pictures from Scotland

update and not feeling well

Kings Cross Sation and Stonehenge, England

Blast the London pollution! I feel like I am coming down with a allergy induced sinus infection and feel awful. Also sorry I haven't updated in a while.
I went to the Victoria and Albert museum yesterday with a couple of friends and it was amazing. On Friday nights they stay open until 10pm and it is so nice. If I lived here, that is where I would go for date night because it is beautiful and free! I didn't see half of what they have but particularly enjoyed the plaster casts and the fashion exhibit.

Everything is going well with my host family and roommate except for the fact that they smoke sometimes. Not in the regular areas of the house but outside and sometimes in their room I think, which wouldn't be all that much of a problem but their room is across from mine and it is often very strong (which doesn't help my sinuses!) But I suppose I can put up with that because I have heard some horror stories from some of the others in my class who got stuck with much less accommodating host families.

I have to write an article for journalism by Monday and still have not been able to contact anyone at Kew Gardens for an interview. I would have gone down there today if I had not been so sick. I'm not sure what to do. This is my first attempt at this kind of thing and really haven't had much guidance at all! I would try to come up with another story but I have no ideas and would need something fairly easy because I am not feeling well. I am pretty frustrated.

Oh, well. Scotland is coming up soon so I have that to look forward to if I can just get to feeling better. For now I am just going to put a movie on and get some more rest.

Keep checking my youtube (Lissagirl99) for new videos. I upload new ones whenever I get a chance and am home. I am pretty far behind but eventually I hope it will be a cool visual record of my trip.

Evensong

Yesterday I went to class like normal then decided to attend Evensong Services at St. Paul's. It is a really awesome (and free) way to hear music in the Cathedral and see the Cathedral in action. It was absolutely beautiful to hear the choir's voices echoing in the beauty of the building. The sermon was actually good too. It pointed out the importance of paying attention to one's conscience and how great things have been accomplished by people who have done that. Went home. Had a nice dinner (similar to a ploughman's lunch) and went to bed.

Sadly, I woke in the middle of the night with stomach troubles so spent all of today in bed. I missed going to the British Library with the group but will probably go again with my roommate so that's not to bad. It just stunk to miss out on one day in London.

Tomorrow is Salisbury and Stonehenge.

a store, an arch, a fountain, and a vampire walk

Yesterday was going to be spent at home being bored because of a tube strike that had been going on since Sunday night. Lucky for me, my host mom suggested that I go to Primark. Primark is a really large clothing and shoe store that seriously marks down their merchandise. I got a dress for 8 pounds! I just had to take one bus to get there and it was the bus that stops right in front of the house! I thought, the least I could do was get out of the house.

Primark is at the Marble Arch station and there really is a huge marble arch there. And, as it turns out, Hyde Park's Speaker's Corner is just there as well. So, after my shopping, I took a walk into the park. I saw Speakers Corner, the boat house on the Serpentine, and the Princess Diana Memorial fountain. (I have video of me soaking my feet in the fountain which they encourage you to do.) I headed home after that.

Today was a long day in class and we had a Ghost and Vampire walking tour with a local guide who had quite a sense of humor. I enjoyed him, if not the tour, and got some good video of that as well. Check out my youtube (when I get it uploaded). It is Lissagirl99.

Photo at St. Paul's and update

This is a photo of some of my group at St. Paul's Cathedral. I have yet to go in and visit, but when I do, you will hear more about it.

Yesterday was long but the coolest so far. We took a day trip to Canterbury Cathedral and Leeds Castle. The Cathedral had a few really cool things. I urge you to keep checking my youtube for new uploads as I took lots of video yesterday. The Black Prince's tomb and armor rests in the cathedral. And I am really tired and can't remember the rest just now so go check out the video.

Leeds Castle was amazing. It had a beautiful moat and the rooms were set up to make it a very interesting tour throughout. The people that work there are great and I actually stopped and had a long conversation with a lady and a older gentleman. Super friendly. Apparently Edward the 2nd's wife got mad because of his homosexual cheating and had him killed by driving a red hot poker up his anus and stirring it around. OUCH!!!

The grounds would be amazing to visit on a sunny day as there are 500 acres of gardens and a maze but it was raining very hard so I stuck to the aviary. I was told by the lady I spoke with that it is a national aviary that breeds the birds and then sends them back to their native country to repopulate the species. I could have spent a lot more time there but had to be back to meet the bus. They had a lot of different birds but I got a few of them on video talking and one of them did a little dance for me. LOVE IT! Someday, I wouldn't mind having a much smaller version of the same. I really enjoy animals.

Marx tour and Curry Night

This post is going to be very short. Today we had a tour of the Karl Marx library for our afternoon class field trip. Our guide was a sweet old gentleman whom you will see featured in the video of the tour (once I get it uploaded). Went shopping on Oxford Street afterward. I love H&M. I have never been there before but they have some really cute stuff and most of it was really cheap. (bras were 9.99 GBP!)
Had group curry night tonight which I loved because Indian food is one of my favorites. Brick Lane was where the restaurant was located and it was interesting to be aggressively approached by people from all the restaurants to come in and eat at their restaurant. I love that area. Really pretty, old, some cobblestone roads, big lovely church. Really close to Liverpool Station (where they shot this t-mobile ad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM)
Leeds Castle and Canterbury trip tomorrow. 'Night!

Normal Day in London

Hi guys,
Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Blogger was having some issues or maybe my computer, I don't know.
Today was our second day of classes. I am sad to say that I am not really enjoying classes. I feel like I would much rather be out exploring history than sitting in a classroom and I am also finding that the class really isn't my thing at all. The teacher is really talented but it just doesn't seem to fit me and my personality.
Had a really good lunch at the ULU pub today. Chicken Tikka Masala, it was awesome. I had it eaten in less than 5 min! Then went for a really nice walk in Russell Square park. Smelled the roses, lol, and was swarmed by pigeons. I love all the parks here and am going to make it a point to spend time visiting as many as possible.
After classes were over, my roomie and I went for some much needed supplies (hairdryer, allergy meds, crisps! etc.) at Tesco just north of our homestay. It was huge. Much larger than I expected in London but was nice that we didn't have to run all over. We have been trying to get all of our errands done since we got here on Saturday and it is good to be mostly done so we can settle in and focus on class and fun.
My home stay mum is a pretty good cook and made us bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes and peas) for dinner tonight. Last night I had some really awesome Bread and Butter Pudding. I am really loving the food here.