TravelStream™ news feed for member janellh on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/janellh en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 06 May 2008 19:48:56 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janellh/1/1207870620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janellh/1/1207870620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janellh/1/1207870620/tpod.html Tue, 06 May 2008 19:48:56 -0400 Janell's UK experience

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Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Belfast.
04/04/08
I had to take a ferry as it was the cheapest option at such a late notice. I had to first cross the river through an underground train to get to the actual coast. Then I walked 20 minutes to the ferry docks. Turns out I was one of a whopping 2 people that were foot passengers; everyone else had a car with them on the ferry. The ride was 5 hours long so I had plenty of time to sleep. Which is what I did. The ferry was nice. We got a complimentary lunch. There were also a few bars and a cinema, but both of those things cost money so I didn't bother with them. Instead I slept, and watched a little league rugby on the tely. When we got close to the shore you could see the high and hilly land by the sea. It was patched into different sized squares of rich green divided by dark green bushes or fence. It was really pretty. We eventually docked in Belfast and as I got off the shuttle to the terminal my friend was waiting for me outside. David was so nice to take me in for a few days and become my tour guide (although he wasn't the best at it, he was still fun to hang out with)
We didn't go straight to Belfast first. Instead we drove to the northern coast and stopped for the night in Portstewart in County Derry, or Doire (Gaelic spelling). We stayed in a hostel that was more like a bed and breakfast because it felt like you were in somebody's home. It was a very friendly atmosphere. As soon as you walk out the door and turn to your left, BAM! There's the sea! It was right there. And it was gorgeous. Cold though, and very windy, but brilliant. We arrived around dusk so we walked along some large rocks not far from other rocks where the waves were crashing. I tried to take pictures but a lot didn't come out because it was getting dark. I noticed the air right away. It was so crisp and clear with the scent of sea salt. I took deep breath after deep breath to try and savor it. We then walked down to the main street with restaurants and pubs and ate some fish and chips and enjoyed a couple pints in a low key pub. It was interesting because David explained to me a lot of Northern Irish history. (The majority of my trip would end up being a huge lesson in history and politics) which made it very interesting and made me glad I had a local friend.

05/04/08
The next morning David and I headed off eastward down the coast towards Portrush. The road we were on for most of the ride followed the coast and you could always look out and see the rocky shore with the crashing waves, and there was always something interesting in the green between the road and the shore. I had David pull over a few times so I could get a good look and some pictures! After a while he started teasing me for being so amazed by grass and rocks. I took a lot of pictures of rocks. He didn't get it. That's okay. The grass was really long and cushy, it was almost springy when you walked on it. There weren't really many bugs at all so you could lay on it and it would feel like a mattress, but green and tan. It looked amazing on the hill sides when the sun would hit it at different angles and make it look like glowing waves of grass.
Another place I had him stop at was the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery in County Antrim. We didn't go on a tour inside but we walked around a bit outside and went into the gift shop. I just got a chocolate bar with alcohol in it. It was a nice place.
We eventually made it to our main destination- Giants Causeway. (I didn't realize it was called this until we got there, for a while before that I thought it was called Jane's Causeway because of their accent). It was a beautiful natural structure of old volcanic rock that had formed hexagon shapes and cracks and made it look like honeycomb. The rocks come out of the ground and can be short or tall. There is a section that forms a little hill and you can climb to the top. After taking pictures and climbing a bit, we followed a trail around to another formation called the Organ. The hexagon rocks were set at the side of cliff and towered to the very top. It was really cool. There is a myth that goes along with the rocks: long ago Ireland was full of giants. They were always fighting to prove who was the stronger giant. And Finn McCool (or something?!) was the largest and strongest giant... until he heard that there was a stronger and bigger giant on the opposite shore in Scotland. He decided he was going to build a bridge out of rocks to try and get to that other giant and challenge him to a fight. He worked so hard and put all of the rock that are there down to make a bridge. He eventually got really tired, and the other giants in Ireland noticed their chance to conquer him, so they threw him into the sea and he drowned.
In between the Giants causeway and the organ, was a small rock island that was all flat except for one large round rock that sat on top of it. According to David that was the Giants Foot (going along with the Myth). I was looking at the giants foot as he told me the story of the giant. As we walked down a path though I noticed a cool looking rock but didn't say anything. It turns out later that when we were in the gift shop I found a postcard of the Giants boot, and it wasn't what David pointed out at all, it was actually the interesting rock that I saw on our walk! I couldn't help but tease him for that, and its still a joke between us about how he is such an accurate tour guide. I forgave him though because he hadn't been there in 4 years and was having trouble remembering details.
ANYWAY after we viewed the organ we took a path up the cliffs towards inland. It was a nice walk but it was really windy. Nearly at the top we stopped and turned around to take a look at the cliff we had just trekked. Right over the sea near some rocks was a rainbow! I wanted to go find my pot of gold. It was made just from the spray from crashing waves so it was faint but amazing. After staring at it for a while we continued to the top and stood at a peak and enjoyed the fabulous view of the sea and rocky shore, but we couldn't stay there for long because I would have gotten blown off the cliff!
At the top, with our backs to the sea we could see miles of patchwork green and white dots grazing around. One of my favorite animals now is a sheep. They are so cute! We walked down to one of the fields and trespassed through the gate so we could go get some pictures with the sheep. We ended up sitting down on the cushiony grass in the sun and relaxing for a bit. The sheep were so funny. They would look at us with really curious but stupid looking faces and run away, then stop, turn around, and stare some more. It was a comfortable moment in the grass in the sun surrounded by green fields and crisp sea salt air. Unfortunately this is the moment that my camera ran out of battery, so I don't have any pictures of the rest of the day. If I do have any its because David took some with his camera phone.
When we got back up to walk to the car we could feel the spray of the waves all the way up there! It was something I had never felt before so it was really neat.
When we made it back to the car we continued on driving towards Ballintoy Harbour. It was a nice drive along the coast and then down this curvy road through houses. One of the houses was built by an artist and he had a lot of windows put in all over the house in really strange places so that he could look out at the perfect view and capture it in his paintings. At the bottom of the curvy road was a pier that you could walk along into the sea. At that point we were cold tired and hungry so we were fine with just viewing everything from the car.
After that short stop we went to the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge on Larrybane Island. It was a rope bridge connecting the main land to a small island. It was quite scarry going across and looking down to see sharp rocks and cold crashing waves. It was a light bridge on a windy day and was rocking back and forth more than I would have liked. But I made it across! On the small island was a little house on the edge that an old fisherman would live in during the day time while he was fishing. On the Island you got to view the shore from the other point of view, and I appreciated the sunlight and shadows and the contrast they made on the patchwork land and the waves of grass. It was beautiful.
After safely returning to the main land, we made our way back to the car and were starving. So we drove along the coast some more and into Ballycastle. It was a nice little town along the shore and had some nice beaches and restaurants. We went to a place called the Promenade Cafe and I had Irish Stew. It was good but I didn't think it was any different from pot roast. After we ate we walked along Ballycastle beach or Fairhead beach. It was cold and we were being hit with a crisp wind so we didn't stay for long. Just long enough to get a good look, hear some stories, and pick up some pretty polished rocks to take home as souvenirs (because im still a kid and love to collect pretty rocks).
We got back into the car then and started driving towards Belfast. On the way though I made David stop one more time at what looked like old castle ruins. There were things like that everywhere but I wanted to get a good look at it. We just walked right up and were able to explore everything. It wasn't a castle but maybe a fort or an old church? It was surrounded by grave stones but the inside seemed like it was prison cells. It had a courtyard in the middle that also had some grave stones in it./There were slits in the walls for shooting arrows. It was amazing to get to just drive up to it and explore it as much as we wanted to. YAY!
After that we finally made it into Belfast and went to David's friends house where I would be staying for the night. His friend had a lot of people over that night who were all really nice. After drinking for a while and singing karaoke we went out to a club called M club. It was there that I learned all kinds of Northern Irish dance moves. My favorite and their staple move is Big fish Little fish Cardboard box. It makes no sense but its fun to do. Then there is change the light bulb, dig the garden, stack the shelves, and others. And I was able to teach them some Illinois moves like the shopping cart, the lawn mower, the sprinkler (but they already knew that one) and others. It was great. I also learned how to say SLANSHA when you cheers someone, because it means cheers everyone in Irish. It was a really fun night and I was well welcomed by David's group of friends.

06/04/08
On this day I slept in, it was easy to do because the guys that lived there and everyone else that slept there couldn't move until late afternoon. We took our time and they explained to me all of the political history of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Belfast. It was very interesting but a lot to take in. Eventually David and I got out of the house and into city center. We spent a lot of time wandering to different shops trying to find me a disposable camera. While we were doing this we noticed a lot of boys dressed in uniforms getting into groups in the street, and then they started marching. It was the junior members of the orange party marching through the streets of city centre. It was a really interesting event to just happen upon. Pretty cool. All the shops had closed down during it also, so we had nothing to do but stand and watch them. It didn't last very long and within 10 minutes we could continue running around in circles trying to find a camera.
After we FINALLY found a camera, we got on a tour bus and had a guided tour through Belfast. The tour guide was really funny. I got to get a grasp on the main areas of Belfast and they were all interesting to hear the story about that area.
After the tour we met up with some of Davids friends at a pub to play pool, but all the pool tables were taken so we just sat and had a Guiness. Oh the Guiness was so smooth and delicious!
After that I went to a hostel and got myself settled in. I was really tired and ready for a fine nights sleep.

07/04/08
The next day David had to work so I was on my own to explore the city. I made it down to the hostel café that was cheap and really good and met two kiwi girls. They were really nice. After breakfast I headed out for some wandering around city centre. On my way I recognized I had met in my hostel and noticed she was struggling with her luggage, so I stopped to help her but turns out she wasn't going to the airport like I thought she was, she was actually going to tour the city by herself too. (She didn't know you could leave your luggage in the hostel luggage room). So we ended up walking around together. Her name is Jen and she is from Taiwan but studying in Newcastle England. She was spending her spring break in Ireland and had been staying with a host family for a week in Newcastle Ireland before coming to Belfast. She was really nice and really funny. We walked to city centre to the town hall and farris wheel and took a lot of pictures. We walked to the river that goes through Belfast called the Lagan River and appreciated the art and giant fish displayed there. Then we walked and went into some churches. Even the small ones looked amazing. We then stopped into a café and ordered an Irish coffee. Because we just had to try it once while we were there. Then we went into an old theatre but didn't get a very good look. After that we walked towards the Albert Clock which is a clock tower that actually has a 6 meter lean and leans like the tower of pisa. Next we went to the University of Ulster art gallery to view an exhibit. By then David was done with work and was able to meet up with us. When we met up we went to St. Annes Cathedral (Belfast Cathedral) . It was huge and had a giant steel needle that hung through a sun roof in the ceiling, so it looked like it was piercing the sky and could crash to the floor at any second. It was different. There were different rooms in the cathedral and one specific room was the chapel of unity. It is meant for people of different religions to come and congregate in a peaceful setting. David is really involved with the peace movement going on in Belfast and has held some music sessions and special events there. (He is also a musician). Once again it was nice to have a local guide that was a friend and could fully explain everything.
After the Cathedral we had to drop Jen off at the bus station and say our goodbyes. Then is was just David and I again and he took me to his gorgeous University that he went to. He studied law while at Queens University. It is a beautiful old castle like building surrounded by other buildings that look like flats but are actually classrooms and lecture halls. It was really pretty to walk through the area, and right behind it was the botanical gardens, but by the time we got there it was closed.
After that we headed towards his house. I met his mom and his brothers and ate dinner with David and his mom. She is a very sweet woman. I got to try soda bread and potato bread, which is waaaay different than the American version of those things. They were very good. After dinner David and I went out to an old Irish pub with live traditional Irish music. It was very touristy, but it was fun none the less. I wanted to go out there and start Irish dancing! For the most part I managed to keep myself from doing that, but there were other girls out there that were doing it but not really because they didn't know how, they were just throwing their legs around. David and I did dance though. Guys here are much more willing to dance than in the states! It was a really fun time and once again the Guiness was wonderful.
Pretty soon though the night came to an end and the pub closed and it was time for me to end my last night in Ireland. A good time I had!

08/04/08
I woke up in the morning in time to hurry and pack, grab some cereal, say goodbye to David's mom and run out the door. I made it to the ferry just in time and hurried on, only to find out just as I got on the Ferry that I had left my phone at David's house. OH NO. So that was the end of that phone. The ferry ride was long and I slept through most of it. I got back into Liverpool, took the train back to the main land and walked to Emily's. She opened the door as I came up the steps and we gave each other a big hug. It felt like we hadn't seen each other forever. She had been in Scotland with her parents and I was in Ireland. So we had a lot to share and we just hung out for the rest of the night. It was a very good trip.
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Manchester, United Kingdom

Wooooow okay so sorry I have been a horrible communicator and havent written in about a month! So now there is a lot to catch up on. sooooooo.......
After my trip to Belfast and the Northern Ireland coast, I returned to England to get ready and pack to move to Manchester. I found a place through the website, Spareroom.com and fell in love with the area when my friend Gary took me to see the area of Chorlton. Chorlton is kind of like a suburb, but the suburbs here are smaller and closer together, (its a half hour bus ride from the center of Manchester to my door step). Chorlton is one of the best places to live around here because it is full of little shops, cafes, restaurants, and organic markets. It can be artsy and full of weekend live music in the many bars. It is full of young professionals and artsy types as well as families and young couples. My place happens to be very close to the main area so I can walk everywhere, and the bus stop is right down the road. I knew I would like the area, and I was ready to move in to finally have a place to call home.
The day that I moved, it was nice to have Emily help me carry all of my luggage on the train, (my head would have exploded if I had to do it by myself) and then when we got to Manchester, Gary picked us up and gave us a lift to Chorlton. When we arrived, Steve (the landlord and my flatmate) let us in, but I was leading the pack and almost got lost on the way to find my room. I had been there twice before but there were so many stairs and corners to go around I almost forgot which way to go. We did make it though, and everyone was pleased to see my sweet set up. lol
The place is positioned between two shops. As you walk in there are a few stairs taking you from the doorway to the first hallway. It is cluttered with bicycles and at the end of it is a door leading to the downstairs flat. Ive never been in it because its not "technically" part of our flat, but Joe lives there, he is a postman and very nice. You have to go through his flat to get to the back garden, so I still havent been back there, but I will eventually.
Next to Joe's door is a very tall flight of stairs, at the top is a bathroom, turn the corner and there are a few more stairs and another hallway. At the end of THAT hallway is: on the left, Steve the landlords room; on the right, steves kid's room who come on some weekends; straight ahead, the kitchen and living area. The kitchen is a nice area with enough room for one or two people to cook at a time, but more than that can get crowded as it is narrow. The wall of the kitchen opens up on the left to shine into the living area where there is a cool old table, two couches, tv, sterios, plants, shelves, fireplace, ect. All of the down stairs has been completely redone, and Steve is an artist/engineer so he has a really fun and artsy style about the place. It is very unique and sometimes random and I love that about it. It has taken me a while to figure everything out, as there are a lot of little things and contraptions that are different not only in England, but even just in this house. I like it though :)
Back in the hallway, if you turn the corner again there is another large flight of stairs, another corner and some more stairs, and then the rooms of the tenants. Daren's room is on the left, Steve the musician's is straight ahead, and mine is to the right and down the hall a bit. It has a new wooden door and brand new wooden flooring. I have a built in desk in the left hand corner and a filing cabinet next to it which i use for paperwork, clothes drawers, and junk. Along the right wall is a little area for hanging clothes made out of wood and cloth, theres a drying rack for laundry, and some shelves. My bed is tucked cozily in the far corner where the ceiling slants down and a sunroof has been put it. It is directly above my head in bed and at night I can see the big dipper as I fall asleep (that is if the sky is clear). The ceiling there is so low that when I stand up my head can hit it, so its low enough for me to reach and I can open the window and peer out into the back garden over the edge of the roof. (Here they call the front yard or back yard the front garden or back garden) It is a lovely back garden with kids play areas, a trampoline, Steve's vegetable garden, trees, cats, squirrels, birds, and all that fun stuff. The whole back garden belongs to everyone that lives in that building, and there are a lot of people that live there as there are a few flats and shops within the same building. It is nice to go to sleep with the big dipper in my sight and wake up to the sound of birds chirping and children calling to each other. Sometimes the sun shines in and illuminates my room, or sometimes its the light tap of rain on the glass. The other morning I woke up to a quick, light scratching noise, and when I looked up there was a beautiful black and white bird right above my head, hopping around on the top of the window.
So for the most part I really liked my room, the only problem I had with it was that it was FREEZING. There is no central heating and no hot water except for in one bathroom. I had an electric heater that I would use before bed, but other than that I avoided my room because of the cold. My mattress is also very uncomfortable and the hard springs rise up and push into my skin like I'm laying across tree branches. My first week that I made Chorlton my home, I actually had a very hard time adapting and became very homesick. I was always cold, the weather was horribly gray and rainy, I had terrible sleep because of the bed and I was always tight because I was freezing. (I also didn't know anything about a hot Thermos that you can put in your bed, I only heard about that last weekend when the weather is already warmer). I never wanted to go wash my face or do anything in the bathroom because the water was ice cold. I had to wear layers everyday but didn't pack enough warm clothes with me, so I had to wear the same clothes over a few times. I did laundry but there isn't a dryer so they take a while to hang dry. I felt a little weird around my new roommates because they are all older than me, and I didn't want to come off as young or immature, so instead I just became really shy. I felt very self conscious and lonely and homesick and cold. Some nights before bed I would sit and look at old pictures on my computer and look at how bright blue the sky was in them and think that it looked fake, but then i remembered that it really is like that at home and not here, and I would miss it desperately. My computer was also not hooking up to the internet, so I had no way of getting ahold of my parents through our online phone system we hooked up before i left. There wasnt really a shower either, so I had to take baths. If anyone knows me well enough, they know that I have a slight OCD issue about baths. It was hard for me to force myself to take a bath, but it was that or be dirty. I also wasnt having any luck with my job search. I knew I needed money and it sucked to have nothing to do. So yea, that was a downer week. The whole adjustment and weather and loneliness thing really got to me for a while...
But now the weather is getting warmer, Ive become good friends with my room mates, and I actually enjoy the feeling of cold water on my face now! However it did take a while to fully adapt.
Emily helped a lot when she would come on the weekends. Just having her around helped. She would explain to me how to make tea with the electric kettle, and how to make their instant coffee, or use the coffee filter, or do the laundry, or how to cook! It all seems stupid sounding but there are so many little different things here that you just kind of stand there looking at it for a while wondering how to operate it. It took a lot of experimenting sometimes. Emily was a nice person have to show me around because she had been in my position just months before me. But even for her there were things in my flat that were new to her too, so we would figure it out together and make a joke of it. It was also nice to have her sleep with me in my bed and keep it warm.
While she was in town we would go out to gigs and have a good time taking the bus. Gary came with us a lot too, as he only lives just down the road from me and he likes the same kind of music we like. We also explored Chorlton shops together and discovered Unicorn. It is an organic vegan grocery store that sells local products. It is so fresh and delicious. We both fell in love with it. It is well known throughout the area. Chorlton also holds one of the best bakeries around, one of the best fish markets with a sushi maker on certain days, and a great butcher. It is easy to get good, fresh food here in Chorlton and it is all within walking distance. I have started cooking and am pleasantly surprised by my skills! I had no idea, but if you just kind of let your creativity go, you can make anything taste good with some good wholesome ingredients. Emily and I made scones on one of our first weekends. They were delicious, they could use a little work, but not bad for my first batch. Since then though I haven't baked as much since the oven tends to set off the fire alarm.
... to be continued.

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Manchester, United Kingdom

Well so much has happened since I left for Manchester. I dont even know where to start. Lets see....

25 march
I walked from Emily's place to Liverpool city centre and into the main train station. I bought a ticket to Manchester and an return open ticket so that I could return on any day I chose to and at any time, on any train. It was amazingly really easy. I found my platform and was sitting on the train within 5 minutes. The train left the station and arrived in Manchester in less than an hour, it felt like nothing, like I had just been on the "L" going from one end of Chicago to the other.
So I followed my directions and only had to ask a police officer once about which way was Piccadilly Gardens. My hostel was set above the Koffee Pot, a well known cafe and breakfast joint. I had a to ring the little bell to be buzzed in. I checked in and the girls at the desk were extremely friendly. I got to know them over my stay and really enjoyed having them be my friendly faces whenever I entered and had to ask directions to somewhere.
I signed up to stay in a 6 bed co-ed room. I was a little nervous about who I was going to meet and if they were going to be creepy or annoying or snore really bad or be untrustworthy, but actually my first night worked out well because I ended up being in the room by myself. It was a good introduction to my first hostel. This is a slow season and it was in the middle of the week so it was kind of empty. The rooms were very clean and really nice. Down the hall was a common kitchen where you could cook food. A lot of the time though I just ate the free toast and jam with tea or coffee. It was good enough to get me by for a while. Down the hall some more was a small computer area where you could use the Internet for 1 pound for a half hour. Kind of expensive but it was necessary at times. There was a TV room where you could rent movies, watch TV, or just hang out. There was also an outside patio that I never went on because it was always rainy and cold. The whole place was really nice and very friendly and I just so happened to meet some of my good friends that I made here.
After I became acquainted with the hostel I made my way out to the city centre to try and find the Library. I needed to use the computer and printer area so I could print out a bunch of CVs to hand out to employers. I ended up using the library several times during my stay for this purpose.
It proved pretty difficult however, as the streets and addresses are near impossible to make out if you are unfamiliar with a place. I did a lot of wandering, but allowed myself to not get frustrated but instead take it as an adventure. This way I was able to see a lot of things that I wouldnt have seen if I knew exactly where I was going. I began to become used to some of the sights and streets and it helped me learn my way around. I stumbled across some theatres and cool shops that I looked in and kept in the back of my mind for places to hand my CV to. I finally found the Library, which happened to be on of the best well know and beautiful buildings in the whole city, and I walked by it several times before realizing that it actually is the Library.
After printing out CVs I did a lot more wandering and learning streets and areas. I learned that my hostel happens to be in the best part of town. The Northern Quarter, they call it, is an artistic trendy area full of cafes, funky shops, vintage clothing, and people with dramatic style. I loved it. It is also well known for its night life as I soon found out after dark.
After the sun went down I ate a bit and decided to see what kind of pubs were around. I went into a place called the Night Day Cafe. It has live music every single night and has a very cool vibe. I talked a little bit to the door man and he gave me a list of cool places, shops, and music venues to hit up. I found out later that the Night Day Cafe is actually a very well known place for live music, and that a lot of great bands have started out there.
After my pub curiosity passed I was hungry so decided to get a Kabob from the greasy late night fast food place around the corner and head back to the hostel (which was less than a block away). When I was there I went to the kitchen and worked on eating my food. I met some really nice people that were there with a school group. The people I met were teachers of the group and were nice conversation while I ate. They learned that I was there by myself so they invited me on their bus for the tours the next day since they had some extra space. I was appreciative and decided, why not? So I took them up on it.

26 March
After my quiet nights sleep in my own room, I got up and showered to meet the school group in the lobby at 9:30. First stop on their trip: MANCHESTER UNITED! Well we werent going to a match, but we DID get to go on a tour of the stadium and see their facilities up close and personal. They were amazing facilities and it was a huge pitch (field), but most of the time I didnt really know what they were talking about when they mentioned the players since I dont follow football (soccer) at all. None the less it was still really cool, and I can only imagine how fun the matches are.
After the tour the bus stopped the group at The Lowry Center, which is an area with a wonderful theatre venue, posh shopping mall, and art gallery of Lowry. I actually didnt stay for this part because I knew that I needed to get to work on finding a job and a place to live. So when the bus driver said that he was going back to city centre and offered to drop me off on the way, I took him up on it.
Back in city centre I continued wandering, handing out CVs, and trying to get a hold of people so I could go look at their available room. THIS was the theme of my week.
I did this all afternoon and by dusk I made my way back to the hostel. When I got in my room I realized that someone would be staying with my that night as their stuff was all over one of the beds. I was just about to leave to go check out another pub when he walked in.
His name is Travis from Bristol and he is a very polite, bubbly lad. We decided we would go grab a couple of pints together. We went to Odd Bar and just chatted away. He was there in Manchester for a few days enjoying the World Cycling Championships at the Manchester Velodrome. He had taken off a week of work to come and was having a dandy time.
When we arrived at the hostel I went in the ladies bathroom to prepare for bed and when I went back in the room I heard Travis talking to himself, turns out hes a real weirdo. JUST KIDDING! I thought he was talking to himself until I turned the corner and realized there was another person in the room. Gary, from somewhere in between Liverpool and Manchester. He missed a train or something and had to stay at the hostel last minute. I was telling him my story when he said that he was also moving to Manchester and looking for a place to live. He said he knew of a few places that he was going to look at the next day and was happy to take me around with him to view them. I was please to get his phone number because then that would mean I wouldnt have to get lost in the cold rain trying to find these places.
After this we all fell asleep and it was very pleasant.

27 March
The next morning I got up and once again did a lot of wandering. I wandered all day, getting things done while I wandered, but yes, I just kind of wandered. I viewed some houses. This was the hardest part of the trip though, since I was going far out of city centre and into the nearby towns, didnt know where I was going, the streets are poorly labeled and make no sense, the bus drivers are often not helpful or mean, and most of the time I would just rely on luck or sense of direction to take me to the right place. A lot of times I just missed appointments because I couldnt find it, or realized it was just too far for me to walk, especially in the freezing cold rain. However some places I did manage to see, some of them were nice, some sucked. One scared me just to be standing in it.
In the evening time I managed to get a hold of Gary and he was nice enough to come find me in the middle of a place I wasnt familiar with and couldnt really tell him much about my where abouts. We went to look at a place in Chorlton, which was supposed to have two empty rooms, but by the time we got there only had one. It was a really cool place above some shops in a prime location, with a beautiful, nice rooms, and good facilities. The people that lived there were cool and Gary and I both liked it. We were going to box over it, but since he was the one that found it of course he got the room. Im glad he took me though because after that he drove me around the area and around other "suburbs" of Manchester to see what they were all like and where I would like to focus my search. My favorite though was Chorlton. And they arent really suburbs, theyre more like extensions of the city. You can get into city center by bus within 10 minutes. Everything is just so much closer here than in the States. I can walk everywhere and anywhere in Manchester and my feet will be fine. I love that.
After Gary dropped me off I got in touch with Travis again and we decided to go to Mike And Phreds, which is a well known jazz bar. (All of the pubs I went to, by the way, were within a block or 2 of the hostel). It was a nice band and cool atmosphere. We had a good time but were both tired. When we went back to our room we were the only two in there for the night, which was actually bad because then we wouldnt shut up. We kept talking to each other from our beds and wouldnt let each other fall asleep. But we eventually made it there...

28 March
This was my last planned day in Manchester. I had some appointments to view some houses to live in so I got up and did that in the morning. I had one in Chorlton that is occupied by a musician and an artist. When I went in I fell in love with the place. It had been redone by the owner who is an artist, so all of the new things about the place are unique. The room is a good size and has comfortable facilities. The guys that live there are older but are very nice and very cool. Steve and Steve are their names, and one other one that I didnt meet because is on sabbatical in Africa. The location in great, it is on a main street in Chorlton full of restaurants and just down the street from Garry. The price is amazing at just 200 pounds a month including all bills except one. I couldnt have asked for better! I wanted that place right away! However they were still viewing it to another person and it would end up being between me and another girl. I was nervous about not getting it so I continued viewing other places.
I had plans to go up to Salford which is a northern part of Manchester. It is where Manchester United play, where The Lowry Theatre is, the Quays, and some kind of tourist attraction for The Smiths. Before I left the hostel I stopped at the desk to check out when I overheard two guys asking directions to Salford. I told them that was where I was going and that I could show them the bus they could take. Theyre names were Phil and David from Belfast and were two very polite and friendly guys. I soon learned that they were going to The Smiths tourist thing and I wasnt sure where that was, and I knew that it was different from where I was going, so I had to leave them at the tourist centre and take my own bus to Salford.
Salford was a horrible experience as there is not much around, the streets are horribly marked, and it was the worst weather I had experienced yet. I was drenched, freezing and lost and horribly pissed about it. after an hour of walking in the wrong direction I finally got on a bus, and on my way back THEN i found where I needed to be. I did my viewing and was ready to leave asap. On the bus to the train station the driver was rude to me, and that seemed to be about the last thing I could take before I snapped and had to shed a few quiet, stressed out tears. I knew that I was fine, but it was stressful all at the same time. Its okay. Sometimes a little cry is good to get it out.
When I was all done with that I got on the train and made it back to Liverpool. However I dont know WHY I did because I was planning on going back to Manchester the next day. I guess I felt I needed a bit of a break and get some fresh clothes.
It also turns out that Travis has some friends in Liverpool and was planning on going there to celebrate one of their birthdays. What a coincidence! So Travis was in Liverpool and I met up with him and his friends. He also invited me to go to the Velodrome for a day with him to see the World Cycling Championships. He had an extra ticket and asked me if I wanted to go with him, so I said, WHY NOT?! I didnt know what to expect, but it sounded like it would be a good time. After maybe two hours out, everyone was pretty tired and decided to go home. I caught a cab to Emily's.
This whole time Emily's parents had been visiting so she was staying at their hotel room for the week. So basically I havent seen emily and I was staying in emily's room by myself. Her very nice Liverpudlian roommate Dean noticed that I was by myself, so he invited me out to a party with his friends. I accepted and got to meet a lot of really nice students from LIPA. They were all really nice and very interested in what I was doing, but I ended up having to repeat my story again and again. It got a little repetitive, non the less, it was still a good time and I met some very nice people.

29 March
I got up to shower and catch another train to Manchester. I booked another night at the hostel and while I was doing this I noticed that the person next to me was Phil, one of the guys that was trying to go to Salford. I asked him if he made it to The Smiths things and he said yes. When I got my room number I asked him what room he was in. "101" "Me too!" So low and behold, I walk in the room and I am roommates with Phil, David, and Travis. What a crazy yet funny coincidence. So we all decide that maybe tonight we will try and meet up with each other to head out to a pub. I also learn that Phil and David are planning on going to Liverpool the next night. Me Too! Its amazing how small the world is sometimes, and how things just kind of work out. Its seems that almost all of the friends I made in the hostel I kept in contact with and was able to help each other out in some way, or just hang out once again.
After this amazing realization Travis hurries me off to the Velodrome. It was another rainy day but thats okay because after a short walk past a really cool spikey sculpture thing, a wallmart and a McDonalds, we were indoors all day. The track for the bikers was amazing how steep it was and how quickly they go around. You can stand right at the very edge and they can come up so close to you, you feel their breeze. However when they are going super fast that stay towards the center of the track. It was a great day full of cheering. It was kind of like the Olympics, I cheered for the US, and a little for the British (who were amazing and kept winning gold over and over and over again) and for some reason Travis and I were cheering for the kiwis. We were all over the place. It was just a fun, family friendly environment. Everyone was respectful and interested in what was going on. It was like a wave of cheers constantly going around the dome because each time the bikers came around to your area, thats when you would clap. It was really fun! Travis definitely sparked a new appreciation in me.
After the cycling event, Travis put me on a bus to city centre and went off to meet his friend that lives in town. I was glad to go back to the hostel and have some quiet time. I was able to eat and get a half hour nap in before Travis returned.
We were both really tired so we decided to take it easy and maybe just see a movie. He had met a kiwi in the lobby earlier and she and her friend were also going to see a movie. So we met them at the theatre and decided to see some movie that ended up being horrible, I cant remember the name. They were nice people, one was Welsh and one was Kiwi. They were in Manchester because they were playing underwater hockey. Both Travis nor I had ever heard of this, so they explained that it is just like hockey but with a snorkel and flippers at the bottom of a pool. Amazing. Apparently its really popular in New Zealand and Australia, and other places I guess. Pretty cool. Im always learning about something new.
That night after we all went back to the hostel, and everyone in our room was well asleep, thats when the Irish guys got back and thought that they were whispering, even though they were doing nothing close to it. Phil and David were probably the funniest two friends Ive ever seen. They scolded us several time for not going to see the movie, Horton Hears a Hoot, or something, even though they told us to earlier. They also started making up Cycling songs for Travis, it sounded really good I actually thought it was a real song. They told us many stories and made me laugh so hard I had to put the covers over my head. All of this they had trouble remembering in the morning. Great guys though. haha

March 30
I get up and have to say goodbye to Travis. Its sad because even though we only knew each other for technically a few days, it felt like a few weeks. Its amazing how fast you start to feel close to someone when you are traveling and you are both on your own. So Travis and I parted ways, and I made plans to meet up with the funny Irish in Liverpool later that day.
Before I could actually leave I had plans to go back to my favorite house in Chorlton and sit down to have a cup of tea to get to know Steve and Steve. They are very nice and interesting and I can see myself really getting along with them, on a mature artistic level and to just have fun. It went well but they said that they were going to have tea with another girl too and that they would let me know the next day about if I can move in. It made me a bit nervous and I just hoped that the other girl was really lame. haha
After that I caught a train to Liverpool and spend the rest of the day taking it easy at Emily's. Emily made it home with her parents later that evening and Emily made fish, veggies, and rice. It was really good. We shared our stories of the stuff we all did and it was a nice evening.
After dinner I met up with Phil and David at O'neils. Of all places they chose a fake Irish pub chain to go to... who knows, theyre funny. Anyway they were still a bit tired from the night before so we were all taking it easy. We had fun talking and dancing and did lots of laughing. Before we parted they said that if I ever feel like going to Belfast they would love to show me around. I told them I would probably take them up on that.

31 March
Today I just kind of hung out. I was able to sleep and relax a bit. I walked to the shopping area of Liverpool and went grocery shopping. I made myself a nice salad and sandwhich for a late lunch. After that Emily came home with her parents and invited me out to dinner with them because they were leaving the next day to go to Scotland for a week. We went to a great Mediteranian place. I had salmon and asparagus and we each drank half a bottle of wine. Almost too much for me! It was delicious though. In the States I never cared for fish, but here it is becoming one of my favorite things! Fish and Chips anyone?
After dinner Emily wanted to show me a cool pub that is associated with the Oprah center. It was like walking into a clue board game without the huge hall in the middle. There were so many little rooms I almost got lost coming back from the bathrooms. It was all nice wood with old leather seats and fireplaces. I really expected to see a candlestick, lead pipe, or revolver when I looked around.
While we were there we happened to see some of her friends from LIPA (liverpool institute of performing arts) and we hung out with them for a pint. They were all from all over the world too.
After this I was sooo tired and knew I was going to have to get up early to get on the train again for Manchester. I have discovered that it is actually cheaper by a few quid to take the train and to Manchester and back than to stay in the hostel every night. I needed to get back to Liverpool because I got a call from Steve who said that they would like me to be their roommate and that I should come in to hang out and pay my deposit. I felt like I had won a competition! I was really excited and it is such a relief to have a bit of structure about knowing where I am going to live. Now I can buy a bus pass and everything is going to be so much easier! wheeeeeeeeww...
Now I just need to find a job...

1 April
I got up early to catch the train to meet up with the Steves in Chorlton. It was a lovely visit and I paid my deposit. I am able to move in on the 10th, when the current roommate moves out. Until then though I am still going back and forth between Liverpool and Manchester via train.
I also got a phone call from a guy named Oliver who is the manager of a shop called The Bead Shop. He wanted me to come in the next day to have a trial run at working at the shop. I said sure so I went ahead and booked a night at my favorite hostel.
I had the rest of the day to wander so I took some more CVs around the Chorlton area and handed them out, since I now know that is where I will be staying.
That night I had to stay in an 8 bed room, which I will probably never do again. There were some very nice Germans in there that I probably would have hung out with had I not been so tired. I also met another American that was traveling on her own. We ended up going out to Matt and Phreds for a pint and I learned all about her adventures. She had worked as a janitor in Antarctica for six months on a research base. She didnt make much per hour but she didnt have anything to spend it on while she was there so she was able to save all of it. Now she is using her saved money to travel the world for a year or two. She made it sound very exciting, but I still dont know if I could handle that kind of extreme.
That night in the hostel was horrible. A room with a smelly old man who snored as loud as a train kept everyone tossing and turning. The beds were also harder than I remembered it. The only thing that saved me was an old college trick - MP3 player. Put in those earphones and relax to the melody.

2 March
Today I went to The Bead Shop to meet Oliver and try out the day. I would get paid for it so I had nothing to lose. I met Emma who works there and is very nice. Everyone else there besides her was family, as its a family business. I guess its a pretty big business as there are some heavy duty and serious beaders out there. They all take their beading very seriously. The place is full of all different kinds of beads, all of them are priced differently, and none of them are marked when the customer brings them to you so you can count up the total. So it is actually a pretty hard job. There is also a lot of crafting involved, because a lot of the products they sell they make themselves. SO I feel like im working for mom all over again. haha its ok though, im used to it.
By the end of the day though I was ready to go back to Emily's and destress. I was having a bout of homesickness and just wanted to be alone and quiet for a while. So I took the train back and did just that.

3 March
Today I hung out ALL DAY in my pajamas. Oh and how great it was! It was essential for me to have a day to myself if I wanted to keep my sanity and not be overcome by culture shock stress. I also decided that this upcoming week, before I move into my house in Chorlton, would be a perfect time for me to go on a trip, since I dont really have much to do anyway. So why not Belfast? I had been keeping in touch via text with David and asked him what he thought. He helped me find a cheap way to get there ( on a ferry, here I come sea sickness! ) and is going to hook me up with accomodation. He also offered to be a little bit of a tour guide on the weekend. How nice it is to meet friendly people and later have them come in handy! haha So that is where I am off to tomorrow, top of the mornin. Better go pack!
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Liverpool, United Kingdom

21 March
After seeing Dani off, Emily and I went back to the room and got ready to leave. We ended up running a little late so we ran to the tube station so we could get the the bus station, only to find that the tube station was conveniently closed. So we ran to several bus stops until we found the right bus to get on. We finally made it to the National bus terminal and I was about to explode with the pain of the weight of my bags. Thank goodness Emily was there to help me. We ran onto the bus and made it with five minutes to spare.
On the five hour bus ride to Liverpool I was able to pass a lot of the time sleeping, which was nice. But poor emily was kept up by a group of obnoxiously loud students behind her.
When we made it into Liverpool we were both starving, but Emily's roommate had other plans for us. I met most of her roommates and they are extremely nice and excited to meet a friend of Emilys. There are I think 7 total roommates, all of which are of different nationalities. But they all have friends or girlfriends/boyfriends over so its always a full house and seems like there are a lot of things going on. Everyone knows english so that is the common language, but a lot of them know eachothers origional languages too, so everyone once in a while you will hear random conversations in a different language. Its really cool. There is French, Swiss, English, .... and I cant even remember the others. Everyone is really involved with everyone else, they cook together and hang out in the common area. And OH MY GOSH they dont have a TV! But really there is so much going on all the time that I never even noticed, and no one cares to have it.
So when Emily and I entered her house it was, "Are you coming to the party tonight? it will be great fun!" from everyone at different times, and being told that we better get ready now because they were leaving in one hour. So we hurried and I got to learn how to use the shower device that heats the water and all of the other little things that are different. The theme of the night I guess was Spring, so we tried to dress up to look like flowers or at least wore bright colors (except for emily who was a party pooper and didnt want to wear anything but black) When we were ready it turns out we had a whole nother hour to leave, so Emily went out for pizza. It was delicious! Thin and crunchy, yet soft, full of flavor but wasnt overloaded with stuff. I got a carmalized onion and balsamic with goat cheese pizza. YUM....
That night we went to an event at a place called The Potted T... something, i cant remember. Anyway its actually a boat that has been converted into a club kind of thing. It sits on the water and you have to walk up a plank with rope banasters to get on it. You go down the stairs and there is a stage and tables and a big space for dancing, with a small bar in the back, and a table full of costume peices that you can rent to wear for the night. Emily got some angel wings. That night was a comedy act event. They brought in 4 or 5 different groups from around Europe that did comedy skits and strange yet funny acts. It was a very good time! After the show the music came on and everyone danced. Even the guys! No one has a problem with dancing here, its just goofy and fun to do. No one gets really close to each other like in the States, its just for fun.
It was a great first night in Liverpool!

22 march
The next morning Emily was my tour guide and showed me around Liverpool. She pointed out all the best bars, shops and cafes. I think Liverpool has the best cappacino. Liverpool is a fun place, it has some main streets that go on for a while that are full of shops and squares, but it is different from france where it doesnt have a lot of outdoor seating or a coffee culture, the people that drink coffee are mostly the artists in the creative cafes. She also took me to the older area where there were huge government buildings and a lot of different kinds of museums. We were trying to go to the library but it was closed, so instead we went and looked around the art gallery. We also went into St. Georges Hall which is an old jail and court. We got to go in the jail cells and it was really creepy. That night Emily and I went to the grocery store and bought some food to make dinner, but ended up not making anything because we were invited to a group dinner at her friends house. He had prepared some cheese fundue (hes swiss so it was really good!) We got there and there were was an English girl, a girl from the Netherlands, the swiss host, emily's swiss roommate, and a german neighbor. Not only was it great food but great conversation, as any topic that came up we usually went around taking turns sharing the special ways we do something in our country. Like our signature kind of food. (Emily and I thought of sweet corn?) With the fundue we had bread, mushrooms, pineapple, and cherry tomatoes to dip in it. And of course we washed it all down with white wine. It was fantastic.

23 march
EASTER! For Easter, Emily and I wanted to go to the huge cathedral by her house. It is really amaazing. I think its the largest in the UK and one of the tallest. Its a protistant church so we were able to follow along better than if it was Catholic. It was a long service but it was really nice. We took communion and got to see all of the traditional dress and different rituals they had. It was really nice. After the service we walked around the cathedral, which had all kinds of huge rooms and other chapels inside of it. It took us over an hour and still didnt see everything. It is beautiful inside too, with architectural details in every inch that you look. There is a well know arch there that emily happened to randomly find (she didnt know which one it was but randomly started talking into one and it happened to be the right one) where if you stand on one side of the arch and talk into it, then a person on the other side can hear you clearly. I didnt believe that it would work, but was amazed with I heard emily say "Hello Janell" in an echoey voice.
After church we just relaxed and took a nap. That night we made the food that we bought the night before, which was salmon on spinach salad. It was SO delicious! Ive learned so much about cooking just from being here for a few days. Ive learned that as long as you have a basic idea, you can throw a lot of random stuff together and it will always taste good.

24 March
Emily's parents came into England today via Manchester airport and emily went to hang out with them. I took this alone time to relax and get myself organized. It was a very mellow day, and the aweful weather made me very tired.
For dinner, Emily's roommates had organized a sushi night, so we all stood around the kitchen table and rolled sushi for a few hours. I had never made my own sushi before. If you have the right quality of ingredients, its really easy! Then emily and her parents came back and we all had delicious homemade sushi. It would have cost a fortune at a restaurant, because we made A LOT, and it was so good!
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London, United Kingdom

March 17th (St. Patricks Day) I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to get on a bus from Champaign to Chicago. I arrived at Union Station in Chicago at about 8:45 and took a cab to Hedwig Dances dance studio in the Chicago Cultural Center. I was an intern for the company last summer so I visited with Jan Bartoszeck, the artistic director and dancers and took a morning class with them. I had time afterwards to watch their rehearsal and it was a lot of fun. After this I made my way to the Blue Line on the L and took it to O'hare. It took not even half the time that my parents had forced me to take, so I sat in the terminal for hours. The flight to England was delayed for an hour and I finally got on the plane at 5:30. The flight was long and cramped but that was to be expected. I arrived at Heathrow airport at 6:30 in the morning March 18th. I easily found the Picadilly line for the tube that took me to the city of London. I was tired but the tube in London is thankfully very easy to navigate, especially if you are used to the Chicago L. I had made plans with Amy Bantz (Erins great childhood friend) to meet up at her office. At this point I was having a very hard and frustrating time with my Luggage. I only had one big suitcase and one small one, but they were as heavy as bags of bricks, and there are a lot of stairs when dealing with the Tube since it is mostly all underground. I could only lift enough to go one step at a time before my bags slammed to the ground. People were very friendly though and a lot of people offered to help me. My bag was so heavy though that when a man tried to lift my large bag, the handle snapped. So after that it was even more difficult to lug around all my baggage because it didnt really have a handle on it. However somehow I MANAGED!
I finally managed to arrive at Amy's work, but it was only 8:30 and I was early. A nice man let me in the building and allowed me to sit on a couch in the conference room. I ended up falling asleep but woke up as Amy arrived. It was great to see her and helped a lot to have a place to stay and someone to see during my first moments in London. I was able to leave my horrible bags in her office. She took me down to the cafe next door called the Gallery Cafe. There she introduced me to the people that worked there and we had some coffee and a sandwich (which I desperately needed). I met Ross who is from Edinburgh who was very friendly and offered to give me some tips on great restaurants in Edinburgh.
After that Amy had to get back to work so I ventured off on my own for a few hours. I took the tube to Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It was huge and magnificent, but I unfortuntely forgot to grab my camera before I went. I walked around the exterior of the outer wall of the castle area. Even though I didnt pay to go inside it was still amazing to see such huge old architecture. I then walked across Tower Bridge which reminded me of something out of Cinderella. I walked around the area on the other side of the River in the fancy living area and looked at some shops. I was afraid of getting turned around though so I made my way back towards the tube after a while.
When I returned to Amy's work I had to say goodbye to her because she needed to leave for her other baby sitting job. I got my aweful luggage and took the tube across London to Dani's hotel. Dani was randomly in London the same time I was because she was on a trip with the Marching Illini (the University of Illinois Marching Band). Neither one of us had a phone so I had to sit in the Lobby for about an hour just hoping to luckily bump into her. Which I did, thankfully. I was able to put my luggage in her room, by that time I passionatly hated my luggage, but I did get a lot of excercise at least. It was a huge relief for both Dani and I to find eachother as we were both stressed out at that time, and finding eachother eleviated a lot of that stress.
We met up with her friends Neil, Liel, Steve, and Travis at an Italian Restaurant near by. We were served by a waitress from Barcelona that did not know English very well but was very friendly, and it became obvious to me how London is full of just as many foreigners as it is English. I also felt like although a lot of things are different about London like how old things are and driving on the other side of the street, the basic atmosphere and feeling of the city is not that different than Chicago. I kept finding myself comparing it to Chicago and contrasting it to Paris. Paris is older AND has a different feeling and atmosphere. Maybe its just the language thing. I dunno!
After dinner Dani and I showered and waited for Emily to come into the city. She goes to University in Liverpool and was able to take a bus to London. When she arrived she brought us scones and we drank some tea and caught up. It was a mellow night as we were all tired and wanted to go to bed. It was a stressful first day, but it worked out well.

19th March
I woke up at 8:30 before everyone else and headed off on my own towards the Bunac office. Bunac is the organization that I went through to get my blue card in order to legally stay and work in the UK for 6 months. They require that every participant go into the office for orientation upon their arrival in the UK. I found the office easily, but was early so I bought some kind of pastry to eat for breakfast. Orientation that day had people from the States and from Australia there. There were about 10 people with me and most of them were planning on staying in London.
After Orientation I decided to quickly run over to a cell phone store and buy a cell phone. It was pretty easy, I just got a pay as you go phone, and that way it would be easy to meet up with emily and Dani.
I took the tube then into the area of the Houses of Parliment. I had arranged to meet Dani and Emily at 2:00 by Big Ben. There was a lot to see around in that area. We walked around Westminister Abby and saw other massive buildings but im not sure of the names of most of them. This day I did remember my camera! But the battery only lasted so long, and it died about half way through the day. Since I didnt yet have a converter for the different power outlets, I couldnt charge my camera the whole time I was in London, so these are the only pictures I took with my camera.
While we were in this area we met up with Dani's group of guy friends at a pub/restaurant. There I enjoyed my first glass of warm beer, a London Pride. I am deffinately not used to warm beer and didnt care for it much. After eating, the group went to the Eye (the giant and slow ferris wheel) but I stayed back and looked around at the shops. I wasnt used to the cold yet and didnt feel like sitting outside for a long time.
After that we took the tube back to the hotel and
That night Dani went out for a night on the town with the boys, but Emily needed to get some of her luggage from her friend Tobby's place. He lives in a really nice area by Tower Bridge. We took the tube there and were able to see it at night. It is a beautiful and clean area with a mixture of both very old buildings and very modern buildings. It was close to the Tate Museum also, but I never got a chance to go there. Toby is a very friendly guy who knows emily because they both helped out the band - Unkle Bob, and are friends with the group. He is really into running and was preparing to run 155 miles in the Sahara Desert over a 6 day time period. He raised over 6000 pounds for the charity. How cool! Crazy
After we got Emily's luggage we made it back to the hotel and passed out after Dani got back.

20th March
We rose and all ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to Buckingham Palace to view the Changing of the Guards. Before we made it to the Palace, we stopped off at St. James Palace to see the beginning of the guards. It was interesting so see how precise they were with their movements and how they stayed perfectly together. They actually looked a lot like the gaurds of the witch in the Wizard of Oz. After a while of doing stuff in the courtyard there, they started their march down the street and round the corner to Buckingham Palace. There was a huge crowd of tourists there waiting for them to arrive so they could see it. We followed them and joined the back of the crowd. It was a pretty long process but cool because there was also a band that followed them and it was fun to hear the random music that they played. There were a lot of police officers standing around (maybe volunteer police?) and Dani fell in love with one of them. So of course we were girls and had to follow him around to get a picture with him. There was basically a line of people that wanted to get a picture with him and other officers.
After that excitement we decided we would be really touristy and pay to get into the Tower of London. So we took the tube there and bought a ticket. It was a cold and moist day but it added to the dark mysteries of the Tower of London Area. It was like a small village with a lot of castle like buildings with several large towers. It was all surrounded by a mote and a wall. The towers are known for being used as jails, places to hold prisoners, and places of torture and death. For hundreds of years Kings and Queens sentenced many people here to solitary confinment and methods of torture, many of the reasons had to do with religion and the struggle between Catholics and Protistants. However some prisoners were held in very comfortable settings and still had a good amount of freedom within the walls. It was really cool to see all of the settings that real things like that happened.
The Tower of London is also a place where the Crown Jewels are kept and an exhibit of crowns.
After viewing the towers and crowns, Emily Dani and I enjoyed some tea and scones and shared a slice of cake. It was a perfect way to warm up and rest for a bit.
When we left the Tower of London we traveled to a part of London that is known for its Pubs. We were supposed to meet up with our group of guy friends but they ended up not being able to make it. We went into the pub that we were supposed to meet them at at 6:30 but the place was packed. When people get off work they immediatly go grab some drinks at a pub. Partying starts and ends early because the pubs only stay open until midnight. So we decided to not stay there but go to a less crowded place. Well every place turned out to be very crowded so settled for the next place we went because we were starving and tired of walking. We enjoyed a nice meal, and continued afterward at the bar. We stayed out as late as the pubs closed and then took a cab back to the hotel and went to bed. It was a fun night.

21st March
This morning Dani woke up to find that she only had 1/2 hour to get ready before her group left for the airport. She hurried and we all went down to the lobby to see her off, only to find that they werent going to leave for another hour. Relieved and feeling silly, we then took our time and ate some breakfast at the hotel. Soon though we really did have to say goodbye to Dani, who started crying and it was really sad. It was really strange for me because I was staying and I started to tell people that I had just moved there, even though it only felt like I was on vacation.
After Dani left Emily and I got ready and had to run to catch our bus to Liverpool. It just so happened that the tube by the hotel was shut down for the day, so we had to quickly figure out the bus schedule to get to the train/bus station. We were worried we would miss it, but it all worked out and we got there just in time. We were able to nap and chill out on our 5 1/2 hour trip to Liverpool.
I had a great time in London, but I was also ready to check out Liverpool and have a more personal connection with a place and get to know somewhere. It is hard to do this in London because it is so big. It was fun to see all of the old stuff in London and be a tourist, but I can only stand being a tourist for so long...
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