Cheers: September 2007

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Leeds Castle and Canterbury

Today I went to Leeds Castle and Canterbury. I did not sleep very well last night, partially because we can't control the heat in our room and partially because some of my flatmates decided to have a loud discussion in the hallway outside my room at 4:30am. So getting up at 7:45am was not fun.

The bus ride to Leeds Castle took about 2 hours. The castle and the grounds were beautiful. Unfortunately, we had to pay for an audio tour, but it was pretty good.

Leeds Castle

The Moat and Millhouse of Leeds Castle

Katie with Leeds Castle

Steve and Meg in front of the Castle Grounds

Leeds Castle (It's built on 2 islands.)

Castle Grounds and lots of ducks

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle Garden

Loch Ness Monster

Pretty Castle Grounds

Make Way for Ducklings

Pretty flowers

There was a maze in the garden. We only had 20 minutes to spend, and Katie had a theory that if you put your hand on one side of the wall and do not remove it, then you will eventually make it out of the maze. We were in the maze for about 10 minutes, and we wanted to get out. Finally, we made it out the way we came in, so we're not sure if the theory worked or not.

Katie, Meg, and Steve leading us through the maze

Me worried about the maze. (PS The maze was very Harry Potter Book 4 -ish. Minus the monsters.)

The lady of the house at Leeds Castle had a bird obsession, so there was an aviary, too.

Very, very loud bird.

Another bird.

We left Leeds Castle and it took us over an hour to get to Canterbury. Traffic was horrible and we were starving by the time we arrived. So our first stop in Canterbury was a pub called The Seven Stars and I had delicious fish and chips. We walked around the town a little and checked out Canterbury Cathedral.

This is a building in downtown Canterbury that looks like it could tip over. Our tour guide assured us that it has been inspected and will not tip over. I'm not so sure...

Entrance to Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral (It's huge and wouldn't fit in the picture.)

Carvings above the opening door to Canterbury Cathedral

Indoor arches

Pretty Stained-Glass Window

Pretty Stained-Glass Window 2

Saint Anselm! (Bridget may appreciate this picture.)

"This candle burns where the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury stood from 1220 to 1538 when it was destroyed by order of King Henry VIII."

The bus ride home took forever because we hit a lot of traffic. I fell asleep for half the ride, though, so that was nice.

I'm not sure what's going on tonight, but I might take a power nap if we decide to go out.

Under Control

So I think my homework situation is under control, which is a relief. I finished my 2000 word paper and my 1000 word article and a book. So, I just have another book to read and 2 finals to take, and that's it! It's weird to think this, but in exactly a week, I will be heading to the airport to go to Rome. All our hotels are booked, so we are set to go. :-)

Tomorrow I am going with the BU Social Programme to Leeds and Canterbury. I was planning to go to the Tower of London with Diana, but it's going to rain and Diana has a lot of work to do, so we decided not to go. Then I found out that one of my friends' had her purse stolen, and she had a ticket for the trip but she has to deal with everything you have to deal with when you lose your purse, so she was skipping the trip. I figured that since I had nothing to do, I may as well buy her ticket; that way, she doesn't lose any money, and I have something to do tomorrow. So I bought the ticket and I will be off to the set of Chaucer's short stories. (I hated Chaucer's stories, but probably mostly because we were taught them by Mrs. Anderson, who loved to give me Bs and B-s.)

Well I should head to bed because I'm getting an early start tomorrow. Good night!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

One Month

Today marks the one-month anniversary of my arrival in London. I can't believe I've been here for so long; the semester is flying by.

In other news, I've developed an obsession with English cookies, especially Hobnobs.

Hobnobs: the most delicious cookie ever

The ginger snaps are also really tasty. Anyone who knows me knows of my weak spot for cookies, and now hobnobs are my Achilles heel.

I checked my mail today and I had 3 letters! It was great! They sort our letters into mailboxes by last name, and I was the only person with the last name beginning with J to get mail. Thanks Hailly, Auntie Ellen, Nana and Papa! Mail is fun.

Well, next week I have a paper, an article, and 2 finals, so it's crunch time until then! I can't wait until next Friday at 5:00; then I will be free! We will spend 9 days in Italy and Spain and I will return home and start my 1 class and internship and then I will see my parents. (And I just found out that the IR class I'm taking this semester counts toward my minor, so I only need to take 3 classes next semester to graduate. Score!) I'm excited!

Oh, and Diana's computer died last week and she had to get a new one, so she just posted more Ireland pictures. Here are some pictures I stole from her.