Hotel(s) California

Go, Go, Go, Go, Go!

2010-08-22T22:43:00.010-05:00

For all you Room fans...

Nearing the End

2010-08-21T01:01:00.000-05:00

After seven wonderful days in the fine state of California, our trip has ended with a bang. Our time in Napa has proven fantastic, and we have the pictures to prove it!

First, however, we must share with you the spectacular journey as we left San Francisco. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is quite a spectacle, and we were fortunate to make the trek in beautiful weather. We stopped at the vista points on both sides of the bridge just to take it all in!

After San Fran, it was time to hit the wine country. We made our way through Sonoma and into Napa County, where we're staying at the Napa Inn Bed and Breakfast. It's a great little place, with wonderful evening wine tastings and amazing morning breakfasts. And it's a short walk to downtown, where we've eaten at Pizzeria Azzurro, Uva Trattoria, and Angele. Each place has been wonderful, with (of course) great wine selections.

Adam and Molly enjoying a barrel tasting at Bourassa

Dan, Molly, and Adam at Hopper Creek

We didn't just eat though--there's wine to be had! On Thursday, we took a bus tour with Platypus. If you ever had to Napa, we highly recommend this tour. They took us and six other couples to four very small, boutique wineries--O'Brien Estates, Bourassa, Elkhorn Peak, and Hopper Creek. We had an absolute blast at each winery. The largest produced only several thousand cases annually (versus some of the larger wineries that will do 100,000 plus per year), and we were able to chat with the very candid owners, operators, and winemakers at each location.

We were all having so much fun that the tour went two hours over! Much of this was due to Dan, our new best friend at Hopper Creek, however. We were his last group of the day, and he used the opportunity to offload his remaining open bottles while we talked about Napa food and culture and played fetch with Chili, his dog, in the vineyard.

And to top it off, completely randomly and without our prior knowledge, we had some friends on the tour with us! Laurie--Adam's former roommate Chris's sister--and her fiancee just so happened to be in Napa at the same time, and also thought to join the Platypus tour! It's a small world, after all...

Silver Oak's Napa Vineyard

On Friday, we decided to hit a couple larger wineries on our way over to Sonoma (just a short drive from Napa) for lunch. We first stopped by Silver Oak, one of our favorite Cabernet Sauvignon growers in the valley. Apart from the wonderful tasting, we learned something we probably already should have known: founder and owner Roy Duncan is a Notre Dame alum. In fact, the school's newest men's dorm--Duncan Hall--is named after him.

After a winding trip through the mountains to Sonoma, we stopped by Chateau St Jean, one of the valley's larger wine producers. There, we sampled some more wine and the company's spread of mustards, grapeseed oils, and vinegars while enjoying the beautiful grounds.

We did lunch in downtown Sonoma at an Irish Pub (got to stay close to your roots, even in wine country!) before heading over the Napa Outlet Mall (such deals!). And continuing our small world coincidences, we managed to run into another winemaker at dinner on Friday. We ordered a bottle of Renteria Pinot Noir with our meal at Angele (a restaurant with dozens of wine selections), and family patriarch Salvador Renteria was dining at the restaurant in celebration of son (and current business head) Oscar's birthday! The sommelier sent them to our table, and we were able to briefly meet the family to add a personal touch to our wonderful dinner.

In all, we've had a terrific vacation to California. We'll provide a few more posts over the next couple of days with some final thoughts, pictures, and videos, but in the mean time: cheers!

Pre-Update Update

2010-08-20T00:22:00.000-05:00

Molly and I went on a fantastic wine tour today, where we stopped by four boutique family-run wineries. As you can imagine, we're quite fatigued. We promise to update again in short order!

A San Francisco Treat

2010-08-18T00:28:00.000-05:00

And no, I'm not talking about Rice-a-Roni. We saw a lot of the city today, and we have the blisters to prove it.

We started with a cable car journey to Fisherman's Wharf. The cars move at just 9.5 mph, but you really have to hold on over some of those hills! While on the car, we chatted with the brakeman about the history of the system and its evolution, but we still had to jump out of the way when it was time for him to crank the brake. In all, not the most economical or practical form of transportation, but a unique one nonetheless.

At Fisherman's Wharf, we discovered one of our favorite San Fran landmarks: the sea lions at Pier 39. As we learned, we were somewhat fortunate to see them, given their sudden departure earlier this year after 20 years using the docks as resting places--it seems many, though not all, of the creatures have since returned after finding Oregon a less suitable habitat. It was still quite a site, however, with the animals constantly barking and jockeying for position. That said, you should feel fortunate that our camera doesn't have smell-o-vision...yikes.

Other notable sites at the Wharf included the Golden Gate Bridge (which we'll be driving across tomorrow!) and Alcatraz. After exploring the rest of the tourist trap that is Pier 39, we ventured over to Ghirardelli Square (the same as the chocolate) before heading to Alamo Square.

For those have seen the TV show Full House, this section's for you. Alamo Square is the site of the opening credit's picnic in front of the Painted Ladies homes.

Though commonly thought to be the home of the Tanner family, they are not--the actual Full House house is about a mile north, at 1709 Broderick Street. Rest assured, we went there too.

We hit a couple other terrific San Fran landmarks today: City Hall and Lombard Street. City Hall was somewhat close to Alamo Square, and offered some terrific insights into the city's history. A two mile hike away, Lombard Street claims to be the windiest road in the world, with eight hairpin turns down an incredibly steep hill. And believe us--walking up the hill is no picnic!

We rounded out the day with wine at our hotel and a nice dinner at Restaurante Milano, a charming place in Nob Hill. Tomorrow, it's off to Napa, where we'll be seeing yet another side of California (hopefully one that is a little warmer...). Until then, we leave you with a picture from lunch today (we just couldn't resist).

The Coldest Winter...

2010-08-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

...I ever had was a summer in San Francisco. We rolled into town yesterday and discovered temperatures in the mid-50s! In August! In California! But our short visit thus far has proven quite lovely, and the trip in was even better.

We departed SLO early yesterday morning, but not before discovering more of our hotel's expansive property. After breakfast, we wandered down to the beach to embark on a photographic tour. Quite an adventure along the rocky coastline!

Then it was time to again hit the PCH. As it turns out, the road is even more treacherous north of SLO. And we found it even harder to resist pulling over every half a mile to take pictures--simply gorgeous terrain.

We stopped for lunch in Big Sur at a restaurant called Nepenthe. The food was pretty good, but the views were incredible. To top it off, the waitress mentioned that we were lucky--it had been foggy and overcast for the prior month and a half. The picture to the right is nearly from our table!

After lunch it was back to the highway for another three hours of beautiful driving. We continued along the coast through Santa Cruz, before rolling into the home of the cable car, San Francisco!

The city really is amazing, and not at all like Southern California. Beyond being much colder, it's hillier, more densely populated, and more European feeling. We're staying at the Inn at Union Square, a cute place right in the heart of the action. We met up with local friends Phil and Aileen for dinner last night at Osha Thai on 2nd Street, and the food was terrific. It was great to catch up with more friends, and our local bottle of wine reminded us that we're only a few short days from Napa!

Today, we're off to Fisherman's Wharf via cable car, and then to the Golden Gate Bridge. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess--we have the whole day in the city!

36 Hours Later

2010-08-16T00:02:00.000-05:00

We haven't been here long, but we're about ready to pack up and head west, Fievel style. The weather has been a beautiful 72 degrees without a trace of humidity, the people are terrific, and the cuisine is wonderful.

And the scenery's pretty nice too.

But I digress. First, last night. As previously discussed, Molly and I enjoyed sushi at Katsuya with local friends. What a spot! The food was incredible--I don't even know where to begin. We ordered about eight different things, ranging from simple sashimi to scallop-covered sushi rolls, and everything was delicious. To top it off, some paparazzi were waiting out front after we ate. While no pictures were snapped of us, we're pretty sure that was some sort of error on their part.

After dinner, Molly and I headed to the poolside bar of the Roosevelt Hotel, where we enjoyed an evening drink while lounging in one of Hollywood's most historic venues. We didn't grab any photos ourselves, but here's what it looks like:

After a whirlwind opening day in L.A., we were ready to hit the road and begin our road trip. Our first stop was not too far away, however, as we drove through Beverly Hills to the Santa Monica Pier. We also resisted the urge to again grab In-N-Out Burger, and instead ate at a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican place, Taco Por Favor. Then it was time for the PCH!

The Pacific Coast Highway is a winding, often narrow, road that darts in and out of little towns and communities, but also offers the opportunity to pull over for some instant R&R. Here's Molly and me frolicking at a road-side beach.

Along the way, we drove on both Highway 1 and the 101 freeway, and ended up in Pismo Beach, a resort and retirement community about 15 minutes outside of San Luis Obispo. As it turns out, SLO is a fun, quirky college town (Cal Poly is here). We ate at a local pizza favorite and are currently enjoying some wine from the central coast. And our hotel has quite a view! (see picture to the right)

Tomorrow it's time to hit the road again, with San Francisco on our minds. Until our next post!

Your Author, Hard at Work

2010-08-15T22:01:00.000-05:00

Blog post to come soon!

Welcome to California!

2010-08-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

The stars! The scene! The smog!

We've only been in L.A. for a few hours, but it's already everything we could have hoped for. After a picturesque (and traffic-laden) drive through downtown, we've settled into our hotel, which seems to have been lifted from an episode of Melrose Place. We kid, it's actually a very nice little boutique spot, with a 24/7 courtyard pool, wonderful service, and a castle attached!

But we didn't want to stay at the hotel long. We're in Hollywood, baby! We hit the walk, and stopped along the way for the greatest fast food in America. Yes, our first time at In-N-Out Burger has converted us. Sorry Wendy's, your red-haired crown has been usurped in our books.

While in Hollywood, we of course stopped to take some pictures with the stars. Well, mostly just their cemented hand prints. In all, a good afternoon that is about to be capped off by some time pool-side and a trip to sushi hot-spot Katsuya with local friends. Hooray for Hollywood!

Here we go again!

2010-08-11T22:05:00.002-05:00

Hello all.

It's been some time. Five years (plus!), in fact. Since then, there's been a few changes; if you're reading this, you likely have followed along, but email me for Cliff's Notes.

But with new adventures comes a new blog (design). Molly and I are off to California next week. We leave Saturday, August 14 and return to Chicago Saturday, August 21. We're flying to L.A., and taking the scenic route up the PCH to San Francisco--where the latest high is a balmy 59 degrees Fahrenheit (though apocryphal, see Twain, Mark). We are also spending a few days in Napa, where we'll get our Bottle Shock on.

Along the way, we plan to eat at a few swanky places. So far, we're booked for:

Katsuya (Los Angeles)
Uva Trattoria (Napa)
Angele (Napa)
In-N-Out Burger (EVERYWHERE)

We'll be updating with pictures and thoughts from the road, so be sure to stay tuned!

A new place for pictures

2005-05-25T18:20:00.000-05:00

www.nd.edu/~afleck

The new place for all things me. Except my blog. That will stay here. To be helpful, I've linked back to my blog from my new home page. You're welcome.

So I'm back in Americaland for the foreseeable future. Scary. Time to do a run down of my past four months:

(By the way, I always like to get the bad out first)

Cons:
Worst travel day(s) ever.

A big pile of rocks that we drove 2 hours to. Whoops, I mean Stonehenge.

O'Boyle. Not his class (which was fun), just him.

Being really, really bad at keeping my blog current.

Being sick/having health issues (read: losing a contact in Dublin) every trip away from London.

Foreign Languages. C'mon, just speak English already. Selfish Europeans.

Sports Cafe, the most average place in London. For that matter, the line at Walkabout on Monday's sucked too.

Felling like I was 17 all over again (not being able to vote), wasting my new 21-year oldship (18 to drink in the U.K.)

Dollars and Pounds, not one and the same. Not even freaking close.

Having to come home.

Pros:
Sunrise the first day in the flats.

Having the best roomate ever.

Pubs!

Italy...I can still taste the gelatto.

The Vatican. I'm holier than thou.

Bradshaw's Theology Class/Mark's Philo Class

Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare!

Parental Visit...happy Easter to me!

Wong Kei...best 4 pounds ever. All 7 times.

Hollywood? Bollywood? Mollywood.

Game night. Woot family/Taboo!

Maid day...mmm, so fresh and so clean clean.

Rereading books and realizing they take place in your backyard (i.e. Hitchhiker's Guide...well, before the Earth is destroyed, that is).

Spain!!!! Bocadillos, Sun, the beach, and a whole lot of partying. So much for a relaxing break...

Doner Kebabs.

Dublin my pleasure...and my Guinness intake.

Getting through Paris while only getting hit by a Parisian once.

Having more stamps in my passport than I know what to do!

Safe (and smooth) travels home.

An amazing opportunity, an amazing semester; thank you to those I met, befriended, and shared this with. I love you all.

This is it...

2005-05-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

This is my last post from the fine city of London.

It is currently 3:00 am Wednesday morning. We leave at 6:00 am. Guess I forgot to sleep.

The last days in England have been amazing...our Shakespeare performance went great, the Callaghans party was fun afterwords, and I even went to the Star Wars premiere in Leicester Square (didn't get to see the movie though...)

More to come when I get home :(

Non!

2005-05-07T16:40:00.000-05:00

An important word to understand in Paris. Also important is the proper, indignant pronounciation of the word. An upturned nose helps.

Aside from the Parisians, Paris was breathtaking. In all seriousness (and surprisingly), we didn't have any real problems with French people. Aside from a lady hitting me. But that'll come up later.

The first night in Paris we had pizza for dinner (of course....) and walked from Montmarte (where our hostel was) to the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower. A lesson to those travelling to Paris: just because you can see the Eiffel Tower does not mean that it is close. After an hour and a half walk, we experienced the Tower at night, in all its sparkling glory (they have flash bulbs all over the thing).

We woke up bright and early on Saturday to meet up with one of Phil's friends, and went to the Musee d'Orsay, which is an amazing impressionism museum. Some great stuff, including Whistler's Mother, Van Gogh's Self Portrait, and Monet's Waterlilies (some of which I had already seen at the Tate Modern Museum here in London). It was here that I was assaulted though. Flash photography isn't allowed in the Museum, but some guy wanted me to take a picture of him and Van Gogh together (I'm not sure how much Van Gogh wanted it, but I digress). So I aimed the camera, snapped the picture, and pop! went the flash bulb. Immediately, a French lady (who didn't even work there!) slapped my arm and yelled, in a hilarious French accent, "No Flash!!" Before I could even explain myself, the guy grabbed his camera and ran, and the lady was gone, babbling some crap about it "being annoying." Man, the French have a high opinion of themselves.

Next stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is just as impressive as the English pronounciation of the same place. The place is big and impressive, but alas, no gypsies or people with poor backs. Lots of gargoyles though.

That night we explored more of Montmarte, and ate outside at a great cafe. And, sure enough, French Onion Soup in France is just 'Onion Soup.' Makes sense.

Sunday we went to mass at Sacre Coure, which is a large, domed, white church at the top of Montmarte. Great views of the city, and a very hard-to-follow mass (seeing that it was in French). We then Metro'ed to the Eiffel Tower (we had learned our lesson) and went to the top. Brilliant thing to do when you're afraid of heights.

But they had a cage (thank the Lord), and the view was phenominal from the tallest structure in Europe. After taking the lift back down, we wandered around and grabbed dinner in a cute cafe with a great view of the Tower.

That night we went to a great bar where the drunk-off-his-ass owner gave us a free round of drinks. Sweet stuff.

Monday we did the Louvre. For four hours. And I feel like I still haven't seen most of it. We saw all the big stuff (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, etc), most of the medium stuff (Napolean's Coronation, Hammurabi's Code), and a whole bunch of well-known but largely ignored stuff at the museum (its hard to get press when that damn smiling woman attracts so many visitors). Honestly, its probably the best museum I've ever been to. Definitely worth the 9 euro, and definitely not the Uffizi (thank God).

After we got Louvred, we took a nap. In the park outside the Louvre. In the dirt. We felt homeless, but it was good times (and a good nap!).

All in all, I would definitely love to go back to Paris, maybe with money next time. That way I could buy even more crepes. Man those things were good.

Pictures up soon, and yes I know I missed the week before Paris. So here's what happened: not much. I had my job interview, which went well, but still no word. I did go to the British Library though, and saw their impressive exhibit. They have the original Magna Carta, the second Bible ever printed, the first King James' Bible, Shakespeare's first Quarto, Handel's Messiah score, and even the original Alice in Wonderland. Very cool to see.

And then there was the week following Paris. Again, not too much. I finally got to St. James's Park (the one by Buckingham Palace, and literally 2 minutes from our classroom building), but it rained on me and Molly. So much for our picnic plans.

I should be hearing about my job on Monday, so there's a chance I may be in London for two more months. If I don't get it though, I'm out of here in just over a week (May 18th). Ahh!! Its been fun, and fortunately there's not too much left in London I feel I need to do. I know my bank account appreciates that.

Another Week...

2005-04-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

...Another poor attempt at blogging. Although below this post, new pics are up!!

The last week has been amazing.

Last weekend (i.e. over a week ago), I spent the whole time hanging out in London and taking it easy, since a lot of people were out of town.

Monday, I went to Los Locos with Molly, Mike, and Margaret. It was fun. Chill at first, but it crowded and the dancing was rockin'.

Tuesday I studied up for a test I had Wednesday, so it was kind of a 'blah' day.

Wednesday, after my final, we took our professor out for a couple drinks, which was fun. I didn't get a chance to talk to him too much, but he's off to Australia to teach Econ for about 6 months, and then hopefully back here to teach Notre Dame kids again in the Spring. Great guy, but an unfortunately boring class. Oh well.

Thursday we had a substitute prof for my theology class. He was a little dry, but very knowledgeable about world religions, and we learned how diversity has impacted the Anglican Church. Neat stuff.

That night, I finally got a chance to hang out with Bill and Belatti again, as it had been too long since I had seen them. We had a great dinner and hung out afterwards....over all a good time, even if I didn't exactly make it out that night...

Friday, we began work with our new directors for our Shakespeare scenes. Mine is really interesting. He's young (about 28) and a method-style director, which means he concentrates on applying a set of actions and efforts to each scene, rather than direct in an ad hoc manner. Different to me, but nonetheless pretty cool. And we still got to play fun acting games :)

That evening, Phil and jetted off to Dublin!! After probably the best flight ever (I LOVE BMI! We got free sandwiches and soda!!), we arrived into a rainy, hazy Dublin. It really is London Lite.

We met up with our friends Mike and Chris, who took us out to Temple Bar, a famous pub area in the city. We got turned away from the first bar Porter House (VERY weird bouncer), but hung out at the one across the street until the Porter House switched bouncers. The second one was much more normal, and we had no problem getting in. They had a guy playing guitar faster than anyone I've ever seen before, singing pop songs and the like. Good times.

Saturday, it was rainy again, so Phil and I did mostly indoor stuff. We checked out the Spike first. It really is just a massive spike. 120 meters tall, 3 meters wide at the base, 15 centimeters wide at the top. Best and worst monument at the same time.

We then walked to the Guinness Storehouse, but first stopped at Christ Church. Its an Anglican Cathedral, and its gorgeous. It also houses the tomb of Strongbow (He was a Nordic leader who helped found the Cathedral. However, its also the name of a cider here in London).

We got the Guiness Storehouse, and it was indeed brilliant. I learned a lot about how the black stuff is made, and got to enjoy a pint on the top level of the brewery, known as the 'Gravity Bar.'

That night we went out to a couple Irish Pubs. We chatted with the locals and heard some great live Irish music. Much less reserved than London!

Sunday was a gorgeous day, so Phil and I enjoyed St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street (a neat shopping area), and Merrion Square (a great park where the Oscar Wilde statue is located). We then flew back (with another courtesy sandwich) and returned to the craziness that is London.

Today was another Philo class, although we did presentations and group stuff, so it went by quickly. At the end of this week, it looks as though I will be having an interview with Morningstar UK about a London internship over the summer. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Cheers!

P.S. The pictures below are (as you scroll down) first from my Spain adventure, and then from this past weekend in Dublin. Enjoy!

2005-04-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Columbus Statue, Las Rambas

2005-04-25T12:36:00.000-05:00

Temple of the Holy Family in Barcelona

2005-04-25T12:35:00.001-05:00

Our lovely Sand Castle

2005-04-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

The Spanish Countryside

2005-04-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

Mark, Dan, Me, and Sean at the Plaza del Sol in Madrid

2005-04-25T12:33:00.001-05:00

Valencia Beach

2005-04-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

Madrid from the Palace

2005-04-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

The Shrine

2005-04-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

mmm....How fun real Irish pubs are...

2005-04-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

Oscar Wilde...the Queen on the Green

2005-04-25T12:29:00.001-05:00

Me and Phil enjoying a pint of the black stuff

2005-04-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

Me at St. James's Gate

2005-04-25T12:28:00.000-05:00

Christ Church

2005-04-25T12:27:00.000-05:00

The Dublin Spire...'The Spike'

Only 5 Weeks To Go!

2005-04-15T08:22:00.000-05:00

Scary thought...I'm going to have leave London soon! Ahh!

The Real - Barcelona match was amazing...Real Madrid won 4-2, with great goals all around.

This week has gone by quickly, but it was nice being back in England again. Monday we had a great Philosophy class...mostly because the second half of class was just a discussion. Monday night I just stayed in and chilled...my body still hated me from the night life of Barcelona.

Tuesday O'Boyle was in an especially chipper mood for some reason, so that was nice. That night I stayed in to work on a paper that was due on Thursday.

Wednesday we had our last Econ class (our final exam is next week...way early, but less classes!). That night we went out the Notting Hill Arts Club, which is an indie rock club in Notting Hill...but you could have probably figured that part out yourself... It was a fun place though. Live music Wednesday nights, but the band sucked this week. Oh well. The DJ was good, played some rockin' tunes.

Thursday we had a really great Theo class...Professor Bradshaw was also in a really good mood, and let us out early. Seems to be the theme of the week. I was going to go out last night, but I overslept in my nap. I had a really bad dream during it too. Bleh.

Today we got out early for my Shakespeare class (I told you it was a theme), and I've just been chilling around the flat. Going out tonight though, but a lot of people are out of town. I was going to go to a pub that's mainly outdoors, but the weather here sucks today (as usual), so I'll probably end up somewhere else. Good night all!

Back where they speak English

2005-04-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

Spain was simply brilliant.

While we weren't able to see any Bullfighting in Barcelona (it's been banned in the city for some time apparently), we were able to have a few amazing days in the town. Sean, Mark, and I rolled into town a couple hours ahead of Dan because of a train mix-up, so we went to Camp Neu, which is F.C. Barcelona's football stadium. It holds 100,000 people, and is very impressive (much bigger than Bernabeu, Real Madrid's stadium). Once Dan got in, we hung out in the hostel (which was one of the nicer ones I've stayed at) before grabbing some quality Spanish cooking at a local restaurant.

After some card games, Dan, Mark, and I hit the town. We went to a bar for shots of rum (as convinced by some random Cuban guy) and met two girls from San Diego State University who are studying in Preston, a town outside of Manchester. We ended up going to an Irish Bar with them and just talking to them and hanging out. Neat girls, and nice to be able to converse in English with random people!

The next day we went to Ghoti's Temple of the Holy Family which is an unfinished, impressionistic cathedral. It is massive. They started building it in the late 1800's, but stopped after Ghoti's death in the 1920's. In the 60's they resumed work, and continue to work on in to this day. We were able to climb one of the eight 100 meter tall towers, and a central tower is planned that will be twice the height. Very impressive, although at this point it's essentially become one big construction zone.

After scrambled eggs and cheese for dinner, we hung out with some people in our hostel. Vito was from Glasgow, Scotland, Adam was from Brighton, England, Paul was from Oxford, England, and Mike....was from somewhere stateside. We played cards and then went on a pub crawl, with six of us going out. We each picked a cool bar we saw and bought rounds. Mike picked a hard rock club, I picked a bar built around trees, Vito picked some random techno place, Dan picked an Irish Pub, Mark picked the London Bar, and Sean ended our trip by buying us Guiness in another Irish Bar. All in all, a great night, albeit a late one...we got home around 5am.

The next day, after a very late rise (read: 3pm), Sean and I chilled in the Hostel watching Spanish TV while Dan and Mark went to check out Olympic Park. We decided to go to a nice place for dinner, and ended up at 'Quixote's,' which was really nice, but overpriced. I spent 25 euro for water, wine, roast duck (which was actually very good) and cactus sherbert (....interesting). But it was our last night, so a little splurging isn't so bad.

To cap off our crazy Barcelona trip, we met up with Mike and Vito again, along with four girls from the University of North Carolina (two of which are from Charlotte...yay!). After some more cards, we went back to the tree bar and then to Club New York, which was a blast. Instead of the usual mix of hip hop and dance music, the club played a sort-of jazz/Spanish fusion all night long. It was a ton of fun, and we stayed nearly until the club closed at 5am.

At 6:30 am, Sean, Mark, and I caught a train back to Reus (so no, we didn't sleep last night...unless you count sleeping on the train, plane, and bus). The flight back was ok, but there were tons of loud kids, and apparently disciplining your kids isn't cool anymore. We had no problems with customs or baggage, and got home in good time, safe and sound.

And now I'm getting ready to go watch the Real Madrid - Barcelona football match at a local pub. I'm out for now. Cheers!

P.S. Pictures soon....most of them are on Mark's and Dan's cameras...

Warm Weather! Sunshine! Spain!!

2005-04-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, Spain is amazing.

However, my intial reaction the country wasn´t exactly a positive one. We arrived into a small city outside of Terragona called Reus, and immediately experienced the language barrier when we couldn´t even convince our waitress to give us menus at a local deli. In the end, though, we got some great sandwiches, learned the invaluable word ´bocadillos´ (a type of sandwich), and she got a great tip.

That Friday night wasn´t too great either however. We had an overnight, seven hour train ride to Madrid, and we had a very weird Asian lady in our cabin who woke us up nearly every hour. In the end, she even asked us if we knew where 'Any good hostels, cheap hotels, monastaries, asylums...' and we stopped listening at that point.

We got into Madrid at about 7am, and our Hostel wasn´t ready yet. To kill time, we went to the Prado Museum, which is a pretty good art museum. Its no London, but it was still good, and cheap (take that, stupid Uffizi Museum). Once our Hostel was ready, we threw ourselves into the culture and grabbed a siesta (which actually does exist here...most stores close between 1pm and 5pm). That night we hung out in the hostel, ate some good Spanish buffet, and met some crazy Aussies who were rooming with.

The next day we used the metro to get around the city, and saw the Real Madrid (a local football...that´s soccer for you North Americans...team. The team is arguably the best and most successful team of the 20th century). The stadium tour was great, and the tropy hall was impressive. That night however, the team wasn´t in town, so we went to another local team´s game...Atletico Madrid. While that team isn´t as good (10th in the league compared to Real being 2nd), they did manage to whomp on Mallorca, who is 19th in the table, 4-0. So at least we say some good goals. And some crazy Spanish fans. They actually chant the 'Ole, Ole ole ole' Zahm-type song here. Who knew...

The next day in Madrid was our last, so we went to the Royal Palace where King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia live (Madrid is, after all, the capital of Spain). On our tour, we got to see 22 impressive rooms...out of the 2800 (yes, that´s two thousand eight hundred) that are in the palace. Needless to say, its a big place. We then got a train to Valencia, where I sit now.

Valencia is amazing the same way Venice is amazing compared to Rome. There´s not all that much to see, but the atmosphere is hard to find anywhere else. Our first day here we got in pretty late, so we had some pizza for dinner and just chilled.

The next day (yesterday, actually), we spent the entire day at the beach, building sand castles, reading, laying out, and playing on a sweet rope jungle gym that they had. I miss the sand, and it was a pretty nice beach.

Last night we made pasta for dinner...so cheap! Even the beer is cheap...one litre for about a euro (about $1.33 USD). After dinner, we hung out with some Iowa State girls that were staying in our hostel as well, and after playing some drinking games with them, us guys went out to a local bar. It was a typical movie-esque, dirty Spanish bar. And it was awesome.

Today we walked around the city and saw some of the sites. We climbed up some towers, went to the market (more on that later), and wandered through the huge park that runs around the city. In the park, we tried to find the zoo, but instead stumbed upon the third annual Valencian Open tennis tournament. And it was a big deal.

After getting into the tourney, we realized that this was no small local fare. We saw Costa beat some Austrian guy, and Nadal (currently 4th in the world...ahead of Roddick and Agassi) beat Ferrero (a former world number 1 player). We were quite impressed with our find, and the tennis was amazing.

After the tournament, we got some taco stuff for dinner from the store (which ended up being really good), and just hung out in the Hostel. However, it was no ordinary hanging out...

As previously promised, I´ll bring up the market again. While there, we got a bottle of Absinthe for 25 euro (which is pretty good considering it's decent stuff). For those who don't know, Absinthe (or the Green Fairy) is 140 proof alcohol, and has wormwood extract in it, which some argue provides hallucinagetic effects. That´s also why it's banned in the US...I don't know though. I didn't see anything weird. It definitely tastes weird though. Think of black licorice candy...that's on fire. Man, that stuff burns.

But now I sit about to go to bed. We head out to Barcelona tomorrow, and hopefully we'll catch some bullfighting. Oh, and Bryan, I went to a huge Spanish comic book store for you today. I have a couple surprises...hope you like Ultimate X-Men number two in Spanish :)

Good night all, and Adios!

You would think that I would learn...

2005-04-01T03:05:00.000-06:00

Man, this has to be my longest no-blog streak yet. Loyal readers, I'm embarrassed.

Here's a quick run down of the last two weeks:

Tuesday after my last post, we discussed Victorian pornagraphy in O'Boyle's class...pretty funny actually. Wednesday i had another boring Macroeconomics class, Thursday was a decent Bradshaw class, Friday was a really boring Shakespeare class...we didn't even act! Afterwards though, Mike and I went to the Tate Modern Museum, which is right next to the Globe theatre. It was...interesting, to say the least.

Last week was more of the same for the most part, except that my parents were in town for Easter! We did Oxford, The Tower of London, and Madame Toussard's. All except the last one were awesome. It was totally great having them here. They even cooked for me and my friends!

This week was paper were, with a 5 page philo paper and a 12 page history paper sucking my time. But they're both done, and now it's time for Spain! More updates to come after I visit Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona! Yay!!!

I'm getting bad at this

2005-03-14T17:37:00.000-06:00

I swear I'll try harder.

The last week was a ton of fun! Lots of Notre Dame students from back home came over since it was their spring break. I hung out a lot with a few of Phil's friends that were in town.

Last Friday, I had my first Playing Shakespeare class in the Globe Theatre. What a great opportunity! My class is 8 students, and our professor is a professional actor. We're going to be eventually putting on some scenes for the whole London program (not on the actual Globe stage, alas), but I'm really looking forward to the opportunity.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty much blah days. Monday, class started up again for the week, as it usually does every Monday. Monday night we went to WalkAbout, and it was great to see all the ND kids in town visiting whom I haven't seen for a while from back home. Tuesday was usual fare; SportsCafe...except that it was actually fun! Very strange. Class on Tuesday wasn't too bad either...O'Boyle's entertaining.

Wednesday we went out to Los Locos, which is a smaller, fun club. We got in for free since we came before 11, and the ND kids pretty much brought the party, which is always fun. I also had a test Wednesday for my Finance class, which wasn't too bad...we'll see...

Thursday we went out to Callaghans (as usual) and had a blast. For Bradshaw's class that day, we went on a 'church crawl,' which professor Bradshaw likened to a pub crawl, only 'without the alcohol.' We saw St Martin's in the Field in Trafalgar Square (which I've been in about 6 million times already for concerts, food, and the like, so that wasn't exciting). We then went to All Saints on Margaret St (near Regent's Park) which was really neat...very classical, almost Catholic style. On the way home, I also saw my new favorite pub based soley on the name: The Cock.

Friday I had my second Playing Shakespeare course, in which we worked on scenes from MacBeth on the Globe Stage! While tour groups were coming through! It was awesome...and boosted my ego a little :)

That afternoon, Phil's parents (who had been in town) took me out to the Texas Embassy (which is a decent attempt at Tex-Mex food) and then to St Paul's Cathedral. St Paul's is the second highest Church dome in Europe; the first is St Peter's in Rome (check!) and the third is the Duomo in Florence (double check!). I feel like my life is complete.

Saturday I slept in, and took a sort of lazy day. For dinner though, Phil's parents took me out (again...they totally rocked) to a Chinese restaurant in China Town (of all places...) that was awesome. And inexpensive! I'm totally going back there. That night, a few of us watched 'From Hell,' a farily recent (2003 or so) Johnny Depp movie based on a graphic novel about Jack the Ripper. Great movie, although very gruesome. However, it did lead us to...

A Jack the Ripper walking tour Sunday night!! What a blast! We walked through East London and the Whitechapel area where the murders took place, and it was very informative. Unfortunately, the German blitz of WWII destroyed most of the original area, but it was still great to hear a bunch of the theories concerning the case.

And that leads me to...today. Whew! I had Philo of Law again today, and we actually talked about something I'm passionate about: Libertarianism (im or email me if you want an in depth rehashing of what happened...its more of a discussion based topic than a lecture one). Nonetheless, we basically covered Mill's 'On Liberty,' and discussed if morality should govern Government practices and if the state should be able to govern what goes on behind closed doors (hint: it SHOULDN'T). As apparently the only libertarian in the class, I had to talk a lot...hard to say what the reaction was though.

Tonight I wasn't feeling too great, so I stayed in and worked on some stuff (including, but not limited to, this blog). Tomorrow brings O'Boyle's class again...we're discussing pornography in Victorian London. Should be a riot. Cheers!

P.S. I'm sure you've seen, but I've put up a few pictures from my trip! If you really want some in-depth pics (read: lots more), see my friend and travel mate Liz's page at http://www.aradine.com/PhotoJournal/show_folder.php?usr=iW83KAIIql4=&fol=bvz7t8Th5dM=&amp;amp;alb=&img=&mode=

And yes, I know that link is ridiculously long, but the pictures are wonderful, and organized by folder. Enjoy!

2005-03-14T17:24:00.000-06:00

View of Salzburg from the Fortress

2005-03-14T17:23:00.000-06:00

View from our train in Austria...yep, those are the Alps

2005-03-14T17:21:00.001-06:00

St Teresa in Ecstasty by Bernini, in Rome

2005-03-14T17:21:00.000-06:00

Our travel group (sans Rachelle), at the Villach, Austria train station

2005-03-14T17:20:00.000-06:00

Venice's Grand Canal, taken from the Rialto Bridge

2005-03-14T17:17:00.000-06:00

Me at the top of the Duomo in Florence

2005-03-14T17:16:00.000-06:00

St Peter's Square, from the top of St Peter's Dome

Feels good to be home

2005-03-03T09:39:00.000-06:00

Well it's been almost a whole week back in London after my trip, and this land across the pond has never felt this much like home. Just hearing English spoken as the primary language is great.

It was a pretty chill week, very relaxing and healing. Monday I was still sick (stupid Florence and its Uffizi museum...) so I stayed in bed and didn't accomplish much. Well, I did manage to get a bit of grocery shopping done, so that was nice. Monday night we did chicken and pasta for dinner, very tasty.

Tuesday I went to O'Boyle's class, and was going to stay afterwards in the classroom building to work on a paper. However, in true O'Boyle fashion, he took us on a walking tour and then to a couple pubs. After yelling at us for three hours about how ND student's aren't radical enough (apparently he thinks we should be the next Berkely or something), I headed back to the flats and hung out with people. At least the pubs were cool...in east London, which was a new experience.

Wednesday I went to the building early to work on my paper, and then had finance class...man, that class does not get any less boring week to week. After class I headed back to the flats and had hamburgers for dinner (so good...), and then watched 'Love Actually.' Pretty cute movie...its cool too because a lot of it takes place in London. I then finally wrote my paper and went to bed.

Today I had Bradshaw's class, which was strangely unexciting, and now sit in the computer lab in the classroom building waiting for rehearsal. I'm playing piano tonight for a reconciliation service, but I haven't even seen the music yet. Should be interesting...at least we have 45 minutes to warm up.

So that is my uneventful, but relaxing, week so far. On the plus side, I got an A on my philo paper and an A on my pop test for O'Boyle's class. So those were uplifters! But for now, I say goodday.

Wow

2005-02-27T16:20:00.000-06:00

I'm done with my first week-long break.

And it was probably the greatest single week I have ever had in my life. We went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Salzburg, Austria, and I had a total blast. I'll do my best in the following paragraphs to do the week justice, and many pictures will be sure to arrive shortly.

Friday the 18th we arrived in Rome (as evidenced by my last post), and checked into our hostel, the Yellow Hostel. Nice place, free breakfast and internet, good location near the train station. We had a 6 bed room with a private bathroom, so that was nice too. Saturday, we met up with Phil's friend Cindy who is studying in Rome, and we went to Vatican City. It was amazing. The Sistine Chapel is gorgeous, and climbing to the top of St Peter's offers a great view of the city. After touring the Vatican, we got more gelatto (its the theme of the trip, I swear) and went to a great restaurant for pasta dinner (the second theme of the trip). But not before we stopped at the Spanish Steps and the Trivi Fountain. I was sure to throw a two pence piece in. Those things are useless anyway.

Sunday Cindy took us to the Collosseum, the Pantheon, and the Roman Forum. Pretty sweet. That night, we ate in Cindy's apartment...nothing like a home cooked meal for the taste buds and the bank account. After we said our goodbyes, we stopped for Nutella filled donuts, which were only 35 euro-cents. And they were awesome.

I noticed a few things interesting about Rome though: lots of grafitti, and lots of gypsies. Also, their public transportation is terrible compared to London's. The Metro (subway) only has two lines! And the busses were very confusing, so we just stayed off of them for the most part. Overall, Rome gets an 9/10.

Next stop on our whirlwind tour was Florence. We stayed at the Hotel Sampiaoli, which was quite nice. Two seperate rooms, both with full bathrooms made showers in the morning much less hectic. We rolled into Florence by train (it was about an hour and a half ride) midday Monday. After checking in, we went to the Duomo, which is essentially a smaller (but older) version of St Peter's in Rome. The view was again, magnificent.

The next day, we lined up early for the Accedamia Museum which houses Michaelangelo's David. Wow. Words cannot describe the beauty and awe of this piece. It was one of, if not the, highlights of my trip. After that great exhibit, we headed over the Uffizi museum (p.s. for those playing, I just lost the game), where we stood in line for three hours to see an over rated collection. It was neat to see Botacelli's 'Birth of Venus,' but otherwise...and there were no explanations...it just wasn't worth it. Not to mention it was SNOWING in Florence. Argh..

Florence had quite a bit of grafitti too, which was quick becoming noticed throughout Italy. It was a pretty city, but the Duomo, while offering a great view, was not all that pretty to look at, and the lack of night life (we went to a pub one night...because we couldn't find anything else) hurts as well. Oh, and it SNOWED. Only the amazing gelatto (best in Italy, I thought) and the Accedamia saves this town. Maybe its more enjoyable in better weather. It scores a 6/10.

Wednesday we left by train again to Venice. When we got there, we walked out of the train station to an amazing view of the grand canal. After dropping a euro in the hat of a street performer playing the piano (gotta support my own...and think how many bridges that guy had to push it over!), we took a water bus down the canal to our hostel. Our hostel there was AWESOME. It was bascially an apartment, completely with a living room, kitchen, iron, and cable TV (Italian MTV is pretty crazy stuff). I had fallen pretty ill by this point as had one other person, so that night, instead of going out, we followed Rick Steves' advice (Rick Steves as in the author of several European travel guide books) and got take away from a local pizza place. It was cheap, fast, and deliciious. Up there with that one slice of pizza I got in New York that one time.

Thursday we wandered around Venice, near the Rialto Bridge (the main one over the grand canal) and shopped around for glasswares (Murano, a side island of Venice, is famous for its glass), and ate more gelatto. That night, we were going to out to a couple great bars we had heard about, but by that point, the plague that I was suffering had shut down my body and several of my travel mates' as well, so we stayed in and made dinner, and went to bed early.

Venice was absolutely gorgeous. The people were great, the canals fascinating, and there were no cars! Great hostel + great food + awesome environment + SUN = 10/10. Best city I saw.

Friday we left for Salzburg by way of Villach, Austria. It was a six hour trian ride, so once we got into our hostel, we just went to the hostel bar. It was pretty fun. The Austrian beer was a welcome vacation from the terrible Italian "beer" that still lingered on my taste buds, and the bar tender was a really cool guy. We also got to meet up with a couple other ND kids rounding out their trip as well.

Saturday we explored the city. We saw Mozart's birthplace and where he lived, and the Salzburg Fortress. The fortress was really neat. It was basically impenetrable during the time when penetrating castles was a cool thing to do. We also got a free (well, included in admission anyway) audio guide, and another really cool view from the top of the fortress (its on a really tall hill). After the tour, we wandered around some more, saw the main church in Salzburg (which was ornate like the Italian ones, but somewhat simpler and blander in color), and then went to a restaurant for some hearty Austrian food. And it was. I had roast pork with potatoes and sauerkraut. It was the best meal of the week, hand's down. After dinner, it was back to the hostel bar, where more and more ND kids were ending their trips, so we all chilled until bed time.

So Salzburg had one great site, great food, and pretty good beer. But after that, there wasn't all that much to do. Sound of Music was filmed there, and there's a whole tour that's offered that takes you to all the sites...for thirty euro. So we didn't do that. Also, it was COLD in Austria (duh...). So Salzburg scores a 8/10 on the scale-o-meter.

However, the overall rating of my trip isn't simply the average of the individual scores (which is an 8.25). Just having the opportunity to do this while still in college (with a little help from the 'rents from time to time...) adds at least 5 points. Add to that I feel holier for having visted the Vatican, and the fact that gelatto is the greatest thing on earth, and the trip scores a 22.675/10. Pretty impressive in my book.

Odds are I forgot some stuff. Check Phil's Blog once he updates to fill in pieces/verify my tales. If I realize a glaring error, I'll fix it. Once I feel like it.

But now, its great to be back where the national language is English, even if people do hate still hate me for my nationality. I've got laundry to catch up on though, so cheers!

I'm in Italy!

2005-02-18T18:59:00.000-06:00

Just a quick one...

I'm in Rome right now!! Its pretty crazy. We had a great flight here, a really easy trip overall. We got in to our hostel at about 9 pm local time. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost my cell phone...

Fortunately, our hostel is awesome (with free internet access no less!), and tonight we just went to a little square recommended by the Australian guy at the front desk. The area was neat. We had amazing pizza and Gilato (basically ice cream) and actually ran into some ND Rome kids at a bar! Unfortuantely, the bar wasn't all that great, and it definately made me miss my British beer...

But now its bed time. Busy day tomorrow! Goodnight all.

Tuesdays with Adam

2005-02-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

hmm...I like that.

Yesterday I had a paper-seminar instead of my full Philosophy of Law class. It was far more boring than it could have been. Basically, 7 of us (out of about 22 that are usually in the class) sat with our professor for an hour, and he interviewed us individually about our papers. We didn't even speak to one another! So much for a seminar, although apparently later groups actually did have discussions.

Last night we tried to go to Walkabout again, but we left way too late (we got there at around 11:00), and the line was probably like two hours. Being the impatient Americans we are, we decided to head to the Covent Garden area where we had heard about some clubs. Unfortunately, we headed in the completely wrong direction. God must have been smiling on us last night though, because our friend Scott stopped to ask one man, who was alone, where Covent Garden was. Lo and behold, that man was going there. What are the odds?

We ended up going to Los Locos club, which was really fun. It's a lot smaller than Walkabout, and the happy hour only runs till midnight (lesson learned...we got there around 11:30). But during said happy hour, the best deal is a pitcher of 6 mixed drinks (Mai Tai's, Long Island Iced Teas, etc) for 8 pounds. That, and no cover for students on Mondays and Wednesdays equals a potentially great Wednesday coming up, now that we know where the place is. Plus, the people in the club were decidely less sketch than at Walkabout, which seems to attract a lot of old, sweaty Italian men.

Today I had class with O'Boyle...and we had a pop test. An hour long, unannounced, mid-term exam, with eight essay questions. Who does that? After that major surprise, we had an interesting discussion about adultery and marriage, and then called it a day.

I'm now in the classroom computer cluster, waiting to go to MacBeth (put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company) tonight. I had a sweet chicken samosa for dinner, and then decided to chill. But now...I'm out.

Back again!

2005-02-14T06:34:00.000-06:00

Whew...I'm actually updating this thing within a week's time. I'm so awesome.

Friday night we tried to go to Zoo Bar as planned, since Jess's friend had apparently weaseled her way on the guest list. Unfortunately, apparently 'weasel' to her means 'to not get on the guest list at all,' because we sure didn't have free cover. We ended up at another bar in frustration, Digress, near Regent Street. It was ok, but drinks were still a little expensive, and the music was very strange...I'm really starting to think that '80's music is brand new over here or something.

Saturday we woke up bright and early and 12 of us went to Warwick Castle [pictures up when I get around to it. Get off my back already!]. It was an hour and a half train ride north, but it was gorgeous. Its a very large castle that has Victorian decorations in the great hall, actors portraying characters, a small dungeon and museum to look at, a peakcock garden (with real peacocks!) and some great photo ops.

Saturday night I stayed in to work on my paper, but ended up only getting part of it done because a whole bunch of us decided to play games. We played Taboo, which was fun, and we played a fabulous game called 'family.' Its essentially a party/ice breaker game, but its still a blast.

Sunday I intended to go to the Duke to watch the Manchester United - Manchester City match (which Man U won 2-0...yay!), but instead I had to go to the classroom building and pick up/work on some piano music for my Concert Life presentation on Thursday. I'm playing Gershwin's Summertime and Emily is singing. After that, I came back to the flat to work on more of my paper, and then helped make dinner for our flat and the girls next door. We had a penne/spinich bake with Marscapone and blue cheese, along with salad, baked brie, and cookies and ice cream. It was awesome. After dinner, we played more games (which were a hit with the newbies as well), and then I finished up my paper...at 4am. Whoops. Oh well, I got plenty of sleep. I love not having class until 2pm!

Which leads me to my next point...its time to go. Cheers!

Some pictures for your viewing enjoyment...

2005-02-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

The Prime Meridian...of the World!!

The Greenwich Maritime Museum

The Greenwich Royal Observatory

Westminster Abbey

Another Week, Another Post

2005-02-11T04:34:00.000-06:00

Let's see...

Last Saturday night we went to Zoo Bar, a club in Leicester Square. It was a little pricey, but not nearly as bad as we thought. Still trying to decide on the fun scale though. There was a ground floor and a basement. The ground floor was packed but at least had decent music, while the basement was more managable, but placed all house and trance music. Ugh.

Sunday we went to Greenwich to see the prime meridian and learned about longitude. It was interesting, but in the end, pretty much just a line and a bunch of clocks. Neat part of London though. Sunday night was of course the Super Bowl! A whole bunch of us went over to the Duke of York to watch, but we only stayed till the 3rd quarter. Pretty boring game, and we didn't get all the fun commercials over here.

Monday brought class again, but that demon was fought off. That night we had Charles Ramirez, a classical guitarist, play for our concert life class. He was excellent, and we were able to speak with him afterwards as well. Very interesting person and a talented musician.

Tuesday we went to the London Museum for O'Boyle's class. Meh. It's the largest museum chronicling a single city in the world, but it wasn't all that interesting. Something to see once I suppose. That night, a few of us wanted to go to Ronnie Scott's, a jazz bar, but the line was an hour long. So we bit the bullet and went back to SportsCafe...for an hour. We forgot how much we've come to hate that place. On the plus side, Notre Dame beat Boston College!! Whoo!!

Wednesday was another boring Finance class. That night AJ and I grabbed some food for dinner, but we ended up having seven for dinner. Bloody freeloaders. Kidding, kidding. It was really nice, and everone made food, so we had a ton of pasta, salad, garlic bread, even desert! That night I stayed in again (two nights in a week! Weird...) and watched Mallrats. One of my favorites.

Yesterday for Bradshaw's class we watched 'A Man for All Seasons,' which is a 1966 film about Sir Thomas More, a statesman who was executed for speaking out against King Henry VIII (the one with like 3 dozen wives). Very good, surprisingly, and we got out early. After a nice long break, I had concert life, which was good. Four group presentations, so that passed the time nicely.

Last night we went back to Callaghans for Karaoke. Except this time, Notre Dame students took over nearly the entire pub. Oh well, it was all fun. Tons of people I know sang, some good, some hilarious. We had to leave a little earlier than expected, however, because one Jamaican guy kept hitting on one of our friends, even after she told him to get lost, and the guy even got all in Phil's face when Phil tried to step in. Some people are just jerks I guess.

Today is maid day (yay!) so I'm in the computer lab as they clean my flat. No idea what I'm doing today though. Apparently Zoo Bar again tonight or something, and I need to work on a paper that's due Monday, but otherwise...where ever the wind (or rain in this city) may take me...

Where does the time go?

2005-02-04T22:35:00.000-06:00

I'm still here I swear.

Its been a LONG time since I last updated, I know. I'm really bad at this apparently. Anyway, let's see...I last updated...Sunday?! Oh man, I have some work to do.

Monday was class first, and we actually got into a decent class discussion in Philosophy. That night was Walkabout again. Unfortunately, we had to leave at midnight b/c a certain lady friend of ours had a wee bit too much to drink (i.e. we dragged her home 3 miles). Bleh.

Tuesday was O'Boyle's Crime and Punishment class. During the second half of the class, we took a walking tour to the Foundling Hospital Museum. The Foundling Hospital is where abandoned infants during the Victorian period in London would be dropped off. The museum is very interesting, and even features much of the composer Handel's original scores, since he was a large donor to the original hospital. After the tour, O'Boyle took us out drinking at 'The Rocket,' a pub nearby the museum. It was good...good beer prices (7 pounds for 5 pints of Carling...I split it, don't worry) and I had a tasty burger.

After the pub, I met up with my Concert Life class for a Tchaikovsky concert. Solid, but not as good as the previous concert. We then went to SportsCafe following the concert. I keep swearing that place off, but its just so cheap!

Wednesday was Finance (wow, this class just gets more and more boring). Wednesday night we didn't do much. Duke of York followed by hostel booking for our first trip. Nice to get all that out of the way.

Thursday's classes first brought Bradshaw's Theology class. After another 100% on the quiz (yay!), we watched a video and then took a tour down to Westminster Abbey [pictures up later]. That place is awesome. And, since Bradshaw is an Anglican priest, we got to go to a lot of the places the general public doesn't get to go anymore, like the shrine of King Edward the Confessor. We also saw poet's corner, the tombs of Henry VII and Elizabeth I, and for those of you who have read The Da Vinci Code, we saw the Newton-planet memorial thing. Yeah.

Concert life wasn't too bad on Thursday either. A couple of good group presentations, and we're getting into my favorite parts of music history.

Today Pat and I had lunch at Tiger Tiger and then checked out the National Gallery. Very cool. I saw lots of art by Monet, Manet, Leonardo, Raphael, and tons more. We were there an hour and a half and didn't even make it out the first wing!

When we got home, Phil, Pat, Mike, and I cooked a great chicken-alfredo dinner. Then, Pat, Mike, and I went to St Martins-in-the-field church in Trafalgar Square for a Vivaldi concert. We heard two violin concertos by Vivaldi, Pachabel's Canon, Mozart's three Salzburg Symphonies, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons. All amazing. Great acoustics in the church too.

After the concert, we decided to just wander. We ended up at a pub in SoHo, of all places, which was really cool. After a couple pints, we made our way back to the Landward and called it an evening. Well, after lots of talking and TV (as you can probably tell by the time of this message...if you can't, its very late), we decided to go to bed.

So that was my week. Paper writing and Zoo Bar planned for tomorrow, and a trip to Greenwich (to see the meridian) Sunday, plus the Super Bowl at the Duke of York! I can't believe this, but I think I'm actually going to cheer for the Pats. Ugh.

The wackiest week of all

2005-01-30T19:57:00.001-06:00

It was certainly quite a week.

Friday I didn't do too much. That night I hit up the Duke of York. Again. Starting to become my regular hang out :)

Saturday we went to Canterbury (like the tales)! Great times. Here's some pictures:

Marlowe Memorial

Me and Phil in Canterbury

High Street in Canterbury

The Cathedral at Canterbury

Great times. My friend Chris and I tried to go to a brewery that was featured on the map (after Phil and I got some wonderful fish and chips, as featured above), but alas, no such brewery existed. We did get to see Marlowe's Memorial (the playwright) and the royal museum of Canterbury. Then we went to a pub for a couple pints. Great beer, micro-brewery stuff. I'm getting spoiled with the great beer over here.

Afterwards, we went on a tour of the Canterbury Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Anglican Church; sort of like a mini-pope. The Cathedral is HUGE. After our tour, we went to an evening prayer service and then home.

Last night we went out to a local bar, the Tiburn I think. OK...cheap, but not great.

Today I did nothing. It was wonderful. I even stayed in and watched Trainspotting. Quality flick.

Tomorrow is Tiger Tiger for lunch (a posh club, but with apparently good lunch specials). Night!

Its been a hard day's night

2005-01-28T00:18:00.000-06:00

Wow. It sure has been a long time since I last updated. Things have been pretty crazy around here. Where to start, where to start?

Let's see...Sunday night (has it been that long?), my floor, which consists of 11 guys and 7 girls, had a dinner together in the girls' flat. We had baked ziti, bruschetta, and baked brie (b/c mike is crazy). It was a blast. We had SO much food!

Monday was overall pretty boring during the day. But that night, a whole bunch of us went to Walkabout, an Australian club in a converted church. It was a BLAST. Great dancing, and Mondays, drinks are only a pound! A little dangerous though...

Tuesday I had Crime and Punishment class with O'Boyle agian. A great class. We talked about abortion and baby farming (like a crazy form of adoption) in Victorian London. Who knew that the VIctorian-age English were so open about these things!! So much for them all being super-prudes.

Tuesday night, I made it to SportsCafe for pound pints. A ton of fun. More Americanized than Walkabout, but still nice to hang out with people.

Wednesday I had my econ class. Ugh. Still awful. Wednesday night was fun though. We did nothing. Finally. We stayed in and watched Ice Age (not too bad...hadn't seen it before) and Van Wilder (an instant classic).

Thursday, which is technically yesterday now, I had two classes: Theology and Concert Life. I got a 100% on my first theo quiz (yay!), but Concert Life was boring. The professors (its a husband/wife team) oversimplify things, and it bothers me. But then again, I know way more about music than the average student in the class, so I guess it all works out.

Tonight, Pat, AJ, and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera. It was really great. The Phantom was very well played. Beforehand, we ate at a great Thai place across the street from the theatre, the Blue Lagoon. Surprisingly, the Thai food here is very very good. Weird.

After we got back, we worked out our travel plans for our first break. Rachelle, Liz, Phil, AJ, and I are going to Rome February 18, then travelling to Florence, Venice, and Salzburg, Austria, and returning to London February 27. It is going to be so much fun.

OK, I think I'm pretty much caught up. Take it easy everyone!

Still kickin'

2005-01-26T11:54:00.000-06:00

I'm still here, I swear. Can't talk now, but upcoming topics include (drumroll, please):

Our floor dinner Sunday night (yum!)

Walkabout Club Monday night...which was RIDICULOUS

Crime and Punishment class Tuesday, an excellent class

SportsCafe Tuesday night...pound pints...mmm

And anything else that happens today. I promise to get all this up (and more!) by tonight. Cheers.

Picture Picture!

2005-01-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a few pictures, some of which actually prove I'm in London!!

Here's me in Bath

A more generic picture of the Roman Baths

The closest I could get to Stonehenge

And here's Mike, Pat, Me, and Phil enjoying a wonderful dinner

Cheers!

Stonehenge and Bath and one strange musical...

2005-01-23T00:40:00.000-06:00

Last night, Pat, Mike, Phil, and I cooked one hell of a dinner. We made our own meat sauce for pasta and also had salad, french bread (complete with oil and vinegar dipping sauce) and wine. Very tasty.

Ok, enough about that. After dinner, we went to see 'Sweeney Todd,' which is the strangest musical I think I've ever seen. Its about a 'demon barber from fleet street' in Victorian London. Not too bad though, and certainly entertaining.

Afterwards we came back and just chilled, since we needed to get up this morning at about 7:00 am.

Because today was our day trip to Stonehenge and Bath! [pictures up tomorrow]. It was very fun, but Stonehenge was incredibly anticlimatic. Its just a bunch of rocks!! But I suppose if you're in England, there's no excuse not to see it. Bath was a blast though. It was really neat to see the hot springs, even if we can't touch them (Romans loved to line things in lead. Kept the water warm, but not so healthy for human contact).

After that excitement, we came home and made tacos for dinner. Mmm! Very tasty. Phil and I then joined A.J. and Rachelle (two girls from upstairs) for some wine, and then the girls and I (because Phil's a big loser) hit up the Duke of York. I then came back, and after a quick jaunt to McDonalds for a McFlurry with Pat, now plan on going to bed. Speakers' Corner again tomorrow!

Concert Life in the City

2005-01-20T01:48:00.001-06:00

I had my last classes of the week today. First up was Theology with Professor Bradshaw . It should be great. He's the kinda of prof that believes b's are 'just too harsh.' Second up was Concert Life, in which we learn about classical concerts, and then attend them throughout the first third of the semester. The class was a little boring (its geared towards people who have no knowledge of classical music), but tonight's concert was fantastic.

It was a pretty walk over to the Festival Hall, which is on the other side of the Thames River. Once there, we were treated to a great overture by Glinka, and then a fantastic concerto by Khachaturian. The pianist was absolutly amazing..it made me jealous. After an intermission during which Molly and I met a lady from St. Mary's whose son was on the London program in 1988 (what a small world!), we enjoyed Dvorak's 9th Symphony, the 'New World Symphony.' Wow. It was stunning.

Afterwards, we all came back to the flats and planned our nights. Most of us don't have class tomorrow, so we managed to convince the few that did (at 9:30 am no less) to come out with us. After a failed attempt to go to Callaghan's (the Karaoke bar...it apparently closes at midnight), Mike, Margaret, Molly, Leslie, Jackie, Emily, and I wound up at the SportsCafe once again. Molly, Margaret and I managed to get our pitcher of Long Island done right this time and that with a sweet Bacardi and Coke got me on the dance floor with everyone else. It was actually a blast. Not too many people, but enough to make it fun. However, we all agreed we need to stop going there...too American. A nice bar, but we can do stuff like that next year. We need a new late night hangout.

But now its bed time. Hopefully I'll be able to rip myself out bed early enough tomorrow to get some shopping and laundry done. And then on Saturday, we're off to Bath and Stonehenge (with plenty of pictures to follow). Night!

Shh! That's Taboo!

2005-01-19T19:46:00.000-06:00

OK, so I lied again. I once again didn't make it to the sportscafe last night, but I had a blast nonetheless. After a quick chicken-pot-pie (very tasty), we went across the road the Victory pub. Pretty fun, and cheap tequila shots :). At about 11:00, we came back and a whole bunch of us played Taboo (the board game) in my flat. Wow. Crazy times. After that, our flat became an impromptu dance party/conversation center. Didn't travel far last night, but a sweet night nonetheless.

Tonight was certainly one of the most fun I've had in the city so far. After a quick turkey sandwich for dinner (but don't worry, more will come), six of us (Pat, Phil, Jackie, Emily, Margaret, and I) went to go see the musical 'Chicago.' It was fantastic, although watching Brits try to American accents ranged from 'wow' to hilarity. All in all, a terrific show though. Afterwards, we went to the sportscafe (finally!) and shared a pitcher of long island iced tea. Not the best one I've ever had (too much Coke), but fun times nonetheless. We then made our way back to the flats, where I found Mike (another flatmate) baking cookies. After he already baked two pies last night. The kid's a machine, I swear. But now it is bedtime, since I have two double classes tomorrow and a concert tomorrow night. Night!

Nothing like drinking with professors

2005-01-18T18:11:00.000-06:00

I had my second class of the semester today: Crime and Punishment in Victorian London. Very interesting topic that looks to be fleshed out (no pun intended) over the course of the semester. The best part, however, was that our second hour of the class consisted of a walking tour of West End and Smithfield, and then our professor invited us to share a drink with him at a local bar. The conversation was hilarious; professor O'Boyle certainly has some unique views on things...you should ask me about them on IM or in private, as I probably shouldn't share them here lol.

And of all people to be in my class, Pablo Manriquez turns out to be a full-year student here at London. I had no idea, but it sure was great to catch up with him.

So now I sit in the computer labs of the classroom building, since there was really no point in walking the 45 minutes back to the flats just to turn right around and head back the SportsCafe across the street here (which I still haven't been to, much to the disagreement with my away message as of late). So I bid you farewell. Tomorrow should be another great day. One class (Finance) followed possibly by a night out at a show, if we can organize it together. G'night!

Ahh! Class!

2005-01-18T02:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday night was a blast as well. Phil, Pat, Rachel, and I finally made it to Camden Town (a small part of north London) after a hellish bus trip. As it turns out, the bus we got on was the correct line, but the driver ended the trip about 4 stations early since he was off duty then...and we didn't know that. So we ended up walking the last mile or so before we made it to Camden Town. The wait was well worth it though.

Camden Town is like SoHo (for those of you who have been to NYC) on steroids....for those at home, its like North Davidson Street on super steroids and a growth package. It's an artsy, young area with tons of shops and weird, eccletic stores. And apparently, shrooms are legal here. I got nothing. I did, however, manage to pick up a sweet Manchester United (a soccer team here) scarf in the area (which later pissed off our building manager Cliff, who is a huge Chelsea fan hehe).

After exploring the area for a little bit, we made our way over to the London Irish Center where we were to have an ND Londoners' mass and dinner. We arrived about an hour early however, so we stopped for a pint at a local pub. It was neat to see locals in their true form, without a huge group of Americans to influence them. And man, I have never heard people curse like that!

After that, we had a very nice mass and a great dinner of chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, and chili, with a cash bar so we could loosen up...since dancing was next to come. And not just any dancing...traditional English dancing. In the end it was actually a ton of fun... I got to meet new people and get to know some others better, so it worked itself out.

We got back to the flats pretty late, so after talking to some people back home, I called it a night.

Classes started today. I had one (well, two technically. All my classes are back-to-back 1 hour 15 minute sessions). Philosophy and Law was my class for the day, and it was surprisingly very good. The professor seems really nice and the course content is interesting. And the nearly 3 hour long class was even bearable.

The rest of my day was delightfully chill. I got out of class at about 5:00 pm, so I headed back for dinner. Flat 5 (Bill and Sean's flat) was having a dinner, but one of their flatmates was out, so I jumped in :). Pork chops, potatoes, rice, and wine. All for only 2 pounds a person! Great deals abound when you eat in a group.

After dinner I hung out with two of my flatmates, Steve and John, in my own flat. Some people came over and we prepartied for a bit...definitely fun times. Afterwards, Pat and I hit up the Duke of York for a pint and great conversation (isn't that what its all about?), and then back to the flat to watch Rain Man, which I had never actually seen. It was good, although the ending was a little abrupt.

And now its time for bed. Good night readers! Cheers.

Hear ye, hear ye and the Duke of York

2005-01-16T01:24:00.000-06:00

[Note: I forgot the other day to mention that my bag did make it here, Friday night. So, much to the appreciation of those around me, I got all fresh clothes back].

Wow. Its been two days already since I've posted.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a great day. We woke up and went to some more oreintation meetings (ugh...), but then had lunch and went on a bus tour of the city. For lunch we had pizza, and I found the courage to try to corn pizza (which is essentially cheese pizza with corn on top). Surprisingly, very good.

The bus tour was loads of fun as well. We saw the Tower Bridge (picured above), Big Ben,Marble Arch, The London Eye (Ferris Wheel),The Parliament Building, St Paul's Catherdral, and the Tower of London.

Defintely a cool trip to see everything. Afterwards, we made some chicken pasta for dinner (yum) and headed over to the casino next to our flats. Surprisingly a very classy place. I ended up down 5 pounds, but it was entertaining. We then went to the Duke of York, which a small pub down the street. Definitely a sweet place though. Great beer and a very chill atmostsphere provided for a fun evening. We finished up the night with some poker (which is lost again...) and finally, sleep.

This morning, Phil (my roomate), our friend Scott, and I went to speaker's corner at Hyde Park. Basically, it is a bunch of crazy people that stand up on boxes and talk about whatever they feel like. Pictures can be found here and here.

Well, I'm off to Camden Town to explore before mass and some stuff with all the ND Londoners. Classes start tomorrow. Bleh.

Longest. Trip. Ever.

2005-01-15T02:47:00.000-06:00

This is gonna be a long one, so bear with me. Oh, and pictures will be on the way.

I had the longest trip to London I think ever experienced by anyone, ever. And I don't speak in hyperbole. It all started when I was told not to travel through Chicago [as per my original plans] since it was so backed up, but to instead travel through Dallas to London Gatwick [as opposed to London Heathrow airport where I was originally scheduled]. However, a freak storm hit Dallas right as we were about to land, so were diverted to the Austin, Texas airport, where we sat in the plane for six hours before we finally able to get to Dallas. Needless to say, I missed my flight to London, so American Airlines put me up in a hotel for the night.

The next available flight to London was 6 am from Dallas to Chicago, and then 9:10 am from there to London Heathrow. However, as previously mentioned, my bags were tagged to go to London Gatwick. Fortunately, the lady at the ticket counter was able to reroute my luggage to Heathrow with me (or so I thought...).

The flight went very smoothly. I even got my own row on the 777 airplane, which was awesome. When I got to London, things started to go wrong though. My baggage didn't show up. I was devestated. All my clothing was in my two bags. I was able to get to the flat at about Midnight Thursday night however, and got a decent's night rest.

I woke up at 6:30 Friday morning (remember, I said decent rest, not good sleep), and was able to watch the sun rise from the window in our flat. Gorgeous. I then took a shower and got dressed in clothes that I already worn for two days and went for a walk...on which I bought febreeze at the local grocery store. We then had meetings and orientation all day, and then were released on the town. I had a great dinner consisting of pork chops and pasta home cooked, and then started to loosen up.

I ended up going out tonight with a few friends...Bill, Chris, Zach, Liz, Ed, Belatti, and a girl Belatti had met who was from London, Hannah [side note: very cool girl, and helpful to travel the area with]. We went to a club and had a few drinks and danced a bit. However, at one point, Bill, Chris, and I asked three girls to dance. They refused, on the count that we Americans, and they don't like Americans. That was a bit unnerving and harsh, but it unforunately seems to be a bit of a sentiment of the area. It was a nice walk back though, wich wonderful political conversation, and after some light unpacking and conversations with the flatmates, I sit here typing furiously.

All in all, my London experience has been great so far. We have more meetings tomorrow morning, followed by a bus tour of the city. Classes also start on Monday (more on those as they progress). I'm hoping to meet more people and keep exploring the city. Cheers!

T-Minus...

2005-01-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

6 days. Hard to believe my break has gone by so quickly already!

Yesterday was a fun day though. Went up to Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore Estate (America's largest home). Its always fun to tour around a gigantic house, plus they have a great wine tasting facility set up at their winery. Afterwards Chels and I explored the town...neat little place.

But enough about boring North Carolina. Its almost time for London! I can't wait to get over there. I've been learning how to cook...its coming along, sort of. The weather over there looks gloomy though. Oh well. I'll be in London!

By the way. I didn't buy a Nintendo DS (the games suck) or a Sony PSP (not released state-side until March). So more cash for travelling/pub crawling.

Me again

2004-12-22T20:45:00.000-06:00

Just proving that I still exist. No real updates about London. I did turn 21 though...very exciting. I can finally drink! (legally, that is). Scary that they sell alcohol to me now...mwa ha ha. Packing for London hasn't really begun yet...still waiting for christmas to see what new stuff I need to buy. Thinking of getting a Nintendo DS/Sony PSP too. Any thoughts about which one? Leave a comment below.

Testing, 1..2..3..

2004-12-15T03:06:00.000-06:00

This will be my online journal for all to see while I'm in London (and no, I'm not there yet....so many questions already, jeez...). I'll try to update it as much as possible....but probably not regularily until I'm actually in England. So watch my AIM profile/away message for updates (My screenname is QGBassist).