We started our day at the Vatican. No biggie. I also figured out how to type an apostrophe on these keyboards. ''''''''. Yeah!
Anyway... The Vatican is pretty neat (to make a huge understatement). We got to go through the Vatican Museum, which has a wealth of historical artifacts, sculptures, busts, paintings, tapestries, etc. The first exhibit was of Ancient Egypt. That was incredible. I had never seen real hieroglyphics (except on the History Channel) and it makes you take a step back and apprecitate what an advanced civilization existed. We passed by burial goods (charms, scrolls, gold, you name it), some sarcophagi, and even a preserved mummy! There was a lot of information about how they lived, died and developed. the statues to their gods seemed endless. I could have easily spent an entire day looking around but we had our eye on the ultimate prize: the Sistine Chapel. The next exhibit was of the Romans. The time spent creating all of those statues and busts is inconceivable. Each one had an incredible amount of detail and the attention to proportion was something else. It was as if plaster was just placed over a real body. Some of them were a bit unnerving because they had pupils and were lifelike--in a marble-colored, stiff kind of way.
After what seemed like miles of walking we made our way toward the Sistine Chapel. Little did we know there were scores more to travers. We passed by beautiful tapestries depicting biblical events (all the tapestries made in Brussels curiously). There were also gian maps of Italy and its' provinces. Then, finally, we arrived. It was indeed a sacred place, not just for the religious but for anyone with an appreciation for art and architecture. No photography or talking allowed. The latter was not really an issue for when you walk into that astonishing work of Michaelangelo, all words are taken away. The only thing I knew about the art was the famous reaching out of god and man. Imagine my amazement seeing the whole thing. It was difficult enough trying to find that one image among the hundreds of others! It was such a beautiful sight I didn't even notice the strain in my neck from bending back to take it all in. Before we left a German lady told Mike we shoulc be cheeky and blend into one of the tour groups so we could get into St. Peter's Basilica. Boy was it worth it. I don't even think I can describe it. It was just exhausting walking around. Everything was doubled or tripled in size; the ornate decor, the blinding gold-encrusted side chapels, and the tomb of St. Peter himself was just looming.
We left the Vatican after who know how many hours. We grabbed a quick bite and made our way to the Colosseum. It was quite a qalk across town but it was worth it. When getting my first glimple of the massive structure, I had a flashback to 9th grade Global History. This was the same perpective the cover ouf our textbook pictured! We went on a tour and leared quite a bit aboutt he building and its' uses throughout the the ages. It was very instresting to hear about what else happend beside the well-known Gladiatorial fights and we spent a couple hours wandering on our own. After that very long day we headed to our next hostel, which was outside of Rome in the town of Ciampino, since we had to catch a flight at at 6:30 the next morning. Ugh. So we caught a train out there and found out we go on the wrong one. Uh oh. Apparently it was an express train that passed our stop but we didn't see that anywhere on the platform and it was the train the ticket office told us to board. Grr. So, we're 30 minutes outside of Roma and the train finally stops so we got off, along with a few girls from Amsterdam who were also trying to find the Ciampino stop. As we waited for the next train back toward Roma we all got to chatting. They were on a trip from their university for an art history class. They were really nice and told us we absoutely must make it to Amsterdam. We'll see. So the train comes and we make it to Ciampino so now we have to find our bus but that came right as we walked out of the station. Hey, things are looking up! False. Our driver must have had a death wish because he was roaring down the streets and peeling out after ever stop. Even the natives we saying their prayers. Our hostel was just outside of town and we get into the middle of nowhere and the bus comes screeching to a halt. The driver turns around and tells us this is the end of the line and our stop. We look out and see absolutely nothing but an open field and an industrial plant. Ooook. We found the hostl after going around a bend and through a gate. To give you a visualization about how out in the middle of nowhere it was, there was an airplane in the parking lot...Despite it being the middle of nowhere it was really nice and much bigger than I expected. We were pretty starving at this point and the staff said pretty much everything (not that there was much) around was closed but there might be some food at the gas station by the road...about half a mile away. It was pretty sketchy walking down an unlit road but we finally go to the gas station and spotted a restaurant that seemed to be open. The smells coming from the place made me wide-eyed. We passed by the buffet up front, which was filled with mozarell balls, fresh olives, seafood and sooo much more. We got a table and ordered as quickly as we could. I started out with some bruschetta and winde. They say hunger is the best seasong...it also helps to have a mind-blowingly good meal too. I had risotto in a scampi cream sauce, made to perfection and piping hot. My second meal was a cheese. But this was no ordinary cheese. It was a huge slab of smoked mozarella, baked in an oven and topped with watercress. mmmm. I demolished it all. Such a satisfying meal after a pretty disppointing culinary experience in Roma. We sauntered back to the hostel, bellies full and passed out. 6:30 flight to Venice. Yay!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
When in Rome...
Ok, I got that joke out of the way. What a breath of fresh air (literally) leaving behind Napoli. Only the flat and occassionally mountaneous countryside lay before us. The train was a few hourse longs to Roma and it was a nice way to ease into what I expected was going to be a pretty packed day. Firt things first wwa to check into the hostel. To our surprise the buses were free (in the sense that no one buys tickets and the drivers do not check). We even asked the driver how much a ticket cost and he just waved us on. We rushed checking in and booked it to Vatican City to meet up with Eric (my other flatmate in London). He and his girlfriend were leaving that day and we wanted to say hi. We said some quick hellos and recounted the past few days and then they took off. First stop: St. Peters Basilica. The whole area was huge. The shots on tv do it no justice. We asaw the window where the Pope gives all his speeches. Looking out into it, it must be somethign else speaking to thousands of people packed in the square. We were pretty hungry so we ehaded out towards the Spanish steps hoping to find a less toursity area to eat. We stopped at a snack bar on the way and I picked up a lemon tart to tide me over...quite delicious. We ended up at a restaurant a couple blocks from the steps and chowed down. Mike and I split a plate of Prosciutto and Mozarella di Bufula. I ended up getting Lasangnetta de psesto which was basically a few lasagna noodles in pesto with basil, garlic and pine nuts. It was good but not very filling. the Spanish steps were pretty neat but a lots of tourists as predicted. I have a feeling this will be a theme in our time in Roma.
On another tangent why do we call cities in other countries different then what the natives do? I was looking at map from Italy and all the American cities are written as we know them. They do not call New York City, Citta di Nuovo York. Yet we call Roma, Rome, and Napoli, Naples. Just something I noticed.
Anyway...we basically did the tourist thing. We saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Novona. Also stopped at a gelaterria where I had melon, mango, raspberry and blackberry. I could live here easily...but would never be able to leave because I would end up like the half-ton man (if not more). We caught a bus back and planned to hit up the Vatican again and the Colesseum. I also found out the Pope will be giving a speech on Wednesday but we weill be heading to Venice by then. Oh well. Well, onward! To bed that is.
We are almost at the halfway point of our trek. Man the time flies. Take care!
Omar
PS I would write about our second day in Roma but my hands hurt and Andrew needs to write some emails. Hopefully I will be able to update once more but I am keeping vigilant notes. Ciao!
On another tangent why do we call cities in other countries different then what the natives do? I was looking at map from Italy and all the American cities are written as we know them. They do not call New York City, Citta di Nuovo York. Yet we call Roma, Rome, and Napoli, Naples. Just something I noticed.
Anyway...we basically did the tourist thing. We saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Novona. Also stopped at a gelaterria where I had melon, mango, raspberry and blackberry. I could live here easily...but would never be able to leave because I would end up like the half-ton man (if not more). We caught a bus back and planned to hit up the Vatican again and the Colesseum. I also found out the Pope will be giving a speech on Wednesday but we weill be heading to Venice by then. Oh well. Well, onward! To bed that is.
We are almost at the halfway point of our trek. Man the time flies. Take care!
Omar
PS I would write about our second day in Roma but my hands hurt and Andrew needs to write some emails. Hopefully I will be able to update once more but I am keeping vigilant notes. Ciao!
That is Amoré
Day 3: Napoli
What a dump! Napoli is so disgusting and dirty and smelly. Definitely not what I was expecting. It reminds me of Mad Max. We got in around 6 am and the town was pretty much deserted. It seemed like the only life stirring was the hobos and screeching birds. We got to the hostel and dropped off our bags and went exploring. It was pretty tough finding a place to eat, even the afternoon but we booked a ferry to la Isola di Capri. Thank goodness we got out of Napoli! Capri was so beatiful. It was pretty touristy but the experience and scenery was well worth seeing quite a few Americans. We took a boat to the Blue Grotto which was breath taking. That was well worthing visiting. We had to get on a speed boat to take us around the island then a row boat into the grotto. Randomy we ran into some fellow Ithacans in the Mediterranean. We stayed on Capri through sunset (which of course was AWESOME). We were pretty knackered by the end of the day so we turned in early. Leaving dirty old Napoli and heading for Rome tomorrow!
Peace,
O
What a dump! Napoli is so disgusting and dirty and smelly. Definitely not what I was expecting. It reminds me of Mad Max. We got in around 6 am and the town was pretty much deserted. It seemed like the only life stirring was the hobos and screeching birds. We got to the hostel and dropped off our bags and went exploring. It was pretty tough finding a place to eat, even the afternoon but we booked a ferry to la Isola di Capri. Thank goodness we got out of Napoli! Capri was so beatiful. It was pretty touristy but the experience and scenery was well worth seeing quite a few Americans. We took a boat to the Blue Grotto which was breath taking. That was well worthing visiting. We had to get on a speed boat to take us around the island then a row boat into the grotto. Randomy we ran into some fellow Ithacans in the Mediterranean. We stayed on Capri through sunset (which of course was AWESOME). We were pretty knackered by the end of the day so we turned in early. Leaving dirty old Napoli and heading for Rome tomorrow!
Peace,
O
OMAL Excellent Adventure Day 2
Ahh Sicilia. What a great place. We expltored a bit more and ended up at an archiological museum. They had a lot of Egyptian and Greco-Roman artifacts. There were even some ancient cave drawings. We went down to the water again and hung out there for a while. Palermo is not huge so we took our time and pretty much saw everything there was to see. The only interesting thing to note was the gradual disintigration of my backpack. It first started in the airport in London. I put my bag on the x-ray and it came out with the hip buckle broken. I filed a complain but little did I know it was the least of my troubles. I jury-rigged the hip strap back together but in the musem the whole thing broke. While walking around one of the shoulder strap clips broke. I tied it up to another clip higher on the strap and of course that broke...along with the other shoulder strap. At that point my mission was to get through the day and possibly find another backpack. We browsed through some more markets and were unsuccessful. I drowned my failure in gelatto. Que sera. Anyway, I got to the train station with my bag, for the most part, functioning. The train was really cool. If you know your geography you know that Sicilia is not connected to the main part of Italy. One would assume there would be a bridge. Silly you... they loaded the train onto a ferry! We sailed across the 3 or so mile strech on the train on a boat. On the other side it took us the rest of the way to Napoli. It was a sleeper train so we got comfy in the pull out beds and slept. See you in the morning. Napoli and Capri tomorrow! Very exciting
Ciao
Ciao
Omar, Mike, Andrew and Lauraàs Excellent Adventure...in Italy
So I finally got to the internet without having to pay! Pardon any punctuation errors because the keyboard I am using is in Italian. I guess I will not be able to use contractions. Darn. Well here we go. I have been keeping a journal so I am pretty much copying word for word from there:
Day 1\ Palermo
The flight down to Italy was absolutely beautifl (the part I was awake for). When we neared Sicilia everything just got brighter. The sea was more blue, the grass greener, the countryside browner. Everything was just very vibrant and that was obvious from the air. We got off the plane and it was just a wave of perfect weather. In the mid-70s and perfect humidity. No nosebleeds for me the next 10 days. They have palm trees here! Palm trees. After we figured out which bus took us into town we found our hostel and checked in. We soon discovered Palermo is not a very toursity town. Exactly what I was hoping for. We got to ease into the culture and not feel rushed into seeing the sights. Although there was some beautiful architecture and gardens in town. We hunted for some food and stumbled upon a pizza joint. It was pretty much like a fast food pizza place but WHOA it was good. Easily the best Siciallian pizza I have had in my life. Afterwards we headed down to the Mediterranean Sea...oh boy was it blue. I have heard people talk about out clear it is but it is a different thing actually seeing it. We sat on some rocks and just basked in the sun. The water was so clear and very warm. We wandered around some more and hit up a market. This was one of the biggest markets I have seen ever. It kept winding through the streets and each block there was something new. Tons of knick-knacks, food (including skinned animals). My initial thought was those animals were dogs or something and I have not been convinced otherwise. Who knows...We also saw a massive fish, at leas 1 1/2 feet long. After stopping at the hostel once more the receptionist pointed us to a restaurant. Absolutely superb. We had a 3 course meal, including wine, for 20 euro. I started out with a giant plate of mussels then moved onto a flat pasta (not quite sure what kind but it looked like tentancles) with a meat sauce covered in ceese and potatoes. My main course (yea, Italians like to eat) was grilled Mediterranean King Prawn. Of course we all tried each others meals. I tried fried chickpeas, eggplant, seabass and swordfish stuffed with a bread mince, pine nuts and raisins. We even had entertainment for our meal. A guy came and played accordian (asking for tips of course) but he was really good so we though him some money for a serenade. On the way back to the hostel we bought a bottle of wine and drank on our balcony overlooking the streets. Tom0orrow we are goign to explore some more and then take a train to Napoli. Until then.
Ciaociao
Day 1\ Palermo
The flight down to Italy was absolutely beautifl (the part I was awake for). When we neared Sicilia everything just got brighter. The sea was more blue, the grass greener, the countryside browner. Everything was just very vibrant and that was obvious from the air. We got off the plane and it was just a wave of perfect weather. In the mid-70s and perfect humidity. No nosebleeds for me the next 10 days. They have palm trees here! Palm trees. After we figured out which bus took us into town we found our hostel and checked in. We soon discovered Palermo is not a very toursity town. Exactly what I was hoping for. We got to ease into the culture and not feel rushed into seeing the sights. Although there was some beautiful architecture and gardens in town. We hunted for some food and stumbled upon a pizza joint. It was pretty much like a fast food pizza place but WHOA it was good. Easily the best Siciallian pizza I have had in my life. Afterwards we headed down to the Mediterranean Sea...oh boy was it blue. I have heard people talk about out clear it is but it is a different thing actually seeing it. We sat on some rocks and just basked in the sun. The water was so clear and very warm. We wandered around some more and hit up a market. This was one of the biggest markets I have seen ever. It kept winding through the streets and each block there was something new. Tons of knick-knacks, food (including skinned animals). My initial thought was those animals were dogs or something and I have not been convinced otherwise. Who knows...We also saw a massive fish, at leas 1 1/2 feet long. After stopping at the hostel once more the receptionist pointed us to a restaurant. Absolutely superb. We had a 3 course meal, including wine, for 20 euro. I started out with a giant plate of mussels then moved onto a flat pasta (not quite sure what kind but it looked like tentancles) with a meat sauce covered in ceese and potatoes. My main course (yea, Italians like to eat) was grilled Mediterranean King Prawn. Of course we all tried each others meals. I tried fried chickpeas, eggplant, seabass and swordfish stuffed with a bread mince, pine nuts and raisins. We even had entertainment for our meal. A guy came and played accordian (asking for tips of course) but he was really good so we though him some money for a serenade. On the way back to the hostel we bought a bottle of wine and drank on our balcony overlooking the streets. Tom0orrow we are goign to explore some more and then take a train to Napoli. Until then.
Ciaociao
Thursday, October 9, 2008
What happens when you put 5 music majors in a room in a different country...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vzbPnXRKQYw
So good times this past weekend with Shannon and Ernest visiting. They came over from Ireland where they're studying for the year. We showed them the sights of London and all around had a blast. It's so neat that so many of us are studying abroad this term. The planets have just aligned and are shining upon us. Just riding the wave. This one's going to be short seeing I have to wake up in 3 hours to catch the bus to the airport. Italy for 10 days! Thank you Ithaca for giving us a real midterm break that's not on a holiday (although it would be a bit silly for Britain to celebrate Thanksgiving). So here's the game plan:
Sicily 2 days
Naples 1 day
Rome 2 days
Venice 2 days
Milan 2 days
Woot! And this whole trip is costing me half the price of the actual ticket to come to London. I'm very, very excited for seafood and gelato. Well, Laura is finally here so I can go to bed now. If I can get to an internet cafe or something I'll update this along the way.
Ciao!
O
So good times this past weekend with Shannon and Ernest visiting. They came over from Ireland where they're studying for the year. We showed them the sights of London and all around had a blast. It's so neat that so many of us are studying abroad this term. The planets have just aligned and are shining upon us. Just riding the wave. This one's going to be short seeing I have to wake up in 3 hours to catch the bus to the airport. Italy for 10 days! Thank you Ithaca for giving us a real midterm break that's not on a holiday (although it would be a bit silly for Britain to celebrate Thanksgiving). So here's the game plan:
Sicily 2 days
Naples 1 day
Rome 2 days
Venice 2 days
Milan 2 days
Woot! And this whole trip is costing me half the price of the actual ticket to come to London. I'm very, very excited for seafood and gelato. Well, Laura is finally here so I can go to bed now. If I can get to an internet cafe or something I'll update this along the way.
Ciao!
O
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Travelling about
So in an effort to make this blog actually interesting I have tried to space out my posts. But of course with my terrible memory I know I have been forgetting things. I'll try my best to recall this past week and a half... Here goes
A couple weekends ago we went to stonehenge. "Wow, Omar that must have been so cool!!" It was alright. Stonehenge was definitely a sight to see but it was kind of odd because that's it. It's pretty random because you're just standing in the middle of a field then you look over and there's a structure thousands of years old. The rest of the weekend was the best in my opinion. This was another one of the school trips. We went to Bath, Wells and Glastonbury (and stonehenge). All of those towns were really neat. Like everything else here the architecture is astonishing. Abbeys, churches, whatever, that are centuries old. In Bath (guess what it's named after) we took a tour of the Roman Baths and ruined temple from sometime in the 40s AD. It's pretty crazy that this natural hot spring is still going. And even crazier that the water coming up now was meltwater from probably a couple thousand years ago that permeated through the ground. We did some wandering around the rest of the city and got some pasties. Mmmm mmm good.
A tip to any other IC folk that get a little home(Ithaca)-sick...go to Glastonbury. I couldn't believe how many hippies were wandering about the place. Right outside a 500 year old church there was a drum circle and just a few metres down a woman in pirate clothes blowing a horn. I swear it was like being on the commons. Our main reason for visting Glastonbury was going up to the Tor ("hill" in Welsh). This area was supposedly where a lot of the King Arthur stories come from. The whole place used to be a sea and these giant hills were just tiny islands throughout. It was a tough climb but we made it up and boy was it worth it. It was a gorgeous day out (one of the few) and being on that hill and the breeze flying past you. It was a titanic moment for sure. Everything is green over here. It was like being back in Ireland. And somehow there were a butt load of cows up there. Search me how they got up there or even why but it was quite a hassle having to avoid their little presents. The trip ended all well and good. We got back to London and the next I played softball again in Hyde Park. We've really been lucking out with the good weather when we need it. Well, so begins another week of music listening, play attending, and teaching. Till next time...at a shorter interval.
Cheerio,
Omar
By the way, no one says "Cheerio" over here. Although I did have a lady asking for directions say "Jolly Good" to me.
A couple weekends ago we went to stonehenge. "Wow, Omar that must have been so cool!!" It was alright. Stonehenge was definitely a sight to see but it was kind of odd because that's it. It's pretty random because you're just standing in the middle of a field then you look over and there's a structure thousands of years old. The rest of the weekend was the best in my opinion. This was another one of the school trips. We went to Bath, Wells and Glastonbury (and stonehenge). All of those towns were really neat. Like everything else here the architecture is astonishing. Abbeys, churches, whatever, that are centuries old. In Bath (guess what it's named after) we took a tour of the Roman Baths and ruined temple from sometime in the 40s AD. It's pretty crazy that this natural hot spring is still going. And even crazier that the water coming up now was meltwater from probably a couple thousand years ago that permeated through the ground. We did some wandering around the rest of the city and got some pasties. Mmmm mmm good.
A tip to any other IC folk that get a little home(Ithaca)-sick...go to Glastonbury. I couldn't believe how many hippies were wandering about the place. Right outside a 500 year old church there was a drum circle and just a few metres down a woman in pirate clothes blowing a horn. I swear it was like being on the commons. Our main reason for visting Glastonbury was going up to the Tor ("hill" in Welsh). This area was supposedly where a lot of the King Arthur stories come from. The whole place used to be a sea and these giant hills were just tiny islands throughout. It was a tough climb but we made it up and boy was it worth it. It was a gorgeous day out (one of the few) and being on that hill and the breeze flying past you. It was a titanic moment for sure. Everything is green over here. It was like being back in Ireland. And somehow there were a butt load of cows up there. Search me how they got up there or even why but it was quite a hassle having to avoid their little presents. The trip ended all well and good. We got back to London and the next I played softball again in Hyde Park. We've really been lucking out with the good weather when we need it. Well, so begins another week of music listening, play attending, and teaching. Till next time...at a shorter interval.
Cheerio,
Omar
By the way, no one says "Cheerio" over here. Although I did have a lady asking for directions say "Jolly Good" to me.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Das Ist Oktoberfest!
Holy moley.
These are the only words I can describe of our weekend in Salzburg/Munich. A very happy birthday for Mike, indeed. It didn't really sink in that we were going there. My only focus for the day was just to get onto the plane. We took the Easybus to the airport, which was quite an experience of its own. The driver was horrible and kept stopping short. After about 20 minutes of this I was feeling a bit queasy...so I just went to sleep (solver of all my problems...except staying awake in class...just kidding Mom). The flight and going through customs we uneventful. So we were in Salzburg. Woot! Now what???
It took us about half an hour to figure out how to get to our hostel. The ticket stand was just absolutely ridiculous. It was in German! The audacity of those Austrians. The airport was pretty much shutting down so no one could help us so we just hopped on the next bus and paid there. We had a transfer but had to wait about 20 minutes so we went exploring. Led by our growling stomachs we happened upon a pub/food stand. Again the Austrians strike again by putting their menu not in English. But at least this stand was kind enough to put comical pictures next to some of the choices. So we had a choice of smiling hamburgers or cowboy hotdogs. Decisions decisions. Mike went up to the window and had decided on the hamburger looking meal. He asked for a "Ruck Zuck" as the menu stated. Think of how you would pronounce that. Well, you're probably wrong because it sounds like "rook zook." The workers got a big laugh out of Mike's faux pax (what's that term in German?). It turned out to be a very delicious grilled chicken sandwich. All I cared about was that they weren't stingy with the chili powder. Mmm mmm.
Our hostel (actually a hotel but it was mainly for students) was in a pretty nice part of town. Very quaint and very scenic. It was only a 10 minute walk from down town. We crashed there then hit up the free breakfast. They had a pretty good spread of cereal, cold cuts, and an awesome swirl pound cake. I filled up my 1 quart size airline bag with some granola for the day and we headed out for the unknown.
Salzburg is a beautiful town. One of the best I've seen in Europe so far. What I loved so much about our day was that we had absolutely no plans. We had a map of the town and just walked around. We first ran into the New Town. One of the most memorable things was Mirabell Gardens. There was a palace there (huge) but the garden was out of this world. There were statues everywhere and the flower scheme was beautiful. We also found a little garden with all these gnome statues of these guys with some pretty silly impressions.
We walked around a bit further, slowly making our way to the Old Town to see the big man's house, Mozart! I remember going there once in high school and it was pretty cool. It was different this time but I think just getting there was the best part. Walking along the river is just gorgeous. I can't even describe it. It was the most beautiful day out, you could see the Alps off in the distance and the town is so rustic and quaint. You can feel the ages and history that has happened here. Mozart's house was OK, not phenomenal but a must see for all musicians. I did get to see some of the original instruments he used to play and compose with. Other than that there wasn't much else to see. We knew from the minute we crossed the river we HAD to get up to the fortress.
We headed in that direction and ran into a street market at the base of the mountain. There was giant tent up and street performers and a carinval. It was pretty sweet. Andrew, Mike and I slurged on some giant pretzels. I got a chocolate and jam pretzel, Mike an apple pretzet and Andrew rocked out with the poppey seed. Interesting how I always remember the specifics of food. A brass quartet started playing outside (all in lederhosen...YES!). Mike went up the Euphonium player because he wasn't playing a Euphonium. Mike asked what it was but the man didn't speak much English. After some confusion the guy said "Baritone?" Which just set me off laughing. But I know have it on good authority that it actually was a Baryton. An austrian version of the Euph. So Mike played it a bit after trying to wash down bits of pretzel still in his mouth. Yet we would not be swayed from our quest.
The fortress was just a looming figure over the city and there was no way our day would end without getting up there. It was quite a hike though. There's a mini rail train that takes people up but being the ever frugal and cheap college kids that we are we decided to walk it. Well, severals stops and 20 minutes later we ascended to our goal. The sheer size of it....there is nothing to compare it. We took a tour inside and learned a lot about its history and that of the town. I won't bore you with the details but if you're a history nut--as I am--I highly suggest looking it up.
After coming down we stopped at the giant tent because we heard brass bands playing inside. It was great inside there. People were eating, drinking and having a good time. We sat down and had a half pint of beer. Then I saw the most miraculous thing...a giant liter mug of beer. Ahh. I immediately ordered one and my cohorts quickly behind me. Prost, as they say, and away we drank. We enjoyed the bands, the beer and the rest of the beer. Well, after such an exhausting day we decided to find our other hostel. But Mike had it in his head to try out the shooting game. I, always being the rational one, thought that wasn't such a great idea. But it was Mike's birthday after all so we indulged him. He was a pretty bad shot considering all the beer and schnapps we had (did I forget to mention the schnapps). I gave it a shot and fared much better. Thank you Rifle merit badge.
On to the next and most important day. OKTOBERFEST!!! We met our other friend, Margaret, who is studying in Linz, Austria early in the morning to catch a train to Munich. The train ride was fantastic. There's no other way to travel in Europle like the train. Seeing the countryside is a great experience. We finally made it Munich, we were very excited and we had no idea where were going. Solution: follow the gian crowd. Oktoberfest just opened up like a beautiful landscape over a hill. It was massive. The place was like a giant amusment park with many giant beer tents. It was the first day so nothing was happening in the morning except trying to find a seat. We did find one in a tent and were just waiting for noon...when the Lord Mayor has the honor of tapping the first keg and letting the debauchery that is Oktoberfest ensue. I'll gloss over the day as it was pretty glossy for me.
It was a great time. A couple set backs but nothing matters because we were actually there! By the afternoon we ended up sitting outside with a buch of Bavarians not much older than us. They were really cool and very welcoming. We sat with them all day and got to know each other. They taught me some German and we had intense discussions about why the people next to us were such jerks, which they were but whatever. I wish I could tell you more about the time but it's just an experience you have to live for yourself. I would highly encourage anyone to check it out. It's so easy to get there and you just show and have a good time. We made it back to Salzburg pretty late that night all in one piece. We all went to bed very happy (because it was awesome and no one got sick!) that night. The next morning we caught our plane back to London and I swear it all felt like a dream. I do have the pictures to prove it...which I promise I will figure out how to post some on this blog.
I'm trying to best to catch up but I'm just getting out there collecting material to put up on the blog. Thanks for following my travels and check back soon. My goal...tomorrow night about my internship or stonehenge. Until then.
PROST!!
These are the only words I can describe of our weekend in Salzburg/Munich. A very happy birthday for Mike, indeed. It didn't really sink in that we were going there. My only focus for the day was just to get onto the plane. We took the Easybus to the airport, which was quite an experience of its own. The driver was horrible and kept stopping short. After about 20 minutes of this I was feeling a bit queasy...so I just went to sleep (solver of all my problems...except staying awake in class...just kidding Mom). The flight and going through customs we uneventful. So we were in Salzburg. Woot! Now what???
It took us about half an hour to figure out how to get to our hostel. The ticket stand was just absolutely ridiculous. It was in German! The audacity of those Austrians. The airport was pretty much shutting down so no one could help us so we just hopped on the next bus and paid there. We had a transfer but had to wait about 20 minutes so we went exploring. Led by our growling stomachs we happened upon a pub/food stand. Again the Austrians strike again by putting their menu not in English. But at least this stand was kind enough to put comical pictures next to some of the choices. So we had a choice of smiling hamburgers or cowboy hotdogs. Decisions decisions. Mike went up to the window and had decided on the hamburger looking meal. He asked for a "Ruck Zuck" as the menu stated. Think of how you would pronounce that. Well, you're probably wrong because it sounds like "rook zook." The workers got a big laugh out of Mike's faux pax (what's that term in German?). It turned out to be a very delicious grilled chicken sandwich. All I cared about was that they weren't stingy with the chili powder. Mmm mmm.
Our hostel (actually a hotel but it was mainly for students) was in a pretty nice part of town. Very quaint and very scenic. It was only a 10 minute walk from down town. We crashed there then hit up the free breakfast. They had a pretty good spread of cereal, cold cuts, and an awesome swirl pound cake. I filled up my 1 quart size airline bag with some granola for the day and we headed out for the unknown.
Salzburg is a beautiful town. One of the best I've seen in Europe so far. What I loved so much about our day was that we had absolutely no plans. We had a map of the town and just walked around. We first ran into the New Town. One of the most memorable things was Mirabell Gardens. There was a palace there (huge) but the garden was out of this world. There were statues everywhere and the flower scheme was beautiful. We also found a little garden with all these gnome statues of these guys with some pretty silly impressions.
We walked around a bit further, slowly making our way to the Old Town to see the big man's house, Mozart! I remember going there once in high school and it was pretty cool. It was different this time but I think just getting there was the best part. Walking along the river is just gorgeous. I can't even describe it. It was the most beautiful day out, you could see the Alps off in the distance and the town is so rustic and quaint. You can feel the ages and history that has happened here. Mozart's house was OK, not phenomenal but a must see for all musicians. I did get to see some of the original instruments he used to play and compose with. Other than that there wasn't much else to see. We knew from the minute we crossed the river we HAD to get up to the fortress.
We headed in that direction and ran into a street market at the base of the mountain. There was giant tent up and street performers and a carinval. It was pretty sweet. Andrew, Mike and I slurged on some giant pretzels. I got a chocolate and jam pretzel, Mike an apple pretzet and Andrew rocked out with the poppey seed. Interesting how I always remember the specifics of food. A brass quartet started playing outside (all in lederhosen...YES!). Mike went up the Euphonium player because he wasn't playing a Euphonium. Mike asked what it was but the man didn't speak much English. After some confusion the guy said "Baritone?" Which just set me off laughing. But I know have it on good authority that it actually was a Baryton. An austrian version of the Euph. So Mike played it a bit after trying to wash down bits of pretzel still in his mouth. Yet we would not be swayed from our quest.
The fortress was just a looming figure over the city and there was no way our day would end without getting up there. It was quite a hike though. There's a mini rail train that takes people up but being the ever frugal and cheap college kids that we are we decided to walk it. Well, severals stops and 20 minutes later we ascended to our goal. The sheer size of it....there is nothing to compare it. We took a tour inside and learned a lot about its history and that of the town. I won't bore you with the details but if you're a history nut--as I am--I highly suggest looking it up.
After coming down we stopped at the giant tent because we heard brass bands playing inside. It was great inside there. People were eating, drinking and having a good time. We sat down and had a half pint of beer. Then I saw the most miraculous thing...a giant liter mug of beer. Ahh. I immediately ordered one and my cohorts quickly behind me. Prost, as they say, and away we drank. We enjoyed the bands, the beer and the rest of the beer. Well, after such an exhausting day we decided to find our other hostel. But Mike had it in his head to try out the shooting game. I, always being the rational one, thought that wasn't such a great idea. But it was Mike's birthday after all so we indulged him. He was a pretty bad shot considering all the beer and schnapps we had (did I forget to mention the schnapps). I gave it a shot and fared much better. Thank you Rifle merit badge.
On to the next and most important day. OKTOBERFEST!!! We met our other friend, Margaret, who is studying in Linz, Austria early in the morning to catch a train to Munich. The train ride was fantastic. There's no other way to travel in Europle like the train. Seeing the countryside is a great experience. We finally made it Munich, we were very excited and we had no idea where were going. Solution: follow the gian crowd. Oktoberfest just opened up like a beautiful landscape over a hill. It was massive. The place was like a giant amusment park with many giant beer tents. It was the first day so nothing was happening in the morning except trying to find a seat. We did find one in a tent and were just waiting for noon...when the Lord Mayor has the honor of tapping the first keg and letting the debauchery that is Oktoberfest ensue. I'll gloss over the day as it was pretty glossy for me.
It was a great time. A couple set backs but nothing matters because we were actually there! By the afternoon we ended up sitting outside with a buch of Bavarians not much older than us. They were really cool and very welcoming. We sat with them all day and got to know each other. They taught me some German and we had intense discussions about why the people next to us were such jerks, which they were but whatever. I wish I could tell you more about the time but it's just an experience you have to live for yourself. I would highly encourage anyone to check it out. It's so easy to get there and you just show and have a good time. We made it back to Salzburg pretty late that night all in one piece. We all went to bed very happy (because it was awesome and no one got sick!) that night. The next morning we caught our plane back to London and I swear it all felt like a dream. I do have the pictures to prove it...which I promise I will figure out how to post some on this blog.
I'm trying to best to catch up but I'm just getting out there collecting material to put up on the blog. Thanks for following my travels and check back soon. My goal...tomorrow night about my internship or stonehenge. Until then.
PROST!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Overloading
Man, so much I've been up to since my last post. I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of it but I'm still smiling so I guess that's a good sign. I've seen musicals, plays, street bands, archers and pubs (of course). Most significant events the past week or so...our first trip with the London Centre.
This past weekend we spent two days in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford. What an incredible trip! We visited the castle at Warwick which dates back to William the Conqueror. What just blows me away is how old everything is and how it doesn't seem to affect the natives. I guess if I lived here all my life something nearly 1,000 years old would seem pretty typical...
We mostly wandered about the castle. They keep it up very nice for the all the tours. The most memorable event of the day (sorry Laura) was Laura being quite smitten for the archer doing a Bowman demonstration. We never caught his name but Andrew dubbed him "Cupid McDreamy" This may be my last post because I'm sure Laura is going to kill me. Since I'm already marked if you happen to see her feel free to bust out "You Give Love a Bad Name"
It was pretty miserable weather all day. The rain didn't really stop so what a better time for a cup of tea! We stopped at a tea house for a drink and soup. Now I know why they love it here. There's nothing better than a cup of tea on a dreary day. On to Stratford!
Oh Stratford...birthplace of Shakespeare. It was a really nice town. Felt good to get out of the big city...and a lot cheaper. We went to the church and took a walk around town. The highlight of the day was seeing a Shakespeare play, Midsummer Night's Dream. As the Irish say, Absolutely fab. It was hilarious. Just like watching a Monty Python bit. I had read the play and seen part of a movie and was not really looking forward to it but it was very mordern and fresh rendition. Afterwards we went to a pub a few doors down that all the actors go to after shows. I left by the time most of the cast showed up because at this point I was basically swimming in my shoes.
We stayed at a B&B that night. The next morning both my socks were nearly dry but itwas great to have a proper English breakfast. We only had a few hours to wander about so we hit up a little market and ate a pub. mmm Steak pie in a beer gravy with chips. Delicious. That afternoon we took the coach to Oxford.
Man what a great town. All the colleges are disperesed through out the whole town. Their all in these medieval churches. We wandered around in a pretty good sized group but eventually split up. By the end of the day it was me, Erin and Robin. Best stop of the day... a bakery. I bought a Grand Venetian Finger. Basically the size of a half-Wegman's sub, each side dipped in chocolate. Oh...my...God. Enough about that. We got back on the coach, I fell asleep and we were back in London. YAY
The next day I went out to play softball with a bunch of ex-Pats (mainly buisnessmen and Bill) in Hyde Park. I'll be smug for a minute and say I ROCKED!!!! My moment came in the 5th when I slammed a home run. My luck has followed me and I was published in the widely-read (throughout the London Centre) publication, Skint. I just can't get away from the publicity :P. Bill wrote a nice article. Later that evening we went to see a football game. It's a lot less boring than on tv! The fans were pretty much the main attraction. They have so many chants and songs...typically directed at the other team and their fans. The most memorable was (to the tune of the grandfather clock chime) "Sit down shut up, Sit down shut up..."
Aaaand that was my weekend. Phew. I crashed pretty early that night.
This past week I started my internship. We're doing demonstrations next week but I met the other teachers I'll be working with. I picked up a trombone yesterday and Erin helped me learn a few tunes. Also played the Mozart Requiem lick with her. Good times. Well, I figured I should update this because 1) it's been a long time and 2) I'm going on holiday this weekend. Mike, Andrew and I are heading to Salzburg tonight! Mike's birthday is tomorrow so we figured we should have a proper celebration. Saturday is what I'm looking forward to most. OKTOBERFEST!! We going in on the opening day so hopefully we'll see the tapping of the keg by the Mayor of Munich. Well, I'm off. I'll see you on the other side of the beer stein.
Cheers
O
This past weekend we spent two days in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford. What an incredible trip! We visited the castle at Warwick which dates back to William the Conqueror. What just blows me away is how old everything is and how it doesn't seem to affect the natives. I guess if I lived here all my life something nearly 1,000 years old would seem pretty typical...
We mostly wandered about the castle. They keep it up very nice for the all the tours. The most memorable event of the day (sorry Laura) was Laura being quite smitten for the archer doing a Bowman demonstration. We never caught his name but Andrew dubbed him "Cupid McDreamy" This may be my last post because I'm sure Laura is going to kill me. Since I'm already marked if you happen to see her feel free to bust out "You Give Love a Bad Name"
It was pretty miserable weather all day. The rain didn't really stop so what a better time for a cup of tea! We stopped at a tea house for a drink and soup. Now I know why they love it here. There's nothing better than a cup of tea on a dreary day. On to Stratford!
Oh Stratford...birthplace of Shakespeare. It was a really nice town. Felt good to get out of the big city...and a lot cheaper. We went to the church and took a walk around town. The highlight of the day was seeing a Shakespeare play, Midsummer Night's Dream. As the Irish say, Absolutely fab. It was hilarious. Just like watching a Monty Python bit. I had read the play and seen part of a movie and was not really looking forward to it but it was very mordern and fresh rendition. Afterwards we went to a pub a few doors down that all the actors go to after shows. I left by the time most of the cast showed up because at this point I was basically swimming in my shoes.
We stayed at a B&B that night. The next morning both my socks were nearly dry but itwas great to have a proper English breakfast. We only had a few hours to wander about so we hit up a little market and ate a pub. mmm Steak pie in a beer gravy with chips. Delicious. That afternoon we took the coach to Oxford.
Man what a great town. All the colleges are disperesed through out the whole town. Their all in these medieval churches. We wandered around in a pretty good sized group but eventually split up. By the end of the day it was me, Erin and Robin. Best stop of the day... a bakery. I bought a Grand Venetian Finger. Basically the size of a half-Wegman's sub, each side dipped in chocolate. Oh...my...God. Enough about that. We got back on the coach, I fell asleep and we were back in London. YAY
The next day I went out to play softball with a bunch of ex-Pats (mainly buisnessmen and Bill) in Hyde Park. I'll be smug for a minute and say I ROCKED!!!! My moment came in the 5th when I slammed a home run. My luck has followed me and I was published in the widely-read (throughout the London Centre) publication, Skint. I just can't get away from the publicity :P. Bill wrote a nice article. Later that evening we went to see a football game. It's a lot less boring than on tv! The fans were pretty much the main attraction. They have so many chants and songs...typically directed at the other team and their fans. The most memorable was (to the tune of the grandfather clock chime) "Sit down shut up, Sit down shut up..."
Aaaand that was my weekend. Phew. I crashed pretty early that night.
This past week I started my internship. We're doing demonstrations next week but I met the other teachers I'll be working with. I picked up a trombone yesterday and Erin helped me learn a few tunes. Also played the Mozart Requiem lick with her. Good times. Well, I figured I should update this because 1) it's been a long time and 2) I'm going on holiday this weekend. Mike, Andrew and I are heading to Salzburg tonight! Mike's birthday is tomorrow so we figured we should have a proper celebration. Saturday is what I'm looking forward to most. OKTOBERFEST!! We going in on the opening day so hopefully we'll see the tapping of the keg by the Mayor of Munich. Well, I'm off. I'll see you on the other side of the beer stein.
Cheers
O
Friday, September 5, 2008
The time is drawing nigh
Please all take a moment and put me in your thoughts for today marks the last 6-day weekend I have for the rest of the terms...sigh
But I guess it's a good thing because my internship starts in a little over a week! Now my schedule will include Mondays, Wednesday AND Thursday (how could they do this to a super-senior). Andrew, Laura and I went down to Vauxhall to meet Brendon, the director of Lambeth Music Service. I guess I should take a little time to describe LMS and the UK education system for you...
LMS was started about 7 years back as an effort by the government to expose students to better quality music curriculum. Before the service the majority of students had very little chance to progress with music unless they took private lessons on their own. So for a lot of those students it was near impossible to afford these lessons. The public schools here are different then the States. You leave secondary school at 16. Think of elementary school when you picture their system, in and of that they have one teacher for year. This teacher will teach every subject for a particular year, including music. You can appreciate the fact that there were quite a few teachers just didn't have the training, time or experience to be able to start a band, orchestra or choir, except, perhaps, in the very best of schools.
In comes LMS to the rescue! (well, sort of) It's still a work in progress but from what I've heard of the program it is definitely filling a void in the schools and student's musical literacy. The service hires musicians to go into the schools and teach their specialties. The teachers will typically spend half a day then move to a different school. In each school they team-teach. So typically will be the Brass specialist, there will be a woodwind specialist and a percussion specialist. But of course things aren't that simple for the three of us. Since Ithaca has prepared us well beyond what they do in the UK University, we'll be doing just about everything. According to Brendon there is no formal Music Education degree in University here. It's almost poetic: there are teachers who haven't been trained in music and musicians who haven't been trained to teach. Now be clear I am NOT saying these people are bad teachers. Of course Brendon has to hire competent musician/teachers for this service to be effective. The way I understand it is that Laura, Andrew and I have the most comprehensive training (we've played and have been taught to teach every instrument). So this works out beautifully for us. Here's my schedule:
Monday (Bonneville school in the AM, Corpus Christi school in the PM)
10:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
11:30- brass lessons
12:30- run as quickly as I can and catch a bus to CC
whenever- brass lessons
2:00- Band
3:00- Brass lessons
Wednesday (Richard Atkins/St. John's Angelltown [yes, two "L"s])
10:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
11:30- strings (AHHHHHHH!!!!...thank goodness Maeve is here)
12:30- lunch and stroll to St. John's
1:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
2:30- Band
3:30- Percussion lessons
Thursday
Jazz Ensemble night rehearsal at a secondary school
Phew, I get tired just looking at it. But this is exactly what I wanted to be involved in. This is definitely a symbiotic relationship. The Service gets our (limited) experience and awesome IC training and we get to participate in a very well organized, program designed solely to teach music. I feel a little like a guinea pig but I have high hopes for the semester. I haven't decided if I'll start another blog for my reflections of teaching or if they'll be mixed in here.
Wow, looking back on this this is kind of long. I was planning to put a couple more things in here but I'll spare you until the next one...which I will probably start right after breakfast. I'm off to make a breakfast sandwich using my delicious 18 pence beigels! Man I can't wait for the market again on Sunday.
Much Love,
O
But I guess it's a good thing because my internship starts in a little over a week! Now my schedule will include Mondays, Wednesday AND Thursday (how could they do this to a super-senior). Andrew, Laura and I went down to Vauxhall to meet Brendon, the director of Lambeth Music Service. I guess I should take a little time to describe LMS and the UK education system for you...
LMS was started about 7 years back as an effort by the government to expose students to better quality music curriculum. Before the service the majority of students had very little chance to progress with music unless they took private lessons on their own. So for a lot of those students it was near impossible to afford these lessons. The public schools here are different then the States. You leave secondary school at 16. Think of elementary school when you picture their system, in and of that they have one teacher for year. This teacher will teach every subject for a particular year, including music. You can appreciate the fact that there were quite a few teachers just didn't have the training, time or experience to be able to start a band, orchestra or choir, except, perhaps, in the very best of schools.
In comes LMS to the rescue! (well, sort of) It's still a work in progress but from what I've heard of the program it is definitely filling a void in the schools and student's musical literacy. The service hires musicians to go into the schools and teach their specialties. The teachers will typically spend half a day then move to a different school. In each school they team-teach. So typically will be the Brass specialist, there will be a woodwind specialist and a percussion specialist. But of course things aren't that simple for the three of us. Since Ithaca has prepared us well beyond what they do in the UK University, we'll be doing just about everything. According to Brendon there is no formal Music Education degree in University here. It's almost poetic: there are teachers who haven't been trained in music and musicians who haven't been trained to teach. Now be clear I am NOT saying these people are bad teachers. Of course Brendon has to hire competent musician/teachers for this service to be effective. The way I understand it is that Laura, Andrew and I have the most comprehensive training (we've played and have been taught to teach every instrument). So this works out beautifully for us. Here's my schedule:
Monday (Bonneville school in the AM, Corpus Christi school in the PM)
10:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
11:30- brass lessons
12:30- run as quickly as I can and catch a bus to CC
whenever- brass lessons
2:00- Band
3:00- Brass lessons
Wednesday (Richard Atkins/St. John's Angelltown [yes, two "L"s])
10:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
11:30- strings (AHHHHHHH!!!!...thank goodness Maeve is here)
12:30- lunch and stroll to St. John's
1:30- teach recorder/djembe/glockenspiel
2:30- Band
3:30- Percussion lessons
Thursday
Jazz Ensemble night rehearsal at a secondary school
Phew, I get tired just looking at it. But this is exactly what I wanted to be involved in. This is definitely a symbiotic relationship. The Service gets our (limited) experience and awesome IC training and we get to participate in a very well organized, program designed solely to teach music. I feel a little like a guinea pig but I have high hopes for the semester. I haven't decided if I'll start another blog for my reflections of teaching or if they'll be mixed in here.
Wow, looking back on this this is kind of long. I was planning to put a couple more things in here but I'll spare you until the next one...which I will probably start right after breakfast. I'm off to make a breakfast sandwich using my delicious 18 pence beigels! Man I can't wait for the market again on Sunday.
Much Love,
O
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Week at a glance
A thousand apologies for not updating for not updating this sooner.
So where do I begin. Let's try this Tarantino style... I just got back from a pub at ISH (International Student House) where Mike, Andrew, Eric (the roomies) and I had a few pints. It's actually a pretty happening place. We went on a tour with Bill the other day and they gave us 2-for-1 coupons so I just had to go back. The biggest shock was the coca cola...it's very very sweet. Just like when you get it in Atlanta. So after a couple Jack and Cokes and a pint of Guinness we decided to call it a night (I know lame but I need my rest for my non-class tomorrow).
Earlier today was by far my favorite walk that Bill took us on. We went to the East End where the working class historically has lived and we visited several markets. I could live there because it's a haggler's dreamland. Anyone who knows me will agree I was definitely in my element. For the most part I was there for the food. I love getting food at little stands or whole in the walls. In my opinion that's what defines a city/region. London definitely represented itself well at these markets. Most of the markets sell clothing and other department store-esqe stuff which typically comes right from the factories. Hence really cheap stuff. I didn't want to go crazy because I wanted to see what each market had to offer. I will be returning though. There were all sorts of food stands which was quite difficult for me to pass up. What I had to indulge in were some fresh spring rolls, spicy lamb pancake rolls, and chicken penang curry. Mmmmm.
I was most most impressed by the market where I got the curry. Interesting how this was the one with the most food. I wonder if there's a correlation...The Up Market (where I got curry) is right in the middle of the curry part of town. It has the largest concentration of curry restaurants in all of London! There were tons of other stuff there...Ethiopian (yum Coop), Morrocan, Mexican, Thai, Indian and so much more.
One market we went to was in the former Jewish district. A lot of Eastern European Jews migrated to London in the early 20th century and they made a tremendous impression on the area. The most lasting were the bagel shops...excuse me, the Beigel shops. I got half a dozen for 1 pound 8 pence!!!!! I love this town
Yesterday Bill took us on a walk of the actually City of London. The originial site the Romans settled and occupied. It was a great tour. We visited the London museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, saw the foundation of an original Roman wall, saw the ending point of the Great Fire of London in 1666, St Bart's Cathedral (where they filmed part of Shakespeare in Love and where Ben Franklin did a lot of his work), and the Old Bailey (V for Vendetta fans anyone?). I wish you could go on the walks with Bill. The knowledge and insight he has into London is absolutely breathtaking. I should start taking notes.
Friday:
Not too much happening...it's the weekend. I did go to a Proms concert with some friends to see the NY Phil play Tchaik 4, Bartok- Miracualous Mandarin and Ravel- Mother Goose Suite. It's funny because I've seen them play more in London then I ever did in the States. They played very well, of course, but I'm still more impressed with the Royal Phil concert the other night. I feel like the Royal Phil took more risks and were more musical. The Horn section just blew me away. Although I though NY had a better brass section as a whole. They blended very well. Tough call but I guess I should just be grateful I can see so many different orchestras live. Next week is BBC and Berlin!
Thursday:
My first day of classes! It finally arrived...after days and days of just practicing and wandering about London I have to return to academia. It was actually kind of nice. My first class was British Pop. Our teacher is incredible! Our first class was spent just listening to music and talking about the origins of pop. She's very knowledgeable about the music industry which is pretty fascinating. Talking about why some bands make it and the social impact of the progression of music. She was definitely involved in the business and is bringing us along for the ride. I'm very excited to see where the class takes us. Our first homework assignment...get some sort of a binder or photo album for when we make our creative notebooks of concert tickets/drawings/whatever. Our one oral presentation of the semester...play a track of any type of music you want and talk about it. Sweeeet. Although there are so many things I could play. I'm leaning towards Youngblood Brass Band or Chris Potter. Well, I have all term to figure it out! Drama and the London Theater was my next (and last) class. Obviously the first day is always a little slow. It was mainly introductions and the teacher asking why were signed up for the class.
Went to see the NY Phil for their first night in town. They played Rite of Spring, Gershiwin Piano Concerto and a new Steve Stucky piece. Technically they were spot on but Rite of Spring was a little tame for my liking. I didn't really feel the virgin getting sacrificed...perhaps just assaulted. I'm an awful person...
The rest of my week--like I said before--was spent practicing and roaming about. I took a trip to the Natural History museum which was pretty sick. Went to the Dinosaur exhibit which really just made me regret not living out my childhood fantasy of being a paleantologist (thank you Jurassic Park). I'll be starting up lessons next week with Paul. I'm very happy I have something to work towards. I also found out German Brass is the artist in residence at Guildhall this year...and seeing as Paul was just hired as the head of the Wind, Brass and Percussion department, we'll see what happens. Things just keep getting better and better here. I'm so happy and grateful for this opportunity. Kids, study abroad. You will NOT regret it.
Tomorrow's agenda:
sleep until I feel like getting up
practice
...
maybe practice again
look for a binder for British Pop
Life is Good, as the saying goes.
Cheers,
O
PS Bassel, I'm still looking for your London fog. No worries
So where do I begin. Let's try this Tarantino style... I just got back from a pub at ISH (International Student House) where Mike, Andrew, Eric (the roomies) and I had a few pints. It's actually a pretty happening place. We went on a tour with Bill the other day and they gave us 2-for-1 coupons so I just had to go back. The biggest shock was the coca cola...it's very very sweet. Just like when you get it in Atlanta. So after a couple Jack and Cokes and a pint of Guinness we decided to call it a night (I know lame but I need my rest for my non-class tomorrow).
Earlier today was by far my favorite walk that Bill took us on. We went to the East End where the working class historically has lived and we visited several markets. I could live there because it's a haggler's dreamland. Anyone who knows me will agree I was definitely in my element. For the most part I was there for the food. I love getting food at little stands or whole in the walls. In my opinion that's what defines a city/region. London definitely represented itself well at these markets. Most of the markets sell clothing and other department store-esqe stuff which typically comes right from the factories. Hence really cheap stuff. I didn't want to go crazy because I wanted to see what each market had to offer. I will be returning though. There were all sorts of food stands which was quite difficult for me to pass up. What I had to indulge in were some fresh spring rolls, spicy lamb pancake rolls, and chicken penang curry. Mmmmm.
I was most most impressed by the market where I got the curry. Interesting how this was the one with the most food. I wonder if there's a correlation...The Up Market (where I got curry) is right in the middle of the curry part of town. It has the largest concentration of curry restaurants in all of London! There were tons of other stuff there...Ethiopian (yum Coop), Morrocan, Mexican, Thai, Indian and so much more.
One market we went to was in the former Jewish district. A lot of Eastern European Jews migrated to London in the early 20th century and they made a tremendous impression on the area. The most lasting were the bagel shops...excuse me, the Beigel shops. I got half a dozen for 1 pound 8 pence!!!!! I love this town
Yesterday Bill took us on a walk of the actually City of London. The originial site the Romans settled and occupied. It was a great tour. We visited the London museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, saw the foundation of an original Roman wall, saw the ending point of the Great Fire of London in 1666, St Bart's Cathedral (where they filmed part of Shakespeare in Love and where Ben Franklin did a lot of his work), and the Old Bailey (V for Vendetta fans anyone?). I wish you could go on the walks with Bill. The knowledge and insight he has into London is absolutely breathtaking. I should start taking notes.
Friday:
Not too much happening...it's the weekend. I did go to a Proms concert with some friends to see the NY Phil play Tchaik 4, Bartok- Miracualous Mandarin and Ravel- Mother Goose Suite. It's funny because I've seen them play more in London then I ever did in the States. They played very well, of course, but I'm still more impressed with the Royal Phil concert the other night. I feel like the Royal Phil took more risks and were more musical. The Horn section just blew me away. Although I though NY had a better brass section as a whole. They blended very well. Tough call but I guess I should just be grateful I can see so many different orchestras live. Next week is BBC and Berlin!
Thursday:
My first day of classes! It finally arrived...after days and days of just practicing and wandering about London I have to return to academia. It was actually kind of nice. My first class was British Pop. Our teacher is incredible! Our first class was spent just listening to music and talking about the origins of pop. She's very knowledgeable about the music industry which is pretty fascinating. Talking about why some bands make it and the social impact of the progression of music. She was definitely involved in the business and is bringing us along for the ride. I'm very excited to see where the class takes us. Our first homework assignment...get some sort of a binder or photo album for when we make our creative notebooks of concert tickets/drawings/whatever. Our one oral presentation of the semester...play a track of any type of music you want and talk about it. Sweeeet. Although there are so many things I could play. I'm leaning towards Youngblood Brass Band or Chris Potter. Well, I have all term to figure it out! Drama and the London Theater was my next (and last) class. Obviously the first day is always a little slow. It was mainly introductions and the teacher asking why were signed up for the class.
Went to see the NY Phil for their first night in town. They played Rite of Spring, Gershiwin Piano Concerto and a new Steve Stucky piece. Technically they were spot on but Rite of Spring was a little tame for my liking. I didn't really feel the virgin getting sacrificed...perhaps just assaulted. I'm an awful person...
The rest of my week--like I said before--was spent practicing and roaming about. I took a trip to the Natural History museum which was pretty sick. Went to the Dinosaur exhibit which really just made me regret not living out my childhood fantasy of being a paleantologist (thank you Jurassic Park). I'll be starting up lessons next week with Paul. I'm very happy I have something to work towards. I also found out German Brass is the artist in residence at Guildhall this year...and seeing as Paul was just hired as the head of the Wind, Brass and Percussion department, we'll see what happens. Things just keep getting better and better here. I'm so happy and grateful for this opportunity. Kids, study abroad. You will NOT regret it.
Tomorrow's agenda:
sleep until I feel like getting up
practice
...
maybe practice again
look for a binder for British Pop
Life is Good, as the saying goes.
Cheers,
O
PS Bassel, I'm still looking for your London fog. No worries
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Notting Hill Carnival!!!
Holy cow this was carnival was incredible!! Mike, Andrew and I hit up the second biggest street carnival in the world (second only to Rio). So apparently this carnival started in the 70’s as a tribute and celebration of the Afro-Caribbean community in London. If I had ever been to a Mardi Gras I could say it was like that but this was pretty much the closest to it.
The shear number of people there was staggering and supposedly we went on the “light” day. The only thing we had on our mind was to get cash and have a good time. The first thing we ran into was a giant bus rigged with huge amps. When we couldn’t feel our hearts because the bass was so loud we knew we were heading in the right direction. As we turned the corner we were met by a long line of police blocking the road. Like the typical pre-mob we gathered around to see what was going on. No worries, there was no looting but the first parade was coming down the street. The costumes and booming Caribbean music just pulled you into the festivities. It was hard not to get into the spirit.
After reading an article in the paper apparently over 5 tons of chicken, 1 ton of Jamaican meat pies, 30,000 corn on the cob, and 25,000 bottles of rum were consumed in the two days!
Many more good times to be had in London. Until then.
O
The shear number of people there was staggering and supposedly we went on the “light” day. The only thing we had on our mind was to get cash and have a good time. The first thing we ran into was a giant bus rigged with huge amps. When we couldn’t feel our hearts because the bass was so loud we knew we were heading in the right direction. As we turned the corner we were met by a long line of police blocking the road. Like the typical pre-mob we gathered around to see what was going on. No worries, there was no looting but the first parade was coming down the street. The costumes and booming Caribbean music just pulled you into the festivities. It was hard not to get into the spirit.
After reading an article in the paper apparently over 5 tons of chicken, 1 ton of Jamaican meat pies, 30,000 corn on the cob, and 25,000 bottles of rum were consumed in the two days!
Many more good times to be had in London. Until then.
O
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Oh me, Oh My, Omar
Bill’s walk
Bill took us on our first walk around London. We started at Westminster and ended up crossing the Tower Bridge…it’s nearly 3 miles and I’m sure we did much more because we went a very roundabout way. To give you a little background, Bill is a history buff and used to teach at the London Centre until he was made director. He’s originally from Canada but knows pretty much everything there is to know about London.
I can’t even begin to recall all the history Bill imparted on us but it was just incredible to see London. The rich history of this city is mind-boggling. Bill’s first question was “When was London first founded?” The answer: Sometime in the 40’s AD by the Romans. Of course the Island was occupied before the Romans arrived. Bill showed us historic landmarks including castles and an original Roman wall, which marks the fortifications they made centuries ago. All of it was fascinating and I can’t wait for more.
Other places of note were the Globe Theater (the original was destroyed and is now actually a parking lot), the Tower Bride and Tower of London. We walked along the southern bank of the Thames where the more artsy and progressive areas of London thrived. There were tons of artisans, musicians, painters, sand-sculptors, etc. along the way.
The highlight of my day was of course giant market in the middle of town. It was enormous! I know some who would be quite jealous of all the free samples I had. There were all types of food there. My first treat was a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. My next purchase was a lamb samosa with a spicy red curry dressing. I’m salivating just thinking about it now. Another great surprise was this cheese (which I can’t remember the name of), which pretty much just melted in my mouth instantly. It was like milk. So rich and flavorful. The pastries, cheeses, mushroom pate, breads, Indian, chipotle, salsa, apple cider ice pops, oh my! I could go on for much longer but I’ll spare you. Next post is on the Notting Hill Carnival I went to today.
I’m off because classes start tomorrow…for pretty much everyone but me. So much time and so little to do.
Tomorrow’s Plans:
Wake up without an alarm
Grocery shopping
Practice
See the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Prokofiev- Romeo and Juliet; and Tchaikovsky 5 for 5 pounds.
Til next time.
O
Bill took us on our first walk around London. We started at Westminster and ended up crossing the Tower Bridge…it’s nearly 3 miles and I’m sure we did much more because we went a very roundabout way. To give you a little background, Bill is a history buff and used to teach at the London Centre until he was made director. He’s originally from Canada but knows pretty much everything there is to know about London.
I can’t even begin to recall all the history Bill imparted on us but it was just incredible to see London. The rich history of this city is mind-boggling. Bill’s first question was “When was London first founded?” The answer: Sometime in the 40’s AD by the Romans. Of course the Island was occupied before the Romans arrived. Bill showed us historic landmarks including castles and an original Roman wall, which marks the fortifications they made centuries ago. All of it was fascinating and I can’t wait for more.
Other places of note were the Globe Theater (the original was destroyed and is now actually a parking lot), the Tower Bride and Tower of London. We walked along the southern bank of the Thames where the more artsy and progressive areas of London thrived. There were tons of artisans, musicians, painters, sand-sculptors, etc. along the way.
The highlight of my day was of course giant market in the middle of town. It was enormous! I know some who would be quite jealous of all the free samples I had. There were all types of food there. My first treat was a white chocolate and raspberry muffin. My next purchase was a lamb samosa with a spicy red curry dressing. I’m salivating just thinking about it now. Another great surprise was this cheese (which I can’t remember the name of), which pretty much just melted in my mouth instantly. It was like milk. So rich and flavorful. The pastries, cheeses, mushroom pate, breads, Indian, chipotle, salsa, apple cider ice pops, oh my! I could go on for much longer but I’ll spare you. Next post is on the Notting Hill Carnival I went to today.
I’m off because classes start tomorrow…for pretty much everyone but me. So much time and so little to do.
Tomorrow’s Plans:
Wake up without an alarm
Grocery shopping
Practice
See the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Prokofiev- Romeo and Juliet; and Tchaikovsky 5 for 5 pounds.
Til next time.
O
And we're back
Thanks for checking back faithful Omar-stalkers.
Sorry it's been a few days since my last post. So many things to write and so little energy to type it.
I'll start off by say WE GOT A FLAT!!! It was a long 5 days but we signed on a flat on Edgeware road (originally built by the Romans and not far from a popular hanging place--heads that is). So a run-on sentence summary of our flat hunt: we went all over town; up to Abbey Road (yes we walked crosswalk or zebra lines as they call here--albeit a bit quickly because the cars and buses aren't very forgiving), down to south of the River Thames into Brixton where it's predominantly Afro-Carribbean, way up north to Dollis Hill where you'd see the quintessential London town in any movie, but ultimately sorted ourselves in Edgeware. It is a very middle eastern/indian/posh part of London. Lots of ethnic shops and restaurants but once you get off the main drag it's residential. Time for some mango nectar (jealous coop?)...more blogs soon about other adventures the past few days. Pictures are forthcoming
Much Love,
O
Sorry it's been a few days since my last post. So many things to write and so little energy to type it.
I'll start off by say WE GOT A FLAT!!! It was a long 5 days but we signed on a flat on Edgeware road (originally built by the Romans and not far from a popular hanging place--heads that is). So a run-on sentence summary of our flat hunt: we went all over town; up to Abbey Road (yes we walked crosswalk or zebra lines as they call here--albeit a bit quickly because the cars and buses aren't very forgiving), down to south of the River Thames into Brixton where it's predominantly Afro-Carribbean, way up north to Dollis Hill where you'd see the quintessential London town in any movie, but ultimately sorted ourselves in Edgeware. It is a very middle eastern/indian/posh part of London. Lots of ethnic shops and restaurants but once you get off the main drag it's residential. Time for some mango nectar (jealous coop?)...more blogs soon about other adventures the past few days. Pictures are forthcoming
Much Love,
O
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
First Day- Part Deux
Right then... to continue with my first day(I swear I'll get to my second day soon). I won't bore you with details of calling agents and landlords but it was quite an experience trying to understand them. You all know how salespeople are fast talkers always seem to be trying to work you over...well, think the same person with a very thick accent. Andrew, Mike, Eric and I went to view a place and took our first ride on the tube. There were varying degrees of flats--most seemed nice. The highlight of the day was later that evening.
Mike, Andrew and I wanted to do some touristy things but without 60 obnoxious American college kids (sorry people who will probably be my friends soon) so we hopped on the tube. First stop...Buckingham Palace. Needless to say it was pretty incredible. It was just getting dark so the spotlights were up and the sentries on patrol. Pictures will follow soon once I put them on my computer. It was still pretty early so we decided to stop by Parliament and Big Ben (I love living in a place where you can "stop by" historical and world treasures). Right off the tube we heard Big Ben. As we walked up the stairs parliament was right there and looked absolutely stunning against the night sky and next to the the river. Of course all I could think of was V for Vendetta (a little violent thinking on my part but it is a brilliant movie). We took a few steps admiring the building and realized Big Ben was directly above us. Wow. That's about all you can say about it. I can't tell you how many miles we had walked around the London area but it was a pretty awesome first day. I crashed about 10:00, fighting jet lag as best I could all day. Tomorrow (yesterday in actuality) is a new day! High hopes and Goodnight.
O
Mike, Andrew and I wanted to do some touristy things but without 60 obnoxious American college kids (sorry people who will probably be my friends soon) so we hopped on the tube. First stop...Buckingham Palace. Needless to say it was pretty incredible. It was just getting dark so the spotlights were up and the sentries on patrol. Pictures will follow soon once I put them on my computer. It was still pretty early so we decided to stop by Parliament and Big Ben (I love living in a place where you can "stop by" historical and world treasures). Right off the tube we heard Big Ben. As we walked up the stairs parliament was right there and looked absolutely stunning against the night sky and next to the the river. Of course all I could think of was V for Vendetta (a little violent thinking on my part but it is a brilliant movie). We took a few steps admiring the building and realized Big Ben was directly above us. Wow. That's about all you can say about it. I can't tell you how many miles we had walked around the London area but it was a pretty awesome first day. I crashed about 10:00, fighting jet lag as best I could all day. Tomorrow (yesterday in actuality) is a new day! High hopes and Goodnight.
O
Arrival and Such
So this is the first time I've done any blogging so pardon any lack of consistency.
I've made it to London! We got in yesterday morning (about 6:30 London time). It didn't really hit me that I was actually going to be here until much later in the day. The plane was just fine although I was fully expecting to sleep the entire 6 1/2 hour flight. But of course my one weakness being free movies I just had to watch Kung Fu Panda. The realization this was going to be an incredible semester settled in once we were just heading over Ireland. I had been keeping track of our progress via the tv's nestled in the backs of each seat. One of the screens showed a flat world and which parts were in darkness or light. Watching this parabala (good SAT word) slowly drift toward the states we in pretty much in perpetual darkness. Once near Ireland I looked out of my tiny window and saw this sliver light far in the horizon. As we drew near it details of our surroundings started to emerge. Looking as best I could I saw what seemed to be a fractured bed of foam (this being the clouds) and snippets of the ocean thousands of feet below. The sky started to turn all shades of red, pink and orange. I looked back and in all corniness I knew I could look forward to something spectacular.
Once we got in we did the usual claiming the baggage and riding the bus. Of course everyone was jet lagged. We arrived at the hotel but could only drop our things off before going to the London Centre for a mini-orientation. After, Bill--the Director--took us on a walk around the immediate area. Right after we were on our own and thus commenced... The Flat Hunt. Since the Hunt is still going on I must be off. More on my first day in London later. Right then.
O
I've made it to London! We got in yesterday morning (about 6:30 London time). It didn't really hit me that I was actually going to be here until much later in the day. The plane was just fine although I was fully expecting to sleep the entire 6 1/2 hour flight. But of course my one weakness being free movies I just had to watch Kung Fu Panda. The realization this was going to be an incredible semester settled in once we were just heading over Ireland. I had been keeping track of our progress via the tv's nestled in the backs of each seat. One of the screens showed a flat world and which parts were in darkness or light. Watching this parabala (good SAT word) slowly drift toward the states we in pretty much in perpetual darkness. Once near Ireland I looked out of my tiny window and saw this sliver light far in the horizon. As we drew near it details of our surroundings started to emerge. Looking as best I could I saw what seemed to be a fractured bed of foam (this being the clouds) and snippets of the ocean thousands of feet below. The sky started to turn all shades of red, pink and orange. I looked back and in all corniness I knew I could look forward to something spectacular.
Once we got in we did the usual claiming the baggage and riding the bus. Of course everyone was jet lagged. We arrived at the hotel but could only drop our things off before going to the London Centre for a mini-orientation. After, Bill--the Director--took us on a walk around the immediate area. Right after we were on our own and thus commenced... The Flat Hunt. Since the Hunt is still going on I must be off. More on my first day in London later. Right then.
O
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