Canals and Flowers

Originally, I wanted to head to Primrose Hill to see if I could spot any celebrities milling about. Instead, I got distracted by this delightful canal, called the Reagent's Canal. It's 8 1/2 miles long. I only walked two (well, four if you count there and back again) between Camden Lock and Little Venice.





These are house boats. There's at least 50 of them.

The roses were in Ireland and the sunflower came from somewhere near Tate Modern in London. No particular reason to post them, other than the fact that I like them.






Headed off the Bath and Stonehenge tomorrow as part of a class trip. Speaking of the class, everyone else has gone off to a night of Dionysian abandon around London. Me? I'm also having a wild night of tea, Kaki King albums, and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah, I know. I'm buck wild.

London Street Art

Our street art tour was the most interesting and useful thing my class has done so far. And that's all I'll say about that.











This girl with the Samurai sword is everywhere. The top photo was taken near South Bank, and the bottom was in the East End.





This skate park is smack in the center of the tourist trap South Bank (which rests on the River Thames, home of the London Eye, the aquarium, the Dali museum, across from Parliament, etc.)





Some Banksy. I found the top image in the East End and the bottom near South Bank.







England seems to really love Obama here.



Not everyone appreciates the street art.

More Photos from Ireland

Swam in the Serpentine at Hyde Park today. And, on request from my father, here are more Dublin photos.



I'm sure this guy has some significance. Taken at Trinity College.



There are beer kegs everywhere in Dublin. The pubs are all about the Guinness and the Jameson's. My brother would love it here.



Dublin also loves creepy statues.



Christ Church Cathedral. I believe St. Stephen is buried underneath. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry. When I walked through this church, I really needed to use the loo, and the Church is so old (1180), it didn't have one on the premise.



View from Powerscourt; a garden and a castle near the coast of Ireland.



Rocks by the Irish Sea.

Pog mo thoin, I'm Irish!

And was born in South Korea, but adopted by an American Irish Catholic family. And proud to be the only person who knew the words to "Molly Malone" and "Wild Rover" on the coastal tour bus. All the world is bright and gay when these Korean eyes are smiling.

But I think that's the extent of my Irish heritage. Except for maybe the fact that I love Guinness (but some days, Smithwick's is better) and Jameson's.



Will post more pics when the Internet isn't acting slow.

Norwegian Adventure via Bruce Air!

So, believe it or not, there are people crazier about Iron Maiden than me. Like, I definitely would not have flown Bruce Air if I wasn't already in London.

[Disclaimer: I may or may not have been in class on Tuesday. I could have been invisible.]

But some people on this 757 (not tricked out with Iron Maiden decals, thanks Africa. Eddie's only been around for like 30 years, you know.) One couple came from Japan. And one person flew overnight from D.C. and flew back the day after Bruce Air!



Greatest pilot in the universe.

And most people were in their late 30s and 40s. Which makes me feel much better about myself, but I do wonder, when does Bruce Dickinson fandom end? Does it ever end? Will I be giddily obsessed for the rest of my life?



The cult that is Iron Maiden fandom.

Like, as we were approaching Norway, Bruce told us how long it would be until we touched down in Trondheim and the weather, and I almost melted in my seat.



All of Bruce Dickinson's dreams came true. He finally met me.

And apparently, it's not a fashion faux pas to where an Iron Maiden shirt to an Iron Maiden show in Europe. Because almost the entire town of Trondheim wore Maiden shirts.

Trondheim, Norway is a very strange place. It's this small fishing village, surrounded by mountains and fjords. I would think even if it was sunny and not a cloud in the sky, it would still be a VERY gloomy place. Black metal totally makes sense, now. I think 80 percent of the town's population was at the Maiden show.



View from a river path in Trondheim.

Also, the English language is more widely accepted than I thought. I tried ordering a hot dog at Lerkendal Stadium in Norwegian; it was like "Bolognassee" or something. The woman gave me a blank look and said, "You mean the hot dog?"

Right. But you know something that isn't that widely accepted? Dancing your butt off at Iron Maiden shows.

The Norwegians could not handle my moves. Most of them took one look at me, and either backed away slowly or ran the other direction.

And now, off to Dublin! I will be the first Fossett to step foot on the homeland. Grant it, it's the adopted Korean one, but still...

Museum Displays, yay.

Still recovering from the train ride to Hadrian's Wall, so did nothing except school work. On Tuesday, we took a field trip to THE British Museum. It was nifty seeing objects that I studied in Art History I at DCCC, but after awhile, all the pots and sculptures look the same.



The Soundbox of Lyre (Hell yeah, I still remember the name. Thanks, Bertha Gutman.) It's Sumerian.



Some Buddha. And being the wonderful Asian I am, I can't tell you squat about it.

In other news, across the street from THE British Museum is a comic book store called Gosh! (they put the exclamation point there, not me). Purchased Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet and Coraline the Graphic Novel. Haven't read Hamlet, but Coraline is delightfully frightening.



The one and only picture I took during the Hadrian's Wall adventure. Newcastle, UK.

So Hadrian's Wall...

...isn't exactly what you would call a tourist attraction or something you could do as a day trip without a car. I think everyone (meaning the native Brits that I encountered) knew that, which is why I received headshakes and doubtful "Okay, I'll sell you these train tickets."

I was expecting something like a national park with pieces of the wall and trails for both the casual walker like myself and the hardcore ones who are walking the entire 80 miles of the wall.

The Web site said that Hadrian's Wall (which back when the Romans ruled Britain, Emperor Hadrian build a wall at the border of England and Scotland to separate the free Celts and the Celts under Roman rule) was accessible by rail, if you got off at the Newcastle stop, which seemed like a pretty happening town. I will get into that later.

That Web site said absolutely nothing about taking an hour and a half bus ride to a small piece of the wall. Nor did it say that the actual part where you can hike around for a little bit is almost three hours away.

Or that Hadrian's Wall really is for the hardcore hikers. Like people with sticks and tents and ponchos on their backs. And willing to spend a week hiking the 80 mile wall. (Which I would love to do. I could do that and swim the English Channel.)

But when it all came down to it, I enjoyed Hadrian's Wall. I saw Chesters, which is pieces of a fort, a bath house by the river, and part of the wall. I think Scotland was on the other side. Grant it, English country side looks like Pennsylvanian country side, except greener with sheep. And giant purple clouds.

But, no roar of the city. I heard the water rustling. I saw Scotland on the other side of the water and structures that have existed since the Roman era.

Lovely.

And of course I left my camera on the bus.

British hot dogs...

...are not very tasty. Nor is British mustard and British ketchup. British hamburgers aren't very good either.

But eating a not very tasty British hot dog in front of Big Ben is pretty darn nifty!



Me after eating said not very delicious British hot dog.



The London Eye. Not sure if it's worth the money, but I'll probably go in it eventually.



This is not the London Bridge that is falling down, my fair ladies. But it sure does look like it. (It's Tower Bridge.)



A raven at the Tower of London.

And in other news, I have finally decided that I like the new Weezer. Really like the new Weezer. It's like "My Name is Jonas" good. And I'm not ashamed to admit it, either.

Found Photo!

Well, sort of. I took it; just rediscovered it on iPhoto. Called "You Got a Long Way to Go."

London Theatre is Cheap! So, See Shows!

SHOWS I'VE SEEN SO FAR ON THE WEST END:

The Lord of the Rings.
Coming into this show, I knew there would be no middle ground: it was either going to be AWESOME! or painful like a nail covered bat to the face horror.
Luckily, it was AWESOOOOOOME!!!!!!
The orcs hopped on pogo shoes! Galadriel (played by Abbie Osmon) and her Elves hung suspended from the ceiling, spinning and flipping. AND they sung. The giant Balrog puppet spewed confetti all over the audience. The hobbits stepped on audience members' heads, trying to catch fireflies.
And Gollum (played by Michael Therriault) climbed down from the ceiling face-first!!
AMAZING!
See this show, if you can. But it is closing soon, so hurry!

Stomp
This was part of the my study-abroad program. No dialogue, no singing. Just people creating music with brooms, their bodies, straws, pipes, plastic bags, etc. It got a little old towards the end. Plus, no intermission makes it hard, too.

Avenue Q
First time seeing the show. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and I thought it was funny, but not THAT funny. Though, the puppet sex was much more offensive than Team America's was. Quite delightful, all around. Just not as funny as people are making it out to be.

So, if you're ever in London, go see some plays. It's totally worth it.

Walking Tours

The Tower of London. This part has been in existence longer than the United States has been a country.



Me, standing in front of the Peter Pan statue with my kick ass, obnoxious tourist umbrella.



The Calvary marching towards Buckingham Palace. They're wearing coats because it's pouring.



Westminster Abbey. (Duh.)



Kensington Palace, where Princess Di used to live. And a few hundred meters from where I currently live.



The garden at Kensington Palace.



A mounted guard. I can't remember which regiment he's in; it tells you somewhere on his hat.



These delightful buses are everywhere.



The water fowl are quite large at the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. Disappointingly, they don't quack in accents.

And one more thing, Lauren Harris is Freaking Awesome

If you haven't discovered her yet, please check out Lauren Harris.

Her sound is a nice blend of Ashlee Simpson and Avril Lavigne, with out the bratty punk rock attitude. And she's British, so that just makes everything better.

Personally, I think this world would be a lot more awesome if Lauren Harris, Ashlee Simpson, and Blog 27 joined up and formed a super-group. But then again, this world just might implode from the awesome-ness. Perhaps they know we can't handle it, and that's why it hasn't happened yet.

And yes, at this point in my life, I'm enjoying Lauren much more than her father Steve's band. There's only so much Samuel Taylor Coleridge I can handle.

London HOOOOOOO!!!!

Greetings from the Greatest City in the Universe, which is also known as London. I'm settled in my apartment, excuse me, flat. It's huge, with about ten bedrooms on it. I'm rooming with two other girls, one of whom I've had about 50 classes with at Temple, but never really talked with until now. Cool on how things work out.

This is my second day here in jolly old England. After I arrived at Heathrow (which was smooth: barely line at Customs and my suitcase was the first one on the conveyor belt), took the Tube to Gloucester Road. Everything here is brightly colored, mostly with primaries. And it was rainy and cloudy, perfect English weather. Then, I just wandered around on the street until I found a hostel.

In this part of London, streets aren't clearly labeled. And they give different streets the same name: Queen's Gate, Queen's Gate Palace, Queen's Gate Terrace, Queens Gate Mews, Queens Gate Gardens, all within blocks of each other. Other than that, getting around is easy.

Breakdown of the rest of DAY 1: Walked through Kensington Gardens, petted a large swan near the Round Pond (swan wasn't too happy), took short nap, called Liz (former friend's ex-girlfriend, if you were dying to know), and we ate dinner at a Mexican place in Piccadilly Circus (Times Square, except London-y), and hung out for awhile.

DAY 2: Not as exciting. Many walks around here trying to find out where I check in, where my apartment was. But everything's okay now.