Sheep, sheep, and more sheep

It's the long-awaited Wales update! But first...

...last night was the roller disco birthday party, and it was fabulous. The club is this warehouse near the railyards, with three different dance (skate) floors with three types of music. And while I tried to dress a bit disco, I was definitely outdone by most of the people there, who also seem to come there a lot, considering they could actually dance with skates on. Jenny, Liam, and I (and a whole bunch of Jenny’s friends), on the other hand, could barely stand (I fell twice), but had a great time. Despite the bruises today, I would definitely go again – there’s nothing like rollerskating to Michael Jackson. :)

Now, about Wales. Erin and I took a backpacker tour for three days, where they carted us around in a big yellow bus (not quite a schoolbus, but barely more comfortable) and showed us the sights of Wales. Our tour guides, Laura and Postman Pat (he looked just like a kid’s cartoon character, apparently) were incredibly hilarious and made the trip tons of fun. We also travelled with 18 other people, who were all really nice (all except for this one crazy Canadian girl…oh, Canadians…)

For our first day, we had absolutely gorgeous weather, which is weird for the UK, especially during this spring, which has been particularly cold. After a couple hours on the motorway getting out of London, our first stop was Tintern Abbey, this 13th century (I think?) abbey that was lying in ruins. It was really nice – and good to stretch our legs – but more importantly, in the larger scheme of the trip, the abbey’s cheesy gift shop was the place that I first discovered Kendal Mint Cake, an English energy bar that’s basically pure sugar and that tastes exactly like the inside of a peppermint patty. Mmmm mint cake – as Erin could tell you, I was desperately searching for it for the rest of the trip, dropping into many, many cheesy souvenir shops (after I was addicted to the sugar rush, of course).

Then off to Caerphilly Castle, which is the second-largest castle in the UK (after Windsor). It was very picturesque and ruin-y, which made for good pictures. Also, Erin had to physically restrain me from shopping after I discovered how much cheaper shoes were in Wales. Then off to the Brecon Beacons, a national park in the central area of Wales. After promising us we would take a “short hike” to see a “beautiful waterfall,” the whole group trudged up a steep incline in now-70-degree weather, passing a little trickling spring on the way. Fabulous. But after sweating and straining all the way to the top, we were rewarded by a gorgeous view and a really nice breeze.

We headed back to the bus, which had baked in the sunshine this whole time (fabulous), and then headed off to Abergavenny, where we would spend the night. After a shower (ahhh), we headed out on the town, where we ate at a cute little Italian diner, enjoyed a pint of Brains (the local brew), and then went off in search of something resembling a nightlife. After being informed by the bartender at one place that Abergavenny “used to be” a lot of fun (after which he promptly walked away, leaving the “why” a mystery), we thought we had solved that problem by walking into a pub playing live music. Unfortunately, it turned out to be open mic night for 50- and 60-somethings (and up), and we walked right out, unfortunately losing one of our group in the process (I think he thought it was on purpose and never really forgave us, although we think he secretly loved it and found himself an…ahem, “mature” Welsh girlfriend). After a bit more fruitless searching, we headed back to the hostel, where we were promised a karaoke party. When the “party” turned out to be an old guy tunelessly murdering Frank Sinatra, we played some pool and went to bed. So, yeah, that’s Welsh nightlife.

The next day was cloudy, windy, and a lot colder. We headed out really early, and stopped for scenic overlooks on the way, almost getting blown off the cliff in the process. We stopped in a really cute little town for lunch, where we saw our first National Milk Bar (exactly what it sounds like), and Erin and I had a great conversation with a cute little old woman in the button shop (where I also got some awesome buttons for earrings). Then off to Castell-y-Bere, a Welsh-built castle ruin high on a hill above a really green and gorgeous valley. After learning more about Welsh legends (and watching a truly hilarious amateur re-enactment of the legend of King Arthur), we went to Portmerion, which is this fabulous resort town built by a really eccentric guy, who filled it with all sorts of eclectic architecture styles and bizarre little touches. It was really weird – it looked like Italy or some place on the Mediterranean, but was definitely on the cold, windy, cloudy Welsh coast.

Then off to see Mt. Snowden (the highest point in Wales), before heading to Caernarfon, where we spent the night (in the nicest hostel EVER). Erin and I walked around, took pictures of the huge castle, walked along the shore, and ate at this cute little restaurant with cheesy nautical touches (where I had this delicious ocean pie, filled with all sorts of fish and shellfish and baked with potatoes on top…mmmm). That night we went out to see if the nightlife in North Wales is any better than in Central Wales. It was…ummm…a little more strange – can’t really call it “better.” We went to the pub next door, which was nice (except for the inexplicable repetition of Keane on the jukebox), and then headed off with a big group to local clubs. The first place we went was filled with Welsh teenagers (including a reeeeally pregnant one – there are TONS of pregnant girls in Wales), and they were playing a techno version of the Titanic theme, which, oddly enough, people seemed to enjoy. After two more bizzaro pubs/clubs, Erin and I called it quits and went back. Welsh nightlife is too weird for me.

The next morning, after a near miss with the toaster (one of the girls on our trip stuck a knife in the toaster and managed to short out the entire 4-story hostel), we headed out for the day. First stop was on the Isle of Anglesea, at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Llanfair PG to the locals), the town with the longest place name in the UK. We took pictures of the sign, and that was about the only interesting thing about the town. :) We also listened to a (badly-recorded) song by local schoolchildren that put the name of the town to music – apparently so it would be easier to remember? (Although we all agreed that the song sounded like their own version of “Springtime for Hitler” from "The Producers." Weird.) Also, it was strangely catchy, and now wanders into my head at least once a day. Ah, Wales.

Then off to Conwy, which had another giant castle, a nice harbor, and the “smallest house in Britain,” which, unfortunately, didn’t look too small with me next to it. Then our last stop in Wales, Llangollen, which was really cute. We crossed an aqueduct across a pretty deep valley, and then headed back to London. On the way back, we stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon, which was really unfortunate, since it was really touristy and busy, and a bit of a disappointment after all the beautiful scenery and wonderful sights in Wales. But Erin and I dealt with it – we took a picture in front of the Harvard House (where John Harvard’s mother lived, now owned by the University), and had some Pimms and lemonade (the best summer drink EVER) in a pub’s garden. Ahhhh, England.

So, yeah, Wales was really amazing. The weather was (generally) great (hey, at least it never rained), and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. We drove through a lot of mountain passes, and it reminded me of Vermont and New Hampshire, and what I think Scotland should look like (mostly thanks to “Braveheart”…hehehe). Everything was really green and lush, and there were sheep EVERYWHERE – no, seriously, I've never seen so many sheep in my life. Denis, I thought of you and your sheep on a ship. :P It was all very pastoral and peaceful. It was nice to get out of the city (especially on such a warm weekend), and it changed my mind about guided group tours (for the positive). It was a really great trip, and I’m glad I got to see more of the UK. Now on to Scotland!

And...ta da! Pictures!
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHD0Y

Wow, that was long. Congratulations if you actually made it to the end of this. If you’ve just skipped down to this paragraph, shame on you! :) That’s all for now…whew. If anything interesting happens this weekend – and that may be debatable – I’ll check back in next week.

Bye for now!

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Castles and carousels

Pictures from Brighton and Windsor are here! I'll add the Wales one with the big update.

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHDyA

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College roommates, reunited!

Hi there! Back again. In these past two weeks, I’ve travelled to Brighton, Wales, and Windsor, had Andrea and Erin visit, and sang karaoke in an actual bar (as opposed to in my basement or at Danielle’s house). Whew.

Where to begin? Andrea came to visit two weeks ago from Paris, and I showed her around a lot of the touristy sites in London. We also got to watch the Eurovision contest, which might very well be the most ridiculous thing, ever. The contest, which was formed back in the 50s, features acts from all over Europe, who perform awful songs in gaudy costumes, with hideous choreography and various levels of tunelessness. So, basically, it’s karaoke – Europe-wide karaoke. Then all the countries give out rankings of 1-12 to the performers, which is a purely political exercise (France never votes for England, England never votes for France, Scandanavia votes among itself, Germany makes sure to give a generous ranking to Poland…) Greece won, and England finished 3rd from last. I personally was rooting for the Latvian boy group, who had a tenuous grasp on pitch and rhythm, but you could tell they really wanted it. All in all, a completely satisfying night. Europe’s so weird.

Erin came on Wednesday – yaay! Thursday morning we headed off to Brighton, which is basically the English equivalent of Wildwood in NJ – piers crowded with rides and arcades, cheesy souvenir shops, and a beach (or at least a strip of rocks with tiny waves lapping up on shore). No, actually, it’s a lot nicer than I made it sound. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and we took a really nice walk along the boardwalk. The city also has a lot of history – high society used to head out to Brighton (like Jane Austen characters!) and one of the kings built the Royal Pavilion, an Indian-style palace. Erin and I indulged in some nostalgia by riding the carousel, and almost got bucked off by a racehorse arcade game (which actually warned that game players should have some riding experience.) Eric, you would have loved it.

From Friday to Sunday, Erin and I went on a tour of Wales – more to come about that later. On Monday, we hit up some of the markets in London, and on Tuesday, we headed out to Windsor to see the castle, possibly stalk the queen, and enjoy the (freakishly) nice weather. Windsor Castle is gigantic – it’s the largest inhabited castle in Europe. We got to see the State Apartments, where Henry VIII and the Queen Mum are buried, and Queen Mary’s dollhouse, which is taller than me, has running water and working electricity, and features mini books handwritten by their original authors. Ridiculous. Oh, we also got to see Queen Elizabeth’s doll from when she was young – the thing wears Cartier jewelry! Fabulous.

Erin left yesterday – sob – it was really great to spend some time with her, since we haven't seen each other in forever. Yaay college days. Alana and Alicia also moved out of the house, so a bit of a sad day all around. For a quick update, the new house lineup is: Me, Liam, Joe (and Joe’s friend Coli, who used to live in the house and is now staying for a month), Jenny, Chris (an Australian, banker, 25 or so, replaced Sally), Claire (Australian, indeterminate age, don’t know too much about her yet), and Geraldine (French, 21?, works in a bakery and is learning English).

Last night, Joe, Coli, Jenny and I all headed out for karaoke, and I actually decided to sing something in public – eek! It might have been the Limoncello I had before leaving the house, but who knows? Anyway, sang R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (thanks for all the practice, Karaoke Revolution), and had a great time watching the other acts, both good and awful. I think I have a the karaoke bug – on Tuesday we’re planning on going to the bar where Joe works and trying out the night there. Awesome. Oh, and Geraldine's job is the most fabulous thing ever, since last night when we came home at midnight (and were absolutely starving), we found a TON of baked goods from the bakery on the table...mmmm. Free breakfast, I love you.

Anyway, off to the rollerdisco tonight for Jenny’s birthday. Should be incredibly fabulous. I’ll write more later!

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Palaces and Plastic Toys

At least that's what I WANTED to call my latest photo album. Damn you, Shutterfly and your ridiculously short title space!

Anyway, here is the link to view my new photos. They've been taking over a long period of time, so they have some pretty random shots in there - highlights include 4 Arlington Road, in all its glory, action shots of Action Man, and a particularly hilarious sequence of pictures of a very animated Liam. Fabulous.

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHDvw

In other news, things are going well here in London. If you haven't already heard, I'm currently in the process of applying for an extension on my work visa. For everyone back home, that means I'll be in Jersey for the month of July, so clear your calendars now. :P Until then, I'll be trying to enjoy the weather (if it ever gets warm here!), traveling to Wales with Erin, taking a trip to Scotland, and generally enjoying the city.

This past weekend was Sally's last in the house - we went out to the club where Joe bartends, and danced the night away. (Sally's off to Manchester for a 2-month job, but should be back in London in July or August.) On Saturday, Jenny and I visited Chinatown for crazy green sponge cake and saw The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which was a fabulous movie. I recommend it highly. Also, I love Bill Murray.

On Sunday, I took a trip to Hampton Court Palace to enjoy one of the (rare) sunny, warm-ish days. It's really amazing - it's this huge palace that has been around since the reign of Henry the Eighth. Since around the beginning of the 19th century, the Queen would grant certain people apartments in the castle, although only a few people live there now. I spent a lot of time out in the gardens enjoying the sun, took a long walk along the Thames, and had afternoon tea (scones, clotted cream, jam, and lemon cake!) in the palace rose gardens. How English... :P New guy Chris (banker, mid-20s, from Australia) moved in, and we all watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the best of the trio, of course).

The weekend before this past one, I overdosed on fashion by visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum's costume collection on Saturday and seeing the Fashion and Textile Museum on Sunday. Now I want clothes. Sadness. I also had my first-ever Krispy Kreme (from Harrods, which is weird, since I actually LIVE in the US), fresh and hot off the converyor belt. Mmmmm...so melty... (actually they're way more delicious than that makes it sound).

So yeah...life is fairly boring, probably because living in London is becoming more and more familiar. It'll feel weird to leave at the end of June. But I'll be doing more traveling before then, so more postings to come!

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Yarrrrrg...

Continuing with the slightly bizarre pirate theme that seems to have marked my entire time in London, I took the final step last Friday and actually appeared in public wearing a real live eyepatch.

Of course, none of this was my idea.

Last Wednesday was the Hot Hot Heat concert - and they were absolutely amazing. The concert was at Koko (formerly Camden Palais), located right down the street from my house. If I have't already descibed the place, it's an old Victorian theater, painted bright red inside and filled with shiny disco balls. Jenny thought it seemed a perfect setting for Moulin Rouge, and I have to agree. Anyway, the theater is the perfect size for a concert - large enough to house a great crowd but small enough to get a good view of the band from wherever you're standing. We were right up front, dancing and bouncing up and down with the crowd. They were just such great performers - all the songs were great and I think all the female members of my house are now in love with the lead singer. Sigh.

What does this have to do with me being a pirate? Well, I was up late with my contacts in a smoky building, so needless to say, my eyes were a little dry the next morning when I put my contacts in. I largely ignored it, but took my contacts out when I came home and went for a walk in the park. Ten minutes later, my eye was burning and squeezed shut. I stumbled home with sunglasses on out of embarassment, probably looking like some kind of freak. Jenny took one look at me, and took me off straight to the hospital. Yaay NHS! Maybe all those taxes I've been paying would finally be useful for something....

Anyway, as I'm sitting in the waiting room in intense pain, Jenny and I talked about how the only thing that could really make this situation bearable would be if I got to wear a stylish eyepatch, kinda like Daryl Hannah's assassin in Kill Bill. The doctor told me I had an abrasion on my eye, and that I'd have to wear an eyepatch for 24 hours. I think she was surprised by how excited this made me and Jenny. :P

But alas! My eyepatch was not of the sleek, black, Pirate Uwe variety, but was a glorified round white cotton pad stuck on with tape. Stuck on badly. Awesome. Housemates suggested solutions ranging from drawing on a skull and crossbones, a red cross (continuing the Daryl Hannah theme), or having the housemates sign it, like some kind of bizarro cast. None of the solutions played out too well, so I just pulled it off the only way I could - I got all glammed up for work, and then stared down anyone who dared to stare in my direction. What? It's completely normal to have a gigantic cotton pad taped onto one side of your face. Obviously.

Anyway, that was a ridiculously long explanation, but at least I got to live out my pirate fantasy, and then be completely disappointed by it. Eyepatches aren't as cool as I thought they would be. Typing and reading took about twice the amount of time, and I kept walking into things because my depth perception was all off. So yeah, eyepatches? Not so much. But peglegs? The wave of the future, my friends.

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Work, work, work...

Work = very busy.

Hence, blog = not getting updated. Apologies to all.

But maybe, just maybe...hard work + long hours + great presentation to grateful boss = longer visa.

Maybe.

But then again, I always sucked at math.

Fingers crossed.

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Voila!

New title, inspired by Erin.

Thank you, Erin.

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P.S. All the other blog templates are ugly, so we're stuck with this one. Sorry.

Major Overhaul

My blog is in a rut. And I can't say I'm loving the title. Expect major redecoration in the near future. Also, for the one or two people who read this blog, do you have title suggestions? Any and all submissions will be considered.

Thanks.

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Update

Ah, little blog, I've neglected you for so long...apologies to all of the people who live for my constant updates and hang on every word...

Ok, so - how to recap it all?

Florence was AMAZING. I was originally worried that a whole week would be too much to spend in Florence, and it definitely wasn't even close to enough. I got to spend the whole time with Gin, and after an initial day of hell (worst Easter EVER - it rained, no buses were running, Gin and I had to walk 40 minutes to her house, and the first hotel I booked was god-awful), the whole trip was sunny, warm, and wonderful. I saw all the sights of Florence - the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo, Fiesole, etc. We went bicyling a day in the countryside and nearly died going up the hills, but the views were amazing. The Tuscan countryside looks exactly like you would expect it to - all tall thin trees and villas and rolling hillsides. And the ride back down was really fun. :)

We took a daytrip to Cinqueterre, which is this collection of 5 little seaside towns connected by hiking paths through the hills. The water is clear and blue and the towns are amazing - it's a collection of little buildings all piled up on each other, with little alleys and narrow staircases winding through them. I saw the leaning tower of Pisa from the train, which was also pretty exciting. I also got to spend a lot of time with Gin's crazy friends - especially Katie, aka Longines - so that was fun.

But perhaps the best thing about Italy was the amazing food (bet you didn't see that one coming) - and it wasn't too expensive, either. Gin and I went out nearly every night, except for the one when her Italian mamma made us a delicious meal of risotto, eggplant parmigiana, and tiramisu....fabulous. I also tried the local soup and bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is this amazingly thick steak that's crispy on the outside and incredibly rare inside. We went to a wine bar and sampled some great Chiantis while feasting on olives...mmmmmm. I went to Rivoire, this famous cafe, and got their hot chocolate - basically a chunk of bittersweet chocolate melted into a teacup. I also brought a bit home with me...I got a bottle of olive oil, eggplant sauce, and a huge hunk of aged parmesan. It was amazing. Oh yeah, and I got gelato every other day (more like every day towards the end). I'm a fatty.

Then back to London to be greeted by icky rainy weather and grey skies. Gotta love it.

The next weekend, Eric came to visit, and we had our theater extravaganza. We saw 4 shows (Eric saw 5) in 5 days. Craziness. Friday was Billy Elliot, Saturday was Festen (Saturday night was the Interpol concert at Brixton Academy to keep me sane - they were AMAZING, by the way), Monday was Mary Poppins, and Tuesday was Tristan and Yseult at the National Theater - the best of the bunch, in my opinion. It was weird seeing so much theater in such a short time - it reminded me of college - but it was actually pretty good, as was hanging out with Eric. It was a little sad - it kinda reminded me of the things I miss at home. But it was good to spend time with Eric again, even if he IS a whiny bitch. :)

Other London highlights:

- The three-hour Easter vigil at Westminster Cathedral in London, followed by a ridiculous midnight feast of Chinese food.

- Joe's birthday, including Wagamama, champgane on a balcony in Covent Garden, and lots and lots of helium balloons. :P

- Flowering trees! Everywhere! Even though the weather hasn't quite gotten in sync yet, at least it LOOKS like spring here.

- My shopping spree (my first since I've been here! really!) at H&M last weekend, in which I got faaaaabulous clothes.

- The slowly improving weather. The nice weather back in March was such a tease, but maybe it'll work its way up to the 60s again someday soon...at least today is sunny!

Ok, going to go back to my work. Just finished a HUGE project that kept me here until 8:30pm and 7pm for the past two nights, respectively, so really just needing a break right now. Yaay for Fridays!

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New pics!

Will update soon, but to keep you busy in the meantime, here are pictures from Virginia's visit to London and mine to Florence:

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHDlY

...and Joe's birthday party in London:

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHDjA

Enjoy!
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