I got back yesterday from my Reading Week break. Dianne and I went to France and the north of England. We spent three days in Paris, two in the Loire valley near this small town called Fontevraud (I don't know how to say it!) and then about 5 days just outside Lancaster, near the Lake District. It was all so whirlwind and crazy, and a lot of things went wrong, but it was a great trip. Here are some tidbits:
I chose my courses for next semester from an internet terminal in Heathrow airport. Not sure if I think that's annoying or awesome, but it's done. I have all the courses I want. :)
The day we arrived in Paris was also apparently the day all public transport went on strike, so there were no buses, trains, or subways working in the city and we arrived so late in the day (about 6pm) that there weren't any airport shuttles happening either. We had to take a cab from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hostel. Sucked, but it had to be done.
We took a cruise on the Siene, and it was a great way to see some of the city. We also hit up all the major tourist spots: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees.
The Loire was gorgeous, and I think I'd rather return there than to Paris. I think coming from London is just felt like another big city, but the Loire was like a different world. Pretty landscapes, nice people, comfy places to stay, and if I had more money I would be able to say good food and wine. Maybe next time?
Once back in Britian we went to Blackpool (on the west coast) to go to a big amusement park called Pleasure Beach. It was really great! We went on tons of rollercoasters and, despite the cold, they were really fun. It's been a while since I've been on roller coaster, it was fun!
We also spent a couple days in the Lake District. GORGEOUS. Such pretty hills (they call them the fells) and valleys. Cute little towns with yummy cafes and great shops. We went to the house Beatrix Potter lived in when she earned enough money to move out of her parents' house. Small and cute, and they've planted a garden like the ones she writes about. It reminded me of that Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit dish set I had when I was growing up. I wonder if that's still around? I'm sure it is, but whether it's out a moving box yet is an entirely different matter. We also drove up a really really windy road through a small mountain in the Lake District, to really get a sense of what it's like. Lots of winds, narrow roads, and sheep! Some sheep even posed for my camera.
And now we're back home, and I'm trying to get back into the school mindset. Today I don't have any set class (well, a show tonight...) so I'm going to catch up on life: write and mail postcards I bought while away, choose a topic for my British art history paper (suggestions, anyone?), and get caught up on schoolwork in general. Oh, and watch last week's Grey's!
I suppose that's all for now. That's not a very good glimpse at what my break was like, but it's hard to tell you everything you want to know without hearing your questions. So ask away if you want to know about something. In the mean time, I'll try to update in a couple days.
Tuesday 30 October 2007
Tuesday 16 October 2007
a foggy day in london town
So I realize I'm not writing in this as much as I'd like to, or maybe not as much as you'd like me to. But you know what? They keep us BUS-AY here! It's ridiculous! If it's not the classes with homework and two shows a week and classes and extra group meetings and outings then it's social stuff with the other students and nights out or in or chilling or friends visiting or impromtu travel plans to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Makes my head spin just writing it out in this blog. So you can understand why I'm having troubles trying to fit in time to update you all.
Evan and Cara just visited for a week and it was so so amazing! It was SO GREAT to see them and have them here for so long. It was honestly like having a piece of home here, which was so comforting because I've been having touble feeling completely at home and relaxed here. So that was great. This week has just been horrendous. It's our last week before our break which means we've got things due for each class so everyone (including me) is really stressed and freaking out. And on top of that Dianne and I had issues with our tranportation to Paris but now (thankfully) everything is worked out. We're going Thursday now instead of Wednesday which works out much better since we have a paper due Thursday and neither of us have started (eek!).
So last night I saw another play at the National Theatre (our third!) and I think it was my favourite at that venue. Each play we've seen has been in a different style theatre; the first one was in a Greek amphitheatre style, the second was in a typical proscenium arch theatre (like the ones most plays are performed in), and the third one (last night's) was in a studio style theatre, which is really intimate and has seating that can easily be rearranged to suit the set of the play. Anyways! This show was about polygamy/polyamory, which is a topic I find really interesting, and I found it even more interesting that the topic was being addressed by Britain's National Theatre! And there was also this incredibly talented young actor who played the 17-year-old son of the main character. His characterization was amazing, as well as his character, and I think I would go see the show again just for him.
Tonight we went to Royal Festival Hall to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who, if you don't know, are this awesome African acapella band who, among other things, recorded on Paul Simon's album Graceland. The concert was really good! Yep. There isn't much else I can say about that.
So I don't think I'll be updating again until I get back from Reading Week. The itinerary is Paris on Tursday for three nights, (hopefully) the Loire valley for two nights, and then northern England for five nights. Should be fun!
Evan and Cara just visited for a week and it was so so amazing! It was SO GREAT to see them and have them here for so long. It was honestly like having a piece of home here, which was so comforting because I've been having touble feeling completely at home and relaxed here. So that was great. This week has just been horrendous. It's our last week before our break which means we've got things due for each class so everyone (including me) is really stressed and freaking out. And on top of that Dianne and I had issues with our tranportation to Paris but now (thankfully) everything is worked out. We're going Thursday now instead of Wednesday which works out much better since we have a paper due Thursday and neither of us have started (eek!).
So last night I saw another play at the National Theatre (our third!) and I think it was my favourite at that venue. Each play we've seen has been in a different style theatre; the first one was in a Greek amphitheatre style, the second was in a typical proscenium arch theatre (like the ones most plays are performed in), and the third one (last night's) was in a studio style theatre, which is really intimate and has seating that can easily be rearranged to suit the set of the play. Anyways! This show was about polygamy/polyamory, which is a topic I find really interesting, and I found it even more interesting that the topic was being addressed by Britain's National Theatre! And there was also this incredibly talented young actor who played the 17-year-old son of the main character. His characterization was amazing, as well as his character, and I think I would go see the show again just for him.
Tonight we went to Royal Festival Hall to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who, if you don't know, are this awesome African acapella band who, among other things, recorded on Paul Simon's album Graceland. The concert was really good! Yep. There isn't much else I can say about that.
So I don't think I'll be updating again until I get back from Reading Week. The itinerary is Paris on Tursday for three nights, (hopefully) the Loire valley for two nights, and then northern England for five nights. Should be fun!
Wednesday 10 October 2007
WOW
So much has happened since I last wrote! I'm going to try to get it all in! So since I last wrote I've seen four plays and two concerts (holy crap, I know!), been out to celebrate two birthdays, welcomed two of my best friends to London and done a bunch of schoolwork. (Look Martin, I'm talking about school!) I saw two productions of The Merchant of Venice, one at The Globe (which was such a fun experience!) and a fringe production at a theatre in London's east end called The Arcola. The first one was really good because they really tried to take your back to what it would have been like seeing a show during Shakespeare's time. So we stood in the yard, and they simulated daylight, and it was generally a raucous good time. The other production wasn't as good. I liked some of the concepts that were introduced but on the whole I was frustrated by it because they opened a lot of doors and set up a lot of themes and bigger questions and then stopped addressing them. It just felt half-baked.
The other show I saw was Cabaret on the west end, it was really fun too! I don't really like Cabaret but I liked the dancing and the set design, and it was still a show on the west end (in Picadilly Circus!) and the cherry on top was having one of the characters come to our class the next day to talk with us a little about the show and about being an actor in London. He was really nice and it was a great treat to talk to someone in the business.
The latest play I saw was another one at the National Theatre called Rafta Rafta. It's set around an immigrant Indian family and is basically a family comedy-drama. It was a good slice of life for a family like that, and was pretty funny. I think our class liked it.
The two conerts were also good. I saw a lack-lustre concert on tango music (the music was good but the singing and dancing were corny and lame), and a concert by the London Philharmonia on Brahms and Strauss which was really great! The music was so well done and the pieces were moving, I only wished the piano soloist had had more emotion in his playing. But overall it was a great concert.
Last week was Steph's birthday and we went out last Wednesday (though her birthday was Friday) to ISH bar, which was a great time. Jerrrard (our prof) and his wife Diana came out, which was hilarious, and I was really glad that the group just all (or mostly all) came out and was in good spirits. We all had a good time chatting and all that. And then last night Steph, Dianne, Cara, Evan and I went out kind of for Dianne's birthday, which is on Thursday. We wanted to go to the Ice Bar but got there too late (we might try to go back later in the week, even though it had a £15 cover - eek!) and then ended up at a bar in Picadilly Circus called On Anon, which was pretty good. We stayed for a couple pints and then headed home.
Saturday marked the beginning of Cara's & Evan's visit to London! They got here around noon and we've been doing things non-stop since then, with the exception of class. We've been to Regent's Park (duh, it's basically our backyard), Harrod's, Primark, out to dinner, and Cara and Evan have also been to Fortnum and Mason's (a high end dept store like Harrod's), Hamley's Toy Store, and the London Eye. I think theyre having a good time, and it's really great having them here, even with having to share my tiny single bed. Oh, and we've been trading all sorts of gossip and drama, us telling about random things that happen here and them filling Dianne and I in on the drama happening in our group of friends right now.
So I suppose now you're (mostly) all caught up! Tonight we're seeing Carmen for music class (yay!) and this weekend Dianne and I are going to Brighton, and Dianne, Cara, Evan and I might go to Stratford-Upon-Avon to visit Cara's friend from high school. And Steph's off to Amsterdam this weekend for lots of fun and debauchery. We're always busy, now I just need to find time to do work!
The other show I saw was Cabaret on the west end, it was really fun too! I don't really like Cabaret but I liked the dancing and the set design, and it was still a show on the west end (in Picadilly Circus!) and the cherry on top was having one of the characters come to our class the next day to talk with us a little about the show and about being an actor in London. He was really nice and it was a great treat to talk to someone in the business.
The latest play I saw was another one at the National Theatre called Rafta Rafta. It's set around an immigrant Indian family and is basically a family comedy-drama. It was a good slice of life for a family like that, and was pretty funny. I think our class liked it.
The two conerts were also good. I saw a lack-lustre concert on tango music (the music was good but the singing and dancing were corny and lame), and a concert by the London Philharmonia on Brahms and Strauss which was really great! The music was so well done and the pieces were moving, I only wished the piano soloist had had more emotion in his playing. But overall it was a great concert.
Last week was Steph's birthday and we went out last Wednesday (though her birthday was Friday) to ISH bar, which was a great time. Jerrrard (our prof) and his wife Diana came out, which was hilarious, and I was really glad that the group just all (or mostly all) came out and was in good spirits. We all had a good time chatting and all that. And then last night Steph, Dianne, Cara, Evan and I went out kind of for Dianne's birthday, which is on Thursday. We wanted to go to the Ice Bar but got there too late (we might try to go back later in the week, even though it had a £15 cover - eek!) and then ended up at a bar in Picadilly Circus called On Anon, which was pretty good. We stayed for a couple pints and then headed home.
Saturday marked the beginning of Cara's & Evan's visit to London! They got here around noon and we've been doing things non-stop since then, with the exception of class. We've been to Regent's Park (duh, it's basically our backyard), Harrod's, Primark, out to dinner, and Cara and Evan have also been to Fortnum and Mason's (a high end dept store like Harrod's), Hamley's Toy Store, and the London Eye. I think theyre having a good time, and it's really great having them here, even with having to share my tiny single bed. Oh, and we've been trading all sorts of gossip and drama, us telling about random things that happen here and them filling Dianne and I in on the drama happening in our group of friends right now.
So I suppose now you're (mostly) all caught up! Tonight we're seeing Carmen for music class (yay!) and this weekend Dianne and I are going to Brighton, and Dianne, Cara, Evan and I might go to Stratford-Upon-Avon to visit Cara's friend from high school. And Steph's off to Amsterdam this weekend for lots of fun and debauchery. We're always busy, now I just need to find time to do work!
Tuesday 2 October 2007
in which the homesickness sets in...
Highlights from last weekend:
- Staying in British suburia, despite making me miss my own surburban home.
- Trying out punting. I wasn't very good, and actually got a little frustrated, but I liked sitting in the boat and spending time with the roomies.
- Our B&B. Very comfortable with an ensuite bathroom (that doesn't feel like you're on a barge) and a tv in the room. I got to watch British talk shows!
- Going up a church tower to see the whole of Oxford, and even into the countryside a little. Very pretty.
- This cafe called Puccino's with a very quirky menu and decor. My kind of place.
Things I'm looking forward to:
- Evan and Cara coming to visit for an entire week! Eeeee!
- Getting more and more used to London things like the Tube, the streets, and the general layout of the city. I still get frustrated with how easily I lose my sense of direction here, but I'm getting better.
- The drama class' backstage tour of the British National Theatre scheduled for next week.
- Going out tomorrow for Steph's (roomate's) birthday.
Things I miss:
- My privacy. Being in a triple is definitely worse than the double in Artz I remember. I've been here a month, and been alone twice since I drove to the airport in Toronto. Ugh.
- My computer. It's my window home. I go stir-crazy when I can't interact with different people on a regular basis, and even moreso when I can't connect with my family and best friends when I want to, or read my blog, or do random research on things that interest me, not to mention actual research I need to do for classes. This is what I'm having the hardest time with. I knew it would be an adjustment, but I didn't expect the guilt I would feel always borrowing time on my roomates' computers. If there is any way to get one right now, I'd get it. But I keep coming up dry.
- Television, especially since Private Practice and Grey's have started. Plus, sometimes it feels so good to relax and veg in front of the boob tube. Some people listen to music, some people have a glass of wine, I watch tv.
- Peanut butter, solely because someone mentioned it at dinner tonight and now I have a craving.
I don't want you to think I'm not having a good time. I am. I'm enjoying myself. I'm meeting new people and doing new things, and loving being here. I just miss those things.
- Staying in British suburia, despite making me miss my own surburban home.
- Trying out punting. I wasn't very good, and actually got a little frustrated, but I liked sitting in the boat and spending time with the roomies.
- Our B&B. Very comfortable with an ensuite bathroom (that doesn't feel like you're on a barge) and a tv in the room. I got to watch British talk shows!
- Going up a church tower to see the whole of Oxford, and even into the countryside a little. Very pretty.
- This cafe called Puccino's with a very quirky menu and decor. My kind of place.
Things I'm looking forward to:
- Evan and Cara coming to visit for an entire week! Eeeee!
- Getting more and more used to London things like the Tube, the streets, and the general layout of the city. I still get frustrated with how easily I lose my sense of direction here, but I'm getting better.
- The drama class' backstage tour of the British National Theatre scheduled for next week.
- Going out tomorrow for Steph's (roomate's) birthday.
Things I miss:
- My privacy. Being in a triple is definitely worse than the double in Artz I remember. I've been here a month, and been alone twice since I drove to the airport in Toronto. Ugh.
- My computer. It's my window home. I go stir-crazy when I can't interact with different people on a regular basis, and even moreso when I can't connect with my family and best friends when I want to, or read my blog, or do random research on things that interest me, not to mention actual research I need to do for classes. This is what I'm having the hardest time with. I knew it would be an adjustment, but I didn't expect the guilt I would feel always borrowing time on my roomates' computers. If there is any way to get one right now, I'd get it. But I keep coming up dry.
- Television, especially since Private Practice and Grey's have started. Plus, sometimes it feels so good to relax and veg in front of the boob tube. Some people listen to music, some people have a glass of wine, I watch tv.
- Peanut butter, solely because someone mentioned it at dinner tonight and now I have a craving.
I don't want you to think I'm not having a good time. I am. I'm enjoying myself. I'm meeting new people and doing new things, and loving being here. I just miss those things.
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