Saturday was a free day, so I did what any good consumer would do and went shopping. In Camden markets, specifically. My God. There is no beginning and no end, so far as I can tell. I spent all afternoon wandering the stalls and shops and getting myself lost. Found several gifts for friends (and a few for myself) before finding my way out (a small achievement in itself) and heading back to the dorms.
Sunday I woke up bright and early for a long and arduous bus ride to Scotland. Ok, maybe it wasn't particularly arduous, but everyone on board was very tired. A few first impressions of Scotland: first, it is very beautiful and second, there is a lot of livestock. I don't know that I've ever seen so many sheep and cows in my life! In fact, I know I haven't.
We stayed in a town called Dalkeith, which is a sleepy little town outside of Edinburgh and a dramatic change from London. Dalkeith Palace, where we called home while in Scotland, was magnificent. Very old, very large, and very creepy when you're walking through the corridors at night trying to find your way back to your room. It reminded me a bit of The Shining. The grounds around the house were thick with woods and there were several muddy, sluggy paths leading through them. (Seriously, there were a lot of slugs.)
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Oxford
Today we visited the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The place has so much history, it's really overwhelming. The first building we entered first opened as a divinity school in 1488 and has beautiful late-Gothic architecture. The guide told us that the Bodleian is the oldest public library in Britain, and the second largest (after the British Library). The library acts as a depository in that they collect a copy of everything published in Britain as well as other items. They have material in 125 different languages. As if this weren't enough, some of the Bodleian's rooms were used in the filming of the Haarry Potter movies!
But back to the history. After some of the initial book-less rooms, we were taken into Duke Humphrey's reading room, which is the oldest in the library. Many of the books here are still chained to the wall as they were in the early days of the library. On the end of each shelf was a framed shelf lists which acted as the first library catalog, describing which books were held on that shelf. The Humphrey library was also one of the first galleried libraries in Britain. By putting the stairs to the gallery by the librarian's desk, the lirbarian could monitor who went up to the shelves; this also meant that those books would not have to be chained to the wall.
After the Humphrey's library were were led into underground tunnels that connect the old library to the new. The tunnels were originally used as air raid shelters, but fortunately, Oxford was never actually bombed during the war. (The guide explained to us that there is a rumor that the reason they weren't bombed is because Hitler wanted an honorary degree from Oxford.) Also in the tunnels is an old conveyor system that moves books between the libraries and is still in use.
Other than the library, the trip to Oxford was fairly uneventful. We traveled there by train from Paddington Station, which was nice if only because I was always a fan of the Paddington Bear books when I was a kid. They even had a kiosk selling Paddington Bear-related merchandise, and I ended up buying a new copy of the first book in the series. Once in Oxford, I wandered around with some of my classmates, going in some of the toursity shops and checking out the town on foot. After the library tour, we hit the Alice in Wonderland Shop (which was fun, though I didn't buy anything), grabbed dinner at a nearby pub, then grabbed the train back to London.
Image courtesy of bookpatrol.net
But back to the history. After some of the initial book-less rooms, we were taken into Duke Humphrey's reading room, which is the oldest in the library. Many of the books here are still chained to the wall as they were in the early days of the library. On the end of each shelf was a framed shelf lists which acted as the first library catalog, describing which books were held on that shelf. The Humphrey library was also one of the first galleried libraries in Britain. By putting the stairs to the gallery by the librarian's desk, the lirbarian could monitor who went up to the shelves; this also meant that those books would not have to be chained to the wall.
After the Humphrey's library were were led into underground tunnels that connect the old library to the new. The tunnels were originally used as air raid shelters, but fortunately, Oxford was never actually bombed during the war. (The guide explained to us that there is a rumor that the reason they weren't bombed is because Hitler wanted an honorary degree from Oxford.) Also in the tunnels is an old conveyor system that moves books between the libraries and is still in use.
Other than the library, the trip to Oxford was fairly uneventful. We traveled there by train from Paddington Station, which was nice if only because I was always a fan of the Paddington Bear books when I was a kid. They even had a kiosk selling Paddington Bear-related merchandise, and I ended up buying a new copy of the first book in the series. Once in Oxford, I wandered around with some of my classmates, going in some of the toursity shops and checking out the town on foot. After the library tour, we hit the Alice in Wonderland Shop (which was fun, though I didn't buy anything), grabbed dinner at a nearby pub, then grabbed the train back to London.
Image courtesy of bookpatrol.net
Monday, July 12, 2010
An American in Paris
First, library stuff. After a somewhat miserable journey to Paris, one of the first places I had the opportunity to visit was the American Library in Paris. What began as a private book service for American soldiers in WWI is now the only large, English language library in continental Europe. As such it caters to a variety of users--ex-pats, English speakers in the area, students and professors of American studies. Sometimes academics will even visit the library from abroad. The librarian who spoke with us described the library's functions as a sort of hybrid; the library looks and feels much like a public library, but tries to act as an academic library. The collection consists of popular titles for books, magazines and newspapers, and also academic titles dealing with American culture, social sciences and literature. Because the library is a private institution, they must do all their own fundraising and require an annual fee of 100€ from their users. The library also serves as a kind of community center, offering a variety of programming for children and adults, including movie nights, exhibits, lectures and so on.
After the library tours, I feel like my trip to Paris began in earnest. We went to dinner at a traditional French bistro where I had French onion soup (despite the 90 degree heat), beef with shallots (which were carmalized to perfection--I could have eaten them by themself) and the best creme brulee I've ever had. Exhausted, I headed back to the hotel after dinner.
The following day (after a croissant and cafe au lait) I set out with a group to the Palace of Versailles. Wow. The immensity and opulence of the place is simply staggering. While I took several pictures, I don't know that any of them do the place justice. Not only is the palace incredible, but the gardens seem to go on forever. The view is spectacular. After attempting to comprehend Versailles, we returned to Paris where I wandered around with a classmate, stopped for crepes, and eventually made our way back to the Eiffel Tower, where the whole group was meeting to go on a riverboat cruise that night. It was touristy, but it was a wonderful way to see the city at night. Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle was fantastic.
On our last day in Paris, a classmate and I set out early for the catacombs. The catacombs were eerie. A seemingly endless stone spiral staircase leads you deep underground, and after seeing some preliminary information about the catacombs you wander further and all the walls are made out of human bones. Layers of skulls are stacked on top of layers of other bones. In some areas, the skulls form a design. It's dark down there. And the low ceiling drips water. It was terrifically creepy and I'm so glad I got to go (oddly, it was at the top of my to do list in Paris). After, we wandered around Paris and stopped in a bakery where I ate the most beautiful dessert of my life. It was raspberry mouse wrapped in a kind of cup made out of striped red and white cake, topped with a sort of jam and chopped pistrachios. It was marvelous.
While I didn't get to see everything Paris had to offer, I'm very glad I went and have every intention of going back.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Monceau
Monday, July 5, 2010
Welcome to London
After an exceptionally long and sleepless flight, I arrived in London Friday morning and was greeted by a pleasant man with a thick southern accent. "Welcome to London!"
And so it begins.
Friday is a bit of a blur to me. The sleep depirvation made me feel light-headed and bit loopy. I do remember going on a quick tour of the neighborhood, purchasing an oyster card for the London tubes, and then, for my first meal in England, eating at a TexMex style restaurant. Bizarre.
Saturday was my first full day in London. I woke up still feeling tired, as well as dizzy and nauseous. Terrific! I blame jet lag. I managed to get through a quick class meeting and orientation without falling asleep or throwing up, which I count as a personal triumph. A nap between orientation and our first walking tour helped me feel a bit better--I was able to walk around and follow a conversation without too much difficulty. The Leaky Cauldron walk was somewhat overshadowed by the revelry of the London Pride Festival, however, we did manage to go into some great antique bookstores. After the walk disbanded, I spent some time people watching and enjoying the festivities.
Sunday I finally felt myself again. No more jet lag (thank God). The walking tour for Sunday was called London Calling and it made me very happy. When the professor guiding the tour showed up in Converse and a Gogol Bordello t-shirt, I knew I was in the right place. We went up to Camden Town and saw a number of old punk venues/places of interest. We also popped into Stables Market, where I easily could have spent the remainder of the day (but didn't).
Sunday evening was spent with my classmates, walking along the river and trying to find an open restaurant to abate our hunger. This took much longer than expected and forced us to wander further than anticipated. We eventually found a small Italian restuarant that fit the bill (read: it was still open). After, we were all sufficiently exhausted and made our way back to the dorms.
And so it begins.
Friday is a bit of a blur to me. The sleep depirvation made me feel light-headed and bit loopy. I do remember going on a quick tour of the neighborhood, purchasing an oyster card for the London tubes, and then, for my first meal in England, eating at a TexMex style restaurant. Bizarre.
Saturday was my first full day in London. I woke up still feeling tired, as well as dizzy and nauseous. Terrific! I blame jet lag. I managed to get through a quick class meeting and orientation without falling asleep or throwing up, which I count as a personal triumph. A nap between orientation and our first walking tour helped me feel a bit better--I was able to walk around and follow a conversation without too much difficulty. The Leaky Cauldron walk was somewhat overshadowed by the revelry of the London Pride Festival, however, we did manage to go into some great antique bookstores. After the walk disbanded, I spent some time people watching and enjoying the festivities.
Sunday I finally felt myself again. No more jet lag (thank God). The walking tour for Sunday was called London Calling and it made me very happy. When the professor guiding the tour showed up in Converse and a Gogol Bordello t-shirt, I knew I was in the right place. We went up to Camden Town and saw a number of old punk venues/places of interest. We also popped into Stables Market, where I easily could have spent the remainder of the day (but didn't).
Sunday evening was spent with my classmates, walking along the river and trying to find an open restaurant to abate our hunger. This took much longer than expected and forced us to wander further than anticipated. We eventually found a small Italian restuarant that fit the bill (read: it was still open). After, we were all sufficiently exhausted and made our way back to the dorms.
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