Thursday, January 26, 2012

Scotland!

      Last night I booked my travel plans to Scotland! I will be taking the evening train up to Glasgow with a couple friends on Thursday, Feb. 16th, getting in late and staying at a youth hostel. Friday morning we will be taking a short train ride up to Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to go hiking! There are hundreds of trails up the east side of the lake - including an art and literature walk which visits the places referenced in 14 famous songs/poems. Should be fun, so cross your fingers for decent weather! Saturday we meet up with the whole group to explore Glasgow, then visit Edinburgh on Sunday and home to London late that night. And internship early Monday morning! Maybe a nap on Tuesday...
      In other news - my bruise is a very nice greeny-brown this morning and I can flex my leg without any pain. Still taking it easy (thank god for netflix) but itching to go outside and be active again. But for now it's tea, a group meeting, laundry, and a visit to the national gallery to study gothic art. Even a little sunshine breaking through the clouds.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Fireworks!

So I'm sitting in my flat, researching hostels in Scotland and elevating my somewhat swollen leg when all of a sudden there are fireworks exploding outside my window!! No idea what it was for, but we just got treated to a fantastic and large-scale fireworks display in the park across the street. Cool, thanks London!

My Anthropology Prof Would Have Called This A Collision of Cultures

      Well. Yesterday... I made some great progress on my music education outreach project at my internship! And I had some incredible french food with a few friends! ..... And on the way home I got hit by a drunk driver and was saved from being flattened only by the sturdy protection of a lamp post.
My trustworthy lamp post
      I am fine! Truly! I had to convince my mother of that this morning - that was a difficult conversation to open up. How do you gently tell your mother that you've been run over??? Now Mom, this is gonna sound a lot worse than it actually is...
      I saw the car coming as I was crossing the road and instinctively jumped behind a lamp post at the edge of the sidewalk. The car veered straight into the lamp post and the broken bumper hit my left leg. I did fall over, mostly from the shock, but got up immediately. The driver was also fine and moving around. Then I was alone, already a little heady from the french wine, and scared out of my mind by the experience, so I just left. I have already been lectured by several people about how I should have stayed and called the police, gotten his insurance info, etc. But can you blame me? The guy just nearly ran me over, I didn't want to talk to him! All I wanted was to go home and curl up in the safety of my own bed. So I did.
      Today my leg is quite stiff and sore with a bruise coming along nicely, but it is clear that I will be just fine in a couple of days. So mother, it really is not nearly so bad as it sounds.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Free Time!

Drinks at The Crown
      Thursday: 1) Got paid my weekly stipend. 2) Studied mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and the Parthenon sculptures with our hot Italian art history professor. 3) Went to a pub with a few friends and started drinking at 5pm. This was a VERY good start to the weekend!
      We have three full days completely free, which sounds wonderful after last week's busy and hectic schedule. Today I slept in until 9, which was a miracle considering that the pile driver at the construction site outside my window starts work promptly at 8 every day. (Gives you an idea of how tired I was) When I woke up I made myself breakfast and then watched a movie in bed, just for the luxury of it - accompanied by the pounding of the pile driver, of course.
New Dress
      This afternoon I went vintage shopping on Brick Lane with my roomie Irene and the girls next door, Willa and Kayley. The four of us hit three different vintage shops, and I bought myself a darling new dress for a great price. Sifting through piles of old clothing was a little overwhelming - also exceptionally girly, for me - but I love my new dress. We made a cleansing pass through a nice bookstore on the way home. Now I'm about to make myself some pasta, practice flute for the first time in forever, and then go see a Landscape Photography Exhibit at the National Theater with my friend Ava. My friend Josh and I have planned a trip to the Royal Academy of Music museum tomorrow to see their collections of period instruments and original manuscripts. I guess that leaves Sunday for homework and laundry.
      OOH! And I splurged this morning. I bought two tickets to see the St. Petersburg Philharmonic with pianist Martha Argerich at the Barbican, for when Nik comes to visit. Argerich is phenomenal and I'm so excited to see her perform live!! Also excited to show Nik around my city. :)
My city. Hmm. When did that happen?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Hyde and Go Seek

         We've started using "Hyde and go seek" as a legit verb. Not kidding! I'm about to go Hyde and seek myself, meaning I'll head home to Hyde Park Gate and eat dinner (leftover chicken, roasted sweet potatoes/squash, and chardonnay-viogner), then go out and see if I can find Wigmore Hall for tonight's string quartet recital! For as much as I hate my music professor (I'm spoiled by Nora), he is taking us to some pretty great concerts. And Wigmore Hall is supposed to be one of the premier small venues in the world, so I can't wait.
          London is beautiful. Tons of amazing architecture. I was riding a train yesterday on the way to my internship - we came around a corner and all of a sudden there's the sun rising over the Thames and the Southwark Cathedral directly in front of me! The Southwark Cathedral is quickly becoming my favorite spot. It's right on the river, near the Globe Theatre. I first met it on a "Walking Tour of Shakespeare's London" over the weekend with my theatre professor, Philip. We arrived there just before evensong and they were ringing all the bells nonstop. It was probably the most joyful, free-spirited sound I've ever heard, and so loud we couldn't hear anything else. And then I found it again on the train, and I'm in love. Will certainly be back to visit. It's nice to have moments like that, because more often than not London seems just to big and overwhelming. Especially when it's my dear friend Susan's birthday and I can't be there to celebrate, or it snows in Portland, or all my friends are returning to LC and starting classes. Missing home and family and friends, but trying not to think about that! Now off to find Wigmore Hall for some glorious music to cheer me up. (Also a warm blanket, courtesy of Mama, to keep me warm in my freezing cold flat!)

Friday, January 13, 2012

First week

This is my fifth day in London and I have absolutely no idea what's going on. I'm at that point where everything is a little overwhelming and I kind of wish I'd never come. Except I would refuse to leave if asked to. It's all a little baffling. (so is military time, by the way) But I've figured out the tube pretty well! And I've been to see the London Symphony Orchestra play music by British composers Thomas Ades, William Walton, and Edward Elgar which was incredible, and the West End theatre production The 39 Steps based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name, which was hilarious. I've had British food, Thai food, Italian food, and... well, oatmeal a couple times. Who thought up oatmeal?
I've also had one of each of my classes - theatre history, music history, art history, and contemporary british culture. My music history class makes me want to jump out the window, just for something to do, but the others seem pretty good. The instructors are great - especially my Italian art history professor Giovanni. He's brilliant, funny, charming, and would make an excellent white marble sculpture - let's just say we all left the class craving a little pesto.
Haven't been to my internship yet, that starts on Monday. We're doing a couple guided tours this weekend and the theatre professor is taking us to see Tottenham, the site of the riots which ignited the Occupy movement and all the talk about social change. Then to the Bernie Grant Centre to see a show called Seven Sisters.
Oh and I have homework already.

Monday, January 9, 2012

London!!!

I'm finally here! Just finished moving into my flat at Hyde Park Gate and am about to go on a walking tour of the local area. I'm exhausted, starving, and have a slight cold but am too excited to care.
Here we are waiting in the San Francisco airport this morning. 17 from our group of 27 flew out of SFO to Heathrow.
The combo of major turbulence, a cold, and the drunk guy next to me who wouldn't shut up made for a very long 10 hours in the 747. Could not wait to get off of that thing, but now..... here's my flat!
 And my lovely flat mates!
Hyde Park Gate is pretty adorable. Lots of twisty weird corners, odd angles, and cute windows. Plus there's a palace across the street... Ok I'm going exploring now!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Hop Across the Pond

All packed and set to go! I had an amazing going-away party - complete with traditional british food (english cheeses and chutney, shepherd's pie, and a peppermint trifle) and some fabulous british costumes. I hosted as Miss Elizabeth Bennet, accompanied by James Bond, E.M. Forster, Kate Middleton, and many more. Also had a lovely dinner with my family tonight. It's hard to say goodbyes, I will miss everybody! But I'm ready for pancakes in the morning and then off to the airport at 9am. This time tomorrow I will be somewhere over the northern Atlantic, and then I land in London at 11:30am (3:30am in Oregon) on Monday. I am SO excited, I don't think I can sleep tonight!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!

The London Bus - winner of the "Best Theme" Award in the 2011 New Year's Eve Mixology Madness Cocktail Competition. Citrus vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and lime.