brighton beach pier, 14 sept 2007Hello loves!
It's been a busy few days! My weekend officially starts at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, and as you all know I'm always go, go, go so I've been running around non-stop since I left work the other day. On the top of my list to share with you all is my completed travel schedule:
Went to Walkabout with a bunch of people on Wednesday night and it was good times as always. Apparently real Brits don't really like Walkabout (probably because so many Americans go there), but it's cheap and they play fun dance music (a lot of cheesy 90s, which I obviously love). I met a British boy named Ben who was nice to talk to but unfortunately didn't think to get his number or anything so I will never see him again... ah, well, onto the next British bloke ;-) Kidding, kidding of course (sort of...).
Thursday I ran a few errands and then spent most of my day at the British museum exploring. It's such a HUGE museum though and I definitely didn't get to all of the rooms. Fortunately it happens to be right around the corner from me so no worries about getting back there. They just opened a big exhibit about the China Terracotta Army, which looked ridiculously interesting but it was a 12 pound entry fee. Apparently the day I was there the exhibit was just opening, and they sold about 150,000 pre-sale tickets, so I guess it's a pretty big deal.
on the floor of the British Museum: "and let thy feet milleniums hence be set in the midst of knowledge."--Tennyson
Today I went on a little day trip to Brighton Beach, about two hours south of London. Brighton is right on the ocean and a quaint little city. Lots of little boutiques and eateries and a very cool vibe. We walked the pier, sampled some of the absolutely scrumptious locally-made donuts (literally, they melt in your mouth), ate fish & cheaps seaside, tried "Brighton Rock" (Brighton's local treat--basically a candy stick of sugar you can get in all different colors and it says "Brighton Rock" in the candy), shopped in some vintage stores, and visited the Royal Pavilion (my favorite part of this trip). The Royal Pavilion was built in the 19th century by George IV as a sort of seaside retreat. It's very Indian looking on the outside (kind of reminded me of the Taj Mahal) and very Oriental decor on the inside. I've never seen anything so elaborately decorated. I wish I could show you all what it looked like but we were not allowed to take any pictures. You can see some on their Web site (www.royalpavilion.org.uk) but I'm telling you these photos don't do it justice.
It's been a busy few days! My weekend officially starts at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, and as you all know I'm always go, go, go so I've been running around non-stop since I left work the other day. On the top of my list to share with you all is my completed travel schedule:
- 27-30 September, Brussels, Belgium (chocolate & waffles, oh hey!)
- 19-28 October, Fall break in Italy (Rome, Florence, & Venice)
- 2-4 November, Dublin, Ireland
- 8-11 November, Bristol & Wales
- 15-18 November, Paris, France
- 29 November-2 December, Prague
Went to Walkabout with a bunch of people on Wednesday night and it was good times as always. Apparently real Brits don't really like Walkabout (probably because so many Americans go there), but it's cheap and they play fun dance music (a lot of cheesy 90s, which I obviously love). I met a British boy named Ben who was nice to talk to but unfortunately didn't think to get his number or anything so I will never see him again... ah, well, onto the next British bloke ;-) Kidding, kidding of course (sort of...).
Thursday I ran a few errands and then spent most of my day at the British museum exploring. It's such a HUGE museum though and I definitely didn't get to all of the rooms. Fortunately it happens to be right around the corner from me so no worries about getting back there. They just opened a big exhibit about the China Terracotta Army, which looked ridiculously interesting but it was a 12 pound entry fee. Apparently the day I was there the exhibit was just opening, and they sold about 150,000 pre-sale tickets, so I guess it's a pretty big deal.
on the floor of the British Museum: "and let thy feet milleniums hence be set in the midst of knowledge."--TennysonToday I went on a little day trip to Brighton Beach, about two hours south of London. Brighton is right on the ocean and a quaint little city. Lots of little boutiques and eateries and a very cool vibe. We walked the pier, sampled some of the absolutely scrumptious locally-made donuts (literally, they melt in your mouth), ate fish & cheaps seaside, tried "Brighton Rock" (Brighton's local treat--basically a candy stick of sugar you can get in all different colors and it says "Brighton Rock" in the candy), shopped in some vintage stores, and visited the Royal Pavilion (my favorite part of this trip). The Royal Pavilion was built in the 19th century by George IV as a sort of seaside retreat. It's very Indian looking on the outside (kind of reminded me of the Taj Mahal) and very Oriental decor on the inside. I've never seen anything so elaborately decorated. I wish I could show you all what it looked like but we were not allowed to take any pictures. You can see some on their Web site (www.royalpavilion.org.uk) but I'm telling you these photos don't do it justice.
Tonight I'm laying low. Elsa and I are going on a walk in a few hours, probably down to the busier part of town to people watch (one of my favorite activities, as most of you know). Tomorrow I think I am going to stop down to the Thames Festival for a bit and then the flatties and I are going to a matinee showing of Avenue Q! I'm so excited. Sunday I'm going with Elsa and Alli to the East End to browse the markets and then we are going on a school trip to Dennis Sever's House (more on that later) and then to see fireworks and a parade at night at the Thames Festival. Somewhere in there I probably should do my homework... minor detail.
Speaking of homework, I learned a few interesting things in my history class the other day. We did a little walking tour of Roman London (seeing the old Roman walls, streets, temples, museum exhibits, etc) but we passed by this place called the Jamaica Wine House, which is the site of the very first coffee house in London. Apparently back in the 18th century, coffee houses were divided up by purpose and district. Some were used for political purposes, others for literary purposes, others for financial purposes- the stock exchange actually grew out of a coffee house called Jonathan's. Basically, what kind of field you worked in determined what coffee houses you frequented. Also, I learned that when you went into the coffee house you paid a pence and then once you sat down you put another coin in a box near the door that had the words "To Insure Prompt Service" on it, and then you would be served. Let's look at this again: To Insure Prompt Service = TIPS! And that is where the word came from. I hope you all enjoyed your random fact of the day.
Will be posting more pictures soon, so keep on the lookout for that. Miss you all so very much!
Cheers!
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