Oslo 2001

Grand Tour of Europe 2001 - Oslo

30-31 March 2001 - Friday was the last day of term at the university {University of Wales Swansea}, setting us free for a full month of break. My flatmate Madeline (from Iowa State) and I planned for the past few months how we were going to spend April. We decided to kick off our tour in Oslo, Norway. So, after spending Friday at class, doing last-minute packing and waiting impatiently, it was time to leave. We were going to take the 6:30 pm train from Swansea to Paddington, then make our way to Stansted airport. The bus we were going to take never showed up, so we called a cab and made it on the train with a few minutes to spare. It seemed like a really long train ride. Once we got to Paddington, we tried catching the Tube to Liverpool St Sta, where we’d catch the train to Stansted. We waited forever, which made us a little nervous about whether or not we would make the last train at 2300. Luckily, we did manage to get both the Tube and the train. It was also lucky that the conductor accepted our BritRail passes. He stared at Madeline’s for so long we didn’t think he was going to. Finally got to the airport. We found ourselves a row of seats and settled in for an extremely uncomfortable night. I know I didn’t get any sleep. Life in the airport began to pick up as people started checking in. Our flight was at 7:45 and we finally got all our stuff in. We were flying Ryanair, because it was so cheap {~$20 from “London” to “Oslo”}. We killed some time looking around the airport shops before going to our gate. Boarding time came and went, as there was something up with the plane or servicing. We finally were allowed on and took seats in the first available row (there’s no assigned seating). I tried to sleep on the 2-hour flight. It turned out Oslo Torp was fogged in, so we were in a holding pattern for 45 minutes before we landed. {we couldn’t see the ground until we were nearly on it ourselves}. They made us disinfect our shoes, so we didn’t accidentally spread foot-and-mouth disease here. Argh! It’s snow-covered, cold and quite foggy. Not the first choice of places to go for spring break. There was a bus at the terminal that would take us to Oslo, so we quick ran to get cash out. We had no clue what we were doing and ended up with Danish money! Fortunately, the driver let us pay with pounds. The ride from the airport to Oslo was pretty long, so it gave us a chance to look at the scenery. It was gray and foggy, so I’m sure it wasn’t done justice, but it looks a lot like Wisconsin in some areas (rolling snow-covered hills topped with pine), Colorado in others (shear rocky cliffs on the side of the road) and then there was the fjord we’d run alongside. Didn’t really know where we were going once we got here, so we ended up at the railway station. Took advantage of this to turn our Dutch money to Norwegian, and to get our EuroRail passes validated, and the trip from Göteborg to Copenhagen on Wednesday reserved. We bought some food for dinner, then got information on how to get to our hostel. Took the tram up here. We met a Dutch girl who was also staying at the place (Haraldsheim) and she showed u how to get up here. We check in – there are only 4 people in our room, and it’s clean and cozy. We settled in and relaxed for a while. We made spaghetti for dinner. I called home and talked to Cassie, and also called Mom at work to get some information and to let her know I was here okay. I stayed up for a little while after that, but both Madeline and I went to bed around 7:30.

1 April – Note to self for future reference: NOTHING is open on Sundays in Norway. We ate breakfast at the hotel – cereal, bread, cheese and drinks. I tried a little of the brown cheese – it’s the same color and similar taste to caramel. Odd, sweet cheese. We headed out around 10. Got to the city center, then started walking to this sweater/souvenir shop, but, alas, it was closed like everything else. We walked a little further and saw the Royal Palace. Then we went to the National Gallery. I really just wanted to see Eduard Munch’s “Scream”. Then we went towards the Akershus Fortress (nice views of the fjord – especially because it’s such a nice, sunny day), then we went to the Theater Museum. Basically, just one room, but they had pictures, costumes and other things from Oslo Theater. We then went to the train station, bought some fruit and sweets, and ate our lunch there. Then we walked towards the Nobel Institute and circled around in a high-scale residential area. We bought day passes for public transportation, then headed back to the hostel. I’m very close to falling asleep, but I don’t want t. The weather actually got up towards the 50s today, and it was sunny… lovely! Madeline and I got hit on during dinner by some delinquents. We played scrabble after dinner and went to bed early.

My view of Karl Johans gate

2 April – This morning after breakfast, we took the tram into town and the T-bahn (subway) up to the Holmenkollen ski jump hill on the other side of Oslo. Pretty long ride, and a nice hike up the hill. We went to the ski-museum, then we climbed up the ski jump to the top. Fortunately, the stairs weren’t out in the open and the tower was enclosed. I have to give ski jumpers a lot of credit. I wouldn’t be throwing myself down that high and steep of a hill. The view from the tower were great. We could see all of Oslo and the surrounding hill and fjord. It was a little hazy and overcast, but it wasn’t too bad. At the gift shop, I bought Cassie and both Grandmas hand-painted wooden boxes as gifts. We set back off towards the city center. We went to a gift store that sold sweaters and other souvenirs. I got myself a navy-blue pullover and a cardigan for Mom, a moose and a smaller painted box for myself and some smaller trinkets. Thank goodness for credit cards! Madeline and I walked to the station to see about getting our VAT back. Luckily, we were able to. I went straight over to the post office to see about mailing all the stuff back home. That took a heck of a long time, but it was a lot cheaper than I expected. After that, I split up from Madeline, who was going to check her email. I walked around a department store, then went to buy food. I bought pizza, salad and some fruit. Caught a tram back. I waited in the lobby for Madeline to come back, then we went up to our room for a while. I went down and used the internet for a while, then we made dinner Once of the people in our room was *still* asleep, so we quietly played cards and worked on crossword puzzles. Early night.

At the bottom of Holmenkollen

And at the top!

3 April – Today wasn’t nearly as nice out. Gray and damp. We went down to check email in town but had to wait. We killed time at the Historic Museum, then I called home to get football tickets squared away. It was raining when Madeline and I walked up to the Palace to see the changing of the guard. Mom mentioned she wanted a troll, so I went back and bought a little one. We took a tram out to Vingeland to see the statues and got soaked. Came all the way back to the hotel. Tried to use the internet, but it wouldn’t connect for me. Came up to the room and packed, read.

Changing of the Guard

Rainy Vingeland

 The adventure continues in Copenhagen...

{transcribed 2/17/2020}

Family Visit 2001

16 March 2001 – I went to class, then waited for Mom, Dad and Cassie to come to Swansea. Joy of joys, they came! I hadn’t seen them since I left the US in January. I grabbed some stuff while they looked around the place, then we set off to find a place to stay. Ended up at the Acorns Guest House, a nice B&B on Gower Road. From there, we walked to the city centre. I took them to the Sheep Shop and we ate at Yates by the castle. Then we stopped at the St. George on the way back for a pint.

17 March – After a lovely English breakfast (for everyone else; I had tomatoes on toast), we headed out on the M4 to Caerphilly Castle. It was a horribly cold/windy/slightly damp day. We looked around there for a bit – nice ruins with a leaning tower. From there, we drove to Cardiff and went to the castle there. Ooh, so ornate and pretty inside! We walked around for a while, then stopped in a pub to warm up. We watched the Wales/France rugby game with a bunch of fanatics. Wales won! From there, went back to Swansea and got a place at a hotel on the bay. {Forever known to us as the place with the woman who looked like the “Send in the guards!” lady in Austin Powers and her Doberman} Went to the Abertawe Alehouse for dinner. Good food. Then back to bed.

 

Cassie and Cara at Caerphilly Castle

Cassie, Cara, Mom at Cardiff Castle

18 March – We drove out to the Gower and looked at Three Cliffs Bay and Worm’s Head, but we couldn’t get very close because Foot and Mouth disease had closed most paths. From there, we drove on to the Brecon Beacons, a smallish mountain range north of Cardiff. Huge snow-capped hills and sweeping green valleys – it was really gorgeous. We drove all the way up to Brecon and were going to stop, but we got a little lost and ended up quite a ways away. I didn’t mind, because I got to see more scenery. Finally, found our way back. After a stop at the tourist information place, we walked up to the cathedral. It was a little cathedral, compared to what I’ve seen before, but it was still nice. We saw the castle ruins before heading back to the car. We found a nice B&B in an old Georgian house. Set off to find some dinner and ended up at a bar. Nice family entertainment – Cassie and Dad drawing pictures of each other. Went back to the B&B where we all played Trivial Pursuit. Cass won, and Dad doesn’t like to lose.

Three Cliffs Bay, Wales

 

Brecon Beacons

19 March – Another nice breakfast and cold day. We headed south and went to a living history museum in a 17th century manor outside Cardiff. Then we headed east to Bath. I think I dozed most of the way. They all went into the Roman Baths and I did a little shopping and waited for them. Then we set off to find Stonehenge, which was completely closed (but it wasn’t raining!) and past Avebury (also closed). We drove back to Swansea and ate dinner at the Toby Carvery. They dropped me off at my flat, then went back to the Acorns. I’m going to travel with them the rest of the week, but I have a class I must attend tomorrow.

 

Period actor in Llancaiach Fawr Manor

 

In the kitchens at Llancaiach Fawr

Cassie, Dad, Cara in Bath

20 March – Went to my obligatory class, then met the family at 11 to take off. We drove north, all the way to Nottingham. Parked, walked to tourist information. Then we had them book us a hotel and found our way here. Nice hotel, and we’re getting it pretty cheap. Rested a while, then headed over to TGIFriday’s for dinner. Nice taste of British-Americanism. I didn’t feel took well after dinner. We walked to the oldest tavern in England, Ye Olde Tripe to Jerusalem, for a pint. Walked back to the hotel for an early night.

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

In the Ye Olde...

Robin Hood statue by night...

21 March – Got up at 6:45 to use the pool. I swam laps for 20 minutes, then came back up. Rest of the family was still sleeping. It was nasty-looking outside – windy, snow blowing. Ugh – like being back home in November. Ate breakfast, then headed out in the snow to the shopping center to tour the Caves of Nottingham. Everyone was a bit short-tempered today, and the snow didn’t help much, either. Toured the man-made caves, then went to the Nottingham Castle. More art gallery than castle. We left Nottingham and drove to York. Stayed in a Holiday Inn Express. We ate dinner at a neighboring pub before going into town to go on a ghost walk. It was nice that the weather cleared up a bit while on the tour. It was more informative than spooky or scary (or so I thought). Got a nice tour of the city at night, too. We came straight back to the hotel afterwards. Hope everybody feels better tomorrow…

 

... Robin Hood statue by snowy day

22 March – Move lovely weather greeted us in the morning – great gobs of snow falling from the sky. We parked and rode into York. There, we went to the Minster and toured the foundations and crypt, and then walked through the streets. It started to rain a bit, so we ducked into a café called Betty’s for a bite of lunch. Super swank place. We left York and drove on to Cambridge. The weather got a lot milder as we went south. We walked through the city center to get tourist info, then found the B&B they booked. Pretty nice place – we’re all in the same room. Relaxed for a bit, then set off on foot to get dinner. Ended up at La Margarita for some Italian. Quiet place. After dinner, went to a pub for a drink, then back to the B&B.

  

23 March – Up, breakfasted and out by 10 this morning. We drove all the way to Dover and got some hints of white cliffs. Had the idea to take the ferry/hovercraft/etc. over to Calais, just because we could. Had a few hours to kill before the next crossing, so we walked through the downtown. Cassie and I looked around at shops, then met Mom and Dad in a pub. Went to the docks, bought tickets, then waited. Crossing took about an hour on a Hoverspeed SeaCat. Even through it was pretty misty and cloudy, got a nice view of the cliffs. The Calais docks weren’t anywhere near the city, so we had to take a bus. And because we were taking the last ship back, we had all of 45 minutes. We had a drink in a bar, then bought a loaf of French bread and some croissants for breakfast tomorrow. Caught the next boat and came back and had overly large and greasy pizzas for dinner.

 

Dover

 

Cara getting disinfected for Foot & Mouth in Calais

24 March – Up and out of Dover early this morning. We stopped in Canterbury to see the cathedral (nice) and walk a little through the city. A lot better than Dover. We drove on to London from there. Dad negotiated the evil traffic very well. We went to our hotel in the Bayswater area, but we couldn’t check in yet, so we ate lunch at a pub. Got into our room (nicknamed The Dungeon by Dad) then took the car back. We walked all the way to Piccadilly Circus. Cassie was on a mission to buy a pair of Doc Martens, which, with a stroke of luck, she did. We bought tickets to see a show on Sunday night, then took the Tube over to see Big Ben {Parliament}. It struck 6 just as we came by. Walked past Buckingham Palace. Then we made our way to Harrod’s. I wanted to buy a bear, but alas, it was 6:55 when we entered, and closed at 7, and I didn’t know where to find them. Left empty-handed. Walked down to the next Tube station to avoid crowds. By this time, my legs were lead weights. We ate dinner at a Tex-Mex restaurant in a shopping center. Then went back.

  

Dad, Cassie, Cara outside Canterbury Cathedral

The Black Prince's Tomb, Canterbury Cathedral

Finding cool cars in London

25 March – Slept in. Went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, then went down to the West End for lunch and souvenirs. I just got a key chain. Oh, and first thing we stopped at the mall to buy me some pantyhose, and I got a cardigan set and a choker also. We went to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company, which was hilarious. We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Café, then came back and packed.

{transcribed 2/10/2020}

Northern UK 2001

1 March 2001 – EDINBURGH – The idea was that Jessi, Ryan, Madeline {all Iowa State students also studying abroad in Swansea} and I were going to leave for Scotland on Wednesday night, but a bad train wreck and “too much snow” changed our plans. After a nice taxi fiasco, we arrived at the Swansea train station around 5:40. Yup, that’s AM. We took the train at 6 to Bristol, then had an hour plus to wait before catching the train to Newcastle. That’s a far as we were told we could go. It was pretty cold – definitely below freezing. The train was quietish but long. The weather past York was really interesting. One minute it would be sunny, then, seriously, two minutes later it would look like a blizzard. On and off. At Newcastle, we did catch a train (ha!) to Edinburgh. Thus, we reached our goal of actually getting to Scotland this weekend. Huzzah! We got off the train and found our hostels – I’m in a different one than the other three – then we met back up to walk around. Edinburgh is pretty. Old stone architecture, hills, a nice kirk (church) and castle. We walked up this hill by the Nelson Monument and city observatory to take some pictures of the city skyline as the sun was setting. We were all getting cold, so we walked around looking for a place to eat. Ended up at a nice restaurant by the station. I got a baked potato and bread. Then we went back to their hostel for hot chocolate and a game of Trivial Pursuit. Called it an early night, so I walked back to my hotel (High St Hostel – they’re staying at the Royal Mile) and read a bit before bed.

2 March – Woke relatively early and got ready. Checked out, because we were going to leave tonight. Did a little souvenir shopping. Met up with Ryan, Madeline and Jessi at 10 here in the hostel for a free walking tour. Our tour was led by a 20-something Highlander by the nickname of Spud. Not bad on the eyes, and he had a brilliant accent. Unfortunately, it was frickin’ freezing out, so we got instantly chilled when we went outside. Spud took us down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace and up to the Castle. It was a great tour. He gave us lots of information, and genuinely seemed interested in the history. It was also interesting to see/hear how much he dislikes the English, the Queen and the Campbells. The whole tour took just over three hours. Since we were pretty well chilled to the bone by that point, we went to get some lunch. After lunch, we took a tour of the Castle. At £7.50, it definitely wasn’t worth the price of admission, but it was still neat to see, especially the views. They had some displays and we did get to see the Scottish crown jewels, still pretty neat. Ryan and I got split up from Madeline and Jessi, and when we left the castle, I went off on my own. I walked down to the Greyfriars Church to see the grave of Greyfriars Bobby, a little dog who visited his master’s grave for 14 years. I saw the story on the Travel Channel before I came. Then I did a little more shopping. I got some little Scotch whisky bottles for gifts and a tartan wool scarf for myself. I also picked up a little Scottie dog and highlander coo made out of wood and wool. I found Madeline and Jessie at their hostel, and then went back to mine. We met here for dinner before going on a pub crawl. Well, not exactly. Instead we went to a bar called the Filling Station. I must have left all my good sense back in Swansea and proceeded to drink like a fish. After a few drinks there with two guys from their hostel, we walked down to The Three Sisters. I pretty much collapsed when I got back.

 

Edinburgh Castle

View of Edinburgh from the Castle

Ryan, Cara, Jessi, Madeline

3 March – GLASGOW – Felt a little queasy this morning, but not too bad. We walked to the train station and took the 9:00 to Glasgow. Got in ~10, started walking to our hostel. We didn’t have the greatest idea of where we were going, and it turned out to be quite a hike. Spent about an hour walking. We finally found our hotel – Bunkum Backpackers – located in the West End of the city, not too far from the University. Dropped our stuff and just sat for a bit. Our hotel’s pretty nice – it’ a residential house, with curving staircases, large rooms (only 6 people in this room!) and it’s super clean and quiet. We took a walk down the street and got a cheap lunch (sandwiches) and some dessert. Then we walked to Kelvingrove Museum and looked at the art and exhibits there, then over to the Museum of Transport and looked at a lot of cars, trains, bikes and ships. Exciting. From there, we went up by the University, then bought some groceries on the way back. Had a little quiet time after an aborted attempt to find an internet café. We made pasta and sauce for dinner. Really cheap. And really good. We didn’t feel like going out, but Jessi, Ryan and I went out and bought some groceries and dessert. We ate Vienetta and watched Popstars (oh, so lame) before reading a bit before bed.

4 March – YORK – I struck out on my own this morning to head to York. Thought I would take the underground, but it opened too late. Instead, walked the 2+ miles to the station. I’m glad I bought souvenirs in Edinburgh. Glasgow really doesn’t cater to tourists like that. It’s definitely much more of a working, university town. I kind of liked that. But that walk was still long. Got my train to take me out. Pretty empty to begin with but got a lot fuller past Edinburgh. Finally got to York @ 3:30 (left Glasgow at 10:50). I’m just happy to be here! 14th Century York is the setting for one of my favorite murder mystery series – The Owen Archer series by Candace Robb. Her writing truly made me want to visit. I found my hostel (York Backpackers), housed in an 18th century mansion. Spiffy. I quickly dropped my gear in my bed, then headed for the York Minster. Since it was a nice, albeit chilly, day, I wanted to climb the tour. For £3, I got to go up the 275 circular steps and get a nice view of York. Since it was chilly and windy, I didn’t stay up there too long. I wanted to find the tourist info place before it closed, but alas, it already had. I bought some milk and bread to go with my dinner, then walked back to the Minster. The first time I was in there, evensong was going on, and I couldn’t get down to see all of the church. This time, I took my time looking at all the stained glass (roughly half of all medieval stained glass is in there), the huge columns holding up the decorated vaulted ceiling, and all the decoration. I was specifically interested in the Lady Chapel (and also the title of the Robb book I’m reading right now) and the tomb of Archbishop John Thoresby. I’m sure I saw it if it was there, but I couldn’t tell for certain. I walked back by way of the city wall. I stopped in the Museum Gardens to look around the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey, and get a picture of it at sunset. I went back to the hostel and cooked and ate dinner, before retiring to my dorm room to read. I’m still not sure what time I’m going to leave, but since I’ll probably be in York this once, I ought to see as much as possible.

York street

York Minster

Flying buttresses!

St Mary's Abbey at sunset

5 March – This morning, I got up early and headed to the York Castle Museum, where they had collections of stuff from everyday life. Pretty interesting. Didn’t stick around too long. Collected my stuff, then caught the 11:37 train to Manchester, then the 1:33 to Swansea. Too much time on trains!

{transcribed 2/10/2020}

Warwick 2001

23 February 2001 – WARWICK – I left after class on Friday to visit my coworker at Ford from last summer, Jennifer C, for the weekend. After long, late and overcrowded trains, I finally arrived. Jennifer picked me up at the station, and we went grocery shopping. She and her husband Jeff were having two other American coworkers over for a Mexican Fiesta dinner. I helped prepare dinner and met John and Stan. Dinner was excellent (oh, how I’ve missed Mexican food!). They talked about work and things. We had ice cream after dinner and watched a show on TV about the Loch Ness Monster. Got to bed around midnight, but I was so tired.

24 Feb – Jennifer dropped me off at the Warwick Castle around when it opened at 10. Good thing, because there weren’t too many people around. The Warwick Castle is really nice, because it was never destroyed, and was used until the 70s. They had some interesting displays, especially the very realistic wax figures. I spent about 2½ hours there, then I called Jennifer to pick me up. We took a drive to Leamington Spa and ate a picnic lunch in the park. It was pretty cold – a little above freezing, I think. We walked around the stores in Leamington before driving up to Coventry. We saw the bombed-out cathedral there before coming back. Later, we all went out to eat with Stan and John in Solihull, a suburb of Birmingham. We couldn’t get in to eat until 8:30 at the California Pizza Factory, so we went across the street to a swank bar to kill time. Jennifer and I got hot chocolates with Bailey’s. At the pizza place, I got a nummy vegetarian pizza. We went back to the bar after dinner, only to find that it was snowing out! We got home about 11 and I was so tired.

  

View from Warwick Castle

 

Coventry Cathedral

25 Feb – Today we took a drive through the pretty Cotswolds. Some of the views at the tops of the hills were fantastic. It was barely over freezing today. We stopped in Bourton-on-the-Water for a look around. It was very pretty. We continued on to Stratford-upon-Avon. As expected, it was crowded with tourists. We walked down to Shakespeare’s birthplace, then over to the church he’s buried in, but we couldn’t go in. I bought my obligatory postcard. From Stratford, we drove straight back to Warwick. I helped make dinner, and we had a quiet evening.

Cara by Shakespeare's birthplace

26 Feb – This morning, Jennifer took me with her in to work at Jaguar. I got to see the miles of cubicles there. A lot like what I saw at Ford, only a lot more compact area. I met a few of the people she works with, then she sent me on my way at the Coventry train station. Had a nice, reasonably quiet ride back.

{transcribed 2/10/2020}

London 2001

16 February 2001 – LONDON- Megan and I left for London after class on Friday. The train was waiting at the station for us. It was another gorgeous, sunny day, and we watched the countryside flash past on the way here. Did a little reading. Pulled into Paddington Station@ 4:40. We got a crash-course in using the London Underground. Many people rushing about! We took the Tube to King’s Cross/St Pancras St. Didn’t really know where our hostel was, but we eventually found it. It’s called Ashlee House, and it seems so much cleaner and nicer than the one in Bath. Our room is a little cramped with 5 bunkbeds, but it’s not bad. Megan and I had the idea to try and see a show tonight. We tossed our stuff here, got changed quickly, then were out the door ~ 6. We took the Tube to Leicester Sq, deep in Soho. Lots of people around. We were thinking of seeing Chicago, but we ended up walking the wrong way, straight toward Les Mis, so we decided to see that. Waited in line to get two restricted view seats in the upper dress circle for £11 each. We ate dinner at this little soup shop down the street. I bought a Les Mis lapel pin. Our seats weren’t bad at all. I was on the very end of a row, and I just couldn’t see the downstage portion of my side of the stage. The show was marvelous, and we got tiny cups of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at intermission. Ah! So wonderful. We took the Tube straight back and went to bed.

Cara and Megan

17 Feb – Our first full day in London! I got up ~7:30. Ate a free breakfast of toast and cereal with Megan and these two Canadian girls we met, Jess and Randi. We all took the Tube to Charing Cross station around 10. Megan and I wanted to get tickets to see Chicago tonight. They only had one cheap one, so we passed. Looked into a few other shows before getting £10 tickets to see Madame Melville. Macauley Culkin (insert “Home Alone” face here) is in it. We walked and saw St. Martin-In-The-Fields by Trafalgar Square. From there, we walked past St. James Park toward Buckingham Palace. Then we walked to Westminster Abbey. Saw {heard} Big Ben strike noon on the way. We walked through the Abbey, then headed over by the Thames for a look around. It’s a very nice, sunny day. A little chilly, but not bad. From there, we took the Tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We looked for a place to eat around there, but nothing was open. We were going to go into the Cathedral, but at £4, it wasn’t worth it, so I bought a postcard instead. We walked on to the nearest station to catch the Tube to the Tower of London. We caught a bite to eat nearby, then went over to buy tickets. Alas, it was too late to catch a tour, so it didn’t seem worth it. We took pictures of the Tower Bridge instead. I was started to feel a bit tired by this point. We took the Tube over to the London Bridge just for the novelty of singing “London Bridge is falling down” while walking across. We walked a little ways over to the replica of the Globe Theatre. It was pretty chilly and overcast by this time. Took the Tube back to King’s Cross. I really, really like London. It may be busy and swarming with tourists and viciously expensive, but everything is so grand and royal and oozes with history. And it’s just so lovely! I have to find a proper souvenir. We all went out to dinner at a little Indian/Balti restaurant just down the street. We were the only ones there! The food was good, but Megan and I had to dash out or risk missing the start of the show. We got to the theater with 15 minutes to spare. Our seats were up high in the square. Still gave us a pretty good view of the whole stage. Not knowing what to expect, I thought the show was good. It’s about a French teacher and 15-year-old student in 1966 Paris, set over the course of two days. Very well acted. We came straight back from the theater. My tummy was giving me fits, so I went straight to bed. There was a disturbance in the room last night – the police came in and asked a guy to leave, I guess.

 

Tower Bridge

Trafalgar Square

18 Feb – We both went out with Jess and Randi again this morning. They’re both from Canada’s west coast area. They’re traveling around Europe for three months, sounds really interesting! We took the Tube to get us to the Tower of London when it opened at 10. Long line, but we bought our tickets and jumped in a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) guided tour. Our tour guide gave us information about gruesome executions and the buildings for the Tower. For being so old, it’s really been kept in great condition. He explained the Traitors Gate, the Bloody Tower, and the ravens around the White Tower. I got a picture with some Beefeaters after the tour. We looked around and when the line was short enough, we went to see the Crown Jewels. Ooooh, sparkly. Very nice. From there, we walked in and around the White Tower. It was full of old armor, cannon, guns, etc. Got a little old after a while. We walked in the Bloody Tower, and the Medieval Palace before deciding we’d had enough. We went to a nearby shop and I bought an Underground “Mind the Gap” magnet. We split off from Randi and Jess and headed to Piccadilly Circus. For being Sunday, it was heavily touristed. Megan and I got a way-overpriced lunch before walking toward Hyde Park. I stopped at the Hard Rock Café (the very first one!) and bought a bin and tank. Megan and I walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Park. It was so green and lovely, people all around, flowers poking up. I got my picture taken by the Peter Pan statue. From there, we took the Tube to Baker Street. “Sherlock Holmes” met us outside the station and I got my picture with him. At the Sherlock Holmes museum, I bought a little Baker Street sign. We got back on the Tube and headed for Charing Cross. We took in Evensong at St. Martin’s. After the service, we walked around the area in search of a restaurant for dinner. Ended up at a little French café, where we got crepes. We took the Tube from there to Piccadilly Circus to see it all lit up at night. A lot like NYC, I guess (through I’ve never been there). We took the Tube back to King’s Cross. I made Megan walk over to the railway station, so I could get a picture by Platform Nine and Three-Quarters [Harry Potter – where the Hogwarts Express leaves from]. My feet were absolutely dead by this time. No more walking, please! Walked back to the hostel, and took it easy for the rest of the evening, as we’re leaving in the morning.

 

Cara with Beefeaters at the Tower of London

Pre-Cumberbatch Sherlock

What platfom 9-3/4 really looks like...

Obligatory photo op

19 Feb – Got up and out by 9. We exchanged email with Jess and Randi. Got to the train station a bit early, so bought a little food for the journey. Megan bought a stuffed Paddington Bear. The train was pretty crowded the whole way. Eventually made it back.

{transcribed 2/10/2020}

Bath 2001

3 Feb 2001 – BATH – Megan and I made plans to start using our BritRail passes right away. We decided to go to Bath. I had heard and read a lot about it, and it was pretty close to Stonehenge. We left early Saturday morning There were a lot of football (soccer) and rugby fans already drinking and cheering at 8:30 in the morning. We were on a direct train to Bath, but there was some problem, so we had to get on a different train and make a connection in Newport. We finally got to Bath around 11. It is a gorgeous city. All the buildings are made of the same honey=colored stone, so there’s a sense of calming coordination. We checked into our hotel and found our room. We’re in Blues & Jazz, and I’m in the Billie Holliday bunk. Kind of grimy, but it’s cheap. £12.50. We took off walking towards the Abbey, which was very close. Stopped into the tourist information center for some maps. We wanted to see if there were any shows we could see at the Royal Theatre, so we walked that way. The city center was cluttered with shops and people, a lot like Swansea. No go at the theater, so we walked back to the Abbey to start our walking tour. We went inside. It was beautiful with all the stained glass windows and vaulted ceiling. It was interesting, because there were old “grave” markers on the walls and floors everywhere. From there, we took a tour of the roman Baths. Very interesting. We came up through the Pump Room. We were getting hungry, so we looked into going to Sally Lunn’s, but it was too expensive. Ate our sandwiches while we walked to the Jane Austen Centre. Megan wanted to go there. That was also interesting, but less so for me, because I’ve never read any of her work. From there, we walked by the Royal Crescent and The Circus to the Assembly Room and Museum of Costume. That was something I was very interested in. They had pieces dating back to 1660. From there, we got pizza at a nice Italian restaurant. We decided it best if we went home Sunday night, so we walked to the train station to check what time we could get back to Swansea. It was after 6, so most of the shops had closed, so it was dark and somewhat eerie. Came back to the hotel to find a few of our friends from Swansea (exchange) were staying there also. Chatted with them for a bit. Megan and I wanted to find a nice place to read and drink some tea. We ended up at a restaurant by the Abbey. The ventilation was poor, so even through only two people were smoking, my eyes were burning and I couldn’t breathe, so we left. Came back and I took a shower, then read a bit before calling it a night. I’m just really tired.

  

Bath Abbey

Roman Baths

Cara outside the Pump Room

4 Feb – Today was a rather mystical, exciting, charming, quaint, and very rainy day. Megan and I started off the day bright and early as we made our way to the meeting place by the Abbey for the Mad Max tour. 16 of us crammed into a minibus and began our journey to Stonehenge. Our tour guide was really friendly and informative. The drive took about 50 minutes. It started raining on the way there. We could make out some burial mounds around the area as we got closer to Stonehenge. When we pulled in, it really started to rain. Good thing I had my jacket and umbrella. Paid £3 to get in. Couldn’t go up very close to the stones. They actually weren’t quite what I expected. It seemed a lot smaller than how it’s shown on the Discovery Channel, etc. Anyway, we were getting really wet, so we cut our time outside short and headed back. I got two postcards. From there, we drove past Woodhenge to Avebury. It was still raining there. Here, we got to walk up next to the stones, give them a hug if we liked. Avebury has a huge henge (ditch and mound), and has a village built right in the center as a Christians-against-Paganism movement long ago. The weather was better by the time we left. We drove past Silbury Hill, the largest man-made object in prehistoric Europe. It’s just a big hill, well-engineered, with its purpose being a mystery. From there, we saw the Cherhill White Horse, made when the soil was removed from the hillside in the shape of a horse in 1780. We drove on to Lacock for lunch. It’s almost entirely owned by the National Trust, a sort of historical preservation society. It’s very small, and the houses date from 13th to 18th centuries. It only rained here once we got back on the bus. From Lacock, we drove to “the prettiest village in England,” Castle Coombe. If you can call it a village. It had one street and fifty houses, but it was really quite charming (and wet). The movie Dr. Doolittle was set here. We went back to Bath after that, then Megan and I caught trains back to Swansea, where it was also raining.

Getting rained on at Stonehenge

The Barber Stone at Avebury

Cara in Castle Coombe

{transcribed 2/10/2020}

Semester Abroad Wales 2001

Semester Abroad – Wales, Spring 2001

23-24 January 2001 – Thus begins the great day of travel. I had to get up early to go to the dentist (stupid wisdom teeth). Mom, Dad, Cassie and I were on the road to Chicago by 10:30. I tried to sleep along the way, with little success. We met Megan W and her family in the airport. We had about 2 ½ hours to kill, so we chatted, played cards, and looked around. It was tough to say goodbye, but I’ll be keeping in close contact with them, and they are coming to visit me in March. Megan and I finally got on board. The plan was very under-booked {fewer than 10 passengers total}, so we each had a row of three seats to ourselves. We took off, and they gave us these little goody bags with socks, toothbrush, ear plugs, eye mask, mints and lotion. Virgin Atlantic rocks! The dinner I got was eggplant. It’s so hard to eat now after having my wisdom teeth out. I can only open my jaw a half inch. We sort of watched Remember the Titans on our little monitors before trying to get some sleep. I could not get comfortable. Too bumpy, too loud, too cold. I think I did manage to get an hour or two, though. {the flight attendants let us lay down across a whole row of five seats in the middle of the plane.} As we flew into London, it was still dark out, and the whole city was laid out in millions of points of light. It’s so huge! We got our luggage, and I realized too late that I packed too much heavy stuff! It’s such a bleedin’ pain hauling it all around. Megan helps me a bit. :) We got on a bus to take us to Reading, where we could catch a train to Swansea. I spotted Windsor Castle. Oh, and just to prove that it doesn’t rain here 100% of the time, it was sunny, blue-skied with only a few clouds. We bought tickets for a later (and cheaper) train. In the meantime, we got a bit to eat. I had a cheese-filled croissanty thing. We caught our train, stowed our luggage, got seats and were off. The countryside is gorgeous – pasture, houses, rolling hills… We finally got in and got our first views of Swansea. Really packed-in city. We took a cab to the student village, where, after getting a little lost, I finally got to move in to my new home. Let the semester being! (Note: the day-to-day record of the semester will be kept in my green planner this year.)

 

Cara & Megan, UK-bound!

Bath Weekend

London Weekend

Warwick Weekend
Edinburgh/Glasgow/York Weekend
Family Visit (Wales, Nottingham, York, London)
Grand Tour of Europe:
   Oslo
   Copenhagen
   Berlin
   Munich
   Verona/Venice
   Nice
   Interlaken
   Paris