The five other girls who are here from Wash U and I met Sorrel, our 100% positive and perky (but in a wonderful, not obnoxious, way) guide from ACCENT (a company that works with several schools that have study abroad programs in England) at the Brighton train station and bought our 16-25 railcards (discounted travel, woo hoo!) and tickets to London. After about a 45-minute train ride (during which we were offered drinks and snacks, just like on a plane), we were there! I was a little too tired to truly appreciate the sights during the bus ride to our hotel, but dinner at a delicious Turkish restaurant revived me. We agreed that we could have filled up on just the appetizers, including hummus and spanikopita.
On Saturday morning we had an orientation session with a British professor who teaches at USC. We talked about our reasons for coming to the UK, our goals, and any fears or concerns we had. This was helpful for me because I hadn't really gotten the chance to reflect on all of those things since I got here. We also talked about British stereotypes and a little bit of history (there are over 300 languages spoken in London - it's the most linguistically diverse city in the world!). After the orientation another ACCENT staff member took us to lunch at a gaudy Indian restaurant and told us about some other optional (but free!) events that they have planned for the rest of the semester. For example, next weekend we're going to a football (soccer) match. If I take advantage of all of the trips offered through ACCENT and the International Office at Sussex, I could potentially be going on at least a day trip almost every weekend when school is in session (and more, obviously, since I'll be traveling during Easter break). Wow.
We had the afternoon free, so we went to the British Museum, aka one of the most impressive museums I've ever been in. It seemed every corner I turned revealed something bigger and more ancient: the Rosetta Stone, a statue from Easter Island, sculptures of mythical creatures that guarded Assyrian rulers, remains from the Parthenon... amazing. Even the main entryway was impressive - you felt like you were entering some ancient Roman city. We spent three hours there and still only saw a fraction of the museum's offerings. I suspect you could live there and still not see everything.
That night was a performance of Wicked, made even better with British accents ("dahncing through life"). Two major differences between British and American theatre: 1) no free playbills (this was slightly disappointing). 2) you can eat in the theatre. As in, they sell ice cream during intermission (of course I bought some). I was much further from the stage than I was when I saw the production in St. Louis, but it gave me the same rush. Ahhh musicals.
On Sunday we awoke to rain, but that didn't stop our plans for a walking tour of central London. We met our feisty and hilarious tour guide, Angie, at the ACCENT office and continued to... everywhere. Seriously. We walked, took the Tube, and took buses to Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Chinatown (decorated for Chinese New Year), Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, the River Thames, the London Eye, and Kensington Gardens. Main things I remember:
1) If you see something that looks like gold at Buckingham Palace, then it's gold.
2) We happened to arrive at Buckingham Palace in time to see a reenactment of the execution of King Charles I (well, minus the actual execution part), who was executed for shutting down Parliament for awhile and acting without them.
3) There is a fountain in front of Buckingham Palace with a statue of Queen Victoria on one side. Except Victoria's nose is a different color because some moron guard shot it off by accident. Way to go, sir.
4) It's dangerous to be dazzled by the uniforms (furry hats) of the guards at Buckingham because, as Angie kept insisting, "They are trained killers." Thanks Angie.
5) I don't think any place has taken my breath away more than Westminster Abbey. Seriously, just go there someday. We also happened to pass the choir room at a time when the boys' and men's choirs were rehearsing. You couldn't go in, but we stood by the door and listened. I could have stood there for hours. It was a truly magical moment.
6) I have to double-check names, but there was a king who had killed another king and built an addition to Westminster Abbey in hopes that if he had monks pray there everyday, he would be forgiven. Then his son came into power and changed the national religion. Take that, Pops.
7) There is an apartment being built near Hyde Park and the most expensive shopping district in London, and it's already been bought for 110 million pounds. A studio flat. No, I don't understand either.
8) You have not truly lived until you have had cream tea at Kensington Gardens. Cream tea refers not just to the tea but to the whole process of "having tea," aka leisurely stuffing yourself with tea (cinnamon, in my case), cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and cake (orange and chocolate fudge - two different kinds). I'm salivating right now just thinking about it. I could have died happy after that scone. Food bliss at its best.
Despite the rain, mostly gray sky, and a delayed train back to Brighton, I could not have been more satisfied with the weekend. And now back to classes... *sigh*
Scone+clotted cream+jam = happiness. It's mathematical fact.
ReplyDelete4) As long as you don't actually touch them you can talk to (at) them and take photos next to them and generally be obnoxious and they won't move an inch. I was a witness to this during the Interdisc trip.
ReplyDelete5) EEEEEEEE!!! :D Boys' choirs are amazing. Did you ever see Les Choristes, btw? It's happiness.
6) In order of succession: Richard III, Henry VII, and Henry VIII.
In other news: I want awesome Indian food. I'm going to try a Thai restaurant in the area tonight; did Chinese last night. During the week it's straight-up Italian (except for some odd hamburgers on Thursday), and it is tasty but completely revolves around light starches. Pasta, white rice, more pasta, white crusty bread, more pasta, more crusty white bread. Breading on zucchini, chicken, and fish. Cakes and crusty pies for dessert. Lots and lots of starch. It is all delicious.
When I come visit you (it is a guarantee... I'm not leaving Europe without seeing you IN the UK), we can eat lots of delicious not-Italian food. If you come to Rome, we can eat lots of gelato (though I still haven't had any). Or otherwise. I'll try to come up with recommendations.
5) I did! I watched it when I came home from France in high school, and then did a report on it for a French class sophomore year.
ReplyDelete6) Thanks. You should be my tour guide... or take notes for me during tours.
When you come we can go out for Indian food. and WHEN I visit you :o) (the feeling is mutual... get ready) we are eating lots of gelato and pasta and finding a restaurant that the author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about where she had a transcendental experience via a slice of pizza.