Newcastle, Edinburgh, Liverpool

Newcastle

Cragside

Although this was awhile ago, we had a fall break! We had a week off from classes but since I do not have classes on Friday and Monday, I had a little more time to spend with my special guest......MY MOM! She came to visit me for the whole time and it was at just the right moment of the semester. So I met here in London and we flew to Newcastle to see Pam and her husband John. We stayed at their house for a few days and got to see Newcastle. It was a really cool city but my favorite part was seeing this old house called Cragside. It was the first house to use electricity. The owner of the house used hydroelectric power to power lamps, radiators, and even an elevator in the

Edinburgh Castle

Me at the Beatles Museum

house! The most amazing part of Cragside was the grounds around it where Armstrong (the owner) had over 700 trees planted. This was the first old house that I've seen where I actually thought I could live in. After spending some time in Newcastle, we went to Edinburgh and met my friend from college Shelby. We saw the Royal Brittania, the boat where the royal family had vacations and met other heads of states. It was so nice in there and really great to see a place that the Queen loves. The next day we saw the Edinburgh Castle which was also really cool. It was huge and very open outside. It was mostly made up of different buildings inside a big wall on top of a large hill. After Edinburgh, we went to Liverpool to see my four favorite men of all time! We immediately went to the Beatles museum where I cried. It was amazing for someone like me who adores the Beatles. After the museum we met up with my friend from college studying in Copenhagen, Shawna. The next day the four of us took a tour called the Magical Mystery Bus Tour, where we went to every Beatles place in Liverpool. We saw John Lennon's house, George Harrison's house, Penny Lane, etc. I was very overwhelmed when we ended at the Cavern where they were founded. We got to actually go inside and I had a panic attack. I then got to show my mom around Bath where we did tourist stuff but mostly I got to show her where I've been living for the past couple months.

Mom and I at Baths

Sunday Roast

We also ate so much food! I don't think I was ever hungry. We ate delicious meringues that were filled with whipped cream mixed with strawberries and chocolate shavings. We also had a traditional Sunday roast which was delicious even for this picky eater! It was roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, carrots, turnips, and roast potatoes
. It was so delicious, my description does not due it justice at all. Maybe the picture will help.


Next post, I will talk about the week after fall break which was Halloweek! Sorry I'm so far behind but I'm catching up slowly!

RIP Brian Epsetin

My panic attack at the Cavern

 For those who don't know, Brian Epstein was the Beatles founding manager and I love him. He basically made the Beatles who they were and he died very suddenly. It was kind of funny though because at the Beatles Museum they showed a video of George Harrison and John Lennon responding to his death and they were clearly on drugs, but I still love them best.

An American Tourist In London

Sorry I haven't kept up with this blog in awhile but so much has been happening! So I am still behind. Now I have to look back on what I've done and write about these past events. The first one I am going to write about my 4 day trip to London with Pam! Pam is my sister Brittany's boyfriends mother. I'll break it down with pictures:

To the left is my older sister Brittany and her boyfriend Mike. To the right is Mike (notice the same hair) and his mother Pam.

After only meeting Pam once, she was the one to pick me up from Heathrow airport and got me settled into Bath. She really wanted to do a girls weekend, so we met up at the end of September in London for four days!

Charles Darwin's Grave

Houses of Parliament Outside

I met her on Friday morning and after some tea and biscuits we went to Westminster Abbey. It was beautiful! Really nice too that Pam had found all of these discounts for us so it wasn't as expensive as it would have been. I took some illegal pictures before they told me to put my camera away. It was really cool to see things like Charles Darwin's grave and the coronation seat.
I have learned a lot about old British monarchs but never about the current one Queen Elizabeth II. Seeing pictures of the coronation in Westminster was crazy. I was right in the center of where royalty had been. This became a theme of the trip, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which starts at Westminster. Then we went and saw the houses of Parliament. It was amazing! We got to go into the robe room where the Queen gets ready before speaking to Parliament. Of course it was beautiful. We also got to see where the house of Lords and the house of Commons sit. It was really interesting to hear how the British government works. Then for dinner we went to Chinatown and had buffet Chinese food. I had my own room at our hotel that was so nice! We also had access to the executive lounge which had food all the time and free wifi! Whenever we wanted a break or before we went to bed we would always stop there and have some tea and cakes.

Memorial to those who were executed

Yeomen Warder

The next day we went to the Tower of London. Being in London this was the one must see for me. The Tudors are my obsession and especially Henry VIII, so seeing where he had the executions of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard was surreal. We had a tour by these people called Yeomen Warders or Beefeaters. Our Beefeater was hilarious! We also got to see the crown jewels. The one thing I kept thinking of seeing the crown jewels was how heavy they must have been. Especially for when the Queen was crowned she was only 26 and tiny. About my size, so she must have been towering over with the weight of jewels. Then we took a river boat cruise from the Tower to Greenwich to Westminster. It was a little cold and a little rainy so we were exhausted afterwards. We relaxed in the executive lounge and I did some homework. Then we had delicious Italian food. This weekend I ate so much rich food that I would fall asleep instantly at night. It was a nice step up from my bags of rice and bagels.

Buckingham Palace

On Sunday, we

Changing of the guard

walked all of London! We walked from St. Paul's Cathedral through Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. All before 11 o'clock. We walked up the Mall to Buckingham and saw the changing of the guards. Buckingham Palace was gorgeous! So beautiful yet simple on the outside. We walked through St. James Park to the Royal Cavalry. This is where they have mounted horses in front of the building and we witnessed the changing of the horses too. I was almost stabbed with a sword by accident. Then we walked through the park again, we saw this crane that was just chilling next to a guy on a bench reading the paper. It was the craziest thing ever, and also the people there were crazy too. It was like no one had seen a squirrel before, they all tried to feed and pet them! Disgusting. Then we went through the state rooms of Buckingham Palace. The entire set up was to celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee so it was all about the coronation. It was amazing walking through the palace and gardens where people like Princess Diana and Prince Harry lived. Here was when I decided I wanted to be royalty. My only option is Prince Harry but I have yet to run into him. That night we went to a Beatles play/musical/tribute at a theater! It was called Let It Be and was basically a concert that went through their different styles of music throughout their career and how they became famous. It was so much fun and a lot of singing and dancing! Mostly from me, aka the youngest person there.

Pam and I on Abbey Road

On our last day we went to Abbey Road and walked across! It was so awkward though because traffic kept coming through so you had to walk fast for a picture.

We then went to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home so that I could compare it to the Bath Cats and Dogs Home for my dissertation. I have come to the decision that I want to adopt a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They are adorable and so sweet! This was sad because we both wanted to just give them all a great home. We ate our feelings in Covent Garden which had a great outdoor market. Then it was time to say goodbye and head back home to Bath!

Sorry again for the delayed post but soon I will put about a post about my break!
Cheers.

Here is the famous Crane picture:

Oxfordian

First and foremost I must say that every picture I am going to put here I did not take. Why? My phone fell in the toilet and I have been without a camera for a few weeks. I will put the photo cred on the bottom of the picture so the person who takes it will get credit. If you are mad at me using your picture, I am sorry and will take it down if you want. Okay now that is done, let me tell you about my programs trip to Oxford for a week. We stayed at the University College of Oxford, and apparently the University of Oxford doesn't exist. It is all just separate colleges, mind-blowing I know. To accurately tell of what we did there I am going to categorize our activities into the days we were there. I am also doing this to spice this blog up a bit and because I can't read about King Alfred anymore today.

Saturday:

University College Oxford
Photo Cred: Catherine Hopkins

This was the day that we left! We were picked up at 9am on a coach bus and drove to Oxford. I only slept for about half an hour the bus which was new for me. Cars of any form make me pass out. We pulled up to Univ, as they call it, and got our rooms. We all lived in dorm style buildings with single rooms. Some people were lucky and had huge rooms with a common room attached, or just a big room with a double bed. Others, like myself, had a tiny room with a bed that you could feel every single spring in the mattress. The nice thing was that it had its own sink and also you had space to yourself. Personally, I hate being all by myself but it was great that I could dance around in my underwear. After unpacking, we got lunch and then had a welcome talk with a man who is the exact stereotype of an Oxford professor. Then we had a tour of the college, just where everything is. Then walked around the city. For dinner some of my friends and I went to GBK or gourmet burger kitchen which is delicious! Then we hung out in a common room, went to a pub, then found a secretly awesome club. We randomly found it and ended up staying for a long time. They played some great throwbacks such as 'Get Jiggy Wit It' and 'Crank That'. Also, there were some very interesting characters. We left and went back to my room where we devoured two bags of crisps (aka chips) and then I went to bed, realizing that breakfast is at 8am.

Sunday:

Me punting backwards
Photo Cred: Sarah Longenderfer

I made it to breakfast at 8am! It was delicious and they had coco krispies! I went to mass at Christ Church which I actually loved. Everything was sung and the choir sang beautifully. Later in the afternoon after lunch we went punting. It's basically like a gondola ride with someone standing on the back of the boat using a long rod to push you down a river. It was so much fun. So relaxing and hilarious. Only one person fell in and they weren't from my boat. I tried to punt but I was horrible. The only way I could make my boat go straight was going backwards and using the heavy long rod to canoe us. I only punted for a few minutes then decided I liked being a passenger better. After punting, we went to a cafe and had hot chocolate and did some 'homework'. I did a little bit of homework and then fell asleep for almost two hours on one of the couches. Three of my friends and I got pizza which was an experience. We basically passed the restaurant atleast twice then got two 'large' pizzas to 'share' but they ended up being individual size. That night we had a disco at the univ bar with the entire program and our tutors who were there with us. SUCH A BLAST! We danced all night, played pool and Foosball. Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and some One Direction was requested and played.

Dancing at the Disco
Photo Cred: Emily Gumbrecht

Monday:

No classes for me on Monday but I still made it to breakfast, even though it was a little bit later than 8am (830ish). I put this day aside as my day to finish all my work for the week. I spent most of the day in the common room that we had to do work. I went shopping a little and got a bunch of new clothes for cheap. We went to this pub for dinner called the Eagle and the Child, where CS Lewis and Tolkien used to go. I had a delicious burger! We then had a talk called Bloody Oxford which was really interesting. I watched a movie for class and that's all I did.

Harry Potter Staircase
Photo Cred: Emily Gumbrecht

Tuesday:

I woke up late and went to Patisserie Valerie where they have this deal that in the morning you can get a pastry and a coffee for only 2.98 pounds. It's called the 'Early Riser' but I went at 930. Then I had a meeting with all the people in the internship program. I went shopping to my new favorite place called PrieMark where everything is really cheap. I got the best sweater ever. Then after lunch I went on a tour of Christ Church College which was interesting and had the staircase from Harry Potter and the entrance to the great hall! That night the whole program, minus two, went and had Indian food. I thought I was going to hate it but I really enjoyed it! I ate so much naan bread and Korma that I couldn't do anything but work and sleep that night.

Wednesday:

I had two classes today. For my first class, History of the Middle Ages, we went to the Ashmolean Museum before class. It was a really cool museum where we looked at relics from Anglo-Saxon England and the Vikings when they came to England. We then had class in a ginormous lecture hall which was funny because there are four people in my class. My second class for the day was Beast, Big Brother, and Beyond. In the class we read post-war British Literature and compare them to the screen adaptations. This week was the book 1984 versus the movie of the same name and this movie called 'Brazil'. More on my classes later. Afterwards I went to this great restaurant and then drank wine with my friends. I sang some celine dion on a bridge and went to a club where everyone was at least 28.

The ASE Program
Photo Cred: Catherine Hopkins

Thursday:

One class today which was my Women in Culture and Society in the eighteenth century. After class, I went up this tower. It had something like 270 steps but it had a beautiful view. At night, we had a formal dinner with all of our tutors and you had to dress very smartly. The food was delicious! Afterwards we went back to the Univ bar for drinks and to hang out. I went to bed afterwards because of course I ended up getting a cold.

Friday:

The Proposal
Photo Cred: Megan Doeg

We left today but stopped at Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born. It was a gorgeous palace that made me want to be a princess more than ever. We had a tour of the palace, then got to walk around the gardens that were so big and beautiful. We went to the place where Winston proposed to his wife and I was humorously proposed to by my friend. We got back to Bath and after unpacking, I went to my friends house. We had dinner and watched Pride and Prejudice, the one with Kiera Knightley.

Wow. Sorry for the long posts but as I said in my first post on the blog this is mostly a diary for me so I can remember everything I did. I wanted to get everything down but again sorry for the long paragraphs. I give you permission to skim.

Cheers!

Being Sick

Being sick wherever you are is the worst. Except for when you were little and got stay home from school and watch cartoons. Personally, the part I hate most about being sick is not being able to do anything. I hate being forced onto a couch for a day, in pain, doing nothing. So when I started to get a sore throat, I was dreading being sick abroad. It was bound to happen. Don't worry everyone, I don't have the flu or plague, just a really sore throat. That's not to say that it doesn't hurt, because it does, especially when I have to swallow. You never really notice how much you swallow during the day and night until you have a swollen gland. Anyway, here are some of my tips on what to do when you are sick:
1)Cry
-Okay this is kind of sad to think of someone sick crying but believe me it helps. Everyone needs a good cry every now and then because it's therapeutic. The same goes when you're sick. Just do it.
2)Wear baggy clothes
-Self-explanatory. No one should look nice when they are sick. This is a known fact. If you are wearing makeup and a nice outfit when you are sick, then I applaud you. If you are like me and wear the same outfit for the entire length of your sickness then we should compare outfit choices.
3)Oranges
-Vitamin C is good for you, but I swear that oranges are the cure to any sickness (and delicious).
4)Ibuprofen
-Ignore the warning labels. If you are in pain take 2 every 4 hours. Also, children's Motrin helps if it hurts to swallow the pills.
5)Water
-Not fluids, just water.
6)Sleep
-Wake up at 12, then nap for two hours, then nap for another hour, then go to bed. Repeat.
7)Dance.
-Yes, I understand you are sick but does that mean you can't dance? No. Sweat it out on the dance floor especially if its Motown night.
8)Socks
-Wear comfy socks. They make you feel better. This could probably go with baggy clothes.
9)Cough drops
-If your throat hurts get some cough drops. Even if you don't have a cough they help soothe your throat.
10)Hygiene
-Don't forget to take a hot shower. It feels good and makes you smell and look like a normal person. Rather than looking like a zombie from the eighteenth century.
Well, that's all I can think of for right now. I would add more things that I do when I'm sick like watch scary movies and eat cheese, but that's a lifestyle choice. Specifically if you are abroad and sick, go to the nearest pharmacy, get some cough drops, and act strong in front of the pharmacist.

Linley House

So after a long plane ride with about 20 minutes of sleep under my belt, a nice English breakfast, reunion with my English mother Pam, and a cheese and fruit lunch, I finally made it to my house. So I lugged my overweight suitcase up the stone steps into this beautiful 18th century home. All my roommates were so nice and even though I was at first nervous about the house being old, now I appreciate its quirkiness. Even if I swear that there is a ghost in this house. Along are some pictures of the different areas of the house. I would put caption but I think they are pretty self-explanatory. So my house is called Linley house after a family that lived here in the eighteenth century. The man who owned the house was apparently really good friends with Mozart and his daughters all fell in love with some pretty important artistic men. This family was very musical so it makes me think that maybe the musical nature will rub off on me and I can become like Mariah Carey. So I live on the ground floor in a double with a girl named Lauren from Syracuse, New York. Another girl named Morgan lives in a single next to us and she is from Pennsylvania. Down in the basement there is a creepy toilet and sink that we can use and a classroom. There is also the washer and dryer and another small stove. To the second floor there is a nice common area that used to be the drawing room. It has yellow walls, a nice TV, couches and chairs, and some VCR movies. Very old school. Next to the common room is a big dining room with a table and also yellow walls. Through the doorway off the dining room is our kitchen which is basically the size of a closet. All the appliances and things work but you can't be in there with anyone else. They gave us some basic foods for our first couple of days like pasta, nutella, bread, milk, and yogurt. Don't worry everyone, I brought two jars of my own peanut butter. Up another flight of stairs are two double rooms that have Sarah, Amanda, Meaghan, and Catherine. Then the showers which are connected but separated by a wall. The front doors are glass so basically you can see everything. Then up a small and narrow set of stairs is a bathtub, toilet, and sink. That's basically it for the house. It is in such a great part of Bath, right in the center. Across the street is where we take classes and down the road is the town center that has all the pubs and shopping. Very convenient. I'll do another post soon if I have time about my day to day stuff, it probably wont be as intense as this one but oh well. Cheers!

Sorry that the pictures are strangely spaced but I couldn't get them to work. Technologically challenged.

The Beginning

Never in my life would I have thought that this day would ever come. For one, being a junior in college is crazy enough to think about but also going abroad to England is unimaginable. I am what you would call a homebody, where my favorite place to be is at home with my family. I love my school and my friends but nothing beats watching a lifetime movie on the couch with my three sisters, my mom, and my dad yelling about how the acting is horrible. Driving four hours away to Vermont has always been emotional leaving my family. Once I am all settled in though, I feel right at a new home. I have always struggled with anxiety so the anticipation of something new makes me extremely nervous. However, the night before going abroad to Bath, England, I feel excited. With a belly full of ice cream and (of course) a lifetime movie on, I am very content about going to Bath. I am so excited that I get the opportunity to go over to this historical country and travel around the world. My dream is to become a documentary film maker and I believe that this will be my start along that path. If I can go to a whole new environment then I can do anything. I know that this post is short and not too great but I am not good at setting a scene. I hope that my posts of my new adventures will be interesting but if not at least I can look back on this blog and remember everything that happened on my time in Bath.