Well, I guess there's quite a bit of catching up that I need to do. I've been putting this off but I'm not really sure why. I guess it's just because I'm a bum. There have been a few times when I've thought about updating it, but then I don't. It's the thought that counts, right?
Anyways, on to the good stuff. Two weeks ago, Herman came to visit during his Spring break. It was great!! He got in on Tuesday morning and was here until Sunday morning. As difficult as it was to see him go again, it was so incredibly awesome to have him here. Bethany pointed out that at least now he'll know what I'm talking about when I mention different things in my many stories. I guess she knows that I'll be telling stories for awhile once I get home. Once Herman landed and we made it back to Keele, I took him on a small tour of the campus. I guess he didn't believe me when I told him I lived in "Africa" as I have so lovingly nicknamed it. He was surprised when we just kept walking to get my mail. Luckily it was a nice day so we walked around Keele Hall a bit and I was able to show him that there really are sheep on campus! We went to Curry Night at Sneyd Arms, the pub on campus. I got the feeling that Curry Night may have been one of the highlights of the trip for him. Wednesday, we took the train to London and spent the day with Emily and another friend of ours, Michelle, who were in London with a group from ODU. It was so awesome to be in the city with Herman and Emily! I wish we had more time there because there's so much more I would've loved to show him. However, we got to see the Queen so I think the our time there was well spent. Thursday and Friday were just regular days at Keele. Friday afternoon, I had the tutorial for my Trees in Their Environment class and we went walking around the woods to see examples of some of the stuff we'd talked about in class. Herman tagged along and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself. He was a little hesitant at first but then he realized how crazy interesting trees actually are and allowed his inner-nerd to enjoy the educational experience. We made our way to Manchester on Friday night, but not before stopping by Sneyd Arms one more time for curry. On Saturday, Cory, Katie, Bethany and their friend Lindsay joined us in Manchester and we spent the day together. We ate at a yummy Japanese place for dinner, which made the day even better. Sunday morning was a little rough as we said our goodbyes but the week was wonderful. I'm so grateful that he had the chance to come visit!
Last week was pretty uneventful. I was able to talk to mom some about her upcoming visit. I'm really excited to get to take her around in London and to go to Alton Towers with her! It's really going to be nice to have people back at home who know what I'm talking about when I talk about stuff from over here.
This past weekend, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland with a group from Keele. The trip was organized by International Student Services here at Keele. Everyone that I've talked to who has been to Edinburgh said that it's a beautiful city. They weren't lying! It's absolutely gorgeous! The weather was great this weekend too so that made it even better. Once I go through all of the pictures, I'll be sure to post some. We got in Friday evening and had dinner in the city and did a little walking around to see the city lit up. Even at night the city's gorgeous. We stayed in the Holiday Inn, so I definitely got a good nights sleep and a yummy breakfast before hitting the city again. There's so much history and so many beautiful buildings. Calton Hill sits towards one end of the Royal Mile and you can walk up it and see the whole city. It's amazing! I have a small confession to make. The bus picked us up at 5pm on Saturday to take us back to the hotel so we could get cleaned up and ready to go back into the city at 7pm if we wanted to. Everyone was planning on going back into the city and going out since it was St. Patrick's Day. I was going to go in and have dinner but then make my way back to the hotel. I definitely was NOT interested in going to any pubs or anything on St. Patrick's Day. I wouldn't even do that in the States, much less Scotland. I know it's typically an Irish holiday, but I had a feeling Scotland might party it up a bit too. So, to get to the point, I managed to get food and have dinner at the hotel. Therefore, I didn't even go into the city at 7pm. I stayed in the room, took a nice shower in a shower that's bigger than 4 sq. feet and went to bed early. It was grand! Everyone else looked tired and worn out on Sunday morning, but not me. I definitely think I made the right decision. On Sunday morning, the bus took us back into the city and we had until 2pm, when we were supposed to head back to Keele. I wanted to go to the castle and have a look around inside, which required a ticket. No one else really seemed interested. They wanted to go to an art gallery and some other places that I wasn't really interested in. So, I went to the castle by myself. That was another decision that I'm glad I made. It was so cool! The views from the castle were amazing and the castle itself was awesome. There was an exhibit set up about prison(er)s of war. One of the rooms was set up as it would've been when it held American prisoners during the American Revolution. I guess I had just never thought about it, but it was crazy to hear them say they had American prisoners of war. Obviously, during the Revolution, Britain would've taken American soldiers prisoner, but I just figured the British set up prisons in the colonies. I didn't think about the fact that they would've shipped the prisoners all the way back to the UK. It was an interesting revelation to have in the middle of a prison in the Edinburgh Castle. We made our way back to Keele last night and got in around 9pm. It was a great weekend and I'm really glad I had the chance to go.
This weekend is going to be low-key. I found out that, in the library in the city center, there are archives. I think I'm going to try and get there this Saturday and see if I can find out anything about the part of my family that made their way to America back in the 1870s. I knew that my Poppy's side of the family came from England. What I didn't know, until just before I came, is that they actually came from North Staffordshire. Anyone want to guess where Keele University is? That's right, North Staffordshire. I'm excited to see what I can find out about my family's history.
Once again, sorry for being a slacker. I'll do my best to update more often!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
London!!
This past weekend, I spent the weekend in London with my friends Bethany, Katie and Cory. Not only did I spend time with them, but we met up with Emily! She's in London this week with a group from ODU. I was able to catch up with her and we were able to hang out some. It was a pretty awesome weekend!
We got into the city Friday evening and checked into our hostel. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I had never stayed in a hostel before and when we walked into this one, it was quite warm and kind of dark. My first impression wasn't that great. But, once we got settled in, it turned out to be pretty good. Once we checked in and dropped our stuff off, we took a little walk and met up with Emily! I had dinner with her and some others from ODU. The point of meeting up then was so that I could give her my cell phone so we could find each other Saturday. Otherwise, who knows if we would've ever found each other again!
Saturday morning, Bethany, Katie, Cory and I headed up to do some sight seeing. We met up with our friend Jordan who was in the area. Our first stop was the Tower of London. The first major usage of the Tower was as a fortress by William the Conqueror. That means it's a quite an old place. It's been used in the years since as a fortress, place of residence for the monarchs, and prison among other things. It's cool to see how it's been added on to and how different areas were used for different things throughout time. Some of the most notable parts of the Tower are The Traitors Gate, where prisoners were brought in, the Jewel House, which houses the Crown Jewels, and the ravens. Although I am not a huge fan of birds, these ravens are impressive. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, that will be the end of the monarchy. Needless to say, these ravens are quite well taken care of. There are 8 total and 2 are kept in cages, just in case anything happens to the other 6. They all have names and are quite domesticated.
We took a tour with a "Beefeater". The proper name is Yeoman Warder and these guys are the keepers of the Tower basically. In order to become a Yeoman Warder, you must have served 22 years in the military and retired as a high-ranking officer. The guide we had was very knowledgeable and quite entertaining. It's always fun knowing the little things that are a part of history. One of the interesting bits of information we learned is that prisoners were held in the Tower as late as WWII. A German spy was imprisoned and executed in the Tower during the war. They've done an awesome job of bringing history to life at the Tower. The White Tower is in the middle of the whole complex and is now a museum of sorts with armor of kings past and interactive areas to show just what life was like in the Tower. Part of the outer section is set up like an apartment of a knight and his lady. They have actors there playing the parts of the knight and lady. The sections that were used as prisons also have areas that are set up as they would've been. Also, in one of the lower areas, they have a little bit about torture that was used in the Tower. All-in-all, it was a really informative morning.
After we left the Tower, we got lunch and headed to the British Museum. One of the most famous things at the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone. This is the stone that was found and enabled scholars to decipher the ancient hieroglyphics. Honestly, it's a little anti-climactic. There's only a portion of it left and it's probably a few inches shorter than me. Nonetheless, it's one of those things that you should definitely see if you ever have the chance. It played a very significant role in history. In the same section there are other sculptures from ancient Egypt. As you move along, there are sculptures from the Parthenon. These sculptures are part of a debate right now over who should rightfully possess them, but for now they're in Britain. Looking at parts of a building that has such a long history is truly awe-inspiring. I could probably spend days in the museum. For the sake of time, I made my way up to the upper floor. The stuff to see up there is the mummies!! That's right, mummies! It was pretty cool to see actual mummified bodies and learn a bit about the way the bodies were preserved. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to the museum at some point so that I can spend a bit more time there.
To wrap-up our weekend away, we did a little sight-seeing on Sunday. We went by Buckingham Palace (the flag was up so the Queen was home). Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead by that point. I'm going to "borrow" some of the pictures the others took once they put them on Facebook. After Buckingham Palace, we walked on to the Natural History Museum. They had a lot of really cool interactive things set up about everything from ecology to human biology. After that, we went by and saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. It was beautiful. I'll definitely be taking mom by there when she comes to visit. Katie made the statement that, out of all of the monuments we had seen, that one was the only one that welcomes you to touch it and stick your hands and feet in the water and what not. There was a sign that told about the memorial and said that the interactive aspect of the memorial was on purpose. It was to represent Princess Diana's openness to all. It was really gorgeous and thought-provoking. We kept walking and went by Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. By then, it was time for us to gather our things and head back to the train station.
The entire weekend was packed full of history and beauty. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to visit London and I hope to make it back. Herman and I are going for the day on Wednesday, but just for the day. I would really like to take mom when she comes. It's too good to not show off. I'll attach a few pictures and attempt to show a bit of how cool it is.
We got into the city Friday evening and checked into our hostel. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I had never stayed in a hostel before and when we walked into this one, it was quite warm and kind of dark. My first impression wasn't that great. But, once we got settled in, it turned out to be pretty good. Once we checked in and dropped our stuff off, we took a little walk and met up with Emily! I had dinner with her and some others from ODU. The point of meeting up then was so that I could give her my cell phone so we could find each other Saturday. Otherwise, who knows if we would've ever found each other again!
Saturday morning, Bethany, Katie, Cory and I headed up to do some sight seeing. We met up with our friend Jordan who was in the area. Our first stop was the Tower of London. The first major usage of the Tower was as a fortress by William the Conqueror. That means it's a quite an old place. It's been used in the years since as a fortress, place of residence for the monarchs, and prison among other things. It's cool to see how it's been added on to and how different areas were used for different things throughout time. Some of the most notable parts of the Tower are The Traitors Gate, where prisoners were brought in, the Jewel House, which houses the Crown Jewels, and the ravens. Although I am not a huge fan of birds, these ravens are impressive. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, that will be the end of the monarchy. Needless to say, these ravens are quite well taken care of. There are 8 total and 2 are kept in cages, just in case anything happens to the other 6. They all have names and are quite domesticated.
We took a tour with a "Beefeater". The proper name is Yeoman Warder and these guys are the keepers of the Tower basically. In order to become a Yeoman Warder, you must have served 22 years in the military and retired as a high-ranking officer. The guide we had was very knowledgeable and quite entertaining. It's always fun knowing the little things that are a part of history. One of the interesting bits of information we learned is that prisoners were held in the Tower as late as WWII. A German spy was imprisoned and executed in the Tower during the war. They've done an awesome job of bringing history to life at the Tower. The White Tower is in the middle of the whole complex and is now a museum of sorts with armor of kings past and interactive areas to show just what life was like in the Tower. Part of the outer section is set up like an apartment of a knight and his lady. They have actors there playing the parts of the knight and lady. The sections that were used as prisons also have areas that are set up as they would've been. Also, in one of the lower areas, they have a little bit about torture that was used in the Tower. All-in-all, it was a really informative morning.
After we left the Tower, we got lunch and headed to the British Museum. One of the most famous things at the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone. This is the stone that was found and enabled scholars to decipher the ancient hieroglyphics. Honestly, it's a little anti-climactic. There's only a portion of it left and it's probably a few inches shorter than me. Nonetheless, it's one of those things that you should definitely see if you ever have the chance. It played a very significant role in history. In the same section there are other sculptures from ancient Egypt. As you move along, there are sculptures from the Parthenon. These sculptures are part of a debate right now over who should rightfully possess them, but for now they're in Britain. Looking at parts of a building that has such a long history is truly awe-inspiring. I could probably spend days in the museum. For the sake of time, I made my way up to the upper floor. The stuff to see up there is the mummies!! That's right, mummies! It was pretty cool to see actual mummified bodies and learn a bit about the way the bodies were preserved. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to the museum at some point so that I can spend a bit more time there.
To wrap-up our weekend away, we did a little sight-seeing on Sunday. We went by Buckingham Palace (the flag was up so the Queen was home). Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead by that point. I'm going to "borrow" some of the pictures the others took once they put them on Facebook. After Buckingham Palace, we walked on to the Natural History Museum. They had a lot of really cool interactive things set up about everything from ecology to human biology. After that, we went by and saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. It was beautiful. I'll definitely be taking mom by there when she comes to visit. Katie made the statement that, out of all of the monuments we had seen, that one was the only one that welcomes you to touch it and stick your hands and feet in the water and what not. There was a sign that told about the memorial and said that the interactive aspect of the memorial was on purpose. It was to represent Princess Diana's openness to all. It was really gorgeous and thought-provoking. We kept walking and went by Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. By then, it was time for us to gather our things and head back to the train station.
The entire weekend was packed full of history and beauty. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to visit London and I hope to make it back. Herman and I are going for the day on Wednesday, but just for the day. I would really like to take mom when she comes. It's too good to not show off. I'll attach a few pictures and attempt to show a bit of how cool it is.
The sign as you head to the Tower from the Underground. The Tower is still a Palace and Fortress as the sign says. Crazy amounts of history!
The Tower Bridge with a double-decked bus driving across it. Notice I said Tower Bridge. This is the London Bridge. That one's up the river a bit and not nearly as impressive.
A 2-ton iron gate that's still functional
The White Tower
Our awesome Beefeater tour guide
One of the ravens
Some of King Henry VIII's armor
Traitor's Gate...you don't want to enter this way
The Rosetta Stone
Part of a column from the Parthenon
Some more sculptures from the Parthenon
A real mummy! All of the stuff in this display is authentic, just a little rearranged.
More mummies!
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