Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well back home! I think the homesickness has set in big time the last couple days. My stress levels are quite high due to midterms and preparing for Italy, but once I get on my plane tomorrow, I know all those worries will melt away because I'm stoked about my trip to Italy. I just wanted to tell everyone thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. I know we will definitely need them tomorrow and throughout our travels. I'm excited to come back and let everyone know about the trip. I have a temporary camera so I will be able to take pictures, which I am so excited about! Everyone have a great weekend and week! Miss yall!
More to come later.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #5
There are so many different ways that people can learn about the society and culture of a time period. I have observed 20th century society and culture through museums and daily life, but another way I observed 20th century was through art galleries. One artist in particular who stuck out to me was Ian Breakwell’s The Walking Man Diary. I observed some of his artwork at Tate Britain and was really intrigued by it. The artwork didn’t impress me because it was famous or amazingly beautiful, but it was unusual and different from any other artwork I had observed. Breakwell observed this unknown man from his London apartment on a daily basis. Once he noticed this man so often, he began to document where he was going and what he was doing. He took pictures as well as written documentation. Although this sounds slightly like the work of a stalker instead of an artist, Breakwell did this because he realized that even though this man walked so purposefully everyday he never seemed to actually do anything. This is an excerpt from the display at Tate Britain, “Although we learn little about the man, Breakwell’s work represents his repetitive, yet seemingly aimless, route through the landscape of the city. This is measured against Breakwell’s static yet habitual recording of the man’s activity through the observational discipline of the diary form.” Breakwell documented this man’s journey from his flat for an extended amount of time until one day the man disappeared and wasn’t to be seen again for a whole year. The everyday redundancy of this individual was intriguing to me, especially with his sudden stop and sudden return. Although Breakwell could only documented this man from a small area out his window, the audience still realizes the importance of this man’s end destination. His artwork makes me wonder if he is trying to tell audience that their lives could be like the unknown man. Are they walking around very purposefully without actually going anywhere? It should make people who observe his work think about their destination, and if they are on the right path to get there.
The culture and society that is present during the 20th century allows artist like Breakwell to use different kinds of art form as art. The artist doesn’t have to produce art that is accepting to everyone else. There hasn’t always been a time when artists could produce their own art and have it accepted by the public. Some of the most famous artists weren’t even famous until they passed away. Breakwell is able to express his version of artwork and be accepted in the art world. Not only is the type of art more accepting, but the people who get to enjoy art have expanded as well. The upper class people aren’t the only individuals that get to enjoy art, but instead, it’s the public as a whole that can enjoy art. I think this says a lot about the society and culture during the 20th century because artists like Breakwell are able to produce a variety amount of artwork for many different audiences to enjoy.
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=256&searchid=12349&tabview=image
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ian-breakwell-512539.html
The culture and society that is present during the 20th century allows artist like Breakwell to use different kinds of art form as art. The artist doesn’t have to produce art that is accepting to everyone else. There hasn’t always been a time when artists could produce their own art and have it accepted by the public. Some of the most famous artists weren’t even famous until they passed away. Breakwell is able to express his version of artwork and be accepted in the art world. Not only is the type of art more accepting, but the people who get to enjoy art have expanded as well. The upper class people aren’t the only individuals that get to enjoy art, but instead, it’s the public as a whole that can enjoy art. I think this says a lot about the society and culture during the 20th century because artists like Breakwell are able to produce a variety amount of artwork for many different audiences to enjoy.
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=256&searchid=12349&tabview=image
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ian-breakwell-512539.html
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #4
When I visited Norway this weekend, I visited the Norwegian Resistance Museum. It was by far my favorite museum I visited while I was there. The museum began with the April 9, 1940 German invasion to Norway and continued to show the next 5 years of occupation by the German Nazis. Each museum I go to I try to put myself in the shoes of the soldiers, nurses, or any individual directly effected by the war. As hard as I try, I am unable to be able to relate to the sacrifice of the men and women; however, the Resistance Museum put the sacrifice into perspective for me.
There was a section of the museum that was devoted to the teachers in Norway who resisted the German regulations of what they were and weren’t suppose to teacher. Since I am a future teacher, it hit me hard to see the role I could have possibly played during WWII. The teachers were ordered to teach the students the Nazis theology, but they refused to follow the Germans orders. The Germans would send out letters telling the teacher these are the new requirements in the curriculum, and the teachers simply disregard there wishes. The German’s continued to push for the teachers to do what they wanted them to do, which lead them to withhold the teachers salaries and only released it if they signed the document agreeing to teach Nazi beliefs. The teachers still didn’t budge. The new order of government was fed up with the teachers’ resistance and had a mass arrest of teachers in 1942. They took these teachers to different German camps in extremely poor inadequate situations. They made them work in the cold without proper clothing. The ships that transported the teachers were over the capacity level as well as unclean. The Germans would treat the teachers like this in order to make them sign the document agreeing to teach Nazis theology. Some teachers who were ill would give in to the treatment and sign the document, but the majority of the teachers held their ground. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation. I would hope that I would be that teacher that held her ground and didn’t give into the Nazis, but the brutality of the treatment could easily be too much to bare. I think all the teachers and people who resisted the Germans during occupation were brave and courageous people. The society that people had to live in during WWII was difficult. Whether it was dealing with occupation or war on their own home front, it was a time that people made sacrifices and held their ground for what they believed. I hope that I would be able to sacrifice as much as the Norwegian teachers did.
http://www.infonorway.com/?norway=essay/war/diary
There was a section of the museum that was devoted to the teachers in Norway who resisted the German regulations of what they were and weren’t suppose to teacher. Since I am a future teacher, it hit me hard to see the role I could have possibly played during WWII. The teachers were ordered to teach the students the Nazis theology, but they refused to follow the Germans orders. The Germans would send out letters telling the teacher these are the new requirements in the curriculum, and the teachers simply disregard there wishes. The German’s continued to push for the teachers to do what they wanted them to do, which lead them to withhold the teachers salaries and only released it if they signed the document agreeing to teach Nazi beliefs. The teachers still didn’t budge. The new order of government was fed up with the teachers’ resistance and had a mass arrest of teachers in 1942. They took these teachers to different German camps in extremely poor inadequate situations. They made them work in the cold without proper clothing. The ships that transported the teachers were over the capacity level as well as unclean. The Germans would treat the teachers like this in order to make them sign the document agreeing to teach Nazis theology. Some teachers who were ill would give in to the treatment and sign the document, but the majority of the teachers held their ground. I couldn’t imagine being in that situation. I would hope that I would be that teacher that held her ground and didn’t give into the Nazis, but the brutality of the treatment could easily be too much to bare. I think all the teachers and people who resisted the Germans during occupation were brave and courageous people. The society that people had to live in during WWII was difficult. Whether it was dealing with occupation or war on their own home front, it was a time that people made sacrifices and held their ground for what they believed. I hope that I would be able to sacrifice as much as the Norwegian teachers did.
http://www.infonorway.com/?norway=essay/war/diary
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #3
The culture and society that exists in London is something that I am completely unaccustomed. The first day I arrived the culture shock hit me like a ton of bricks. I barely even know where to start because there are countless differences. Everyday life changed the first day I arrived. I even tried to prepare myself for this change, but nothing can prepare someone for this significance of a change. I do not think the shock is that great if the visit is short term, but the length of stay I am encountering definitely means making very large adjustments. Although the things I talk about may seem silly, the adjustment s needed for them is greater than one may anticipate.
The food in London isn’t what you would call very flavorful. There is definitely a lack of seasoning or just salt in general, as well as being smaller servings. The taste buds were feeling quite deprived for a while, but are getting used to the difference. Not only the seasoning in food and smaller portions, but also the lack of preservatives in food is ridiculous. You can’t buy in bulk or even stock up on food because the food goes bad within a week of buying it. There are weekly, if not more than that, grocery store visits to buy milk, beard and anything else I want to eat for the next couple days. Buying groceries in London actually becomes an art, and I’m still trying to perfect it.
The amount of walking that is required London, or any big city for that matter, is a large amount. I will safely say that my feet are constantly sore from the amount of walking we do in London and when we travel. The public transportation is available and easy to use, but as college students tend to be, we try to save money in certain areas to spend them in others. The walking isn’t something I hate to do, I actually enjoy getting more exercise in daily, but the adjustment my feet have to make is a great one.
The living quarters are what one would say is cramped. I haven’t lived in the same room as an individual since my first semester of college, but not only do I live in a flat of eight girls but there are four in my room. It is harder than I thought to share a room with multiple other people. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy my roommates, but trying to manage in such tight corners is a difficult task. There never seems to be a time when I can be by myself, but is just another adjustment I had to make.
The service you receive while in stores or restaurants is a very aggravated and limited service. At a restaurant, the server will ask for orders and bring the orders, but after and in between, the server will not be seen. They don’t give you refills or anything else extra. You get what you order, and that is it. I don’t want to stereotype and say all the people here are rude, but most of the people aren’t as friendly. I can definitely say that the majority of people will not remotely help you unless they are absolutely required.
The differences I have mentions are only the tip of the iceberg, but each of those differences are directly related from the differences of society and culture. In general, the London population is more health conscious. That is why the food is less flavored and smaller portioned than in American. Not only that reason, but also because the amount of storage in a typical flat is limited. You can’t expect a true Londoner to have space to stock up on food. That is something as American’s we aren’t used to because for us it is the bigger the better, and I don’t really tend to think one way is better than another. Londoners also have easier access to grocery stores on their way home front work, whereas, American’s in smaller towns have to go out of their way to get to a grocery store.
As I mentioned before, Londoner are more health conscious. The walking aspect of a Londoners live is something they grow up as a kid doing. I see kids along side their parents at a very young age, but instead of walking the kids have scooters. They know how slow kids walk, and to solve this problem, they allow their kid to have a scooter they ride with or without assistance. The walking and exercise is still a part of their everyday lives, regardless of on foot or scooter.
The living quarters are also something Londoners are used to because London is very old, and that’s how they did things back then. American’s have such a hard time realizing this because our Constitution was signed thousands of years after London had existed. Not to mention that not only does the time period of when the buildings in London were built, but also, any city is going to have those aspects of a smaller, cramped life. Its something I can adjust to for now, but not something I want to pursue in the future.
The services here are not as friendly because unlike the states, the workers here aren’t working for tips. Yes, at certain times or places, a tip is expected, but the waiter or waitress do not make his or her earnings solely off of tips. The drive to be friendly and helpful usually has an alternative motive behind it, and once that is removed, the above and beyond service is also removed.
Although I have mentioned many differences that I have experienced in London, the quote “if you’re always comfortable, you’ll never grow” pops into my head and makes me realize that adjusting to these situations will make me a stronger and more flexible person. I have and will learn a lot about London’s culture by these situations, which in turn will make me a more well-rounded and educated individual.
The food in London isn’t what you would call very flavorful. There is definitely a lack of seasoning or just salt in general, as well as being smaller servings. The taste buds were feeling quite deprived for a while, but are getting used to the difference. Not only the seasoning in food and smaller portions, but also the lack of preservatives in food is ridiculous. You can’t buy in bulk or even stock up on food because the food goes bad within a week of buying it. There are weekly, if not more than that, grocery store visits to buy milk, beard and anything else I want to eat for the next couple days. Buying groceries in London actually becomes an art, and I’m still trying to perfect it.
The amount of walking that is required London, or any big city for that matter, is a large amount. I will safely say that my feet are constantly sore from the amount of walking we do in London and when we travel. The public transportation is available and easy to use, but as college students tend to be, we try to save money in certain areas to spend them in others. The walking isn’t something I hate to do, I actually enjoy getting more exercise in daily, but the adjustment my feet have to make is a great one.
The living quarters are what one would say is cramped. I haven’t lived in the same room as an individual since my first semester of college, but not only do I live in a flat of eight girls but there are four in my room. It is harder than I thought to share a room with multiple other people. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy my roommates, but trying to manage in such tight corners is a difficult task. There never seems to be a time when I can be by myself, but is just another adjustment I had to make.
The service you receive while in stores or restaurants is a very aggravated and limited service. At a restaurant, the server will ask for orders and bring the orders, but after and in between, the server will not be seen. They don’t give you refills or anything else extra. You get what you order, and that is it. I don’t want to stereotype and say all the people here are rude, but most of the people aren’t as friendly. I can definitely say that the majority of people will not remotely help you unless they are absolutely required.
The differences I have mentions are only the tip of the iceberg, but each of those differences are directly related from the differences of society and culture. In general, the London population is more health conscious. That is why the food is less flavored and smaller portioned than in American. Not only that reason, but also because the amount of storage in a typical flat is limited. You can’t expect a true Londoner to have space to stock up on food. That is something as American’s we aren’t used to because for us it is the bigger the better, and I don’t really tend to think one way is better than another. Londoners also have easier access to grocery stores on their way home front work, whereas, American’s in smaller towns have to go out of their way to get to a grocery store.
As I mentioned before, Londoner are more health conscious. The walking aspect of a Londoners live is something they grow up as a kid doing. I see kids along side their parents at a very young age, but instead of walking the kids have scooters. They know how slow kids walk, and to solve this problem, they allow their kid to have a scooter they ride with or without assistance. The walking and exercise is still a part of their everyday lives, regardless of on foot or scooter.
The living quarters are also something Londoners are used to because London is very old, and that’s how they did things back then. American’s have such a hard time realizing this because our Constitution was signed thousands of years after London had existed. Not to mention that not only does the time period of when the buildings in London were built, but also, any city is going to have those aspects of a smaller, cramped life. Its something I can adjust to for now, but not something I want to pursue in the future.
The services here are not as friendly because unlike the states, the workers here aren’t working for tips. Yes, at certain times or places, a tip is expected, but the waiter or waitress do not make his or her earnings solely off of tips. The drive to be friendly and helpful usually has an alternative motive behind it, and once that is removed, the above and beyond service is also removed.
Although I have mentioned many differences that I have experienced in London, the quote “if you’re always comfortable, you’ll never grow” pops into my head and makes me realize that adjusting to these situations will make me a stronger and more flexible person. I have and will learn a lot about London’s culture by these situations, which in turn will make me a more well-rounded and educated individual.
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #2
A movie we watched in class called Mrs. Miniver. It was made in 1942 and depicted a typical family during World War II. The movie showed aspects of the war from the home front. It wasn’t just about the men who were off at war, but the people who stayed behind and still suffered from the war. The audience can pick out many details of the culture and society of the 20th century while watching this movie. Some of them were more significant than other; however, there were still many accurate portrayals of life during WWII.
The character in the movie that goes off to war was depicted as any soldier would be during that time period. The soldier was very happy to be serving and not negatively affected by the war. This was an aspect of propaganda that the movie used to encourage young men to go fight for their country. The future soldiers watching this movie were not shown the ugly side to war, but instead thought their lives wouldn’t be complete until they joined the war effort. This movie tried to hide the negative impact that war had on soldiers and the home front. Instead the movie showed how grand and hero like joining the war would be.
Another part of the movie that illustrated the society in the 20th century was the social class part of the movie. Besides the war, the movie had the town wide best flower contest. The winner of the Rose division was the same person whose family began the competition along time ago. During this year, a brave working class man decided to enter his rose into the contest. The woman’s rose he was running against was part of the upper class. The winner would solely depict the differences in class and status, but this time the working class man wins the completion. Not only does this show us how Britain was trying to break through the class barriers, but also, how life on the home front still tried to go on as normal even though there was actual fighting on their home ground.
Having a war fought on the home front is something that us as American’s do not know about because we haven’t had a home front war since the Civil War. We didn’t suffer from that in WWI as the French did or WWII as the British did. The citizens in Britain had their everyday lives changed because of the war. They had bomb shelters that they constantly had to rely on. Not only that, but having their houses greatly damaged or losing innocent lives young and old were part of their daily lives. That is something I never grasped until watching the movie and realizing how people in Britain dealt with the war first hand. Even though the movie did have propaganda included to keep up the spirits of the home front, the movie gives the audience an idea of how their lives would have been if they lived through WWII.
The character in the movie that goes off to war was depicted as any soldier would be during that time period. The soldier was very happy to be serving and not negatively affected by the war. This was an aspect of propaganda that the movie used to encourage young men to go fight for their country. The future soldiers watching this movie were not shown the ugly side to war, but instead thought their lives wouldn’t be complete until they joined the war effort. This movie tried to hide the negative impact that war had on soldiers and the home front. Instead the movie showed how grand and hero like joining the war would be.
Another part of the movie that illustrated the society in the 20th century was the social class part of the movie. Besides the war, the movie had the town wide best flower contest. The winner of the Rose division was the same person whose family began the competition along time ago. During this year, a brave working class man decided to enter his rose into the contest. The woman’s rose he was running against was part of the upper class. The winner would solely depict the differences in class and status, but this time the working class man wins the completion. Not only does this show us how Britain was trying to break through the class barriers, but also, how life on the home front still tried to go on as normal even though there was actual fighting on their home ground.
Having a war fought on the home front is something that us as American’s do not know about because we haven’t had a home front war since the Civil War. We didn’t suffer from that in WWI as the French did or WWII as the British did. The citizens in Britain had their everyday lives changed because of the war. They had bomb shelters that they constantly had to rely on. Not only that, but having their houses greatly damaged or losing innocent lives young and old were part of their daily lives. That is something I never grasped until watching the movie and realizing how people in Britain dealt with the war first hand. Even though the movie did have propaganda included to keep up the spirits of the home front, the movie gives the audience an idea of how their lives would have been if they lived through WWII.
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #1
After visiting the Imperial War Museum, I got a better perspective of the culture during WWI. I knew that propaganda was a huge part of the everyday lives of people during the Great War, but what I didn't realize were the sacrifices people on the home front had to make.
One sacrifice in particular that was small, but stood out in the museum was a display that had a sign telling citizens that at anytime the trains could be delayed or out of service "without previous notice” if they were needed by the military. In this day and time I couldn't imagine seeing a sign like that in the underground or at a bus stop. People would be so angry their plans were disrupted. The undergrounds have loads of delays and closings on a daily basis, but are scheduled ahead of time. The citizens are well informed and prepared for these changes; however, during WWI the train could be shut down for solely military use. I obviously can't say that the people during that time didn't complain, but I wouldn't be surprised if they accepted the change without complaints. The home front gave everything they could to help the war.
Another aspect of the sacrifices citizens made on the home front were the women who worked in the munitions factories. The women's lives were seriously endangered every time they went to work. They were working at factories that produced shells for the military, and the need for the shells was crucial for the war. Either the poison from the mercury or the TNT actually exploding in the factory could kill the women. The contribution the women made to the war was great. Rebecca West said, "[t]here is the cold fact that [women] face more danger everyday than any soldier on home defense. The girls who take up this work sacrifice almost as much as men who enlist." The Great War in the 20th century greatly affected the culture of everyday lives of people on the home front. The sacrifices were as simple as changing transportation plans or as significant as putting one's life on the line, either way one looks at it the sacrifices on the home front were great.
One sacrifice in particular that was small, but stood out in the museum was a display that had a sign telling citizens that at anytime the trains could be delayed or out of service "without previous notice” if they were needed by the military. In this day and time I couldn't imagine seeing a sign like that in the underground or at a bus stop. People would be so angry their plans were disrupted. The undergrounds have loads of delays and closings on a daily basis, but are scheduled ahead of time. The citizens are well informed and prepared for these changes; however, during WWI the train could be shut down for solely military use. I obviously can't say that the people during that time didn't complain, but I wouldn't be surprised if they accepted the change without complaints. The home front gave everything they could to help the war.
Another aspect of the sacrifices citizens made on the home front were the women who worked in the munitions factories. The women's lives were seriously endangered every time they went to work. They were working at factories that produced shells for the military, and the need for the shells was crucial for the war. Either the poison from the mercury or the TNT actually exploding in the factory could kill the women. The contribution the women made to the war was great. Rebecca West said, "[t]here is the cold fact that [women] face more danger everyday than any soldier on home defense. The girls who take up this work sacrifice almost as much as men who enlist." The Great War in the 20th century greatly affected the culture of everyday lives of people on the home front. The sacrifices were as simple as changing transportation plans or as significant as putting one's life on the line, either way one looks at it the sacrifices on the home front were great.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Museums, Dover & Canterbury, and Norway
Greetings! I hope this finds everyone doing well! Its been so long since I've written in my blog, but I'll hopefully be able to catch everyone up! After Wales, everyone was pretty exhausted and took it easy for a while. Museums seemed to be the most popular item on the to do list the last couple weeks. I'll start with the Imperial War Museum.
On Monday the 9th, we were able to reschedule our field trip we were suppose to have on our snow day. Our class went to the Imperial War Museum, which was awesome. The class I'm in was focusing on the WWI portion of the museum, but the whole thing was huge and full of information. I stayed as long as I could, but had to make it to another field trip at the Serpentine Gallery for my art class. The gallery had an exhibit on Indian artists and the culture that surrounds India. It was very interesting because there were paintings, sculptures, and movies all being shown as art. I enjoyed the exhibit because I was able to learn more about the culture that India has now and the things that still need to be changed.
On Wednesday our BLC class went to the British Museum, which was enormous. There was so much to look at there. They had the Rosetta Stone as well as many parts of the Parthenon. We had a tour guide, who gave me a lot of information, but I can't wait to go back and explore more. There was so much to see that multiple visits will be in the works.
The weekend didn't hold much except homework, and I visited the Natural History Museum by myself. Its right around the corner, and I had been wanting to go visit. It definitely wasn't my favorite, but it was really nice and a lot of information. I will say that I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day! The girls and I celebrated by going to see the movie "He's Just Not That into You." I enjoyed my vday except not being around my loved one's, which made me sad, but the cards and care packages were great! Thanks again.
On Tuesday the 17th, our art class visited the Saatchi Gallery. It had an exhibit on artists from the Middle East. There were a lot more pieces of art at this gallery than the one we visited the week before, but I don't think I had a favorite. I just enjoyed learning a lot about both those cultures that I'm not very familiar with.
Wednesday we got to visit Dover and Canterbury. As we drove to Dover, we drove through the heart of London and through the East side. It was interesting to see the dramatic difference between that side and the side I live. It was night and day. Much more poverty and lower income situations. I didn't realize the difference would be that great. When we arrived at Dover, all you could see was this castle with the morning fog surrounding it. It almost looked eerie but definitely beautiful. We didn't get to spend much time there, but the time we did spend was fun. We walked the grounds of the castle and down to the coast line. The tour guide told us that on a clear day we would have been able to see France from where we were standing. There were also World War II tunnels that the army used at the castle. Dover was also the place the soldiers in Dunkirk were brought. We didn't get to explore the tunnels that were still there from WWII, which I was slightly disappointed about, but regardless, enjoyed our trip to Dover very much. What girl doesn't dream of going to a real castle?
Canterbury was next, and we spent the entire afternoon there. We toured the Canterbury Cathedral, and then explored the town. The Cathedral was the place were Thomas Beckett was martyred. I knew about the story, but not in detail. It was nice to hear about it and actually see where it all happened. We were actually allowed to take pictures in the Cathedral. Ellie is still acting as my photographer until I get my camera in the mail, hopefully this week! The inside was gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Westminster because of the Gothic architecture. The stain glass windows were so impressive as well. Once we left the cathedral, we went and ate lunch, pronto. We then just explored the town. They had a really neat market full of random items. We walked up and down that and then made our way back to the bus to head back to London. When I got back, I had to begin packing for NORWAY!
Before I get to my Norway adventure... The morning of the 19th I once again attended the Imperial War Museum for another class. I was glad I got to go back because even though I still focused on WWI, I still didn't get to see everything the first time I went. As soon as Kendall and I were done at the museum, we headed to catch the bus that took up the airport.
Trying to find the bus stop for Easybus (our ride to the airport) was an adventure in itself. We were running up and down this one street because we couldn't find the stop. Then when she and I saw the bright orange bus coming up the street we felt relieved until it didn't stop and kept going. We started running after it because we thought it was going to leave us. Thank goodness it stopped a little further up and the bus driver got out and laughed at us. We made it to the bus and now off to the airport. We got there with nothing too dramatic happening. The security went through my bag I brought. He took out everything I managed to shove into my small bag, and then tell okay its fine. Other than that we made it on the plane and more importantly on time! Travel time in the air was about 2 hours and then once we landed we had to buy a bus ticket into Oslo. The airport was about an hour and a half out from the city. It was snowing pretty hard and there was already a ton of snow on the ground. It was so pretty. When we finally made it into the city, we didn't know what to do. Between the four of us, mainly Kendall, we found our hostel and settled in for the night. It was a successful trip there. Thank goodness!
The next day we slept in a little and got up and explored Oslo on foot. It was a lot of walking, but we got to see so much. We walked to different museums, some of which were not in English. We didn't stay in those very long. We walked to the palace that had a gorgeous view of the town. We walked to parliament, but couldn't go in b/c it wasn't open to the public that day. We did see someone get arrested outside of Parliament. We walked to a park that was had sculptors of a famous artist (can't remember his name) and just walked and walked and walked. Oslo was very different from London. The people were super nice as well as the city in general was just quieter. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the city except for the wet feet from all the snow and slush. We bought a loaf of bread and some fruit to snack on for meals because everything in Oslo was terribly expensive. They use the currency Kroners. 10 Kroners equal 1 Pound and 1 Pound equals 1.5 USD. It was quite confusing trying to calculate what I was actually spending. It got easier b/c we just moved the decimal once to go to pounds. It was so weird because I would carry around 500 and 200 notes, which isn't really that big of a deal in Kroners, but it seemed like it.
The next day we slept in again and tried to make our way to the ferry that was going to take us on a water tour of Oslo, but since it was so cold, the water was frozen and the ferry was canceled. It seemed like a bad thing, but it turned out good. We saw a castle up on a hill next to the boat docks and decided to check it out. We made our way up the hill and noticed a statue of FDR!? Who would have thought? Of course I had to take a picture with him, and then we continued on to the castle. We walked around trying to make it to the castle and found this awesome view to take some pictures. Then we stumbled upon the Resistance Museum. It was by far my favorite museum we visited. The entire museum had information, facts, and artifacts from when the German's occupied Norway and the Norwegians resistance to the German's. It was so interesting to see a different side of WWII and what another country went through. We could have stayed in there all day, but needed to move along to the castle and most importantly dinner. We walked out to a 10 degree weather drop (not really, but it felt like it). We walked around the castle and made our way to go eat. We ate and then went back to the hostel for the night.
The next morning was Sunday and our last day in Oslo. Our flight wasn't until later that night so we were able to get up and do a lot of things before we left. We checked out of our hostel and went to the Edward Munch Museum. He is the artist who painted the Screamer and the Madonna. He was born in Oslo and when he passed away, he donated all his works to the city. This museum was really cool. It was close to beating the Resistance, but not quite. We spent a while there then headed to the Radison to meet a tour group to a winter walk around Oslo, but as our luck would have it, there wasn't a tour at the time the Internet said so we missed it. Once again we improvised and walked to the Operetta house and unsuccessfully tried to find a market. We were pretty worn out from walking around and proceeded to walk back to the hostel to get our bags and headed to the airport. Once again the bus situation made me very uneasy. We arrived at the bus station to catch our bus to the airport and it was full. So I'm freaking out! Thankfully, they got another bus ready for the extra twenty people who needed to get to the airport and loaded us up to head to the airport. The stress of traveling is quite high. Its a blessing, but definitely stressful. We got to the airport and said our farewell's to Oslo. Our plane got delayed by about 20 minutes, and we arrived in London at 11:45. The line to get through the border was FOREVER long and once we sat in that line for at least an hour, we got on our bus and came home. A long day of travel, but worth every second of it. The trip was a great one. I felt like we got to see so much and we did it all on our own, which helped us save some Kroners.
The next trip coming up is ITALY! Ellie and I leave on Thursday and get back the next Friday. I'm sooooo excited. I just have to get through this week of papers and midterms. Its my first time doing all this! Keep our travel in your prayers. There will be about 10 girls total traveling with us.
I will also be posting some assignments for class on my blog. You can just disregard those, but I will have 5 up before Thursday. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! You all are in mine as well! Miss everyone
More to come later......
On Monday the 9th, we were able to reschedule our field trip we were suppose to have on our snow day. Our class went to the Imperial War Museum, which was awesome. The class I'm in was focusing on the WWI portion of the museum, but the whole thing was huge and full of information. I stayed as long as I could, but had to make it to another field trip at the Serpentine Gallery for my art class. The gallery had an exhibit on Indian artists and the culture that surrounds India. It was very interesting because there were paintings, sculptures, and movies all being shown as art. I enjoyed the exhibit because I was able to learn more about the culture that India has now and the things that still need to be changed.
On Wednesday our BLC class went to the British Museum, which was enormous. There was so much to look at there. They had the Rosetta Stone as well as many parts of the Parthenon. We had a tour guide, who gave me a lot of information, but I can't wait to go back and explore more. There was so much to see that multiple visits will be in the works.
The weekend didn't hold much except homework, and I visited the Natural History Museum by myself. Its right around the corner, and I had been wanting to go visit. It definitely wasn't my favorite, but it was really nice and a lot of information. I will say that I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day! The girls and I celebrated by going to see the movie "He's Just Not That into You." I enjoyed my vday except not being around my loved one's, which made me sad, but the cards and care packages were great! Thanks again.
On Tuesday the 17th, our art class visited the Saatchi Gallery. It had an exhibit on artists from the Middle East. There were a lot more pieces of art at this gallery than the one we visited the week before, but I don't think I had a favorite. I just enjoyed learning a lot about both those cultures that I'm not very familiar with.
Wednesday we got to visit Dover and Canterbury. As we drove to Dover, we drove through the heart of London and through the East side. It was interesting to see the dramatic difference between that side and the side I live. It was night and day. Much more poverty and lower income situations. I didn't realize the difference would be that great. When we arrived at Dover, all you could see was this castle with the morning fog surrounding it. It almost looked eerie but definitely beautiful. We didn't get to spend much time there, but the time we did spend was fun. We walked the grounds of the castle and down to the coast line. The tour guide told us that on a clear day we would have been able to see France from where we were standing. There were also World War II tunnels that the army used at the castle. Dover was also the place the soldiers in Dunkirk were brought. We didn't get to explore the tunnels that were still there from WWII, which I was slightly disappointed about, but regardless, enjoyed our trip to Dover very much. What girl doesn't dream of going to a real castle?
Canterbury was next, and we spent the entire afternoon there. We toured the Canterbury Cathedral, and then explored the town. The Cathedral was the place were Thomas Beckett was martyred. I knew about the story, but not in detail. It was nice to hear about it and actually see where it all happened. We were actually allowed to take pictures in the Cathedral. Ellie is still acting as my photographer until I get my camera in the mail, hopefully this week! The inside was gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Westminster because of the Gothic architecture. The stain glass windows were so impressive as well. Once we left the cathedral, we went and ate lunch, pronto. We then just explored the town. They had a really neat market full of random items. We walked up and down that and then made our way back to the bus to head back to London. When I got back, I had to begin packing for NORWAY!
Before I get to my Norway adventure... The morning of the 19th I once again attended the Imperial War Museum for another class. I was glad I got to go back because even though I still focused on WWI, I still didn't get to see everything the first time I went. As soon as Kendall and I were done at the museum, we headed to catch the bus that took up the airport.
Trying to find the bus stop for Easybus (our ride to the airport) was an adventure in itself. We were running up and down this one street because we couldn't find the stop. Then when she and I saw the bright orange bus coming up the street we felt relieved until it didn't stop and kept going. We started running after it because we thought it was going to leave us. Thank goodness it stopped a little further up and the bus driver got out and laughed at us. We made it to the bus and now off to the airport. We got there with nothing too dramatic happening. The security went through my bag I brought. He took out everything I managed to shove into my small bag, and then tell okay its fine. Other than that we made it on the plane and more importantly on time! Travel time in the air was about 2 hours and then once we landed we had to buy a bus ticket into Oslo. The airport was about an hour and a half out from the city. It was snowing pretty hard and there was already a ton of snow on the ground. It was so pretty. When we finally made it into the city, we didn't know what to do. Between the four of us, mainly Kendall, we found our hostel and settled in for the night. It was a successful trip there. Thank goodness!
The next day we slept in a little and got up and explored Oslo on foot. It was a lot of walking, but we got to see so much. We walked to different museums, some of which were not in English. We didn't stay in those very long. We walked to the palace that had a gorgeous view of the town. We walked to parliament, but couldn't go in b/c it wasn't open to the public that day. We did see someone get arrested outside of Parliament. We walked to a park that was had sculptors of a famous artist (can't remember his name) and just walked and walked and walked. Oslo was very different from London. The people were super nice as well as the city in general was just quieter. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around the city except for the wet feet from all the snow and slush. We bought a loaf of bread and some fruit to snack on for meals because everything in Oslo was terribly expensive. They use the currency Kroners. 10 Kroners equal 1 Pound and 1 Pound equals 1.5 USD. It was quite confusing trying to calculate what I was actually spending. It got easier b/c we just moved the decimal once to go to pounds. It was so weird because I would carry around 500 and 200 notes, which isn't really that big of a deal in Kroners, but it seemed like it.
The next day we slept in again and tried to make our way to the ferry that was going to take us on a water tour of Oslo, but since it was so cold, the water was frozen and the ferry was canceled. It seemed like a bad thing, but it turned out good. We saw a castle up on a hill next to the boat docks and decided to check it out. We made our way up the hill and noticed a statue of FDR!? Who would have thought? Of course I had to take a picture with him, and then we continued on to the castle. We walked around trying to make it to the castle and found this awesome view to take some pictures. Then we stumbled upon the Resistance Museum. It was by far my favorite museum we visited. The entire museum had information, facts, and artifacts from when the German's occupied Norway and the Norwegians resistance to the German's. It was so interesting to see a different side of WWII and what another country went through. We could have stayed in there all day, but needed to move along to the castle and most importantly dinner. We walked out to a 10 degree weather drop (not really, but it felt like it). We walked around the castle and made our way to go eat. We ate and then went back to the hostel for the night.
The next morning was Sunday and our last day in Oslo. Our flight wasn't until later that night so we were able to get up and do a lot of things before we left. We checked out of our hostel and went to the Edward Munch Museum. He is the artist who painted the Screamer and the Madonna. He was born in Oslo and when he passed away, he donated all his works to the city. This museum was really cool. It was close to beating the Resistance, but not quite. We spent a while there then headed to the Radison to meet a tour group to a winter walk around Oslo, but as our luck would have it, there wasn't a tour at the time the Internet said so we missed it. Once again we improvised and walked to the Operetta house and unsuccessfully tried to find a market. We were pretty worn out from walking around and proceeded to walk back to the hostel to get our bags and headed to the airport. Once again the bus situation made me very uneasy. We arrived at the bus station to catch our bus to the airport and it was full. So I'm freaking out! Thankfully, they got another bus ready for the extra twenty people who needed to get to the airport and loaded us up to head to the airport. The stress of traveling is quite high. Its a blessing, but definitely stressful. We got to the airport and said our farewell's to Oslo. Our plane got delayed by about 20 minutes, and we arrived in London at 11:45. The line to get through the border was FOREVER long and once we sat in that line for at least an hour, we got on our bus and came home. A long day of travel, but worth every second of it. The trip was a great one. I felt like we got to see so much and we did it all on our own, which helped us save some Kroners.
The next trip coming up is ITALY! Ellie and I leave on Thursday and get back the next Friday. I'm sooooo excited. I just have to get through this week of papers and midterms. Its my first time doing all this! Keep our travel in your prayers. There will be about 10 girls total traveling with us.
I will also be posting some assignments for class on my blog. You can just disregard those, but I will have 5 up before Thursday. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! You all are in mine as well! Miss everyone
More to come later......
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Snow Day, Oxford, Midsummer, &Wales
Greetings! I have so much to report on I'm not even sure where to begin. I hope when you read this you have a lot of time on your hands because I have a feeling this is going to be a LONG one. I'll start with the beginning of my week.
On Sunday, some of the girls and I went to church that is on our block. They had tea and biscuits for us after the service and then lunch after that. It was a very nice way to start off our day. Next, was the Super Bowl (of course you all know that). The girls and I walked through the snow to our pub on campus to watch the game. It was a late starting time for us though. I only made it through half of the 3rd quarter until I marched back to our flat again in the snow. I couldn't believe how much snow there was.
Monday morning we woke up to about 6 inches of snow and London being completely shut down because of it. Our classes were canceled for the day, which I didn't complain about one bit. We took the whole day off and went and played in the snow at Hyde Park. All of my flat mates and I had a blast in the park. We threw snow balls and made snow men. It was awesome. There were a ton of people out there. I'm not joking when I say London shut down because many people didn't go to work or school. The public transportation was shut down completely, which means most people can't get anywhere. No worries though, I think everyone made the most of it. The city was even more gorgeous covered in snow. Not to mention the snow was perfect snow to make snow balls and snowmen. Since London hasn't seen that much snow in decades, we all literally made history because we can say we were here in London when the "big" snow fell. It was an exciting day.
The next couple days went on as planned with class and field trips. Wednesday was our field trip to Oxford. It was a really interesting tour. I didn't feel like I got to see a lot of Oxford, but I know I did. Its just so big its hard to take it all in. One thing I didn't realize is that Oxford is made up of 36 colleges. It isn't just one big college, but a bunch of smaller ones. I may be one of the few people who didn't realize this, but I thought I'd pass it along to everyone else just in case you were in the same boat I was. We spent the whole day in the town of Oxford. Part of the day with a tour guide, and then we got to roam around the town for the rest of the day.
Thursday I got to attend the play A Midsummer Nights Dream. The Shakespeare class had some open tickets so I took one. The play was very interesting. Since I hadn't read the play prior to the show, it was a little hard to follow, but I caught on quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly. A lot of the girls in our flat went. We had to get back pretty early so we could pack for our trip to Wales the next day!
So now for my highlight of the week.... WALES!!!! Ellie and I left our flat at 10:00 Friday. We got to the train station about an hour and half early and some how managed to almost miss our train. Go figure?! We got to the station and tried to waste time until it was time to board our train and somehow lost track of time. No worries though, we got on the train in time and made our way to Wales. On our way there, we found out our friends that were on the bus for Wales got canceled because of more bad weather. Luckily, they were able to get on a later train and meet us there. Ellie and I arrived in Wales about 2 hours before anyone else. So we decided to explore the little town near the train station. It was a really cute town and the people were so friendly. We grabbed a bit to eat in a local pub and meet everyone else at the train station around 6:30. As soon as their train got here, our transportation was there to take us to our weekend destination. It was about a 25 minute drive to Preselli Adventure, and once we got there, they had dinner ready for us. The food all weekend was amazing! The best food I've eaten since I've been in London. I almost forgot what it felt like to be completely full! We all ate and prepared ourselves for a full day on Saturday!
Saturday morning I woke up to an amazing breakfast. There were English muffins, toast, baked beans (which I didn't eat and thought it was a weird breakfast food), hard boiled eggs, and bacon (what we would call country ham but they call it bacon). It filled me up for our seven mile hike at 9:00. It wasn't what I expected a hike to be we are on a beach so it was a coastal hike, but it was difficult, cold, muddy, windy, and I LOVED every minute of it. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. The cliffs were high with waves crashing against them, and there were sheep running around in the field. It was picturesque. We came back to the lodge for lunch, which consisted of a homemade stew with homemade bread. I definitely had two servings. I had to get a good meal in for our coaststeering adventure. Immediately after lunch we went to get suited up for a swim in the Atlantic. Yeah, I was starting to think I was a crazy person for doing this, but ended up having a blast! We wore full body winter wet suits with another layer of shorts and vest that were the same material of the wet suit and on top of that we had life jackets, boots, gloves, and a helmet. Then we were ready to rock and roll. The initial jump into the ocean was, to say the least, shocking/breathtaking. It was absolutely freezing, but eventually we either went numb or quit thinking about it and had fun swimming around and climbing on rocks. (by the way, we were completely safe with two extremely certified guides who made sure we were doing what we needed to do to be safe. So, no worries) I can't say for sure how long we were in there, but long enough to say I swam in the Atlantic Ocean in February! The temperature was about 6-8 degrees Celsius, a.k.a. COLD. As we were finishing up and climbing out, we saw a seal! She was about 50 yards from us, but we could still see her! We walked back to our van and headed back to the lodge for dinner. Once again, they didn't let me down and had amazing food. It was chicken curry. I'd never eaten curry before, but I definitely bought some mix tonight to try and make it. We'll see how it turns out. We ate and crashed pretty early because we were all exhausted.
The next morning I was expecting to be super sore when I woke, but surprisingly I wasn't and climbed out of bed for another great breakfast. (the same as the morning before). This time I was filling up for ocean kayaking. I can definitely say by far that kayaking was the hardest thing I did all weekend. We got suited up again, but with different stuff. I wore my Under Armor long sleeve under a short sleeve wet suit. On top of that we had a wind/water breaker and then our life jacket, gloves, boots, and helmet. We had to wear these funny looking skirt things that fit over the opening of our kayak. I'm not sure that makes sense to anyone, but its hard to explain. As soon as we suited up and picked out our kayak, we headed to the ocean. It was so WINDY. The conditions on Sunday were worse than the conditions on Saturday. It was colder and windier and kind of snowing. We were troopers though and powered through it. The kayaking was a lot harder for me than I thought it would be, which was frustrating. I finally got the hang of it and moved along a little better. We saw a seal again! The same one kept poking her head out of the water and looking at us. She got a lot closer than I thought she would. The only other wild life we were exposed to were the lobster traps that our guides pulled out of the water had some lobsters in them. It was pretty cool to see the wild life while I'm sitting in a kayak in the middle of the Irish Sea (we went to a different part of the coast than we did yesterday, so this part was the Irish Sea). We paddled around the coast for a while then headed back. That was the toughest part for the whole group. We were almost back and only had to go around this bend and then a straight away for the ramp. As soon as we went around that bend, the wind hit us like a ton of bricks. It was ridiculous how strong the wind was. The guides kept telling us not to stop and keep going because if you were to stop the wind would push you right back where you came from. I pushed out the last bit of strength I had to get around the bend and to the ramp. It was rough, but definitely worth it. We got back to the van and packed up and headed back to the lodge for our final lunch before we left to head back to London. We ate jackets for lunch (aka baked potatoes). They had optional toppings: tuna, corn, and cheese. Random, right? I got cheese with the corn on the side. It was another nice meal to top off the weekend. After lunch, we all pack up and headed to the train station.
It was a long ride back on the train. We got back to London around 10:00, and we were all exhausted. I have to say one of the best weekends ever though. Even through the bad weather conditions, every part of the trip was worth it! I would definitely do it again, but it'd have to be in the summer, FOR SURE! I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather I keep hearing about back home. I am missing everyone! Oh and one last thing, I had hot tea for the first time this weekend and actually enjoyed it. I mean it will never replace my cold sweet tea, but it will do for now.
More to come later......
On Sunday, some of the girls and I went to church that is on our block. They had tea and biscuits for us after the service and then lunch after that. It was a very nice way to start off our day. Next, was the Super Bowl (of course you all know that). The girls and I walked through the snow to our pub on campus to watch the game. It was a late starting time for us though. I only made it through half of the 3rd quarter until I marched back to our flat again in the snow. I couldn't believe how much snow there was.
Monday morning we woke up to about 6 inches of snow and London being completely shut down because of it. Our classes were canceled for the day, which I didn't complain about one bit. We took the whole day off and went and played in the snow at Hyde Park. All of my flat mates and I had a blast in the park. We threw snow balls and made snow men. It was awesome. There were a ton of people out there. I'm not joking when I say London shut down because many people didn't go to work or school. The public transportation was shut down completely, which means most people can't get anywhere. No worries though, I think everyone made the most of it. The city was even more gorgeous covered in snow. Not to mention the snow was perfect snow to make snow balls and snowmen. Since London hasn't seen that much snow in decades, we all literally made history because we can say we were here in London when the "big" snow fell. It was an exciting day.
The next couple days went on as planned with class and field trips. Wednesday was our field trip to Oxford. It was a really interesting tour. I didn't feel like I got to see a lot of Oxford, but I know I did. Its just so big its hard to take it all in. One thing I didn't realize is that Oxford is made up of 36 colleges. It isn't just one big college, but a bunch of smaller ones. I may be one of the few people who didn't realize this, but I thought I'd pass it along to everyone else just in case you were in the same boat I was. We spent the whole day in the town of Oxford. Part of the day with a tour guide, and then we got to roam around the town for the rest of the day.
Thursday I got to attend the play A Midsummer Nights Dream. The Shakespeare class had some open tickets so I took one. The play was very interesting. Since I hadn't read the play prior to the show, it was a little hard to follow, but I caught on quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly. A lot of the girls in our flat went. We had to get back pretty early so we could pack for our trip to Wales the next day!
So now for my highlight of the week.... WALES!!!! Ellie and I left our flat at 10:00 Friday. We got to the train station about an hour and half early and some how managed to almost miss our train. Go figure?! We got to the station and tried to waste time until it was time to board our train and somehow lost track of time. No worries though, we got on the train in time and made our way to Wales. On our way there, we found out our friends that were on the bus for Wales got canceled because of more bad weather. Luckily, they were able to get on a later train and meet us there. Ellie and I arrived in Wales about 2 hours before anyone else. So we decided to explore the little town near the train station. It was a really cute town and the people were so friendly. We grabbed a bit to eat in a local pub and meet everyone else at the train station around 6:30. As soon as their train got here, our transportation was there to take us to our weekend destination. It was about a 25 minute drive to Preselli Adventure, and once we got there, they had dinner ready for us. The food all weekend was amazing! The best food I've eaten since I've been in London. I almost forgot what it felt like to be completely full! We all ate and prepared ourselves for a full day on Saturday!
Saturday morning I woke up to an amazing breakfast. There were English muffins, toast, baked beans (which I didn't eat and thought it was a weird breakfast food), hard boiled eggs, and bacon (what we would call country ham but they call it bacon). It filled me up for our seven mile hike at 9:00. It wasn't what I expected a hike to be we are on a beach so it was a coastal hike, but it was difficult, cold, muddy, windy, and I LOVED every minute of it. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. The cliffs were high with waves crashing against them, and there were sheep running around in the field. It was picturesque. We came back to the lodge for lunch, which consisted of a homemade stew with homemade bread. I definitely had two servings. I had to get a good meal in for our coaststeering adventure. Immediately after lunch we went to get suited up for a swim in the Atlantic. Yeah, I was starting to think I was a crazy person for doing this, but ended up having a blast! We wore full body winter wet suits with another layer of shorts and vest that were the same material of the wet suit and on top of that we had life jackets, boots, gloves, and a helmet. Then we were ready to rock and roll. The initial jump into the ocean was, to say the least, shocking/breathtaking. It was absolutely freezing, but eventually we either went numb or quit thinking about it and had fun swimming around and climbing on rocks. (by the way, we were completely safe with two extremely certified guides who made sure we were doing what we needed to do to be safe. So, no worries) I can't say for sure how long we were in there, but long enough to say I swam in the Atlantic Ocean in February! The temperature was about 6-8 degrees Celsius, a.k.a. COLD. As we were finishing up and climbing out, we saw a seal! She was about 50 yards from us, but we could still see her! We walked back to our van and headed back to the lodge for dinner. Once again, they didn't let me down and had amazing food. It was chicken curry. I'd never eaten curry before, but I definitely bought some mix tonight to try and make it. We'll see how it turns out. We ate and crashed pretty early because we were all exhausted.
The next morning I was expecting to be super sore when I woke, but surprisingly I wasn't and climbed out of bed for another great breakfast. (the same as the morning before). This time I was filling up for ocean kayaking. I can definitely say by far that kayaking was the hardest thing I did all weekend. We got suited up again, but with different stuff. I wore my Under Armor long sleeve under a short sleeve wet suit. On top of that we had a wind/water breaker and then our life jacket, gloves, boots, and helmet. We had to wear these funny looking skirt things that fit over the opening of our kayak. I'm not sure that makes sense to anyone, but its hard to explain. As soon as we suited up and picked out our kayak, we headed to the ocean. It was so WINDY. The conditions on Sunday were worse than the conditions on Saturday. It was colder and windier and kind of snowing. We were troopers though and powered through it. The kayaking was a lot harder for me than I thought it would be, which was frustrating. I finally got the hang of it and moved along a little better. We saw a seal again! The same one kept poking her head out of the water and looking at us. She got a lot closer than I thought she would. The only other wild life we were exposed to were the lobster traps that our guides pulled out of the water had some lobsters in them. It was pretty cool to see the wild life while I'm sitting in a kayak in the middle of the Irish Sea (we went to a different part of the coast than we did yesterday, so this part was the Irish Sea). We paddled around the coast for a while then headed back. That was the toughest part for the whole group. We were almost back and only had to go around this bend and then a straight away for the ramp. As soon as we went around that bend, the wind hit us like a ton of bricks. It was ridiculous how strong the wind was. The guides kept telling us not to stop and keep going because if you were to stop the wind would push you right back where you came from. I pushed out the last bit of strength I had to get around the bend and to the ramp. It was rough, but definitely worth it. We got back to the van and packed up and headed back to the lodge for our final lunch before we left to head back to London. We ate jackets for lunch (aka baked potatoes). They had optional toppings: tuna, corn, and cheese. Random, right? I got cheese with the corn on the side. It was another nice meal to top off the weekend. After lunch, we all pack up and headed to the train station.
It was a long ride back on the train. We got back to London around 10:00, and we were all exhausted. I have to say one of the best weekends ever though. Even through the bad weather conditions, every part of the trip was worth it! I would definitely do it again, but it'd have to be in the summer, FOR SURE! I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather I keep hearing about back home. I am missing everyone! Oh and one last thing, I had hot tea for the first time this weekend and actually enjoyed it. I mean it will never replace my cold sweet tea, but it will do for now.
More to come later......
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