I found this website of british slang and find it to be quite extensive and helpful.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/index.htm
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
I have been bad with keeping up my blog but it's only because I am spending all my time experiencing London, and in the time I do sit back and relax I usually have to read for class or skype my parents. Nevertheless... I will try to keep this up as much as I can.
Last week was probably one of the worst weeks I have had in a while.. My computer decided to die, I got bad news from home, and I just started to feel a little overwhelmed. Luckily, one of my oldest and most wonderful friends Whitney visited me last weekend so I was able to push my troubles aside and have some fun.
Thursday night, around 1030, I journeyed to Fulham Broadway to pick Whitney up from where the EasyBus dropped her off. It was weird to be reunited in the land of the Queen, but after 6+ months apart it was wonderful to see her. We caught up and journeyed back to Bedford Pl with talks of weekend plans. We skyped my parents and then went to bed, because Friday we had the longest day in the history of the planet. (Not really, but it was close).
Friday morning we woke up at about 8:30 and were out the door by 9:30. We stopped by the British Museum for a very short time, but had enough time to copy a little girls pose in front of an Easter Island statue. CamHams stop #1! We then took the tube to Oxford Circus because I had to take in my computer to the Apple store, but luckily this didn't take long and hardly set us back any time at all. After that was taken care of, we went over to Borough Market and I showed Whitney the English style of Costco. We tried all sorts of samplings of delicious cheeses and jams, breads and dips. It was DI-VINE. We both got a lamb burger from a little greek stand that was heaven in my mouth. So delicious. We also split a Banoffee, of course, because it has become physically impossible for me to go a day without banoffee. My waistline will back me up on that.
After a disappointing shot of espresso from Monmouth we went over to Parliament, Big Ben, & Westminster Abbey. Took the tourist photos, and I attempted to give Whitney the condensed version of the Angie tour. Hopped on the tube & went over to Buckingham Palace, & walked through ST. James's Park. It was sunny, so we made the most of it and enjoyed our park walk. But not for too long, as we had much left yet to do! We got back on the tube and headed over to Tower Bridge & the Tower of London. We actually walked across the bridge which was really cool. We saw amazing views of the city & the river Thames. When we reached the other side we did a little exploring & got a close-up view of Boris Johnson's office over at City Hall (okay, so not his office but its in that buiding somewhere!). We kept going however because there was much left to see!
I took Whitney over to St. Paul's Cathedral so she could have a picture with the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. We met up with Michelle there and went inside and looked around. Then we walked across the wobbly bridge (aka the skinny bridge) ((also, and more properly known as, "Millennium Bridge")). We saw the Tate Modern and the Globe Theater. We thought about going inside the Globe, but it was late and it was almost time for it to close :(
I picked up my computer from Oxford st, then we decided to head over to Harrods so Whit could see the Diana/Dodi memorial. After a short while there we went to eat in Covent Garden at Rock & Sole Plaice; FIsh & Chips of course! It was delicious. We picked up some Ben's Cookies as well, for dessert. At this point we were EXHAUSTED but determined to go out, so we went home for a bit to rest & figure out the next move. Once at home we realized clubbing was not going to happen since our legs were about to fall off, so we went to a pub in Leicester Square. It was chill & lax.
Saturday morning we slept in a bit (until 930) and then headed over to Kensington palace & Hyde Park. We went into the palace and saw two exhibitions-- one on the fashions of Princess Diana, and another on the last debutantes. Both featured pretty ball gowns, so of course I LOVED it. After the palace we walked around Hyde Park and saw the Diana memorial fountain, the albert memorial, and desperately searched for the Peter Pan statue. We FINALLY found him and took our neverland pics. By this point we were waddling like old ladies because our legs & feet hurt so much, but we powered through because that's what you do when your on a schedule. We ate at a little mexican restuarant (SAY WHAT!?) in Notting Hill that was actually pretty decent. The Carne Asada tacos were nothing compared to the 2 dollar tacos you get at Olvera Street (and they were definitely NOT $2) but paired with a jamaica I felt almost like I was home. Almost.
After lunch we went back to the flat and rested because we were going out. We went out to the East End that night, to a random little club that played HORRIBLE music but cover was free so we couldn't complain too much. We danced & drank & met some nice boys from Cambridge, who showed us the "best place for SHEESH kabobs" in the east end. Not gonna lie, they were pretty amazing. We had fun chatting and eating, and one of them, Tom, even offered to give us a tour of Cambridge whenever we were "keen" since the guys graduated from Cambridge 2 years ago. We havent gone yet but I definitely want to take them up on the offer.
Whitney left early sunday morning so I didnt see her off, but I had such a fun weekend. It was nice playing the tour guide, made me feel like I really know London. which, I guess I do, since I barely had to use the map! Yay-uh!
Sunday I slept in and then went to the Chinese New Year festival in Leicester & Trafalgar squares. I dont know if it was because I was exhausted, but I was underimpressed. Nevertheless the weekend was fun-filled and the leg pains were definitely worth it.
Last week was probably one of the worst weeks I have had in a while.. My computer decided to die, I got bad news from home, and I just started to feel a little overwhelmed. Luckily, one of my oldest and most wonderful friends Whitney visited me last weekend so I was able to push my troubles aside and have some fun.
Thursday night, around 1030, I journeyed to Fulham Broadway to pick Whitney up from where the EasyBus dropped her off. It was weird to be reunited in the land of the Queen, but after 6+ months apart it was wonderful to see her. We caught up and journeyed back to Bedford Pl with talks of weekend plans. We skyped my parents and then went to bed, because Friday we had the longest day in the history of the planet. (Not really, but it was close).
Friday morning we woke up at about 8:30 and were out the door by 9:30. We stopped by the British Museum for a very short time, but had enough time to copy a little girls pose in front of an Easter Island statue. CamHams stop #1! We then took the tube to Oxford Circus because I had to take in my computer to the Apple store, but luckily this didn't take long and hardly set us back any time at all. After that was taken care of, we went over to Borough Market and I showed Whitney the English style of Costco. We tried all sorts of samplings of delicious cheeses and jams, breads and dips. It was DI-VINE. We both got a lamb burger from a little greek stand that was heaven in my mouth. So delicious. We also split a Banoffee, of course, because it has become physically impossible for me to go a day without banoffee. My waistline will back me up on that.
After a disappointing shot of espresso from Monmouth we went over to Parliament, Big Ben, & Westminster Abbey. Took the tourist photos, and I attempted to give Whitney the condensed version of the Angie tour. Hopped on the tube & went over to Buckingham Palace, & walked through ST. James's Park. It was sunny, so we made the most of it and enjoyed our park walk. But not for too long, as we had much left yet to do! We got back on the tube and headed over to Tower Bridge & the Tower of London. We actually walked across the bridge which was really cool. We saw amazing views of the city & the river Thames. When we reached the other side we did a little exploring & got a close-up view of Boris Johnson's office over at City Hall (okay, so not his office but its in that buiding somewhere!). We kept going however because there was much left to see!
I took Whitney over to St. Paul's Cathedral so she could have a picture with the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. We met up with Michelle there and went inside and looked around. Then we walked across the wobbly bridge (aka the skinny bridge) ((also, and more properly known as, "Millennium Bridge")). We saw the Tate Modern and the Globe Theater. We thought about going inside the Globe, but it was late and it was almost time for it to close :(
I picked up my computer from Oxford st, then we decided to head over to Harrods so Whit could see the Diana/Dodi memorial. After a short while there we went to eat in Covent Garden at Rock & Sole Plaice; FIsh & Chips of course! It was delicious. We picked up some Ben's Cookies as well, for dessert. At this point we were EXHAUSTED but determined to go out, so we went home for a bit to rest & figure out the next move. Once at home we realized clubbing was not going to happen since our legs were about to fall off, so we went to a pub in Leicester Square. It was chill & lax.
Saturday morning we slept in a bit (until 930) and then headed over to Kensington palace & Hyde Park. We went into the palace and saw two exhibitions-- one on the fashions of Princess Diana, and another on the last debutantes. Both featured pretty ball gowns, so of course I LOVED it. After the palace we walked around Hyde Park and saw the Diana memorial fountain, the albert memorial, and desperately searched for the Peter Pan statue. We FINALLY found him and took our neverland pics. By this point we were waddling like old ladies because our legs & feet hurt so much, but we powered through because that's what you do when your on a schedule. We ate at a little mexican restuarant (SAY WHAT!?) in Notting Hill that was actually pretty decent. The Carne Asada tacos were nothing compared to the 2 dollar tacos you get at Olvera Street (and they were definitely NOT $2) but paired with a jamaica I felt almost like I was home. Almost.
After lunch we went back to the flat and rested because we were going out. We went out to the East End that night, to a random little club that played HORRIBLE music but cover was free so we couldn't complain too much. We danced & drank & met some nice boys from Cambridge, who showed us the "best place for SHEESH kabobs" in the east end. Not gonna lie, they were pretty amazing. We had fun chatting and eating, and one of them, Tom, even offered to give us a tour of Cambridge whenever we were "keen" since the guys graduated from Cambridge 2 years ago. We havent gone yet but I definitely want to take them up on the offer.
Whitney left early sunday morning so I didnt see her off, but I had such a fun weekend. It was nice playing the tour guide, made me feel like I really know London. which, I guess I do, since I barely had to use the map! Yay-uh!
Sunday I slept in and then went to the Chinese New Year festival in Leicester & Trafalgar squares. I dont know if it was because I was exhausted, but I was underimpressed. Nevertheless the weekend was fun-filled and the leg pains were definitely worth it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Berlin
Im a bit behind on the postings.... I dont have time to catch up right now but I will try to soon.
Last weekend I went to Berlin. It was such an odd city. I have to say I really enjoyed it though, despite the 20something temperatures. It was seriously, the coldest I have ever felt in my life. But it was totally worth it.
I left Friday morning with Kelsey, Annie, and Michelle (although half of the USC study abroad group happened to be on the same flight, because we all happened to book Berlin for the same weekend). The trip was relatively stress-free compared to the last trip, so I wont go into the details. There was a bit of drama with Annie's letter from matthew (what I like to call, our "immigration letter") but it got sorted in the end. We arrived in Berlin about 10 am or so and encountered our first german interaction when trying to figure out which train ticket to buy. The lady at the counter insisted that we get a ticket, but I couldnt understand what she was saying so she got frustrated with me and said "NO! This one bettaaa!!!" I agree, it was better, but I wasnt disagreeing with her to begin with. Crazy Germans.
Anyways, we took the S-Bahn to Hauptbanhof station and luckily our hostel, the Meininger Berlin Central Station was a block away. It was so convenient! we dropped off our suitcases (after realizing our hostel was the most amazing place ever) and were off to explore Berlin! It took us a while to maneuver the snow.. It was so icy. I had to walk like a duck to keep from falling. But after a while I got it down pact pretty well. We started off searching for a bank for Kelsey & annie, which led to a lot of map-reading and trying to pronounce german street names, which is definitely not easy. We finally made it to the bank, after lots of wandering and asking for help from germans that had no idea what we were talking about. After the bank, we went over to Brandenberg Tor (the brandenberg gate, which seperated east and west berlin) for a free walking tour of Berlin. The walking tour was seriously the best thing we did because it covered almost all the big landmarks in the city in 4 hours and we got to snap our photos and get oriented with the city. Our tour guide, Barry, was a nice irish guy who was kind of hilarious and really knowledgeable. Just a few things we saw on the tour were the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, The Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, & the Berliner Dom. After the tour we headed back to the hostel, checked into our beautiful rooms, and then went to dinner at Tiergarten Quelle, a place I found online that was perfectly local & picturesquely german. We spent a long time eating, drinking beer, and enjoying the atmosphere.
On Saturday we went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, just outside of Berlin. The ride over to the camp was long and it gave us a chance to look at some suburbs of Berlin. It was crazy to see all the homes that looked somewhat normal, but you could still kind of see the leftovers of communism every now and again. There was also a lot of graffiti art--EVERYWHERE. On old buildings, bridges, etc. It was an interesting composition. The walk we took from the train station to Sachsenhausen was the same walk many Jews made when they were first displaced to the camp. It was weird knowing that we were walking the same path. On the way we stopped at an unofficial memorial to the victims of the death march.
Sachsenhausen camp itself was large, cold, and eery. It was a very physically & emotionally draining experience. The intense cold only heightened my awareness of the harsh conditions that the Jews had to endure at the camp. It was terrible. Walking through the camp I saw the barracks, the kitchen, the execution trench, the infirmatory, the crematorium.. it was all so surreal. I remember just feeling completely uncomfortable and sad the entire time. At some parts, I told Michelle I just couldnt handle seeing what we were seeing anymore and I walked out of the buildings. I'm glad I went there though, it was a learning experience and it was so powerful.
After the camp we went to dinner at another german food restuarant which was good, but not as good as the previous nights meal. I had potato pasta which was a lot like german gnocchi. That night we met up with a german friend of Kelsey's. It was cool to interact with some germans who could understand us (for the most part) and who could interact with the locals because our attempts to interact hadnt gone too well. We walked around a lot looking for a wine place, but when we finally found it it was packed. So we wandered around a bit, made our way to Alexanderplatz, took some pictures, drank some schnapps, and talked to some intoxicated women who were having a bachelorette party. It was a lot of fun, even though we didnt really do much. We then attempted to go to a club, but it was a failed attempt, as the place we went seemed to be prejudice against americans. Thats all Im going to say about that night...
Sunday Michelle & I went to the Pergamon museum which was cool, we got to see a lot of stuff the germans took from places they conquered/went to war with/ etc. Annie, Kelsey & Michael went to the Topography of Terror & to the Ritter Sport Chocolae factory. Not gonna lie, I was pretty jealous of the chocolate they made & got. We all met up to get wurst before we went to the airport. I got Rost bratwurst. It was pretty yummy.
We arrived back at the flats around 130 am and I slept in til noon the next day. It was a MUCH better way to travel then our amsterdam experience.
Overall, I had a lot of fun in Berlin and I would definitley go back to see more of what I missed or to take my kids one day. If I have kids, which I might not because I heard childbirth hurts like a... :)
Last weekend I went to Berlin. It was such an odd city. I have to say I really enjoyed it though, despite the 20something temperatures. It was seriously, the coldest I have ever felt in my life. But it was totally worth it.
I left Friday morning with Kelsey, Annie, and Michelle (although half of the USC study abroad group happened to be on the same flight, because we all happened to book Berlin for the same weekend). The trip was relatively stress-free compared to the last trip, so I wont go into the details. There was a bit of drama with Annie's letter from matthew (what I like to call, our "immigration letter") but it got sorted in the end. We arrived in Berlin about 10 am or so and encountered our first german interaction when trying to figure out which train ticket to buy. The lady at the counter insisted that we get a ticket, but I couldnt understand what she was saying so she got frustrated with me and said "NO! This one bettaaa!!!" I agree, it was better, but I wasnt disagreeing with her to begin with. Crazy Germans.
Anyways, we took the S-Bahn to Hauptbanhof station and luckily our hostel, the Meininger Berlin Central Station was a block away. It was so convenient! we dropped off our suitcases (after realizing our hostel was the most amazing place ever) and were off to explore Berlin! It took us a while to maneuver the snow.. It was so icy. I had to walk like a duck to keep from falling. But after a while I got it down pact pretty well. We started off searching for a bank for Kelsey & annie, which led to a lot of map-reading and trying to pronounce german street names, which is definitely not easy. We finally made it to the bank, after lots of wandering and asking for help from germans that had no idea what we were talking about. After the bank, we went over to Brandenberg Tor (the brandenberg gate, which seperated east and west berlin) for a free walking tour of Berlin. The walking tour was seriously the best thing we did because it covered almost all the big landmarks in the city in 4 hours and we got to snap our photos and get oriented with the city. Our tour guide, Barry, was a nice irish guy who was kind of hilarious and really knowledgeable. Just a few things we saw on the tour were the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, The Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, & the Berliner Dom. After the tour we headed back to the hostel, checked into our beautiful rooms, and then went to dinner at Tiergarten Quelle, a place I found online that was perfectly local & picturesquely german. We spent a long time eating, drinking beer, and enjoying the atmosphere.
On Saturday we went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, just outside of Berlin. The ride over to the camp was long and it gave us a chance to look at some suburbs of Berlin. It was crazy to see all the homes that looked somewhat normal, but you could still kind of see the leftovers of communism every now and again. There was also a lot of graffiti art--EVERYWHERE. On old buildings, bridges, etc. It was an interesting composition. The walk we took from the train station to Sachsenhausen was the same walk many Jews made when they were first displaced to the camp. It was weird knowing that we were walking the same path. On the way we stopped at an unofficial memorial to the victims of the death march.
Sachsenhausen camp itself was large, cold, and eery. It was a very physically & emotionally draining experience. The intense cold only heightened my awareness of the harsh conditions that the Jews had to endure at the camp. It was terrible. Walking through the camp I saw the barracks, the kitchen, the execution trench, the infirmatory, the crematorium.. it was all so surreal. I remember just feeling completely uncomfortable and sad the entire time. At some parts, I told Michelle I just couldnt handle seeing what we were seeing anymore and I walked out of the buildings. I'm glad I went there though, it was a learning experience and it was so powerful.
After the camp we went to dinner at another german food restuarant which was good, but not as good as the previous nights meal. I had potato pasta which was a lot like german gnocchi. That night we met up with a german friend of Kelsey's. It was cool to interact with some germans who could understand us (for the most part) and who could interact with the locals because our attempts to interact hadnt gone too well. We walked around a lot looking for a wine place, but when we finally found it it was packed. So we wandered around a bit, made our way to Alexanderplatz, took some pictures, drank some schnapps, and talked to some intoxicated women who were having a bachelorette party. It was a lot of fun, even though we didnt really do much. We then attempted to go to a club, but it was a failed attempt, as the place we went seemed to be prejudice against americans. Thats all Im going to say about that night...
Sunday Michelle & I went to the Pergamon museum which was cool, we got to see a lot of stuff the germans took from places they conquered/went to war with/ etc. Annie, Kelsey & Michael went to the Topography of Terror & to the Ritter Sport Chocolae factory. Not gonna lie, I was pretty jealous of the chocolate they made & got. We all met up to get wurst before we went to the airport. I got Rost bratwurst. It was pretty yummy.
We arrived back at the flats around 130 am and I slept in til noon the next day. It was a MUCH better way to travel then our amsterdam experience.
Overall, I had a lot of fun in Berlin and I would definitley go back to see more of what I missed or to take my kids one day. If I have kids, which I might not because I heard childbirth hurts like a... :)
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