Snow!!!

It has finally snowed in the south east of England!  We got about 4 inches, which is just enough to play in, but not too much to make it a pain to get around.  Being from southern California, I haven't seen much snow.  I definitely haven't seen any in the past 10 years or so of my life...so I was pretty excited to see snow here!  It started snowing the night I was leaving London, and when I got back to my University, there was plenty of snow around.  Here's several pictures from the past weekend, the first few are when I went out by myself to take some pictures, the second set are from when my flatmates and I went out to play in the snow.

Our lake frozen over!

Making a snow angel.

Throwing snowballs!  You can see them in this picture if you look carefully.

Nga & Matt posing with Lance, our snowball.

All of us with Lance, our gigantic snowball.

Nga falling off of Lance

Hot chocolate & snow :)

Literary Europe V - Poet's Corner & George Orwell

Hello again!

On my most recent trip to London, I went inside Westminster Abbey to see Poet's Corner, and then I went to Islington to go to a house George Orwell used to live in!

Unfortunately, they don't allow photos to be taken inside Westminster Abbey, so while I saw Poet's Corner, I have no photos to show for it.  However, if anyone is thinking of going to London, and really likes British authors, I'd definitely recommend coughing up the 16 quid to go in and see it.  Although it is frustrating that you can't document your visit, it is still really cool to see all these memorials and burial sights of so many literary giants.  They have plaques, busts, floor tiles, and stain glass windows to commemorate Shakespeare, D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Milton, Dylan Thomas, Lewis Carroll, and many more.  A couple of these famous authors are buried here, including Dickens, who was apparently buried here somewhat against his will.  Westminster Abbey is also in itself a beautiful cathedral, with some great detail work - almost too much to take in.  This is also where most of England's royalty is buried, and they have memorials and burial sights to many of history's greats - such as Newton, Darwin, and many more.  It is expensive, but worth the visit if you have the time to wander around - took me about 2 hours, and I walked through most of it quickly (except Poet's corner, of course).

After that I took the "long" journey out to Orwell's house in the burroughs of Islington.  Got a bit lost as it isn't a super touristy part of London, but I was ecstatic when I found it, and probably ended up looking suspicious taking so many pictures of his home.  Anyway, at least I have photos to show for something!

Canonbury Square.

Walking up to the front of his house.

Plaque confirming it is George Orwell's house!  (Though, probably more of a flat.)

Of course, the sign said that the entrance to his house wasn't at the front...

...and I just had to find out how he got into his house...

And this is it!

I happened to come by right when the postman was delivering mail, so I got to sneak a quick peak inside!

After finding his house, I decided to stop for a break from my walking at The George Orwell:

It's a nice bar within about a 15 minute walk from Orwell's house.

It has a really nice, relaxed atmosphere, with a pretty friendly staff.

Then for dinner I went to "The Shakespeare" - closer to central London.  The food was okay, definitely not my best meal out in England.

But all in all, despite getting lost several times, I had a pretty good day at Poet's Corner and going to George Orwell's house :)

Gallery Visit - Tate Modern, National Gallery, & National Portrait Gallery

Hello again!  So, one of my goals is to visit more galleries in England and Europe since there is so much art here...well, about a week ago I went to a couple museums in London, starting with the Tate Modern!

From of the Tate Modern from the outside (same side as the Thames).

If you are interested in or appreciate modern art, I'd definitely recommend this museum.  I really had a good time here, especially since I've been to the SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) which has a similar permanent collection that really explores what modern art is. (I found the comparison between the collections of the two museums created a nice dialogue and comparison of modern art with either an American or European influence.)  The Tate Modern definitely provides a great array of modern artwork, and has lots of different floors and gallery spaces to explore.  However if you favor more traditional art...this may not be your cup of tea.  I've had lots of friends who aren't interested in art (or, at least modern art) that have not enjoyed this museum.  That being said - if you have any interest in modern art - it is a great museum.

Some highlights include...

A really cool wall-sized timeline of art from right right before the 1900s to a little into the early 2000s.

It also had lots of photographers featured throughout the timeline!

 Film Star by John Latham, 1960.

Mitch Epstein...didn't get the title of the series, but this photo was taken in California.

Baqari's Wife, Akram Zaatari, 1966(?).  There is actually a really sad story behind this...the woman in these photos took them without her husband's permission.  (Apparently she was not allowed to leave their house by herself.)  When he found out about the photo shoot, the husband asked the photographer to destroy the negatives, which he would only scratch, but not destroy.  She later murdered herself to escape her misery, which is when the husband returned to the photographer to ask for prints from her photo shoot.

Boris Mikhailov. These photos were taken in the Ukraine during and after the Soviet era.

Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, Umberto Boccioni.  Part of the futurist movement.  One of the pieces I studied in my Western Art History class...was kind of excited to see it, even if I'm not a fan of this movement.

Didn't see the cross until I saw it from this angle and in-person, which really changes the meaning of the piece...definitely one of the pluses to seeing work in-person instead of in a textbook.

Clarinet and a Bottle of Rum on a Mantlepiece, Georges Braque, 1911.

Guerrilla Girls!

Laurie Simmons.

The Window, Pierre Bonnard, 1925.  Love this!

Installation in process!

We interrupt this artwork for a view from the 4 or 3 floor of the Tate Modern :)

Man Ray's Cadeau

Mountain Lake, Salvador Dali, 1938

Poor kid...death by art museum...

The Entire City, Max Ernst 1934.

Outside the Tate.

 I also went to the National Gallery and to the National Portrait Gallery.  I was originally going to try to make it to the Tate Britain, but due to lack of time and an interesting poster advertising a photography exhibit at the Portrait Gallery, the Tate Britain will have to wait for another day.  The National Gallery was amazing - the architecture alone was gorgeous and very ornate.  And the variety and vastness of their collection was amazing.  However, I was honestly a bit overwhelmed.  I do not have much background in studying paintings, so when I walked in, I didn't know where to start.  Luckily their rooms are organized  by time period, which really helped.  Regardless, due to my limited time and to feeling so overwhelmed, I spend most of my time in the more recent rooms, the 1800s and the 1900s, as well as with a couple of the rooms with Spanish art from the 1500-1600s as I am currently taking a class on Spanish art history.
I'd recommend this gallery to anyone who loves older, more traditional paintings.  For someone like me, what I did know and recognized, was amazing to see, but the rest was a bit much - I just didn't have the knowledge or historical background to appreciate it, unfortunately.  My loss, I'm sure.

I didn't spend too much time in the National Portrait Gallery either.  I spent most of my time at their photography exhibit, The Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize, which is only on until 12 February.  While not there, I spent the remainder of my time oodling over the different photography art and theory books they had for sale in their bookshop, and looking at their "Victorian" portrait collection - which included photographs of Charles Dickens.  I really should go back here if I have more time, but I will probably try to make it to some other museums and historical sights before I get the chance to go back.

The National Gallery!

Entrance way with columns.

Inside of the entrance to the gallery...this was taken before I got yelled at for taking photos.  I honestly didn't see any signs - I looked, but I think they were all blocked by other people since it was kind of crowded that day.

Plans for this Term...

My first term is over and I'm finally realizing how little time I have, and how big Europe really is.  I have a lot of places left to explore, and not much time to do it.  Luckily, unlike last's semester's 5 day school week, this semester I have a 4 day weekend!  Yup - I don't have class Friday-Monday, which means I have a lot more time to travel!

I've currently been working on a list of places I "must" go to, both in the UK and the rest of Europe.  I have yet to do most of the things on my original Goals for Study Abroad post, but after being in England, what I wanted to do has changed.  Before I didn't really know what opportunities I'd have over here, or what I could do while in England, which resulted in a very crude list.  I figured I should update this blog with three lists - one of things I have accomplished from my original Goals since being abroad, and two lists of my new goals - one for the UK (mostly) and one for continental Europe.

Accomplished Goals

 1.  Go to:  Italy, Norway, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, & Spain.  (I want to go to more countries than this, but these are the countries I really want to make sure I visit!

As you can see from my previous posts, I did make it to Spain.  I still need to make plans to go to Ireland and Scotland (especially since about half of my family background is Scottish) but I have bought plane tickets for Norway!!!  And I'm in the process of making plans of when I can go to Germany and Italy!

2.  Go to Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris and (obviously) buy a book there :) 

Yes!!!  I went to Shakespeare & Co, and spent way too much money there on books for my sister and I.

5.  Try a new food once a month, starting with Fish & Chips!  (Well, okay, I've had Fish & Chips before, but what I've had here in the U.S. will definitely not be as good as the real thing.)

Sort of did/doing this...a friend and I are trying to eat out in Norwich once a month, in order to try new food places.  So while I may not be trying a new type of British food, it is technically food from England...so it kind of counts?

9.  Buy fashion/sewing magazines for mi hermana.  She has been kind enough to start on making me a really nice, high quality jacket for my time in England (I'll post pictures here or a link to her sewing blog once it is done!).  As a way of paying her back, we agreed I would buy her foreign sewing magazines, like Knipmode and Burda.

Partially done with this!  Still need to make a couple more magazine orders, as well as continue to look for magazines as I go on my travels, but I would say I brought back a good amount for her from my first term abroad.

11.  Join at least 1 club on campus.
 
I've joined 3 (Drama Society, Creative Writing Society, and International Students Society)...but haven't always been the best at staying involved.  Definitely something to work towards this semester.

13.  Make a travel blog (done) and continue to update it.

Sort of did this...well, I'm updating it now, and I'm trying to update it as I go from now on, instead of months after a trip...

16.  Visit a lot of art galleries while in Europe.  I don't want to do this on overkill, but I'd love to take advantage of the historical art Europe has to offer :) 

 Kind of accomplished...I went to a small part of Foam and the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, but I definitely have a lot more to visit!

18.  Send lots of postcards to my friends and family!

Yes - have definitely been sending lots of postcards from Europe.

20.  Make-out with Matt Smith of "Dr. Who".  When I told my friend and "roommate-for-life" Maggie that Matt Smith is an alum of the University I'm going to, she requested that I make out with him. While I realize this is probably the most unrealistic goal on this list (that even my chance of seeing him in person is slim-to-none), I figured I'd add it anyway, just for fun.  I'd also like to take this time to say that I personally prefer David Tennant, but I'd have no complaints or objections about snogging Matt Smith either ;)

Okay...I didn't actually make out with him, but I got as close as I probably ever will...

That's it for my previous list!  Now for my new goals...

New Goals for Study Abroad - UK(ish)

1.  Go to Stratford-upon-Avon, and see Shakespeare's house and his home town.

2.  See D. H. Lawrence's house (there are two, one is in London, the other is his birthplace in Nottingham), Jane Austen's house (one in Hampshire), George Orwell's house, Dicken's house, as well as a couple other authors.  It's really nice that England has such a strong literary history, and that several plaques and museums are set up to commemorate them.  We do have a literary history in the States, but finding (or even getting) to the various homes of some authors is a bit difficult, if there is even anything set up to commemorate their life.

3.  Go to Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.  Kind of morbid, but there are lots of authors buried at this cathedral, including Jane Austen, Dylan Thomas, T.S. Eliot, Dickens, and many others.

4.  Go to the various museums in London (and possibly Cambridge), including Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Albert & Victoria Museum, the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, etc.

5.  Go to the British Library in London.  They have illuminated manuscripts, which I've had to study for various art and history classes, original manuscripts by Austen, and a lot of other cool stuff.  (So far I seem to have a pretty strong theme going of literary stuff to do in England...)

6.  Go to the Globe Theatre.  I want to take a tour of the Globe if I can, as well as see a show there.  It's too cold for them to put on shows now, so I need to wait until they start performing when they weather is better, but this is definitely a "must-do" while in England!

7.  See a show at the West End.  A friend and I are trying to see War Horse & Les Miserables...though tickets have been pricey or sold out.  Hopefully we can get some tickets though!

8.   I want to try to go to Oxford, York, Manchester, and possibly a couple other cities in England before I leave.

9.  Go to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales!

10.  Go to the Castle in Norwich!  I have gone to the Cathedral, but have yet to tour our castle!

New Goals for Study Abroad - Europe

1.  Go to Norway!  I have tickets...so this is definitely in the process of happening!

2.  Go to Italy!  I really want to go to Venice, Florence, and Rome.  I know those are "typical" cities to go to, but I'll only be there for a couple days, so I am hoping that those three will give me a good taste of the country :)

4.  Germany!  (Apart from my Scottish side, I am also mostly German on the other side of my family, so I'd really like to go to Germany!) I currently have loose plans to go to Zurich, but I might try to go back and see some more cities before my return to the States.

5. ...don't laugh, but I'd like to go to Paris Disney.  I know we have Disneyland & Disneyworld in the States, but I'd like to go and compare Paris Disney to the two we have.

6.  Go to Southern Spain.  I really want to go to Cordoba as well as Granada to see some of their Islamic architecture.  I took a course awhile ago at SFSU about Islamic art & architecture, and I'd love to see something in person that I learned about, instead of just reading about it in a textbook or seeing it in a power point lecture, so I can fully appreciate it.

7.  I have a couple other trips planned to some countries...but I think I'll leave it a surprise until I post about them!  I can't give all my plans away so soon.

(8.)  Countries I am not sure if I have time to make it to...not really a "goal" if I don't know if I can go or not, but just thought I'd include this so I can look back and see if I made it there or not:

a.  Belgium - technically I've been in Belgium, but it was a brief trip to a chocolate factory, and I didn't really see much of Belgium, so I might try to go back.

b.  Denmark - I'd like to go, but not sure if I'll have the time or money after my other travels.

c.  Sweden

d.  Luxembourg

Well...that's it for my plans thus far!  Still kind of loose and basic, especially when it comes to Europe, but once I go or accomplish any of these, I'll be sure to post about it!  (In a timely matter...hopefully.)