We paid a visit to Platform 9 3/4 while at King's Cross, where our train came in.
Sir John Soane's Museum
Hyde Park
Tower Bridge from below.
The rest are here.
Some very blurry, but bright-coloured photos from the concert are here.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Pictures From London
We paid a visit to Platform 9 3/4 while at King's Cross, where our train came in.
Sir John Soane's Museum
Hyde Park
Tower Bridge from below.
The rest are here.
Some very blurry, but bright-coloured photos from the concert are here.
Happy Leap Day, and Talk of London
London last weekend was really good.
The two other times I was there I reserved my judgement, knowing that I had not been there long enough to really know if I liked it or not, but it's now official - I like London. It's short (a big advantage, in my opinion - the towering buildings of some cities make me very uncomfortable), it's pretty, it's full of history and cool things. And really good museums.
I was lucky on this trip, because my study abroad program paid for both dinners, one brunch, and my lodging - as well as my train ticket. Considering how expensive London is, that was very good.
On Friday the highlight (after an afternoon spent riding in the entrance / between-cars vestibule of the train) was definitely going to see The Shockwaves NME Awards Tour at the Carling Academy down in Brixton (in south London). Tom and I went, along with another American named Cambria who has just returned to York for another term after having been here last year.
We missed the first band, The Ting Tings, but we got there right before Does it Offend You, Yeah? started. They won my awards for Best Punctuation, and Most Direct Song of the Night ("Let's Make Out," of which the main lyrics are, yes, "let's make out!").
After DiOY,Y? Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong came on. They were the band I was most excited about hearing. They're brand new - no album out or anything. But their songs are already getting a decent amount of play, and their lead singer is Joe Van Moyland / Joe Beaumont / Joe Lean, an actor I like. They were my favourite of the night - so terribly British, clever and angular (music and looks), with Joe Lean doing his awkward pointy dancing... it was great. They weren't perfect, some of their songs were lackluster, but it was generally a really good showing. The crowd wasn't so enthused, but that's their loss. To stick with this award theme - they win My Favourite, Best Dancing, and Best Banter.
The headliners of the night were The Cribs, who were, in Tom's words, "decent." I was surprised how many of their songs I knew - they've crept into my consciousness without me being fully aware of it. The highlight of their set was definitely the fact that Johnny Marr, guitarist of The Smiths and indie god, came out and played the last few songs with them, including a Smiths cover. That was terribly exciting. They win... Most Direct Single Lyric ("I'd rather cut off my own arms then see you go out with him"), Best Guest, and Most Shoes I've Ever Seen Thrown at One Stage.
I really enjoyed the music, and just being at a British indie gig - something I've wanted to do for years. And I liked how well put on the show was - no too-large gaps between sets, and it was all over by 11pm - plenty of time to catch the Tube back to the hotel.
On Saturday I went to Sir John Soane's Museum with Tom. I've been wanting to go there for ages, and it lived up to every expectation. The place is jammed full of the extensive collections of one of the great Classical Revival architects, and it has hardly been changed since he died - meaning it really gives a feel for an early 19th century home, and for the ways in which collectors used to address and present their collections. And, of course, it's just terribly eccentric, all these odd pieces of house stuck together, with tons of windows and mirrors and sky lights, strange little objects everywhere, no labels on anything, a random skeleton staring out at you from a box in a room in the basement. I loved it, and spent absolute ages there.
After that, I had a ramble in Hyde Park before meeting some of the other American York girls for lunch and a spot of shopping in an overwhelmingly crowded and cheap clothing store. I picked up a new top and a wonderfully sparkly, star-covered necklace.
That night the study abroad program had a river cruise dinner and dance for us. It was great - the food was good and I loved seeing the city at night from the water. We went all the way down to Greenwich and the Thames Barrier - which I was terribly excited to see, though no one else really cared. I've wanted to see it for years. We also saw the tallest building in the UK, at Canary Wharf, an odd business development that really looks like someone build a mid-size American city (maybe a slightly scaled-down Charlotte) on the banks of the Thames. You completely forget it's London.
In Greenwich we saw the terribly ugly Millennium Dome / O2, but, more importantly, we saw the remarkably strong green laser that is projected from the Royal Observatory to mark the exact line of the Prime Meridian - which is pretty freaking cool, if you ask me. tom got some good shots of it, you can see one here.
Sunday we had a very good all-you-can-eat brunch, then Tom and I set off for the National Portrait Gallery. It was quite cool - they own a lot of very famous paintings, especially in their Tudor galleries - almost every famous portrait from that era hangs in maybe two galleries at the museum. And you can also trace some of the evolution of artistic style through only that one type of painting, so it's interesting for my art historical brain.
To finish up our weekend, Tom and I did a bit of music shopping, and I picked up Bishi and Leafcutter John, two artists I've been wanting albums by, so that was good.
On the train back we actually got seats, so that was really nice. Tom took some really cool pictures on the ride, featuring reflections and long exposures -you can see them here. Meanwhile, I listen to Leafcutter John and read a book I finally bought on an impulse after wanting to read it for a while - The Book Thief. I'm so glad I picked it up, it's stunningly good. Markus Zusak's turns of phrase are brilliant.
Since London I've really just been relaxing. I've been sick, so it's good to get some rest.
The two other times I was there I reserved my judgement, knowing that I had not been there long enough to really know if I liked it or not, but it's now official - I like London. It's short (a big advantage, in my opinion - the towering buildings of some cities make me very uncomfortable), it's pretty, it's full of history and cool things. And really good museums.
I was lucky on this trip, because my study abroad program paid for both dinners, one brunch, and my lodging - as well as my train ticket. Considering how expensive London is, that was very good.
On Friday the highlight (after an afternoon spent riding in the entrance / between-cars vestibule of the train) was definitely going to see The Shockwaves NME Awards Tour at the Carling Academy down in Brixton (in south London). Tom and I went, along with another American named Cambria who has just returned to York for another term after having been here last year.
We missed the first band, The Ting Tings, but we got there right before Does it Offend You, Yeah? started. They won my awards for Best Punctuation, and Most Direct Song of the Night ("Let's Make Out," of which the main lyrics are, yes, "let's make out!").
After DiOY,Y? Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong came on. They were the band I was most excited about hearing. They're brand new - no album out or anything. But their songs are already getting a decent amount of play, and their lead singer is Joe Van Moyland / Joe Beaumont / Joe Lean, an actor I like. They were my favourite of the night - so terribly British, clever and angular (music and looks), with Joe Lean doing his awkward pointy dancing... it was great. They weren't perfect, some of their songs were lackluster, but it was generally a really good showing. The crowd wasn't so enthused, but that's their loss. To stick with this award theme - they win My Favourite, Best Dancing, and Best Banter.
The headliners of the night were The Cribs, who were, in Tom's words, "decent." I was surprised how many of their songs I knew - they've crept into my consciousness without me being fully aware of it. The highlight of their set was definitely the fact that Johnny Marr, guitarist of The Smiths and indie god, came out and played the last few songs with them, including a Smiths cover. That was terribly exciting. They win... Most Direct Single Lyric ("I'd rather cut off my own arms then see you go out with him"), Best Guest, and Most Shoes I've Ever Seen Thrown at One Stage.
I really enjoyed the music, and just being at a British indie gig - something I've wanted to do for years. And I liked how well put on the show was - no too-large gaps between sets, and it was all over by 11pm - plenty of time to catch the Tube back to the hotel.
On Saturday I went to Sir John Soane's Museum with Tom. I've been wanting to go there for ages, and it lived up to every expectation. The place is jammed full of the extensive collections of one of the great Classical Revival architects, and it has hardly been changed since he died - meaning it really gives a feel for an early 19th century home, and for the ways in which collectors used to address and present their collections. And, of course, it's just terribly eccentric, all these odd pieces of house stuck together, with tons of windows and mirrors and sky lights, strange little objects everywhere, no labels on anything, a random skeleton staring out at you from a box in a room in the basement. I loved it, and spent absolute ages there.
After that, I had a ramble in Hyde Park before meeting some of the other American York girls for lunch and a spot of shopping in an overwhelmingly crowded and cheap clothing store. I picked up a new top and a wonderfully sparkly, star-covered necklace.
That night the study abroad program had a river cruise dinner and dance for us. It was great - the food was good and I loved seeing the city at night from the water. We went all the way down to Greenwich and the Thames Barrier - which I was terribly excited to see, though no one else really cared. I've wanted to see it for years. We also saw the tallest building in the UK, at Canary Wharf, an odd business development that really looks like someone build a mid-size American city (maybe a slightly scaled-down Charlotte) on the banks of the Thames. You completely forget it's London.
In Greenwich we saw the terribly ugly Millennium Dome / O2, but, more importantly, we saw the remarkably strong green laser that is projected from the Royal Observatory to mark the exact line of the Prime Meridian - which is pretty freaking cool, if you ask me. tom got some good shots of it, you can see one here.
Sunday we had a very good all-you-can-eat brunch, then Tom and I set off for the National Portrait Gallery. It was quite cool - they own a lot of very famous paintings, especially in their Tudor galleries - almost every famous portrait from that era hangs in maybe two galleries at the museum. And you can also trace some of the evolution of artistic style through only that one type of painting, so it's interesting for my art historical brain.
To finish up our weekend, Tom and I did a bit of music shopping, and I picked up Bishi and Leafcutter John, two artists I've been wanting albums by, so that was good.
On the train back we actually got seats, so that was really nice. Tom took some really cool pictures on the ride, featuring reflections and long exposures -you can see them here. Meanwhile, I listen to Leafcutter John and read a book I finally bought on an impulse after wanting to read it for a while - The Book Thief. I'm so glad I picked it up, it's stunningly good. Markus Zusak's turns of phrase are brilliant.
Since London I've really just been relaxing. I've been sick, so it's good to get some rest.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Two Weeks... Oops
So, brief highlights post of the last two weeks.
The walk two Sundays ago was quite nice. We started at the top of Sutton Bank, a very steep drop-off from the hills that makes up most of the North Yorkshire Moors. We then walked down by the Kilburn White Horse, a chalk horse on the hillside, while small planes pulling gliders took off above us. Then there was trees, mud, some really pretty horses, and a lot of walking through fields and young forests. There was a stunning patch of snowdrops and a really pretty little lake with a sandy bottom that had ripples in it - it looked like an underwater zen garden.
We had lunch at a pub in Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, which apparently (according to Wikipedia) is the longest place name of anywhere in England. whilst waiting for out food I was messing with my camera, and I pressed what was apparently a very incorrect button, and lost all my photos. Oops. Luckily, on our walk back we did a good bit of backtracking, so I managed to re-take some of my photos (see my web album).
The next big event was the Jorvik Viking Festival - a week-long celebration of York's Viking ad Anglo-Saxon heritage. It was great. And I have more to say about it, but I also really, really want to go eat breakfast and get ready to leave for London for the weekend - so for now, check out the photos in the above-linked album.
The walk two Sundays ago was quite nice. We started at the top of Sutton Bank, a very steep drop-off from the hills that makes up most of the North Yorkshire Moors. We then walked down by the Kilburn White Horse, a chalk horse on the hillside, while small planes pulling gliders took off above us. Then there was trees, mud, some really pretty horses, and a lot of walking through fields and young forests. There was a stunning patch of snowdrops and a really pretty little lake with a sandy bottom that had ripples in it - it looked like an underwater zen garden.
We had lunch at a pub in Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, which apparently (according to Wikipedia) is the longest place name of anywhere in England. whilst waiting for out food I was messing with my camera, and I pressed what was apparently a very incorrect button, and lost all my photos. Oops. Luckily, on our walk back we did a good bit of backtracking, so I managed to re-take some of my photos (see my web album).
The next big event was the Jorvik Viking Festival - a week-long celebration of York's Viking ad Anglo-Saxon heritage. It was great. And I have more to say about it, but I also really, really want to go eat breakfast and get ready to leave for London for the weekend - so for now, check out the photos in the above-linked album.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Still Catching Up
I'm still behind on updates!
This past week I finished my first British essay, then spent my whole Sunday out on the moors, getting cold and damp and so, so muddy and having a wonderful time of it. York's Outdoor Society leads hikes (simply called walks here) every Sunday to beautiful hiking places in the area - of which there are quite a few, as we're just south of North Yorkshire Moors National Park and not that far from Yorkshire Dales National Park.
This hike was at Goathland in the North Yorkshire Moors - a stunningly pretty place, all told, with big moors on top of the hills and green valleys below, beautiful forests, a raging river, old stone buildings and bridges, lots and lots of mud, and sheep wandering everywhere; everything the English countryside is meant to be, really.
And, this being England, if you take the medium walk (one short walk in the morning, one in the afternoon - maybe 6 miles all told), you spend a long lunch break in a pub in the nearest village, eating hearty food and "puddings" (dessert), drinking tea or lager, and sitting as close as possible to the radiator in hopes of drying off a bit before you set off again.
You can, of course, see many photos of this adventure here.
Other than that, it has been a fairly chill week. Last night Tom and I went to Evensong at the Minster, which was really nice. I think I'm going to be going a lot, actually. It's close, it's pretty music, it's in a ridiculously, overwhelmingly beautiful place, and it's free. All good things.
Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras - which is mostly known as Pancake Day here. Some Americans might recognize the concept - we used to have Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners at church when I was a kid. These pancakes were quite different, more like what Americans would call crepes. A few Brits invited some of we Americans to come have made-from-scratch pancakes in a dorm kitchen, so Tom and Anna and Becky and I filled up on so much jam and Nutella and chocolate and syrup and... well, there were pancakes in there somewhere, too. That was nice.
Tonight is a huge pub-crawl type event in town (one of the big annual social events at York), Sunday I'm going for another walk, and next week is the Jorvik Viking Festival, so I've got a full calender lined up. Should be great!
Also : Spring is coming, to a certain extent. There are snowdrops and crocuses (including some of a stunning light purple colour that looks like it is glowing) popping up all over campus, and I saw forsythia in bloom in someone's garden. It's odd, that, what with it being February, but I guess it never really gets that cold here - although we did see snow on the walk last weekend, leftovers from a big storm they had earlier that week.
This past week I finished my first British essay, then spent my whole Sunday out on the moors, getting cold and damp and so, so muddy and having a wonderful time of it. York's Outdoor Society leads hikes (simply called walks here) every Sunday to beautiful hiking places in the area - of which there are quite a few, as we're just south of North Yorkshire Moors National Park and not that far from Yorkshire Dales National Park.
This hike was at Goathland in the North Yorkshire Moors - a stunningly pretty place, all told, with big moors on top of the hills and green valleys below, beautiful forests, a raging river, old stone buildings and bridges, lots and lots of mud, and sheep wandering everywhere; everything the English countryside is meant to be, really.
And, this being England, if you take the medium walk (one short walk in the morning, one in the afternoon - maybe 6 miles all told), you spend a long lunch break in a pub in the nearest village, eating hearty food and "puddings" (dessert), drinking tea or lager, and sitting as close as possible to the radiator in hopes of drying off a bit before you set off again.
You can, of course, see many photos of this adventure here.
Other than that, it has been a fairly chill week. Last night Tom and I went to Evensong at the Minster, which was really nice. I think I'm going to be going a lot, actually. It's close, it's pretty music, it's in a ridiculously, overwhelmingly beautiful place, and it's free. All good things.
Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras - which is mostly known as Pancake Day here. Some Americans might recognize the concept - we used to have Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners at church when I was a kid. These pancakes were quite different, more like what Americans would call crepes. A few Brits invited some of we Americans to come have made-from-scratch pancakes in a dorm kitchen, so Tom and Anna and Becky and I filled up on so much jam and Nutella and chocolate and syrup and... well, there were pancakes in there somewhere, too. That was nice.
Tonight is a huge pub-crawl type event in town (one of the big annual social events at York), Sunday I'm going for another walk, and next week is the Jorvik Viking Festival, so I've got a full calender lined up. Should be great!
Also : Spring is coming, to a certain extent. There are snowdrops and crocuses (including some of a stunning light purple colour that looks like it is glowing) popping up all over campus, and I saw forsythia in bloom in someone's garden. It's odd, that, what with it being February, but I guess it never really gets that cold here - although we did see snow on the walk last weekend, leftovers from a big storm they had earlier that week.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Far too much to write about
I've just finished the first draft of my first York essay... which isn't for a grade, which is both different, and relieving.
It has obviously been far too long since I've updated here. I was away last weekend, so... it just didn't happen. And I have far too much to write about, so I can't do it now. I need to go to bed then get up early and finish my essay.
But last night I did make a list of things I mean to write about, so consider this both a mini-update and a teaser until I get a chance to do a real one... or several of them.
- Going into York every day but one last week, and twice on one day (and you wonder why I didn't blog!). Open mic, the most amazing moon, pub-going, trying to club.
- Betty's Tea Room, and what made me say "This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!"
- Family visit last weekend! Art! Family! Food food food! The Anglican church! The fanciest pub... ever!
- York Minster. Upstairs, downstairs, all over.
- Bird activity: duck mating, swans.
I took 160 pictures in the Minster, but a lot of those were duplicates. I've just uploaded about 85 of them to my Picasa. The space is remarkably beautiful - the pictures are worth a look, I hope.
I've also upload photos of fish, my endless Doctor Who dorkiness, a nicely-placed rainbow, and my host family. Hooray!
It has obviously been far too long since I've updated here. I was away last weekend, so... it just didn't happen. And I have far too much to write about, so I can't do it now. I need to go to bed then get up early and finish my essay.
But last night I did make a list of things I mean to write about, so consider this both a mini-update and a teaser until I get a chance to do a real one... or several of them.
- Going into York every day but one last week, and twice on one day (and you wonder why I didn't blog!). Open mic, the most amazing moon, pub-going, trying to club.
- Betty's Tea Room, and what made me say "This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!"
- Family visit last weekend! Art! Family! Food food food! The Anglican church! The fanciest pub... ever!
- York Minster. Upstairs, downstairs, all over.
- Bird activity: duck mating, swans.
I took 160 pictures in the Minster, but a lot of those were duplicates. I've just uploaded about 85 of them to my Picasa. The space is remarkably beautiful - the pictures are worth a look, I hope.
I've also upload photos of fish, my endless Doctor Who dorkiness, a nicely-placed rainbow, and my host family. Hooray!
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