Pip Pip Cheerio!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Back in the States
I have bee back in the states now for a little over a month. It was more of an adjustment coming home than it was leaving. So now that I am back I think that I will keep this blog and turn it into more of a daily blog. I will try my best to keep it up with interesting things that I have been doing. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Finals, Goodbyes and Mom Arrives
Finals week went by surprisingly smoothly. I finished one paper on Monday, a second on Tuesday, and the third on Wednesday after my Art Final. Art was by far the most strenuous because I had to basically memorize the artist, title, method and year of over 100 works of art only to be tested over 20. We had a very enjoyable study session for that test.
On Thursday morning my Mom arrived. I was supposed to pick her up around 6AM to help her navigate the tubes but her flight was delayed and I had to get to a few finals, so I wrote her an e-mail so she and her friend Lee could navigate the system themselves. However, at the bottom of the instructions I clearly stated that it would be easier to take a taxi, but they didn't read that part. The two boarded the tube in rush hour traffic with big suitcases for an hour and twenty minute ride. Now there are a few things everyone should know about the tube. First is that tube etiquette is very similar to elevator etiquette, you don't talk to anyone and you don't take up much space. Along with this knowledge everyone should know that the tube gets very congested and hot in weather over 60 degrees. So my mom and her friend stood out like a sore thumb with there big luggage and semi-constant chatter. She loves to tell the story, so if you see her, you should ask her to tell it.
While this is happening I was taking my Contemporary Britain final and my BES exit survey. Neither were too strenuous, but they did leave me with a hand cramp. As it was a Thursday, a whole group of us went for our last burrito at Tortilla. Absolutely delicious! It was a great sort of ending for our group.
I checked in on my Mom to make sure she made it and then went for my exit interview. That was really our time to gripe and praise the program. My group was the last and consequently, the longest. I'm sure our Program and assistant director loved us after that. I then met my Mom and Lee for a quick drink in their hotel. I then showed them where I lived and pointed them in the direction of Buckingham palace because I had to leave for our exit party at Vandon. There were contests for journals and pictures. To my surprise this blog got me the award for best journal. Woot!
While all this was going on my Mom managed to see Prince William through a car window exiting Buckingham Palace. I had been there four months and never seen a member of the royal family, she is there 10 hours and sees a prince. Where is the fairness?
I met my Mom and Lee for a pub dinner at the Albert. That's where Mum fell in love with Fish 'N Chips. I can't blame her though, that stuff is delicious. We had a big day planned for Friday so we made it an early night and I had to pack still. That was a chore and a half.
Stay tuned for the rest of Mom's London Visit.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
On Thursday morning my Mom arrived. I was supposed to pick her up around 6AM to help her navigate the tubes but her flight was delayed and I had to get to a few finals, so I wrote her an e-mail so she and her friend Lee could navigate the system themselves. However, at the bottom of the instructions I clearly stated that it would be easier to take a taxi, but they didn't read that part. The two boarded the tube in rush hour traffic with big suitcases for an hour and twenty minute ride. Now there are a few things everyone should know about the tube. First is that tube etiquette is very similar to elevator etiquette, you don't talk to anyone and you don't take up much space. Along with this knowledge everyone should know that the tube gets very congested and hot in weather over 60 degrees. So my mom and her friend stood out like a sore thumb with there big luggage and semi-constant chatter. She loves to tell the story, so if you see her, you should ask her to tell it.
While this is happening I was taking my Contemporary Britain final and my BES exit survey. Neither were too strenuous, but they did leave me with a hand cramp. As it was a Thursday, a whole group of us went for our last burrito at Tortilla. Absolutely delicious! It was a great sort of ending for our group.
I checked in on my Mom to make sure she made it and then went for my exit interview. That was really our time to gripe and praise the program. My group was the last and consequently, the longest. I'm sure our Program and assistant director loved us after that. I then met my Mom and Lee for a quick drink in their hotel. I then showed them where I lived and pointed them in the direction of Buckingham palace because I had to leave for our exit party at Vandon. There were contests for journals and pictures. To my surprise this blog got me the award for best journal. Woot!
While all this was going on my Mom managed to see Prince William through a car window exiting Buckingham Palace. I had been there four months and never seen a member of the royal family, she is there 10 hours and sees a prince. Where is the fairness?
I met my Mom and Lee for a pub dinner at the Albert. That's where Mum fell in love with Fish 'N Chips. I can't blame her though, that stuff is delicious. We had a big day planned for Friday so we made it an early night and I had to pack still. That was a chore and a half.
Stay tuned for the rest of Mom's London Visit.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
Barcelona: Day 2 - The trip from HELL
I'm guessing you are thinking right now "Rachel, how can you be in Barcelona and have a trip from hell?" Well I am about to tell you.
The day started out wonderfully. We woke up and watched election results during breakfast before heading towards the meeting place for our Gaudi tour. Gaudi was an extremely famous architect from Barcelona. He was sort of a mad genius and designed some amazing houses, parks and other things throughout Barcelona.
We met our tour and immediately set off. We saw lots of Guadi's work and ended at La Segrada Familia. It's a cathedral that Gaudi designed and it's absolutely gorgeous. Halfway through the tour we got first word that the stupid Iceland ash cloud was heading towards Spain. Greaaaaaat! But our guide didn't think it would be affecting Barcelona. It is also unfinished even though it has been under construction for over 100 years. Supposedly it will be finished in 2038 and that is the only time I will ever agree to return to Barcelona.
The tour ended at La Segrada Familia, so we caught some lunch before going inside. It is just as fabulous on the inside as it is on the outside. From the cathedral we went to Guell Park. The park is incredible. We got some amazing views of the city and saw one of Gaudi's own place of residence. We left the park and tried to catch the train back to the airport.
I have kept you in suspense long enough. Here is where the drama starts. First off, I was pickpocketed on the way to the train station. A man kicked my suitcase and as I turned to see who did it he walked by, put his hand in my coat pocket and took my phone and a pack of gum. Luckily it was a POS phone that wasn't connected to my credit card, but annoying nonetheless. At the train station we were getting very confused and asked for help. The attendant told us that platform 9 carried the train to the Airport, so we went to platform 9 and boarded the train. Here a piece of important travel advice: always check the departure board to make sure you are boarding the right train. Platform 9 is where the train to the airport leaves, but it's not the only train to leave from that platform. That's right, we boarded a mid-distance train that did not stop at the airport. When the ticket man came around, he read our ticket and informed us of our horrible blunder. The first stop was an hour out of the way. Luckily the ticket man didn't make us pay for a new ticket. He probably saw the panicked faces and knew we weren't lying. Being on that train meant we were going to miss our flight. About 10 minutes after the ticket man passed us, Steph got a text saying our flight had been cancelled due to the ash cloud. On one hand it was a relief that we weren't going to miss our flight due to stupidity, but on the other, if we didn't get to the airport before our flight was scheduled to leave, we wouldn't get the free rebooking. So one panic was replaced with another.
At the first stop we got off bought new tickets and nearly missed the first train heading back towards Barcelona. On the train we encountered some Spanish men who, at first, seemed to want to help, but later ended up annoying the crap out of me. We were having communication problems because we spoke very little Spanish and these boys spoke very little English. After discovering that the main guy was not in fact insulting me, but instead hitting on me by asking if I was married I had had enough, and luckily they left the train. Note to all men: Women who looked annoyed will only get more annoyed when bothered.
So we finally made it back to the airport and in time and rebooked our flight with EasyJet to a flight to Newcastle (in Northeastern England) for 2 PM the next day. It was 9 by this time and EasyJet was supposed to provide us with accommodation for the night, but not dinner and we were starving. We left Terminal C to Terminal B to eat, but when we returned the Terminal C was CLOSED! So no accommodation for us, which meant a wonderful night in the airport for us. I never knew that Spain could be so cold. People tried to scam me, I was hit up for money, and it was nearly impossible to fall asleep because there was no warm part of that building.
The next day, after failing to standby on an earlier flight we made our way to our gate only to find out that our flight was, once again, cancelled. We had to "re-enter" the country in order leave the gate. Starting to sound like a trip from hell? What really stumped me was that flights were leaving for London, but our flight for Newcastle couldn't handle it. Once again we waited in line to rebook for a flight to Bristol (Southwest England) for 2 PM on Monday. Even though we rebooked, we really couldn't wait that long. We all finals and papers to complete by then so we began a mission to find a flight to England for that night. Mission Impossible? Maybe. It looked that way.
For the next 6 hours we ran all around the Barcelona Airport and train station trying to find a flight/train, ANY flight/train back to the UK. Trains would have either taken three days for the cost of nothing, or 900 Euro for a 12 hour journey. Neither a viable option. We finally found a flight to Manchester with open seats, but it cost an ungodly amount. Even after purchasing a 200 euro ticket we didn't even get a free snack. Where is the justice? In Manchester, we found there were no flights or trains leaving. Our only shot was to try to catch a coach at 12:30 AM. It was at this time that I called my Mom. It was Mother's Day back in the states and I wanted to explain to her why I wasn't on Skype and to wish her a happy day. It took all I had not to break down while describing the situation.
When the coach arrived it turned out that we couldn't board without having pre-purchased tickets. Snubbed again. The only way home now as to take the train to Euston, London that didn't leave until 5 AM. Another night in a transportation station... Grrrreaaaat! Manchester train station. was even colder and more uncomfortable than the Barcelona Airport.
I don't know if there is anything more torturous than being sleep deprived and impatient. I would close my eyes open them, and realize that two minutes had passed since the last time I had looked at the clock. I tried to watch a movie on my ipod, but I could barely get through a scene before pressing the menu button to find out how much time had passed. I was physically shaking for hours from cold and exhaustion. Longest night of my life.
At 7:30 AM we arrived at Euston train station, and shortly after 8 we arrived back at our dorm. I entered my room, broke some drinking glasses that were poorly positioned on the desk, sent a few e-mails (like to my professor and boss to say why I wasn't going into work that day), showered and fell into the most rewarding sleep of my life.
I had been awake for nearly 66 hours, suffered a wrong train, two cancelled flights, two nights in a transportation station and completed no Homework or studying while wasting nearly two days in travel debacles. Now that's a story for the kids some day.
Wooh, that was exhausting to write about let alone live. My next post will be a quick overview of my last few days in the Central program followed by my Mom's visit to London. More travel stories to come.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
The day started out wonderfully. We woke up and watched election results during breakfast before heading towards the meeting place for our Gaudi tour. Gaudi was an extremely famous architect from Barcelona. He was sort of a mad genius and designed some amazing houses, parks and other things throughout Barcelona.
The tour ended at La Segrada Familia, so we caught some lunch before going inside. It is just as fabulous on the inside as it is on the outside. From the cathedral we went to Guell Park. The park is incredible. We got some amazing views of the city and saw one of Gaudi's own place of residence. We left the park and tried to catch the train back to the airport.
La Segrada Familia
The climb to the park
We finally made it to the top.
La Segrada Familia is on the right.
I have kept you in suspense long enough. Here is where the drama starts. First off, I was pickpocketed on the way to the train station. A man kicked my suitcase and as I turned to see who did it he walked by, put his hand in my coat pocket and took my phone and a pack of gum. Luckily it was a POS phone that wasn't connected to my credit card, but annoying nonetheless. At the train station we were getting very confused and asked for help. The attendant told us that platform 9 carried the train to the Airport, so we went to platform 9 and boarded the train. Here a piece of important travel advice: always check the departure board to make sure you are boarding the right train. Platform 9 is where the train to the airport leaves, but it's not the only train to leave from that platform. That's right, we boarded a mid-distance train that did not stop at the airport. When the ticket man came around, he read our ticket and informed us of our horrible blunder. The first stop was an hour out of the way. Luckily the ticket man didn't make us pay for a new ticket. He probably saw the panicked faces and knew we weren't lying. Being on that train meant we were going to miss our flight. About 10 minutes after the ticket man passed us, Steph got a text saying our flight had been cancelled due to the ash cloud. On one hand it was a relief that we weren't going to miss our flight due to stupidity, but on the other, if we didn't get to the airport before our flight was scheduled to leave, we wouldn't get the free rebooking. So one panic was replaced with another.
At the first stop we got off bought new tickets and nearly missed the first train heading back towards Barcelona. On the train we encountered some Spanish men who, at first, seemed to want to help, but later ended up annoying the crap out of me. We were having communication problems because we spoke very little Spanish and these boys spoke very little English. After discovering that the main guy was not in fact insulting me, but instead hitting on me by asking if I was married I had had enough, and luckily they left the train. Note to all men: Women who looked annoyed will only get more annoyed when bothered.
So we finally made it back to the airport and in time and rebooked our flight with EasyJet to a flight to Newcastle (in Northeastern England) for 2 PM the next day. It was 9 by this time and EasyJet was supposed to provide us with accommodation for the night, but not dinner and we were starving. We left Terminal C to Terminal B to eat, but when we returned the Terminal C was CLOSED! So no accommodation for us, which meant a wonderful night in the airport for us. I never knew that Spain could be so cold. People tried to scam me, I was hit up for money, and it was nearly impossible to fall asleep because there was no warm part of that building.
The next day, after failing to standby on an earlier flight we made our way to our gate only to find out that our flight was, once again, cancelled. We had to "re-enter" the country in order leave the gate. Starting to sound like a trip from hell? What really stumped me was that flights were leaving for London, but our flight for Newcastle couldn't handle it. Once again we waited in line to rebook for a flight to Bristol (Southwest England) for 2 PM on Monday. Even though we rebooked, we really couldn't wait that long. We all finals and papers to complete by then so we began a mission to find a flight to England for that night. Mission Impossible? Maybe. It looked that way.
When the coach arrived it turned out that we couldn't board without having pre-purchased tickets. Snubbed again. The only way home now as to take the train to Euston, London that didn't leave until 5 AM. Another night in a transportation station... Grrrreaaaat! Manchester train station. was even colder and more uncomfortable than the Barcelona Airport.
I don't know if there is anything more torturous than being sleep deprived and impatient. I would close my eyes open them, and realize that two minutes had passed since the last time I had looked at the clock. I tried to watch a movie on my ipod, but I could barely get through a scene before pressing the menu button to find out how much time had passed. I was physically shaking for hours from cold and exhaustion. Longest night of my life.
Proof I was in Manchester
At 7:30 AM we arrived at Euston train station, and shortly after 8 we arrived back at our dorm. I entered my room, broke some drinking glasses that were poorly positioned on the desk, sent a few e-mails (like to my professor and boss to say why I wasn't going into work that day), showered and fell into the most rewarding sleep of my life.
I had been awake for nearly 66 hours, suffered a wrong train, two cancelled flights, two nights in a transportation station and completed no Homework or studying while wasting nearly two days in travel debacles. Now that's a story for the kids some day.
Wooh, that was exhausting to write about let alone live. My next post will be a quick overview of my last few days in the Central program followed by my Mom's visit to London. More travel stories to come.
Barcelona: Day 1 - Beach, Sangria, Clara and La Rambla
So this was a month ago, but trust me, the memory of this trip is as fresh in my mind as ever.
Before I start this joyous tale, I should give you a little background to keep in mind. First, this particular weekend was my last weekend in London as a part of the Central program. That also means that it was my last weekend before finals and all my papers were due. Now, a smart person might not plan a trip on this weekend, but heck, I was in Europe. I had booked this trip two months previous for about 60 pounds round trip. That's a steal in the travel world. It was also the UK national elections. You should also know that I had three papers due totaling 7200 words (roughly 18 pages) and two finals the coming week. The Barcelona trip was supposed to be from Thursday night to Saturday night. My logic here was that I could get all my homework done on Sunday. Solid procrastinating plan to me. Well, the fates had other plans, and that's where I will begin this story.
Our small group of four left for the airport just before 4 PM and we were in Barcelona by 9ish local time, hopped on a train and made our way to our hostel, Hello BCN. It's a great hostel and we had excellent service. They also had an interesting lock system that I had never seen before. They give you a bracelet that gives you access to your building, room and specific locker. Lose that bracelet and your screwed!
I was the first to enter our room. I had taken two steps inside when I was stopped in my tracks. Our room had roommates. Two half-naked Brazilian men who were just about to go to bed. Hello Barcelona. I had stopped and stuttered hello in my shock, my travel partners become aware of my shock and pushed past me to see what was going on before they shared my expression. I should have known that this trip would be different.
Sangria!
We enjoyed lunch along the beach and a pitcher of Sangria. After lunch we explored the Rambla. It's basically a street with a market running down the middle. We bought some souvenirs and scouted where we wanted dinner. We made it to the end of the Rambla and into a square where the pigeons were crazy. I had never seen so many pigeons in one place before. After messing with the pigeons for a while we took a walk through the gothic quarter before heading back to the hostel. Two of the four in our group wanted to study for a bit. Guess which twosome I was in? That's right, the two that decided to take a nap instead. Brilliant! It felt wonderful though.
La Rambla. This is where you need to really guard your belongings. This pickpocket central.
The Cathedral in the gothic quarter.
Just before sunset and right at the beginning of the Magic Fountain show.
Me at the Magic Fountain! So worth it!
Me and my Clara.
We came back to the hostel to see some of the election results as they were being reported. Labour was winning at this point, but the conservatives were dominating the exit polls. It was shaping up to be a real nail-biter of an election, but since we were leaving the next night and had tour plans we decided to go to bed early.
Seems like a good trip so far doesn't it. Well it's about to get interesting. Stay tuned for the next post to hear about the nightmare that was the end of our trip.
Pip Pip Cheerio!
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