Barcelona 2
Barcelona 3
Paris
Enjoy!
Sorry I haven't given you a real post in a while; it's been kind of crazy with work and all. And to make it worse, I lost a whole day of working because I got snowed in at Schipol (that's missing a letter somewhere, I know). Norwich's airport is like a farm with airplanes, and their one snow plow broke on the one day so far that it's snowed. Brilliant.
16 days still I start my travels, and I am counting the hours and minutes. I've got 4 assignments left before then, so things are going to be hectic, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.
I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. While I didn't have off from classes, I went to a Thanksgiving dinner at the chaplaincy. There were about 20 people there, only 4 of whom were American. It was really nice, but amusing. (Oh, and speaking of Thanksgiving, read this article about Bush pardoning the turkeys. It's priceless.)
So I'll post at least once more before the end of the semester, but for now, enjoy the pictures. I'm not the best photographers, but hopefully you'll be all able to live vicariously through them.
Take care!
Liz
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
My whirlwind adventures
Hi everyone!
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but I've got no time to breathe! I got back from Barcelona on Tuesday, and it was amazing, and Tuesday evening I came down with a cold! Yuck! So I have three days in Norwich, and then tomorrow I am going to Paris for the weekend to see a friend who I have not seen in six years! I can't wait!
So I have many a picture from Barcelona to post, but have not had time to upload all of them. Thus, to hold you over, here is the first album of pictures! Enjoy!
In less than two months I will be home! I can't wait to see everybody!
Take care!
Liz
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but I've got no time to breathe! I got back from Barcelona on Tuesday, and it was amazing, and Tuesday evening I came down with a cold! Yuck! So I have three days in Norwich, and then tomorrow I am going to Paris for the weekend to see a friend who I have not seen in six years! I can't wait!
So I have many a picture from Barcelona to post, but have not had time to upload all of them. Thus, to hold you over, here is the first album of pictures! Enjoy!
In less than two months I will be home! I can't wait to see everybody!
Take care!
Liz
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Shabbat at Cambridge
Well, the Jewish Society here finally held an event. We were invited to Cambridge University for Shabbat dinner. I hadn't had a Shabbat dinner in ages, so it was really exciting. Five of us set for a two hour journey to Cambridge.
When we got there, we went to the Orthodox service. I actually felt more comfortable davening the Orthodox service than I did the Progressive one for the High Holy Days. It was much closer to what I was used to.
Afterwards, we had Shabbat dinner. There were easily 80-100 people there. It made me feel like I was back at my home school for Shabbat dinner, and despite not having been to one for over a year, I really started missing my school Hillel. The food was delicious, and the company was great. ironically enough, I ended up talking to three Americans. One was in the Air Force and he was stationed outside of Cambridge. He was from the same area I was. The other two were 20 years old and were hitchhiking around Europe for the year. They were so cool. I traded email addresses and hopefully we can meet up somewhere during our travels.
During the dinner, there was a lecture from a Cambridge professor. It was intense and controversial. He talked ostensibly about Jews in the United Kingdom (and the United States, to some extent) are allowing the Jewish community to desintegrate by not learning more about the Holocaust and not going to Israel. It definitely made me think about my role in the Jewish community.
Lastly we went to their "house," I guess you could call it. It was pretty well hidden, and it was like a big game room. The stuff they had in their was amazing: a wide-screen plasma tv, a pool table, a massage table, and a lot of comfy pillows. It was quite impressive.
So, when we left at midnight, you would think that was the end of our excitement. But no!
Well, first of all, we got somewhat lost on our way home. (Don't ask me how, but the British road system is quite confusing to me, especially with all their roundabouts.) Anyway, once we got back on the right track, the battery on the little car we were in started to fade. It died on the side of the highway, so we got out of the car so no one coming down would hit us. We stood around in the cold and told jokes and waited to hear from the tow company. Meanwhile, our driver had realized he had a friend who was a doctor in King's Lynn, the next town over, and God bless him, this man came out at 3 AM, picked the four of us ladies up, and took us back to his flat so we wouldn't have to wait in the cold. When he got a call about an hour later that the tow truck wouldn't be there for a few more hours (I kid you not-because there was an accident and the only tow truck was occupied), we got a taxi to take us back to school, another 45 minute to one hour ride. We didn't get back to school until 5. I'm writing this at 4 pm, and I have been up for maybe 2 hours. It was a long-ass night, but I had a good time. It beat my normal Friday night itinerary, so it was worth it.
That's it for now. I should go do some work.
When we got there, we went to the Orthodox service. I actually felt more comfortable davening the Orthodox service than I did the Progressive one for the High Holy Days. It was much closer to what I was used to.
Afterwards, we had Shabbat dinner. There were easily 80-100 people there. It made me feel like I was back at my home school for Shabbat dinner, and despite not having been to one for over a year, I really started missing my school Hillel. The food was delicious, and the company was great. ironically enough, I ended up talking to three Americans. One was in the Air Force and he was stationed outside of Cambridge. He was from the same area I was. The other two were 20 years old and were hitchhiking around Europe for the year. They were so cool. I traded email addresses and hopefully we can meet up somewhere during our travels.
During the dinner, there was a lecture from a Cambridge professor. It was intense and controversial. He talked ostensibly about Jews in the United Kingdom (and the United States, to some extent) are allowing the Jewish community to desintegrate by not learning more about the Holocaust and not going to Israel. It definitely made me think about my role in the Jewish community.
Lastly we went to their "house," I guess you could call it. It was pretty well hidden, and it was like a big game room. The stuff they had in their was amazing: a wide-screen plasma tv, a pool table, a massage table, and a lot of comfy pillows. It was quite impressive.
So, when we left at midnight, you would think that was the end of our excitement. But no!
Well, first of all, we got somewhat lost on our way home. (Don't ask me how, but the British road system is quite confusing to me, especially with all their roundabouts.) Anyway, once we got back on the right track, the battery on the little car we were in started to fade. It died on the side of the highway, so we got out of the car so no one coming down would hit us. We stood around in the cold and told jokes and waited to hear from the tow company. Meanwhile, our driver had realized he had a friend who was a doctor in King's Lynn, the next town over, and God bless him, this man came out at 3 AM, picked the four of us ladies up, and took us back to his flat so we wouldn't have to wait in the cold. When he got a call about an hour later that the tow truck wouldn't be there for a few more hours (I kid you not-because there was an accident and the only tow truck was occupied), we got a taxi to take us back to school, another 45 minute to one hour ride. We didn't get back to school until 5. I'm writing this at 4 pm, and I have been up for maybe 2 hours. It was a long-ass night, but I had a good time. It beat my normal Friday night itinerary, so it was worth it.
That's it for now. I should go do some work.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election day in the UK
Wow. I am hung over. If it possible to be hungover on potato chips, diet coke, and glee, that is.
Since polls didn't close until midnight England time, I decided to join my friends for an all-night celebration in the on-campus bar. We had on CNN, and while I don't mean to say anything negative about my English friends, I don't think they understood what they were sheering for. They knew blue meant good and red meant bad (okay, that was sort of my thinking as well), but they would get excited when states were called with 0% of the polls reporting (my least favorite thing about CNN election results-exit poll projections). My American friends and I sat there, shaking our heads, knowing we had to wait for every last vote to be counted.
That didn't stop me from cheering with everyone else at 4 am, when polls on the west coast closed and California was automatically given to Obama. We knew he had the entire west coast coming his way, so it was no surprise. It was interesting to see how excited all the British kids were about Obama, though. There wasn't a single McCain supporter in the bar (or if there was, they kept to themselves, and I don't blame them).
I went back to my room and planned to just stay up until my 10 am class. That didn't happen. I crashed at 5 and slept right through my class, but woke up for my afternoon class. I am still so overtired. I am very glad I handed in my paper yesterday so I wouldn't have to worry about remembering it for today.
As a sidenote, there was a downside to this election, and that was the ballot measures in Arizona, Arkansas, California, and Florida. AZ, CA (despite the Supreme Court decision), and FL all voted to ban gay marriage, and AR banned adoption rights for gay couples. Colorado voted that life began at the moment of conception. In a world where we can elect a president who will be a champion of change, there are still flaws in the American patchwork that need to be rectified.
Notables: Michigan now allows medical marijuana, and Washington allows doctor-assisted suicide.
But for the first time in quite a while today, i belted Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" in my room. It's not that I was never not proud to be an American, but there was such a stigma attached to this country these last eight years. I feel like Ronald Reagan in 1984: "It's morning in America again."
Yes, Sir, it is. And it's going to be a good day.
Since polls didn't close until midnight England time, I decided to join my friends for an all-night celebration in the on-campus bar. We had on CNN, and while I don't mean to say anything negative about my English friends, I don't think they understood what they were sheering for. They knew blue meant good and red meant bad (okay, that was sort of my thinking as well), but they would get excited when states were called with 0% of the polls reporting (my least favorite thing about CNN election results-exit poll projections). My American friends and I sat there, shaking our heads, knowing we had to wait for every last vote to be counted.
That didn't stop me from cheering with everyone else at 4 am, when polls on the west coast closed and California was automatically given to Obama. We knew he had the entire west coast coming his way, so it was no surprise. It was interesting to see how excited all the British kids were about Obama, though. There wasn't a single McCain supporter in the bar (or if there was, they kept to themselves, and I don't blame them).
I went back to my room and planned to just stay up until my 10 am class. That didn't happen. I crashed at 5 and slept right through my class, but woke up for my afternoon class. I am still so overtired. I am very glad I handed in my paper yesterday so I wouldn't have to worry about remembering it for today.
As a sidenote, there was a downside to this election, and that was the ballot measures in Arizona, Arkansas, California, and Florida. AZ, CA (despite the Supreme Court decision), and FL all voted to ban gay marriage, and AR banned adoption rights for gay couples. Colorado voted that life began at the moment of conception. In a world where we can elect a president who will be a champion of change, there are still flaws in the American patchwork that need to be rectified.
Notables: Michigan now allows medical marijuana, and Washington allows doctor-assisted suicide.
But for the first time in quite a while today, i belted Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" in my room. It's not that I was never not proud to be an American, but there was such a stigma attached to this country these last eight years. I feel like Ronald Reagan in 1984: "It's morning in America again."
Yes, Sir, it is. And it's going to be a good day.
Monday, November 3, 2008
I got posted in the Washington Post travel chat!
Norwich, UK: I'm studying abroad right now and everyone wants to talk about the election. It's number one on their minds as well. The bar is even staying open all night so Americans (and everyone else) can watch election returns come in. We've been talking all about it in my politics courses, and there's a round table next week. Even though I'd rather be in America for this great event, it's really exciting over here, too!
Scott Vogel: That bar might have to stay open into the next day. Nah, let's think positive.
Monday, October 27, 2008
A Proper Post about London
So this weekend was amazing, a much needed break from Norwich. London is an awesome city. If you've looked at the pictures, you've seen that Sara and I went to a million different places. The last time I was in London was 1999, so it was good to see things from a new, more mature perspective. (And yes, i know some people might disagree with me on this last point.)
"Billy Elliot" was an amazing musical. The star of this show was this 13-year old boy who was a phenomenal dancer. The whole show was amazing, but this kid was amazing. He did tap and ballet in the show, along with standard dancing scenes, and he sang. It was incredible.
The next day we went to Notting Hill. They have a street market every weekend. We had crepes for lunch and we saw George Orwell's house. But one of the greatest moments was when we were looking for the infamous blue door from the movie "Notting Hill". We couldn't seem to find it, so we asked a security guard and he says, "oh, you mean the movie door?" and we nod, and he replies, "Grant Hugh? Grant Hugh?" It took me a second, and then I was like, "Oh, you mean Hugh Grant!" and we all had a good laugh. It ended up being disappointing because the door was now painted black. We did get to see the travel bookshop that inspired the story, which was cool.
Our next stop was Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Big Ben was so cool, as were the Houses of Parliament. That's a really amazing location, right on the river. The Millennium Eye is right there too, as is Westminster Abbey, which is another impressive building. We tried to go to Number 10 Downing Street, but all you can see are thick iron gates and guards with nice large guns.
We then headed to Covent Garden for dinner, where we ate at this Italian cafe. We did some shopping there, and then we headed to King's Cross. Now, truth be told (as we found out), there's really nothing to do at King's Cross, but it is where Harry Potter boards the Hogwarts Express every year. They created a separate wall labeled Platform 9 3/4 and put a luggage cart halfway through the wall so you can look like you're pushing through. it was so cool to say we went there.
We then decided to head down to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower of London is freakin' amazing. I love it. We didn't go in it, but it just blows me away. Tower Bridge is also pretty impressive. We walked out on to the bridge and looked out over the river for a few minutes before getting back on the Underground and heading to a friend's house for a party. It was so good to see her.
Now, this section here is redacted because of my readership, but let's just say getting back to my friend's dorm took 2.5 hours, 3 buses, and this was at midnight.
The next day we went to Chinatown, where we had the most delicious Dim Sum. it was the first Chinese food I'd had since coming over here, and I was so glad we went. We then walked around some used bookstores, and i found a book on "The West Wing"! it's not the lightest book, but it was dirt cheap and I had to get it! Yay!
Our trip ended in Leicester Square, the movie theatre district, which was a nice area to walk around. They have handprints around the park like we have Hollywood stars.
All this is in the two photo albums posted previously. Sorry for the delay in this post. it's been a crazy week. November is going to be a crazy month. The 14th I am going to Barcelona, the 22nd I am going to Paris, and the 28th a friend from work is coming up to Norwich! I can't wait!
Leave comments! I want to know how you all are doing!
"Billy Elliot" was an amazing musical. The star of this show was this 13-year old boy who was a phenomenal dancer. The whole show was amazing, but this kid was amazing. He did tap and ballet in the show, along with standard dancing scenes, and he sang. It was incredible.
The next day we went to Notting Hill. They have a street market every weekend. We had crepes for lunch and we saw George Orwell's house. But one of the greatest moments was when we were looking for the infamous blue door from the movie "Notting Hill". We couldn't seem to find it, so we asked a security guard and he says, "oh, you mean the movie door?" and we nod, and he replies, "Grant Hugh? Grant Hugh?" It took me a second, and then I was like, "Oh, you mean Hugh Grant!" and we all had a good laugh. It ended up being disappointing because the door was now painted black. We did get to see the travel bookshop that inspired the story, which was cool.
Our next stop was Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Big Ben was so cool, as were the Houses of Parliament. That's a really amazing location, right on the river. The Millennium Eye is right there too, as is Westminster Abbey, which is another impressive building. We tried to go to Number 10 Downing Street, but all you can see are thick iron gates and guards with nice large guns.
We then headed to Covent Garden for dinner, where we ate at this Italian cafe. We did some shopping there, and then we headed to King's Cross. Now, truth be told (as we found out), there's really nothing to do at King's Cross, but it is where Harry Potter boards the Hogwarts Express every year. They created a separate wall labeled Platform 9 3/4 and put a luggage cart halfway through the wall so you can look like you're pushing through. it was so cool to say we went there.
We then decided to head down to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower of London is freakin' amazing. I love it. We didn't go in it, but it just blows me away. Tower Bridge is also pretty impressive. We walked out on to the bridge and looked out over the river for a few minutes before getting back on the Underground and heading to a friend's house for a party. It was so good to see her.
Now, this section here is redacted because of my readership, but let's just say getting back to my friend's dorm took 2.5 hours, 3 buses, and this was at midnight.
The next day we went to Chinatown, where we had the most delicious Dim Sum. it was the first Chinese food I'd had since coming over here, and I was so glad we went. We then walked around some used bookstores, and i found a book on "The West Wing"! it's not the lightest book, but it was dirt cheap and I had to get it! Yay!
Our trip ended in Leicester Square, the movie theatre district, which was a nice area to walk around. They have handprints around the park like we have Hollywood stars.
All this is in the two photo albums posted previously. Sorry for the delay in this post. it's been a crazy week. November is going to be a crazy month. The 14th I am going to Barcelona, the 22nd I am going to Paris, and the 28th a friend from work is coming up to Norwich! I can't wait!
Leave comments! I want to know how you all are doing!
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