't stay up much later than Mom and Dad. Thus, I haven't been very good about updating my blog or writing postcards.

Anyways, we've visited a lot of small towns over the past two days. Yesterday, we went to Lacock, where some scenes from the Harry Potter movies and Pride and Prejudice were filmed. The town is truly how I imagine the old English countryside. The streets are lined with ramshackle houses and wisteria. Honestly, if it weren't for the cars, I would have readily believed that I'd stepped back in time. Alternately, there wasn't much to do in the tiny town, so we continued on to our next major stop, Blenheim Palace. This is perhaps one of my favorite sights thus far.

The land on which the palace is built was given to John Churchill in commemoration of his military victories over the French. He built the palace and gardens, and honestly, I'd compare it to a British Versailles. The house is largely decorated in French style and the grounds are impressive and meticulously maintained. The palace tours focus largely on the family history, but there are some interesting Winston Churchill exhibits as well. The palace may also appeal to me because it hosts a major equestrian competition every Autumn.


Blenheim Palace and the gardens.

After Blenheim, we drove through a couple small Cotswolds towns, Burford and Stow-on-the-Wold. We stopped briefly to take a couple pictures, but there wasn't a lot to see in either place and neither was as picturesque as Lacock.

Our B&B is in a Cotswolds town called Broadway. The B&B was absolutely lovely with clean and spacious rooms… and Internet! Anyways, we got in a little before dinner and met up with Mom's coworker for drinks at the Fleece Inn, a really nice pub a couple towns over. It was a great evening, but we didn't really get to see the town of Broadway, just the outskirts.

The next morning, we toured a couple other small Cotswolds towns, Northleach and Chipping Campden. Northleach reminded me of the Doctor Who dream episode, where the elderly people live so long because their bodies are inhabited by aliens of some sort. It was a small hamlet filled with old people. We walked around and took some pictures, but we didn't stay long. Chipping Campden was a much nicer town but much busier, so we didn't stay long there as well.

We drove on to Stratford-upon-Avon to see the Shakespeare sights. Stratford is incredibly touristy, but it was very, very hard to find any parking. We drove around for about 40 minutes before we found a lot. Street parking was "pay and display" for a maximum of one hour (and you couldn't return for another two).

We went to Shakespeare's Birthplace museum. The beginning of the museum was a little dubious. We got shuffled through a bunch of darkened rooms where some animatronics and recordings told us a bit about Shakespeare, but after that, it was pretty pleasant. The house itself was really cool, and there were guides who explained a bit about the time and the history of the room. All the talks were really interesting and informative… although it's amazing how little we actually know about Shakespeare. In the garden, a few actors were milling about to entertain us. Mostly, they were pretending to be rehearsing for various Shakespeare plays and would run scenes every few minutes.


In front of Shakespeare's birthplace.

Our next Shakespeare stop was Anne Hathaway's cottage, but we got there very close to closing time so we didn't stay long. We toured the house in a similar fashion to that of Shakespeare's birthplace and wandered the gardens a bit as well.

In the evening, we went to see the town of Broadway, which we all agreed was the most charming towns we'd seen thus far. It was much less crowded than the other towns, and it was just beautiful.


An adorable side street in Broadway.

The next morning, we left for Warwick (pronounced Warrick, apparently) to see the castle there. The whole experience kind of had the feel of Disneyland. There were a bunch of school groups running around, there were costumed actors to evoke the time period, and several exhibits that were more entertaining than informative. One exhibit was meant to recreate a 19th century party being hosted at the castle. We were received at the door by a woman dressed as a maid, and she brought us into the parlor room where we were formally announced and our "hostess" greeted us. There were wax figures with prerecorded messages standing in for the other guests. Each room represented activities of the party. In one room, (fake) tea was being served; in the study, the men were smoke and gambling. In fact, an upstairs bedroom displayed a canopy bed, curtains drawn, from which prerecorded male and female giggling noises were playing.

Hoping for a tour of the dungeons, we'd purchased tickets for the "Castle Dungeons", which turned out to be more like a haunted house that enterprised on the horrors of Medieval times. Actually, it was an awful lot like the London Dungeons, where people in gruesome costumes jump out at you in the dark, but the Castle Dungeons really wanted to gross us out.

Dad and I climbed the tower and ramparts. I always thought that my fear of heights eclipsed Mom's, but she couldn't handle the ramparts. We didn't spend much more time in the exhibits. I was hoping to see some jousting (I kind of wish this sport still existed) but ended up at a Bird of Prey show instead. The show was incredibly well done and interesting, definitely better than any I've seen in the States.


The view of the castle from the ramparts.

At that point, it was later in the afternoon (and none of us had eaten), so we just did the Peacock Garden and left. I probably took more photos of birds than of the castle itself.


One of MANY peacock pictures... This is AFTER it discovered I had a biscuit.


One of my favorite bird photos.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen...

I wrote this blog post last night when we didn't have Internet. I will write a post for today's travels later tonight or tomorrow.

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My parents' flight arrived at 7:40AM, and I had to meet them at the airport (an hour away from central London). I woke up naturally at 5:29AM (20 minutes before my alarm) and still felt that I was rushing to finish getting ready to leave. I needed to take out my rubbish and recycling, make a breakfast of the perishables in my fridge, and make sure I had everything I needed. I left the flat at the time that I'd planned, but when I got to the tube, I waited 30 minutes for a train to the right terminal. As the ride is largely underground (and thus, I had no cell service), I was worried that my parents would get there and try calling me. I got to the meeting point just as they did, luckily.

After that, we picked up the rental car (and we were upgraded… to an Audi!). My parents drive manual cars back home, and Dad thought it would be an interesting challenge to get a manual transmission here, as well. It certainly was interesting.

For my friends who don't know, I'm already REALLY jumpy in cars. Car accidents just seem to follow me around, whether or not I'm the driver. Typically, when I'm uncomfortable in a car, I just hold onto something with a death grip (unless I'm driving, but I drive like a grandmother -- actually, my grandma told me I drive too slowly). Usually, the situation is safe (and it's just my fear), so I don't want to offend the driver by making my fear obvious.

In this instance, my typical tactics were not enough, and most of the trip was punctuated by me yelling, "GAH!" or "BAH!" or, occasionally, "THAT'S THE CURB!" In my defense, we did hit the curb a couple times. Also, in my defense, Dad appointed me navigator, so I was sitting in the front passenger seat and VERY aware of how close we where to the edge of the road. Dad is definitely getting the hang of driving in the UK, but I think the major issues are:
1) the clutch is on the left side, so he has to shift with his left hand
2) cars drive on the other side of the road
3) cars can park in either direction on either side of the road, so it's hard to tell if we're driving the right way
4) the speed limit on the narrow country roads is 60mph (this TERRIFIED me)

We stopped first at Stonehenge, the greatest henge in the world (thanks, Eddie Izzard). It was very impressive although visitors are not allowed close to the site, and it really is just like ALL the pictures. Still, I was not disappointed. I took a bunch of pictures of Stonehenge, but I also took a disproportionately large number of photos of some nearby sheep and a field of rape (this strange yellow flower used to make canola oil, which is called rapeseed oil here).


It looks pretty much the same from every angle...


Here's some sheep from Stonehenge. You can see a field of rape in the background.

From Stonehenge, we drove to Longleat, the estate of the Marquess of Bath, which is open to the public. The grounds are incredible (and also hosts a Safari Park). The weather was perfect for touring the gardens, and the house was equally as impressive. We spent a couple hours at Longleat before continuing on to Bath. We checked in to our bed & breakfast and got dinner.


Longleat

The B&B hasn't been the best experience. For one, I've been able to access the Internet for, maybe, 15 minutes. Also, a train runs right under the B&B (it's built on an archway over the track) and goes by every 30 minutes or so during the day. Luckily, we haven't noticed it at night… In addition, there is no ensuite bathroom… but there is a shower… in the corner of the bedroom… It's a really odd setup. The owners are very nice and hospitable, but I'm kind of glad that we're only staying for 2 nights.

Today, we went into Bath to sightsee. We took a wonderful 2-hour free walking tour in the morning. We pretty much got to see all the major sights, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and funny. He told us a bunch of great stories about Beau Nash. My personal favorite story was about Robert Coats, a wealthy socialite who desperately wanted to be an actor. He paid a theatre in Bath to do a production of Romeo and Juliet with him as Romeo. The play was so bad that during the balcony scene, when people were booing and throwing vegetable matter, he took out a snuff box, took some snuff, offered some to Juliet, and offered some to the front row of the audience. After Romeo's death scene (in which he took a whole 2 minutes to die), an audience member called out, "Die again, Romeo!" So, he did. He got up and died again. The performance brought him such fame that he toured the production for many years until he retired.

Our guide also pointed out a number of Jane Austen sights, including the gravel walk where Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth get together at the end of Persuasion. We even got to walk down it, too!

Afterwards, we went to a local pub for some cider (and pie). It's true that the West Country has FANTASTIC cider! Also, the bartender was kind of cute. From there, we went straight to the Roman Baths.

The baths are really cool. We took the audio guide because it was free, and although the information was very interesting, the presentation was a bit boring and contrived. There were little bits narrated by Bill Bryson, who's a very funny man, but his commentary was very uninteresting and didn't add much to the tour. Originally, the Romans associated the place with the goddess Minerva. About halfway through the baths tour, there was a gift shop selling "Roman-style" owls (on account of the Minerva association), so… I bought one. Go, Bryn Mawr!

At the very end, we got to sample water from the spring. The water has a high iron content, and it's very warm. The taste reminded me of blood. Honestly, it was an awful lot like drinking blood. Dad and I finished our glasses, but Mom couldn't finish the water… It was disgusting.

Partially to get rid of the taste, we went from there to Sally Lunn's for tea. I got a Sally Lunn bun with lemon curd and clotted cream and tea. I love England.

By the time we finished, it was already after 5PM, so we came back to the B&B to reenergize (translation: Dad and I wanted to try to get Internet). We couldn't connect to the Internet, so we decided to go for a walk (as most places were already closed at 6PM on a Sunday). Dad walked around trying to find free WiFi (which was largely unsuccessful). This lack of Internet has been very trying… Right now, I'm compensating by writing my blog post in TextEdit.

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I will post more Bath pictures later!

A Tale of Death, Friendship, and the Failure of Kites (Or How I Survived Finals)

My hardest exam, Linear Circuits, was yesterday. Honestly, I was really disappointed with myself and how the exam went. I'd studied quite a bit (because I was so freaked out about the exam), but when I sat down to take it, I kept second guessing myself. I walked into the exam feeling so ready and confident. I KNEW the material, but I can't help the nagging feeling that I messed something up.

Anyways, I've been studying a little bit every day and simultaneously trying to take advantage of the last of my time in London.

On Saturday, Cate, Holly, and I went on a FREE tour of Somerset House. One of my guidebooks informed us that they do a "Hidden Spaces" tour for free every first and third Saturday of the month. The building abuts the King's College Strand campus on one side, so it was really convenient (and really interesting to learn about a building we'd been sitting next to for almost 5 months).


You may recognize the building from a couple Sherlock Holmes movies (including the new one), Sense and Sensibility, The Duchess, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and practically a million other movies...

The highlight of the tour is something called the "Dead House." There are actually no corpses interred there (our guide told us that they'd checked), and the head stones had been moved there from the Catholic chapel that had been built at Somerset House for Charles I's wife.


Apparently, the skull and crossbones used to be a symbol for doctors. Comforting, eh?

On Monday, I took an early morning walk to Postman's Park, the site of the Watts Memorial. The memorial displays plaques for everyday people who died doing heroic, selfless deeds. They date back to the 19th century mostly and are absolutely fascinating (and really moving).


These were truly incredible, and if you would like to see more, I took a TON of photos of these, and they're all on Facebook (in my "Around London" album).

Except for these few diversions, I was mostly locked in my room studying, but now that my Linear Circuits exam is over, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. In addition, Abbey returned from Scotland last night, so we all went to see Robin Hood at the Vue. It was the perfect way to end the evening!

This morning, Abbey and I went on a mission to pick up her external hard drive from the repair center and decided to pick up some bagels on the way back. I tried a "shortcut", and we ended up walking a lot more than necessary... Oops... As I'm sure my friends can agree, I have a very good sense of direction (and can almost always get from Point A to Point B without issue), but no one should ever, ever, ever listen to my shortcuts. They are NEVER shorter. Remember this if you ever choose to travel with me.

In the afternoon, we went to Hard Rock Cafe because Abbey needed to get a few souvenirs for a family friend (or something like that). We had a blast, and it was kinda like being back in America. We had (American style, not British) milkshakes and burgers.



When we went into the Hard Rock Cafe, the sky was blue and (mostly) clear. The past couple days have been very warm; in fact, this weekend, it's supposed to reach a high of 23°C (~73°F)! For London, that's pretty impressive. Anyways, when we left the Hard Rock Cafe, it was still warm, but the sky was London-colored (grey). Still, we went up to Hampstead Heath to enjoy the gorgeous weather with some outdoor fun!


From Hampstead Heath, you can pretty much see the entire London skyline. It's gorgeous! And the park is everything the English countryside should be (well, sans sheep -- Baaaah!)! There are ponds and wildlife! It's picturesque and really reminds me how much I miss the country.

I brought a few of the things that I'd picked up for my London May Day (for which, as you may recall, it was raining). Namely, I had tennis balls, a frisbee, and a kite. Abbey was REALLY excited about the kite and absolutely determined to make it fly. I'm no good with kites, but I really like throwing things (and I'm pretty good at it). Mostly, I played catch with whoever would join me. Abbey and I brought our foam swords, but I kinda broke both of them. Accidentally. Really accidentally. Abbey and I have been whacking each other with the swords all week, but it took a couple strong swings to demolish both of them... Whoops... They were just £1 after all...

Cate will never forgive me for this video.



Here's the videos I took of a few attempts to fly the kite. There were many, many, many more attempts, but I stopped filming after a couple... Oh, and a note on the music: I put the clips into iMovie to splice them together, and I added in the music as a joke; however, when I removed it, it wasn't nearly as amusing, so the music stayed...

Are you a veterinarian? 'cause these pythons are SICK!

I feel absolutely great. I just finished my first exam, Operating Systems, and I was amazed how well it went. It's the only grade we're getting in that class, so it's really put my mind at ease to have it DONE.

Last night though, I really couldn't sleep. I should have been exhausted, but I tossed and turned for about 45 minutes before I realized something... I could SEE! At first, I was very confused. The light on my computer's power strip had a SHAPE! I could make out the window! Then, I noticed that I'd forgotten to take my contact lenses out... Brilliant! After that, it was at least another hour before I fell asleep. I was thinking about a lot of things, mostly graduate school (and not at all about the exam, surprisingly), but I really started to get nervous about my exam in the morning. I woke up early to review some more and map out the exam location (not on campus AT ALL). I ate something, regretted eating, and left early.

The testing center is on the other side of town entirely. It takes about 45 minutes to get there by public transportation, and it was morning rush hour. Still, I got there with plenty of time to spare. We took our exams with about 500 other students, all in one room. We each get our own assigned desk number. The tests are already on the desk, and we start when the proctor says so. For the first 1hr and 15min., no one is allowed to leave their desk. After that, you can take bathroom breaks or turn in your test.

Cate and I are going down to the gym this afternoon. I've been working out five days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Cate and sometimes Abbey and Holly; Tuesday and Thursday by myself), and I'm really noticing the results. I feel much more energetic, and I'm starting to get back some of the muscle tone I lost when I got to Bryn Mawr. When I get home, I'm looking forward to horseback riding again. Hopefully, I'll be able to work with Splash a bit...


This is Splash. And yes, that's me. No comment.

Actually, I've made a list of things to look forward to about going back to the States... I really don't want to leave London (by my calculations, I will be able to move here in 6-8 years and become a UK citizen -- we'll see), and I'm a bit anxious about readjusting to life in the States. I look right first when crossing streets, I've adapted to a more British vocabulary (flat, lift, jumper, serviette, chips, crisps, etc.), I enjoy sitting in a pub with my friends, and I ALMOST enjoy the weather... But when I come back, I can look forward to faster Internet! Okay. So, there's more on the Coming-Home list than faster Internet (like seeing my friends and family -- I miss you guys!), but I'm absolutely amazed by how quickly this semester flew by...

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Here's a picture from Austria of the Lipizzaners at the Spanish Riding School. We weren't supposed to take ANY photos of the horses, but as you can see, the lady in front of me also whipped out her camera as soon as the security monitor went by.

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya...

Abbey and I went to the Portabello Road Market today. I've been hoping to start a collection of old dime novels and penny dreadfuls, and on Saturdays, the market is famed for its antiques. We found a first edition of Through the Looking Glass (too expensive for either of us) and an interesting collection of Grimms' Fairy Tales (including "The Jew in the Bush", apparently -- we were both amused by this). Unfortunately, we didn't find anything fitting what I was looking for...

Instead, we ended up at Poundland (the more amusingly named British Dollar Store equivalent) where we both bought foam swords for £1. This turned out to be the BEST purchase of my whole trip. We spent the afternoon enacting epic battles and bopping each other with our swords. Abbey got a video of me attacking a lamppost, which depending on how embarrassing it is, I may post at some point.

Honestly, I was exhausted from the day out, but Cate and Holly came over in the evening for a Doctor Who marathon. They helped me try some of the Turkish delight, but most of the flavors were pretty gross. The only one I really like (although I still have a couple left to try) is pistacchio, believe it or not. Ah, well... We got through two Doctor Who episodes and called it a night. To bed!

Musings on Mushy Peas, Turkish Delight, and... David Cameron?

Yesterday was election day in the UK. The day itself was pretty low-key. I went to the gym in the morning and walked around a bit in the afternoon (it was quite a nice day -- for London weather, anyways). In the evening, I went down the street to the Farm Collective (a small store that sells food made entirely from local farm products), and I got my usual Angus beef pie with mash and gravy... and mushy peas. Mushy peas have been a recent discovery although I've seen them quite often on traditional British menus. It's pretty much peas mashed up with some milk, butter, and salt (a lot like mashed potatoes). But there's something about them that's just sooo good. The mushy peas at the Farm Collective use less butter/cream, and I think they add a touch of mint... Ultimately, they're radioactive green in color but delicious!

In the evening, I met up with Cate, Holly, Beth, and Matt to watch the election night coverage at the Waterfront (the King's College student bar). Abbey was working on her final paper and was absent most of the week. Anyways, we got a couple snakebites (1/2 cider, 1/2 ale, and a splash of blackcurrant syrup) and found the perfect booth to see the TV... also we were right across from this guy who looked surprisingly like Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek). We were able to see the exit poll results before the Waterfront started to become really, really crowded. It got uncomfortably hot very quickly, the noise made it impossible to follow the election, and the people made it very difficult to even SEE the TV. Cate, Holly, and I ended up leaving around midnight, when only 3 seats had been declared (to the Labour Party).

This morning, we found out that it's a hung Parliament. We are all hoping David Cameron doesn't become Prime Minister, but it's not looking so good. In my opinion, there is something about David Cameron that makes him very unlikeable. A note here on British elections... people don't vote for a candidate, they vote for a party. David Cameron is a Tory (Conservative), Gordon Brown is the Labour Party candidate, and Nick Clegg is a Lib Dem (Liberal Democrat). To be honest, none of us support the Conservative policies, but it's even harder to believe the support David Cameron's gotten. If he does NOT become Prime Minister, we're going out for a celebratory pint.

Today, I met up with Cate and Holly to go to the gym (yes, again). Abbey was too exhausted from her paper-writing (she handed it in and is now done for the semester), but afterwards, we all went to the Borough Market. I love Borough Market so very, very much. As it is, I want to move to the UK, but Borough Market just reaffirms this. Today, I had an ostrich steak baguette with onions and cranberry sauce. I liked it a lot more than the kangaroo burger from a few weeks ago. We were walking around afterwards and got free samples of Turkish delight. I've heard about it before in books although it sounds like a made-up candy rather than something that actually exists. I've never really enjoyed candy. For one, I've never really liked the texture of most candy bars. When I watched Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory as a child, there's one scene where the kids go to the candy store ("The Candyman Can" song). After that, all real-life candy was just a bit disappointing. It's too sweet and always sticks to my teeth and the roof of my mouth. Turkish Delight, on the other hand, was chewy but not sticky and not unpleasantly sweet. I bought a sampling of flavors (yes, yes... free samples work on me), so hopefully I'll find one I like...



You can watch the whole movie here.

A Small Apology

I'm writing this post to apologize for the lack of posts. I haven't really been doing much blog-worthy stuff since I got back from Europe.

I got settled back in, did laundry and the like. I had a programming assignment due (it was assigned a couple days before I left for Europe, and at the time, I was also working on a paper), so I needed to get that done.

Cate, Abbey, and I have been hanging out quite a bit. Holly was around to see Clash of the Titans with us. Clash of the Titans was fun but pretty disappointing. The movie builds up to this fight with the Kraken, which lasts all of 5 seconds. In fact, more than half the scene is just the Kraken rising up out of the water. Yes, I just spoiled the movie for you. Wait for the DVD or watch it online (http://www.movies-links.tv/movies/clash_of_the_titans_2010/).

Holly left to travel around Spain and Portugal, and Cate, Abbey, and I were left to our own devices. We had a small May Day celebration. I served strawberries and cream for breakfast and made cucumber sandwiches for lunch (plus, tomato/mozzarella salad, some cheeses, and chocolate covered blueberries and strawberries). It rained, so we spent most of May Day inside. Midway through, we all went home anyways. I got some more programming done, and we reconvened to watch the Philadelphia Story. We also saw Iron Man 2, which came out in the UK before the US. This was much, much, much better than Clash of the Titans, and a good time was had by all.

My first exam is on May 14th, so I hopefully I have a bit of time to relax and get some studying done. I probably won't be traveling much, but I would like to see some of the London sights that I've missed thus far (Tower of London, for one). If anything interesting happens, I will write about it ASAP!