Paris – Part Two

Saturday was a slow start for me. I woke up around 12:00 PM, after the previous day’s adventures catching up with me. I headed to the McDonald’s down the road to use the wi-fi to map out the day. I took care of the tourist sights on Friday, and still had a few things left on my list to accomplish on my last full day in Paris.

The weather wasn’t as warm as it was on Friday, but it was still warm enough to enjoy walking wherever I went.

My list for Saturday included the locations where “Inception” was filmed in Paris. For some students on this study abroad experience, sights like Stonehenge and Parliament were the selling points that made them study in London for the semester. For me, the selling point was that I’d be a few thousand miles closer to where “Inception” was filmed (only joking). My first stop was the cafe, where Leo DiCaprio and Ellen Page discussed the very basics of creating the world of the dream.

This scene was located at Rue Bouchut, just a 20 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower.

Rue Bouchut

The cafe, Da Stuzzi, that the exploding fruit stand/street scene was filmed.

No exploding fruit from this fruit stand on Rue Bouchut, though.

After seeing this scene, I moved on to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, where, while in the dream, Leo and Ellen Page are confronted by Leo’s dead wife, “Mal”.

The Pont de Bir-Hakeim.

No massive mirrored doors to be found, however…

The next location I went to was just at the opposite end of the bridge, which is a small overpass, which in “Inception”, Ellen Page constructs in a dream to cross a street to reach the Pont de Bir-Hakeim.

And finally, just 100 feet away, at the base of the underground stop, Passy, are the large doors where Joseph Gordon-Levitt enters to access an abandon warehouse, where he and Leo temporarily set up base as they instruct Ellen Page.

The door of the abandon warehouse Joseph Gordon-Levitt enters in “Inception”.

Being able to see these places in real life was truly an… Earth-shattering, borderline religious experience. Only half-joking. But in all honesty, it was beyond cool.

From here, I headed down to the Champs-Élysées, which was another sight to behold. One of the most famous streets in the entire world, the Champs-Élysées is also home to some of the most expensive retail and real estate in the world. I could have spent all day walking up and down Champs-Élysées, just taking it all in. The streets were packed, but just window-shopping and seeing concept cars from high-end automobile retailers was enough to hold my attention for a better part of the afternoon.

Champs-Élysées

At the end of the Champs-Élysées sits the Arc de Triomphe, which stands at just over 160 feet. Constructed between 1806-1836, the Arc de Triomphe stands in the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, which is the meeting point of twelve straight avenues connecting to form the shape of a star.

The Arc De Triomphe

I walked back down the Champs-Élysées towards the Louvre to see my last location on my list – “Club Silencio”, owned by American filmmaker David Lynch. Knowing Dave like I do (I don’t), he wouldn’t let just any riffraff in. So I got a photo, and poked my nose around the corner hoping to catch him there doodling over a new script… Alas, to no avail. The club operates on a subscription service, where members pay a yearly fee to gain access. Here’s a short description take from the website…

“Until midnight, Silencio is reserved for its members and their escorts. Membership card allows access to concerts, films, and other performances. It is offered primarily for international creative scene (Cinema, fashion, music, visual arts, etc.)… Concerts by artists, distinguished guests, and eclectic DJs. A new experience of cinema with films in preview, showing, or retrospective.”

Club Silencio

Having seen everything I intended for Saturday, I meandered through the city for another hour or so before I headed back to the hotel to pack up and prepare for departure on Sunday. The following are just some photos I collected from Saturday… Mostly of the most tempting sweets you’ll ever lay eyes upon…

I started walking back to the underground stop, when I turned to catch the Eiffel Tower just as it was exploding with flashing lights.

Come on, in Paris, you’re looking at these nearly everywhere you go… And the fresh bread and the crêpes… To die for, my friends.

Whereas in London, I’m looking at this on the walk to school…

Fried chicken and kebab joints like this are like the weeds of the eateries in London.

Paris was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the entire semester so far. It’s a shame I only have this upcoming weekend left to travel outside of the UK, and I have a preexisting engagement, however, I would head back to Paris in a heartbeat and spend an entire week there. London is great and I’ve seen amazing sights here, do not get me wrong. But in Paris, being challenged with a language barrier that I’ve never experienced before, taking in the different sights on the streets, and everything else I don’t normally experience in London, made Paris one of the most exciting and memorable places I’ve been in my life. I look forward to the day when I have the time and the means to travel back and spend more time in of the most breathtaking cities I’ve seen during this semester.

Paris – Part One

I left for Paris in a rush on Thursday night. I was waiting for our British Life & Culture professor to come around and explain in detail our next two assignments. Nonetheless, I was able to get to Victoria Coach Station in time for my bus, which left London at 9:30 PM.

The bus ride there wasn’t bad at all. I had a seat right up at the front of the bus, which made getting on and off for border patrol quick. We got on a ferry for 90 minutes to cross the English Channel, and then proceeded on to Paris upon arriving.

I got into Paris around 6:45 AM (Scheduled to get in at 7:30 AM). Despite being a little early, I was able to gather my bearings at Gallieni before I headed out for the day. The smell of urine and stale body odor greeted me as I descended into the subway to catch the next train. The undergrounds were not nearly as clean as the underground in London, but it didn’t matter, I wasn’t sleeping there. Besides, I doubt there would have been any room for me at all… The homeless were taking up space.

From Gallieni, I took the underground to Reamur-Sebastopol, where I switched lines and continued on to St. Michel. It was just under an hour after I arrived in Paris  as I headed out along the Seine. The St. Michel underground stop was just a short walk away from Notre Dame, so that’s where I went first.

A view of Notre Dame with the sun rising.

Outside the St. Michel underground stop.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame was beautiful. Unfortunately, I was unable to take photos inside the cathedral, but I can assure you, it was breathtaking. Notre Dame is actually getting ready to undergo some serious renovations beginning this year and ending in 2013. The renovations include changing the five bells and general restoration to stained glass windows and the ceilings.

After walking through Notre Dame, I headed outside to… No, not the opening song from “Beauty and the Beast”, but the square bustling with everyone heading to their respective work/schools/crêpe stand. Simply being in the middle of all of these people speaking all sorts of foreign languages, watching children being dragged along by parents to go to school, or the homeless rise, only to take a pull from their booze. I continued walking along the Seine, away from Notre Dame and the rest of Paris, just to see more of the area outlying the main tourist attractions. Just from the first 30 minutes of walking, it was clear, the streets in Paris were built with motorbikes and bicyclists in mind. There was enough room on the streets for the actual vehicles, plenty of room for those on bikes, and even room on sidewalks for pedestrians.

I turned around and headed back towards Notre Dame as more and more people started to join me on the sidewalk beginning their respective days. I didn’t mind arriving in Paris this early, as opposed to getting into Amsterdam at like, 5:30 AM. I didn’t mind because, everyone was out and about with me. Whereas in Amsterdam, it was my three travel companions and myself wandering the streets until stores started opening up. It also helped that the temperature reached a high of 75 degrees…

I continued walking along the Seine, stopping at whatever caught my eye. I walked through a small park with the Saint-Jacques Tower right in the middle.

Saint-Jacques Tower

I found myself on the other side of the Seine after the Saint-Jacques Tower.

A view of the Seine.

I proceeded up the Seine towards central Paris. Soon, I saw a sign for the Louvre, and I figured it was still early, I had better get over there before the lines started getting long. A few friends had visited earlier in the semester, and they said the line outside the Louvre was unimaginably long. I was able to get into the Louvre with just a 30 second wait. That had to be around 9:00 AM, no later than 9:30 AM. Just seeing the Louvre made me stop in my tracks and just be like, “whoa, there it is”. Like Stonehenge, it’s something I remember learning about in middle school, and here I was, about to enter. I had access to all three wings inside the Louvre – the Denon wing (Italian and Spanish paintings, 19th-century French paintings, and arts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas), the Richelieu wing (14th-17th century French paintings, French sculptures, Islamic art, and decorative arts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance), and finally, the Sully wing (Pharaonic Egypt, History of the Louvre and Medieval Louvre, and 17th-19th century drawings and pastels).

Outside of the Louvre.

The Mona Lisa

Inside the Louvre

Tuileries Gardens

I have dozens of other pictures I want to upload, but I’ll do that once I have more time at my disposal. I want to get Part One written before the battery on my computer runs out.

After about the length of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Cut)” (200 minutes), I had barely scratched the surface of all of the material inside the Louvre. There was still so much to see, but it was time to get going, seeing as the museum was filling up. After the Louvre, I headed out to the large park directly outside of the museum. The temperature was picking up, and the travels through the night were starting to catch up with me. I found a clear spot on the grass in the park, and closed my eyes for a few minutes. Being under the bright sun, hearing people laughing and conversing, and the light breeze put me out, and I awoke a new man, with purpose renewed. I walked through the park (Tuileries Gardens) towards the rest of the city.

My nap spot in the park, after I left the Louvre.

As the sky, still hazy from the early morning, began to clear, I could begin to make out the Eiffel Tower on the horizon, and I knew where to go next. It was such a beautiful day, it would have been a crime not to walk everywhere! I take the bus and the underground all the time back in London, and with the weather I had on Friday, it would have been a waste not to take advantage of it.

A view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

I headed towards the Eiffel Tower, stopping for a ham and cheese crêpe, which was delicious.

After waiting in line for nearly an hour and a half, I was on my way up the Eiffel Tower… To the very top.

The Eiffel Tower

Going the the top of the Eiffel Tower was exciting… And nerve-wracking. You’re in this elevator, looking out at the city shrinking beneath you as you climb higher, with nothing but the glass, and what seems like rinky-dink support rods that make up the upper part of the tower. It was worth it, though. Being at the top was breathtaking. The whole of Paris was sprawled out at my feet. As I walked around the top, couples kissed, infants cried, and tourists were steadily redefining the order “pose for the picture!”. There was even  a small champagne bar where you could nice and liquored up 1,063 feet above the ground.

Champagne Bar

A view from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The shadow of the Eiffel Tower from the summit. One of my favorite photos from Friday.

I stayed up at the top for about 10-15 minutes before I took the elevator back down to the next level on the tower.

A view of the Trocadèro from the second level on the tower.

The Trocadéro, site of the Palais de Chaillot.

The Champ de Mars, just next to the Eiffel Tower.

After the Eiffel Tower, I did more walking, and general sight-seeing. There was some kind of small auto show happening at the Trocadéro on Friday, and what looked like some of the most expensive cars I’ve ever seen were parked out front on display.

I walked back along the Seine after more sight-seeing towards the St. Michel underground stop, and headed back towards where I was to be staying for the weekend. My hotel is just a stop away from Galliene, so that will make Sunday easier. The neighborhood I’m staying in is not as inclined to English speaking tourists such as myself, but I’ve stumbled my way through basic conversations without insulting anyone, so that’s a good thing, I suppose.

I forgot to bring an adapter for my charger to fit the European electrical outlets… Such a rookie mistake, I know. Fortunately, I was able to get on the Internet to do some writing and look up directions. I’ll post more pictures from Friday and have “Part Two” up tomorrow night upon returning to the flats in London.

My first day in Paris was great, and I can’t wait to share more of it with you tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Phantom of the Opera / Stonehenge & Bath

I figure I should get a post out before I leave for Paris for the weekend, because I’m sure that will deserve its own individual post.

On Tuesday night, the group went to see The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Piccadilly. The Phantom of the Opera was one of the theatre nights I had been looking forward to since the beginning of this semester. My parents took my brother and I (I can’t remember if Ellery was with us or not) to see The Phantom of the Opera in Chicago when we were very small. I think we even went a few times after that, but according to my parents, it had been about 13 or 14 years since I’ve seen The Phantom of the Opera. It was just as enjoyable as I remember it back in the day. The tunes were great, I thought the actors did a great a job, and we had decent seats for one of the most popular shows on stage in London. I’ve made a point to check out the 2004 Joel Schumacher  film with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson, simply to see how it stacks up against the stage performance.

The Phantom of the Opera leading Christine Daaé to his lair in the cellars.

We had an early start on Wednesday as the group departed from the flats at 7:00 AM. We drove up to Lacock first, a small village in Wiltshire. We had a short breakfast of pastries and coffee at the Red Lion Inn and explored the village for an hour before we headed off the Bath. Lacock is recognized as being one of the few villages that has remained virtually unchanged by development.

The main street in Lacock.

The Lacock Abbey. Scenes from the Harry Potter films have been shot inside.

After Lacock, the group got back on the coach and continued on the short drive over to Bath, which was absolutely beautiful. Despite the cloudy weather, I still had a great time touring the Roman Baths and had a delicious lunch in a nearby pub with a small group of good friends. The Baths were quite fascinating. The man-hours and level of engineering and planning that went into the construction of these facilities is baffling. The fact that some of the smaller structures are still intact is beyond impressive.

A view of one of the baths.

These stands were used to support floors and would help circulate heat throughout the room.

One origin of the water that emptied into the baths.

After Bath, we proceeded on to Stonehenge. Stonehenge was much smaller than I imagined it would be, nevertheless, it was certainly a spectacle to behold. Seeing Stonehenge up close and personal was one of those experiences where I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. For me, Stonehenge was something that I remember learning about in grade school, and now, here I was looking at it. The skies cleared up for our time at Stonehenge, which ended the trip on a high note.

A view of Stonehenge.

The open countryside at Stonehenge.

Wednesday was a great time, and I’m glad the group was able to experience everything we did that day.

I’m sitting at school writing this now. The Introduction to Theatre class just ended, and the class was rehearsing our short scripts for the final “performance” in two weeks. My friend and flatmate, Andy and I are working together to perform a scene from Five Visions of the Faithful (I am the Knife) by Torben Betts. Here’s a description from the script…

“Five Visions of the Faithful is a series of short plays which explore the concept and applications of cruelty. I am the Knife is set within a prison and the Inmate (Andy) is an enemy of the state who has been sentenced to death. He is visited by the Priest (Me) who tries to persuade him to sign a confession in order  to save his life and be freed.”

We present our scene to the group on March 29th and I think these performances will indeed be recorded… So I’ll try to get a copy of ours and put it up on the blog.

If I can’t get a post up while I’m in Paris, I’ll be sure to write as soon as I return to London.

Thanks for reading! See you all very soon.

Trip to Manchester and Liverpool

We’ve had a busy past few days this week. On Monday evening, the group went to “One Man, Two Guvnors” at Theatre Royal Haymarket. The play was about one man (Francis Henshall), and his entertaining misadventures as he tries to work for two bosses whose respective tasks end up conflicting and cause Francis a great deal of trouble. We only have three more shows to attend while in London – The Phantom of The Opera, Sweeney Todd, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

On Tuesday, our History of British Pop Music instructor gave us the final assignment to be turned in before we leave London. In 1,000 words, we’ll be writing a review of one influential album out of a selection of ten albums. The selection Rob gave us is as follows –

Dark Side of The Moon – Pink Floyd

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club – The Beatles

Who’s Next – The Who

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie

Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin

Never Mind the Bollocks – The Sex Pistols

The Fat of the Land – The Prodigy

London Calling – The Clash

Beggars Banquet – The Rolling Stones

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis

While I’d enjoy writing about any of these albums, the first two albums that popped in my head were “Fat of the Land” and “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory”. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning strongly towards “Fat of the Land” by The Prodigy.

On Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM, the group boarded the coach bus towards Manchester. Our first stop was the football pitch of the Manchester United F.C. – Old Trafford.

We received a brief tour of the stadium, and were able to see inside the locker room of the football club.

Inside the locker room.

Following our tour, we got back on the coach and proceeded on to downtown Manchester, where we spent a few hours.

A mailbox that survived the WWII bombings in Manchester

Manchester City Hall.

We departed from Manchester around 4:00 PM and continued on to Liverpool. Upon arriving at the hostel in Liverpool, we dropped out bags and proceeded out to explore the city. Our first stop was a pub called the Philharmonic, where our British Life & Culture professor was already imbibing the libations. We stayed there for just one or two drinks and headed out to the Cavern Club, where The Beatles were first noticed and began to pick up popularity. We saw some live music and had a great time. We were out with the majority of the group, which made the night even more fun.

The Phil

Inside the Cavern Club.

On Thursday morning, we began exploring the rest of Liverpool. Liverpool is a very walkable city, and we were fortunate to have better weather than previous groups. Apparently, Liverpool gets rain 360 days of the year, and we were in Liverpool for one of the days where the weather is blue skies and sunshine. We started off the day at the Liverpool Cathedral, which is this absolutely massive building that you can see in the distance from nearly anywhere in the city.

Outside the Liverpool Cathedral.

After leaving the Liverpool Cathedral, Chad, Andy, AJ, and I headed to the World Museum at the opposite end of the city. Although the museum turned out to be more of a children’s museum, we all still got a huge kick out of the exhibits. We didn’t spend too long at the World Museum, so we headed down to Albert Dock, passing through Chinatown on our way there. Albert Dock was mostly populated with restaurants and a few museums.

The Chinatown arch. Constructed in 2000.

Albert Dock

After Albert Dock, we headed towards Radio City Tower, also known as St. John’s Beacon. The Radio City Tower was awesome. We were up some 400 feet above the city, and were able to see inside the facilities of 96.7 Radio City.

Radio City Tower

The view from Radio City Tower

Radio City "On Air" studio.

And perhaps the best parts of the Radio City Tower experience were these little gems…

Will Smith's "Big Willie Style"

Eric Prydz - "Call on Me"

No Doubt's "Don't Speak"

And my personal favorite…

A signed poster of the covers of New Order singles.

After the Radio City Tower tour, we headed back down to Albert Dock to walk along the River Mersey. I preferred Liverpool over Manchester, and really enjoyed the brief stay there. It was considerably more laid-back than London – No where near as loud and bustling, yet there was still plenty to do.

Along the Mersey

I’m currently at City of Westminster College as I write this, so I’m not entirely sure what the plans are for this weekend. The girls of flat #2 have had guests all week, seeing as it’s Ball State’s spring break. Beth’s friend Riz has been hanging with the group a lot, and tonight is her last night here before she heads back to Indiana. We actually won’t be living too far from each other in Muncie next year, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.

Riz and I at the Cavern Club

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Weekly Recap

It’s been a fairly low-key week, seeing as everyone is just enjoying being back in London from their respective mid-semester breaks. On Monday night, we took a “Jack The Ripper” tour around the Whitechapel area. On the tour, we visited locations where the bodies of Jack The Ripper’s victims were found, and learned about the history of the killings. Aside from the gruesome details, the group was recommended a film about Jack The Ripper to check out if they felt so inclined – “Jack The Ripper” (1998) staring Michael Caine. Following the Jack The Ripper tour, half of the group headed to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London – A tradition which takes place every night and has done so since the 14th century.

On Tuesday evening, the entire group went to one of our professor’s homes here in London. Phillipa, our tour guide on our Wednesday trips and the professor of the Art History course on the London program, had the group over for some dinner. I was requested to read the opening paragraph from “Bleak House” by Charles Dickens, and sat on the staircase as I read to the entire group. I’m sure there was photographic evidence, and I’ll be sure to get it up as soon as it surfaces online…

Wednesday was one of the more laid-back traveling days we’ve experienced so far. On Tuesday evening, our program director, Dr. Pierce and Phillipa agreed to make Wednesday and optional day. However, the weather was projected to be enjoyable and a trip to Hampstead Heath would be a lot of fun. There was about half of the group that showed up to Hampstead Heath on Wednesday and we walked around the entire park, and the men stood by as the women went to jump into the small swimming hole for a quick dip. We spent the better half of the afternoon in Hampstead Heath and had a great time.

Two of my flatmates picked up soccer balls on Thursday afternoon, so after class on Thursday, six of the girls from flat two and four guys from my flat went to the park just down the street and played a great game. While I haven’t played soccer since the AYSO days, it felt great to be playing and getting some exercise again. While we sustained some minor injuries, we agreed that we’ll have to do it regularly in the last month we have in London.

I forgot to bring a camera along this week, but once I see some photos uploaded on Facebook, I’ll throw ’em on here. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you all very, very soon!

Scotland 2012 – Part 2

I departed from the Inverness train station on Thursday morning and arrived at Edinburgh Waverley in the early hours of the afternoon. I was on a Virgin train, and much to my delight, they offered free wireless Internet. You’re hard-pressed to find free Wi-Fi (let alone Wi-Fi at all) out in Scotland. I made my way out of the train station and boarded a bus which would take me in the direction of the bed and breakfast I was going to be staying at for the remainder of my travels. The bus dropped me at a five minute walk to the bed and breakfast, which was… Good. Apparently, I was given one of the larger rooms, because “That’s the way it worked out.”, according to the woman who owned the establishment.

The other half of my room at the B&B.

The room at the B&B.

My first day in Edinburgh started with exploring the city. I caught another bus back towards the city and explored the area around Saint Andrew Square. I ate lunch at Jenners (The Harrods of Scotland), which was one of the oldest independent department stores in Scotland until it was purchased in 2005. Following Jenners, I meandered up and down Princes Street, which is the main retail area of Edinburgh. While a majority of the retail is geared towards tourists, it was still good fun wandering through the shops and seeing everything the stores had to offer. Later on, I headed up across Waverley Bridge and did more exploring.

Jenners

A view down Princes Street.

A view inside the School of Divinity at The University of Edinburgh.

Unfortunately, a majority of the distilleries in Scotland do very limited tours during the off-season, but I was able to go on The Scotch Whisky Experience, where I received the crash course in how Scotch Whisky is made and tasted a few wee drams from the Highlands, Lowlands, Islay, and Speyside distilleries. It was definitely an enjoyable learning experience, though I still have a great deal to learn. The Scotch Whisky Experience currently houses the largest whisky collection in the world. Owned by Diageo Claive Vidiz, the collection was moved from Brazil in late 2008. You could go to Edinburgh (or all of Scotland for that matter) solely for the purpose to taste, learn about, and collect whisky.

Just a single wall from the world's largest whisky collection.

Just a dram of nectar of the Gods from each of the main regions in Scotland where whisky is produced.

My second day in Edinburgh brought me to Edinburgh Castle, which was another enjoyable learning experience. The entire first day, my eyes kept wandering up to the castle on the hill, for it dominates the skyline and is visible from nearly everywhere in the central downtown area. Primarily used as a military castle, there is very little original castle remaining. It is renovated frequently to ensure that it can handle the 1.5 million visitors it receives each year.

A view of Edinburgh Castle from directly outside.

A view inside the castle.

Following Edinburgh Castle, I walked down The Royal Mile to Scottish Parliament, which is this absolutely beautiful building which is no more than 10 years old. It just opened in mid-2004, I believe. But I got a thorough tour of the building, including some areas that you can’t normally see as a tourist just wandering aimlessly around the building. Makes me really appreciate the tour guides. Following the tour of Scottish Parliament, I went on a hike through Holyrood Park, which is literally right next to Scottish Parliament. I had a beautiful day for hiking, and could see for miles as  I walked along the Salisbury Crags. Literally though, the trail was as rugged as rugged can be. Unpaved, loose gravel, uneven rocks, and the like caused many hikers to stumble before they quickly caught themselves. The hike took me a better part of the afternoon, and after walking back up The Royal Mile, I headed to a place I could eat dinner.

The view from the path along Salisbury Crags. Edinburgh Castle faintly on the horizon.

 

Inside the debating chamber. On the tour, we were able to actually walk down where the MPs sit.

A view of the Scottish Parliament building from the path along the Salisbury Crags.

Overall, I was amazed with the beauty of Scotland, after seeing both the countryside as well as the capital city. Both held a great deal of history in nearly every single crevice and in each drop of whisky. The natural beauty of the countryside was only rivaled by the historic and original architecture that defined Edinburgh. I was fortunate enough to have the great weather that I did for my time in Scotland, which made the trip even more enjoyable. As I was telling the Prentices that I met earlier on in the trip, I’ll definitely need to come back in the near future with the rest of the family in tow.

Heading into the last month in London… It’s shaping up to be a very busy one. I’m trying to get at least one or two more travels in before I head back home to the States. I’ll be sure to write once more before the week’s out. As always, thanks for taking the time to read. See you all very soon.

Scotland 2012 – Part 1

So let’s pick up where I left off… From what I remember, I was headed to O2 Brixton on Saturday night for the second round of Skrillex/Alvin Risk/Zane Lowe/Sebastian. It was such a better atmosphere than the after party last Friday night. The best part? It was louder. Although I found myself in line for 40 minutes from the time doors opened to when I entered the venue, I still had a blast. I would love to get back to O2 Brixton to see Nero in late March.

On Monday evening, I boarded the train at London Euston for Inverness, in Northern Scotland. where my father’s cousin, Archie (would that be my second cousin then?) and his wife Anne live with their two little grasshoppers, Scott and Mairi. The four of them live in a beautiful home just a short drive out of downtown Inverness and were generous enough to take me in from Tuesday to Thursday morning. Upon arriving on Tuesday morning, Archie picked me up from the train station and we headed back to his home where I cleaned up and we took off for a drive along the West coast of Scotland, in the general vicinity of Applecross. We drove through the small mountains of the Applecross Peninsula, along the Bealach na Bà  (pass of the cattle), which is this dangerously narrow, single-lane road, which used to be the only means of getting from Applecross to the rest of civilization. The twisting road took us higher and higher, but unfortunately it was literally raining sideways due to the high speeds of the wind, and the clouds were hanging very low, so the pictures I was able to take were the best I could get with what the weather dealt us that day. Archie was telling me about a bike race that takes place on the Bealach na Bà (because driving it just isn’t life-threatening enough), and I can only imagine how brutally focused you must be as you’re flying down the other side of the pass. One misguided movement could have you hurdling off the course.

... Which I imagine looking something like this...

Despite the unfortunate weather along the West coast, I still saw some beautiful scenery in the countryside. Archie made a delicious meal of venison, black pudding, and white pudding  it consists of pork meat, bread, oatmeal, and various spices,formed into the shape of a sausage. On Wednesday, Archie’s dad (my dad’s Uncle), Richard came to Archie’s and picked me up before we began our adventures. We packed plenty in to our day on Wednesday. We started off with driving to Nairn, located along the Northeast coast, which is known for its seaside resorts, two renowned golf courses, and scenic walks. We drove past the Nairn Golf Club, where the Curtis Cup will be held this summer, in addition to the Culbin Sands, which is a massive forest which stretches from Nairn to the village of Findhorn.

After Nairn, we went to Culloden Field, where the final confrontation between the Jacobites and the forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart took place. Another, very historic and interesting site – It was very eerie and silent as we walked out into the field where the battle took place in 1746. Following Culloden, we drove along Loch Ness, which was absolutely breathtaking. Twenty three miles long and nearly 750 feet deep (at its deepest), Loch Ness is the largest Loch in the Scottish highlands. Located on top of the Great Glen Fault, Loch Ness contains more water than all the bodies of water in both England and Wales combined. Despite all the myths and eye-witness reports, I did not see a monster of any sort as we drove along the water’s edge.

Our day continued as we headed to Fort Augustus, just at the foot of Loch Ness. A small, quiet town, Fort Augustus no doubt relies heavily upon the tourist months. Unlike the previous day, we had terrific weather for the entire day. The mountains along the West coast will catch the majority of the storms before they can reach the central Highlands. The silence that surrounded Fort Augustus was so natural and peaceful as Richard and I walked around. We ended the day in Drumnadrochit, where Richard and his wife Catriona live. We ate at the restaurant in the Loch Ness Inn, just at the end of their street. After the meal, Richard and I dropped Catriona off at their home and we continued to pick Archie up at the train station, for he was in Edinburgh and Glasgow for the day on work-related meetings.

A view from a small hill in Inverness

A view from Bealach na Bà

Fort Augustus

A view from Fort Augustus of Loch Ness

With Richard and Catriona after dinner

The wee grasshoppers, Mairi (10) and Scott (5)

I left Archie and Anne’s early Thursday morning and got on the train to Edinburgh, which transferred in Perth before reaching my final destination. Inverness was great. It was certainly a memorable experience meeting more of the Prentice side of the family, and I’ll be eternally grateful for their kindness and hospitality as they showed me around Northern Scotland. It would really be a different experience if I hadn’t shared it with family. I can only hope to visit again, next time, with the other four family members in two. I’ll get to writing about my Edinburgh adventures once they’re all said and done and I’m back in London on Saturday evening. But until then, here’s a few photos…

“The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By diligent effort, I learnt to like it.” - Winston Churchill

The (Seemingly) Never-Ending Weekend

After class on Friday, I went over to Bethnal Green to meet a friend my Uncle Joe had introduced me to via e-mail a few weeks ago. Annie is a student at the London College of Communication and was generous enough to show myself and two of my friends around Camden for a few hours on Friday afternoon. Camden was absolutely brilliant. Probably one of my favorite places I’ve been so far. The Camden market left me in awe and I can’t wait to go back next weekend and spend some serious time there. The music scene is still going strong in Camden, with bands at every corner handing out flyers for their next show. Definitely going to try to go to a show at the Electric Ballroom (right off of the Camden tube stop) for a show… I think Sleigh Bells is there very, very soon.

I had tickets to travel to Amsterdam with three other students on Friday evening (or so we thought), so we headed back to the flats to hang out until it was time to get on the tube to the train station. Upon returning, I thought I should double check the tickets, seeing as I did not book the tickets, I was still unsure of our travel arrangements. Looking at the tickets, I noticed we had to be at the station in an hour for our first train, instead of three hours like I was told from the other students I was traveling with. So we hurried to the first station to catch our first bus. It didn’t show. After waiting outside for an additional 15 minutes, we simply took the tube to Victoria Station where our next bus was supposed to depart from (probably what we should have done from the get-go…).

Our bus departed from Victoria at 7:00 PM. We found ourselves on a ferry over at 9:00 PM. We were scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. We got in at 6:00 AM. Unsure of where to go next, we left the station and started walking. By some miracle, we found the central downtown area after about an hour of walking (without any backtracking, mind you). So we’re in town at 7:00 AM. Nothing opens until 9:00 AM. We were homeless for a few hours on Saturday morning… Before the sun was even up… It was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. We saw most of the city in an hour as walked around aimlessly. We happened upon a grocery store that opened up at 8:00 AM (we found it around 7:56 AM), which we warmed up in for a little bit before we went to a bagel  store, which was just next door, which opened at 8:30 AM.

After an extremely mediocre cup of coffee and a very brief nap with my head down on the table, we headed back out on the streets at approximately 9:00 AM. Now things were starting to open up, and people were out and about on the Saturday morning. It was bone-chilling outside when the wind picked up, and a majority of the restaurant were not open yet. We did some more walking, and were able to grab lunch and sit for a while. After lunch we headed to a movie theatre, on the suggestion from two of my companions who thought that’s where they could close their eyes for at least two hours in a somewhat comfortable chair. I had no problem with this, but I wanted to see a good movie. We went to go see Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It was beautiful. I came out of the theatre only angry at myself for having put seeing the film off this long. Everyone was out and about after the movie ended – The streets were PACKED. We grabbed some dinner and took a cab back to Amstel Station (only about a ten minute drive) without much traffic. We got back on our bus at 7:00 PM and began the 7 hour drive back to France where we got back on a ferry and upon docking in the UK, we proceeded on to Victoria station. We got into Victoria, found a bus home, and rolled into the flats around 6:00 AM. I have never been as happy as I was earlier this morning to lay down in my bed and sleep.

Overall verdict: Amsterdam is a beautiful place. But for the amount of traveling we went through to spend less that 12 hours there? Not worth it. We learned the hard way, and from now on (for me at least) we’ll be flying, or spending more than 12 hours in a location and get a hotel room. Kind of bummed that I missed out on College on Friday night. He was playing at a local venue just down the block and it only cost about 6 or 7 pounds to get in. This weekend was a learning experience, and I am glad I was able to visit. Will I head back for an extended weekend? Maybe. Probably not.

London: Week 1

It’s almost difficult to believe I’ve already been in London a full seven days. It feels like we’ve been all over the city, when in reality, we’ve barely scratched the surface. We had beautiful weather on Monday for our four mile walk on the River Thames – Clear, blue skies, with temperatures in the low 40’s. I managed to get to the meeting point about 30 minutes early to walk around the area to get a feel for where we’d be walking, and managed to snap one of several photos to come of Tower Bridge (We met directly on Tower Bridge, facing West towards London Bridge).

Our walk took us along the South side of the Thames, from the London Tower to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and over the Millennium Bridge (Seen in the beginning of the sixth Harry Potter installment), where we crossed to the North side of the Thames and proceeded. On the North side of the Thames, we passed the London Eye,  The Globe Theater, and eventually crossed over the Westminster Bridge (Some scenes in 28 Days Later), where we found ourselves at Parliament.

Tuesday was a bit more laid back in terms of group tours. I took the Bakerloo line from Kilburn all the way to it’s final stop at Elephant and Castle where I located the music venue, The Ministry of Sound, where some good acts will be later this weekend. Hopping back on Bakerloo, I took the underground back up to Queen’s Park, the last stop before I have to transfer to elevated trains, which my travel Oyster card does not cover. I wandered around (unintentionally) Queen’s Park for about 30-45 minutes before making my way back to Kilburn and the flats. The afternoon was an afternoon well-spent while exploring. Tuesday evening had us at the New London Theater to see the performance of War Horse, which was stunning.

On Wednesday, the 18th, the group took the underground/DLR to Greenwich, which was really fascinating. The “downtown” district there is nowhere near as tourist-oriented as, say, Piccadilly or Covent Gardens, but it was nonetheless enjoyable to walk around. I found a small record store in Greenwich where I was able to pick some excellent music and was clued in on where the hip record stores are located around the city. The one aspect of Greenwich that I found the most interesting was the Royal Observatory, the location of the Prime Meridian as well as the four original clocks developed by John Harrison used to tell time at sea. It’s located up on this massive hill that overlooks the rest of London, the Thames, and Greenwich. I’ll definitely try to get back to Greenwich when I’m able.

Tomorrow and Friday will be pretty standard. We start our Theater 100 course tomorrow, and will continue with our British Life & Culture class as well. It’s getting to be that time where I need to begin doing some research regarding my independent study, because I’ve been  pushing that back for the past few days. The sooner I get my first paper for that out of the way, the better. I hope to get another chance to write once the weekend is over.

LONDON: The First 48 Hours

So I’ve finally got some time to sit down and write. The past 48 hours have been a nonstop whirlwind of new information, and I haven’t felt too overwhelmed (yet) thanks in part to the director of the program as well as the other Ball State students who just want to… Figure everything out too. The Kilburn flats we’re living in are certainly not a room at the Four Seasons, nor are they shanty down on the Thames – They get the job done. Here’s the outside of our flat. We’re in Flat #4, which is the flat furthest back on the right. I’ll get some pictures of the inside up later.

The borough around the flat seems very friendly. According to one of the professors at Westminster College, the borough where our flats are located are in an area of both poverty and wealth. I can’t say I’ve seen where the better-0ff residents live yet, so I’ll have to take his word for now. We’re studying at Westminster College, just three or four tube stops away from the Kilburn flats. We can either get on a bus (10 minute ride), walk (15-20 minutes), or take the underground (20-25 minutes) to get to Westminster College. I’ll be sure to get some pictures of the building up as soon as I can. I normally don’t carry the camera around on a daily basis, but I probably should more often than not. I plan on becoming more familiar with the area this weekend and definitely exploring Piccadilly, Jermyn St., and Old Bond Street, so I’ll be sure to bring the camera along for those adventures.