tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11573432022941511312024-02-19T02:01:19.790-08:00Stuck in CustomsA Daily Life AdventureKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-61031898663015360272012-08-04T13:57:00.002-07:002012-08-04T13:57:28.087-07:00Come to find out, Cardiff is in Wales, y'all: Olympics 2012 Post from the good ole US of A! I'm not entirely sure what my emotions are right now. I'm so happy to be back and give you a list of things that I'm excited about having or doing. BUT I really didn't want to leave Oxford. Anywho, once I process my emotions I can write more about it. For now, I'll fill y'all in on our Olympic experience! <div>
The title of this post comes from the fact that we were in Cardiff for <i>over an hour</i> before Kasey figured out that Cardiff was in Wales. Amanda and I were in shock that we made a journey to another country and Kasey wasn't aware. I mean, they speak another language. There are signs all over the place. It was a priceless moment, needless to say.</div>
We got tickets for the Women's Soccer Quarterfinals in Cardiff that took place yesterday. It seems like weeks ago now! The match was Japan vs Brazil and the tickets were only<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="line-height: 23px;">£20! </span></span>We caught the 12:30 train to Cardiff after practically running to the train station. Our ducks were barely in a row that morning! We arrived in Cardiff around 2:30 and the game didn't start until 5. All three of us were pretty hungry, so we grabbed some food at the Prince of Wales, where Emma and I watched the Opening Ceremony. Millennium Stadium is almost literally across the street, and we weren't in a huge rush. After eating, we started to walk around to locate will call to pick up our tickets. Of course, we ended up on the wrong end of the stadium on the first attempt.<br />
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Once we got to the other side, we stopped at the Olympic store set up outside of the stadium. I'm really glad we stopped when we did, because they were already running low or out of some sizes and shirts. One thing that I had to get was an Olympic pin. This came from our family visit to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. I've never had a collection of anything, except for Olympic pins. I had an official hat and would put all of the pins that I collected throughout the time that I was there. I also loved to trade my pins with other Olympic fans. The memories from that are some of the most vivid I have from that experience. My hat is full, heavy and unwearable, but I love all the memories it holds! SO I got my official pin for Olympics 2012, and it will promptly go on my hat when I get home! I also got Dad and I a t-shirt. Everything was SO expensive, I gained a new appreciation for how much my parents spent to make Atlanta 1996 so special for me!</div>
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After stocking up on pins and t-shirts, we found will call and got our tickets! By that time, it was time to go through security and get to our seats! Security for the Olympics has been pretty tight and this match was no exception. Kasey and Amanda had to have their bags searched and double bagged, and we all had to be patted down. Once inside, we found out that the game was no where sold out. That meant that all of the upper level, cheap seats were bumped down a tier! This meant that we had GREAT seats! We were on the second tier, almost dead center! I think we were all expecting to be at the very top of the nosebleed section. We could even hear the players talking to their teammates!</div>
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The excitement for the game was unreal. The atmosphere was great and enthusiastic. There were lots of people from both Japan and Brazil as well Britain. Tickets are super cheap for British people, and that's how we got such a good deal! We were able to use our address at Worcester. Anyway, it was really fun to see everyone wearing team colors and excited on a national level. I really loved it! </div>
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The game was so much fun, even without knowing much about soccer! I understood what was going on for the most part. By the end, I was even able to spot bad plays worthy of a penalty! The elation when someone made a goal was awesome! The game lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. We left when regulation time was completed and additional time started because we were really worried about catching a train back. Japan won 2-0! A couple nights before, two guys from our group went to Cardiff for a men's match and were unable to catch a train back that night because there were so many people! They spent the night in a 24-hour casino and caught the first train out the next morning at 5:00am. They made it back to Oxford just as breakfast was being served. Luckily, women's soccer is not as popular so we didn't have to fight as big of a crowd. We were at the front of the line, but I'm sure if we had left much later we wouldn't have made the first few trains out! We were also worried because our bus left Oxford at 5:00am and we couldn't afford to miss that!</div>
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We made it back to Oxford around 9:30 and I had to get to packing. It was definitely depressing but I was still on an Olympic high! I am so grateful for the opportunity to get to go. It was so much fun and was a great way to cap off the trip. Talk about ending on a high note! I really loved it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Millennium Stadium!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ticket!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presentation of the teams and their flags</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were so close!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stolen from Amanda: All three of us inside the stadium!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stolen from Amanda:The field!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stolen from Amanda: All three of us outside of Millennium Stadium</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-2337414251869754772012-08-03T04:55:00.001-07:002012-08-03T04:55:56.271-07:00Back to Cardiff, we go!I'm giving a quick update from Didcot Parkway train platform. Amanda, Kasey and I are on our way to Cardiff for an Olympic Soccer match! It's a Quarterfinal round in women's. Brazil v Japan! It's our last day and last great adventure! I'll post a full run down when we return!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-84457518361616912522012-08-02T10:30:00.001-07:002012-08-02T10:30:50.099-07:00Full Circle It is with great sadness that I announce that the time has come for me to start packing to return home to Alabama. It seems like yesterday that I was freaking out about making sure I get everything in. Now I'm worried about what I can take out to fit all of my new goodies in. I am excited to come home, go to the beach, be in my own bed, see my dad, see Nader, and eat greasy food. What I will miss about Oxford and England cannot be summed up into words. It is the life lessons, train rides, long walks, and over all experiences. I can truly say that I have had the time of my life. That is why I am so sad to write this post. Sure, there will be more on my final thoughts, the Olympic match, and what I've learned. I just want to capture this moment of dread at packing but happiness at the memories I have made for myself.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-40727754366911237532012-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:002012-07-30T14:12:00.403-07:00Caernarfon, Wales: Saturday and Sunday Saturday morning we hopped on the train to Caernarfon (pronounced Car-Nar-Fon) which took about 4 1/2 hours. Cardiff is on the southern tip of Wales, while Caernarfon is on the northern tip. Not only are they in different parts of Wales, they are different types of cities! We had to leave Cardiff early Saturday morning because we wanted to be able to see lots of things in Caernarfon. We arrived in Bangor around 2:00, and we had to take a bus to Caernarfon. 2 minutes into the bus ride, the bus broke down! It only had one gear. We had to wait for a new bus, then it was off to Caernarfon!<br />
We checked into our hostel and left for Caernarfon Castle. The castle is pretty much the main attraction of the village, and it is so special! Construction on it started in the 13th century. The first Prince of Wales born there was Edward IV, the Black Prince. I got super excited that our tours have taken us full circle because we got to see Edward IV, the Black Prince's, tomb while we were in Canterbury! I felt like I was getting all of my history in! The castle was completed at the very beginning of the 14th century. Once again, I'm going to harp on the <i>age</i> of everything here. It is truly mind-blowing. The castle and the walls surround the city are still in great shape. It is so funny because you can see how the city was literally built into and around the walls! I loved it! We spent quite a bit of time at the castle, going through all of the towers and halls. It was a beautiful afternoon and perfect weather! Another special thing about Caernarfon Castle is that it was the location of Prince Charles' investiture, or when he was crowned the Prince of Wales! It was so neat to look at pictures and know that we were looking at recent history! Another thing that I forgot to mention was that Wales has two official languages: English and Welsh. It was very disorienting to have everything written in two languages-all of the signs, menus, everything. And English was not the first one listed! It was definitely a lesson learned! <br />
As I mentioned earlier, the castle is the main thing in the village so once it closes for the day, it doesn't take long for everything else to close too! We were trying to get food from some of the place listed on the map but they were all closed. I really think that we ate in one of the only places that stays open after 6 in that town. I also think that everyone who lives in the town was there! One of the famous hotels and pubs in Caernarfon is the Black Boy Inn. Yes, you read that correctly. And if you thought you were mistaken, you only had to look at one of many signs outside to see that you weren't. They were complete with awkward paintings. Apparently, there are conflicting reports about how the inn got its name. One story says that it is from the Black Prince. Another claims that the inn was once in the red light district and that a little black boy hung around the building? Either way, it was very bizarre to come across. Especially being from the south, where that is a very taboo image. Very bizarre, indeed. We watched some more of the Olympics then headed back to the hostel. Once there, I watched some more of the games and read. One thing that has been fun is seeing the games live and at the times that they occur. I am not excited to go back to the states and always be in "catch-up" mode. We even got to see Lochte v Phelps live on TV!<br />
The next morning we got up and walked around the perimeter of the city. We were looking for Roman ruins but couldn't see any. We walked back to the hostel along the bay and got our stuff. The buses back to Bangor are more sporadic on Sundays so we had to find one that would get us to the train station in time. We walked up as the bus was pulling up! How lucky! The train back took about 5 1/2 hours because our first train was late, causing us to miss our first connecting train. Ya know, the domino affect. We made it back to Oxford around 4:30 which was nice. I like getting back during the day so that I can unpack and unwind. This time it was a bit bittersweet because it was my last time.<br />
Overall, I really loved Wales. If I was ever to come back, I would want to travel to lots of small towns and villages and only spend a night or so in each place. Everything there is smaller and moves so much slower. I really loved and needed the change of pace, even from Oxford! However, I think that too much time in one of these places would be a bit boring. Really though, Wales was a great place and probably the most beautiful. It is uninterrupted and uncorrupted. I loved it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black circle in the center is the spot where Charles was named Prince of Wales!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know my face is dark, but the castle is so pretty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the hillside from the highest tower!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAqHb2R535C5eAiRKHQXbEN6szwSMIGDIoGjZPGRdAcHLmgBbjJIbCejSx4Qt1v-iTrvlDCTZimg5mnsi-CjOF2oxvKFIWXb8zr5Cf9FSq2UKnGZiXfJ896rqm7Ivh49Lt6ngK7j0w5ck/s1600/IMG_0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAqHb2R535C5eAiRKHQXbEN6szwSMIGDIoGjZPGRdAcHLmgBbjJIbCejSx4Qt1v-iTrvlDCTZimg5mnsi-CjOF2oxvKFIWXb8zr5Cf9FSq2UKnGZiXfJ896rqm7Ivh49Lt6ngK7j0w5ck/s320/IMG_0630.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caernarfon Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Black Boy Inn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5zVHI7RmtQqD8vIA8wp6LxdSn8Y-d9Tbp_TBjW39r1hsOgMmxdRnoYv0f9m8_7U0l8KsV9ZFWYqdOmtGPMyuPHB_vFr6O_S_-iqxmKaxi7W_mf02NlBLnq94TIgyE3P1tHx-ol1XhDyx/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5zVHI7RmtQqD8vIA8wp6LxdSn8Y-d9Tbp_TBjW39r1hsOgMmxdRnoYv0f9m8_7U0l8KsV9ZFWYqdOmtGPMyuPHB_vFr6O_S_-iqxmKaxi7W_mf02NlBLnq94TIgyE3P1tHx-ol1XhDyx/s320/IMG_0646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the castle from the bay!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-42833034089806079462012-07-30T12:33:00.003-07:002012-07-30T12:33:43.884-07:00Cardiff, Wales We didn't have class Friday, July 27, so everyone pretty much cleared out for the weekend on Thursday. Upper respiratory infection, or not, Emma and I cleared out as well. I got sick earlier in the week, but Wednesday morning was the worst. I was coughing, feverish, and achy so one of the professors took me to the nearby private doctor. They didn't have any immediate openings, so we made an appointment and I slept most of the day! After an antibiotic prescription and lots of sleep, my fever broke and I was ready to travel!<br />
Our first destination was Cardiff, the capitol of Wales. Wales is in the western part of the UK, and Cardiff is less than a 2 hour train ride away! We got to Cardiff a little before 5:00 in the afternoon. Along the train ride, we picked up people clearly on their way to a soccer game. I figured it was an exhibition match for the Olympics. When we arrived in Cardiff, we quickly realized a that the game was in Cardiff and that it was an official Olympic match! The game was Brazil v. Egypt. The level of excitement on the street was intoxicating. Everyone was cheering or using noisemakers, it was so much fun! However, when the game started, Cardiff was empty! Everyone was in Millennium Stadium!<br />
We stayed in a flatmate where we rented one room and shared a kitchen and bathroom with another couple. It was really nice to have more privacy while traveling compared to the hostel in Edinburgh. After we picked up the key to the flat from the hostel owners, we walked around Cardiff for a while. The city is not very big so it didn't take us long to orient ourselves and find somewhere to grab food! After eating, we walked to Cardiff Castle. We knew we were already going to see a castle later in the weekend, so we opted not to pay to go into Cardiff Castle. However, there are massive gardens behind it so we walked the perimeter of the castle inside the gardens. They were just beautiful. I'm really jealous of locals who get to go hang out there (Imagine a HUGE, sunny Quad)! The front side of the castle had a soccer goal set up in outside. It was really fun to see how their city is excited about the games!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back entrance of Cardiff Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me "defending" the goal outside of Cardiff Castle</td></tr>
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We called it an early night and hit the sack! When we woke up, we ate some breakfast then headed out to see Cardiff! The first thing on the agenda was the National Museum of Cardiff. They have several Impressionist paintings, including some by Van Gogh and Monet. They were really beautiful, and it was interesting to see them in Cardiff, of all places! Outside of the museum, they had Olympic rings! It only added to my Olympic fever!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff's Olympic Rings!</td></tr>
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Next, we caught a bus to Cardiff Bay so that I could go to the Dr. Who Experience (more on that in a different post)! We met back up around 3:00 to scout out somewhere to watch the Opening Ceremony later that night. After walking around Cardiff a little more, we went back to our flat to rest until it was time to get dinner and watch the Olympic festivities! We grabbed dinner at a place in a quieter part of the city and people watched. We had already picked out a different place to watch the ceremony that seemed a bit livelier! I loved the food and was so happy with our choice! <div>
We watched the Opening Ceremony at a place called the Prince of Wales. It was a fun place that was full of people! It was so fun to watch the ceremony with British people. I absolutely loved it! I felt like we were a part of it all! There was something so magical about it. The Opening Ceremony itself was wonderful. I've talked to several people from the states that didn't love it quite as much as we did. I think that is because of the time that we've been here. My history class was extremely helpful in understanding the modern history elements as well as the musical influence within it. I think we had a deeper appreciation for how the British people are feeling and how they perceiving their history and their place in world history. It was stunning. I really don't think I could have been more impressed. It was so over the top and wonderful. My history professor, Dr. Beeler, and I had a great conversation and about it this morning. You gotta love the "A Ha!" moment of education! We stayed at the Prince of Wales until about halfway through the country procession and watched the rest from the flat!</div>
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The next morning we returned the key to the hostel and hopped on the train to Caernarfon! I loved Cardiff. It was a "small" big city but really quaint. We did all of the sightseeing, but it would be a great place to hang out as a change of pace. I loved it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The screen they had set up in the city center of Cardiff for the games!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-37705873140028921842012-07-26T07:08:00.000-07:002012-07-26T07:08:17.151-07:00It's my LAST weekend I just needed to let everyone in on my sadness that it is my very LAST weekend to be here in the UK. Emma and I are headed to Wales in the next few minutes! I have been sick the past couple of days. I'm super excited that I'm feeling up to traveling. I'm still pretty tired, but nothing is going to stop me from enjoying my last weekend! We will be in Cardiff tonight and tomorrow night. Saturday we will head to Caernarfon. There will be a few other people from our group going that we might run into! <div>
This weekend will be bittersweet, but I am so happy that I can look back and see that I truly did EVERYTHING while I was here!</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-24613629374304261192012-07-26T02:19:00.001-07:002012-07-26T02:19:39.099-07:00Graveley: Going Back to My Roots Last Tuesday I went the small town of Graveley because it is the <strike>town</strike> village where my ancestors are from. From what I understand, they are on my mom's side of the family in Berry, the Gravley's. Get it, Graveley.....Gravley? It was quite the adventure. I had to catch a train to London at Paddington Station, use the Underground to go to King's Cross Station, then catch another train to Stevenage, the closet town to Graveley. This was quite the adventure. Along the way in the Underground, a Welsh girl around my age asked me for help. I was so proud that I, the American, was able to navigate the Underground well enough to get a British citizen through! <div>
I had to take a taxi from Stevenage to Graveley, because there is no train station in Graveley. Luckily, it is only 3 miles away! My taxi driver was super nice and took me through the entire town. Ironically, this was a lot like Berry in that it doesn't take long to see the whole town. My Uncle Macon was the one who informed me of this town, and he also told me to go to the church. Apparently, the old family homestead and barn were once located there. There was a very old homestead and barn there but I don't want to jump to conclusions about whether it is ours or not. </div>
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There was something very powerful about visiting the place that I knew my family was from. I couldn't help but imagine what it was like for them to live there. The whole experience was overwhelming and amazing. I'm so glad that I got to the opportunity to visit. It is definitely a highlight of my trip!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign welcoming you to Graveley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two pubs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second pub</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old stables and barn next to St. Mary's Church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the old homesteads</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A home, I'm assuming the parsonage and the church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full view of St. Mary's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mary's and the graveyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another old homestead nearby. The cornerstone date was in the 18th century</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town Hall</td></tr>
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On my way back home, I had to go back through London so I contacted Toby and Aamayna to get dinner since I would already be there. Aamayna met me at the train station, and we walked along the river to meet Toby. It was such a pleasant evening!<br /><br />
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<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-13641073085548932882012-07-24T14:20:00.000-07:002012-07-24T14:20:31.849-07:00I promise I do study...A LOT I know what you've been thinking...how can she possibly be doing all of these fun things and still be on a school trip? Our classes are everyday and bright and early in the morning. I get out of class everyday at 11:05 so I have the rest of the day to walk around Oxford, go to London, and most importantly-study. The classes that are offered for this trip are really fun, dynamic, and interesting. My classes are the History of Pop Music from the Beatles to Punk Rock and Detective Fiction. Super interesting! Other classes include Shakespeare, British Intelligence, Arts of Oxford, and British Literature. I think mine are the best....but opinions, opinions.<br />
My history class is lecture style intermixed with lots of music! My professor loves to play examples of the music he is talking about, and it makes the class engaging. We had our midterm yesterday, and it went quite well! My english class is a lot of reading and discussion. we've been averaging a book every day or or so. Yes-that's right-a book a day. Luckily, the books are really interesting and enjoyable. You could almost call them "beach reads" because they are so engaging. I have really enjoyed going deeper than the cursory read I would have given them outside of class.<br />
I thought I would share some of my favorite books that we've read so far. Just so you can get an idea of what I've been doing, and maybe find a book that seems interesting to you! This also helps me review what I've read so far!<br />
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We had to have "The Moonstone" read before the first day of class because it was the biggest book assigned. I read most of it before I left, but I had to finish it on the airplane. I got lost in the story! The moonstone is a valuable stone from India that is brought over to England. The novel is compiled of 5 different accounts of the events leading up to the theft of the moonstone and the events leading up to the solving of the crime. It definitely has some twists and turns that I didn't see coming. One of the special things about this novel is that it is seen as the first detective fiction novel!</div>
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Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story that chronicles the investigation of the murder of two women, a mother and daughter, inside a locked house. There is a detective similar to Holmes in there that is able to think tangentially to figure out who, or what, killed the women. It's a quick read with a very surprising ending!</div>
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"A Study in Scarlet" is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel. It not only deals with the murder of two Americans, but introduces Holmes and Watson to each other and to us. The first part of the story deals with the murders and the second part tells a back story that explains the motivation of the killer! Hint-Mormons are involved. I really loved this story.</div>
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I never thought that I would be an Agatha Christie fan, but I loved "The ABC Murders!" It follows Hercule Poirot as he hunts down what seems to be a serial killer. The killer seems to be fascinated with following the alphabet to commit crimes. The first murder is of a woman whose first and last name start with "A" in a town that starts with "A" and so on. The murders continue in this fashion down the alphabet until the final revelations. Things are not always as they seem! This turned into a really interesting discussion of the development of the idea of a serial killer as a recent thing. I think that might have been my favorite few days of discussion.</div>
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"The Innocence of Father Brown" is a collection of short stories that focuses on Father Brown as the witty priest who solves crimes. We read 4 of the short stories, and each of them were very different! Now that I have the whole collection, I will be going back and reading the rest of them. I really loved them because they feature the crime solver as someone very different from the typical detective!</div>
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"The Moving Toyshop" was really interesting for several reasons. The first is because it is set in Oxford, so it was fun to read about places that I am familiar with now. The second reason is because of the set-up of the crime. The main character, Cadogan, stumbles across a dead body while in a closed toyshop. When he takes the police to the location of the toyshop the next morning, the shop is now a grocery and there is no dead body. It was really fun and light-hearted while still dealing with murder. I loved the galavanting about Oxford.</div>
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James Cain's "Double Indemnity" might be my favorite book that I've read so far. It is the first "hard-boiled" detective book that we've read so far. The story is about an insurance agent, Huff, that gets caught up with a woman and helps her murder her husband for the insurance money. It was different from the rest of the books because the protagonist was the killer. I read this one in a few hours because I really couldn't put it down! </div>
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We still have a few books left to read so I will update y'all on how I like them! I hope that at least one of these is interesting to someone!</div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-72775582123247009072012-07-23T10:25:00.001-07:002012-07-23T10:25:53.745-07:00Dover Castle On Saturday afternoon, we left Canterbury and headed straight for Dover Castle. Dover is on the coast on England, on the English Channel. I had always heard/read that on a clear day you can see France from Dover. Dover is also famous for their white cliffs. Well, it was GORGEOUS day in Dover, probably one of the best days we've seen since being in the country! I don't exactly know what I was expecting when I heard you could see France, but I wasn't expecting to be able to so clearly see it! It was incredible! I kept asking everyone, "are you sure THAT is France?" I just couldn't believe how close it was. I always assumed it was a tiny speck that you could see when it was <i>really</i> pretty outside. But no, it's right there! We spent a good amount of time at the Admiralty Look-out, looking at the white cliffs and France.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kasey and me with Dover in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary, Kasey, Brantley, Natalie and me at Dover Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe that I was saying "Take a picture of me with my future home!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white cliffs of Dover</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6Xc_VKXQakfura4QSnhinZvUzfeDDVoGug17VYM8z0o1CWK8-WIfLRlvNgSxLyE-C1vQWrVLo41A7pUtWZ8s9xwzT2DBoboTqBCtMTIHY6j34ZCcQw5s33yICe4gWXcsZAm1h0GL3VDv/s1600/IMG_0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6Xc_VKXQakfura4QSnhinZvUzfeDDVoGug17VYM8z0o1CWK8-WIfLRlvNgSxLyE-C1vQWrVLo41A7pUtWZ8s9xwzT2DBoboTqBCtMTIHY6j34ZCcQw5s33yICe4gWXcsZAm1h0GL3VDv/s320/IMG_0530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see France if you look closely!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">France is at my ear level!</td></tr>
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Our professors recommended that everyone check out the Secret Wartime Tunnels that were used during World War II. There is a guided tour through them, so after we left the look-out, we got in line for the tour. As I mentioned earlier, the tunnels we went through were used in WWII because of Dover's proximity to France. This was literally the first line of defense from the Nazi invasion of France and potential invasion of the UK. The tunnels were really interesting to see, but I did not particularly enjoy the tour. The whole thing was a bit hokey. They had a voice that came over a loud speaker that treated you as though you were military personnel, giving you "green lights" to enter various parts of the tunnels. This was, in part, to make it interesting for kids. Perhaps even to make it interesting for adults who don't find the tunnels themselves interesting on their own. I don't know. Either way, the whole tour was a bit cheesy and silly. One thing that I did really love was the day-by-day run-down of getting Allied troops out of France and back to Dover. It helped me see Dover and the tunnels as the command center it was during WWII. Don't get me wrong for all my complaining of cheesiness-these tunnels were VERY fascinating. I love WWII history, and it was very powerful to be in the small space where part of the war was fought and strategized.<br />
After the tunnel tour was over, we walked up to Henry II's Great Tower. It has been meticulously recreated to appear as what it might have looked like when Henry II was there. Some of the exhibitions were a bit cheesy but the historical power behind it made that irrelevant. We climbed to the top, to look out beyond the roof, at the English Channel and Dover. It was breathtaking. I really thing that Dover Castle has <u>the best</u> view of all of England. I loved it. By the time we climbed back down, it was time to get back on the bus and head back to Oxford. As short as the trip was, I was ready to be back in my own room and my own bed!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the Great Tower of Dover Castle</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-73251364321652465192012-07-22T07:20:00.000-07:002012-07-22T07:20:25.732-07:00Canterbury Revisited When Stella, Anna, and I visited Houston in England three years ago, we spent a few nights in Canterbury. It was so nice because this town is a great change of pace from London. Houston was studying at Kent University, a college in town. We got to do Thanksgiving while we were there. We were so proud because we cooked Thanksgiving meal ourselves! I have some great memories from that part of our trip. This is why I was so excited when I found out we would be taking a group trip to Canterbury!<br />
We arrived Friday afternoon (after Penshurst Place) and had the rest of the evening to walk around and see Canterbury. I texted Houston and she gave me a very complete list of good places to go that night. We had about 2 hours from the time we checked into our very nice hotel until we had to be back for dinner at the hotel. A group of us decided to walk around, orient ourselves with the town and find all the places that Houston suggested. It took some exploring, but we finally found the places we were looking for! Also, we saw the bed and breakfast where Anna, Stella and I stayed! I just had the greatest time remembering that trip!<br />
We stayed in the Falstaff Hotel, and it was absolutely lovely. Emma and I shared a room. This may sound so silly, but I was so excited about the bathroom. I say this because in Oxford, our showers are one with our bathroom. No separation, just a curtain. This bathroom had a bathtub! We actually got to stand in a specified area for showering. What can I say? It's the little things that make me happy. All of that aside, I was super happy to be back in my bed (and my shower!) last night! Back to Canterbury. We had a wonderful meal at the hotel. A week or so ago, everyone was given a 2 options for each course to choose from. It was all very fancy. I chose the breaded mushrooms for an appetizer, baked chicken with herbs and potatoes and peas for dinner, and rice pudding for dessert. I was a big fan of everything...but the rice pudding. There was something about that textures and consistency that threw me off. But alas, all is well, I still thoroughly enjoy that meal!<br />
After dinner, a group of us headed to the pubs that Houston suggested. A lot of people from our group came along, but we eventually had to split up because the pubs just aren't big enough to fit everyone. We went to several places, 2 of which I remember from my first visit to town. I really enjoy spending time with this group of girls, and we had such a fun night out together!<br />
The next morning we woke up and had a great English breakfast in the hotel. For those of you who know me, you know that (when I wake up) breakfast is my favorite meal. No, we are not served my all-time favorite meal of chocolate chip pancakes-but we are served a lot of wonderful things that start the day off right. We also get an English breakfast every morning in Oxford which is spectacular as well, but every version is different. The English breakfast includes bacon, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, eggs, hash browns, tomatoes, and baked beans. Simply delicious. Like I said, it got my day started off right.<br />
After breakfast, we had a group tour of Canterbury Cathedral, one of the central things in Canterbury. It is a site of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett's, murder in 1170. Since then, it has become a pilgrimage site for Christians all over the world. It has been associated as a place of healing, part of the reason for its draw of pilgrims. I went on a tour of the cathedral when I was last in Canterbury, but I loved getting to see it again. You always learn something new when you revisit a place like that. The cathedral was built (for the first time) in <b>597AD</b>. I know that I have harped on the age of things in England, but this really blew my mind. It is almost incomprehensible that something could have roots that are almost 1500 years old. I say that it was built for the first time then because it was burned down and destroyed several times between then and now. Even though the building we saw yesterday may be quite new.....built in the 12th century.....it doesn't take away the holiness and history from the roots of the original church of 597AD. There were several times when I was quite overwhelmed by the sheer powerfulness of that lasting faith. We were in the cathedral touring during the 11:00am prayer for all British soldiers, past and present, and it was so sacred. There was something very powerful about that place. I am so glad that I got to go back and experience the Canterbury Cathedral once again!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zYmNutPfyufIJJ7FvuIQifMZxy0G7DK46vuV4u5D2WyIN_4jkXAhGCoi8m2EA9y9RsyG2JUoHIsMXHN3qv3Sp7raKO4xHrQHQJF1Q8FY7k9C_MM7owBOLwJFC3CjakeX2HZPPhi2T72k/s1600/IMG_0516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zYmNutPfyufIJJ7FvuIQifMZxy0G7DK46vuV4u5D2WyIN_4jkXAhGCoi8m2EA9y9RsyG2JUoHIsMXHN3qv3Sp7raKO4xHrQHQJF1Q8FY7k9C_MM7owBOLwJFC3CjakeX2HZPPhi2T72k/s320/IMG_0516.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brantley, Amanda, and me in front of the Old Buttermarket, one of Houston's suggestions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEexHJlEdaT5Ew1yqtdMGHgyn_dQizNnEZxTasTlREkge2FAyscs-6hfxy7UILjIzp-TMiPcPYi4lX8Nl7pBXVMcZhBBUloA089vL7NPiMwlmR1o_zN_gNEVqJot-IHJJ47C5beqUycXf/s1600/IMG_0517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEexHJlEdaT5Ew1yqtdMGHgyn_dQizNnEZxTasTlREkge2FAyscs-6hfxy7UILjIzp-TMiPcPYi4lX8Nl7pBXVMcZhBBUloA089vL7NPiMwlmR1o_zN_gNEVqJot-IHJJ47C5beqUycXf/s320/IMG_0517.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Quire of Canterbury Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5tG_Gc4T7pbAKQT4Ssb7oduavOsal_HRGEcpV0uJogB6rmXLkcFVFvQboMwpAykESvYWaVgoNeEHutsovxnRDRYf5ZxiCznSG-GrO7IdE2DDonbmdpbznQKTWOtPc0uoiYpSqW-aLK2h/s1600/IMG_0519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5tG_Gc4T7pbAKQT4Ssb7oduavOsal_HRGEcpV0uJogB6rmXLkcFVFvQboMwpAykESvYWaVgoNeEHutsovxnRDRYf5ZxiCznSG-GrO7IdE2DDonbmdpbznQKTWOtPc0uoiYpSqW-aLK2h/s320/IMG_0519.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tomb of King Henry IV. He wanted to be buried near Thomas Beckett,<br />whose body has since been removed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kasey, Amanda, Brantley, Natalie and me outside of Canterbury Cathedral</td></tr>
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Once the tour ended, we had about an hour to eat then get back on the bus to head to Dover Castle. A few of us ended up eating at a restaurant Orlando Bloom owns! Did I mention that he is from Canterbury??? It was delicious and put us in a great mood for the next let of our trip. Altogether, though the visit was short, I LOVED getting to see Canterbury again. It is a quaint little town! So glad I got to go again.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-36814022354911107542012-07-22T05:17:00.000-07:002012-07-22T05:17:02.866-07:00Penshurst Place We left Oxford bright and early at 8:00am for Canterbury. However, before going to Canterbury, we stopped at Penshurt Place and Gardens. It is a lovely house that was once owned by Henry VIII. Some parts of it were built in 1341! We arrived there before the house opened to the public so we were given a tour without anyone else there. They don't do restoration there so all of the furniture that we saw was original and how it was when in was used centuries ago. I know that I have mentioned my amazement at the history and age of things in the UK. This was truly incredible and so hard to wrap my brain around. My idea of "old" is expanding daily while over here. <div>
The house is owned and lived in by the same family that inherited it from Henry VIII. They allow tours (and weddings!) through the oldest parts of the house and live in the newer parts. Our tour guide was telling us that this house receives no government funding, so this is solely operated by the family because they want people to see this magnificent house and gardens. Also, it is a VERY big house so having the extra income from paid tours probably helps pay the power bill. Whatever the motive, the UK is very lucky to have such a wonderful piece of history so well cared for! </div>
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After the tour completed, we had a couple of hours to walk through the gardens, get food, and be back at the bus. I, of course, spent most of my time in the gardens. The gardens had over 20 "rooms" of various themes and plant types. One was full of roses, one was an apple orchard, one was only white flowers, and so on. Every room was absolutely gorgeous and so well tended to. It is obviously a full time job for several people to tend this garden. I think I walked through the whole garden 2 or 3 times! I just loved it! Penshurst was a wonderful house to tour and a great way to spent the morning!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backside of Penshurst Place</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking part of the gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This garden is in the shape of the Union Jack, Britain's flag!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie. Her brother, Steve, went to Cuba with me!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-66277466764939271022012-07-18T06:03:00.001-07:002012-07-18T06:03:32.525-07:00Stratford-upon-Avon Part of the reason it has taken me so long to get my Edinburgh post up is because we have been going, going, going recently. Monday we had class as usual then loaded up on a bus for Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon and had until 7:15 to explore the town. While the town is interesting, Shakespeare's birthplace and tomb are pretty much the only things that are there. 5 hours to explore is almost too much. However, there were a lot of little shops and cafes in town so we were able to piddle before the show.<br />
Emma and I walked around for a bit and came upon a VERY old house compared to the buildings of the town. Obviously, this was Shakespeare's birthplace. Sure enough, we saw the museum attached. We decided not to pay to take a tour and just looked from the outside. Next we walked along another street that led us past the school that Shakespeare attended and its chapel. We then decided to go see Holy Trinity, the church that Shakespeare attended and the location of his burial. On the way, we passed Hall's Croft, his daughter, Susannah's, house. You have to pay to see Shakespeare's tomb so we did that and walked to the back part of the church.<br />
After seeing Holy Trinity, we walked through a park, past the theater where we were to see a show, then back up one of the main streets. We stopped in several vintage and thrift shops along the way. One place I got really excited about was a Peter Rabbit shop. Seeing all of the little Peter Rabbit things brought back so many childhood memories. I loved all things Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. Everything in that shop was just so sweet. Anyway...we found a shop to get coffee and tea, and we read for about an hour.<br />
Emma had to eat dinner with her Shakespeare class before the play so I met up with some of the other girls to wonder around before the play. We walked to the theater, admired the swans, and grabbed a drink before the show. The play we saw was "A Comedy of Errors" and it was quite funny. It was set in modern times, with characters wearing more modern clothes. Some of the humor and references were quite dark and violent but it had a powerful affect on the play. Altogether, it was really entertaining. The time we spent in the theater flew by! Before I knew it, we were back on the bus to head back to Oxford!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shakespeare's birthplace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shakespeare's tomb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie, Kasey, Rosemary, Amanda, me and Brantley before the show</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-45072662058756098472012-07-18T05:17:00.001-07:002012-07-18T05:17:47.377-07:00Great Scott! A Weekend Trip to Edinburgh<br />
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Ok, ok. I know what you're thinking. "Seriously, Katie. You use THAT line?" But hey, if not when I go to Scotland, then when? ANYWAY...to state the obvious, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland this weekend and loved it. I traveled with my friend Emma again, and I am throughly convinced I have found a great travel buddy. My mother always said that you have two types of friends: friends that you can travel with and friends that you can't. I'm so happy to report I've found a new friend in the former category. We agree on what is important to see and do and how to spend our time and money. All of these things are essential when traveling. It makes traveling and sightseeing fun and so much less stressful.</div>
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We left Worchester around 2:00 to catch a 2:30 train. Unfortunately, the train was delayed until 3:15, so we had some time to sit down, get water, and get to the platform. Once on the train, my stress level went through the roof. Teenagers should not be allowed to travel cross-country without adult supervision....ANYWHO. The train ride took just over 7 hours, and I'm not sure if that's because it it was a direct route with lots of stops or the many delays we also encountered. One of these delays included a cow stuck on the train tracks! We got into Edinburgh after 10 and arrived at our hostel around 11. This wide gap in time occurred when we got lost on our way to the hostel, not because there was a particularly long way to walk. We stayed in the Castle Rock Hostel, which was a really nice hostel...for a hostel. It was huge and had 60+ rooms! There were industrial kitchens and lots of fridges and preparation areas. It also had a large common area with a massive dining room table, couches, pool table, and other amenities. And keep in mind, these are just the areas that we saw-there was lots more we didn't explore. Emma and I were put in different rooms, which was a bit intimidating at first. However, we spend so little time in our rooms-literally we only slept there-that it didn't end up mattering. </div>
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Both Emma and I received recommendations from people that either live or have lived in Edinburgh on where to go, where to eat, and where to drink. For the most part, these recommendations lined up, so we felt like we were getting pretty sound advice. Since we got in late and knew we were getting up early, we decided to stop in for a pint somewhere then hit the sack. We went to the Bow Bar, one of the recommended bars. It was originally where we were supposed to get a wonderful single malt scotch, but we didn't realize that until after. </div>
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We woke up the next morning bright and early to start the day! You don't realize how little time you in a weekend until you start planning what all you want to see and do. Suddenly, a weekend turns into the hours that make up Saturday and Sunday and what you can fit into those precious hours. Luckily, Emma is a great planner so we were able to do all the things we wanted! Houston's friend, Katherine, is living in Edinburgh right now, so Houston was kind enough to put us in contact via email. Although Katherine wasn't in town for the weekend, she sent me a very detailed guide of what to do. One thing that she suggested was a farmers' market Saturday morning. We did a little research and figured out that we would be able to get breakfast there. Three girls from our Oxford group, Natalie, Leela, and Kristen, were staying in our hostel so they came with us to the market. The food was amazing! I decided to get a fresh burger with cheese and onion-quite the breakfast food!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Leela, Natalie, Kristen, and me eating at the Farmers' Market<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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After breakfast, we walked back up the hill to visit Edinburgh Castle. It sits on top of what I now know to be a dead (plugged) volcano! It overlooks the entire city. We got there not long after it opened, and I was really glad for that! By the time we left it was completely packed. The castle was really interesting in that a lot of the buildings that made up the layout of the fortress had been converted into museums. After 2 of these museums, it was clear that Scotland's cultural identification is tied up in their military history. Most of the museums had a military history. Also, all of the military garments, adornments, and other displays were very ornate and beautiful. It was really interesting to see how much pride they have had in their military for so long. The premier attraction of the castle are the crown jewels, and they were beautiful. Once again, the details and ornate design were outstanding. At some point, we lost the other girls but Emma and I stayed at the castle for over 2 and 1/2 hours! I think we saw everything on the map! However, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of the castle if I had read up on Scotland's history, particularly with England, before visiting. Now I know for Wales!</div>
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The very last thing we saw was other main attraction: the one o'clock gun fire. Everyday, except Sunday, they fire one shot into the air. They have been doing it hundreds of years, originally to let people at the shore's edge know the time. After it was over, we turned around to go and were shocked at the crowd that had gathered! There were SO many people. We were really glad we arrived early rather than in time to see the gun fire.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Emma, Leela, Kristen, and me at Edinburgh Castle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">A view of the scaffolding set up for the Tattoo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L2N8XTZU3zf23VpmipLST7ijpwPKxdTfJVHlMpdIh6PRoCz1AWJfN1BxcZM09V5OJ8B7xcyf8yKAKruXE5hT_3XL_ZY3U8tvenvuQpAw4HRM9Mmgn98ofboX-hJflsUjyZOGxbmdoGIa/s1600/IMG_0393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L2N8XTZU3zf23VpmipLST7ijpwPKxdTfJVHlMpdIh6PRoCz1AWJfN1BxcZM09V5OJ8B7xcyf8yKAKruXE5hT_3XL_ZY3U8tvenvuQpAw4HRM9Mmgn98ofboX-hJflsUjyZOGxbmdoGIa/s320/IMG_0393.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Part of the Edinburgh Castle!</td></tr>
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Emma's friend recommended that we go to a place called the Mosque's Kitchen for lunch. That is literally what this place was. The building where we got our food was the kitchen for the mosque next door. Also, it was really just a kitchen. However, the food was amazing. Obviously, it was Indian food, and they gave us <u>a lot</u> of food. We really could have (and should have) split one bowl, but you live and learn. I love Indian food so this was right up my ally, and there was something even more authentic about it being next to a mosque. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_-JmCvSkCZTna-uqOoA7fYejTs79N4kXjBwy9DvIg_S2JwsjGFLGegLoxI5zUm6XoSo3IFIU3hUVPWHMmuQiLS40Ck4P4WtRiQOO9YvLgtxNRoOdGCIUavEitUV6KVsUHADJGdEyxv7Z/s1600/IMG_0400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_-JmCvSkCZTna-uqOoA7fYejTs79N4kXjBwy9DvIg_S2JwsjGFLGegLoxI5zUm6XoSo3IFIU3hUVPWHMmuQiLS40Ck4P4WtRiQOO9YvLgtxNRoOdGCIUavEitUV6KVsUHADJGdEyxv7Z/s320/IMG_0400.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Just HUGE portions</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AX8_v6aAPTZ7V25Qa1-Qi_nLXwlaS1N_OktZTV88BQrYsJ-a45TiMK30kfV4Sj8D30QifF92dUh8ur2lubIfu4E_1XNSPjrpVtnGzUILbk0hKZ4EI7v_BaTHclv_duqnuelN2lk6ZOBK/s1600/IMG_0401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AX8_v6aAPTZ7V25Qa1-Qi_nLXwlaS1N_OktZTV88BQrYsJ-a45TiMK30kfV4Sj8D30QifF92dUh8ur2lubIfu4E_1XNSPjrpVtnGzUILbk0hKZ4EI7v_BaTHclv_duqnuelN2lk6ZOBK/s320/IMG_0401.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">I was super excited about the naan! </td></tr>
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After lunch, we went to the National Museum of Scotland. We saw the highlights that the book recommended and some of the ones that the museum suggests. We were running out of time, so we skipped the rest and went straight up to the terrace on the roof. My book promised an excellent view of the city, and it delivered. The terrace was open on 3 sides so you had almost a 360º view of the city! It was a beautiful day so it was definitely worth skipping a view of the exhibits of the museum.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzK5iEvSV7hxdhxARsc1qnvo13_kNhKF6QVe1cs85X65nesyNRZXE_0nCRiosJpZGAJefeEOFDcjAC7R6RW-3jr3QsMP5M_82cV2eowRxmgC3Z54NleoTdu0nw43ysh-fRxq3n6NTIbNJo/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzK5iEvSV7hxdhxARsc1qnvo13_kNhKF6QVe1cs85X65nesyNRZXE_0nCRiosJpZGAJefeEOFDcjAC7R6RW-3jr3QsMP5M_82cV2eowRxmgC3Z54NleoTdu0nw43ysh-fRxq3n6NTIbNJo/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">A view of the castle from the museum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jcsLxpaTXP9AMdVlgboLoeZHxsiOeB2Y1_JFBpAaIUd-7AjSOcWphcDxizQ9FEdrgARsC0tH-uirILXsQWWFY0BSJsjxHaAEzQte4-1ErJ2lEEpITy49G_dNPbvwyZSmFZZad7CtQlC5/s1600/IMG_0415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jcsLxpaTXP9AMdVlgboLoeZHxsiOeB2Y1_JFBpAaIUd-7AjSOcWphcDxizQ9FEdrgARsC0tH-uirILXsQWWFY0BSJsjxHaAEzQte4-1ErJ2lEEpITy49G_dNPbvwyZSmFZZad7CtQlC5/s320/IMG_0415.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Guthrie Street, just for Anne Guthrie!<br />
I got super excited when I saw it.</td></tr>
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We left the museum because we wanted to have time to see St. Giles Cathedral, a cathedral built in the 12th century. It closed at 5:00 on the weekends, so we didn't have a lot of time to see it. It was a lovely church. Just as we walked up, a wedding party was leaving! We walked around and saw all of the architecture and features of such a historical church. Next, we tried to go to another cathedral down the street, but it was boarded up....After that, we headed back to the hostel to put somethings on our beds, get a cup of tea, and rest for a minute. We then walked to the cemetery where J.K. Rowling drew inspiration for 2 very important characters in the Harry Potter series. The character of Professor McGonagall was inspired by a poet, William McGonagall, that is buried there. To our understanding, he was not a great poet, so we weren't sure where the parallels come from. Also, Tom Riddle is buried in the cemetery. Rowling liked his name so she used it in the stories. </div>
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After visiting the cemetery, we walked around for a bit, getting our bearings. We decided to stop for coffee. We went to a small place called the Elephant Room. At this point, I should say Emma was so sweet to entertain my Harry Potter love, at both the cemetery and the coffee shop. The Elephant Room is famous because it is where J.K. Rowling would sit and write the Harry Potter books. Needless to say, I was absolutely giddy over all of it! I was really impressed with how the Elephant Room has embraced the "tourist" interest in its cafe but has remained a local gem. The prices were not unreasonable and it was not gimmicky. I could still imagine it as a place to sit a write, unbothered. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND9JXS_tur2WbKmCXrdNLuoG9nrV4sC9FFlo3ZuAU_mR_lPwwMoWehINDXtMas2NTcSuYuc-DuRCUWSrfaWhbUVtTxCTxLg89U7GmAElxCEjpjNyJJd-1pRiL8gaiAI7Uxq4zNreZGCbY/s1600/IMG_0417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND9JXS_tur2WbKmCXrdNLuoG9nrV4sC9FFlo3ZuAU_mR_lPwwMoWehINDXtMas2NTcSuYuc-DuRCUWSrfaWhbUVtTxCTxLg89U7GmAElxCEjpjNyJJd-1pRiL8gaiAI7Uxq4zNreZGCbY/s320/IMG_0417.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">The bathroom walls were COVERED with notes of<br />
"thank you" and love to J.K. Rowling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJesBmM2d8jlZtue1VEadmv5hpkk5It6F8-CVxkR5JAwH3UhRL1qxIWxJ9TTn-Tizy5Tr9-tHhxWaRwrCD_IhqkUUZXk09Y6hkgu0MckMoYWvNeth0VvemDb6wfyUV-kX7BkOJW_EOp4DX/s1600/IMG_0418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJesBmM2d8jlZtue1VEadmv5hpkk5It6F8-CVxkR5JAwH3UhRL1qxIWxJ9TTn-Tizy5Tr9-tHhxWaRwrCD_IhqkUUZXk09Y6hkgu0MckMoYWvNeth0VvemDb6wfyUV-kX7BkOJW_EOp4DX/s320/IMG_0418.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">More notes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Me and my Irish coffee at the Elephant Room</td></tr>
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As is always true with traveling, Emma and I found ourselves saying "I wish we had known about this place sooner!" One of the things we said it about was the place where we got dinner. It was a cozy college restaurant and bar that was pretty cheap. We enjoyed a meal and drink before we checked out the pubs that were recommended to us. Our first stop was a place called the Royal Oak. It was a room about 15'x20' and most of that space was taken up by a folk band in one corner of the room. We were there for over an hour and in that time, they played a lot of songs we didn't know and a lot that we did. However, there were always people singing along. It was one of the most fun experiences. We also tried scotch. It's definitely a sipping drink, but not unpleasant. I think we both felt like old men in that bar with our scotch and folk music. The next place we went was the Brass Monkey. One of the special things about it is a "Movie" Room. The walls are plastered in movie posters and there is a projector and screen on the wall. Also, there are 2 giant couches that are the length of the room. They are huge in the sense that Emma and I were practically laying on them. Everyone lounges on these couches while socializing with friends. It was a really interesting set-up. And cozy!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXq8hvKa3UBbWq2PgplsT69U_Rmc_yKUxs9X6UTLRIFQy0JLL9vBizsPh1nIt4K3jmJVD3ttA-Qqq2L968Nye0Y5NQVybzMfEOsHUD4b2ss2gDHIVt2BdNVolD3-1MJVeeWsvR7EgzOBs/s1600/IMG_0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXq8hvKa3UBbWq2PgplsT69U_Rmc_yKUxs9X6UTLRIFQy0JLL9vBizsPh1nIt4K3jmJVD3ttA-Qqq2L968Nye0Y5NQVybzMfEOsHUD4b2ss2gDHIVt2BdNVolD3-1MJVeeWsvR7EgzOBs/s320/IMG_0439.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Scotch at the Royal Oak</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">The guy taking our picture didn't seem to understand we wanted the couches in it. </td></tr>
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Sunday morning we woke up and climbed Arthur's Seat. It is a hill (I say a mountain) that overlooks the city. It was quite a hike up but really worth it. The wind was pretty bad at street level but ridiculous at the top. It was a nice way to end a great weekend.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQu0LTWUXNH2fLDrI_VkLNcq4yQKdI5VGLUZtuc_72Dd3zbc1Y_JFfq-DQB1aTdy6yarGFlmQFuxzQGynCBRj4iKv-4ImGE-2UoH8C0EtOBBEuz29HIZGX9tPnGnpDyCWF4sSQHKkftPC/s1600/IMG_0466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQu0LTWUXNH2fLDrI_VkLNcq4yQKdI5VGLUZtuc_72Dd3zbc1Y_JFfq-DQB1aTdy6yarGFlmQFuxzQGynCBRj4iKv-4ImGE-2UoH8C0EtOBBEuz29HIZGX9tPnGnpDyCWF4sSQHKkftPC/s320/IMG_0466.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">This is the statue of Thomas Guthrie! Just for you Mrs. Anne!</td></tr>
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As always, I had a great weekend, but it only left me wishing for more time! There were so many more things to see and do in Edinburgh. It has been added to my list of "places to visit again" and it a must! I really enjoyed getting to see a new place in the UK and can't wait to explore more. Thanks for the memories, Edinburgh!</div>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-72996393691230823562012-07-13T05:22:00.004-07:002012-07-13T05:22:54.721-07:00What a Great 23rd Birthday! First of all, thank y'all so much for the wonderful birthday wishes. It is so nice to know that people are thinking of me even though I'm thousands of miles and 6 timezones away! I had an incredible 23rd birthday! In the days leading up to it, I was having some anxieties about turing 23. These didn't necessarily come from my own ideas of being "old" but from my classmates. Most of the people on this trip are rising sophomores, so 18-20. Whenever they asked how old I was going to be, they didn't have to say anything for me to know what they thought when I answered 23. Their faces said "DANG. That's old!" However, I am happy to report that I feel nothing but wiser upon turning 23!<br />
I started off the day with a hearty breakfast-one of my favorite things about this trip so far. It's not Dad's famous chocolate chip pancakes, but does get my days started off the right way. Unfortunately, the fact that it was my birthday did not exempt me from classes for the day! After class, I replied to emails, ate lunch and waited for friends to get out of class. One of the really great things about this program is that we have access to the Bodleian Library while we are here. Emma, Amanda, and I decided take advantage of this and spent the afternoon reading for our classes at the library. After studying, one of the things I wanted to do on my birthday was go for afternoon tea. Emma found a great little place called the Vault, so we decided to go there for tea! We had the traditional tea, scones, jam, and clotted cream, all of which, have become my new favorites! Seriously, I could eat scones, jam, and clotted cream all day everyday if it wasn't so unhealthy!<br />
After enjoying our tea (and stuffing our faces) we returned to Worchester just in time for dinner-great! I ate as much as I could of dinner, but as always, saved room for the cheesecake served for dessert. I like to think it was my birthday cake! My package from Dad also came that day, so I got a sweet birthday card, my forgotten camera cord, and some snacks! The snacks were mostly individually wrapped packages so they'll be great for travel on the weekends. Thanks, Dad!<br />
We went out that night and I had a great time! A lot of people from the program were out so it was fun to get to know more people that I hadn't talked to previously. Overall, it was a very memorable birthday! Thanks to everyone who made it so special! Emma and I are off to Edinburgh for the weekend! Any insight into what to do or see is appreciated!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scones, Clotted Cream, Jam, and Tea!</td></tr>
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It is a tradition amongst my friends to take a picture of each of us pouring our tea during our annual tea parties. Since my new friends were joining me for a tea party, I insisted they join in the tradition!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTvYXJ1eF3uOm-Je6ZU2KWBlg2tRsd5tdgwQzqhygBOOUEzvB4sHGGR_76L_bAfdxFFpwAN82HqGtGkIqfgmyk7ENQgMNGytAj-BoufGTt48ggLbsshYCNY_m4_B6JL9xcWPEQaTBNy8A/s1600/IMG_0380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTvYXJ1eF3uOm-Je6ZU2KWBlg2tRsd5tdgwQzqhygBOOUEzvB4sHGGR_76L_bAfdxFFpwAN82HqGtGkIqfgmyk7ENQgMNGytAj-BoufGTt48ggLbsshYCNY_m4_B6JL9xcWPEQaTBNy8A/s320/IMG_0380.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma pouring her tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJCDkR_p0InlGGVmuj5SBdYPMyTO3OeCXuzg__cCHBrCelifpABe0qHMAvZesaBS7aHFJchw_ZJHh6Kuccjzm_NoMbL65UNtA2W2rpWAcEmceKSHx98cZNk4bzr9Pm0eJ8G_ph7eZQbtS/s1600/IMG_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJCDkR_p0InlGGVmuj5SBdYPMyTO3OeCXuzg__cCHBrCelifpABe0qHMAvZesaBS7aHFJchw_ZJHh6Kuccjzm_NoMbL65UNtA2W2rpWAcEmceKSHx98cZNk4bzr9Pm0eJ8G_ph7eZQbtS/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda pouring her tea, too!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlz9AGVNHQHsSLdluzPcoSxxjy4GVUqfRKYFwa1luVp6-rQI-BvRMEj-Wg8s_qAOt1xV8TyDEsmwS6YL5eT4yXBSfKTdrdgbOOne64ub6jxFZZrK_86gNyjNuS3ROdD7jUHKLUqS28szn/s1600/IMG_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlz9AGVNHQHsSLdluzPcoSxxjy4GVUqfRKYFwa1luVp6-rQI-BvRMEj-Wg8s_qAOt1xV8TyDEsmwS6YL5eT4yXBSfKTdrdgbOOne64ub6jxFZZrK_86gNyjNuS3ROdD7jUHKLUqS28szn/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3ZH5IH_UBhJeuEc2JiIZqn1uuaKOmkeizxSAvl9XalFktXwTVP2XI4olyYdv-r_zXSNJWES_QO7sUWxDPFMrzjrWI3sJdPMx2GDE8WbQBhW-Lj07C3D8ajzWOTQGLumDwV5150pd_-cv/s1600/553332_10151083000287139_1646822215_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3ZH5IH_UBhJeuEc2JiIZqn1uuaKOmkeizxSAvl9XalFktXwTVP2XI4olyYdv-r_zXSNJWES_QO7sUWxDPFMrzjrWI3sJdPMx2GDE8WbQBhW-Lj07C3D8ajzWOTQGLumDwV5150pd_-cv/s320/553332_10151083000287139_1646822215_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo-thanks, Amanda!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_M2sCBzKhceMG6KU842T-E6Kdf0olXUpSPPwAwpVwcN0jIjBIBHgsXA4TzVg53TJ7F_rT0QF23Iaty_uSAXqw74TME4-O5Iu7pE7beZZjLylBfntlD3Xnwp0pa7wNdcr8HB6VD5nCYlY4/s1600/406135_10151082996882139_624013012_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_M2sCBzKhceMG6KU842T-E6Kdf0olXUpSPPwAwpVwcN0jIjBIBHgsXA4TzVg53TJ7F_rT0QF23Iaty_uSAXqw74TME4-O5Iu7pE7beZZjLylBfntlD3Xnwp0pa7wNdcr8HB6VD5nCYlY4/s320/406135_10151082996882139_624013012_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma and me<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RWn1HlN4iYgA9Fu1rJUScaKf8uB3_K73rWN0GKRSUdHyBDZ8ODxgh4Qo9naTDKO1Z7uh2n6CQzt-T3mK55uLqkRtJhTbUK2vgr9O1OkD-O7_EQ47tjBHbVGG0CyVNWqbWCtxXQ17y3p6/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RWn1HlN4iYgA9Fu1rJUScaKf8uB3_K73rWN0GKRSUdHyBDZ8ODxgh4Qo9naTDKO1Z7uh2n6CQzt-T3mK55uLqkRtJhTbUK2vgr9O1OkD-O7_EQ47tjBHbVGG0CyVNWqbWCtxXQ17y3p6/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma found this cafe because she saw this precious bike on the street! SO observant!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-73130975150021137892012-07-11T06:04:00.001-07:002012-07-12T06:08:41.341-07:00Address in OxfordI forgot to post my address while I am here!<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Katie Johnson </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">UA, c/o Worcester College </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oxford OX1 2HB, UK</span></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-59480438448377410142012-07-11T05:27:00.001-07:002012-07-11T05:27:09.529-07:00A "Short" Walk: St. Mary's Illsley On Monday, some of out teachers announced that we would be going on a "short" walk to a quaint little church just outside of Oxford then to a street that is predominately international. The walk would be on Tuesday (yesterday). I thought this would be a fun way to see the town since I did not get to explore this past weekend. Also, the teachers that were leading have gone on this trip for the past 10 years so they obviously know a lot about Oxford and the surround area. The only drawback to these little excursions is the amount of people that tend to go. We end up looking like a herd of sheep on the road, but it was really not as bad as I was envisioning.<br />
We started our walk by going past Christ Church which is where a lot of Harry Potter was filmed and also the frame of reference for Alice in Wonderland. Once we crossed over the bridge, we got off of a traffic street and onto a paved path that goes along the river. The river is the Thames River which is the same one that runs through London. However, further down the walk there is a lock and it is then called the Isis River. Across the river from the path is boat houses for all of the crew teams of the colleges of Oxford. Some of them were few industrial looking, but I am happy to report that Worchester's looked quite pleasant! One of the wonderful things about England is that you don't have to travel that far out of town to see pastures and fields and rural life. We past several horses pastures and meadows. It was beautiful!<br />
We walked for about an hour and a half before we reached the village that the church was in. Once we got to the church, it was clear why they wanted us to see it. It was incredible. The first two parts of the church were built in the 12th century and the last section was <i>relatively</i> young in that it was built in the 13th century! I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but everyday I am amazed at how old and lasting everything is here. We got to go inside of the church and look around for a bit. One thing that I was interested in was their version of the Apostle's Creed or Affirmation of Faith. The church belongs to the Church of England so obviously it was very different from the Methodist version. I really loved seeing that and appreciating the commonality of our prayers. Outside of the church is a "bush" that was planted the same year that the church was built. It is as tall as the church, hence the placement of quotations around the word bush. This was an amazing example of how special this country and their buildings are. I'm still in awe of that sacred space.<br />
The professors that took us on the walk have a policy of "a pub for every walk" so we made the traditional stop at a pub in the village. As I mentioned earlier, the anxiety associated with a large group came out when we walked into this tiny pub. We completely overwhelmed them! It didn't take long for them to help everyone, and one of our sweet professors bought both of the bartenders a pint of their beer of choice! I love the pubs here because they are so cozy. They are also much more of a meeting or hangout place rather than just a bar in the US. People bring their kids and sit around and catch up during the afternoons. It's really pleasant.<br />
After everyone finished their Pimm's and lemonade or pints, we headed for Cowley Road. This is the street in Oxford that is mostly made up of ethnic stores and restaurants. Oxford has a large international presence and this is where a lot of that personality can be seen! We past so many great looking Indian, Thai, and other ethnic restaurants. I'm definitely going to have to spend a good bit of time there! We mostly just walked down and looked this go-round. However, Toni, another Alpha Gam, and I stopped in a coffee shop for cheesecake and coffee!<br />
We made it back to Worchester at 5:30, yes you saw that right. We were gone for 4 1/2 hours. Hence the concept of a "short" walk. I heard the figure 6 miles thrown around several times. However, it was used as a roundtrip figure and a one-way figure. I'm not sure which it was, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was 6 miles one-way and 6 miles back! I made it back just in time for dinner, and of course, was dead tired after! Now I know when the professors talk about a short walk, I should check to make sure of the definition of short!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlU6Xalr-wnv2SRGE_Rht8_Eh5AmfYqzD6Q2kTJH797x-lwmL0jKUTRWFszMeGu6NNjad71qBE5WqhB4MLJobkw8VrdlejFr7VDTWev7yHd8ttZhUdFKmrd4jT7rNUkKN3RwcU_1r7AFx/s1600/IMG_0373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlU6Xalr-wnv2SRGE_Rht8_Eh5AmfYqzD6Q2kTJH797x-lwmL0jKUTRWFszMeGu6NNjad71qBE5WqhB4MLJobkw8VrdlejFr7VDTWev7yHd8ttZhUdFKmrd4jT7rNUkKN3RwcU_1r7AFx/s320/IMG_0373.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the random horse pastures just off the path.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6Dol6EjcRMx0gBwlYZCRNCTPc7A4F0qz5zM0s9AU3NmGhME5RwjMKPT0Ji9CwQDgjke9XVezH6Li2axd4LNrLL9-aOYDNjgJSJ-TP1IQ6G6EAtigkaRV3bEcK3AklbBNv5-yqXE5Ly3Y/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6Dol6EjcRMx0gBwlYZCRNCTPc7A4F0qz5zM0s9AU3NmGhME5RwjMKPT0Ji9CwQDgjke9XVezH6Li2axd4LNrLL9-aOYDNjgJSJ-TP1IQ6G6EAtigkaRV3bEcK3AklbBNv5-yqXE5Ly3Y/s320/IMG_0375.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An gorgeous bridge that leads to the cottage in the next picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRllYR5-yB7tFc0Vx8P68HBVOXSlBQvfG38HHqeO0E-98nJf_weBLYBCSD-S2kF6CqtuCl8Ha5FzzCE8bLqz5bwATQKKfbhTWnrAGk0TQhJmQSf4WOrwjnh98ldUfFBdOigJITCsumW7f/s1600/IMG_0376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRllYR5-yB7tFc0Vx8P68HBVOXSlBQvfG38HHqeO0E-98nJf_weBLYBCSD-S2kF6CqtuCl8Ha5FzzCE8bLqz5bwATQKKfbhTWnrAGk0TQhJmQSf4WOrwjnh98ldUfFBdOigJITCsumW7f/s320/IMG_0376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture doesn't do the gardens justice. The roses were beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look up the river.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BDq_AzREp2XyAxsboHVXCmsGV5q5VmWhcJLLnPbM_EQwZh8QVwU552mucwQpEmWKzHssK7hOG4NnIgIMW291x-VL1DXTqcBvTmyINXFLPzN310lSwJh9bVN28-KuNyBcP_E9xVJRSqe2/s1600/IMG_0378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BDq_AzREp2XyAxsboHVXCmsGV5q5VmWhcJLLnPbM_EQwZh8QVwU552mucwQpEmWKzHssK7hOG4NnIgIMW291x-VL1DXTqcBvTmyINXFLPzN310lSwJh9bVN28-KuNyBcP_E9xVJRSqe2/s320/IMG_0378.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front of St. Mary's Illsley</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-66587106242620830542012-07-10T04:49:00.002-07:002012-07-10T04:49:52.421-07:00London: Part II Once again, I apologize for the absurdly long post yesterday. I'm doing this blog for my benefit as well as your's dear reader. I'm not keeping a travel journal so this is my way of documenting what I did while here!<br />
Sunday started out with yet another great English breakfast. This time Toby cooked us sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans, and toast. My job was to butter the toast, ha! After breakfast, we got ready and met Laura and Aamayna at the Tower of London. That was one thing I didn't get to do during my last visit to London so I was particularly excited. We talked a lot about this over the weekend, but I was struck at how OLD everything was. As Emma would say, "Dang, y'all!" I think we both comprehended that nothing in the US compares, age wise, with the things we see in Europe. We walked around the tower, but didn't go in. Then we walked to the Tower Bridge, which is a famous and familiar sight of London. They have recently added Olympic rings from the top of it, but when we walked past the first time, they were folded up. I was really looking forward to seeing them so it was a bit of a disappointment that we didn't see them hanging down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlX2kNdT5Ls_8dliEn8zGlKQ0PA34MoGrBsF1G3KZO8H9FLOSLQp6XT9DykPCoCGWJXGshIYwIkGPkN9lw-2kuR0uY_9GMl1x_cKcMhg-Vn0X95Bhh5YhBNaw7SNV3SYPaCHRMWmBRtknv/s1600/IMG_0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlX2kNdT5Ls_8dliEn8zGlKQ0PA34MoGrBsF1G3KZO8H9FLOSLQp6XT9DykPCoCGWJXGshIYwIkGPkN9lw-2kuR0uY_9GMl1x_cKcMhg-Vn0X95Bhh5YhBNaw7SNV3SYPaCHRMWmBRtknv/s320/IMG_0334.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma, Laura and me. You can barely see the rings on the top bridge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmU3oAi_f6rkmwVFOGOB2Rthyphenhyphen-kXrE07xqYTx5LaHPH4FGYtatu0qT5LvQxMERiQPIrzhwn_DpL-qS5Z47WmtqvdKaloLlYbweWA4-OCM-R4iFuTOagTdhN0LITGLQoMO8y-JuyxWi0kR/s1600/IMG_0335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmU3oAi_f6rkmwVFOGOB2Rthyphenhyphen-kXrE07xqYTx5LaHPH4FGYtatu0qT5LvQxMERiQPIrzhwn_DpL-qS5Z47WmtqvdKaloLlYbweWA4-OCM-R4iFuTOagTdhN0LITGLQoMO8y-JuyxWi0kR/s320/IMG_0335.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Americans only!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtHhM0D1E7-2k0GELm-LD1Z-FQGCt7q_Er4rpfaf8dKmxDwbhzhaz0gaQWpD0-eBUTrlsncbfV0TL7WdkTcqGFwpmiAO39rL7LVxdcYYkEmWsvPM90mDZgoevbymQi_hrldlqsZfMdDC1/s1600/IMG_0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtHhM0D1E7-2k0GELm-LD1Z-FQGCt7q_Er4rpfaf8dKmxDwbhzhaz0gaQWpD0-eBUTrlsncbfV0TL7WdkTcqGFwpmiAO39rL7LVxdcYYkEmWsvPM90mDZgoevbymQi_hrldlqsZfMdDC1/s320/IMG_0337.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma's picture is the optical illusion. Mine's just the silly angle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssk4NteyVqtEe3-YMt3pERKgQsIjrE9wYP0zlRXIqmIu4lB2Nkh8VRVKdIU_1mDEfJCeHDlA43NzuSRKhwcpVbWfQ-uBseUwj0LKhkkJjPluKot08h01mMPVehD0u5SkJ59jQvy0JP0e1/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssk4NteyVqtEe3-YMt3pERKgQsIjrE9wYP0zlRXIqmIu4lB2Nkh8VRVKdIU_1mDEfJCeHDlA43NzuSRKhwcpVbWfQ-uBseUwj0LKhkkJjPluKot08h01mMPVehD0u5SkJ59jQvy0JP0e1/s320/IMG_0339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got to see the bridge go up and a boat go through!</td></tr>
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We walked to the bridge and met Aamayna halfway across the bridge. At this point, I was so upset about the rings that it was enough to be directly underneath them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkR_1vEa69sEbPA4cRw1MQ9NiYfadLXbNTIkULvxWKHLNxysrZMT01GRyG7p86lcM3zvGtPHSdSW5CkHJJVCmxoHhlBWb9XPLWCNbzokwpNT_CSdRw-0wiIECZ-ihVBVkp53YzNSEK-Fx/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkR_1vEa69sEbPA4cRw1MQ9NiYfadLXbNTIkULvxWKHLNxysrZMT01GRyG7p86lcM3zvGtPHSdSW5CkHJJVCmxoHhlBWb9XPLWCNbzokwpNT_CSdRw-0wiIECZ-ihVBVkp53YzNSEK-Fx/s320/IMG_0342.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next, we walked to Starbucks and grabbed coffee then walked back the way we came. On our way back, the rings were down! We were thrilled to see them and for yet another photo op!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeX1Yyq1SuL05VXBBKh2VxzQRpvYBPSFuOoZlaKDaDOqNxyfiq1IVis3vdEh-FEtu5Jxeg_yGcdSa76n_8990BdPrJSrOumx0QtBLGHVR1pVTSM9riMAl2zyCOAOpTOe_usAb-goIP9px/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeX1Yyq1SuL05VXBBKh2VxzQRpvYBPSFuOoZlaKDaDOqNxyfiq1IVis3vdEh-FEtu5Jxeg_yGcdSa76n_8990BdPrJSrOumx0QtBLGHVR1pVTSM9riMAl2zyCOAOpTOe_usAb-goIP9px/s320/IMG_0344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our best "cheesing it" pose</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ucp-V2gx1Zz0h5akBXtEJtKWd0zWZjD8z8Y4-P69S3ewc_cJ2mDNApEP5FMZ2GLP625fDF8Kug2rrf4hbiYORLsAXMw32gQ0-xsaH_ghbCe-fGAEw5T-dN6c9O4yIsxuAeWur_ofRRB5/s1600/IMG_0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ucp-V2gx1Zz0h5akBXtEJtKWd0zWZjD8z8Y4-P69S3ewc_cJ2mDNApEP5FMZ2GLP625fDF8Kug2rrf4hbiYORLsAXMw32gQ0-xsaH_ghbCe-fGAEw5T-dN6c9O4yIsxuAeWur_ofRRB5/s320/IMG_0347.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with the Rings!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbJq2WzAZBavhhyphenhyphenYki4ItNVqeTujs0jEpTt8W0Pu2MFIShaBlI0rtInjDYyLwqhwQs7VxtMuwPOm8qm93Cjb6NrZItgbpjgZIgOZ66Bt2iR3jNq4VPU8VLoTvH3kAfqvIEVmgvYoZR-sS/s1600/IMG_0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbJq2WzAZBavhhyphenhyphenYki4ItNVqeTujs0jEpTt8W0Pu2MFIShaBlI0rtInjDYyLwqhwQs7VxtMuwPOm8qm93Cjb6NrZItgbpjgZIgOZ66Bt2iR3jNq4VPU8VLoTvH3kAfqvIEVmgvYoZR-sS/s320/IMG_0340.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of one of the tower from the end of the bridge.</td></tr>
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We left the Tower of London and headed to Buckingham Palace. It started to rain just as we were walking up, so once it stopped there were very few people there-for a bit! We got to see some of the famous guards. We also got to see them open the gate and watch someone come out. Unfortunately, that was slightly anti-climatic as it didn't appear to be anyone important. Although, if you're getting to go to Buckingham Palace then you're probably pretty important in some respect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghz7bq92SN-I8SLn-HaQgaYHo65rNeDkzDfaBjS1frycipDwHTnGjhtXb6oLo0Hyl5CIuIDBHZMk2BLDAlfL9p-JWQgZPgXFdUIiWi-mLr7_io_LLYrFuGwVvtu3I-J3cfza3FwH1DX86N/s1600/IMG_0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghz7bq92SN-I8SLn-HaQgaYHo65rNeDkzDfaBjS1frycipDwHTnGjhtXb6oLo0Hyl5CIuIDBHZMk2BLDAlfL9p-JWQgZPgXFdUIiWi-mLr7_io_LLYrFuGwVvtu3I-J3cfza3FwH1DX86N/s320/IMG_0348.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the "fancy" gates and a view of the palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoeecuLPfxcra_5mygAUquiiM28wuEYMxa2Gd72_qEEdaUFxUQRpcrmyhELGl9-8o_GuQm_8ejDwzqbCjbA-dtnK6e5naD86UGxfvyavEsq9KHK1gg8UM1BuXCBfVHt0aYMVt2DghLZ2V/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoeecuLPfxcra_5mygAUquiiM28wuEYMxa2Gd72_qEEdaUFxUQRpcrmyhELGl9-8o_GuQm_8ejDwzqbCjbA-dtnK6e5naD86UGxfvyavEsq9KHK1gg8UM1BuXCBfVHt0aYMVt2DghLZ2V/s320/IMG_0353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big view of Buckingham Palace</td></tr>
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Our next stop was Trafalgar Square but we got started in the wrong direction. So after a minor detour, we set out! We tried to walk through Hyde Park, the park that is basically the lawn of Buckingham Palace, but it was blocked off from a weekend concert and construction. A lot of London is being spruced up for the Olympics and it is really nice. However, it was clear that it was quite a pain for locals. I guess I forgot that they'll still have to go on with daily life despite the Games! We finally made it to Trafalgar Square, which is near National Portrait Gallery and (temporarily) the Official Olympic Games Countdown Clock. We sat by a fountain and took more time for a photo opportunity. We didn't go inside of the National Portrait Gallery, but if we go back, that is on our to-do list.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyREl1mss96BGA4SLSHkajMLskeNdZ8e2EW2gQ92tbF9hjMhwmwr-YxbGdlnunRwjrMaAHWQM06YGLLs1CgOcFD3uAyIpEM8L-WjkNWuqroEh__I1pIIKf_j__Pn8M3Y1B_GASJpFtB_p3/s1600/IMG_0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyREl1mss96BGA4SLSHkajMLskeNdZ8e2EW2gQ92tbF9hjMhwmwr-YxbGdlnunRwjrMaAHWQM06YGLLs1CgOcFD3uAyIpEM8L-WjkNWuqroEh__I1pIIKf_j__Pn8M3Y1B_GASJpFtB_p3/s320/IMG_0354.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Olympic Game Countdown Clock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_top4BIXeKPTuETWZnAdilMyAErw6XmmtQE6Dex1iOSGZc3hOqQg0bpaIj8ZT7gwk3kOTObTfKQOUTfBVQqpuojAZnp0i_wQ3rPmFwpXH85_iuE6_mrs7c78sVkhciHdy_ArkT6aZC13/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_top4BIXeKPTuETWZnAdilMyAErw6XmmtQE6Dex1iOSGZc3hOqQg0bpaIj8ZT7gwk3kOTObTfKQOUTfBVQqpuojAZnp0i_wQ3rPmFwpXH85_iuE6_mrs7c78sVkhciHdy_ArkT6aZC13/s320/IMG_0355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous fountain we sat in front of</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_SbJ1pKWdL-jOmMxpEXcAyKER-9adxlJkhVzEV0WvSvC86zE8iaUziGRUa4S-jPRIrRchqJlOzop0-KmosZsxaS4r6JBbePiCEM4JioUEbYXoezce8LHVc6VmFnjahKTVemAaw1BBkNi/s1600/IMG_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_SbJ1pKWdL-jOmMxpEXcAyKER-9adxlJkhVzEV0WvSvC86zE8iaUziGRUa4S-jPRIrRchqJlOzop0-KmosZsxaS4r6JBbePiCEM4JioUEbYXoezce8LHVc6VmFnjahKTVemAaw1BBkNi/s320/IMG_0359.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma, Laura, Toby and me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeknLk-5n7mZSJpb4IKsC511Ij7GAmorMYULScCLI2M2uRHSkLBpM0sxojz3dB7rpcGCDJfi7lD43rKvMZQzj09QSx4ch3aURA_UcHyRZFE8mNEYi-mqOUqRpEn9Fs09znh0k3InZt8sI/s1600/IMG_0365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeknLk-5n7mZSJpb4IKsC511Ij7GAmorMYULScCLI2M2uRHSkLBpM0sxojz3dB7rpcGCDJfi7lD43rKvMZQzj09QSx4ch3aURA_UcHyRZFE8mNEYi-mqOUqRpEn9Fs09znh0k3InZt8sI/s320/IMG_0365.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awkward face</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivC0D3Ivqk0LkfmJnhSAWcqTqJFF-mOsCWdK5UHrujbMRZTIUIFmX8rS4U9-Q8liXMamorBAA9gwka8yCZSLu0Dwaj-O8rL9JJCLf2-_Q-w2xjG9I0DAtJiSidiDN3Dy3hz_bR22L7bSvz/s1600/IMG_0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivC0D3Ivqk0LkfmJnhSAWcqTqJFF-mOsCWdK5UHrujbMRZTIUIFmX8rS4U9-Q8liXMamorBAA9gwka8yCZSLu0Dwaj-O8rL9JJCLf2-_Q-w2xjG9I0DAtJiSidiDN3Dy3hz_bR22L7bSvz/s320/IMG_0366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura felt left out without a camera</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskayeGgDyN_bqprYGm9xtDV2pEAlP4X_5YBSbejmoisavSXxRV-JvRz_3pVE3vEC-DAR3brdnbuIezgJD0dia4RfKl73qBISfhz28r7jG8c-xNZlAOjP2B1W8etIHNc6kwiFFebMIO7Lh/s1600/IMG_0368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskayeGgDyN_bqprYGm9xtDV2pEAlP4X_5YBSbejmoisavSXxRV-JvRz_3pVE3vEC-DAR3brdnbuIezgJD0dia4RfKl73qBISfhz28r7jG8c-xNZlAOjP2B1W8etIHNc6kwiFFebMIO7Lh/s320/IMG_0368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many hands! So many cameras!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower in Trafalgar Square</td></tr>
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10 Downing Street, home to the Prime Minister, is just down the street on Whitehall, so we walked there next. It's so funny how you can tell that it used to be a normal city street but it down blocked and heavily guarded. Ahh, modern security worries! Either way, it was very interesting to see, and I now have a reference when I see any pictures of a PM coming out of 10 Downing Street. We were headed to Oxford Circus, London's version of Times Square. It is not as big or well lit, but there are buildings with huge screens. On our way, it began to rain so hard, we had to stop underneath the ledge of a building to wait it out. This downpours are common, but they usually only last a few minutes. This one wasn't showing signs of letting up so we made a run for the tube. We took a few pictures at Oxford Circus and headed to Soho for some dinner. We ate in a small Italian restaurant, in their basement. We were all so hungry and it took forever for someone to come down to take our order. I still say they forgot about us in the basement...Once again, we giggled and goofed off throughout the meal. We each ordered, and just about finished, our own pizzas. As we were paying, a family of 6 ordered one pizza and one calzone for their table. Needless to say, we felt SUPER good about ourselves...not.<br />
After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Laura and Aamayna and headed back to Toby's to get our bags. We were up to our own devices to get ourselves to Victoria Station, because that is where the bus to Oxford picks up. We decided to take the bus back since we have (now) 8 days of travel on our rail passes. We didn't want to use up one more day just to travel back home. It was so surreal heading back to Oxford, because at that point, I had been in London for longer than Oxford! It was quite familiar to me yet. After a bit of confusion, we found the bus stop and the worker told us we had 2 minutes until the next bus showed up (they run every hour). I still had to get cash from an ATM so it was a bit hectic trying to get that done in 2 minutes. Luckily, we did that and made it back just in time! It's crazy to think that if anything in our evening had taken 2 minutes longer, we might have had to wait another hour for a bus. At 10:30, we were on the bus headed back and by 11:40, we arrived! We were exhausted but in awe of our memorable weekend!<br />
I just don't think I've made it clear what a great time we had this weekend, and what wonderful memories that we made. I'm so thankful to everyone we met for going above and beyond to make this weekend special. I feel like we got a sense of "real" London and how people our age are living there! We were so lucky! I loved meeting all the people, swapping accents, learning pronunciations, seeing new things, eating new foods, and overall experiencing a whole new world! I can only hope that the rest of my trip is as good as this weekend.<br />
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In the words of my British friends.....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e1e1e; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"don't hate me coz you ain't me"</span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-17346065190298578062012-07-09T16:41:00.001-07:002012-07-09T16:41:14.713-07:00Saturday in Photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma posing for Big Ben</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma and Laura waiting us to finish taking pictures</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster Abbey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toby trying to taking "artsy" photos of me and the Abbey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awkward box</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their ketchup bottles were in the shape of tomatoes!</td></tr>
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-52998927515014104452012-07-09T16:40:00.000-07:002012-07-09T16:41:37.073-07:00London: Part I Bear with me, this WILL be a long post. Also, I decided to break up the posts since we did so much this weekend. I didn't want to make one huge entry.<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, I made a friend, Emma, that invited me to go to London with her for the weekend. She is around my age, and we are interested in doing a lot of the same things during our time in the UK. Also, she is in the room next to me so it's very convenient to plan things and go out into Oxford together! I'm so thankful for her friendship! </div>
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We decided Friday morning to leave for London that afternoon. Her brother has also done a lot of traveling and has made lots of friends along the way. He put Emma in contact with his friend, Toby, who graciously allowed us to stay with him for the weekend. When I say "stay with him" I mean he took us around, gave us a bed, cooked us breakfast, and basically went above and beyond a normal host. I have a thing or two to learn in that department from him! </div>
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Our trip includes 9 days of travel on the British railways, so we have plenty of chances to traveling without worrying about the cost of getting there! This is also really nice because it covers the cost of traveling for the entire day. That means that we can go to multiple places in one day and only use one part of the pass. This is coming in handy in planning smaller trips during the week! Anyway, I digress...we caught the 4:30 train to London coming in at Paddington Station. I am lucky in that my phone works while I am here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling everyone and their mother, but I know that I can call someone if I have an emergency. It is especially nice, because I have a text messaging plan that is a bit cheaper. We arrived at the station and began looking for Toby, but we quickly realized that this station was HUGE and it might take a bit of effort and a phone call to find him in there. We decided to stop by the restrooms before attempting to look for him and lo and behold! He was right there! It was the luckiest thing! I really don't know how much time it would've taken for us to find him if that hadn't happened! </div>
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We immediately left the station and met 3 of his friends, Alexis, Andy, and Bobby, at a pub. Next, we went to an area of London called Shoreditch. We put our names on the list at a restaurant and went across the street to chat and grab another beer. The area was very new and hip. The place where we sat and waited was an open area on top of a small building. We ate dinner at a place called Pizza East. It was so good and I tried anchovies for the first time thanks to Emma! I actually enjoyed them! After we finished dinner, we walked around for a bit but decided to head back to Toby's flat. One thing I forget to mention about this whole evening is that Emma and I still had our weekend bags. So it was quite comical for me to lug my small rolling bag up and down stairs, down the street, in the tube, and so forth. I'm so awkward anyway so it was probably entertaining just to watch me carry it about!</div>
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One of Toby's flatmates was out of town for the weekend, so he let us sleep in her room. We had a cup of tea and went to bed. Emma and I woke up around 8:30 and read until Toby and his flatmate, Anna, woke up. Their flat is set up in multi-levels. Their's starts on the 2nd floor. One bedroom is on that floor along with the bathroom. The next room is up a smaller flight of stairs, this is also where the kitchen/sitting room is. The last room is up one flight of stairs. The flight of stairs leading up to their flat was SO steep! It was almost straight up and down (I liked to say 90º from the ground but opinions...). Toby made us eggs and soldiers, a traditional English breakfast! It was a soft-boiled egg and buttered toast cut into strips to dip into the egg. I had never had that, and I loved it! We also had scrambled eggs and toast. By the end of the meal, we were full!<br />
We decided to go to a vintage market that afternoon. It was in a covered area with lots of natural light coming through glass in the ceiling. Some of the things were really cool and some were still a bit too vintage for me! We saw lots of old china patterns, clothes, glasses, and random items. None of us bought anything, but it was definitely to look around. We grabbed lunch at the market. They had a lot of permanent vendors that sold food out of little open doorways. It was delicious! While we were eating, some of Toby's friends joined us. First, his friend, Aamayna, came. She actually walked around the market and ate lunch with us. Another friend, Laura, joined just as we were finishing eating. Two other girls came along as well!<br />
Our next stop was the British Museum, which is a lot of old artifacts from all over the world. We got coffee just before we got there and liquids are not allowed in. So we goofed off, took pictures, and acted silly outside so we could finish our drinks. Once we got in, we goofed off a bit more then went to the Egyptian area. We saw the Rosetta Stone, which helped historians decode hieroglyphics. We were look at different mummified animals and other artifacts when they announced the museum was closing! We had been inside museum for maybe 15-20 minutes. Our attempts to go further into the museum were thwarted, as they began closing doors. Eventually, we were herded down the stairs and out the doors. It was around 5:30 on a Saturday so I suppose that explained their early closing.<br />
Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey were our next stop. At this point, it was just Toby, Aamayna, Laura, Emma and me. It was quite the journey between these sights and the British Museum. Aamayna is a London native and had the great idea that it would be lovely for us to take a bus! All of the national buses are the double-decker red ones! We start looking for the correct stop to get to our destination, and we were NO WHERE near it. We walked for quite a ways until we get to a bus stop that should take us to Waterloo, the stop we want. We stand there for 10 minutes, watching every bus come by but the one we need. Finally, we realize that that bus line doesn't run on Saturdays! So again we go! We make it onto a bus, and of course, we sat on the top. At some point, the driver announced that there was going to be a diversion that was going away from Waterloo! So off the bus and on to the next stop that goes to Waterloo. Eventually, we found a bus that was on diversion to Waterloo, and we made it straight there! We got off the bus and got ice cream. The ice cream we got was called Mr. Whippy, and it was more like a cold whipped cream but more solid and frozen like ice cream. Either way, it was delicious! While eating, we walked across the bridge to Big Ben.<br />
After that adventure, Laura went home and we went back to Clapham, where Toby lives. We stopped and got groceries for breakfast the next morning. After dropping them off, we went to a nice fish and chips restaurant called the Fish Club. They had more fish than an average fish and chips place and was just a bit more upscale. They even had sweet potato chips that were delicious! We were so silly and hyper the entire meal. I'm so glad that our waiter found us entertaining and not annoying! We laughed and joked and talked throughout. I think we were just so deliriously tired that everything was funny. We had tea again before bed and chatted. We also watched TV and the shows on there were ridiculous. I won't scar you with details but they are allowed to show a lot more things on TV in the UK than in the US. Just know that it was crazy.<br />
I'm going to post Sunday's events tomorrow as it is almost midnight here. I'm also going to post some of the funny pictures from Big Ben and there on. ALSO, I had a question about Big Ben and the renaming of the Clock Tower. The bell is still called Big Ben but the clock tower is Elizabeth's Tower. Most people still call it Big Ben though and there were not a lot of signs that advertised its renaming.<br />
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My new British friends thought it would be hilarious if I signed my blog with a certain saying but know that it is only meant out of hilarity, not seriousness. Also I just want to add, I don't think that I've expressed how much fun and how sweet Toby, Aamayna, Laura, and Anna were to us! We had the best time and really hit it off with them! I cannot get over what a great weekend this was!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1e1e1e; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">"don't hate me coz you ain't me"</span><br />
<span id="goog_400705147"></span><span id="goog_400705148"></span></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-66281306174602907232012-07-07T16:20:00.001-07:002012-07-07T16:20:16.603-07:00Tourist/Taurus...Balls/Bulls...Things lost in Translation I will write a more thorough post when we get back to Oxford, but I wanted to give an update on my weekend so far! Also, this post is from my phone so I'm not sure how it will turn out! My friend, Emma, invited me to join her in London for the weekend. She has a lot of contacts all over because of her brother. She got in touch with his friend, Toby, who let us come stay!<br />
We took the train to London and he met us at the train station. We immediately left and met some of his other friends to go to a few pubs and dinner. One of Toby's flat mates is out of town so we were about to stay in her bed. This morning we had a typical English breakfast of eggs and soldiers (soft boiled egg and sliced toast). It was delicious! <br />
We started off the day at a vintage market. We walked around then got food from a vendor that lines the market. While at the market, more of Toby's friends showed up and spent most of the day with us. Our next stop was the British Museum. We ended up cutting up and being silly more than actually touring the museum. We got to spend about 30 minutes inside before it closed. <br />
Next, we went to see Big Ben, House of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey! Our trip there was....interesting...but more on that in the longer post. We had a great time taking pictures and playing around! I'm including a few pictures of our afternoon, but I'll put all of them up tomorrow. <br />
We ate dinner near Toby's flat with his friend, Aamayna, at a nice fish and chips restaurant. They even had sweet potato chips! It was so good and do much fun. <br />
I'm not sure what's on the ledger for tomorrow, but I have no doubt it'll be great. Emma and I both feel like we've seen so much of London already. We've been so lucky to have great people show us around and entertain us so gracefully! So far so good!<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKaJbJrCykGpZn2xPOJQsxxAZIsRU3p-Fj_fI6xGtbgSWj-dYpOYOd59_8bRVIzG4pV5XLurQr1DtUeifYztl4vWg0jePYxshUPoo5lba_inttUVhRGzUpW8HYyVA6hi-1q1saLgOMuX0/s640/blogger-image-771242580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKaJbJrCykGpZn2xPOJQsxxAZIsRU3p-Fj_fI6xGtbgSWj-dYpOYOd59_8bRVIzG4pV5XLurQr1DtUeifYztl4vWg0jePYxshUPoo5lba_inttUVhRGzUpW8HYyVA6hi-1q1saLgOMuX0/s640/blogger-image-771242580.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6MP-HB80tLRT4jCz8lShBjooRj9oTn7E6-zxgzSZf0gLgNj31bexKfNm_2ByHqmJVlBAcDElmUF1iizLrMDQkblHjdLiMotLBXOiCU-IEeNgy54Q11K184Wzi4iwrzB6d0seIcDKKFMU/s640/blogger-image-1279427602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6MP-HB80tLRT4jCz8lShBjooRj9oTn7E6-zxgzSZf0gLgNj31bexKfNm_2ByHqmJVlBAcDElmUF1iizLrMDQkblHjdLiMotLBXOiCU-IEeNgy54Q11K184Wzi4iwrzB6d0seIcDKKFMU/s640/blogger-image-1279427602.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOallgOEfrvvyRf37QmnxKErkFk6LSAtWycU5ncLdUg0Wosw7wjAZ-wvKHDro9QEf0dzcbTEfLtGD8JQBiQlp_iVj-dTX9dfNftfIJT6kNdxbewzl2BkQcxlkcxMkpzuRg8T-7tWz_aSto/s640/blogger-image-1418992899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOallgOEfrvvyRf37QmnxKErkFk6LSAtWycU5ncLdUg0Wosw7wjAZ-wvKHDro9QEf0dzcbTEfLtGD8JQBiQlp_iVj-dTX9dfNftfIJT6kNdxbewzl2BkQcxlkcxMkpzuRg8T-7tWz_aSto/s640/blogger-image-1418992899.jpg" /></a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-8826896568447925092012-07-06T06:58:00.001-07:002012-07-06T06:58:53.148-07:00So...it rains hereJust a quick little post! We are headed to London this afternoon and we will spend the weekend there! We walked to the train station to validate our train passes and on the way home it POURED. I mean I was soaked to the bone from the point where my raincoat stopped to my toes. Just one thing to get used to!<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-12963646634476753322012-07-05T14:08:00.001-07:002012-07-05T14:08:47.963-07:00Arrival: Worcester College, Oxford Well, after a VERY long day of traveling, we finally made it to London about 7:30am and we pulled into Oxford around 10. I was unable to sleep on the airplane but read almost all of my book! The professors that accompanied us suggested that we not sleep until bedtime, so needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted. However, just being here is worth it!<br />
Once we unload from the bus, we were given our room keys and told to meet back at 3 for orientation. I promptly dropped my bags off in my room and left to go get food, supplies, anything. We walked down the street for several blocks until we found a pharmacy, and I was able to get shampoo, soap and other essentials. After dropping those things off, we set out in the other directions to find food and/or a pub. We also stopped by Boots, which is a Walgreens on steroids. I found a hairdryer so I fill all set!<br />
Orientation was nice. We were given a tour of the grounds, and they are breathtaking. Everything here is so green! I can't wait for a free afternoon to go exploring. We also split into groups and our professors took us on a walking tour of Oxford. I really appreciated this because we were able to get the main layout of the city. I now fill like I can successfully navigate off of those main streets. The professor that led my tour is the honors courses teacher so we were given lots of interesting side notes along the way. She also takes her classes out on walks and to museums, but she allows any others students to join too. I will definitely be taking advantage of those opportunities! While on our tour, we also learned where to get cash, exchange money, buy groceries, etc...I feel so much more prepared now. I also found some Digestives-the single best cookie in the world! They are a wafer cookie coated in the chocolate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yFDT7o7d7i5QFIE5QWc52mPy0gfvSqhcdG-kCs8NKMc2jXvC8HxvQcSAl-YiGR3nF7ZuUIzPzASoc7kWGaJU-C4f2jLuGldbX1gPvzsULCSnXT_WrBEUq_AmO3Cqt3ZdWUShVvgLZGGP/s1600/IMG_0296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yFDT7o7d7i5QFIE5QWc52mPy0gfvSqhcdG-kCs8NKMc2jXvC8HxvQcSAl-YiGR3nF7ZuUIzPzASoc7kWGaJU-C4f2jLuGldbX1gPvzsULCSnXT_WrBEUq_AmO3Cqt3ZdWUShVvgLZGGP/s320/IMG_0296.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
We ate dinner as a group around 8 then dispersed to do our own things. My exhaustion has hit a breaking point, and I still have to read 10% of my book so I've called it a night. We also have class in the morning at 8:30 so I feel no shame is hitting the sack. I'm know others have gone to the pubs but seriously, I have no energy left to spend outside of this dorm.<br />
Speaking of this dorm....my room is great! We are so lucky that each of us get our own room AND bathroom! It is really great to have my own personal space to come back to. I've gotten unpacked and settled, too!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDykNzb5MQEk8ET62-P92PfH-YAuXzgNVCMhyphenhyphenJBo4USGhNOnkDVzKGWocmc6PopEXYOa2fqZVrOvXZHpckFpl5iScR0VdXF1Yrud729xh429ibwJyKKFGn3FHqgt7z3aw8plQpKByGNsl/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDykNzb5MQEk8ET62-P92PfH-YAuXzgNVCMhyphenhyphenJBo4USGhNOnkDVzKGWocmc6PopEXYOa2fqZVrOvXZHpckFpl5iScR0VdXF1Yrud729xh429ibwJyKKFGn3FHqgt7z3aw8plQpKByGNsl/s320/IMG_0294.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of my room from the door. There is a lot of closet space<br />to the left.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bed and the door to the bathroom. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HCACvYmpxz1EC-RBKXefqgrea1Ns2ZKCqYU3vIcBR6W86P70R990C65HccDEVwGpe54ZjMqWRK9XzdmzpXKaiIq3fLjSy8cnTzsGrGWVOYhh8QeDpoAwB6k_VRbbJaN5f7obN44umUnB/s1600/IMG_0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HCACvYmpxz1EC-RBKXefqgrea1Ns2ZKCqYU3vIcBR6W86P70R990C65HccDEVwGpe54ZjMqWRK9XzdmzpXKaiIq3fLjSy8cnTzsGrGWVOYhh8QeDpoAwB6k_VRbbJaN5f7obN44umUnB/s320/IMG_0297.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The left view from my window!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhnkrfrBlewTmdkVsaUieOUNx36W-zdsl2V8L0G01zRFOR1mYKNfxFVeONmmty-FTvyMn2rjJ0LhEUi4GRxkQ_NuWkydrewexAyFgks91JOqJJbOs6ORMHvEOY3ZQ0XDcmz7P0t61YRfC/s1600/IMG_0298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhnkrfrBlewTmdkVsaUieOUNx36W-zdsl2V8L0G01zRFOR1mYKNfxFVeONmmty-FTvyMn2rjJ0LhEUi4GRxkQ_NuWkydrewexAyFgks91JOqJJbOs6ORMHvEOY3ZQ0XDcmz7P0t61YRfC/s320/IMG_0298.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right view from my window!</td></tr>
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As you can see, my room is quite cozy. It's a bit weird for the bathroom to be in the room, but stranger still that the shower, toilet and sink are all one area...BUT I can't complain about a private bathroom! As you can see from the picture, it is...well was...still light outside. Those pictures were taken around 9-9:15. The sun didn't go down until after 9:30. I guess that's just one more thing to get used to! I can open my window about 3 inches so it is nice to hear the city sounds. I am really and truly in love with every part of this so far!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-70257585386595147172012-07-04T14:24:00.002-07:002012-07-04T14:24:46.344-07:00Traveling We have made it to the Charlotte Airport and are <i>patiently</i> waiting for our flight to Gatwick in London. It has been a long day already! I got up at 7:00am and was on the interstate by 8:15. My flight was at 12:30. BUT y'all know I would rather be anywhere early than late. I drove to my Uncle Boone and Aunt MayMay's house and they dropped me off at the airport. They were so sweet to sit with me until I was ready to go through security and to my gate. We shared travel stories and calmed my nerves. We also had a great time people watching. I didn't know anyone who was going in the group. However, once I got to the gate it was easy to pick out the other UA students. We flew from Birmingham to Charlotte, and our plane from here leaves at 6:30. I still have to finish a book for my english class so I will have PLENTY of time to read on the plane. Oh joy! <div>
When we arrive in London it will be 7:30am so we will have a full day of get to Oxford and get settled! Unfortunately, I realized the ONE THING that I forgot........my camera cord and charger. I'm going to ask around to see if anyone has one that will match my camera, and if not, I'll come up with a new plan! I'm sure it won't be the last or only thing that I forgot, but I'm just trying to not freak out about little things like that!</div>
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Once I arrive, I will have internet so y'all can email, Facebook, or Skype me! I can receive texts but expect an email back rather than a text response. My Skype is Katiej352. I will post my address when we arrive! </div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-15842727168086888312012-07-02T21:23:00.002-07:002012-07-02T21:23:50.122-07:00All Packed! Well thanks to my friend, Caroline, I am officially ALL PACKED! This is seriously the best feeling in the world. I think my stress level just went down 50%. I started to work on packing this evening and quickly realized that my "big" bag just wasn't going to cut it. I know that some of you told me that but I found out the hard way. Luckily, I got the "biggest" size bag from my dad's house on Sunday. Once I realized that all of my stuff wasn't going to fit, I took everything out and called Caroline. She's a great organizer so I knew that she would make everything fit. Also, my expert traveler friend, Houston, gave me some much need weather and packing advice. She also gave me a GREAT list of places to go and things to do so I will be ahead of my classmates! I was able to take out and add the things that she suggested before Caroline helped me get it all in my bag! After talking to LOTS of people, because y'all know I can talk to anyone, I finally feel like I'm ready.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl9JIy7lHHPAO_jYx8cfqzXtf9dnHDQ-IXFKnPXrrTPWBQx7lbpXDvpGWKEpRoBpcEfIfkNHKLhcVmdNOawuUG-TotLFCJp3IZI0xUaIzmkoMBhyphenhyphen8dqGsC1VSdxqSlKqAYwEcSV7giJEV/s1600/IMG_0291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl9JIy7lHHPAO_jYx8cfqzXtf9dnHDQ-IXFKnPXrrTPWBQx7lbpXDvpGWKEpRoBpcEfIfkNHKLhcVmdNOawuUG-TotLFCJp3IZI0xUaIzmkoMBhyphenhyphen8dqGsC1VSdxqSlKqAYwEcSV7giJEV/s320/IMG_0291.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final product. Ready to go!</td></tr>
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Dad had an early birthday dinner for me Sunday, and as always, it was so nice. I wish that I had thought to take a picture of the table arrangements. My parents have always gone all out for nice dinners and my birthday! I got lots of great travel advice and gifts! I think talking to all of the seasoned travelers and adults helped calm my nerves. Houston's parents brought their England travel books, and I got to see my college in relation to the town of Oxford and other buildings in town. They also gave me British pounds so I'll be set when I arrive. Another family gave me a complete travel kit! This included a lint roller, quart size bag, 3oz. bottles, Kavu purse, shirt, kleenex, hand soap, Tide to-go pen, antibacterial wipes and lots of other handy items that I probably would have forgotten and wanted! However, the most handy thing they gave me was this....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQsnuFa2tKuXSmonRjIodipCuIWVAy89rHKm9pIwQAzSmG5bjaoIQAKZiS-2fSpfHvKS7pR874862etGNArTnF_Qdo4AQKFiMstlCItLm-vxQPIL7x-yU84biBKbdeekZzYfHm148tgBY/s1600/IMG_0292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQsnuFa2tKuXSmonRjIodipCuIWVAy89rHKm9pIwQAzSmG5bjaoIQAKZiS-2fSpfHvKS7pR874862etGNArTnF_Qdo4AQKFiMstlCItLm-vxQPIL7x-yU84biBKbdeekZzYfHm148tgBY/s320/IMG_0292.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's a travel bag weight! I was able to weigh my bag after we got everything in and see how far over we went. The first attempt was not bad....54.4lb. However, I only get to take a bag with 50lb. We had yet to pack my carry-on so we started taking out things we knew could go in there. The next try was perfect at 47.5lb! SO, not only am I packed, but I have confirmation that my bag is underweight. This little gem will definitely make the trip with me to ensure I don't go crazy on the trip back! </div>
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Tomorrow I just have a few more last minute details to take care of, but I should be able to relax most of the day! I'll have to start thinking of where I want to eat for my last lunch and dinner! I'm just so ready to get there now. I owe a BIG thanks to Marilyn, Caroline, Houston, the Johnson's, the Hudson's, Jill, Dad, and anyone else who has helped me get to this point over the last week. I could not have done it without any of y'all!</div>
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1157343202294151131.post-76286626708418667522012-06-30T13:27:00.002-07:002012-06-30T13:29:05.783-07:00I'm kind of freaking out here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For those of you who know me, you know that I tend to get <i>a little</i> anxious when it comes to....well....everything. In order to curb some of that anxiety, I've decided to start packing now. I'm spending my Saturday doing laundry, ironing clothes, and pulling out other items that I might need to take. Luckily, my amazing friend Marilyn helped me come up with a basic list of the things I know that I need to bring.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar_ML9F_R9CG6SsEFNTtd5EAXR7o4xbRFzg-81O2WzxXC7UEoWBFEa-vG5yFAwDAyk_w9nea-JjfKTr56mUJtLFNIlgOKuhPbPR76jjRCykaMpw7WKjsU1XsZrIik_3jisUJ0liFLDQjH/s1600/IMG_0286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiar_ML9F_R9CG6SsEFNTtd5EAXR7o4xbRFzg-81O2WzxXC7UEoWBFEa-vG5yFAwDAyk_w9nea-JjfKTr56mUJtLFNIlgOKuhPbPR76jjRCykaMpw7WKjsU1XsZrIik_3jisUJ0liFLDQjH/s320/IMG_0286.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My very "basic" list</td></tr>
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We tried to come up with all the clothes and other things that are obvious, including various chargers, toiletries, jewelry, converter, hat, and other accessories. That's the easy part. I know myself, and I know that once I start pulling everything together, I'm going to throw things in my bag that I really don't need or can buy once I get there. I'm going to have to stay aware of how much room I have and what I really do need. Luckily, we'll have access to washers and dryers so I don't have to bring my entire wardrobe for the month! Now it's just a game of seeing how much I can fit into my bags!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbBXSQZmk_L5-eWZrylCg4Kpn_l5K3NqM8CjInWq_zxEHBbKLMeLFreOpjRr5pno79vBxUprXn6iPpIJgCJbowQi8_Ah6WhiLd8yM3D4D0g_138IXzAnjqcFLMNUfh3ngc1VkUFkhCIIz/s1600/IMG_0285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbBXSQZmk_L5-eWZrylCg4Kpn_l5K3NqM8CjInWq_zxEHBbKLMeLFreOpjRr5pno79vBxUprXn6iPpIJgCJbowQi8_Ah6WhiLd8yM3D4D0g_138IXzAnjqcFLMNUfh3ngc1VkUFkhCIIz/s320/IMG_0285.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My two bags. They seem kind of tiny now<br />
that I'm looking at them!</td></tr>
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USAirways allows for one free checked bag and a carry-on. I'm taking a big bag, obviously, but rather than backpack, I'm taking a smaller rolling bag for my carry-on. We will be taking lots of weekend trips so I thought it would be a good idea to take a smaller bag so I don't have to carry my huge one everywhere. Also, it will leave me more room to bring back purchases! Now I just want to make sure that I get everything that I need, I have to keep reminding myself that I'll be able to buy anything that I forget or decide can wait until I get there. For example, I'm not taking a hairdryer, shampoo/conditioner, and other heavier items in order to save room in my bag. I plan on buying those when we arrive! I think I have a pretty good plan of how to get everything done before I leave, but I know that I'll find some way to worry about all of this preparation! However, typing all of this out sure helps calm me down!</div>
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11198181065425810566noreply@blogger.com2