hello loves!
It's been a slow week, and I expect a long, relaxing weekend. Classes are going smoothly and I was officially given my first big assignments. I think it might be the teaching style of British professors, but for some reason school isn't stressing me out as much as it usually does. I think because so much emphasis is placed on actually LEARNING and not test-taking that I find my classes actually enjoyable and not a burden. I don't feel like my life is revolving around my homework and studying like it usually does. Actually, I would say my classes are actually enhancing my time in London because a lot of the content forces me to get involved with the city, by taking pictures or going on "history walks" or studying London businesses. It's a good feeling.
Tuesday night I went to see Les Miserables with Cory and his flatmate Allison and was completely blown away. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, hands down. I didn't realize the whole show was sung, which actually makes me more excited because now that I downloaded the soundtrack, I can re-live the show over and over and over :) I was teary-eyed through probably the majority of the show... I had all I could do not to completely lose it in the final scene. I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire theatre. I even got choked up when the little girl who played Cosette came on stage because she made miss my little Emily!!!
This week for my History class we did a walk of Medieval London, which included stops in the borough of Clerkenwell and a former monastery and a PLAGUE PIT, which is actually a really pretty park now. I guess the plague has some really long turnaround time, so the best way to make sure it doesn't happen again was to bury the bodies, plant and fertilize over them, and put trees in to secure the soil. We also went to a Medieval church, which happens to be where scenes were shot for Robin Hood Men in Tights and Four Weddings and a Funeral. I love this class!!
Last night I met up with Amy finally and we went out for fish and chips. I took her to this place I heard about called The Fryer's Delight and it was THE BEST fish and chips I have ever had. And reasonably priced too! I was so happy to finally see her and am so excited to venture over to her part of London and explore.
Today I went shopping on Oxford Street and discovered a goldmine of bargain clothes: PRIMARK. Very cute clothes and very cheap prices. I didn't actually end up getting anything though, because I couldn't justify spending money on shirts when I need to eat, haha. I did, however, buy two pashminas from a street vendor for 5 pounds, which was a steal. I plan to buy more. Hopefully I will come home with a rainbow of pashminas.
Tonight Christian and I went down the street to this girl Carolyn's apartment for a little dinner party because we're going to Brussels with her next weekend and we wanted to figure out what kinds of things we're planning to do. As of now, we're taking a tour of a chocolate factory, going to a brewery, visiting the Royal Palace and probably one other cathedral/palace/touristy spot and then doing a day trip to Bruges, which has been said to be more beautiful than Venice!! I'm so excited.
It's a low key night so I'm having some people over to watch a movie. I'm so happy to just sit inside and do nothing... I'm trying to come up with some fun things to do this weekend that I could take pictures of for class. I definitely want to visit the Tate Modern and perhaps go to a foreign film on Sunday. I love me some culture :)
Miss you all so very much!
Cheers!
20 September 2007
18 September 2007
the supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- Les Miserables
I went to see Les Miserables tonight. I would go see it a hundred more times if I could.
photographs & memories
Hello loves!
I uploaded loads of new pictures, so check them out when you get a chance and let me know what you think!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amrineurope/
Miss you all... Cheers!
I uploaded loads of new pictures, so check them out when you get a chance and let me know what you think!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amrineurope/
Miss you all... Cheers!
16 September 2007
it's just like your life, only funnier
hello loves!
What a weekend! I think I crammed more into this weekend than I did all summer.
I had my first celebrity spotting of the semester! Friday night while I was out on a walk with Elsa, Alli and Tuan, we went by the Chicago theatre and noticed the show was just getting out. Kelly Osbourne just started in the show as Mama Morton and being the celebrity gossip that I am, I decided it would be a good idea to try to stalk her after the show. We went and waited out by the back door for about 20 minutes and she finally came out to the screams of fans and hundreds of flashes from all the paparazzi that were there. It was so exciting! She looks really great and is actually so small in person!
kelly signing autographs.
Saturday was extremely productive. Finally got to sleep in which was so refreshing that when I woke up, I did my entire PR paper. The flatties and I bought 20 pound tickets to the matinee showing of Avenue Q, so we spent a lovely evening out watching puppets sing about life ("It Sucks to Be Me," "The Internet is for Porn," "I Wish I Could Go Back to College," etc). The show was hysterical, I loved it! It was very blunt humor, which was hilarious. It was kind of a cool concept-- the actors have these puppets on their arms that they make talk and move, but they are actually on stage singing and playing along too. Its just such a different idea for a show and even though the characters were puppets, the theme and the songs in the production were actually very true to life. If you ever have the opportunity to see this show, I would recommend it. Now I'm so excited to go see more shows... I'm hoping to at least see Wicked, Les Mis, and Blood Brothers before I leave London. Luckily as students we get such an amazing discount that it is actually plausible for me to see a bunch of shows and not go completely broke.
After the show, we went out for a nice dinner at this place called Cafe Pasta on Monmouth Street. It wasn't too expensive, but all I got was a chicken caesar salad... original, I know. The portion sizes are SO much smaller here. There is little temptation or reason to overeat when you go out to dinner. No wonder so many Americans are overweight. I also saw a bunch of cute little coffee houses that I plan to check out on my days off AND a cupcake shop, which was a clutch find for me because you all know how obsessed I am with cupcakes.
Later that night, I went out with "the Team," meaning Alli, Elsa, Tuan and Dan, to this place called the After Skool Klub. It was in a student union of some college here but you couldn't even tell. This place was bumpin, as I like to say. We got in for free because we were in the first 100 people and drinks were half price until midnight so we were only paying about 1.20 for drinks, which is unheard of around this expensive city. All of the people there were my age so it was nice to not have to worry about creepy old men looking at you. The music was great... they didn't play any awful rap music but instead played indie dance music, which was so fun! The club was packed out and it was just a really good time. And obviously when we got home, we dug into the McVitie's caramel cookies, my ultimate weakness. A fabulous end to a fabulous night.
Today was jam-packed. We woke up early and went down to the East End to hit up the markets. I only bought two scarves but I took some cool pictures of the market and had a good time with my friends.
one of the booths at the market.
What a weekend! I think I crammed more into this weekend than I did all summer.
I had my first celebrity spotting of the semester! Friday night while I was out on a walk with Elsa, Alli and Tuan, we went by the Chicago theatre and noticed the show was just getting out. Kelly Osbourne just started in the show as Mama Morton and being the celebrity gossip that I am, I decided it would be a good idea to try to stalk her after the show. We went and waited out by the back door for about 20 minutes and she finally came out to the screams of fans and hundreds of flashes from all the paparazzi that were there. It was so exciting! She looks really great and is actually so small in person!
kelly signing autographs.Saturday was extremely productive. Finally got to sleep in which was so refreshing that when I woke up, I did my entire PR paper. The flatties and I bought 20 pound tickets to the matinee showing of Avenue Q, so we spent a lovely evening out watching puppets sing about life ("It Sucks to Be Me," "The Internet is for Porn," "I Wish I Could Go Back to College," etc). The show was hysterical, I loved it! It was very blunt humor, which was hilarious. It was kind of a cool concept-- the actors have these puppets on their arms that they make talk and move, but they are actually on stage singing and playing along too. Its just such a different idea for a show and even though the characters were puppets, the theme and the songs in the production were actually very true to life. If you ever have the opportunity to see this show, I would recommend it. Now I'm so excited to go see more shows... I'm hoping to at least see Wicked, Les Mis, and Blood Brothers before I leave London. Luckily as students we get such an amazing discount that it is actually plausible for me to see a bunch of shows and not go completely broke.
After the show, we went out for a nice dinner at this place called Cafe Pasta on Monmouth Street. It wasn't too expensive, but all I got was a chicken caesar salad... original, I know. The portion sizes are SO much smaller here. There is little temptation or reason to overeat when you go out to dinner. No wonder so many Americans are overweight. I also saw a bunch of cute little coffee houses that I plan to check out on my days off AND a cupcake shop, which was a clutch find for me because you all know how obsessed I am with cupcakes.
Later that night, I went out with "the Team," meaning Alli, Elsa, Tuan and Dan, to this place called the After Skool Klub. It was in a student union of some college here but you couldn't even tell. This place was bumpin, as I like to say. We got in for free because we were in the first 100 people and drinks were half price until midnight so we were only paying about 1.20 for drinks, which is unheard of around this expensive city. All of the people there were my age so it was nice to not have to worry about creepy old men looking at you. The music was great... they didn't play any awful rap music but instead played indie dance music, which was so fun! The club was packed out and it was just a really good time. And obviously when we got home, we dug into the McVitie's caramel cookies, my ultimate weakness. A fabulous end to a fabulous night.
Today was jam-packed. We woke up early and went down to the East End to hit up the markets. I only bought two scarves but I took some cool pictures of the market and had a good time with my friends.
one of the booths at the market.After the markets, we met up with a group from school and went to this place called the Dennis Severs house. It was quite an interesting and quirky little place. Basically, this guy was an artist and used this house as the medium for his "still life drama." He decorated each floor of the house in a different time period, and as you go up in the house, it becomes later in time. I think the time periods were from the 18th-19th centuries, maybe? In short, the idea was that as time went on, this house kind of decreased in status, meaning in the early 18th century it would have been somewhere that the wealthy lived, and more towards the 19th century, it had been inhabited by more poor people. It was supposed to be a "sensory experience" so we weren't allowed to talk, we just had to walk through and take in the sights, sounds, and scents of the house. Kind of a weird experience, I'm still not sure I completely understand why this guy felt compelled to do this, but you can read more about it on the Web site: http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/ because I would only confuse you if I tried to explain it myself.
Tonight was a highlight of my time here. Elsa, Alli and I went down to the Thames Festival and stayed for the firework display at the end. Most of you probably know my affection for firework shows, so I was especially excited to see my first BIG firework display in a big city. I was absolutely blown away by the show. It was only 15 minutes long, but it was undoubtedly the most beautiful fireworks display I have ever seen. It was such an amazing setting, with the city in the background and the river underneath the sparkling sky. It was truly an experience to take in and one that I will remember. Its really the little things like that in life that make me really appreciate how lucky I am. I also took about a gazillion pictures so look for those when I get around to putting them up.
All right, it's approaching midnight so that means bedtime for me. Monday is my longest day so I try to be as rested up as possible. Hope to hear from you all soon!
Cheers!
Tonight was a highlight of my time here. Elsa, Alli and I went down to the Thames Festival and stayed for the firework display at the end. Most of you probably know my affection for firework shows, so I was especially excited to see my first BIG firework display in a big city. I was absolutely blown away by the show. It was only 15 minutes long, but it was undoubtedly the most beautiful fireworks display I have ever seen. It was such an amazing setting, with the city in the background and the river underneath the sparkling sky. It was truly an experience to take in and one that I will remember. Its really the little things like that in life that make me really appreciate how lucky I am. I also took about a gazillion pictures so look for those when I get around to putting them up.
All right, it's approaching midnight so that means bedtime for me. Monday is my longest day so I try to be as rested up as possible. Hope to hear from you all soon!
Cheers!
15 September 2007
little moments
River Thames/London Eye at night, 14 September, 2007.This is the happiest I have felt in a long, long time. Cheers to you, London.
14 September 2007
happy new year to all my jewish friends
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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