California Living

It's been so long since I've updated so I apologize if this entry is a bit long. We have a lot to update you all on. It will be best if I make a list of everything, because I like to make lists.

1. We have a home! Or a place that we will live for just about 2 years before heading back to NoVa. It sort of feels like that sometimes. It's a really nice attached condo in a gated community .5 miles from the beach. Yup, it's at most a 10 minute walk to the beach from our front door. Alas, we haven't really spent too much time there yet but we definitely will when it stays in the 70s and 80s for longer periods of time.

2. Our place is really nice. It's a 2 bedroom/2.5 bath place with an office/loft and a master suite. We have a little patio that overlooks a stream that runs throughout the complex. It's big, because of the vaulted ceiling, but still cozy. We never have to run our air and it rarely gets over 70 because of the breeze that comes off the Pacific. And that second bedroom is ready for guests so please come visit!

3. I'm back to work. Not sure how exciting it is since I continue to sit in my office 40 hours a week plugging away. The job is a bit more tedious when it's sunny out and you actually want to be active. Ah well.

4. Everyone here is super nice. I know more of my neighbors here than I ever did living in Virginia or Maryland. Seriously, the East Coast is full of people who would like to do nothing better than ignore the person right next to them. However, this has been a bit of an issue for me who is a East Coaster and has issues talking to strangers. Chris is way more friendly than I am, but I'm attempting to work through it and be a nicer stranger. A lot of our neighbors are older, but there are a few young couples. And everyone has a dog.

5. Hank is 90 lbs and growing. We've found him a vet, a dog park, and started training last week. He's taking to it quite well and is slowly taking to the kennel as we attempt to crate train him. In a few months, I may be able to get a job outside of the house and we could possibly go to a happy hour/date. *fingers crossed* However, he's had his moments of destruction: he flipped over an entire glass of wine when he fell head first off the couch; he ate up my Oakley's; he tore off part of Cotswold's horns; destroyed a contact case (but no the contacts) and proceeded to have the runs for a few days; and sort of damaged my Garmin GPS watch. He really tries your patience.

6. Huntington Beach is sort of dog friendly. They have a dog beach, but you can't attach your dog to any of the railings near restaurants downtown. There is one dog friendly restaurant near the dog park, but it's only open for breakfast and lunch. Thus, we haven't really eaten out at many restaurants and I can't give you much of an update on the food culture. Chris, however, eats Mexican food for lunch several times a week and assures me that it is fantastic. I can tell you that we found the greatest sandwich shop ever and if you come visit, we'll definitely take you there.

7. Things are a touch more expensive here than they are in DC. Beers are $7 at bars and since I don't know any of the bartenders, it's not as if I'll get a free one here or there. I haven't really purchased gas, but it's in the high $3's and often over $4/gal.

8. People don't wear shoes? We've noticed this a lot, but it could be because we live in Surf City, USA. It seems shoes are an option here, or at least in downtown HB. Speaking of people, everything you've heard is true. Everyone seems to surf; people totally roller blade; and most guys qualify as bros.

Well, I think that's the gist of it. We've spent the last month or so getting everything unpacked, buying more furniture, and setting up the house. We've met the Chelsea group here, but the bar is a good 20 minute drive away and the games can be at awful hours (4:45 a.m.) so it can be a bit difficult to make it out there.

I'll update again when we do something exciting!

- Kate

Our Introduction to California!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Chris and I have been busy exploring the area, looking for houses, and getting used to our new home. Here is a recap of the end of our trip and our adventures in Huntington Beach.

Gaslight District

We arrived in San Diego on midday Thursday and were extremely grateful for the 60 degree weather. The hotel we stayed at, Hotel Indigo, is extremely dog friendly. They allow dogs in all rooms and in all areas of the hotel. With Petco Park being a block away from the hotel, the area around the hotel in general is also pet friendly.

After arriving, we took Hank on a long walk and then got some lunch at a restaurant near Petco Park. It got cloudy and overcast so we went back to the hotel to relax and escape the rain. For us, this rain was a bit upsetting but California is in the midst of the worst drought they've had in 100 years so everyone there welcomed the rain. We decided to stay in to watch the Olympics and then took Hank down to the hotel bar later on the evening for some drinks.

A view of San Diego from our hotel

The following morning found us on our way to Huntington Beach, our new home. We drove the Pacific Coast Highway on part of the trip and arrived at our hotel around 11. Chris needed to check into work so we headed there soon after arriving in the area. After lunch and a tour of the armory, we needed to head back to the hotel to pick up Chris's car.

We spent the rest of the evening driving around the area and getting used to the streets. We took Hank to the dog beach, which tired him out very quickly. He likes the sand, but still isn't too keen on the water.

On Saturday we decided to do more exploring, as it was light out and things were open. We headed down to the main area of Huntington Beach and took Hank for a long walk along the beach. We got kicked off the pier, because dogs aren't allowed on there, but did find a restaurant that allows dogs on their patio. Chris and I enjoyed an adult lunch, while Hank attempted to sleep on the patio.

Yes, this 80 lbs dog is mean and will destroy
 your apartment...with kisses!

As we are in the process of finding a place to live, we went out to look at places on Sunday. One was alright, but not move in ready. Then the next places cancelled on us. A lot of the places don't takes dogs or if they do, not Hank-sized dogs. It seems that at 80 lbs, Hank has more of a chance of barking and damaging an apartment than a dog under 45 lbs. We found the most perfect place this evening, but they don't take large dogs, or any dogs that is above your knee. This to not most dogs I know. (In other news, Hank also chewed threw two leashes in 24 hours. But that's neither here nor there.)

Anyway, today was a very frustrating day and it's possible that may not be able to live as close to the ocean as we'd like. We have more appointments tomorrow and I've sent out a bunch of emails so hopefully something turns up soon. Til then!

- Kate

Day 5: Arizona to California!

The fifth day of our trip began a little bit late due to Hank. His stomach issues still hadn't gone away and after waking us up at 330 in the morning, we decided that a trip to the vet in Flagstaff. Flagstaff is a really cute college town that sits in the shadow of several mountains. The vet was very nice and accommodating to Hank, giving him medicine to get his tummy back in order. We then got the best coffee/breakfast of the trip at Wildflower Bread Company, a Panera-like restaurant that is local to Arizona. I would definitely recommend stopping there to anyone who happens upon one while in Arizona.

We then headed to the Grand Canyon, which is about 80 miles from Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon is almost too difficult to put into words. One second you're driving through densely packed woods and the next there is a breathtaking view of the canyon. I'll just leave some photos here for your perusal instead of explaining it in words.

After visiting the Grand Canyon, we got back to our trek to California. Due to our late start, getting to San Diego was going to be too much of a trek so we decided to make Barstow, CA our stop for the night. The weather finally warmed up as we left Arizona and entered into our new home state. The day started at 30 degrees and it reached a high of 66 on the road! We are elated to finally be in warmer weather and it looks as if we're clear of any inclement weather.

We arrived at our hotel in Barstow around 6 p.m., gaining an hour when we entered into Pacific Time. Tomorrow we'll head to San Diego, which is just over 2 hours from our current location, for a relaxing final day before Chris needs to check in with work. Til tomorrow!

- Kate

Day 4: Texas to New Mexico to Arizona!

Snowy Amarillo

Day four began with a bit of wet weather. We went to bed in Amarillo with no precipitation on the ground and woke to about 1-2 inches of snow coating the sidewalks and roads. Due to the weather issues, we took our time in the morning and did not check out of our hotel until 830. It was slow going for the first hour or so as we trudged through the snow laden roads.

By the time we got outside the Amarillo city limits, the roads improved greatly and we were back up to traveling speed. Texas continued to be extremely flat and it was only about an hour and a half of driving before we entered into New Mexico.

Woo New Mexico!!

At the moment, New Mexico is at the top of the list for most beautiful states. While it is extremely flat, the mesas and rock formations that dot the horizon make this a very beautiful state. The weather cleared up throughout the morning and the sun came out as we headed towards Albuquerque. Every once in awhile, the weather would turn dark and a snow squall would run across our path, causing hail-like snow to fall on the road.

New Mexico was relatively uneventful, minus Hank's upset tummy. We stopped several times in the state and I must apologize to certain random gas stations for not depositing of Hank's excrement. I'm sure it will dry out soon, though.

Beautiful New Mexico

We made it into Arizona by 330/4 p.m. and enjoyed the setting sun as we continued to drive West. Arizona is much flatter than New Mexico, in that it is without those red rocks and beautiful mesas. Nevertheless, it is equally as beautiful. After his tummy issues, Hank slept through Arizona and did not wake until we arrived in Flagstaff. We checked into our hotel and as we tried to bring Hank into the hotel, he slipped out of his harness and ran away, proceeding to ALMOST get hit by a car. Chris and I flipped, but we able to corral him in. Talk about taking several years off our lives. I decided then that a bottle of wine was necessary to calm my nerves.

80000 miles!

That was the extent of Tuesday's adventures. Tomorrow we are heading to the Grand Canyon and although we'd like to go to Las Vegas, it seems we missed the boat on booking a hotel and the prices are becoming too much. Seems we may be headed to San Diego for a few days.

Til tomorrow!

- Kate

Day 3: Arkansas to Oklahoma to Texas

I’m sorry that this blog post is coming a day later than expected, but I was too tired after last night’s drive to write a worthwhile post. I’m currently writing this as we drive through New Mexico, but more on that on the day four blog.

The picture we took of the welcome to Oklahoma sign was blurry
but we got a photo of this

Day three was the polar opposite of day two. It was cold, but clear when we left our hotel in Arkansas and we soon entered into Oklahoma. It would be really awesome if the transitions between different states were more drastic, but you wouldn’t know without those large signs welcoming you to a new state. However, Oklahoma obviously got a lot more snow than rain and had not yet cleared their major roads. Thus, the first part of Oklahoma was a slow trip as we slowly followed in the paths cleared by the tractor trailers.

By the time we reached Oklahoma City, it cleared up and we were back up to speed on the roads. Oklahoma, as expected, is very flat and pretty boring. It hovered between 26 and 33 for most of the day, becoming overcast in the afternoon and not really clearing off until the evening hours.

We got the Texas welcome sign!

We entered Texas around 4 p.m. and the landscape became flatter and full of cows. Sometimes the cows looked so still that I swore they were fake. Chris has repeatedly made fun of me for this since I vocalized it. The panhandle of Texas is flat and dry, with acres of farmland and grazing fields of either side of the highway. The speed limit went from 70 to 75 as we entered Texas and we were able to pick up our speed on the last leg of today’s trip. We booked ourselves into a hotel in Amarillo for the night, thus ending day three of our trip.

Hank has been handling the trip alright. He’s majorly confused, but his body has reacted negatively to the constant travel, which is a blessing for us. He’s just being a bit stranger than he already is. We remembered quickly that he hates elevators, so staying on the first (or ground) floors of our hotels has been nice. Outside of that, he just sleeps in the car and periodically drops his toys down between the door and seat, so we’re forced to climb into the backseat to rescue his precious playthings.

Hank sleeping

In writing this blog, I’ve come to realize that my writing skills have severely diminished over the past 6-9 months. Graduating from grad school and not having a job in which I write frequently are the major culprits, but in reality, I just did not make time to write in the past year. Nevertheless, like any ability, writing takes practice and hope that in the future I will be at ease with writing once more.

Our travel distance and time for Day 3 is as follows:

Time: About 10 hours

Distance: 588.3 miles

Weather willing, we’ll try to be in Flagstaff by the end of the day on Tuesday. Til then!

- Kate

Day 2: Tennessee to Arkansas

Today was brought to you by a whole lot of rain. So much rain that it made the drive almost unbearable and the scenery unappreciated. I'm a bit drained so bear with me as I pen this blog entry.

We started the day about a half hour outside of Knoxville. We got on the road about 45 minutes after we wanted to but quickly made up that time when we entered Central Time! That was about the most exciting part of the trip as the rain began around 830 this morning and I think it's still coming down as I write this.

Rain battered us as we drove through Knoxville to Nashville and then Memphis (finally). Stopping in any of these cities would have been nice, but the weather really made it impossible and not really worth it. The weather continued to worsen and we put off our lunch stop until Memphis. Alas, that stop was a bit of a mess as it took three different gas stations to find a pump that actually worked and we ended up wasting a good half hour or so getting gas and waiting for our fast food to be ready.

Hank was a bit of a pain today. He's starting to realize that we're really far from Virginia and it's taking really long for us to take him back to his apartment. He's also not getting as much exercise as he usually does and spends much of the day Eeyoring out the window or huffing at us from the backseat. He made some foolish attempt to play/pull out of his collar when we stopped for lunch and that did not end well for him. However, he is still on track to achieve his goal of pooping in every state on the trip.

We made it to our hotel outside of Little Rock by 530, just in time to watch the Broncos lose this game in an embarrassing manner. Dinner was left over KFC, honey mustard pretzels, and vending machine soda. Maybe one day soon I'll have a fruit/vegetable/something green.

We're going to try to make it to Amarillo, TX tomorrow. It would be another 9 hours of driving, but the weather actually looks good tomorrow so we shouldn't be hampered by that. With our current pace, we would actually make it to California by Wednesday at the earliest or Thursday if we didn't go to Vegas. We're trying to find someplace to stop so we can slow down our pace and get to California on Friday.

No pictures taken today because of the weather and I've misplaced the adapter once more so I'll try to find that tomorrow when it's much dryer.

And I only have our driving distance for Day 1 at the moment:
Miles: 477.0
Time: 8:49

Day 2:
Miles: 588.3
Time: About 10 hours


Til tomorrow!

- Kate

Day 1: Virginia to Tennessee

Day one of our trip saw us drive through Virginia and a short bit of Tennessee before we needed to stop for the evening. We started our day at 7 am, but were not able to really get on the road until 10 due to putting the roof cargo box and 4 bikes on the back of the car, and picking up Hank at our friend's place.

A view of the Shenandoah Valley from Skyline Drive

Nevertheless, it was a clear day and we were soon outside of the DC metro area limits. Due to the nice weather, we thought be might try to drive Skyline Drive. It parallels 81 and take you through the Shenandoah Mountains. However, we did not realize how slow it would be and how difficult it would be to drive an already heavy car up and down the mountain pass. It was very beautiful, but it definitely lost of us some driving time in the morning. (And it cost $10 to drive through, so that was a bit of an unexpected expense).

We only drove about 30 miles on Skyline Drive before leaving to head towards 81. The rest of the day was spent traveling on 81, which is over 300 miles, most of which is in Virginia. It really feels like one of the longest states to drive through. I thought we would never reach Tennessee, as we needed to stop several times to let Hank pee, poop, and eat.

Hello Tennessee!

We got into Tennessee around 630 and quickly decided that we were about at the end of our driving ability for the day. I found a Best Western Plus (a classier version of your usual Best Westerns, I assure you) about an hour outside of Knoxville and booked us a room.

Tennessee is already more interesting than Virginia. We tried to stop for gas off of 81, but this specific gas station did not accept credit cards. (Shocking, I know). It was also very dark and a bit sketchy so we just turned around instead of stopping to get gas. Everyone is very nice already, and I'll probably have to start being nicer to people and smile a bit more. It's time to lose a bit of my east coast armor.

Also, we've really hit the bible belt, as our hotel's guest services book offers Bible verses and local church services to its patrons. Alas, I don't think we'll be able to make any tomorrow, as we're trying to get on the road early to make up for lost time today. We're hoping to make it to Little Rock, AR, in time to check into a hotel and watch the Super Bowl. Go Peyton, er Broncos!

Hank looking out of the car

That's all for now. I will be putting down our driving time and distance each day, but I forgot to write down the numbers before checking into the hotel this evening. I'll put today's and tomorrow's into my day 2 blog. Til tomorrow!

- Kate

One Day More

Sunday night, before the packers arrived

I write this while sitting in our hotel room, which is located about .25 miles away from our current/old apartment. It's been an extremely busy week and this is the first time I've really had the energy and time to write. Here is a short recap:

On Monday morning, the packers arrived at our apartment and began to pack all of our belongings. This took all day Monday and spilled over into Tuesday midday. Hank spent most of the day attempting to eat the packing paper and bothering the three workers. Chris and I sat on the couch and read while they worked. By midday Tuesday, everything was packed in the apartment and in our storage unit, minus the televisions and one bed, which made sleeping that night much more enjoyable.

Monday night, after packing

Monday night, after packing

On Wednesday morning, the movers arrived to put all of the furniture and boxes onto the truck. That was an all-day affair. They arrived at 9 and did not finish removing all the items from the apartment until 7 p.m. The movers were very friendly with Hank but he got very confused throughout the day and had several accidents in the house. Once they left, all we had left in the apartment was our aero bed and our belongings for the trip.

Post movers = empty house

On Thursday morning, we got up early to pack the car since the cleaning people were arriving at 9. Alas, we discovered that the packers had forgotten to pack some things that were in our cabinets. They had packed the lids to the pots but not the pots themselves, and had packed the glass oven dishes but not the lids. They also missed a bunch of ziploc bags and some coffee travel mugs. In haste, we put together two leftover boxes and packed them. Luckily we'll have space in the car for them, but it is definitely not an ideal situation. When the cleaners came, I left to drop Hank off at a friend's place for a couple of nights so we could run errands and relax. He was no longer upset after that and I'm not sure he noticed when I left.

Thursday was filled with errands that we had to run, including dropping the cable box off at Verizon, mailing last minute packages, exchanging our coins for cash, and shipping Chris's car. Once completed, we finally went to see the second Hobbit movie, since we've had no time to go since it came out.

Today has been a very relaxing day. I've come down with a bit of a cold so I slept in and Chris went back to the apartment to handle the exterminator appointment. Then we got breakfast and Chris got his haircut while I finished a book. Now we just have to wait around until 3 when we have our final out appointment with the rental company.

Hank, before he ran away because the photo flash was capturing his soul

Chris and I are amazed and excited that our trip is finally here. We've been talking about it and planning for it forever, so it's surprising that it has actually arrived. It probably won't feel real until we're on the road tomorrow. I've posted a link here the route that we will most likely take. Everything will depend upon the weather, so if it's nice tomorrow, we may take Skyline Drive and if we have enough time, we may head up to Vegas after the Grand Canyon.

That's all for now. I will do my best to post every night about that day's distance covered and eventful occurrences!

- Kate

California Dreaming

First things first, I've returned to the blogosphere. It's been a very busy 1.5 years but I've found a good reason to blog again and I hope you'll all enjoy it.

There are few things I enjoy more in life than travelling. I was lucky enough to be born into a family that loved travelling and was blessed that they wished to bring me along on these trips, even though I was remarkably good at disappearing. 

Despite traveling far from home and living abroad (but only for a month each time), I've never actually moved more than 4 hours away from home. State College and Washington, D.C. are all within a half a day driving distance from the Jersey Shore and it's been easy to visit family (and for them to visit us) and come home for holidays.

Alas, life is full of curve balls. Enter Chris, who I met two years ago and recently decided his was a worthy life partner and his career in the Army. It is this career that is moving us across the country to Southern California for two years! (There are worse places). Come February 1st, (one week from tomorrow!) we (including our 80 lbs. dog, Hank) will begin our 7 day trek across the United States to Huntington Beach, CA.

This space will host my daily blogs about the trip cross country and our future adventures in California. I'll hopefully post a few times next week (wifi willing) regarding the packing process and the week leading up to the big move.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days!

- Kate

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

So this is the end. My month long trip across the pond came to a close about a week and a half ago. It's taken me all of this time to spit out this blog post, for the ending is always the most difficult to write. When I started this series of blog posts, I was super excited for my trip. I couldn't wait to tell you all about it. However, I knew only a bare minimum of what I would be doing while I was there so there really wasn't much to say.

Now it's over and I'm back to reality (sort of). And it's been extremely difficult to put into words all of my emotions about the trip. You could almost argue that I'm still getting over my jet lag. It hasn't fully sunk in yet that I'm back in America, because I totally hit the ground running when I got back. I haven't had a weekend free and only see one opportunity for a free weekend before the semester begins. And there is almost too much to say. Too much to recount. Too many feelings to impart. So I'm going to try and I will also keep this short. I could go into extreme detail but that would only be for my benefit and not for yours.

So I will write some thank yous:

To my family: who assisted both monetarily and emotionally, thank you very much. This was really the trip of a lifetime. I will look back on this time in my life with great happiness and I'm so grateful that you were there to help me get there. Thank you for supporting me during the trip, with Skyping and emails. It was nice to feel connected to home while abroad. And thanks for being here when I returned. It was wonderful to be greeted at the airport

To my friends (aka, my blog readers): thank you for reading. I'm sure it got tiring after awhile. I know it was tiring to write these up everyday. And they probably got boring. I wasn't as funny as I could have been but sometimes I was just too tired to be funny. But thanks for reading all the same. Or thanks for skimming/looking at the pictures. I know I got page views that weren't mine so I know that someone out there is reading this garbage.

To my London friends: First, I'd like to thank all of you. You made the trip a very memorable experience and one that I will not forget. I'd like to especially thank my cacaws! (Jenny and Melissa). You guys were the best and London would have been totally different without you. P.S. Cotswold misses your faces a lot.

To London: Thanks for letting me explore your city. You were awesome. I loved every inch of the city and could spend several months there and still not experience everything I want to. I hope to see you again soon (Please don't rain as much next time. Thanks!)

Well that's all I need to say. I did a lot in a month's time. I saw a lot of London but barely scratched the surface. I didn't go to Wimbledon but I drank some good beers. I saw some amazing historical items and visited some of the coolest libraries ever. I met some authentic British boys and they were just as I expected. I ate meat pies and they were awesome. I had too much food but loved it. I walked way too much and my legs hated me for it. It was all glorious. I soaked up a ton of history while I was there and it just left me with the urge to travel even more...

Which I am doing, since I'm going to Disney in a week. How bout that! Not sure it will be blog worthy but I'll bring my computer anyway and we'll see if something awesome happens that needs to be documented.

Thanks again for reading. You know I'll be back again when I take my next trip. I'm thinking Italy next time? Or maybe back to Ireland and actually blogging? Or Spain? Or back to Scotland for a more in depth tour? You know I'll be somewhere, seeing something, and being all together crazy but awesome. Cheers!

- Kate

I Must Away to the Colonies!

Well it's Friday. My last day in London. I wasn't sad to go, but I also wasn't elated to leave. I felt kind of apathetic about it. I mean, I was sad to leave my friends with whom I had spent pretty much every day of the last month. And I was sad to leave London. Glad that I wouldn't be there for the Olympics and that craziness, but still sad to leave the city. And I was happy to come home to see my family and friends. Not happy to return to work or the research paper that I need (and still need) to work on. But definitely happy to return to the comforts of home.

My last day in London started early....too early, and overall, we really didn't do that much. I woke at 6 a.m., unable to fall back asleep, and just decided to start my day. I packed everything, really happy that I had brought an extra bag with me for all of the gifts and souvenirs I purchased. Melissa, Jenny, and I met up around 10 to get some breakfast and do some last minute shopping. We grabbed lunch and decided what to do for the Olympic Ceremonies. The British Studies Program was going on a boat cruise from 4-8 but we decided not to attend. Something about spending 4 hours on a boat with a hundred or so undergrads doesn't really sound like a good time to me.

For the ceremonies, we headed to Trafalgar Square to see if they were showing the ceremony there. They weren't so we just found a bar nearby that was and settled ourselves there. Jenny, Melissa, and I enjoyed dinner and drinks before the ceremonies started. We were almost unable to watch them with sound because the restaurant had so rule about never turning off their stupid techno beats. However, another patron stepped in and took charge to get the sound turned up so we could all enjoy the ceremony. (Opinion: I personally really enjoyed the opening ceremony. I know that those in the United States got a play-by-play of it, which sounds really annoying, but we were able to see it all without commercials. Danny Boyle is crazy but I still thought it was cool.)


We called it a night rather early since I had to be up at 3 a.m. to get my taxi to the airport. I said my goodbyes :( and got a few hours of sleep before heading to Heathrow. A week before, when I made my taxi reservation, everyone in London was threatening to strike. Thus, I planned on getting to the airport early in case there were any issues. Well, no one went on strike. And traffic was non-existent. I was there before the United Airlines counter even opened. And then....

I found out my flight was delayed two hours. This was just the news I didn't want to hear on about three hours of sleep. So I spent the next five hours at the airport. Being angry. Writing blogs. Purchasing Olympic gear with cash (since they only took Visa and I didn't have a Visa.) I finally boarded the flight at 9:45 and settled in for a nice 7.5 hour flight across the Atlantic. The only saving grace was the fact that I was able to get my own seat and didn't have to share.

I landed safely without an issue and made it through customs without an issue at all. I was home! And someone was there to greet me :) What a great ending to a very, very long flight. And then, my month-long trip to England ended. It was over. I'll add my final words in another blog because it's taken a bit for it all to sink in. Cheers.

- Kate

I Can't Remember the Taste of Strawberries, Sam!

When writing my diary entry about the last Thursday of our trip, I drew a major blank. I stared at the page for a good bit, trying to rack my brain as to what I had actually accomplished on Thursday. And then it came to me.....The Research Symposium. Oh yes, the Research Symposium. But we will get back to that later since it wasn't until 6 p.m. at night and I did other things on Thursday.

The Olympic Torch!

It was our first full day of no classes so we took advantage of it. We started our day off with coffees and a walk to Millennium Bridge to go see the Olympic Torch. It was working its way through London on the last week of its three-month tour and would be going over the bridge and heading down towards the Globe Theatre at 10 a.m. There were a lot of people there but we were able to get right up to the barrier and see the torch as it went by. My pictures are only alright though because everyone was pushing in and getting in the way.

Then Melissa and I headed north into the City of London for our scheduled mani-peds. Yeah it seems kind of ridiculous to do in London but it was totally nice to get a little foot massage after all of the walking we had done that month. They were wonderful and we were even graced by a really, awful customer who yelled at the employees for messing up her one nail. She was a real piece of work. And of course her worthless boyfriend, whom she dragged along, just sat there and let it all happen.

Then we met up with Jenny for lunch at Mother Mash. I do believe I have extolled the virtues of Mother Mash on this blog and do not need to do so anymore. All I will say is that is was just as awesome as the first time and I officially like meat pies. After lunch, we headed over to Forbidden Planet, a comic book/nerd store. Yes, Jenny, Melissa, and I were pretty nerdy, evidence by our frequent references to Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dr. Who (Jenny and Melissa only), and other movies/tv shows of the like. We nerded out for a good long time before realizing that we needed to head back to the dorms to get ready for......

The Research Symposium! I know you've all been waiting to hear about this and now the moment has arrived. Now the push behind the symposium is so the students can educate the rest of the British Studies group on their research. We are took two courses: one that counted as a classroom course and the other is a research paper. So as the title dictates, it allows one person from each group to present to the program their research. Here is what we expected: The professor talks for about three minutes and discusses what their class did and then introduces the student. Then the student talks for about five minutes, just about their research.

Here is what we got: professors talking for 5-10 minutes. Then the students talking for 10-15 minutes, and just barely referencing their research. Mainly, they just told us about all of the places they visited. And about 90% of the students did this. So instead of running about two hours, it lasted three. And it was about 85 degrees in the room. It was absolutely awful. I'm listened to a lot of professors ramble on for a long time. But three hours? Seriously? And we didn't really get to hear about anyone's research. Some we did, but not most. And it would have gone longer if the director hadn't stepped in to cut the student off.

So that is how my Thursday evening went. And you can be damned sure that as soon as it was over, we found both food and alcohol. Both were a necessity after that shitshow. We put a nice touch on the evening by hanging out on the South Bank once more, watching the Fire Garden and just relaxing. Only one day left...

- Kate

Enter the 21st Century, England, and get some A/C

Wednesday arrived much sooner than anticipated, for I was up at 7 a.m. to do my laundry. Still fighting a cold that I got in Scotland after spending the entire morning in the rain (see Blog: Storming the Castle), I started the day rather sluggishly. However, a nice breakfast of croissants and bread got me ready to kick off the last day of classes. It was hot. So hot out. Hotter than it had been all month. And England doesn’t have air conditioning because it normally doesn’t get into the 80s. But it did on Tuesday and Wednesday. And boy did we feel the heat.

Our last class took us back to the British Library, but this time it was for a tour of the conservation studio. I have to post for this in my school blog, so I won’t get into it here but will link the page when I get that all written up and posted.

Then we were free!! No more classes! So Melissa and I headed down to the Globe for my third and final Shakespeare performance of the trip. We saw Richard III, which I’ve never read but I really enjoyed. Two really famous actors were in it, Mark Rycliffe and Barty Crouch Sr. (I don’t remember his real name so he will forever be called Barty Crouch Sr. It was very well done. Not as depressing as it is normally portrayed, for Richard made it more satirical. We got standing room near the stage and were able to lean on the stage during the performance. It also kept us out of the sun, which was really strong that day.

After the play ended, we headed back to the dorm for a quick shower and change before heading over to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub. It was the first pub rebuilt after the Great Fire in 1666. It is also where Samuel Johnson used to go to hang out and work on writing the dictionary. Twas a really cool bar with lots of windy stairs. They had Samuel Smiths Extra Stout on tap!!! But ALL of the taps were broken. So I had to deal with just having a Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. It was just fine but I've had it in America and was dismayed that I couldn't have something new. Next time!

After dinner, we went to the fire garden again! No fire dancing this time, but we laid on these weird orange hammocks/octagonal boats/nests. They were comfortable for awhile until my butt fell asleep. Then it was uncomfortable. We just hung out for a bit and then went back cause we was tired. And that was the end of Wednesday. Only two days left! Cheers!

- Kate

The Beginning of the End

Temple Church, for all you Dan Brown lovers

(Author's Note:So I just realized that this blog has been daily activity heavy and I really haven’t written anything introspective about my trip. I want to do this and I’m currently working on several opinion blog posts. I wrote several of these in an airport, working on about three hours of sleep and annoyed because my flight was delayed. So bear with me a bit.)

Moving on from that, I need to update you all about my last week in London. We only had two days on class, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the rest were free days to just relax and get everything together before exiting the country. On Tuesday, we had two site visits, one the morning and one in the afternoon.

The morning visit took us to the Inner Temple Library. If you know anything about the law system in England, all of the barristers in England must join one of four temples. These are the Inner, Middle, Grays, and Lincoln. They are all located near each other on Fleet Street in London. I am not blogging about this one for class so I will discuss more of it here. When you become a barrister and subsequently join this temple, you are given free rights to use the library of that temple. We visited the Inner Temple, which allows any member of a temple to use the library.

It is a beautiful and old library that has been in existence since the early 16^th century. It was bombed and destroyed during WWII but rebuilt afterwards and reopened in 1958. The architecture in the library is beautiful. It is all English oak, while high ceilings and large windows that allow in a lot of light. There is a gallery above that gives it that 19^th century library feel. However, the shelves are very high which is an issue for the librarians who need to reach books for the patrons.

Each inn has a core collection of law in England and Wales, as well as other special collections that are specific to each library. The Inner Temple, for example, has items regarding to part of the commonwealth nations as well as Scotland. It also has a very important manuscript and rare book collection. While we were unable to see them in person, we did see some of the copies they have on the walls in the library. For example, the library has the only copy of Edward VI’s will, in which he bastardized his step sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, and said that he wanted Lady Jane Grey to be the regent in the event of his death. Edward was a sickly child and this was written on a few months before he passed away. (History Note: Lady Jane Grey did assume the title, only to be arrested nine days later and have her head cut off. Then Mary took the throne, a role she eventually relinquished to Elizabeth.)

This library is very focused upon reaching out to their patrons needs. They spend a lot of time answering reference inquiries for the barristers, many of whom are crunched for time. They also spend a lot of time updating their blog, which compiles all of the news about cases, law, and verdicts that they believe is important to their patrons. This takes up a lot of time, but they recently won an award for it so they are thinking quite highly of themselves right now.

It's so pretty with the rings!

After visiting the library, we headed to lunch at a pub across the street. Called the Bank of England (check on this), it is the site on which Sweeny Todd is based. Lunch was paid for by our professor, which was very nice since I’ve been bleeding money ever since I arrived. We then hurried to our second and last tour of the day at the Royal Geographical Society. I won’t get into this here because I will link my post on the other blog here but it was so awesome. Super, super cool for anyone who likes explorers.

That was the end of our school day, so Jenny, Melissa, and I headed over to Tower Bridge to start checking off our checklist of things to do. Step one, walk across Tower Bridge. We did that but then had to walk all the way back to our dorms, which was much longer of a walk than originally anticipated. We do that a lot. I guess that’s why our calf muscles look so great, but it has led to lots of blisters over the past month. Before heading back, we grabbed dinner at a Mexican place that has the best burritos I’ve ever had. (I plan on blogging about food as well, since I’ve eaten quite well (maybe too well) since I got here.)

Fire Dancing!

I thought this was the end of the night until Jenny “cacawed” outside of my window and made me put on pants to go see something. I begrudgingly put on pants, signed off of my Skype session, and then found myself in a fire garden! It was so awesome. There is a Fire Garden in grounds of the National Theatre for three days every summer. We caught all three days. Melissa, Jenny, and I went to go walk through it and danced to the fire-themed music they were playing. Jenny took videos of our awesome dance moves. I have a feeling these may resurface in the future.

Thus, we ended our Tuesday on a high note. The countdown to the end had already begun with only three more full days left until I said goodbye to London. Cheers!

-         - Kate

The Changing Landscape of London (aka, my rant about the Olympics)

(Author's Note: Sorry for being gone so long. I'm finally back in the United States and I have several of these to load and then finish off my trip. Here is a short piece to tide you over. Be warned: I wrote it at 5 a.m. in the Heathrow Airport.)

When we left London the Sunday before (July 15), it was still a rather calm city. There were Olympic paraphernalia all over the place but nothing to ostentatious. The city was still relatively quiet, as all of the travelers were mainly locals getting to and from work.

Fast forward a week and it all changed. First, the amount of people in the city grew greatly. There were a lot more languages being spoken as Olympic attendees arrived to the city. Moreover, the school year had come to a close in England and everyone was starting their summer holiday. This meant increased foot traffic, busier tube stations, and just an overall heightened sense of apprehension as the Olympic Games inched ever closer. And it also meant a lot of people wandering the city, meandering and thus causing us and the locals annoyance as we tried to get to our destinations on time. The makeup of the city changed as well, as the one-eyed Cyclops mascots popped up all over the city. Images and facts were pasted on the sidewalks. The number of police in and around tube stations increased greatly.

Overall, this change was hard for me to deal with. I remembered a London without these visitors. I remembered a London that I had become comfortable with in the two weeks I had been there. I wasn’t ready to handle the sheer number of people and felt some sort of kinship with the locals who were dreading these Olympic Games. Now I love the Olympics and I’ve always wanted to go to one. I hope to do so one day but I will plan on going when it’s not in a major city. So don’t think for a second that I don’t enjoy the Olympic Games because I do and I love watching the American athletes compete for our country.

This is something else and I think it’s something that only happens when the Olympics are in a major metropolitan area. While we are leaving before things got really insane, some Londoners had to stay in the city to work. Others had already planned their two-week vacation during this time, removing themselves from the city before it got really bad. This might be disheartening to some people, for they believe that the locals should stay to root on their athletes. However, I commiserate with these people, understanding that their lives are going to be uprooted for three weeks. The tube stations will be overrun with people, thus affecting the daily commute of thousands of people. Can you imagine if New York City had the Olympics? Can you imagine how many more people would be in that city? There are too many already and having the Olympics there would upset a rather delicate balance.

Moreover, the Olympics have actually hurt the tourist industry in Britain. You may think I’m crazy saying that, for there are thousands of spectators in the city for the games. But think about this: For most of Europe, August and a few weeks in September are the weeks to go on holiday. This is the most popular month for people to travel to England and thus the tourists business does great during this period. However, because of the Olympics, people are staying away from London. They are traveling other places and staying out of the craziness that is London. They do not want to get involved with the people or the traffic. It’s not a very carefree place to be right now. Thus, museums and sites will probably take a hit this month. All of the tourists in the city are there for the games and not to visit the wonderful sites in London. I know for a fact that my cab driver to the airport said his company was hurting for business.

I love London. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s easy to navigate and easy to learn. Everyone speaks English and I never felt out of place in the city. I could fit in very easily and could be very comfortable here (if I had air conditioning). But I am very glad to be leaving before the Olympics really get started. It’s had a major impact on the city and it won’t be back to normal for several weeks. I hope that anyone who travels to London for the Olympics comes back in the future to see what it really is like without all of these changes. It’s an amazing place and it deserves to be shown for what it is: a city rich in history, vibrant in culture, and on the cutting edge of technology.

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda (haha yeah, look that up and see if it makes sense!)

Hey look, it's Millenium Stadium.
 which I couldn't visit because of the Olympics.
Way to go Olympics.

The last part of our mini-break found us in Cardiff, Wales. And the sun shined there for two days, which helped in making it the best part of the trip. Our hostel was quite nice, despite the snoring we endured, coupled with the seagulls that wake you at 6 a.m. The showers were unreal and any place that has excellent showers and a free buffet breakfast is awesome on my list.

We started our day around 11, once Jenny arrived at the hostel after seeing her boyfriend off on the train back to Edinburgh. We walked down to the bay, which was beautiful and teeming with people. We took in the bay and all of the sites, as Jenny and Melissa nerded out over all of the Dr. Who references (Side Note: I haven't watched the show but have been informed that this is the first thing I need to do once I return to America. I shall get back to you in a few weeks with my opinion on the show.)

Pretty ladies in Cardiff!

After lunch, Melissa and Jenny went off to the Dr. Who Experience while I sat in the sun, tanned and wrote in my journal. It was quite relaxing. Once they were done, we walked back into town to catch a few more sites before they closed. (Side Note: Everything in Wales closes early. And it was a Sunday so stores were closing even earlier.) We just made it into the store that sold Welsh Dragons and were each able to purchase our dragons. They became acquainted on the lawn outside of Cardiff Castle while we rested in the shade. Mine is named Mor Leidr. He is a pirate!

It was so wonderful. 

They all have Welsh names.
I can't remember them all.

Then it was to a pub for a quick dinner and some authentic Welsh beer. Food was alright but the beer was awesome. I must say, I've had some good beers this month. I was defini
tely worried early on which the selection but England has come around and has really proved to be a country of good beer. Sometimes warm, but mostly good. As two of our trio had colds, we headed back to the hostel to get some sleep.

We had Monday morning in Cardiff but were too tired and lazy to get anything done. Thus, we just slept in, ate breakfast, and took our time getting to the rail station. The trip back to London was uneventful and much shorter than the previous one. We arrived back to our dorms (thankfully) by 3 p.m., thus ending our very enjoyable but all too short mini-break. I shall return once more to catch you up on our last week in London.

- Kate

Pierce Me Where It Counts, Robin Hood

The third day of our mini break brought us to Nottingham, the home of the ever famous and possibly non-existent Robin Hood. As stated previously, Nottingham seemed to be a bit on the sketchy side at 10 p.m. at night. It's absolutely fine at 9 a.m. in the morning. I awoke at 7 a.m. because I can't seem to sleep to any normal hour and we were headed into the city center by 9 a.m.

Caves!

Now, we had absolutely no plan of action beyond finding breakfast. Coffee and food were necessities. Once these were satisfied, we made our plan of action. It began with going on a tour of the city, given by a really crazy dude who dresses up like Robin Hood. He gives tours on Saturdays in the summer but his tour this particular Saturday was at 5 and not 11. :(

We did not despair, however, and entered the local mall to go to the Caves. There are all sorts of caves located underneath Nottingham. They were built by the locals and some date back to the 13th century. During the time of Henry VIII, there was actually a Tannery in these caves, although it then opened into the forest. Today, it is all entirely underground. These caves were also used during WWII for bombing shelters. How's that for today's history lesson?

I agree with you, pub, and not Wikipedia

We then took another tour at the Galleries of Justice Museum. It detailed the history of Nottingham through its justice system. We began with a trial where the Sheriff of Nottingham was brought to trial by Robin Hood. Then we continued to follow through the cells and the dungeons as actors told us the history of life for prisoners in Nottingham from the 17th-20th centuries. It was really cool but by the end, we had had enough of jails, dungeons, and the legal system. Thus, we awayed to the pub !

And to a very cool pub did we go. It is supposedly the oldest pub/inn in England but Wikipedia tells me other places also hold that title. Called Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, it is built into a rock face near Nottingham Castle. The food was good, as was the beer, and it was a nice middle point of the day. The beer made us drowsy, however, and we just decided to wander for the rest of the day. We took photos with the Robin Hood statue, went to a nerd store, saw a large street fair/beach festival (Nottingham does not have a beach. So yes, they brought in sand. Weirdos.), and then purchased some travel towels for our showers.

Robin Hood!

We finally made it to our rail station by 6 for a 7 p.m. train that would take us to Cardiff. It was rather uneventful for most of the 3.5 hour ride until a bunch of drunk 18-22 year olds boarded the train and sat in our car. I tried to get all of my stuff tucked away but they spied Cotswold and that was the end of it. They started yelling about triceratops and one dude attempted to act out what one looked like. It was quite hilarious, I must say, but also rather frightening.

We arrived in Cardiff at 1045 p.m. only to discover that everything was closed. Well except for some pubs and nightclubs. And no one was serving food. We walked around some really sketchy parts of town at 1130 p.m., looking for food, but to no avail. Thus, we ended up going to a 24-hour gas station to get food....but we couldn't go into it. We had to walk up to the window, guess what they may have in the sandwich variety, were given two ham sandwiches, and made it out alive. I guess I can say it was a successful evening then. Check back later for our adventures in Cardiff, this time with a new addition: Jenny! Til then!
- Kate

2000 Years in A Day

The second day of our mini-break found us in York and after having a bit of a disappointing start to the trip, we were hoping to have a better day. (Spoiler: We had a very successful day!)

We started by walking the mile from our hostel into town where we purchased York Passes. For 34 pounds, we could spend up to 60 pounds going into a bunch of sites in town. It seemed to be the cheapest way to see everything in town and we definitely made it count.

First stop: The York Minster. It's probably the coolest and biggest spot in the city. It's absolutely gorgeous. Built in the 13th century, it has some of the most beautiful stained glass I've ever seen. The organist was practicing while we were there so that made it even more amazing. It's almost too hard to explain in words so I'll just post lots of photos for your viewing pleasure.

Then we went to the Roman Baths (after a short Starbucks visit) and they were also awesome. You see, York was the major Roman city in the Roman province of Britannia and when Diocletian restructured the Empire in the late 3rd century, York became the capitol of Britannia. It was closer to the raiding armies of Britons and Scots and the military could better handle them from that position. That's when London (or Londinium) lost its prominence in the province. And this ends my random historical lesson of the day.

Then we went to Jorvik. This can only be explained at Disney World for the Vikings. There was a major Viking settlement in York and the York Archaeological Society has spent a lot of time uncovering it. They then recreated an entire village which you can ride through, complete with sounds and smells. It's awesome. They also have people who explain the objects and they were super helpful. I could go into a lot more detail, but it was one of the better museums I've ever visited and I would recommend going there if you find yourself in York.

We jumped ahead several centuries to the Georgian Period and visited the Fairfax House. It was quite pretty but we just took a quick look through. Nothing too enthralling. Then we climbed Clifford's Tower, which overlooks the city. It was part of the castle that stood there during the time of the War of the Roses but only the tower remains.

We stopped for a short lunch before heading back out on our adventure. We headed to the York Castle Museum, which has some really interesting and different exhibits. They recreated a Victorian town that you could walk through and actually go into shops to purchase goods. It was so cool! Lots of creepy alleys but totally awesome. And all of this in York. Who knew? Then we walked to Middlegate Bar, where we toured a small museum connected to this gatehouse on the Medieval walls of the city. Then we walked along these walls to get to the rail station to print out our tickets. We had one more stop: Barley Hall, which took forever to find but was discovered tucked away. It was a cool little museum that also had costumes from movies on display. And I got to see one of Colin Firth's outfits from the A&E Pride and Prejudice. I about died.

Alas, that ended our time in York...but we still had to get to Nottingham. It started off well, as most trips do. We arrived at the rail station on time and boarded our train just fine. We needed to change at Grantham for a new train to Nottingham but when we arrived, we were told that all trains to Nottingham were cancelled. I very unceremoniously dropped my bag in annoyance, tired and not in the mood to find another way to get to Nottingham. But they were running buses! So we boarded one (even though I thought I was done with buses for the remainder of this trip. I was wrong) and headed to Nottingham. Much to our chagrin, a stag party was behind us and they were all drunk. One gentleman (if I can call him that) opened the emergency door while the bus was moving to relieve himself out the back of the bus. The bus driver was not happy after that. Then there were some odd people filming the people on the bus with their phone, as if to remember this trip for posterity. I would like to black it out from my memory forever, so there are no photos of it.

We finally arrived at Nottingham and said stag party man ran off the bus and relieved himself in public. Does this still make him a gentleman? I'm not so sure. We got to the hostel, which was very nice but in a rather dodgy part of town. Since we hadn't eaten since lunch, I dragged Melissa from her warm bed to get food at a not too sketchy Chinese place just down the road. Thus ended our long day in York and travels to Nottingham.

- Kate (P.S. The formatting was screwy this evening so the photos are below)

The York Minster

What Lovely Ceilings

Stunning Stained Glass

More Stained Glass

Roman Baths

Clifford's Tower

Fairfax House

Ah, Mr. Darcy.