Trains are not adequate forms of travel

Hello World!

It's kind of a funny story. And I would, should you permit me, like to share it with you. Yesterday morning, at 7:30 AM, six of us PKP-ers ventured out into the world of Great Britain. Our mission was simple: Go and meet Jane Austen in Bath, and then see the aliens at Stonehenge. We purchased our tickets on Tuesday, and were completely ready to see the beautiful countryside of England. Cut to last night: It was 4 am, I was sitting in my room, finally ready to sleep after a long journey, and I see the sun starting to rise. Needless to say, it was an incrtedible day. One that I'm sure none of us will not soon forget.

The beginning of our travels was quite successful. I somehow managed to wake up at 7:00 am (it's a complete mystery how I did it) and stumbled over to 1 Fitzwilliam Street, before boarding a train to London. Which was fantastic, because I got a nap in. Now I'm ready to face the day. We get to London with 1 hour to get from King's Cross Station to Paddington. Normally this would not be an issue, however the Circle line on the Tube was closed. Thanks to our savvy knowledge of the London Underground, we knew to take the Picadilly line to Picadilly Circus, and then transfer to the Bakerloo line to get to Paddington Station. Well, 6 people walking through a train terminal to buy tube tickets equates to a lot of fumbling and slow moving. And this roundabout way to get to the station means that we missed our first train. By 30 seconds. Which is fine, because we do some quick problem solving, and find tickets to Bath on the next train, leaving us an hour to get some delicious sandwiches (Toasted Baguette with tomato and cheese) and bagels for everyone else.

We board the train. An hour and half, two sudokus, and the ending to one book later, we arrive in Bath.

Immediately we are so thrilled to be there. It is strikingly beautiful, and there are so many great sights. Bath was home to Jane Austen, the Northanger Abbey, and the Roman Baths (Natural springs where the Romans used to retreat to to rest and relax). We explore the city some, take some incredible photos. We are loving Bath. Even I, who had previously no interest in the city, was so happy to be there. I never realized how gorgeus English towns could be.

We have around 2 hours, so everyone gets as many sights in as we can. I cared mostly of the abbey, and really nothing else. We went in, and it was incredible. It was constructed in 1634, but it stands on soil occupied by a church the Romans built around 634 AD. Shockingly, it still stands today even though it was hit by a bomb during WWII. It wasn't reconstructed until 1991, but after it was it continued to be an operating Chapel and tourist attraction.

After the abbey, we went to Sally Lunn's. Sally Lunn's is a Tea House, the oldest in all of Bath. Sally Lunn was a french baker, and when she would serve cream tea (one of GB's greatest contributions to modern society) she would serve it with her own type of pastry: the Sally Lunn bun. We enjoyed cream tea (mine of course with coffee) and then found the bus to go to Stonehenge.

Short story of Stonehenge: It is absolutely gorgeous. Constructed WAY back in the day, we're talking King Arthur's time, the monumental rocks still stand today. From my limited understanding, they built the place as a worshipping ground to their Gods. It could also have served a scientific purpose to help find out when the seasons were changing. Some people may think it was aliens, considering the abnormally large amounts of crop circles in the area, but I think that our Ancestors were smart enough to build a temple from rocks, and be able to identify when the shortest day of the year was (Skeptics don't think too highly of the intellectual capabilities of the early Brits). Either way check out this site. It will help you form your own opinions.

Back to Bath: Dinner at an adorable pub to fortify our journey. Which is a good thing because it was an epic journey. I was thrilled because I finally got salad. Salad does not exist in this country, they simply don't eat it. So it was with jubilee that I ate my feta cheese salad and garlic bread.

Now I feel incredibly blessed that every travel I have taken so far has been a safe one. Travelling across Europe is never safe, particularly when you consider recent events in Norway. So I am so glad that we are all safe. And if you're going to be stuck on a train, I did it with the right people. Here's how it went. We were supposed to get on a train at 8:45 that would take us to London, where we would board a train at 11:00 to take us home to Cambridge by midnight. Well, we got on the train. We headed towards London. About half an hour in, we got stopped. Communications failures and power outages up the tracks that meant that everyone was stopped. After 1.5 hours of sitting here, just outside of Bath, we start moving. Back towards Bath. Past Bath. All the way to Bristol, which is on the far west side of England, almost all the way to Wales. When we arrive at Bristol, we transfer trains (grab some first class seats) and the train starts moving. Back to Bath. at 11:30, we get to Bath. Where we started. We spent three hours on a train and got exactly no where. But, to our surprise, we leave Bath, and start towards London. Now this was an experience.

We played MASH, ate cookies, told stories, and had, in my opinion, a very nice time. As you can see, in my MASH life, I got a few of my choices. Queen of England, a Voltzwagon Bug, living in Seattle, with my dog in a mansion. Not all were so lucky with their futures. But it provided a lot of laughs and made the best of a rough situation. At 1:30 AM, we finally arrive at London. We complain to the train operator, because we have no where to stay in London and were supposed to be warm in our beds in Cambridge, and they pay for the 6 of us plus one old man, Tony, to get back to Cambridge via taxi.

Now Cambridge is not close to London. It is actually another 2 hours away. This meant that upon our arrival at 3:30 AM in Cambridge, each taxi cost 250 pounds (this is more than $800 total for anyone keeping track). This was definite vindication to the train company. And it is how I witnessed my first british sunrise, at 4:45 AM after uploading photos to facebook and skyping my mom. Needless to say I didn't make it to London this morning at 8, which is mostly sad because now I don't get to eat Chipotle. All in all, I loved Bath, Stonehenge, and had an incredible train ride home. Times like these, I'm glad I find laughter to deal with my frustration in travelling.

And this morning, after reading CNN's article on 2 Bullet trains that collided because one was stopped because of a power outage, I feel particularly blessed to have woken up. Thankfullness from me, and prayers to the victims of the train wreck and Norwegian bombings.

More later, love for now, Tess.

Lazy Saturday. Translation: Catch up on Blogging.

Hello lovely followers!

It's a rainy day here in Cambridge, which means I slept in, got some delicious food with Keith, and am ready to blog!

First thing's first: Harry Potter was absolutely phenomenal. I saw it in 3D, and so I was expecting to really dread it, (not the plot, but the 3D) but it was incredible. They didn't try to make every single thing 3D, so it made it so the effects were really cool (my favorite, when Voldemort blew up at the end and Sally and I tried to catch the pieces).

Family photo on quiz night. Left to right: Keith, our squib, Alexa, our slytherin, Myself as Luna Lovegood, Sally as Ginny Weasley, Katie as Hermione, and Emily as I can't remember who!

Also: I am so glad that i found Harry Potter soulmates for this trip. We took the family photo above at quiz night! It's a really cool tradition here in GB. People go to pubs on quiz nights, create teams of 6, and compete for trivia. There's also a competition for the name, which is supposed to be punny and as sexual as possible. An example they gave us was: Quizzedinmypants, which I just thought was hilarious. We decided to make it HP themed though, so we went for "Quizzengamot." And we did excellently! For the most part. They told us it would all be about Harry Potter. And it was, until we got to the "Muggle Studies" category. Now the problem with this was that we were not prepared to answer questions on muggles! And considering we went to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we didn't get any of the Muggle Studies questions right. So we ended up in 4th place (But we didn't miss a single HP question). So we got ice cream to eat our feelings.

Family photo on the hallowed grass: Sally, Alexa, Emily, Katie, Travis, Me.

On to Friday, another great night. We had our second formal dinner, this time at King's College. The dining hall is phenomenal. So beautiful, in fact, that it was the 1st choice as the Great Hall for HP. Cambridge turned them down, so the Great Hall in the movies is at Oxford. But ours is absolutely beautiful. The dinner was fabulous (my first time I've ever had risotto) and we got to walk on the grass at King's College!!! Now this may not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it is. The only people who get to walk on this grass are fellows of the University (or if you can convince a Fellow to walk with you). But our drinks were served on the grass! This equates to free wine and standing on holy ground. It was awesome.


After that, we went to Cambridge's most famous pub. The great thing about GB is that I can say my trip to a pub last night was educational and historical in nature! The pub was a favorite of European and American soldiers during WWII. The airmen took lighters, and made grafitti on the ceiling! It's still standing today. It's just yet another example of the intrinsic beauty in all of GB.

This leads nicely into my thoughtful points for today's blog: I am in love with Cambridge. I honestly have never felt like I fit in better in my life than here. I truely feel a sense of belonging. Now I know this is cliche, American girl travels and finds herself fitting in on the road and a sense of belonging in different cities across the nations, but it really is true. I like being what I've decided is a citizen of the world. Confining myself to one place would be a shame, simply because of all the cool things there are to learn and see outside of Mid-western Ohio. Just being in Cambridge places me amongst the top academically in the world, and it has been an institution of higher education since 1209. That's over 800 years, and almost 4 times as long as America has been around. Which I have to say is a pretty excellent opportunity. You can walk around town, not experiencing anything. You can go day to day not seeing the beauty and opportunities around you. Or you can take it in. You can open your eyes, ears, and yourself to learn from the environment, and every single person you run into.

"Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be" -JK Rowling.

More later, love for now, Tess

Quirky Proffesors, Cambridge nights, HP and some language

Hello lovely followers!

I am going to keep this post short, because I have to get ready for THE event of the summer. The Final HP release. My feelings are so mixed and complicated because while I am excited to see the movie, I am really dreading the moment when it's all over. I practically learned to read and dream with those books. Over half of my life has been devoted to them, and I truly feel that Harry and I have grown up together.

That being said, I cannot wait to see it. The anticipation is overwhelming. And I have my Luna Lovegood outfit ready to go, thanks to some ward-robing assistance from Travis and Sally. And I cannot wait, cannot WAIT (spoiler alert) to see Voldemort die! Good triumphs over evil. Finally.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." -Sirius Black.

But now for some more about Cambridge. My classes are all going well (I, like most everyone else, am trapped underneath an umbrella of reading).Cut to plenary lecture:

Let me say one thing: I love the fact that I heard the former director of the UK's version of the CIA speak last night. I also loved that I found a few of the questions hilarious because we pre-lashed. And I particularly loved that we finished the evening in proper Cambridge fashion with free wine!

But the talk was fantastic, he covered just about everything from life in a post 9/11 world to the Democratic awakenings currently occuring in the Middle East and Africa. He also talked about the Cyber World and it's effects on Terrorism. It was truly fascinating stuff. And to hear it from someone who has worked in the field for so long and literally knows the ins and outs of national security was a huge honor.

Now, as promised to my Godmother, Here is a short dictionary of British terms for you to all use at leisure:

1. Proper: Good, Real, Right, Correct, true, Legitimate
2. Trousers: Pants
3. Pants: Underwear
4. Flat: Apartment
5. Quid: Bucks (Not as in buckeyes, as in a few bucks)
6. Waistcoat: Vest

And the correct pronunciation of Edinburgh? Edin-bra. Like Hey braaaaa.

One last thing: I have the quirkiest philosophy professor ever. His name is Damien, he's Australian, and his suits are oversized and fantastic. They never match, and he can't say Tessa. He says Tesser. It's perfect!

More updates tomorrow. I promise Harry Potter Premiere Pictures, and many tales from our next formal (we're referring to it as the Yule Ball). Until then, in case you somehow missed the last 10 years of life, and haven't seen the first 7 movies/ read all of the books, here is a proper musical version.


More later, Love for now, Tess

'Cause I'm Scottish!

Why, hello again there lovely followers!

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. We were without internet our time in Edinburgh, and believe me not being able to update facebook/twitter/email/blog was a little interresting in the first few days, but in the end I have to say quite therapeutic. I'm loving that at Cambridge I am not as connected. I spend actual time with friends instead of just texting, I see sites I can only have dreamt of, and my time seems to have doubled with out  television or access to hulu.

Now onto Scotland. Let me start by saying that this trip was amazing. I am seriously in love with Edinburgh, and obsessed officially with the UK/Scoptland. Bear with me on this post, it may be long, but at least that means detailed? Bonus. Plus, this is my first time on intenet in four days, and I am on a definete binge. So the trip: Imsgine this, 8 hours on a bus. And you think the scenery is going to be beautiful, until you realize that the trip up north to Edinburgh from Cambridge is filled with Cornfields and rain. Sounds like Ohio right? Well it totally was. My bus buddy Keith and I  (who is also from the hood) felt right at home. Until we saw this: The Richmond Castle.

Crazy beautiful right? We got a 2 hour break from the bus, which was great. And also, the drinking age here is 18. Which meant that a few of us brought some *ahem* beverages with us for the rest of the bus ride (Don't worry mom, we didn't get in any trouble for it being in a vehicle either). So needless to say the rest of the trip went by pretty quickly.

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, we had one thing on our mind: food. Well we stayed at the University of Edinburgh (back to my bandcamp days but with way better accommodation and food). And I am soooo glad that I have the excuse of being a vegetarian to not having tried haggis. Because let me tell you it did not look appetizing.

So onto Friday morning. What a day. Alexa and I woke up late, and then took to the city. We explored in our own way (hoping in taxis and asking the cabby's to take us different places, book shops, pubs, cafes, statues, what have you). We shopped, ate, and interacted with the city. It was fantastic. And we even got a tour of the Scottish Parliament!! Which was great. It was built in 2004, so it was cool to see some newer political action.

Then, it was Leticia Carter's 20th birthday!!! Which we of course celebrated in true Scottish fashion. With a lot of booze! It was so much fun. We went to a caelidh (old fashioned Scottish dance) and then took our own party to one of our rooms. Later in the night, 3 of us split off and wandered the streets of Edinburgh, finding the greatest pub on the planet. So much fun and dancing and live music (played on an acoustic guitar by an old man, but more on that later).

Saturday was much more of the same, except that we went to the Elephant House Cafe! Which is so exciting because it is where JK wrote the first few Harry Potter books. I was literally in heaven. It overlooks the Edinburgh Castle, which is the inspiration behind Hogwarts. We spent a good deal of time there (partly recovering from the birthday celebrations) before we went and discovered more of Edinburgh in true Scottish fashion... pouring rain. Needless to say it wasn't long before we ended in a cafe, and then an even shorter time after that break until we were at a pub for dinner.

And then it was onto the Ghost tour!! We went on an old-fashioned "ghost" tour of Edinburgh. It was cool, we were in these underground rooms where people used to live (and die). I was, needless to say, scared out of my brains. But we did get a shot of free Scotch afterwards, and once was enough. Scottish Whiskey is just not for me.

Then we went back to the Royal Mile, the pub with live music from before. We had a great time. The guy loved us because we were being crazy Americans, singing and dancing, and having a fantastic time. One of us *cough, cough Travis Triggs* even danced with his shirt off on a barrel in the bar. Oh, and it was this great lady named Eileen's 60th birthday. Let me just say, greatest lady ever. So, naturally we had a great time.

The way home was a LONG 8 hours. But it was broken up by good friends, and a trip to an Abbey... where we climbed a LOT of rocks. It was quite fun. Overall, I have to say that Edinburgh was an incredible experience. We saw the city, the pubs, the nature, and the culture. A+ Trip.

And now, to end this post, I leave you in true Scottish fashion, with this video.

More for later, love for now, Tess

The University of Cambridge

Let me start by saying that I have found my place of nirvana, jubilee, my little slice of heaven, whatever you want to call it, at the University of Cambridge.

We arriverd yesterday after a two hour coach ride from London (through beautiful rolling hillsides that I of course missed because of the nap I decided to take) to a cobblestone path that we had to roll our suitcases down (about 400 yards). So my first impression? That I was on the most miserable walk of my life. But I quickly realized that it is quite possibly the last time I will be even slightly miserable this entire trip. Because as soon as we finally arrived at Kings college, this is what I saw:
Incredible right? That's the Kings College Chapel. This is just one of the two colleges within the University that I get to go to. The University is over 800 years old. No that isn't a typo, it's been around since the 1200's.

And it has housed so many influential thinkers (the likes of Charles Darwin and Arianna Huffington) that I feel completely out of my league academically. But even Darwin had to start somewhere, right?

My flat is adorable, just down the road from the Cambridge Union Society. And it is huge. I could really get used to these accommodations. So far the classes seem incredible (I've only taken one but the professor has forgotten more about neuroscience than I'll ever know) and everyone's passion for learning is positively intoxicating.

Today's main adventure, besides getting introduced to our first round of classes (and proceeding to read 2 articles about drugs and the mind) was our first formal dinner. All the PKP (Pembroke-King programme) students got dressed up and met at the Queen's college. We were served wine out on the green, where we mingled with other students, before we proceeded to the hall that was decked to the ends in Queen's College seals and colors. Paintings hung around the room (We noted Darwin and the Queen) and all 300 of us had seats.

We enjoyed lots of laughs, and a 5 course meal (including apple pie!). It was an incredible meal, and great company. I have to say I'm becoming quite fond of my little England family. We're having great laughs, and of course learning loads about the culture and life outside of the US.

Afterwards, we headed to the pub to celebrate the 4th of July! What a great way to celebrate Independence Day, in the country we emancipated from. It's kind of ironic but I think that studying in this country today is making me realize just how wonderful the American freedom is. We can move anywhere, do anything, our possibilities are endless. And in a time and place where your every move is tracked by CCTV cameras I am very thankful for the freedom and trust instilled to me by the United States government. I'm not saying that it's a violation of privacy or anything like that in the UK, but it's definetly a new experience. And because some 200 years ago men gathered to declare our independence, I can travel with the safety and security knowing that I am an American citizen, and I take great pride in that.

Being here makes me my best. And I have to say, I've met what seems like dozens of people who attend Harvard or Yale here, and suddenly those places don't seem so far off or so much greater than Ohio State. Because fact is, 4 OSU students were accepted (along with plenty of other non-Ivy League students). So we're going to go ahead and count this one as a win for the Buckeyes :)

More later, love for now, Tess

Adventures in Notting Hill, Camden town and Covent Garden

I have literally found paradise. Sorry mom and family, you'll have to come visit me in England once I graduate... This is where I belong.

This morning I woke up late, finally got a working camera, and decided to tackle the city of London on my own. I popped on the Tube, and went to the first interesting stop I saw. Notting Hill. I didn't meet Hugh Grant, but I did go into an adorable book store with a big red door. I also went to the outdoor market, got a peach for breakfast (why don't we have these in America? Markets I mean, not peaches). And just wandered for a bit.

One thing I love about London is that you don't have to be scared of much more than pick-pockets. There isn't violent crime here, and the police officers don't even carry a gun (however I've been told they are not to be messed with). It makes the city so much more peaceful, not constantly turning your head looking for suscpicious people. Makes me wonder what America can do to make it safer for upcoming children... No guns maybe? Who knows, not I, just an opinion.

Then I went back to Camden Town for a bit... I'm in love. Great shops, great prices. Next, off to Coventry Gardens which is a high-end Camden town (shopping centre). Everything there is homemade, and it's definetly individualised. Tonight we're spending one last night in London, before going out to Cambridge tomorrow. I'm so excited to study at the top University in the world! Such an honour.

More later, love for now, Tess

The beginning

Hello all!

The trip has been absolutely incredible so far. A few things you're very quick to learn in London: Wi-fi is not free, Have a change purse, Mind the gap, and get lost on the tube at least once. The journey has been incredible so far, I've seen so many things I've only ever dreamed of.

Yesterday we journeyed downtown, and saw some of the protestors. They were camped out straight in front of parliament, and all protesting because of the unfair wages and policies. As a result, we couldn't see the houses of parliament yesterday (but we went today!). And at least 2 of us asked if someone knew the time... directly in front of Big Ben.

At the first pub we tried, we got denied, because they don't accept American lisences. Not to be dismayed, we pushed through, and got into a pub (ordering drinks legally!) How exciting. Also did a boat tour of the Thames river today, and saw the Shakespearean Globe.

Then today we took possibly my favorite part of the trip, we went to King's Cross and saw platfrom 9 and 3/4. The entire station is currently under construction, so as we wanderered around platforms 9 and 10, a Brit stopped us and asked "are you looking for platfrom nine and three-quarters." How typical Americans can we be?

Tonight eating dinner and going out, enjoying whats left of London before we head to Cambridge on Sunday...