This morning we didn't have class (only Monday thru Thursday), so we got up at about 9:30 and went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We took the tubes to get there. The more and more I go on the tubes, the more I seem to like the system of transportation they have in place here. Seems really well done and there are really no problems getting around anywhere.
The ceremony was pretty cool. It was warm today so it was pretty hard to stand around there but we made it thru the whole thing. I will also put up a few videos this time if I can. I wasn't really sure what was going on the whole time since we were standing back pretty far from the main thing. A few cool things happened during it tho. When we were standing there, the Queen actually came out in a car to leave. I only caught a glimpse but everyone was like "The Queen! The Queen!". The picture I got of the cars was a quick shot trying to catch it. Another thing was the music they played during the ceremony. One was the theme from Indiana Jones and the other was from Star Wars. You might be able to hear it in the video if I can get it up.
After the guard, we went to get a quick bite to eat and see the Millenium Bridge. We learned about the bridge in our engineering classes since it was so poorly constructed initally and had alot of problems. I forget the specifics but I am sure Google has the answers somewhere.
After all that, I came back and crashed for a nap. Felt really good since anywhere you want to go requires a ton of walking.
All the pictures should be up pretty quick here.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Updated Layout
I changed the layout because I couldn't put links on the side of the page. That would mean I would have to keep reposting the link to the pictures because it would slide down the page as I kept posting new stuff. You can now find random London links on the right hand side of the page.
Another interesting fact that may only interest me and another person is the layout name is "Herbert". That one is for you babe ;)
Another interesting fact that may only interest me and another person is the layout name is "Herbert". That one is for you babe ;)
Random Facts that I have Learned
I took this from Lindsey's blog because I learned them too but am too lazy to put them down and added a few that came to mind randomly.
1) Doc Marten's shoes came to be because of a crisis in London. The local police here were right on the hunt to find Jack the Riper. Well, one night the police where so close to finding Jack that the only way he knew to get away was because he heard the policeman's shoes as this policman tried to sneak up behind Jack the Riper. The police decided this was no good, so they hired a local shoe maker to develope some kind of shoe that was quiet, so that they could sneak up on ppl without them knowing. So, the first rubber souled shoes came to be...given the name Doc Martens.
2) Why is Soccer known as Football in in England? Well, in the beginning, there was a game where children would just kick a ball...and try to score on each other. The people gave it the name football...because you kicked the ball with your foot. Well, a college in England named Rugby College, decided to take it a step further and pick up the ball and run with it as well. So, the papers had to find some way to specify what they where talking about when they posted scores. So they called the kicking football, association football, and they called the football that included carrying the ball Rugby Football, since it initiated in Rugby. Well, the papers decided writting out Association Football was just too long, so they shortened it to a.s.o.c.. The locals then took the s.o.c. and developed the word "soccer"...it was considered kind of a cool slang. And so the word soccer came to be, and somehow Americans kept it, the English left it and stayed with Football.
3) The word "Crap" is considered to be just as nasty as saying "Shit" in England.
4) Mad doesn't mean angry, it means insane. That one I knew though, still interesting however.
5) The beds here don't have sheets...they wrap the sheet around the comforter..its like a huge pillow case for a comforter. Apparently Germany does that too....
6) There are no exit signs in London....they spell it out for you and put "Way Out" signs.
7) The gas is so expensive in London, that putting it in terms we would understand..it would be about $8/gallon.
8) Most shops in London close around 6..24 hour specials are very rare.
9) When ordering a meal, they will ask you if you want that to "take away or stay"...if you say "to go" or "for here"...you will confuse them.
10) There are 42 different languages spoken in London, and 12 million ppl living here.
11) The Irish were used in the digging in New Orleans back in the day because people thought slaves were too expensive and the Irish would work for nothing (like beer).
1) Doc Marten's shoes came to be because of a crisis in London. The local police here were right on the hunt to find Jack the Riper. Well, one night the police where so close to finding Jack that the only way he knew to get away was because he heard the policeman's shoes as this policman tried to sneak up behind Jack the Riper. The police decided this was no good, so they hired a local shoe maker to develope some kind of shoe that was quiet, so that they could sneak up on ppl without them knowing. So, the first rubber souled shoes came to be...given the name Doc Martens.
2) Why is Soccer known as Football in in England? Well, in the beginning, there was a game where children would just kick a ball...and try to score on each other. The people gave it the name football...because you kicked the ball with your foot. Well, a college in England named Rugby College, decided to take it a step further and pick up the ball and run with it as well. So, the papers had to find some way to specify what they where talking about when they posted scores. So they called the kicking football, association football, and they called the football that included carrying the ball Rugby Football, since it initiated in Rugby. Well, the papers decided writting out Association Football was just too long, so they shortened it to a.s.o.c.. The locals then took the s.o.c. and developed the word "soccer"...it was considered kind of a cool slang. And so the word soccer came to be, and somehow Americans kept it, the English left it and stayed with Football.
3) The word "Crap" is considered to be just as nasty as saying "Shit" in England.
4) Mad doesn't mean angry, it means insane. That one I knew though, still interesting however.
5) The beds here don't have sheets...they wrap the sheet around the comforter..its like a huge pillow case for a comforter. Apparently Germany does that too....
6) There are no exit signs in London....they spell it out for you and put "Way Out" signs.
7) The gas is so expensive in London, that putting it in terms we would understand..it would be about $8/gallon.
8) Most shops in London close around 6..24 hour specials are very rare.
9) When ordering a meal, they will ask you if you want that to "take away or stay"...if you say "to go" or "for here"...you will confuse them.
10) There are 42 different languages spoken in London, and 12 million ppl living here.
11) The Irish were used in the digging in New Orleans back in the day because people thought slaves were too expensive and the Irish would work for nothing (like beer).
Last First week of classes... ever!
Today was my offical last first week of classes for the rest of my life (unless by some very strange reason, I go to grad school). Today, for class, I had History of London (every Tuesday and Thursday). In the morning we had lecture which is very boring. It will get more interesting when we get to WWII tho, which isn't until like the last week.
In the afternoon, we went to visit the museum, church and hospital of St. Bartholomew. It was pretty awesome. The pictures should be up on the site that I gave you guys last time as soon as this is posted. The church is amazing, since we have nothing that could even hold a candle to that in the UP. There is also a few paintings that can be found in the museum. They are both famous but I don't remember the exact names. Both are religious paintings. There are also a few pictures in there that should look familar if you have seen the movie Closer, can you pick them out? And included is the back of a Aston Martin DB9, cause it is sexy.
Right now, we are just chillin out for a bit before we decide what to do tonight. I may extend this post later with more stuff on the night.
In the afternoon, we went to visit the museum, church and hospital of St. Bartholomew. It was pretty awesome. The pictures should be up on the site that I gave you guys last time as soon as this is posted. The church is amazing, since we have nothing that could even hold a candle to that in the UP. There is also a few paintings that can be found in the museum. They are both famous but I don't remember the exact names. Both are religious paintings. There are also a few pictures in there that should look familar if you have seen the movie Closer, can you pick them out? And included is the back of a Aston Martin DB9, cause it is sexy.
Right now, we are just chillin out for a bit before we decide what to do tonight. I may extend this post later with more stuff on the night.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Link to Pictures!
I hope this works. The site is by like invite only but maybe the link will get there. You need to sign up for the site but it is free so no problem there. Let me know if this works by leaving a comment.
Pictures!
I will change the URL as I add more albums since you can only share what you select at the time. The service doesn't have a limit and it is really easy to upload so that is why I am using this over Photobucket. Hope you like it!
Pictures!
I will change the URL as I add more albums since you can only share what you select at the time. The service doesn't have a limit and it is really easy to upload so that is why I am using this over Photobucket. Hope you like it!
First Wednesday in London
Since I didn't give any information on what happened yesterday, you get a double dose of Tuesday and Wednesday information.
Classes are going alright. They seem like they might be alot of work for 5 weeks tho. I have a few papers to write and 2 presentations in the two classes! Oh well, I think I will get by. Both professors are awesome and I am learning alot of useless information like how they got the name Mayonaise. My film professor is a screen writer for movies so he knows people who have met actors and such so he has alot of good stories to tell us. Funny cause he is from Las Vegas and is teaching over here for the program.
After class on Tuesday, we went out to the pub outside our building here. The beer here is pretty good! Much better than the stuff back home. We had a few there and then drank a bit more in the dorms. We being me and the other girls with us since Brandon doesn't drink, but we will get him to do it by the end. Fun stuff.
Today we went to class like usual and then hung around the dorm for a bit to wait for the girls to get back. Once they made it back, we went to get tickets to go see Stonehenge. It cost about 60 pounds to see Stonehenge, Tower of London, and Bath all in a day trip on a bus, so expensive but it should be fun to see. We aren't going until the 21st of July (2 days before my b-day).
Not sure what is planned for this weekend but I think we want to see the Changing of the Guard on Friday and maybe Buckingham Palace. May just hang out around town when we get there. England also plays another game of soccer on Saturday so we will probably see that stuff too. Who knows?
Classes are going alright. They seem like they might be alot of work for 5 weeks tho. I have a few papers to write and 2 presentations in the two classes! Oh well, I think I will get by. Both professors are awesome and I am learning alot of useless information like how they got the name Mayonaise. My film professor is a screen writer for movies so he knows people who have met actors and such so he has alot of good stories to tell us. Funny cause he is from Las Vegas and is teaching over here for the program.
After class on Tuesday, we went out to the pub outside our building here. The beer here is pretty good! Much better than the stuff back home. We had a few there and then drank a bit more in the dorms. We being me and the other girls with us since Brandon doesn't drink, but we will get him to do it by the end. Fun stuff.
Today we went to class like usual and then hung around the dorm for a bit to wait for the girls to get back. Once they made it back, we went to get tickets to go see Stonehenge. It cost about 60 pounds to see Stonehenge, Tower of London, and Bath all in a day trip on a bus, so expensive but it should be fun to see. We aren't going until the 21st of July (2 days before my b-day).
Not sure what is planned for this weekend but I think we want to see the Changing of the Guard on Friday and maybe Buckingham Palace. May just hang out around town when we get there. England also plays another game of soccer on Saturday so we will probably see that stuff too. Who knows?
Monday, June 26, 2006
First weekend in London
I am in London. I arrived here at about 7:00 AM this time (about 1ish back at good ole CST). I must say, my initial impressions of the city were not great. We came in and it looked very ghetto. Especially where we are staying. The living conditions are adequate for a couple weeks like we are doing but I can't see anyone being here for a year or two.
And everything is damn expensive! The conversion rate here is about 2 bucks per pound and everything is about the same price in pounds as it is in the US dollars, so it makes everything cost double what you pay in the US. Sucks big time!
Another thing is the foreign power. Half of the stuff I have in the US won't work here. Lucky the computer does and so does my headset! So at least I can call you guys back in the States. Skype is the best invention since sliced bread. It is nice to be able to call home for like 2 cents a minute. Also the internet is like 40 pounds for the month but I found a wireless connection that works so I am going to use that as long as I can anyhow. If I have to buy the internet eventually, oh well.
Things are getting way better tho. We bought a tube pass (subway/bus pass). It was damn expensive (80 pounds or 160 bucks in the US about), but it is going to be well worth it to get around everywhere! I saw yesterday, what I thought London was suppost to look like! We went to the center of town on a bus tour of the city. The main city is beautiful! I got a ton of pictures for all of you to see. We also stopped off to get a bite to eat in the city and find a pub to get a drink in. It is amazing because the World Cup is absolutely huge over here and everyone takes it uber seriously. We were lucky that England won because they get crazy. I guess if they lose, chaos breaks loose so hopefully they keep winning. I have some pictures of the guys running down the street kicking a soccer ball and singing and yelling, it is awesome!
Today, I had my first class. Film and Literature in London which is actually taught by an American professor from Las Vegas. It seems like it will be pretty fun and interesting. We have a presentation on a book tho which means I actually have to read something :(
A few of us took a trip to the British Museum after class today too. The only thing I really was interested in seeing was the Rosetta stone. Got lots of random pictures too. I had to go and buy a battery charger here cause mine didn't work here so I can keep getting pictures here. I will try to get most of those up soon. The internet isn't extremely fast so I will have to probably do it overnight somehow.
I went and got food tonight at the supermarketish thingy they have here. Food isn't too bad but I can tell that I am going to come back weighting less. I am walking around like crazy and eating like nothing. I am going to be living on pasta I think (1 pound for a 1 kg bag :)). Found something called Pepsi Max which i think is the version of Pepsi One in the States. Also found some good beer in the pubs, Strongbow and Hoegarden or something like that. Both good stuff :)
Well until next time.
And everything is damn expensive! The conversion rate here is about 2 bucks per pound and everything is about the same price in pounds as it is in the US dollars, so it makes everything cost double what you pay in the US. Sucks big time!
Another thing is the foreign power. Half of the stuff I have in the US won't work here. Lucky the computer does and so does my headset! So at least I can call you guys back in the States. Skype is the best invention since sliced bread. It is nice to be able to call home for like 2 cents a minute. Also the internet is like 40 pounds for the month but I found a wireless connection that works so I am going to use that as long as I can anyhow. If I have to buy the internet eventually, oh well.
Things are getting way better tho. We bought a tube pass (subway/bus pass). It was damn expensive (80 pounds or 160 bucks in the US about), but it is going to be well worth it to get around everywhere! I saw yesterday, what I thought London was suppost to look like! We went to the center of town on a bus tour of the city. The main city is beautiful! I got a ton of pictures for all of you to see. We also stopped off to get a bite to eat in the city and find a pub to get a drink in. It is amazing because the World Cup is absolutely huge over here and everyone takes it uber seriously. We were lucky that England won because they get crazy. I guess if they lose, chaos breaks loose so hopefully they keep winning. I have some pictures of the guys running down the street kicking a soccer ball and singing and yelling, it is awesome!
Today, I had my first class. Film and Literature in London which is actually taught by an American professor from Las Vegas. It seems like it will be pretty fun and interesting. We have a presentation on a book tho which means I actually have to read something :(
A few of us took a trip to the British Museum after class today too. The only thing I really was interested in seeing was the Rosetta stone. Got lots of random pictures too. I had to go and buy a battery charger here cause mine didn't work here so I can keep getting pictures here. I will try to get most of those up soon. The internet isn't extremely fast so I will have to probably do it overnight somehow.
I went and got food tonight at the supermarketish thingy they have here. Food isn't too bad but I can tell that I am going to come back weighting less. I am walking around like crazy and eating like nothing. I am going to be living on pasta I think (1 pound for a 1 kg bag :)). Found something called Pepsi Max which i think is the version of Pepsi One in the States. Also found some good beer in the pubs, Strongbow and Hoegarden or something like that. Both good stuff :)
Well until next time.
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