Last weeks in the UK

I tried to finish my blogging before I left the UK, but by the time I knew it, I had already landed at the McAllen airport. It took my about a week to get my body clock back to U.S. Central time mode, and because Ian has been reminding me that I need to finish this, I dedicate this last blog about my summer in the UK to him.

CITY CRUISES
As my time was running out in London, I wanted to do something special in the city. The National Railways runs a two for one special on several city attractions, and I was interested in either visiting the London Dungeons (although I’m a big wimp and scare easily), or taking a boat ride on the Thames River. The reviews said the queues for London Dungeons were quite long, and so we choose the “City Cruise” promotion. I was a bit incredulous about the two for one offer because-- why would they give us a free ticket just for getting there by train? We had to take the train, regardless. Also, I wasn’t sure which pier we would leave from which meant we had to explore the bank side. Is it just me, or do most people have trouble remembering what order the bridges are in London? We walked a LONG way and encountered HUNDREDS of joggers along the way (Ian said they’re paid to jog there to promote a healthy living atmosphere :p.) We finally got to Westminster Millennium Pier and paid about 5 quid for each ticket (woohoo!) The queuing was a bit disorganized, but we soon forgot our discomfort when we saw what we believed to be our boat. It had two levels, and I planned to go on the top deck. I imagined photos of me with my hair blowing in the wind. Sadly, that boat was going to Greenwich, and we were going to the London Tower. After much waiting, our wee boat got there (only one deck - booooo.) It took forever to officially start our cruise because the captain of the boat decided to give one of the boat workers a lift across the river (it probably would have been quicker for that worker to walk across the bridge, but oh, well.) I’d seen most of the places the guide pointed out during the cruise, but seeing them while on the river made it more exciting! I also found that “The Anchor”, the restaurant we had dinner the night we saw “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” at the Globe, was the place the actors at the original Globe would zip to to get a drink in between performances. All in all, the City Cruise was a lovely experience. We followed it with a walk in London and a sandwich lunch at a small garden we found hidden near the bank side.

LAZY BONES
As a child, I used to love going with my dad to the “Pulga” (flea market) on south 23rd street in McAllen. My mom didn't like me to tag along because after I went to the pulga, I would get sick. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that a doctor explained that my flu-like symptoms were actually allergies. I still like flea markets even though they often make me feel ill; and so, when Ian mentioned in passing he needed to get rid of some stuff, a plan was devised with the help of his dad to go to a “boot sale.” A boot sale is the British equivalent of a flea market (boot as in the trunk of a car.) Ian’s dad told us Sonia, Ian’s cousin, had made over 100 pounds at the Lazy Bones Boot Sale. Ian wasn’t too concerned about making too much of a profit. He just wanted to sell enough to pay for the entrance fee, and mostly he wanted to get rid of some things that were taking up storage room.
While Ian was pushing vinyl records and computer bits, I explored the goodies others were selling. I bought a dress and three pairs of earrings for 5quid. Yay!
Ian made enough to pay the entrance fee and made a bit of a profit on top of that. Hooray!
Overall it was a smashing success. :D

ROYAL RICHMOND
When planning to go on an excursion with London Walks, I was always nervous I wouldn’t find the guide when I got to the designated train station, but thankfully the guides always showed up on time, and always appeared to be very capable of guiding a large group while on trains, coaches (buses), and through busy streets during the walking part of the excursion. This time, however, we had a ditzy guide. She didn’t want to take our money and she had a hard time explaining that instead of train tickets, we needed 2 zone travel cards for this particular excursion. Well, we missed our train, and I was starting to panic. When we finally got on the train, I sat next to two posh looking old ladies. Shortly after the train left I noticed a bad case of B.O. I smelled myself a la “super star”, and confirmed it wasn't me and that I smelled lovely (haha). I looked around and deduced the smell was coming from the man in a three piece suit sitting behind me. I kept glaring at him hoping my laser eyes could communicate he needed to not shift around so much so as not to spread the smell. I later realized, it was actually one of the posh old ladies. Who woulda thunk?
Once the actual tour started, I was able to walk away from the smell, and have a very nice time.
The City of Richmond started as a fishing village and then in the 1300s became the home of the Royal Palace during the reign of Richard II and Anna of Bohemia. Because their power was always precarious, the monarchy wandered about with an entourage of 5,000 to 10,000 people proving their might. They built a series of castles, manor houses, etc around England.
Anna of Bohemia died in Richmond, upsetting the King enough to want to shut down the palace there. It was Henry VII that rebuilt the palace in Richmond.
Queen Elizabeth I did this as well, and the guide explained she would gauge how long one place could sustain her and her entourage (the lords of the area would have to foot the bill for lodging, food, and entertainment for all the court.)
Other claims of fame for Richmond include:
• Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” mentions a pub in Richmond.
• Samuel Peeps came looking for treasure in Richmond.
• Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon’s son was born in Richmond
• Elizabeth I died in a room above the gatehouse. Her ring of state was never found and it was rumored she threw it out of the window before dying.

Our tour of Richmond ended with our boarding a boat which would take us to Hampton Court.

HAMPTON COURT
Before I begin sharing about Hampton Court, I want to make a plug for Netflix. I often joke I'm a poor Mexican girl. For several years of my childhood, we didn’t own a television set, and I’ve lived without cable for most of my life. Well, a few months ago, I subscribed to Netflix for under $10 a month which allows me to watch movies and TV shows on my laptop. I’d heard about Showtime’s The Tudors (story about the reign of Henry VIII and his six wives) on Gossip Girl I think, so I decided to watch. It’s basically a historical soap opera that’s quite addicting. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’ve learned so much from that show! On several of the tours I took this summer, I knew what the guide was talking about because of the show The Tudors. Hampton Court was one of Henry VIII’s stomping grounds, so I was in heaven walking through the palace and gardens.
Hampton Court was initially built by Cardinal Wolsey as a country house. He leased the land it was built on for 50 pounds a year! Cardinal Wolsey was the son of a butcher who rose within the ranks of the Catholic Church and became the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest ranked church official in England. It was clear to me that Cardinal Wolsey valued aesthetics because he built the palace with red brick, made the chimneys fashionable (as in not only for utilitarian reasons), and even had carpets on the floor (carpets and tapestries used to be hung on walls and never stepped on.) Both because of his position and rumors of the grand house, Cardinal Wolsey began receiving gifts for his new home from people in power from all over England.
Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon often visited the cardinal at Hampton Court.
Things started going wrong for the cardinal when Henry VIII decided he wanted to divorce Katherine of Aragon, which became known as “The King’s Great Matter.”
Emperor Charles V of Spain was Katherine’s nephew, and he controlled the pope at that time. Because he was unable to manipulate the pope into giving Henry VIII his divorce, the cardinal began losing favor with the king. When Henry VIII marveled at the grandness of Hampton Court, Cardinal Wolsey felt obliged to gift the “country house” to the king.
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn also stayed there frequently. They would arrive by boat on the Thames (as I did!)
Also, Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII’s son at Hampton Court. Later, Henry VIII would claim his only true wife was Jane Seymour because she was the only wife that gave him a son that survived child birth.
William of Holland and Mary also lived in Hampton Court. They commissioned Christopher Wren to renovate Hampton Court. When Mary died of small pox in 1694, the project was left half finished, so Hampton Court’s architecture is half Tudor and half Wren.
It is tradition for servants of the royals to be sent to retire at Hampton Court fulfilling their motto of living “by the grace and favor of the monarch.” This has given Hampton Court the nickname “The Royal Squat.”
In the mid 1800s, Hampton Court was open to the public, and today you can even rent an apartment there during a holiday stay.
Other claims to fame for Hampton Court:
• The Hampton Court Conference was a meeting to talk about translating the Bible to English which became the King James Version. (This was an extension of the reform and wanting to move away from masses in Latin.)
• Edward VI started Grammar schools while at Hampton Court. (After Henry VIII’s reform, education all but disappeared as the monasteries carried the burden of education in England.)
• Queen Mary and King Philip of Spain also lived at Hampton Court.
• The concept of the King’s cabinet was established at Hampton Court. The area where the king slept was called the cabinet and his most trusted advisors would put him to bed each night.

I was able to explore most of Hampton Court (it’s huge!) including the King’s wine cellar, the kitchens, gardens, and I even made my way through the maze. I thought it was going to be a kiddie maze as they said it was a fun stop for children, but I had a hard time finding my way out! Haha… Hampton Court is a definite must see when visiting the London area.

Paris
I took my first trip abroad the summer of 2008. I’ve received several comments on Facebook about how wonderful it is to be able to take these trips, and I agree! As a poor Mexican girl, I never dreamed I would ever see the places I’ve seen. It’s amazing how perspectives can change in a span of a few years. I want to spend my life teaching, travelling and writing.

I met Ian two years ago on my first Study Abroad trip, and we spent one Saturday walking the streets of London. We got along so great I told him I thought he would make a good traveling buddy. If you’ve ever traveled with someone, then you will agree how important it is to travel with someone who adjusts to situations.

My comment that Saturday proved to be true. Ian visited me while I was in Spain last year, and his trip was such a success that he caught the traveling bug.

Initially, I was supposed to be in Italy for one month, but because of lack of student enrollment, the trip was canceled. In retrospect, I’m so glad I was able to spend two months in England because I’ve learned so much more from this trip than I have the two previous study abroad trips.

Despite this, I still wanted to visit a new country (3rd summer 3rd country and all that.) Having caught the traveling bug, Ian was just as anxious to visit somewhere new. We agreed we would go to Paris for my birthday.

It would only be a short, three day trip, and really you have to enjoy traveling to go through such a rushed trip. We left the Harold Wood train station at about 4:47am and didn’t get to the hotel in Paris until 8pm that evening. We had to take several trains both in London and Paris and of course the flight from London Luton Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport (the actual flight was only about 1hr and 10 min long!)

After we arrived and after much deliberation, we decided we would visit a proper fancy French restaurant. They only served wine and mineral water for beverages. Ian convinced me not to ask for Coca-Cola (lol.) I wanted to take pictures, but ended up deciding I would look too much the tourist. I was so excited I couldn’t even eat, and Ian didn’t think it was proper to eat my food too. I didn’t dare ask for a doggie bag!

After dinner, we walked a bit through the streets of Paris and called it a night.

The next morning we had a breakfast of omelets with fromage ( we had the choice or ham OR cheese), toast, butter and jam, coffee, juice, and hot chocolate. It was delicious.

We made a plan to visit four places: the Louvre, Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower, and Les Champs Elyees.

At the Louvre, we saw the Mona Lisa (which was a bit underwhelming next to the massive paintings in the same room) and the Venus de Milo. We saw as much as we could in a few hours, but the Louvre is huge, and really, it would take days and days to see it all properly.

On our way from the Louvre to Notre Dame, we survived an attempted scam! As we were taking pictures by the river near the Louvre, a woman pretended to find a man’s gold wedding band. She asked us if it belonged to us, and showed us that it was real gold according to the engraving inside the ring. We said it wasn’t ours, and she said we should keep it for good luck. We insisted several times we couldn’t keep it, but she kept insisting. We said okay and smiled and she walked away only to walk back to us to ask for money to eat. Ian handed her the ring and told her she should keep it. She obviously could benefit more from it. She wouldn’t take the ring and kept asking for money. I gave her two euros and she said it wasn’t enough-- to give her more. I suddenly felt like I was being taken advantage, and I said no. This went on for a bit more and Ian finally took the ring and threw it in a trashcan near us. The lady cussed us out and walked away!

As we crossed the bridge, we saw another woman pulling the same scam “look at the ring I just found” on a man across the street. Out of curiosity, Ian googled the scam, and sure enough, it’s a common scam in Paris. They must get the brass rings by the bagful and guilt tourists into giving them money for them!

Our next stop was Notre Dame, and Ian mentioned he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go inside. We've seen A LOT of cathedrals in the last couple of years, and so he’s lost his motivation saying, “You’ve seen one cathedral, you’ve seen them all.” I do agree with him in part, but I still go in to see them when I get the chance. Notre Dame is impressive to say the least, and when we realized it was free to go in, we decided it would be such a waste not to go inside. We were not disappointed. There’s a reason Notre Dame is so revered. It’s breathtaking. And like all other outings, we got to witness strange human behavior. One man kept asking people (including Ian) to take pictures of him in front of a chapel, and a small boy was feeding the pigeons outside bits of bread which he would then pick up off the dirt and put into his own mouth. Ew.

We had lunch at a restaurant near Notre Dame. Again, it was a delicious meal. I thought it would be a simple, light lunch as we had ordered sandwiches, but they were soooo tasty. The only surprise is that we paid 12 euros for two coca-colas. That’s like $9 a coke! Still, the food was so good, we didn’t mind paying so much for soft drinks.

It was time to make our way to the Eiffel Tower. It was hard to get lost as you can see the tower from most of the city. On our way there we saw several groups of break dancers, and the vendors were very motivated to sell. I suggested we not make eye contact… haha.

We had to wait in line for several hours (there’s a queue to buy tickets, a queue to get to the second floor, a queue to get to the top, a queue to get back down to the 2nd floor, and a queue to get to the ground.) The view from the top is totally worth it.

By this time, we had been on our feet for about 9hrs during the day, and I needed a break. We stopped at a restaurant and I had hot chocolate and crème brulee.

We had one more stop—Les Champs Elyees. Could I make it?

Let me digress a bit. I discovered that Ian and I like to sight see in different ways. I like guided tours and he likes to roam free. In fact, he gets into this positive, adrenaline pumping mode when he’s allowed to sight see without a guide.

After the Eiffel Tower, I was so tired, and Ian was so pumped! I couldn’t disappoint him, and I still wanted to see Les Champs Elyees. We saw so much more on our way there. Ian wanted to keep going. We walked through most of Les Champs Elyees, and I was amazed that the shops were still open at midnight. We walked all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. Our sightseeing finally ended at about 12:30am and we ended up having dinner from a vending machine.

The next morning we had breakfast at the same restaurant from the day before, but Ian ordered ham AND cheese with his egg omelet. I couldn’t believe it. The menu clearly stated ham OR cheese, not both! But, the waiter didn’t even blink. Ian’s confidence empowered me, and so I was brave enough to do the same! Confidence is contagious. 

After breakfast, we made our way to the palace of Versailles. I was able to understand the French Revolution so much more after seeing how Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette lived. One word comes to mind— opulence. They were clueless as to how normal people lived (hence the “let them eat cake” remark.) But, I have to admit the French have both the English and the Spanish beat on beautiful palaces.

All in all, our holiday to Paris was an extraordinary experience.

The last day we were in Paris was my birthday. We ended the celebration with pizza, a movie, and birthday cake. WOOT! Perfect Birthday. 

DINNER WITH IAN’S FAMILY
The last Sunday before I left the UK, I was invited to Sunday dinner (it’s actually at lunch time) with Ian’s family. His sister Linda is a great cook, and I look forward to these invitations. The conversation is always interesting, and the Sheridan family is absolutely lovely. And, on top of all their kindness (Ian’s mom got me books from several libraries for my thesis, and Ian’s dad prepared two bikes for me to learn how to ride) they had birthday cards and presents for me (and they totally know my taste… I loved my earrings, necklace, and wallet!)
Words cannot express how much I appreciate them all for making me feel so welcome.

LAST WORDS
This summer was absolutely extraordinary. I realize something like this cannot be accomplished alone. I want to thank my parents for being so supportive of my education, the Sheridan family for making me feel welcome in England, London Walks for offering affordable excursions throughout England, the International Women’s Board and the Office of International Programs for scholarships, Esperanza from the OIP for helping me with all the paperwork, and last but not least, Ian whose support encourages me to follow my dreams. I want to take all I learned and inspire my high school students to dream big and work hard towards those dreams. I hope I too can support others who want to follow their dreams.

I should have woken up at 6am...

Disclaimer: This blog includes some personal info-- don't read if you don't want to get to know me better :P

So I had to majorly wash on Wednesday because I had totally run out of clean underwear. I realize that this in itself is something that is not shocking and probably has happened to a lot of people ( I had a friend from college that would just buy new underwear instead of washing haha) But, I'm pretty good about always having clean underwear. I didn't even have clean underwear to go to the launderette to wash my underwear, so I decided to wear this skirt that has spandex shorts attached to it ( I guess they work like a girdle.) I always wear underwear with it, but I figured that the shorts sort of were like long underwear.

I should have woken up at 6am, so that I could be at the launderette by 7am. I didn't get out of bed until 7:42 am. Booooo #1.

Although I didn't have my entire heart set on it, I was inclined to take two London Walks. One to Little Venice at 11am and another on The Beatles at 2pm. What I did have to do, was buy Chuggington trains for my nephew Matthew. I had found out online that Hamley's located inside St. Pancreas train station sold them. It has been my experience that I have to leave the house 2 hrs before I have to be anywhere in London. Most times, I'm there with at least 30 minutes to spare, but there have been times I get lost, or trains aren't running like they're supposed to, etc.

I finished my laundry by about 9:30, so I decided to RUN home drop off my laundry and back to the train station and try to make it to the Little Venice walk. (Note: no time to put proper knickers (underwear) on-- the spandex shorts were doing so well after all.) I imagined Little Venice would be fantastic. I imagined being in a gondola, and having the guide sing a bit (why I thought I could take a walk on a gondola, I don't know.)

So, I exit Warwick train station in London at about 11:05 am, and I see a group of people across the street. It was the London Walks people, and I was downright smug I woke up late, did my laundry, and made the walk on time.

My glee was short lived. Soon after we started the walk, the guide said there was a particularly beautiful garden, but that the owner wouldn't let us stop in front of her house so we had to quickly glance at it as we passed by. I got my camera ready and snapped a pic of the house from the outside. I wanted a picture of the garden as well. I had been on so many tours by now that I had experience on snapping a pic quickly as I walk by whatever I'm taking a picture of. I had the camera ready and just as I turned to look at the garden (just a glimpse out of the corner of my eye) I FELL DOWN. The hateful garden of the beautiful house and garden had just moments before finished watering their lovely roses, and left the pavement (sidewalk) completely wet and muddy.

The fall didn't hurt, and I was too stunned to feel embarrassed, but my entire backside, legs, and feet (wearing flip-flops) were covered in mud.

The ladies in the group came to my rescue and handed me the packs of tissues they had, and one lady even tried to help me get the mud off me.

I spent most of the walk trying to get the mud off of me, and WE NEVER GOT IN A GONDOLA. Little Venice looks nothing like the pictures I've seen of Venice, Italy. It has no gondolas, and that's not even it's real name. The most exciting bits of information the guide gave us were the place Alan Turing (father of computing) was born, and the house Madonna almost bought. Wow. :/

I still had to buy Matthew's toy trains, and I still wanted to make The Beattles walk at 2pm. I had one hour to get to St. Pancreas Station and then to Tottenham Court Station in one hour.

I was feeling a bit sticky from the mud, so I wanted to buy some cleansing wipes. Also, I was afraid the mud had seeped through my skirt and I imagined my behind covered in caked mud.

I got to St. Pancreas, and my first stop was Boots pharmacy. I got the wipes and headed for the bathroom. Well, the good news was that mud had not seeped through. The bad news was that my monthly friend had decided to pay a visit. Now, despite my sharing this with you (didn't one of my professor say I have to write about things that make me feel uncomfortable? The roses and urine thing Pablo Neruda said and all) I am an old-fashioned kind of girl. I can't accommodate my guest without proper underwear, now can I???
Luckily, St. Pancreas has a shop called Senza (a cheap and cheery version of Victoria's Secret.) I bought underwear for 3 quid (remember cheap and cheery) at Senza and went back to Boots for girly things, and back to the bathroom (also, lucky St. Pancreas doesn't charge for the use of toilets-- patron saint of those who have to go? most stations charge 30p to be paid with one 20p coin and one 10p coin-- no variation is accepted!)

By this time I had abandoned the hope of seeing Abbey Road or Abbey Road Studios. My dream of being in a picture with another 3 random London Walkees with arms extended at an awkward angle were abolished.

I grabbed a sandwich at Pret a Manger, and I headed in search of Hamley's, the toy store.

The clerks at Hamley's had no idea what Chuggington trains were, but they suggested I visit the main store in Regent Street. It was two stops away on the Victoria line train. I needed to get off on Oxford Circus station and it was a four minute walk from the station. Oxford Circus was CLOSED. I had to get off on the next station which was Green Park station. Never mind-- I used the opportunity to have my sandwich at Green Park. I sat next to an Indian family, who were conversing in their native language. When I dropped my coca-cola, the girl asked me in a perfect British accent if I was okay. She sounded beautiful in both languages.

Because I had no idea where I was, and how to get to Hamley's on Regent Street, I bought yet another London map. I had to cross through all the posh shops. Gucci, Prada, Rolex and model/designer looking people surrounded me (haha!) The Abercrombie and Finch actually had shirtless, real, live models as you went into the store.

Hamley's was an experience in itself! Six stories high, and fun, games, and performers everywhere. Hamley's is older than the U.S.A.! I got Matthew four trains. :)

I think I walked for five or six hours straight that day.

And… I had my second bike riding lesson when I got back to Harold Wood. I was promoted to a bigger bike. I'll post pics later. Ian says I did better on this lesson. I had pizza for dinner and watched Saun of the Dead. I laughed soooo much. First zombie movie I like. :)

I heart London :)

Salisbury and Stonehenge

Last Tuesday I got to visit the legendary Stonehenge. Because it doesn't actually take very long to see this pile of rocks, the people from London Walks have coupled the Stonehenge excursion with the city of Salisbury.

For the past seven weeks I have lived in history, beautiful architecture, and picturesque scenery. Before my study abroad experiences, I could count on the fingers of one hand the times I had been inside a Catholic church. Now, I have visited SO many cathedrals (and I still take pictures of them because they are so elaborate… amazing truly.) On the one hand, I enjoy every moment I spend here. Even the simplest task or experience is elevated because-- well, I'm in the U.K. Even just sitting here in the park typing this blog has me in a near euphoric state (maybe the writing process, or the beautiful weather, or the fact that I feel myself enjoying the outdoors more and more-- whatever the case-- it's effing awesome.) On the other hand, because I've been around so much beauty, I'm not easily impressed anymore.

Although Salisbury and Stonehenge aren't any more beautiful than any other place I've visited in England, I rate it as one of my best excursions because -- well, (hello!) it's STONEHENGE.

Here are some of the things I learned from our guide Richard:
SALISBURY
• Salisbury dates back 2500 yrs. There was no roads, but some trading routes
• Iron age fort- top of the hill then became village of traders with accommodations for them and food
• Sarum was the original name of the town which means dry and desolate ( there was no drinking water at the top of the hill)
• 2000 years ago the Romans came to England and built first roads in England- they made Sarum into Roman fort
• William the Conqueror set up small power bases dotted around the country and he knocked down Roman fort but kept the stone tower which was 5 stories tall
• His nephew built a Cathedral with accommodations for clerics then villagers and a wall were added. Sarum had lots of soldiers and lots of clerics.
• The soldiers would make catapults to break the cathedral windows
• Bishop Poore moved church away from Sarum .. Built present cathedral and finished it in 1258 AD- this cathedral claims to have tallest spire in England.
• In Salisbury there is a tributary of the river Avon ( Avon = river)
• It was a bit risky to build the church where it is because it was so close to the water but unederneath the church there are granit chippings which stabilize the church
• Close= a church surrounded by houses
• It is still a fortified close at 11:30 pm at night the gate closes to city
• The close has houses built between 13th and 18th century
• It used to have a sheep/wool industry and by 1400s it was a wealthy city
• Cathedra - a bishop's chair
• Inside close there is a house for widows of clerics - it was built by a man who in his youth loved a young girl who married someone else , a cleric. When the cleric died, the girl (now an oldish woman) was destitute. In order to help the love of his life without taking away her dignity, he built a grand house for widows of clerics.
• The ladies who live in the house now complain love living there except that they have a 10pm curfew and the pubs don't close until 11pm.
• The oldest house in Salisbury was built in the 13th century and was later named The King's house because James I sometimes stayed there.
• There used to be a college for training teachers and Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" is set in Salisbury and involves a student of the teaching academy. Thomas Hardy wrote about people he knew and things he'd seen.
• All churches in England are built east to west and the high altar faces the east. The cathedral in Salisbury has a floorplan that resembles a crucifix
• An architect named Wyatt removed all the tombstones when he was commisioned to remodel the cathedral… so we were basically walking over a bunch of dead people as we walked on the lawn :/
• A crusader is buried in the cathedral. His wife was the Countess of Salisbury. He had initially plan to go on a crusade and be back in one year, but he didn't come back. After a few years, he was presumed dead. Because the Countess was wealthy she had many suitors pressuring her to remarry. One man went as far as to organize a huge feast in order for the Countess to marry his nephew. The crusader returned in time for the feast, and the man throwing the feast changed the reason for the feast to a welcome back party for the crusader. Unfortunately, the crusader died a week later. It was rumored that he was poisoned at the banquet, but nothing was ever proven. The coffin (is that's what it's called) where the crusader lies inside the cathedral is made of wood at the bottom and stone at the top. After a flood in the 19th century (I think) they opened up the coffin to assess damage the flood caused. The found a dead rat with all its fur on the head of the skeleton. They couldn't figure out 1) how the rat got there because the coffin was very well sealed 2) how the rat had been so well preserved. They did an autopsy on the rat and found the rat had died from arsenic poisoning. Further investigation found a chunk of human brain in the rat, so this proved the crusader had in fact been poisoned.
• The Cathedral also house one of six copies of the Magna Carta ( signed by King John and states no one is above the law and the initial idea for due process

STONEHENGE
• Saw Sting's weekend house on way to Stonehenge. His wife was the producer of "Lock, Stock, and Two Barrels" which was directed by Guy Ritchie. Sting and his wife introduced Guy Ritchie and Madonna during a party and the new couple honeymooned in Salisbury.
• 7,000 years ago the ice melted and this turned England into an island
• 4,000 BC people in England were hunters/gatherers
• 3,000 BC they started planting/harvesting and communities start to form and they start to domesticate animals: dogs, goats, cattle
• 3,100 BC they start making henge - they dig ditch and creat 6ft bank around it-- it used to have a wood structure -- wood henge
• Henge = ditch + bank
• 2500 BC - new inhabitants of area brought stone
• Bluestone first to be moved from 240 miles away; larger stones are from 18 miles away
• Inside the henge there is an altar stone
• This henge is unique because the stones have been dressed (basically been made into a rectangular shape.) This is amazing because this was before the Iron Age and so they didn't have very good tools. They probably used a stone hammer made from a stronger stone than the stones they were shaping :/ They used animal antlers and shoulder blades to dig holes to make stones secure.
• Stone henge was probably a place to worship people who just died and ancestors
• Because of Stonehenge the inhabitants learned about periods of time (from the shadows the stones made and the path of the sun in relation to the stones) and were able to make a calendar ( spring equinox = equal day and night 21st of March, summer solstice = sun hovers, autumn equinox, winter solstice) They learned how far the sun/moon moved-- sun/moon crossed middle of circle
• It also has 56 holes equally spaced
• DRUIDS DID NOT BUILD HENGE! They told some man they built it and the man published the diary where he said the Druids built the henge, but carbon dating of the rubbish used to stabilize the stones shows it was built way before the Druids got to the area.
• Stonehenge area was also used as a burial ground for leaders of the community. Large mounds containing the leaders' remains and objects to be used in the afterlife lie throughout the area.
• Things that have threatened Stonehenge: Christianity wanting to get rid of pagan symbols, railways that brought tourists, and--
• A man who lived near Stonehenge actually started to rent out miniature pick-axes so that tourists could take a piece of Stonehenge with them!
• Stonehenge has a sacrificial stone as well. Although it is thought that there was never any human sacrifices in Stonehenge, they did find the remains of a 26yr old male near the sacrificial stone dating to about 400 AD. It is thought that money will soon be raised for further excavation of the area to find more remains.

Bath, Inception, Sunday Dinner

The days are escaping me, and I don't know how to stop them! I've been much more consistent about my journaling, but now my blogging has suffered. One of my professors said aspiring writers (and really all writers) have to write everyday. Some days it comes so naturally. I have so much to say. And other days, I have to make myself put my thoughts to paper.

I've been talking about the excursions I've been taking, and really they have been quite enjoyable. They are with a company called London Walks, and I recommend them if you are ever in the London area on holiday. I don't recommend the walks within the city as much as the excursions. My favorite guide so far is Richard because he has great customer service skills and a great posh accent. :) Oh and he saved me from an unpleasant man who was crowding me on the train during one excursion. Of the excursions I've been on, I would rate them from best to worst as follows:

1) Bath
2) Stonehenge
3) Cambridge
4) The Cotswolds
5) Oxford
6) Bleinhem Palace
7) Winchester
8) Salisbury
9) St. Albans and the Verulamium

I went to Bath last week (the pics have been up on my Facebook page for a long time now :/ ) and the reason I enjoyed it the most was because it was absolutely beautiful to see. I didn't take any notes (I've learned taking notes during the tours helps to blog about it later… I'm such a nerd :p) and so I can't remember all the details of how the city was established and such.

Basically the Romans discovered the hot springs and built the baths. The Saxons, who didn't like to bathe, built over them. Eventually, the baths were rediscovered, and Bath became a holiday spot for the English.

Also, Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while and the city is featured in her books "Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey". Everywhere we walked was beautiful. My favorite houses were built in a circle, but I forget what it was called -- boooo-- (and the guide said the dimension of the circle was the same as Stonehenge-- and we've come full circle :p.)

If you'll notice in my Bath album on Facebook, there are several pictures of lion sculptures. Apparently, for the past few years, artists make sculptures of animals (a different animal each year) and auction them for charity. I took pictures of the ones I saw on our walk.

All of this history is starting to snap together for me. Although I had read about all this history in school, I never really understood it until now that I'm seeing all the different cities and structures where the history took place.

Last Friday, I went to see the movie "Inception." It was brilliant. :) I really enjoy thinking about how I think, and I definitely enjoy dreaming. I usually remember my dreams, and I have had some random dreams come true. These dreams were of the predicting-the-future sort, and I think there was no possible way I could have known something was going to happen. I'm not sure if my subconscious picks up on things and my brain puts two and two together, but it has been freaky to be able to know something was going to happen because I dreamt it. It wasn't the plot of "Inception" that I was thrilled about, but rather the idea of it (how appropriate.) I loved the different levels of dreaming, and shared dreaming… and I liked the kicks that woke you up… and the visual beauty of the movie. Oh, and I loved the fight seen in Level two of the dreams that takes place in the hotel hallway with the kid from Third Rock as they're simultaneously tumbling inside a van in Level one of the dream. Anyway, great movie.

On Sunday, I had dinner (only it was at lunchtime-- they call it dinner here) with Ian's family. It was his father's 72nd birthday, and I had a lovely meal in the company of a lovely family.

The Cotswolds and Verulamium

On Sunday, I went to the Cotswold. I have decided that if I'm every a millionaire or billionaire I want to have a flat in London and a house in the Cotswolds. You can see pics I took on my facebook page and I am sure you will agree it is breathtaking.

Some facts I learned from our guide:
• meaning of name -- Cots: sheep's pen; wold: hill ; so Cotswolds means sheep's pen hills
• Beginning of villages: 11th century William the Conqueror gave land to the church and built lots of monasteries in the cotswolds
•  The villagers main source of income was from sheep: Boys cared for the sheep, men sheared the sheep, women graded the wool, and girls spun the wool  (also, the wool was treated with stale urine :/)
• 1500s Henry VIII -during the Reformation he took over the monasteries and sold them to private citizens that converted them into homes.
•  1600s Charles I - Oliver Cromwell - the final battles of civil war are in cotswolds
• 1700s industrial revolution - no coal in cotswold so cloth industry moves out - they take sheep as well - no industry in cotswolds

We passed through several villages on the coach and walked through several villages. Best walk ever! I had seen one in Oxford, but there was loads more in the Cotswolds- kissing gates. It's a gate that only one person can pass through at a time. It's supposedly to keep animals from going through gates cos they can't figure how to maneuver around the gate. It's called a kissing gate because boys would trap their dates in the gate and wouldn't let them go without a kiss.

On Monday, I went to St. Albans and more specifically the site of Verulamium which was a Roman Britain colony. It blows my mind that it existed 2000 years ago.

Facts I learned from guide:
• St. Alban was the first Christian martyr in England. A young man came to his house asking for refuge, and it turned out that the young was a Christian priest. He converted St. Alban and St. Alban helped him escape Verulamium. When St. Alban was asked to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods, he refused, was tried, and executed.
• St. Albans was founded during Medieval times
• Cardinal Wosley (The Tudors!) was an abbot in the Abbey in St. Albans
• Verulamium was the 3rd most important town in England during Roman times
• Verulamium is at the bottom of the hill and over the centuries they moved it to the top of the hill which is now St. Albans
• Golf fact: Samuel Ryder of the Ryder Cup lived in St. Albans and started seed packeting business
• Henry VIII sold monastery to Bacon family (Francis Bacon)
• Pudding Stone: gravel stuck on some other stone-- unique to St. Albans -- called "witches' or devils' stone because you can never get rid of it. People who live there have to keep clearing it out of their gardens over and over again. also, St. Albans doesn't have any stone natural to area to use to build.
• St. Albans is site of proto-Thames - during evolution the river changed course
• Roman emperor Claudius - 43 AD ish - wasn't respected very much and thought of as not very intelligent. Decided to conquer England to have a conquest to his name.
• Michael's Lodge right outside Verulamium - made in a Victorian style out of flint.
• Roman theatre was used a place of worship. Probably the spot was already a place of worship in pre Roman (Celts) time. Celts used water in their worship
• Theatre linked with religions festivals and probably to goddess Minerva
• Time of theatre is around 140 - 160 AD
• The men used brown masks and the men playing women used white masks (sad masks were bad guys, smiling masks were good guys)
• Romans would have real death scenes- they used criminals
• After 313AD theatre considered pagan by Christianity (eventually filled with rubbish)


My favorite part of this tour was the mosaic that was discovered and left in same place. It's fascinating to see how the Romans lived-- they even had central heating!

Cambridge

I went on an excursion to Cambridge yesterday. I enjoyed it the best of the excursions I’ve taken so far. I used to think I would have loved to be a student at Oxford University, but after visiting Cambridge University, I changed my mind. The list of names of students who graduated from there is soooo impressive (John Milton, Charles Darwin, Christopher Marlowe, Thandie Newton, John Harvard, William Woodsworth, Lord Bryon, Isaac Newton, on and on and on the list goes.) They discovered DNA there and just one of the colleges has had 30 Nobel Prize winners. The caliber of learning and student is absolutely extraordinary I imagine. Their brains probably feed off each other! The place is also beautiful. The city is basically taken over by the university. The university is made up of 30 colleges. Like at Oxford, students have to apply to and interview with an individual college to become part of the university. An undergraduate degree takes 3 years just like Oxford as well. Tuition is the same as any university in the UK -- £3,000 a year. Unbelievable. It’s cheaper to go to an elite school in the UK than a state school in the US. Visited the college Henry VII established (still amazed how much history I have learned from Showtime’s ‘The Tudors’. Also, saw a tree that grew from a sliver of the apple tree responsible for Sir Issac Newton’s discovery of gravity. I visited the church with the pulpit that witnessed the first ever Protestant sermon in England. Visited Emmanuel College from which many Pilgrims that travelled to Massachusetts graduated. So much history.

In the afternoon, I went punting! It’s basically riding in a boat along the River Cam. Cambridge students push the boat along with a long pole by hitting the stone bottom of the river. Relaxing, beautiful, and our punter was very knowledgeable. Told us lots of fun facts about the University (Saint John’s College students are the poshest and snobbiest, Lord Byron thought it clever to find a loophole in the no domestic pets policy by keeping a bear as a pet.. . and other fun facts like that.)
I got myself a Cambridge University rugby shirt. I can’t wait to wear it to college days at school . :D

Midnight Shakespeare and City of Wincester

I can’t believe an entire month has gone by! I spent three days of my fourth week here working on my thesis, and one day shopping. I brought very little clothes (I brought more books than clothes!) and I was getting tired of wearing the same thing over and over again. I visited a charity shop, Primark (a discount department store), Marks and Spencer (also has a food section haha) and Sainsbury (mostly a grocery store). I bought some tops, skirts, and bags. I don’t think I spent more than £4 on each item.
On Friday morning I visited the Victoria Albert Museum and Harrods. In the afternoon, I went to the Tate Modern Museum. Everything I see makes me think globally and also about my personal life. There are so many cultures colliding here in London. The area where the V&A and Harrods is located is very posh. I had a salmon and cream cheese sandwich for lunch! I saw a limo (the first I’ve seen since I’ve been here) and it was transporting two Muslim women. It’s weird for me to see Arabic (?) Muslim (?) women covered up to begin with, but then there are degrees of covering up. Some only cover their head and wear dresses or really long blouses over pants/jeans. Some cover their heads and faces showing only their eyes, but they wear modern clothes. Some are completely covered in black showing only their eyes, but they ride around in limos and shops at the poshest shop Harrods. I don’t understand it all. I suspect that a lot of these women are highly intelligent (I’ve seen some as students around the universities in town) and yet they conform to their cultural/religious traditions. Oh, I also saw two couples. The men had the long beards and little hats, and the women would walk several paces behind them… always… even on the escalator. One of the men would cheerfully turn back every so often and say something to his wife/girlfriend… he even called her babe. The women had heads covered up, but wore modern clothes (all covered up of course… only the skin of sandaled feet showing)

On Friday night, I attended a midnight showing of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” at The Globe Theatre. The director made some interesting choices which included 1920s period costumes, a female Puck dressed in Vaudeville type costume including black garter belt, and having the actors play three parts each. I would have preferred the traditional interpretation complete with fairy costumes, but I liked being exposed to a different interpretation because it showed me once again how versatile Shakespeare really is. The fact that it was at midnight also added to the magic. The audience was very responsive (packed house) which also added to the experience.
On Saturday, I went on an excursion to Wincester. I got to see the Great Hall used by medieval kings. This is also the area where King Arthur would have lived (if he really existed.) I really should start taking notes when I go on these excursions because the guides give so much information, it’s hard to remember all of it. I visited the Wincester Cathedral where Jane Austen is buried. I learned that the difference between a town and city is that a city has a cathedral with a bishop. While we were at Wincester, they had their annual Hat Fair which dates back to the 19th century. At first we all thought it was a fair celebrating hats. We didn’t see many people wearing hats, and so our guide investigated further. Apparently, it’s a day for street performing. The street performers pass a hat around to collect money, and this is called hatting. In the afternoon, we went on a tour of Wincester College (an all male boarding school) which was established by the Bishop of Wincester, William of Wyckeham. He established it so that 70 poor boys could get an education. Today, it has 770 boys in attendance (70 on scholarship and 700 paying £30K a year in tuition.) Originally the boys would graduate from Wincester College and then continue their education at New College in Oxford University. I caught a glimpse of one of the boys on scholarship (they are the only ones who were black scholar gowns) as I took a wrong turn. Education in the UK seems to be very competitive.
On Sunday, I relaxed, gave myself a pedicure, watched Dr. Who, and visited with Ian’s parents. My first month here has been spectacular. I am indebted to all who made this trip possible. One more month to go!