This is my travel journal from my study abroad trip to the UK and France. The names of my teachers and classmates have been changed for privacy reasons.
DAY 19- June 7, 11:50 am - Cafe
I did not sleep at all last night because I couldn't stop smiling like an idiot.
I'm currently sitting at a table outdoors at this place called Giraffe. It's in this shopping center-slash-apartment complex and it's really nice. I wasn't planning on eating here. I stood at the door, vaguely thinking about lunch and they sat me so quickly I didn't have time to decide. Maybe I'll eat something small before I go the the Tower of London.
[Shoot, do I need to go in to order or what? Whoa, sudden roof leak!]
Turns out we've given up on the agenda and today is a free day, so I walked around the general area. I stopped at the gay and lesbian bookshop and found a playscript that looked interesting and I bought a copy for my best friend.
Also, there are these terminals where you can rent a bicycle. I tried to get one near the dorms, but it was disconnected or something. I think it just didn't like me. So I went around the block to another one, but it rejected me. There was a guy there who was also having trouble getting one and he was running late for work. [The ladies at the next table and I are currently in a psychological struggle with the wait staff.]
So the two of us walked down the block to yet another terminal, but someone thought it would be funny to jam the card reader. We finally split up to go to different terminals. At least we got a good conversation out of it. He was surprised to hear that I'm Texan, because I don't sound like it.
He told me how to remove the bike once I was able to get it to work and gave me some advice about biking in town. I mean, I suck as a pedestrian so it makes perfect sense to go cycling in the streets with no experience. [Yay! A waitress!] Well, I never got a bike and I ended up getting lost again and I wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood. Just as I'd resigned myself to dying on Sandwich Street, I became unlost just as suddenly. I ended up seeing enough of the area on foot that I no longer needed a bicycle. So I headed for the big white building and here I am! [Whoa, food came fast.]
I'm happy. I'm sitting outside, it's a nice day, and my coke came in a glass bottle. AND it came with a glass of ice. So yeah, I'm kind of on my own right now. I haven't seen much of anyone else, nor do I know where they're going. Feeling like a big girl now. [Oh crap! I've been eating raw veg and there was something in the news about food poisoning! Okay, I feel fine right now, so maybe I'm safe.]
I've seen a lot more dogs out and about here than back home. Makes sense, I guess, because all the backyards I've seen are so tiny. I think the biggest one I've seen so far was the size of our back patio.
Now I'm done eating. How do I signal this to the waitress?
some time later -
So I wandered over to the Tower of London. I've been there before, the last time I went to London. It's pretty much the same. A few exhibits have changed, but it's pretty much still there.
I got hit by a pigeon. There I was, minding my own business, and a pigeon flies into my head. Just BONK, and it pinwheeled away. "...The hell just happened?"
I saw a bunch of performers. There was a short play in the open called "Much A Duel About Nothing". I have no idea what the plot was, but everyone died in an all-way swordfight. They also had some actors who were constantly in-character. Some others did a little silly show about the menagerie and the various animals it held. It was really entertaining, really educational, and some very nice showmanship. I went over afterward to say thanks for the show and I got a picture with two of the cast members.
And then I realized I'd already seen the majority of tourist attractions the last time I was here, and I decided I should do things I hadn't done yet. You know, see some other sights, go on a pub crawl, stalk David Tennant...things I don't get to do at home. So instead of hopping on the tube and going back, I took off in a random direction with the vague goal of checking to see if the Globe was still there.
That was the most fun I'd had all day. I was by myself and I just went wherever I felt like going. I crossed the Tower Bridge and then started down random alleyways and such. I found some cool things under bridges, like pubs and marketplaces. I went places that the other girls in our class might avoid because they looked dodgy, and found interesting things: a prison museum, a giant model ship, some guy filming an interview for a news piece, someone giving away free magazines, more cool-looking pubs. There was an alleyway dedicated to wines. A walk like that was actually something I wanted to do back in Scotland, but I couldn't get anyone to wander with me. I only got to explore a couple places very quickly so as to not hold up the group.
And I started following random people. Some guys in suits, a chick with tie-dyed hair, a man walking his dog... not for very long, though. (Actually, if my only criteria was "going where I was going anyway", wouldn't this count as people-watching on the go?) Every so often, I would go into a shop or a pub and ask directions to the Globe and I'd get closer. Eventually, I had to think about getting back to campus to meet up with my pen pal, so I started asking directions to the nearest Underground station.
I also saw a wide variety of Underground stations. They've ranged from old-fashioned brick to retro-looking tile to futuristic grey plastic and everything in between. There's this one line where the lights helpfully flicker on and off so you become used to the feeling that you're going to die.
The one thing that weirds me out about the Underground is riding the escalators. They're easily several stories tall, and partway up I feel like I've floated into an MC Escher painting. My line of sight says one thing, my sense of balance says another, and I end up clinging desperately to the handrail until I reach the end.
I made it back in time to meet my pen pal. (Finally!) Nice guy. We hung out in the lobby of the dorms and just talked for an hour or two. Mostly about politics, TV shows, things we've done...things people talk about. I had to explain how tea works in the Southwest, though.
Him: "So this thing called 'sweet iced tea'...is that like one of those fruit teas at Starbucks?"
Me: "No."
Him: "With mangoes and...?"
Me: "What? No! There's no mangoes!"
Him: "Well, how does it work?"
Me: "Okay, first you make some tea the normal way..."
Him: "Yes."
Me: "And then you add ice."
Him: "Where does the sweet part come in?"
Me: "That happened when you made it the normal way."
I noticed a few classmates giving me odd looks, probably because he's so much older than me. It doesn't really feel weird to me. When I was doing martial arts in high school, I was usually the only girl in a class full of men between the ages of 12 and 60, and so I had some older guy friends. One of them even took me out to a movie to apologize for hyper-extending my elbow that one time.
Went back to the theatre and got David Tennant's autograph. We arrived about twenty minutes before the final curtain and hung around. I got another picture with Catherine. It wasn't blurry this time, but I got excited and kinda slung an arm around her shoulder and in that same second remembered the talk my friends had given me about personal space. So I ended up hovering awkwardly. (I don't know, I don't normally hang out behind a theatre for autographs!) I'm going to assume that she probably realizes that I tried to correct myself halfway through. And then I thought of what happened to my friend one day during a meet-n-greet right after Picnic, and I figured an unsolicited side hug wasn't that bad. (I'll explain that one later...)
This is still the best Tuesday ever!
The pictures turned out slightly better than last night. And this time, I managed to say hello to David Tennant! And yes, he is as friendly as you'd expect. I practically melted on the spot, and I got an autograph and a blurry picture. (He's just naturally blurry. They have to use a special lens to film him.) Well, it's not exactly the time to aim for perfection or else we'd all be there until morning. It's not like picture day where everyone takes their time and the photographer arranges everyone in the same cheesy pose and I forgot it was picture day and wore a shirt that's the same color as the background so I look like a floating head in the yearbook...it was faster than that.
How do I describe the whole experience? It's like getting punched in the face: it happens very quickly, you're a little surprised that it happened, it leaves an impact, and you remember it very vividly. Now, this was much more pleasant than getting punched in the face. I don't know why I used that as a comparison. God, I need to go to bed. I didn't sleep at all last night and now the crazy's kicking in...
Also, according to the response on Facebook from my friends at home, my nickname for life is now "Lucky Bitch". I'm okay with this.
I'm currently sitting at a table outdoors at this place called Giraffe. It's in this shopping center-slash-apartment complex and it's really nice. I wasn't planning on eating here. I stood at the door, vaguely thinking about lunch and they sat me so quickly I didn't have time to decide. Maybe I'll eat something small before I go the the Tower of London.
[Shoot, do I need to go in to order or what? Whoa, sudden roof leak!]
Turns out we've given up on the agenda and today is a free day, so I walked around the general area. I stopped at the gay and lesbian bookshop and found a playscript that looked interesting and I bought a copy for my best friend.
Also, there are these terminals where you can rent a bicycle. I tried to get one near the dorms, but it was disconnected or something. I think it just didn't like me. So I went around the block to another one, but it rejected me. There was a guy there who was also having trouble getting one and he was running late for work. [The ladies at the next table and I are currently in a psychological struggle with the wait staff.]
So the two of us walked down the block to yet another terminal, but someone thought it would be funny to jam the card reader. We finally split up to go to different terminals. At least we got a good conversation out of it. He was surprised to hear that I'm Texan, because I don't sound like it.
He told me how to remove the bike once I was able to get it to work and gave me some advice about biking in town. I mean, I suck as a pedestrian so it makes perfect sense to go cycling in the streets with no experience. [Yay! A waitress!] Well, I never got a bike and I ended up getting lost again and I wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood. Just as I'd resigned myself to dying on Sandwich Street, I became unlost just as suddenly. I ended up seeing enough of the area on foot that I no longer needed a bicycle. So I headed for the big white building and here I am! [Whoa, food came fast.]
I'm happy. I'm sitting outside, it's a nice day, and my coke came in a glass bottle. AND it came with a glass of ice. So yeah, I'm kind of on my own right now. I haven't seen much of anyone else, nor do I know where they're going. Feeling like a big girl now. [Oh crap! I've been eating raw veg and there was something in the news about food poisoning! Okay, I feel fine right now, so maybe I'm safe.]
I've seen a lot more dogs out and about here than back home. Makes sense, I guess, because all the backyards I've seen are so tiny. I think the biggest one I've seen so far was the size of our back patio.
Now I'm done eating. How do I signal this to the waitress?
some time later -
So I wandered over to the Tower of London. I've been there before, the last time I went to London. It's pretty much the same. A few exhibits have changed, but it's pretty much still there.
I got hit by a pigeon. There I was, minding my own business, and a pigeon flies into my head. Just BONK, and it pinwheeled away. "...The hell just happened?"
I saw a bunch of performers. There was a short play in the open called "Much A Duel About Nothing". I have no idea what the plot was, but everyone died in an all-way swordfight. They also had some actors who were constantly in-character. Some others did a little silly show about the menagerie and the various animals it held. It was really entertaining, really educational, and some very nice showmanship. I went over afterward to say thanks for the show and I got a picture with two of the cast members.
And then I realized I'd already seen the majority of tourist attractions the last time I was here, and I decided I should do things I hadn't done yet. You know, see some other sights, go on a pub crawl, stalk David Tennant...things I don't get to do at home. So instead of hopping on the tube and going back, I took off in a random direction with the vague goal of checking to see if the Globe was still there.
That was the most fun I'd had all day. I was by myself and I just went wherever I felt like going. I crossed the Tower Bridge and then started down random alleyways and such. I found some cool things under bridges, like pubs and marketplaces. I went places that the other girls in our class might avoid because they looked dodgy, and found interesting things: a prison museum, a giant model ship, some guy filming an interview for a news piece, someone giving away free magazines, more cool-looking pubs. There was an alleyway dedicated to wines. A walk like that was actually something I wanted to do back in Scotland, but I couldn't get anyone to wander with me. I only got to explore a couple places very quickly so as to not hold up the group.
And I started following random people. Some guys in suits, a chick with tie-dyed hair, a man walking his dog... not for very long, though. (Actually, if my only criteria was "going where I was going anyway", wouldn't this count as people-watching on the go?) Every so often, I would go into a shop or a pub and ask directions to the Globe and I'd get closer. Eventually, I had to think about getting back to campus to meet up with my pen pal, so I started asking directions to the nearest Underground station.
I also saw a wide variety of Underground stations. They've ranged from old-fashioned brick to retro-looking tile to futuristic grey plastic and everything in between. There's this one line where the lights helpfully flicker on and off so you become used to the feeling that you're going to die.
The one thing that weirds me out about the Underground is riding the escalators. They're easily several stories tall, and partway up I feel like I've floated into an MC Escher painting. My line of sight says one thing, my sense of balance says another, and I end up clinging desperately to the handrail until I reach the end.
I made it back in time to meet my pen pal. (Finally!) Nice guy. We hung out in the lobby of the dorms and just talked for an hour or two. Mostly about politics, TV shows, things we've done...things people talk about. I had to explain how tea works in the Southwest, though.
Him: "So this thing called 'sweet iced tea'...is that like one of those fruit teas at Starbucks?"
Me: "No."
Him: "With mangoes and...?"
Me: "What? No! There's no mangoes!"
Him: "Well, how does it work?"
Me: "Okay, first you make some tea the normal way..."
Him: "Yes."
Me: "And then you add ice."
Him: "Where does the sweet part come in?"
Me: "That happened when you made it the normal way."
I noticed a few classmates giving me odd looks, probably because he's so much older than me. It doesn't really feel weird to me. When I was doing martial arts in high school, I was usually the only girl in a class full of men between the ages of 12 and 60, and so I had some older guy friends. One of them even took me out to a movie to apologize for hyper-extending my elbow that one time.
Went back to the theatre and got David Tennant's autograph. We arrived about twenty minutes before the final curtain and hung around. I got another picture with Catherine. It wasn't blurry this time, but I got excited and kinda slung an arm around her shoulder and in that same second remembered the talk my friends had given me about personal space. So I ended up hovering awkwardly. (I don't know, I don't normally hang out behind a theatre for autographs!) I'm going to assume that she probably realizes that I tried to correct myself halfway through. And then I thought of what happened to my friend one day during a meet-n-greet right after Picnic, and I figured an unsolicited side hug wasn't that bad. (I'll explain that one later...)
This is still the best Tuesday ever!
The pictures turned out slightly better than last night. And this time, I managed to say hello to David Tennant! And yes, he is as friendly as you'd expect. I practically melted on the spot, and I got an autograph and a blurry picture. (He's just naturally blurry. They have to use a special lens to film him.) Well, it's not exactly the time to aim for perfection or else we'd all be there until morning. It's not like picture day where everyone takes their time and the photographer arranges everyone in the same cheesy pose and I forgot it was picture day and wore a shirt that's the same color as the background so I look like a floating head in the yearbook...it was faster than that.
How do I describe the whole experience? It's like getting punched in the face: it happens very quickly, you're a little surprised that it happened, it leaves an impact, and you remember it very vividly. Now, this was much more pleasant than getting punched in the face. I don't know why I used that as a comparison. God, I need to go to bed. I didn't sleep at all last night and now the crazy's kicking in...
Also, according to the response on Facebook from my friends at home, my nickname for life is now "Lucky Bitch". I'm okay with this.
