Home again

I am home! The trip from Heathrow was a little hairy but I did make the plane. The conveyor belt that takes your luggage after you weight it in was broken in VIrgin Atlantic's terminal so the extra three hours I allowed was mostly spent in line waiting to get the bag dumped. Then I went up to the long security line with thirty minutes to take off and managed to cut the whole line by showing my boarding pass and getting through, wheeee, I then made the plane and sat on it for about forty five minutes. Met a nice girl, the one seated next to me, had a nice easy flight, again very good food, watched three decent movies and landed in fine form. The last week or so has been busy with holiday preparation. I uploaded all the Germany pictures and once I organize them in a blog entry then I will do those two posts and call myself caught up here. The next two weeks are going to be busy and it is hard to believe that two weeks from today I will be back in London preparing for the start of my second term! ARGGG. Happy holidays.

Three assignments, Five days

That's a good title for a poem. Short update tonight, presentation tomorrow and it's hard, horray for another late night. Went out with friends to a pub last night, got so into the hanging out and sampling various drinks that I actually felt it this morning, whoops. Live and learn. Pubs make me happy though.

Busy week, but all in all probably better than the last one work wise. Anyone can survive four days with three assignments....Gag, and the weather here has been so off and on rain, apparently it's finally "london" weather. Tomorrow the sun rises at 7:57 and sets at 3:51....do the math, that's a short amount of daylight.

Except for the messy room, too much work, weather reports and ohhh dorm complaints (maybe I better just avoid those all together), life here moves right along at an enjoyable clip. By the way, homefood list is getting looooong...just saying!

Oh and also in the Garrick, LSE restaurant, I discovered maple peacan danishes like at the general store...talk about a frekin' small world, anyway it's nice to have those there for a treat :>)
okay presentation time...grrrr

Camden

Spent the day enjoying myself in Camden Market. A friend came along and every time we walked into little booths and what-not it felt like a little world of its own. Very cool. I saw a strapless red dress for 12 pounds, good buy, but kinda not going to work for a new england christmas, plus i doubt I would have worn it, still love red though.

So germany pictures etc do need to go up here. and they will. however at the moment a nap is calling b/c it is cold and wet and dark outside....

and I am posting cute kitty pictures because my Midd friend showed me about them, they are cute and they make me giggle.


moar funny pictures



moar funny pictures



moar funny pictures


and finally how i feel sometimes when people knock very late at night


moar funny pictures

Good grief

I'm so tired. I know I whined a lot about that recently, but another almost sleepless night really will make me want cheese with my whine*/wine. Oh there will be celebrating next Thursday or Friday make no mistake. I am currently in the LSE library, big open white freaky space that it is desperately trying to make hardcore paper editing go faster so I can a) finish in the library and return all damn books, b) get out of here before it gets colder damn lack of sun, c) get food because I'm rather hungry and I will miss dinner, tear* not really and finally d) I need sleep like whoaaaa. Not seeing double or anything, but grrrrrr.

Yes so tomorrow will be fun, working in the morning, Christmas/clothes shopping at Camden Market in the afternoon, then on a tight budget for the rest of the week. Sunday, well Sunday is prepare for next week day and if I feel so inspired catch up on bear necessities (the simple bear necessities, forget about your worries and your strife...oh Disney movies sigh), Lizzie would probably say that was a "rapid train of thought right there that was..." and she'd be right. I do not have a clue where that came from...honest.

I have a few things I'd like to do this week as well, and I highly doubt any will happen, but just to humor myself and continue my rambling/break from massively complicated paper...
1) buy LSE sweatshirt, because how could I not?
2) Find a chinese yowtza...or dumpling as I call it (but not like the wanton looking ones), but a friend informed me (after I described it) that I was in fact in error...oops. They taste good, I'm good. Why do I want to do this? Well there is a Chinatown in this city like NY and the last time I had them was two summers ago for breakfast, my stomach still sings at the memory...yes literally, well not like I sing, better than that, all low and bass like...growly sort, anyways moving on...
3) Um...wait for it, ohhhh where did it go? Oh yes, buy binders and organize massive amounts of readings and handouts from semester/term, fun sounding huh? Yeah that's probably why I spaced out....and forgot...except I can't because everytime I see my room and think of all the various email attachments from fellow classmates and teachers I have to print and organize up as well I want to cry.
4) read as much as possible at the end of the week to minimize reading that will accompany me home (bitchness).
I think that's about as ambitious as I get, packing list and packing don't count and we'll just throw room cleaning in with those two. 7 days, oh yes, just 7 measley days....wow time is now just flying by!

Grrrr...the paper is still glaring at me. Oh yes it is.
I've effectively rambled about nothing important, yes I'm sort of just realizing that, also this is why some days I really just see little point in posting because it's just me working, having rambles, and working more and more and more...damn end of term to hell (if I thought it even existed). Tonight it does, and so does God and he currently is not amused by me for some reason and is punishing me....clearly, my advice to myself from now on is always work ahead and fear the wrath...FEAR the wrath...and I should specify I feel wrath more of the academic gods right now. (By the way for anyone reading this with any religious beliefs I do apologize, it's just I'm officially annoyed and have no real connection myself...soooooo).


Okay it's time to call it a wrap...."and scene."

Conquering the buses

Well sort of conquering buses. Essentially I'm slowly learning the city well enough to figure out which buses will get me where I needed to go. I started out down kingsway to LSE pretty easy, I know the way on foot, confidence has led me to a few other places. Horray! Nice indian dinner out tonight for a friend's birthday, 14 pounds, a little expensive, but good good food and good fun.

We left in such wind and rain that four people's umbrellas broke, it was funny to watch everyone trying to walk into the wind with brollies, ps. don't try it.

All nighter now for the sociology paper, eight days and counting till I go home! Horray. Getting a bit tired of various presentations etc...meh.

Cheers

The Sun'll come out tomorrow (today)

Woke up today and what god awful dreary weather, yesh. I took the bus down to LSE to avoid being out in it...by the time I left the campus, stunning blue sky and sun, go figure. So I survived through wednesday, reading summary due, about an hour ago but dinner called. Unfortunately the pasta dish, too much pepper, stomach is ready to revolt. Now I am preparing for an evening of reading for paper and doing reading summary before bed, tomorrow shall be paper writing....then a talk on the EU from 3-4 (probably not really but we can hope) and finally of course, christmas tree lighting in trafalgar square and a friend's birthday dinner. Wanna bet I'm only going to the dinner? Yeah me too. Paper due Friday, weekend shopping in markets/work, presentation monday, paper wednesday, presentation thursday, pack friday, HOME Saturday. Nine days to survive, mad intense. Okay I'm off, haven't forgotten about Germany, but again, with all my pictures and Lizzie's too, doubtful before the weekend. Sigh.
Peace out

Sunday

Okay this post is officially posted as of January 27th (gulp). At least it is up. The next portion was written shortly after the fact(and just edited slightly now)...it's from whatever day this actually was put up under in the blog chronology. Picture captions I just did...and that's that.

Oh Sunday in Germany. First off I have to admit as I write the first part of this post, it's late, like early late. I'm writing a paper I should have written there, riiiight, like that was going to happen. So it's 2 something and I sit here reading away, writing down things, and now I have a word count! Woop, celebrate! Then go back for a) making sure train of thought reflects "comprehensive thinking" b) editing for grammer/flow and then of course c) the citations and bibliography. Me thinks bed around 4 something. Fantastic considering tomorrow is Monday. Well as I write this it is actually. However like the Canterbury post, I wait to be able to upload pictures before I post this officially. However writing/pictures/captions at one time, takes time I don't ever have all at once.

So Sunday, Lizzie and I headed down to the bus and went into town. We then bought some post cards at the train station so I could send 'em to people, I can say Danke...and that's about it. Horray for friends who like to tour and translate. I wrote those postcards over some wicked good bread rolls with garlic butter sauce (ohhhh), and another amazing cup of coffee (I grieve for lack of coffee, good coffee). Then of course we move on to the market again, more shopping and admiring and tried the following foods.

1) Gingerbread, cake of life (whatever the german word for it is), and that was tasty. Dry, but overall satisfying and Christmasy.

2) Egg Liqueur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocaat), basically Lizzie thought egg punch was like egg nog. Um, nope, damn that stuff was powerful. I took a sip and made a shocked face (which I'm told was pricless). Lizzie asked if it was too hot and I just shook my head, I think she had a similiar expression on a second later.

3) Sausage and fries. Pretty standard, but they were good. They smelled so good and after that egg stuff, we needed lunch, like whoa.

4)Roasted chestnuts because you can't be in Germany around the holidays and not have them. Tasty, warm, not toooo sweet, not quite my thing, but still...

5) truffles, always good....

Nice food weekend, fact.

German observations: They are actually jolly in the market, not much english is spoken and Lizzie and I both did a double take at an American accent! Horray for English. The music though, all American christmas carols, weird. Then I started to realize that in the US things are way overcommercialized and that is something that here you don't get as much. You get a sense of spirituality and while I"m not really all that spiritual, I do appreciate the sentiments I can sense. I only get that on Christmas Eve sitting around the table with family. Three weeks from today, if I survive that long. Sigh.

What we did, recap in order continued...
Let's see, so after that market and food tasting (minus chestnuts and chocolates which we saved until the end), we did a river walk, saw some more nice buildings, old palace, cathedral...exciting and very different from walking along the built up Thames. Finally we went back to the dorm, I mailed postcards, and grabbed my bus to Hahn airport. Easy enough getting onto the plane (and back where English is spoken).

Here I sit on my bed, done, writing, but good times.

I think that's most of Germany....basically amazing to get away, too short, and too much work which I now need to get back to. Pictures are below with brief brief notes.
Some of them with the little (*) are ones that Lizzie took......


In the center of the market...reminds one of maypole if you will....(*)



One of the wine stands....horray for German



Egg Likiour....yeesh it was strong...cheers to that.... (* of me)





Cute little glass figures, too delicate to buy (*)




Good tasty gingerbread in all forms...





Cute little hollow houses for incense smell cones to burn, and some had chimmneys for the smoke to come out of. CUTE





Candles that melted in funky forms



Dom again



One of the seven famous parts of the old city wall left, pillar that is...



And river walk (to get rid of food in stomachs)....



Swing Lizzie, GO!



Midd Panther?



Creepy cold courthouse...



Freaky skeleton like trees, they looked as though they were made of metal...



Heading along the river in various poses and colors...(* Lizzie took the ones of me, I took the ones of her).















Oh the ducks don't wanna play...(*)



Old palace...



Another beautiful old cathedral...










More freaky trees in tunnel formation along the river on the walk back to the market.




Classic roasted chesnuts, thinks Europe around the holidays! They weren't bad either...(*)

The 9th

Note* I know this entry is several weeks late and I apologize. Welcome to Germany. Most of the text before the pictures was actually written on the day it happened; the picture captions are more recent. Lizzie helped me with the German words. Oh and also any picture caption with a little (*) is a picture that Lizzie took.
Here goes.....

Original text:
Germany is the 9th (not counting the US and India which I don't) that I've set foot in, and I've got a cool passport stamp to show for it horray!!!!!!! Basically Germany is more like the US, except that makes what is foreign really weird, like the language etc. it's nice to be out of London though and see more of Europe. I like going to new places and see new things. The coffee we had today was amazing. See picture below, but essentially it was big, and quality. Horray! German coffee, f*** british coffee, price and taste wise.

Okay and some other highlights from today

Christmas Market...weihnachtsmarkt (foreign and awesome! the word anyway), the rest, shopping, amazing little stands, pretty glass figures, straw ornaments, tea, nutcrackers, scarves, bags (ahhh), food galore, pottery, candles, everything really, jewelry it was like the exact opposite of a mall experience! Easy to shop, oh yeah, but more fun too. Money gone, brilliant. Wallet sad. Lizzie's comment "tarsi's train of thought" late late, oh how true.

Dom, or cathedral...much like other European ones, smiley face. however....equally beautiful with its mix of gothic and roman art (oh romans).Essentially the first one burned down on the celebration of its finish and the rebuilt one is over time and therefore is both simple Roman style and intricate Gothic style at the other end.

Baroque the Augustinerkirche...okay...long words here. This is renvoated and well kept up Baroque Christian church, offensively ornate, but stunning. I am keeping with a tradition here in Europe of lighting a candle everytime I can. Again, a way to be respectful without actually being religious.

Blue windows stephanskirche...beautiful. Another stunning cathedral. Lizzie's favorite. We went there as it was getting dark and sat and talked quietly and admired the huge blue windows. It had a nice effect.

The ....big fountain, mardi gras celebration.

The market-well, marktbruennen...started the protestant reformation, well not really, but close.

Okay...time for pictures, and hopefully they are in order. We started by taking the bus from lizzie's dorm down to the city center. In the main square in Mainz is the first square "schillerplatz" or fountain), and also pictured is a close up of one of the little dudes. If my memory serves me correctly, this piece of art represents the crazy carnival that happens at the beginning of february every year-Mardis Gras style, I imagine Lizzie will eventually correct me with a comment to this post if I've gotten this (or anything else) wrong.





The building to the left side of the square where they make mardis gras speeches (think balcony)



...and another two distance shots of square.





Then we continued on walking towards the river/christmas market. We stopped before getting to the markets for pastries (ohhh), and then to walk through the regular produce (also with other items) market and then go into a coffee place that came highly recommended (a la lizzie).

Lizzie treated me to these fluffy pastry things. Basically it's all fried dough and creamy stuff, oh so good, but our poor stomachs were not prepared for the intensity and so then there was coffee to help dilute it. You may think that's a weird justification and odd concept in general, but I beg to differ.*




Me taking a picture of the non christmas or weekly veggie market (and it sold other things too)* Lizzie shops here a lot.



and then.............

That Amazing, and big cup of coffee, two handles, now we're talking. Essentially British coffee leaves something to be desired and this stuff was sooo good! Oh thank goodness, how I'd longed for a good cup of coffee for weeks.*



After that was a stroll through the Christmas market....

The entrance to the Christmas market....*



You would not believe the goodies they had, these are chocolate mice heads, no no, not real mice, just shaped like it.*



These are just one example of roasted items in this market, or food in general, which could make you drool*



Some of the things that were made here were just incredibly cool*



This man who was selling these beautiful stars and other straw items heard us talking in English and then attempted to attract our attention in English every time we walked by.*



They did lots of local work right there like candle dipping



Oh to have lots of cheese stands everywhere



River walk down to the Rhein to work off our pastries and coffee)





And the forbidding court house along the side...





After our river walk we headed towards the big cathedral (Dom) in the middle of mainz (as seen from more a distance below)









Standing inside the cathedral walls, it's a similiar set up here as it was in Canterbury with the four walls surrounding the open area...



And looking up into the great dome like structure (the picture was surprisingly clear)





After a stroll through the Dom, we also went to the older part of town....

(girl with the bolly is lizzie!)






Here the streets are labeled with red and blue signs. blue runs parallel to the river, red runs perpendicular. The system started when Napoleon unified parts of Germany(when people couldn't really read) and it was necessary for his army and the people in cases of fire to know which direction to head. (Details here may be a little off but generally I think I'm on the right track).









Next Lizzie took me to the Baroque church, I have a tradition I've been pretty good about keeping in Europe generally where I light candles in cathedrals or churches I go into.....*













And at last, lighting the candle...



Lizzie and I proudly display our mulled wine (gluehwein). I got blueberrry (heidelberr) and Lizzie got cherry (kirch)* We went back to the market for the end of the afternoon and right after the wine we headed up towards the stephanskirche (blue windowed church).



The stephanskirche is pink but you can't really tell from my pictures and all of the glass inside is blue except for the main window which has a picture of Muhammad and the light behind him (which looks like a set of horns and that's why he's often depicted with horns).











We then headed for dinner and (it was a good one) on the way we passed through a courtyard that use to be part of girls' school. There was this statue there and the lighting was so interesting at night that I decided to take my picture of it then instead of during the day.



That was day one, Saturday...hopefully I'll get day 2 up soon! Sigh......