Sweden with Stina!

I was so blessed to have my mom visit me during my second travel break in late March. Following a grueling Marketing Test, I packed my bag and hopped on a bus to London. I was dropped at Victoria Station, then I took the crowded Underground to Embankment where I found the Grand and my mother! After a brief time to relax, she and I set out towards Trafalgar Square and to the Theatre District in search of tickets for "Les Miserables." We found the tickets and a soda from good ol' McDonalds, then hopped back on the Tube and went to Harrods! We explored the Food Halls and the expensive jewelry, the ladies clothes and the evening gowns, the unique kitchen supplies and the chocolate bar. Before we knew it, we needed to find dinner!

We headed back to the Theatre District to find a pub where we could sample the local fare. The Porcupine welcomed us to its upstairs dining room where we enjoyed fish n' chips and steak & ale pie along with a spot of tea. Soon, we went to the Queen's Theatre and enjoyed an AMAZING show of "Les Miserables." It's such a powerful story, I absolutely LOVE it! Our hotel was very near the London Eye and Big Ben, so after the show, we ventured down to the Thames to see the old buildings all lit up at night. I gave the "Stephanie McClellan Midnight Walking Tour"--trying to recollect the bits of knowledge I had about London--it was not the best quality, but it was fun. We slept like babies that night, and woke up in time to ride the London Eye in the morning. It was quite fun because we rode a Ferris Wheel on our last trip together in Chicago after I graduated from High School.

We checked out of our lovely hotel and found the bus stop where we crammed in a few sandwiches from a nearby Tesco and loaded onto the van that would take us to Stansted Airport. We went through security then found some Starbucks and a burger while we waited to go to Sweden. My great grandparents came to America from Sweden around the turn of the 20th century. They raised my grandfather in Chicago. We were thrilled to get to explore our Swedish heritage in Stockholm!

It was already dark when we arrived in Vasteras and took a bus into Stockholm. From the central train station, we hired a cab to take us to our Hotel. Thankfully, a 7-11 was right on the corner and we were able to have a snack before we slept. Our hotel had a free "Scandinavian Breakfast" which contained different deli-style meats, boiled eggs, bread, and pickled herring. I was brave enough to try the pickled herring--it was not terrible, but it was a little to early in the day to be eating fish! After breakfast, we took the Tunnelbana (underground) into Gamla Stan. We toured the Royal Palace and walked around town all day. We tried to find Swedish meatballs for dinner, but that is much harder than it seems! We went back to our hotel for a while then again tried to locate a restaurant that sold traditional Swedish food. To no avail. We settled for pizza at a pub.

The next day, we wanted to go tour the Vasa Museum which was on a different island. Stockholm is composed of 14 different islands. After a long process trying to find transportation to the museum, we finally arrived and were in awe of what we found. The Vasa is a 17th century warship that sank in the harbor on its maiden voyage. For 333 years, it sat 32 meters below water until one man decided it was time for it to see the sun again. So, over more than 17 years, the ship was raised from the depths and restored as much as possible. It was incredible. I definitely encourage anyone going to Stockholm to see the museum. After the museum, we found Cattelin--a restaurant where my dad had had delicious Swedish meatballs about a year ago. The meatballs didn't change--they were amazing! Happily, we journeyed back to the hotel where we packed up and went to bed before saying Goodbye to Stockholm the next morning.

Our plane landed in London late morning. We found the Hertz counter, and rented a silver Ford Focus. Now the adventure would begin! Everything was backwards! We were so thankful that we decided to pay extra for a GPS, because all the roundabouts were just so confusing! Finally, we made it to quaint Harrold, a small village near Bedford. We found the house that a friend from Westover owns and settled in for a couple of days. I was obsessed with the television! In our houses here, we only have about 3 channels of British shows. At that house, there were hundreds of channels showing American shows! We watched House and NCIS so much! Eventually, we ventured the short distance into town where we bought groceries at the store and ate at a small pub--DELICIOUS fish and chips!

The next morning, after sleeping in, we went on a ramble in the nearby Country Park. We walked along a lake to the next village called Odell, then we circled around the lake and ended up at a small cafe. We had sandwiches, tea, and sponge cake--a great way to end a great day. We relaxed at the house for the rest of the afternoon and then made burgers and watched "House" for dinner. The next morning around ten, we were packed up and headed to Oxford!

It was raining. How English of it. I took her to On the Hoof to have a "Sexy Brazilian with Mango Chutney" sandwich (which she loved), and then we went to City Centre. Since I work at Christ Church, we decided to tour there, and really enjoyed it. After that, we found a tea room and had a pot of tea and lemon bread and chocolate bread. It was delicious! That night we drove to the Eagle and Child and had fish and chips where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien used to meet and eat from the 1930s to the 1960s with their group called "The Inklings." We concluded our Oxford Evening with G&D's ice cream. The next morning around 6:30, my mom dropped me off at the house and drove to the airport in London.

It was so refreshing to see her! I had really missed her and really missed home. I'm SO anxious to get back to my family and friends!

ESPANA & MAROC

HOLA! I know, I know...It's been forever. I've been a busy bee though!

Around 12:30 AM on March 12, I headed to the bus station in Oxford with a full backpack and comfortable shoes. I was going to Madrid! Our plane landed around noon in Madrid, but we didn't get to our hostel until around 3. I was exhausted from not sleeping the night before, so Claire, Natalie, and I stayed in our hostel for the evening and wrote a rap. It may or may not go platinum one of these days...We'll see.

Anyway, the next morning, we slept in a bit but soon headed to Plaza del Sol to begin our exploration of the city. We rambled about for a while and eventually we bumped into another ACU group! They had gone on a bike tour that morning, so we decided that we should do that too. So off we went! After getting a bit turned around, we finally found the bike tour place. We took an hour long tour where we rode past the Prado, through a park and then up the Gran Via which is the main street in Madrid. After our tour, we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. We met the other group for dinner, but we couldn't decide on a place to go so we ended up eating at McDonald's. The good news is that in Spain, MickeyD's sells Toblerone McFlurries!!!!!!! I had two over the course of our time there. :) Anyway, after we ate, we went to a restaurant to watch traditional Flamenco dancers. It was absolutely great! They were very talented and incredibly fun to watch! After about two hours of watching the show, we headed back to our hostel where we slept like babies!

We woke the next day, again, after sleeping in. And we checked out of our hostel around noon. Then we lugged all of our bags into the city. We went to the Royal Palace which was quite impressive! Then we went to the Plaza de Toros. That's right! We went to a bull fight! I didn't realize that they killed the bulls until I'd already bought my ticket. And I definitely didn't realize that they tortured the poor bulls before they killed them. But that's exactly what happened. We watched 6 innocent bulls die slow and painful deaths. I made the unfortunate mistake of naming them all. Charlie, Jack, Gerald, Bubba, Earl, and Gully. All of them died. But Jack gave a good fight and actually trampled the Matador a bit. But he still died. It was terrible. BUT it was definitely a good cultural experience, so those bulls didn't die for nothing I suppose.

Following the bull fight, we went to McDonald's for dinner and just hung out there while we waited for time to pass. Our flight left at 6:30 the next morning so we were going to spend the night in the airport. Around midnight, we took the Metro to the airport where we slept on the freezing floor until it was time for our flight to leave.

Finally, we were off to warmer weather! We landed in Marrakech, Morocco and took a bus to Essaouira which is a smaller city on the coast. When we arrived, we had a bit of trouble finding our hotel and wandered around the city for about two hours. I was pretty grumpy, to say the least. But eventually we found our hotel, put our luggage away, then went to dinner. We found a nearby restaurant that looked pretty inexpensive. Little did we know, our entire lives were about to change...

The restaurant owner loved us for some reason. He only spoke French so communication was hard, but we managed. The first night, he gave us a plate of free french fries. We had such a good experience that we told him we'd bring our friends. Exhausted, I went to sleep around 9:30 that night--it was heavenly!

The next day, we woke up and headed to the beach were we sat and relaxed until about 5:00. I got very sunburned even though I was in jeans, a t-shirt, and a hat! After a day on the beach, we meandered into the Medina which is the Old City. There was a huge market there where we bartered for a few unique souvenirs. Then we brought our friends (the other ACU group staying in Morocco) to our restaurant. The owner was THRILLED! He gave us a free appetizer and four plates of fries! It was really fun! After dinner, we went to the other group's apartment to hang out for a little while before once again hitting the hay.

The next day was my and Natalie's last day on the trip. Natalie's mom and sister were coming to Oxford to visit, so we needed to leave a couple of days before the rest of the group. As soon as we got to the beach we bartered for a camel ride. It was really fun!!! We rode our camel for an hour along the beach. It was incredible. Then we just spent the rest of the day on the beach and in the market. By the end of the trip, I was miserably sunburned!

Natalie and I had to wake up at 3:30 in order to take a taxi from Essaouira to Marrakech. It was a long ride, but we arrived at the airport early and safe, so we were very happy. Before we knew it we were on a plane flying back to London exhausted, sunburned, and full of memories. It really was a great trip!

Austria: Day 3 & 4

So...here's the deal with the whole traveling-while-taking-16-hours thing: the few days after you return from the trip you're stressed out of your brain!

With that being said, our second day in Salzburg was amazing. We woke and gazed gloomily out the window and the streets being washed with a cold rain. We left England for a reason. But we didn't let it stop us. We got ready and went downstairs for a small breakfast at the hostel. Being in Salzburg, our hostel played "The Sound of Music" every day at 10:30 AM. After breakfast, we gathered in the TV room to watch the movie before we went on our tour at 2:30. It's just such a great movie!
We stopped at a grocery store on our way to the tour and grabbed bread, cheese, and salami which we ate on the steps of a church on the square from which our tour departed. We were absolutely freezing, but the food was tasty and cheap. Eventually we were in a van along with a British couple and two Swiss journalists and our fearless tour guide, Peter. Peter...how would I describe Peter...a little crazy with a pinch of eccentricity thrown in? The first thing he said to me personally was, "What's yellow and smells like a banana?" After I shook my head he responded, "Monkey vomit...isn't that terrible?" Anyway, he drove us around Mirabelle Gardens, though we did not go in--we had gone the day before. The first place the van stopped was the back of the Von Trapp house with the lake where Maria and the children fell out of the canoe when they saw that Captain Von Trapp had returned home. The lake was frozen, but the scenes still played vividly in our minds. We didn't linger long because we had many places to go and we were very cold. He pointed out the mountain that Maria sang "The Hills are alive..." on and the mountain from which the Von Trapps were filmed escaping Austria. Next, we passed Nonberg Abbey where Maria (both in the real Maria and Julie Andrews) resided with the nuns before she went to be a governess to the children. Our driver pointed out the front of the house when we drove by--the movie used two different houses to film the front and the back, and then used a Hollywood set for the interior. Near the front house, down the tree-lined alley where the children hung from trees as the Captain drove by, there was the gazebo. Need I say more? "I am 16, going on 17..." Classic. We were not allowed to go inside of the gazebo, however, because a few years ago an 80-year old lady had attempted to do the dance leaping from seat to seat...she fell and broke a hip.

Loading in the car, we headed for the mountains. Our driver began playing the soundtrack to the movie and the hills came alive. The mountains were beautiful--birds eye views of Salzburg and other little towns blew my mind. Eventually we arrived in Mondsee where the Basilica there was the church in which the wedding was filmed. This area of Austria was also known for providing a warm vanilla sauce to accompany apple strudel. Our driver dropped us off for an hour, so we went into the church and then shopped a bit before enjoying the amazing dessert. Peter dropped us off at our hostel at the end of the journey. It was great--definitely worth the 4 hours and 37 euros.
After recovering from a busy afternoon, we decided to follow Peter's suggestions for dinner and for the evening activities. Wanting to experience Austrian culture, we ventured to a beer hall--I believe one of the biggest in Austria...thankfully they also served Coca-Cola along with their bratwurst, sauerkraut, and pretzels. The food was delicious--I had no idea I was a sauerkraut type of person, but it was tasty! After dinner, we went to the Hotel Stein. Our tour guide claimed the rooftop bar had one of the best views of the city at night. So we took the elevator and went on the roof to take pictures ignoring the annoyed waiters who wished we'd buy something from them.
When we returned to our hostel we met Monique the Crazy German bunking with us. She was in her 60s with bright orange and red hair. Her English was horrible, but she sure loved to talk! She invited us to accompany her to a free exhibit at the Modern Museum of Art the next day. We accepted the free elevator ticket and met her the next day at the bottom of the mountain. The elevator was built in the cliff so it took us to the Museum which overlooked the city. None of us really appreciate modern art, so we didn't last long in the museum, but we greatly enjoyed the breathtaking views of Salzburg. We wandered about taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful day. After lunch at McDonalds, we sat on the banks of the river soaking up the sun for hours. Eventually we took a bus to the airport and flew home.

The "fun" hadn't ended, however. We had no idea of the fiasco that awaited us in London. Our plane landed at 10:00. We needed to take a 45 minute train ride to an Underground station then take the tube about 6 stops (10 minutes) and catch another train to Oxford that would be an hour long. Worried that the tube station would close at 11, we rushed to the airport train. We arrived at the tube station right at 11--it wasn't closed! But the line that would take us to the other train station was shut down for maintenance. We decided to take a bus. We hoped the 23 and sat for an hour as it made 19 stops before it arrived at Paddington Station. We walked into the station at 12:35. The last train for Oxford left ten minutes before. The next train...at 8 in the morning. With tension building in the group, we stopped at Burger King for some energy and inspiration. I was the only one with cash (thanks mom for your advice to always keep a stash for emergencies) so we caught a cab and went to Marble Arches where we wanted to catch the "Oxford Tube," a 24-hour bus that ran from London to Oxford. Around 1:45, we boarded the bus grumpy and tired. Once we arrived in Oxford, there was a 30 minute walk back to the house. It was raining. I arrived home soaking wet at 3:30 and have never been more excited to see #10 Canterbury Road in my life.

I'm living spontaneously...YIKES!

Austria: Day One & Two

The rooster crows, "Time to fly away little chickens." And with that call, we do fly away to Austria.

Due to pricing, we decided to fly into Linz, Austria last Wednesday. We landed around 4:00 PM and had to take a bus into the center of town to find our hostel--which I did not get directions for in advance. The bus took us to the train station where we asked the information booth for directions. The nice lady told us, in her German accent, to take the tram four stops. After wandering around a bit, we did eventually find our hostel. We had two rooms--one with three beds for the three girls, and one for the one boy. We were exhausted, but our tummies were angry at us, so we asked the receptionist for a recommendation for dinner. She suggested Josef's which was a nice restaurant with traditional Austrian food. We had to take the tram to the restaurant, and we had trouble figuring out how to pay for it, so we just hopped on without paying. Since I'm always worried about getting in trouble, I was VERY uncomfortable and convinced the group that we should pay the next times because I saw a sign saying there was a 50 euro fine for not paying for your ride. Now, I'm surprised the group believed me because the sign I saw was completely in German, and I was only guessing at it's message; however, we payed for our trips after that.

Dinner was amazing. Spinach strudel. I was in absolute heaven--I'm going to figure out how to make it because it blew me away.

After dinner, our sweet teeth started kicking, so we stopped at a McDonald's for McFlurries. One comment: foreign McDonalds' are incredibly nice. They are clean, classy, and have a coffee bar that looks like a mini Starbucks inside of a McDonald's. It's the greatest thing! So we ate our desserts and headed to the Danube river to see Linz at night. The buildings were lit up in different colors which played on the water and the sight was beautiful. Exhausted and cold, we trammed back to the Youthotel Linz to retire for the night. I drifted to sleep to the sounds of German reporters commenting on women's Olympic speed skating.

The next morning, we woke and packed our bags. The hostel offered us a complimentary breakfast which was incredibly hearty and delicious. Following breakfast, I checked us out and we all started for the train station to go to Salzburg. The trip took about an hour, but we arrived in the beautiful city around 11 AM. Our hostel was much easier to find this time around, so we checked in and then hit the town.

Salzburg is amazing. I suggest that any and everyone who ever has the opportunity to visit, snatches that it up like a lizard snatches a fly. Everywhere I walked, I either saw mountains or fabulous architecture. I cannot even begin to describe the beauty of the place. This is the city where Mozart was born and where "The Sound of Music" was filmed--not to mention the city where the actual von Trapp family lived. As we walked through the town, scenes from the movie played in our heads. In the Mirabelle Gardens we saw the children and Maria running around singing "Do, a deer, a female deer..." and in the market we saw little Gretel accidentally drop the tomato. We knew that we had to go on the famous "Sound of Music Tour," so we bought tickets for the next day at 2 PM.

After meandering through the city and its shops and interesting streets, we eventually returned to the hostel for naps and for dinner. We were tired little children and did not feel up to exploring the city any more that day, so we went to bed relatively early. We were sharing an 8-person room with 4 girls from Michigan, so it was fun to have some Americans there.

We closed our eyes and dreamed of yodelers and lonely goatherds, excited for the adventure the next day had in store.

Alice, Harry, & Me

Last Wednesday, our "Oxford Through the Ages" class went on a tour of Christ Church Cathedral/College which is where I'll be completing my service hours as a docent during the semester. In the last 150 years, it was mostly associated with Charles Dodgson ("Lewis Carroll") and his book "Alice in Wonderland;" however, in more recent years, the name "Harry Potter" fills the corridors of the 12th century Cathedral. There are so many stained and painted glass windows, and as our tour guide pointed out, they are full of jokes! For example, the section of the stained glass "St. Frideswide's Window" that I have pictured here depicts the death of the 8th century patron saint of Oxford. The window was created in 1898, about the time when the modern toilet was first invented, so the artist included a flush-able toilet in the background of the image. Can you find it?

Charles Dodgson was a "Student" (professor/"Fellow") of Mathematics at Christ Church College in the 19th century while the Dean was a man named Henry Liddell who had three daughters--the middle, a girl named Alice. Dodgson was a friend of the Liddell's and wrote "Alice in Wonderland"--that crazy day dream--for Alice. Throughout Christ Church can be found all of the inspiration for that fantastical piece of literature.

For example, today when I was beginning my service hours, a jolly old man told me a brief history. He led me to a door which opened to the two back gardens of Christ Church College. "Do you see that building over there?" he asked, in his jolly-British-old-man way, "That is the back of the Library, and Charles Dodgson used to sit and look out one of those windows and look down into these gardens. You see that little green door separating the two?" I nodded yes, "That was where he got the idea for the little green door in Wonderland. And that Chestnut tree? The Cheshire Cat sat grinning from a great Chestnut tree."

He then went on to tell me a very dramatic story. "Well, Alice was a pretty little girl, and pretty girls often grow into beautiful ladies, and beautiful ladies often fall in love. Well, Alice fell in love with Queen Victoria's son Leopold, but of course, a common girl could not marry royalty. So they had to part ways, but their final words to each other were," and here he started sniffling and pretending to cry, "'If I ever marry, and have a son,' said Alice, 'I shall call him Leopold.' And Leopold said, 'If I ever marry and have a daughter, I shall call her Alice.'" He then led me to the entrance of the Cathedral. "Well Alice did marry. A man named Hargreaves. And she did have a son who died in the War," by then we were standing in front of a memorial for the men who served their country and died in World War I. He pointed and, sure enough, "Leopold Reginald Hargreaves." And Leopold had a daughter, Princess Alice, who died in the 1980s. Now isn't that a romantic story?

Anyway, the staircase leading to Hall was filmed in "Harry Potter" and the Hall itself was inspiration for the hall at Hogwarts. I know I'm crazy, but I'm not a fan of the movie, so I don't fully appreciate it, which I should, because as a volunteer, I'm allowed to dine in the Hall. :)

So, I began my service hours today and it was so much fun! I worked with two ladies, Wendy who was in her 60s and Mary who was in her 80s. Both were very kind. Especially Mary who was just precious! My favorite quote of the day came from little old Mary. The cleaning lady was discussing the new 'Alice in Wonderland' which is about to be released and she said, "I'm old enough to be his mum, but I just think Johnny Depp is so handsome!" to which Mary replied, "Well, I'm old enough to be his grandmum and he still gives me the stirrings!" I laughed so hard. It was absolutely hilarious.

I'm so excited to continue my volunteering at the Cathedral. I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories and quotes in my coming posts. And I intend to read "Alice in Wonderland" and continue to find Dodgson's inspirations throughout the Cathedral and College.

Cheers!

My Valentine is Across the OCEAN!

For the past few days, Valentines festivities have been in full swing here at #9 & #10 Canterbury Road. Kristi and some others organized a "Secret Valentine"-type event in which girls and guys drew names selecting their Valentine for whom they would make or buy a gift. This evening we are having a dessert party and everyone is giving their gifts then. I, along with a few others, did not participate because I have precious Jason across the sea.

For the past few days, he has been apologizing to me for only mailing me a card for Valentine's Day. I didn't mind because a card is plenty--especially considering the distance. So when I walked out of my room toward the kitchen this morning and saw the huge box downstairs by the front door, I didn't even bother to go check whose it was. I set about making my traditional breakfast of tea and toast with Nutella (I've developed a cold and tea feels SO good on my throat).

I heard Nicolas singing as he walked down the stairs headed to Christ Church, then I heard him come back up the stairs to the kitchen. "Your middle name wouldn't happen to be Lynn would it?" he asked. Now, I get asked this question every time I get something in the mail from Jason because he addresses the envelope "Stephanie Lynn"--it's actually really cute :) Anyway, I responded positively and he said, "You have a packaged downstairs. And it's epic."

I honestly was confused. I'd already gotten my card, and Jason said over and over that he didn't send me anything else for the occasion. So I followed Nicolas downstairs and was standing next to the three-foot-tall box convinced that I was getting something smaller. He indicated that the big one was for me and sure enough the label read: "Stephanie Lynn, 10 Canterbury Road." A huge smile broke out on my face as I grabbed the box and took it back to my room where I opened it to find a balloon, a teddy bear, and a box of chocolates along with a little note. Tears came to my eyes--I really do have the sweetest boyfriend in the world. He is a blessing to me...and I'm not just saying that because he got me a present! For all my single ladies out there, don't settle! Wait until someone blows you away! :) :) :)

Sorry to be mushy, but I just wanted to share. Have a lovely Valentine's Day everyone!

York & Whitby...AKA: "Freezing Times"

Life in England, is a busy, busy time. Between classes, traveling, planning travels, preparing our Sing Song video, Skyping with loved ones, and trying to get enough sleep, there's barely any time left in the day to do the most important thing: update my blog so that everyone at home can now how crazy life here is! But this morning, I forced myself out of bed at the ridiculous hour of 9 AM, made a strong cup of French-press coffee, and sat down in front of my computer, ready to inform the world of my going-ons.

Last Thursday, before the rooster crowed, we were on a bus driven by Fearless Dave the Bus Driver headed to York. We did not know what to expect...I suppose we all thought, "Hm...I suppose it'll be like New York, but older." Ha. Not quite. After a four hour ride to North England, we exited the bus and were immediately greeted by a Mr. Freezing who proceeded to make us miserable for the remainder of the day. We walked into town, past the astounding Cathedral or Abbey, and Malia, Kristi, and I stopped at a precious little deli for lunch. After we ate, we took some time to regain our courage to battle Mr. Freezing again, and we spent the remainder of the day popping in and out of the ridiculously cute and even more ridiculously expensive shops in the town of York, which is vastly different from New York, might I add. By 4:30, we were once again on the warm bus, and Dave led us into the town of Whitby which is right by the North Sea. Claire, Kristi, and I were too cold to venture outside after dinner in our hostel, so we waited until morning to experience the little harbor town.

In the morning, a large group started the day at the Whitby Abbey Museum which was practically connected to our hostel. We walked through the museum and then explored the amazing ruins of Whitby Abbey which is over 1000 years old. This is the Abbey that Bede, the "Father of English History," recorded the Synod of Whitby taking place in the 7th century which was a major turning point in British history because this is when the nation decided to following the Roman Catholic traditions instead of the Orthodox traditions. The ruins were absolutely fascinating and even more mysterious--I'd give anything to hear those walls talk.

We then walked down the 199 steps into the town of Whitby to find some famous fish and chips. We stopped at Magpie Cafe which has the reputation of having the best fish and chips in England. Malia and I were stuffed from lunch at the hostel, so we didn't have any, but everyone in our groups said they were absolutely amazing. We then wandered in and out of some shops. Whitby is known for its Jet. A black semi-precious stone. I have never seen anything that black in my life and it's absolutely beautiful. Malia, Natalie, and I decided that we needed to buy jewelry to remember Whitby by, so we searched the shops in the town until we found the perfect rings. Malia and I ended up getting the same ring with an oval jet stone in the middle. So pretty! Feeling accomplished, we climbed those 199 steep steps again back to our hostel. Whitby was great and the beach was so pretty, but so cold!

The next morning, after breakfast and a brief walk into the town, we left little Whitby at 10 AM. Fearless Dave drove us into Nottingham--that's right! Robin Hood's Nottingham. We were going to experience the center of English middle class culture: football ("soccer" as Americans call it). I don't know much about soccer except what Jason has told me and what I Googled when we first started dating in order to try to impress him (it didn't work); therefore, I was a little skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy sitting in the cold for 2 hours watching Nottingham Forrest take on Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship League (one step below the Premiere League which is what Man U and Chelsea are in). To my surprise, I enjoyed it so much! Dave told us that there were about 35,000 fans in the stands. One thing that stuck out to me about the fans, was the songs. They sang songs together throughout the game--everyone knew them as well as other chants and cheers such as "C'mon you Reds!" and "Worst referee in history" (the latter was my favorite). But when thousands of people began singing "You've lost that lovin' feeling, whoa, whoa that loving feeling..." I couldn't help but laugh. I have no idea why they sang that song, but I thought it was absolutely hilarious.

Anyway, Nottingham Forrest (the home team--the team we were cheering for) won! Happy and excited, we got on the bus and returned to Oxford where we soon got in bed to try to recover from a busy, but fun-filled, weekend. I may try to return to Whitby when it is a little warmer, and if I get another opportunity to attend a football game, I'll be jumping on that like a kid on a trampoline!

You Sound Like You're From London

The alarm sounded at 7:30. Grumpy, I quickly turned it off then said to Claire, "Why do we have to get up so early!?"

By 8:30, we leaving House 9 and walking toward the train station in Oxford headed for the city of London. I forgot to eat breakfast, so I grabbed a chocolate pastry and a cappuccino in the train station.

With a "chugga-chugga choo choo!" the train took us to Paddington Station in London. It was about an hour to the city, but it went by pretty quickly. When we arrived, we went to the British Library where we saw "Treasures of the British Library." The Magna Carta was there along with so many other amazing manuscripts. One display was a collection of The Beatles' drafts of song lyrics. One song was written on the back of an envelope--they had bad handwriting! but I suppose that's alright since they were geniuses.

I saw first editions of Shakespeare, Jane Austen's journal and her first draft of "Persuasion," a 10th century Bible, and many other antique documents. It was awesome.

I ate lunch at a nearby pub called O'Neils. I got a Tuna Melt--pretty tasty, but we had to eat fast in order to meet the group in time to go to the British Museum. Cole had told us that the British Library and Museum were very, very close to each, so it would be a very short walk. I'm never going to believe him again. It was NOT short, but I suppose if he told us it would be as long as it was we would complain. The British Museum is always fascinating and intimidating. Mummies, sculptures, artifacts, art, EVERYTHING you can imagine. I saw the Rosetta Stone which was fascinating. My feet were killing me after about two hours of browsing through the museum, so I found a bench and rested for the rest of our time there. At four, the group reconvened. I met up with Becca, Brittany, and Derko since we were the only four who would be returning to Oxford that same night. Brittany and Allison wanted to go see "Phantom of the Opera," but they didn't have tickets, so we walked down to the theatre district at Leicester Square, but they were not able to buy tickets for a good enough price; therefore, Allison and her group went to their hostel and we four day travelers headed to Piccadilly Circus to shop and explore. I bought a gift for Jason, and then we wandered the streets a bit. It was a freezing cold day with winds and light rain, so we tried to think of something that we could do that would be inside. So we hopped on the tube to Knightsbridge to visit the famous Harrods department store. We walked around in wonder at the ridiculous prices on everything. The jewelry didn't even list a price, instead the ticket said, "Price upon Request"--I don't even want to know what price they would give for a De Beers diamond necklace that contained 230 total carat weight! I did purchase some Rose-flavored Turkish Delight. I'd never tried it, but it's pretty good!

When we got hungry, we wandered the streets until we found a pub that wasn't too crowded. We landed at the Angel & Crown and went upstairs to eat where it was a little more quiet. I had a delicious Steak & Guinness pot pie that took about 30 minutes to eat because it was so hot. We stayed at the pub for a while talking and eating. Eventually, we hit the streets to do a bit more wandering and experiencing the city, and then headed back to Paddington Station to catch a train back to Oxford.

Exhausted, we arrived to our houses around midnight. It was a long day, but it was SO much fun!

Wandering, Wandering...LOST!

Yesterday was Sunday. I decided to go for a walk to explore the city and enjoy the brisk, January air. Off I set--I decided to wear my warmest coat and my tennis shoes so that discomfort would not be the cause for me to return to cozy House 10. I headed to city centre. I decided to stop in the covered market for a cookie. I cannot seem to be able to venture away from the Triple Chocolate Cookie and a cup of cold milk; however, I think the next time I go to Ben's Cookies, I'll follow the example of the girl who ordered after me who, when asked what she'd like, responded, "What is the hottest?" And that's what they got. Mmmmm...a hot cookie with cold milk would be so perfect! I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out next time I go.

Anyway, with cookie in one hand and milk in the other, I turned onto High Street past Magdalen College (CS Lewis is closely tied with this college, but I'm uncertain whether he attended or taught there). The buildings were very beautiful.

I continued walking over a bridge and into a part of town to which I'd never been. Looking back, I should have turned around at this point, but I foolishly kept walking. And even more foolishly, I kept walking. And kept walking. I turned once and then decided to just try to find a different route back to city centre so that I could see more of this mysterious side of Oxford. I ran into Cowley road and turned left. Then I walked for about thirty minutes. At every bend in the road I thought, "Surely I'm close. Surely." Around 3:45, I started getting nervous and began to think that I was lost. I realized that I probably wasn't in the best spot of town. The next bus stop I got to, I stopped and read the sign. It read, "Towards City Centre." So I sighed, sat down, and waited. A couple of shady characters walked by, but soon there were about six people at the stop, all of which seemed to be nice and "posh." When the bus finally came, I got in and asked the driver to take me to City Centre. "1 pound 80, please," he responded. I paid, took my ticket, then relieved, I took a seat. The ride lasted about 10 minutes and I realized my folly: when I'd reached Cowley road, I should have turned right instead of left. That way I would have arrived back at city centre "lick-a-dee-split!" The bus driver pulled up to the intersection of Cornmarket, High Street, Queens, and St. Aldates. I then walked as fast as I could back to the house. Lesson learned: If I wander by myself, I should always turn around before I get too far from the familiar.

Since Dr. Lytle is here now after the Presidential interviews, we had management for the first time today. I really enjoyed it and the two and a half hours seemed to fly by! Afterward, I began working on my new goal: jogging. I donned my sweats, grabbed my iPhone and earbuds, and hit the street headed for University Parks. I need to download the "Rocky" theme song to really get me pumped while I jog. It wasn't pretty, but it was a start. Contented, I returned to the house and tried to warm up by taking a hot shower. Soon, it was time to cook tacos with Claire. Our jalapeno cheese really added to the entree. After dinner, my sweet tooth was back with a vengeance! I asked Malia if she was interested in G&D's ice cream for the second night in a row, and she heartily agreed to come with me. Ryker and Christie joined us as well. I ordered a Brownie Sundae. It was amazing! The brownie was so warm and soft it melted in my mouth. The Bailey's ice cream added a burst of flavor, and the whip cream and chocolate sprinkles completed the ensemble. I ate the entire thing on the walk back to the house. It was GREAT! It cost 5 pounds, so there is no way I'll be getting that very often, but perhaps it'll be a good treat to have every couple of weeks--when my sweet tooth is inconsolable.

Now, I'm in the common room watching a movie with many of my fellow adventurers waiting for 10:30 to roll around so that Jason will be out of class and can Skype with me before I retire for the evening.

Good night world! Your traveler is weary.

Well...

I've really not done very much the last few days. Claire and I went back to the open market on Thursday--Thursdays are antiques and what not. It really worked out nicely because the same book dealer was there and I bought two Agatha Christie novels and a PG Wodehouse novel. All three for only 1.75! Whenever Claire and I go to city centre together we always end up buying more than we meant to. We stopped in Zara and both bought shirts, but the good news is that they were on sale! For dinner that night we made Beef Stroganoff and it was absolutely delicious! We made too much for the two of us though, so we had a lot of leftovers...I won't complain about that though!

Yesterday I was the only one at the house all day. Everyone went to Bath, but I didn't want to travel quite yet. I didn't realize I'd be the only one left, but I didn't really mind. It was a rainy day so instead of exploring, I did some homework and read an entire Agatha Christie called, "Endless Night." It took an insane twist at the end and gave me the creeps! But it was very good! Agatha Christie is so good at leaving the reader guessing until the very end of the book, then she'll throw something crazy into the mix and I always am left thinking, "Didn't see that one coming!"

Today, I slept very late and took my time to get ready. It's quite chilly out. I had to walk to Sainsbury's for some groceries--I am NEVER walking down to city centre on a Saturday again! It was INSANE! So many people. Many tourists. I knew the majority were tourists because Sainbury's was not too crowded and only locals grocery shop...ha! I just classified myself as a local. If someone from Oxford were to read this, they would not be pleased; however, I doubt anyone from Oxford would read this, so I think I'm safe from any British wrath...for now at least.

Here's an interesting tidbit: Thursday, on the way to the antique market, Claire and I walked past a funeral at a Catholic church. It was a sad sight. Today was quite the opposite: I walked past the same church and there was a wedding taking place. The bride looked freezing greeting guests outside in her sleeveless dress, but I'm sure she didn't even feel the cold.

My apologies for such a boring update. I hope tomorrow to got explore the city and take a lot of pictures. Monday classes really are in full swing so I'll have a busy week being cooped up in the house doing homework so that I can have an enjoyable trip to London this weekend.

Cheers!

To Market! To Market! To Buy a Fat Pig...

It's Wednesday night...we all know what that means...I went to the market today!

It was SO fun! This morning, Claire, Justin, Ryker, Nicolas, and I awoke with the sun to venture down to the Gloucester Green open-air market. Ryker brought his 50 Liter backpack to fill with the groceries that we were certain to buy. When we walked outside, we were shocked with the change of weather that had occurred overnight. This was what a bleak Oxford winter felt like. Snow and rain mixed together, a slight wind, and puddles, puddles, puddles. We were freezing. At one point, I was certain that I was getting frostbite!

When we arrived at the market we were absolutely ecstatic on what we found. Produce, beef, cheese, fish, bread, spices, books, trinkets, desserts, coats, scarves, gloves, everything you can imagine was sold at the market. Claire and I started out buying produce: potatoes, clementines, mushrooms, onion, fresh garlic, strawberries--everything was very inexpensive. We then ventured over to a few other booths browsing the old, hard-back books. Claire was quite taken with a set of Thomas Hardy novels, and I am definitely regretting my decision to leave without an Agatha Christie novel in tow. Nothing like snuggling up on the couch with a great murder mystery on a cold, dreary day. I won't make this mistake next week! After leaving the bread, we found a man selling bread. All sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors of Polish bread. We selected a huge loaf of brown bread, and then made our way to the fish stand. We had decided that we wanted to try cooking salmon, so we located the fish and purchased a pound and a half. Since it was so expensive, Ryker pitched in a couple pounds in exchange for being included in the meal. Eventually, Ben also got in on the deal by contributing green beans and rice.

Side Note: One aspect of the market that I found interesting and odd was that everything was weighed in pounds (lbs) rather then the UK unit of kilograms. Though strange, this worked in our favor as Americans because we had a better understanding of the amounts that we were purchasing.

On to the meats and cheeses! The lady at the stand explained that because of the rainy weather, she was not able to bring the entire variety of meats that she usually brings. So we bought some bacon and two types of cheeses: mild cheddar and jalapeno cheddar. After placing all of our groceries into Ryker's large backpack, we went on our way, stopping at the covered market to visit Ben's cookies and the butcher. I had a triple chocolate cookie again, but this time, I bought a cup of cold milk for 50p. It complimented the cookie perfectly! I was in heaven! Finishing the cookie, I discarded my cup and napkin and headed to the butcher. We picked up minced beef for burgers and tacos as well as chuck steak for Beef Stroganoff. On our way out of the covered market we passed another, more expensive butcher who sold "organic meats." There were entire sides of beef hanging from the ceiling. As we turned a corner we noticed a shopping cart right next to us with a side of beef just laying in it. Seeing the skinned tail just made me a little sad...then I thought about how delicious that must taste!

By this time we were absolute icicles and decided to head back to the houses. On the way, I ran into the small Sainsbury's to buy a few ingredients for the Beef Stroganoff as well as some deliciously rich chocolate milk--no doubt the BEST chocolate milk to ever pass my lips. Finally, we were able to retreat to the warmth of our cozy home. Claire and I cooked hamburgers with jalapeno cheddar cheese on toasted brown Polish bread for lunch. It was spectacular. By the time lunch was finished we headed to class in House 9. Afterward, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon doing homework and napping.

Before we knew it, it was time to cook dinner. I didn't really know what I was doing, because our resources are limited, but I did the best I could to make a lemony salmon. It turned out really well! I'm not going to reveal my secret ingredient because I haven't yet decided if this recipe will be called, "Stephanie's Secret Lemony Salmon." It was the first time I'd ever made up a recipe, and it was really fun. I was very proud of myself! I can't wait to make it back home--I think my mother will be very proud of her young apprentice...at least, I hope so! My apologies if I'm boasting a bit, but I'm just so excited about it!

Now, I'm stuffed. The Internet has not been working since about 11:30 last night, so finally, almost 24 hours later it is kind of working. I'll take what I can get!

I'm hoping the weather clears up for tomorrow. I do not have class or anything, so I'm hoping I can go explore this amazing city and take some pictures!

SUNday

As I walked out of my room this morning, I was shocked at how bright the sun was as it poured through the windows. I immediately regretted my decision to sleep until 11 AM since I now only had about 5 hours of sunlight to enjoy.

Claire and I decided to go ahead and eat lunch instead of breakfast. We pulled our chicken slices and cheese from the refrigerator, but decided that cold sandwiches were simply too boring. So, I found a skillet, heated it up then cooked the chicken. I folded three slices next to each other then place a piece of cheese on top then another slice of chicken on top of the cheese. Then I flipped the entire pile over and cooked it until the cheese melted. Claire toasted the bread and I chopped some lettuce. We heated some Minestrone soup and chopped an apple then enjoyed a huge and delicious meal. After cleaning the kitchen, we strolled outside with some of the guys. We stopped at North Parade where we took many pictures. It's such a quaint little street.

After some of the guys bought hot sandwiches from on the hoof, we walked into town. It did not take long for Claire and I to grow tired of the boys and soon we were shopping, shopping, shopping for the rest of the afternoon. I bought a pair of jeans, a scarf, and a pair of boots. I had a lot of fun and might have spent too much money, but I figured that I'm only in Oxford once so I didn't feel as bad. We stopped at Sainsbury's for some apple juice. Let me tell you: the apple juice here is the absolute BEST! We bought three cartons!

Back home, it was time to cook dinner: Fiesta Soup! Since I had to improvise several ingredients, I was very worried that it would not taste very good; however, it was not too bad--not as good as when it has the correct ingredients, but still quite tasty. After cleaning the kitchen we headed to house 9 to try to watch the Cowboys game. I just uploaded pictures and updated this blog the whole time, but at least I was socializing!

It was a beautiful day filled with food and fun--can't be beat!

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

Not really. I just wanted to give a shout-out to dear Mr. Wordsworth.

I did in fact wander, and most of the time I was, in fact, alone; however, never did I find myself lonely.

My day started in a fierce anger directed toward a Mr. Jet Lag. We are not friends, and I doubt there is any hope of a future cordial relationship. This silent enemy of mine delayed my golden slumber until 2 AM! I was not happy. Then my poor friend Claire was sick during the night and around 6:30 she asked me to run next door and wake Cole so that he could help figure out how to get her well. Around eight she went to the ER and felt increasingly better as the day progressed. Now, she's out-and-about feeling great, so I am very thankful about that.

After rushing to get ready, I walked over to house 9 to meet a group headed to University Parks. I wore my new UGG knock-offs, but the ground was so puddly from the rain that soon they were soaked and my feet were once again tiny ice cubes. To make matters worse, I forgot my gloves so my poor fingers were in the same state. We threw snowballs and took some pictures (above), but soon I was too miserable to carry on and I retreated to the warmth of the houses.

I sipped tea and had some quiet time which was very nice and very relaxing. I didn't want to be too relaxed and fall asleep, so I soon donned my coat, gloves, better shoes, and new scarf and hit the streets searching for adventure.

My new obsession here in Oxford is grocery shopping! Back home I find it to be such a drag, but here it is my favorite thing to do. I listed out the ingredients I needed to make a recipe I found online for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies as well as the ingredients for Fiesta Soup (perfect for a frightfully cold day). Off I went with a smile on my lips, money in my bag, and joy in my heart. This was what I love--exploring somewhere new all by myself. I stopped at Boots Pharmacy on Cornmarket to get a mirror for my room. Our mirrors are on the opposite side of the room as our outlets so straightening my hair was practically impossible. After leaving the pharmacy I ducked into the covered market in search of Ben's Cookies which I'd heard so much about. I did not expect the sight that was before me. It was a real market with a butcher, a produce stand, a flower shop, everything you can imagine was in that precious little covered market. Eventually I found Ben's, selected a chocolate white chocolate chip cookie then stopped at the butcher on my way back to the street. They had a special on minced (ground) beef, which was perfect since I needed that for the soup.

Again on the street, I returned to my beloved Sainsbury's to find the remainder of my ingredients. The Saturday crowd was quite hectic, but that only added to the fun of my adventure. To those who say that cooking most of my own meals will hinder me from fully experiencing the culture I say: FALSE! The grocery store is a great place to see locals--hardly any tourists go to grocery stores. Anyway, I did have to improvise on several ingredients, for example, one cannot buy Rotel Tomatoes here so I had to stick with plain ol' diced tomatoes. Since I had more ground beef than I could use in the soup, I also picked up some taco seasoning and shells. The only ingredient I could not find was cocoa powder for the cookies; however, with a shrug of my shoulders I lugged my groceries about a mile back to the house.

I was so distraught about not finding cocoa and still so hyped about my adventures, I decided to head to the next village called Summertown to scour their grocery stores. The Co-op was the first I came upon, and I had no luck with the cocoa; thankfully, there is a Marks&Spencer right next door, and they had cocoa powder. SUCCESS! Along with apples and lettuce, I trekked back home--about another mile.

Time to bake! The cookies turned out great! They were so chocolately that they were almost black in color. At first I was worried no one would eat them, but soon I found some takers. Exhausted, I rested in my room to read a bit of my textbook and rest my feet. The textbook put me right to sleep, but I woke up about 20 minutes later--powernaps are always great.

I was ready to return to the kitchen. Since Claire had been feeling so sick, she wasn't in the mood for anything too heavy, so I decided to wait and cook Fiesta soup tomorrow night. Meanwhile, I wanted to use some of my ground beef, so I decided to make myself a hamburger. I pulled a skillet from the cabinet and heated it on the stove then placed my burger patty on it for about 4 minutes. While it was cooking, I sliced some of the wheat bread we had purchased yesterday to create a make-shift bun, and I chopped some lettuce to give it a little extra flavor. I turned the patty over then immediately placed a slice of mild cheddar cheese on top while it finished cooking. By the time the burger was ready, the cheese had melted all around the burger so that you could barely even see the meat. I placed it on the wheat bread, added lettuce then bit into it, and, although I know it's rude to say, I did a good job! Since the meat was so fresh, the burger was juicy and thick, and the cheese almost tasted like Swiss. I enjoyed every bite and could have made myself another one, but didn't want to appear a pig.

I spent the rest of the evening relaxing with my fellow travelers and Skyping with my sweet blue-eyed beau who is the most supportive boyfriend a girl could ever have. I'm very blessed to have him because he makes this trip so much easier even though he is thousands of miles away.

Time for some shut eye so I'll be ready for all Oxford has to offer tomorrow! Hopefully I can find more opportunities to take pictures too.

Goodnight World!

Oxford Hugs Me When I Walk Outside

My bed was just as comfy as I hoped it would be last night. It kept me cozy and warm all 13 hours that I was asleep--I was exhausted! Claire and I slept the day away, but we definitely needed it. We woke up at 12:15 and rushed to be ready for our orientation. The group walked about ten minutes to St. Andrew's Church were we circled up and listened to a run-down of everything we needed to know about living in Oxford. It was very informative, so the two hours flew by.

It is not taking England long to convert me to their tea-drinking ways. We had a break for tea during orientation and I went back for seconds! I loved drinking it with two sugar cubes and a splash of cream.

Anyway, after leaving St. Andrews, Cole took us near the houses to show us where we do our laundry. Our houses are located on the edge of St. Hughes College, but laundry is the only reason we are supposed to venture any further onto the campus. Not entirely sure why, but I'd rather not get in any sort of trouble while over here, so I just will blindly follow that rule.

Becca, Claire, and I headed to the city centre to do a bit of shopping once we were dismissed. The snow on the sidewalks is incredibly slippery, so I had to concentrate on keeping my balance and was unable to enjoy all the beautiful architecture we passed. We ventured down to Queen Street and stopped at TopShop and Primark. I bought some UGG knock-offs for only 5 pounds--I swore I'd never buy shoes like that but my toesies are so cold here so I folded. I showed Jason on Skype, and he was practically horrified; however, I'm sure if his toes were frozen he'd buy some too! After stopping at a quaint delicatessen on High Street for a quick dinner, we walked back to Sainsbury's grocery store to stock up on food. Claire and I are really trying to save money by cooking the vast majority of our own meals. So we bought fresh baked bread, cheese, sliced chicken (the turkey was really expensive), apple juice, bagels, pasta, Ragu, and Sainsbury-brand Ramen noodles (they have that here for 9p!). Hopefully that will last us several days because it only cost 14 pounds total!

We returned to our cozy home and relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Even though it's not even 10, I'm so sleepy, so I think I will retire. I'm setting the alarm for 8 AM, so tomorrow should be full of adventure!

The Journey Begins

And we're off! Before I knew what exactly was happening, I sat teary-eyed on a bus watching my precious boyfriend drive away in my beloved Taquita Maria. My suitcases were packed--I had to leave many items at Liz's house in order to meet the two bags, one carry-on limit, but surprisingly enough, I succeeded.

After three hours on a bus to DFW spent chatting with my new friend Becca, the waiting truly began. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half, so we had A LOT of time to get to know Terminal D, but as always, time passes and soon we fastened our seat belts and flew off into the wild blue yonder.

I slept most of the way which was very nice. We landed at London Heathrow around 10:30 local time. Customs was crazed, so we had to wait quite a while to continue through the airport and on to Oxford which was about 45 minutes away by coach (bus). The drive to Oxford was absolutely magical! Snow covered the fields and blanketed the tops of trees and houses. With the infamous London fog, I felt as though I was going through a fluffy cotton tunnel the whole journey because the sky and the ground were both white.

Oxford, with its history, architecture, and overall atmosphere, is enchanting. I absolutely am ecstatic to walk the streets and parks exploring the unique beauty of the city. We arrived to our houses slightly before 2 in the afternoon and lugged our baggage up the stairs. Claire and I are bunking together in house 10, and I really love our room! Everyone ate a light lunch then walked into the city together to find banks, grocery stores, and other important places. After splitting from the group, Claire and I browsed a few stores then went to the 9-to-9 on our way home to pick up something for dinner. Both of us selected canned Minestrone soup, and my sweet tooth chose Digestives (cookies dipped in chocolate). I even found a Dr. Pepper! We heated the soup on our precious little stove in our precious little kitchen then went downstairs to eat in the classroom area. After a cold day, soup definitely warms the cockles of your heart. Exhausted, we cleaned our dishes then finished organizing our room.

Though it's early, my eyes are beginning to feel heavy, and my freshly made bed is incessantly calling my name. It cannot be ignored. Nighty Night!