So, I haven't really been on here in a while--I have been occupied, I suppose. After Scotland, I had to catch up on some sleeping, lol.
Let's see, Thursday night was interesting...Eda and I found a Turkish Restaurant not too far from where we live. So, before dinner, we decided to go and get some coffee. Well, Eda realizes that the waiter and chefs speak Turkish, so you could see how happy she was. The waiter ended up inviting Eda and I to share dinner with him and one of the chefs. They brought out like 5 different dishes and kept piling food onto my plate! I couldn't believe how hospitable they were. After a while, the owner came in and started talking to me and Eda...It was so much fun...I sat and talked politics with him for like 2 hours. It was great. All this while being served lots and lots of wine. We ended up staying at the place from about 4 till close at 11. We had a three course dinner with more desert a couple of hours later and between Eda and me probably a bottle and a half of red wine. When we all got up to leave--our bill was on the house. Today, I might actually go back to join a book club they have at the place--I was told there would be lots of lawyers there that I could network with. :) These are the experiences you remember most, I believe.
Saturday I hung out with Clif in Covent Gardens for most of the day--they have a market and street performers on weekends, so it was packed. We went to the Texas Embassy for lunch in Trafalgar square--which was quite an experience. An entire restaurant devoted to cheesy country music and tex-mex. Then we tried to waste some time before going to see "A Mid-summer's Night Dream" at the Novello Theatre. I have now realized why there are so many restaurants in London and why there is a sit-in charge. NO ONE WANTS TO BE OUTSIDE FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES AT A TIME. I mean it is just so unpleasant...even if you are bundled up, your face feels like it is about to fall off. So Clif and I were jumping restaurants to get tea and little things like that, just so we wouldn't be outside. We finally made it to the theatre at around 6:30 to see the show at 7:15. I was pleasantly surprised by this performance. It was a modern rendition of MSND, which I thought would be awful, but it really was one of the funniest plays I had ever seen. It was only 5 pounds which I couldn't believe--cheaper than they 12 pound MOVIE tickets and soooo worth it. I think I will see Taming of the Shrew within the next few weeks.
After the play I went to celebrate a birthday of one of the girls at the hostel at a club/bar down the street. It was really fun, I got a chance to meet a lot of people at my place and become better friends with them. It was really nice.
Sunday, I went to the Brick Lane market again with Beth, Julia, and Clif--mostly to get food--I have refused myself from buying anything else, lol. So I got lamb and prawn dumplings again, which were quite good, and a crepe with banana, nutella, and coconut. I was quite tempted to buy some books--I love books--and at the markets you can usually get them quite cheap. I walked by this one stand that was selling all this rebel propoganda---oh I wanted several badly--some anarchist works, communist works--but they were a bit too pricy--about 15 pounds. Another stand I found actually had a lot of stuff that I would have liked to get. It was a guy selling his book collection. He had Kerouac, Kafka, Camus, Sartre, some communism books, some libertarian books and Rand. :) Didn't end up buying anything, though.
Later that night, I joined up with the girls from Bartrams again and we walked to the BAFTAs. Which is the British equivalent to the Grammys, I was told. It was miserable. They put up walls so we couldn't see the red carpet and the closest we got to actually seeing stars was through their cars. We all lined up along the road where they were dropping everyone off. I saw Meryl Streep. That was it. Everyone else had tinted windows. And it was a miserable day. I mean cold and rainy. GROSS. It was the most miserable weather I have EVER been in. My hair was all misty and my fingers and toes were numb. And I mean it was just good enough to be bearable, but teetering on the edge of unbearable. SO AWFUL.
We took the bus back home and I got a nice warm shower.
Yesterday I went to my fun class with Juliette and today I am writing in my blog waiting for it to snow again.
So...until anything else exciting comes up...I am out.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Scotland and it's Highlands
I am going to try and sum up this entire weekend on one blog post, so try and bear with me, lol.
Thursday had a pretty terrible start. I had a morning class--Comparative European Politics--which was very difficult to get through, the lecturer was monotone and the seminar leader didn't know what he was doing. The next class was a bit better--Britain in Decline: 1920's to modern day--the lecturer was a fun guy...seemingly cold and bitter but witty...like Dr. House toned down. We watched a movie for the seminar, for which I had an older gay atheist seminar leader that was ever so pleasant. I think the 6 hours of straight lecturing and listening was what made the day so long. When 10:00 rolled around, I was excited to get my butt on the bus.
Julia meets me at the tube station a bit late, so we have to jog over to the bus station that isn't too far away. We are the last two to get on. Julia hands over the tickets to the driver and he says, "This is for tomorrow, not tonight." Julia nearly screamed at the guy thinking that is was possible she made a mistake. But he was pulling our leg. Wonderful big British bus drivers. They know how to lighten a situation. So we get on the bus and after the driver tells two guys that they cannot sit behind him, he asks us if we would like to. Hahaha. We politely declined. While he was giving out instructions some idiot was making noise, so he got up and kicked him off the bus...without warning. Wow. This was the start to an interesting bus ride. The guy was power hungry. We got to a part in the road where 3 lanes had to merge into one and our bus driver was driving in the middle of two lanes to prevent people from getting over. Lol. The rest of the journey was long and tiring...got a little sleep here and there.
When we arrived in Edinburgh it was early. So we headed to the hostel and dropped off our luggage. There we met a Canadian called Jezebel that wore a kilt and had tattoos. Nice. We got breakfast downstairs, where I convinced Julia to try Marmite the dreaded cousin to Vegimite. So gross. It had like layers of awfulness. That ruined the appetite, lol, so we went outside to explore. This is when we found Hume's grave. Around 11, we did a free walking tour, which was great. Learned that there is a lot of history in Edinburgh and it has a dark past. For a snack we got a haggis appetizer--Haggis, tatties, and neeps--which is haggis, potatoes, and butternut squash--so surprisingly good and warmed up with a hot toddy--hot whiskey with clove, cinnamon, honey, and lemon. Once the tour was over we went to a famous cheese shop and bought a few cheeses to eat with bread and wine, for a late lunch. One was a Garlic Blue cheese, another was a sharp cheddar, and the last a slightly tangy milder cheese made from sheep's Milk. It was all quite good. Got some baguettes and Devil wine--Castillio de Diablos--and enjoyed a nice, simple meal. Later that night we went to a place that sold mussel pots--where you buy a kilo of mussels and have them cooked however you want. We got the traditional--white wine with shallots, garlic, and cream. So good. Shared this and a Creme' Brulee for about 15 pounds. Cheap! On our way home, we heard some music and decided to stop in. It was cool. Everyone in Scotland is so friendly...or maybe it was because we were American girls. lol. We were talking to guys for about two hours or so while we listened to some traditional folksy music. Julia ordered us the local drink--15yr old scotch with a little water--very strong. But good. It was a good ending to the long day. When we got home, we crashed.
We got up at 7 to head over to catch our tour into the Highlands. The tour guide was so cool. He knew so much, but was also very fun. He told us stories about the Haggis animal which is a small creature that on one side of its body has shorter legs so, it only moves in counter clockwise circles, lol. Silly, gullible tourists. Or how everyone is Scotland has a tree outside their window that prevents bad fairies from getting inside. He said he saw a documentary on this and told his parents only to find out that they had planted one outside his room when he was a boy. He told us the history of William Wallace and Braveheart and where battles were fought and why. We even made our way to Loch Ness, where, unfortunately I didn't spot Nessie. On the way home Kevin, the tour guide pointed out to me the hunting Lodge in Monarch of the Glen. I couldn't get a pic, unfortunately, but it was cool, I promise. Then we watched Braveheart on the way home. What an awesome ending, right? This really was the highlight of my trip to Scotland, I felt so alive, so awe striken by everything, by every battle, by every mountain. It is steeped in so much tradition and sense of heritage; it was moving. When we got back, Julia and I finished off the bread, cheese, and wine and added some meat and olives and enjoyed some whiskey at the bar downstairs before going to sleep.
Sunday was our last day and after several days of walking and sleep deprivation, we just decided to take it easy and shop. Got a few things, a traditional shawl, another coat, and Scotland Mugs for the Starbucks collectors. Got some traditional food as well today--Scotch pie which consisted of "meat, fat, and spices...", A Mexican hot chocolate drink at Chocolate Soup, and a Vegan Baked Potato with curried corn topping.
After we got our luggage, we headed back to the bus station to catch our London National Express. I swear, Julia and I must have GULLIBLE tattooed to our heads because THIS bus driver tried to pull the same..."oh you have the wrong day here", we told him it has already been pulled on us, lol. Oh well, fun times. On the way home we started getting snow...I didn't realize it would continue. When we arrived in London 8 hours later, snow covered the ground. Apparently this is rare--only happens once every 5 years or so. Because of this, everything has shut down. I was getting ready to get on my tube and a lady came on and announced that all bus services are canceled, and 12 tube stops and like 6 lines were closed. Nice, right. Thankfully, mine was still running. But man...the entire city. Closed. I had a snow day today. I have never had a snow day, lol.
It was funny, I was going to head out to get food since I didn't have anything...and sister Patricia stopped and and pleaded with me not to go out in the snow. She made me go downstairs with her and she MADE me lunch. I got tea, sugar, milk, bread, butter, cheese, and tomato. Oh my goodness, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. She went through all this so I didn't have to go out, lol. So, dad, there you go. I didn't go out, I have been in all day resting. I met up with another nun and she said "Oh, Megan, be careful if you go out in the snow; Put lots of clothes on."
I love this place!!! I feel like I am living with a bunch of Bongas, lol.
Okay, so, here is the deal with pictures. I am making a myspace site where you can access many more of my photos at once. I will email you the username and password of the account so you can see the photos.
Thursday had a pretty terrible start. I had a morning class--Comparative European Politics--which was very difficult to get through, the lecturer was monotone and the seminar leader didn't know what he was doing. The next class was a bit better--Britain in Decline: 1920's to modern day--the lecturer was a fun guy...seemingly cold and bitter but witty...like Dr. House toned down. We watched a movie for the seminar, for which I had an older gay atheist seminar leader that was ever so pleasant. I think the 6 hours of straight lecturing and listening was what made the day so long. When 10:00 rolled around, I was excited to get my butt on the bus.
Julia meets me at the tube station a bit late, so we have to jog over to the bus station that isn't too far away. We are the last two to get on. Julia hands over the tickets to the driver and he says, "This is for tomorrow, not tonight." Julia nearly screamed at the guy thinking that is was possible she made a mistake. But he was pulling our leg. Wonderful big British bus drivers. They know how to lighten a situation. So we get on the bus and after the driver tells two guys that they cannot sit behind him, he asks us if we would like to. Hahaha. We politely declined. While he was giving out instructions some idiot was making noise, so he got up and kicked him off the bus...without warning. Wow. This was the start to an interesting bus ride. The guy was power hungry. We got to a part in the road where 3 lanes had to merge into one and our bus driver was driving in the middle of two lanes to prevent people from getting over. Lol. The rest of the journey was long and tiring...got a little sleep here and there.
When we arrived in Edinburgh it was early. So we headed to the hostel and dropped off our luggage. There we met a Canadian called Jezebel that wore a kilt and had tattoos. Nice. We got breakfast downstairs, where I convinced Julia to try Marmite the dreaded cousin to Vegimite. So gross. It had like layers of awfulness. That ruined the appetite, lol, so we went outside to explore. This is when we found Hume's grave. Around 11, we did a free walking tour, which was great. Learned that there is a lot of history in Edinburgh and it has a dark past. For a snack we got a haggis appetizer--Haggis, tatties, and neeps--which is haggis, potatoes, and butternut squash--so surprisingly good and warmed up with a hot toddy--hot whiskey with clove, cinnamon, honey, and lemon. Once the tour was over we went to a famous cheese shop and bought a few cheeses to eat with bread and wine, for a late lunch. One was a Garlic Blue cheese, another was a sharp cheddar, and the last a slightly tangy milder cheese made from sheep's Milk. It was all quite good. Got some baguettes and Devil wine--Castillio de Diablos--and enjoyed a nice, simple meal. Later that night we went to a place that sold mussel pots--where you buy a kilo of mussels and have them cooked however you want. We got the traditional--white wine with shallots, garlic, and cream. So good. Shared this and a Creme' Brulee for about 15 pounds. Cheap! On our way home, we heard some music and decided to stop in. It was cool. Everyone in Scotland is so friendly...or maybe it was because we were American girls. lol. We were talking to guys for about two hours or so while we listened to some traditional folksy music. Julia ordered us the local drink--15yr old scotch with a little water--very strong. But good. It was a good ending to the long day. When we got home, we crashed.
We got up at 7 to head over to catch our tour into the Highlands. The tour guide was so cool. He knew so much, but was also very fun. He told us stories about the Haggis animal which is a small creature that on one side of its body has shorter legs so, it only moves in counter clockwise circles, lol. Silly, gullible tourists. Or how everyone is Scotland has a tree outside their window that prevents bad fairies from getting inside. He said he saw a documentary on this and told his parents only to find out that they had planted one outside his room when he was a boy. He told us the history of William Wallace and Braveheart and where battles were fought and why. We even made our way to Loch Ness, where, unfortunately I didn't spot Nessie. On the way home Kevin, the tour guide pointed out to me the hunting Lodge in Monarch of the Glen. I couldn't get a pic, unfortunately, but it was cool, I promise. Then we watched Braveheart on the way home. What an awesome ending, right? This really was the highlight of my trip to Scotland, I felt so alive, so awe striken by everything, by every battle, by every mountain. It is steeped in so much tradition and sense of heritage; it was moving. When we got back, Julia and I finished off the bread, cheese, and wine and added some meat and olives and enjoyed some whiskey at the bar downstairs before going to sleep.
Sunday was our last day and after several days of walking and sleep deprivation, we just decided to take it easy and shop. Got a few things, a traditional shawl, another coat, and Scotland Mugs for the Starbucks collectors. Got some traditional food as well today--Scotch pie which consisted of "meat, fat, and spices...", A Mexican hot chocolate drink at Chocolate Soup, and a Vegan Baked Potato with curried corn topping.
After we got our luggage, we headed back to the bus station to catch our London National Express. I swear, Julia and I must have GULLIBLE tattooed to our heads because THIS bus driver tried to pull the same..."oh you have the wrong day here", we told him it has already been pulled on us, lol. Oh well, fun times. On the way home we started getting snow...I didn't realize it would continue. When we arrived in London 8 hours later, snow covered the ground. Apparently this is rare--only happens once every 5 years or so. Because of this, everything has shut down. I was getting ready to get on my tube and a lady came on and announced that all bus services are canceled, and 12 tube stops and like 6 lines were closed. Nice, right. Thankfully, mine was still running. But man...the entire city. Closed. I had a snow day today. I have never had a snow day, lol.
It was funny, I was going to head out to get food since I didn't have anything...and sister Patricia stopped and and pleaded with me not to go out in the snow. She made me go downstairs with her and she MADE me lunch. I got tea, sugar, milk, bread, butter, cheese, and tomato. Oh my goodness, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. She went through all this so I didn't have to go out, lol. So, dad, there you go. I didn't go out, I have been in all day resting. I met up with another nun and she said "Oh, Megan, be careful if you go out in the snow; Put lots of clothes on."
I love this place!!! I feel like I am living with a bunch of Bongas, lol.
Okay, so, here is the deal with pictures. I am making a myspace site where you can access many more of my photos at once. I will email you the username and password of the account so you can see the photos.
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