Harry Potter Studio Tour

Sunday, May 20th

Bri and I explored the behind-the-scenes making of the Harry Potter films!  We took the train to Watford Junction and from there picked up a special shuttle to the studio.  Once there we were able to see the sets and props actually created and used in the films.  We were also able to learn about how some of the special effects and visual effects were created. They also displayed some of the costumes, and it was fascinating to see all of the detail and the wear and tear of the costumes.

Here are some of the more interesting facts I learned there:

• How to make Hagrid seem bigger than the other actors:
• A 6'10" rugby player would be filmed in his costume, and then the actor's face and voice was dubbed over that.
• In scenes where he was alone, they filmed the actor in a smaller than life scale to make him seem larger.
• They'd have him sit in a chair closer than the other actors to use perspective to their advantage.
• Only one model of the Hogwarts ceiling was built, and all the other shots of the ceilings were computer generated.

• Each broomstick was fitted to the size of the actor/actress. It was made by wrapping real bark around a metal pole and then polishing it.
• Most of the brooms had pedals on them for the actors to use for balance. Some of the ones that moved also had an actual little seat on it.
• There's a Hogwarts crest crafted into the fireplace in the Great Hall.
• There's painted wall murals at either end of the Great Hall that are fainted with Latin Inscriptions and old patterns.

• There were multiple animals used to shoot each of the animal characters. Owls are the hardest to train.
• Professor Umbridge's clothes became a progressively darker pink as she gained power throughout the films. Her supporters also wore progressively more pink, as well.

•  The boys outgrew the beds created for the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, so they had to film the beds at specific angles.

• The Burrow's moving appliances are controlled by touchscreen annomotronics. You can control the speed and the scrubbing actions of the brush on the pot, for instance.

These are just some of the fun facts I learned on the outing! It was great fun seeing how it all came to life on the screen for all of us!

The Alhambra

Wednesday was just as busy!

I went to the Alhambra at 2 pm.
My favorite parts were:

• The side garden right beside the old military fort and the views from its towers.


• The gardens behind the Nazarith Palace. Especially there was an elegant reflecting pool, and you felt like you could get lost in among all of the flower beds.


• I returned to the Generalife and was able to get some great photos, and see more of the palace. There are some elegant terraced gardens behind the palace, on the hill. The whisteria smelled so sweetly and there were hidden nooks with fountains, which added to the sense of timeless mystery.

The highlight was definitely the Nazarith Palace though! I was entranced by the elegant patterns and filigree windows and the ceilings. One ceiling was an interpretation of the starry sky, and used to be mimicked in tile on the floor. A small portion of the original floor is left, becuase the Christians had put a rug over it for a throne. The best part though was finding my friend, the guard, again at the fountain of the lions. Unfortunately, the fountain was under restoration, but it was still amazing. Also, the 12 lions represent the 12 seasons and the 4 channels are the cardinal directions. One of the quarters to the side was the daughter (princess´s room) and later her son´s. it´s the only place in the palace with a Moorish stain glass, but interestingly its a roof and not used for the windows itself. It was amazing. On the opposite side were the wives quarters. The fountain was a gift to the sultan originally.

I got a tour of some of the off-limit portions of the site. I saw the bathroom, and the guard explained how water used to flow underneath and it never smelled. I also saw the baths and he explained how the water would flow throughout. Down below, many of the colors were still quite vivid. Unfortunately, since it was about to close for the day, we had to run through to see it all, but it was still lots of fun! It was truly a unique experience!

FLAMANCO DANCING:

That night I went to the gypsy caves and enjoyed an evening of flamenco dancing. To be exact, it was a local interpretation of flamenco, that´s specific to the Salemanca caves that developed from Flamenco, Indian dancing, and gypsy dancing. It was quite the spectacle, and it was lots of fun!

El Generalife (at night)

Tuesday:





I expected to feel rather sore after my big hike the previous night, but luckily all was well. I woke up at a decent hour (10 am) and went for another free city tour at 11 am. Surprisingly, the city was still just waking up at 10:30! Shops were just starting to open! It made me feel better about sleeping through most of the morning. The city tour covered much of the same area as the previous night, with a few more details, and luckily NO rockclimbing!





The tour ended on the street famous for its TAPAS! I was able to enjoy a couple of drinks, with free tapas provided for lunch. It was a nice and relaxing way of spending a couple of hours. Once the group split up, I went in search of retrieving my tickets for the Alhambra for that night. I also managed to score tickets for the entire site for Wednesday afternoon!





NOCTURNA GERNERALIFE: After a tapas dinner, it was finally time to head up the hill to get a tour of the Generalife (The sultan´s summer palace). Apparently it could be 20-30 degrees cooler in the palace on the mountain than down below! Part of this was achieved by painting the palace and homes white, which reflects the sun. Also the flow of water, cooled the area, and created little cool micro-climates.





The experience was AMAZING! At first I was bummed, because my camera ran out of power, but to not be outdone, I whipped out some paper and a pen and started sketching. It turned out to be the best thing I could have done! One of the security guards noticed me, and took an interest. When he found out that I was a student, he began to give me an indepth explanation of the restoration process and what dated to the Moorish erea and what had been added later in the Christian era. He also talked a little about the planting, as well. Mind you this 45 minute conversation was all in Spanish and I understood about 75% of it! I was so pleased!





Things I learned:

• There were only two trees at the center of the garden in the main famous piazza.




• The beds were level with the groung, not sunken as they are today.




• They used to plant herbs and other fragrant plants...not colorful ones.




• They planted the lower terraces with the food, because it was out of sight.




• There used to be a small path and tiny bridge that connected the fortress of the Alhambra with the Generalife.




• The ornamental oranges seen today are a variety that taste bad, but they used to be edible in the time of the sultan.

• The larger fountains were added later, after the Christians took over, in the style of the Italians. The Moors only had tiny bubbling, gurbling fountians and long reflecting pools. They loved the placid water and saw it as a way of reflecting.

• The Sultan lived there with his 4 wives, and many more mistresses. They had two separate gardens, one for the sultan and one for his wives.

A Granada

I flew out early yesterday morning...aka woke up at 6 am for a 8:30 flight.

I got to Granada at around 3 pm and then took a bus from the airport, and didn´t arrive at my hostel until 4 pm. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the city and the unusual plant life. Each city I´ve been to on this vacation has been completely different, both architecture, culture and flora.

My hostel is great! It has a peaceful inner courtyard. A tranquil fountain bubbles and has comfy chairs to relax in. It´s colorfully decorated with drapping long scarves, in a Moroccan/Moorish style. Best part is that it´s in the Alacin (Moorish Quarter), which is the historic part of the city. It´s close to everything!

After settling in, I wandered briefly around the city. I then ate dinner at a Moroccan restaurant next door and enjoyed an excellent cup of Morrocan tea - Vanilla and Cadimum. I was so pleased that I ordered and talked the whole time in Spanish! After dinner, I returned to my room and met my roommates. It just so happened that one of the girls is actually studying at University of Sheffield, too and lives one building over from me! What were the chances!!! The world truly is small!

Three of us, decided to go on the¨Night Adventure Tour of Granada¨. And boy was it an adventure! We learned some about the local landmarks. We were shown an inner traditional courtyard. We also got taken to some great lookout points to see the Alhambra at sunset! It´s breath taking! Next, we were taken to the ¨Gypsy Caves¨. They basically look like regular houses but they are built into the hillside, so most of the house is underground...hence caves. It´s also where all the traditional flamenco dancing is performed. I´m going to go back for a show tomorrow night! Then the real adventure began! We elected the option that took us up behind the Generalife and the Alhambra. Basically, we scaled the mountainside at night with headlamps! We got some great views and it is truly something I´ll always remember! We finished the tour at midnight and then went for tapas as a group with our guide as part of the celebration for a successful adventure! The tapas were excellent!

A full first evening in Granada!

Buena Pascua! Happy Easter!

I´ll just do a recap of the highlingts.

Saturday:
Dad, Samira and I walked a couple of blocks to where we could watch the gondolas being repaired. It was really cool to see the shop at work, right along the edge of the canal.

A little way away we found a great gelateria, Gelateria Nico, where we got some ice cream later in the day.

We wandered over to the Jewish Quarter, where we heard the Jewish chanting, and ended up having lunch. We had a great conversation talking about Judaism with the local rabi and some other members. It was quite the unique experience!

We did some shopping, and Samira got me a silver gondola charm for my travel charm bracelet. We returned to the same place for dinner as the previous night.

Sunday -- Easter:

The day was rung in with the sound of church bells. As you can imagine in a Catholic country, the city was mostly closed except for some select tourist stores. We went to a Klimt exhibit at a museum off of San Marco´s Square. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. We wandered around the streets and then decided to leave early for the airport since Dad and Samira were flying out that night.

It was a unique and quiet way of spending Easter. I was sad to leave Venice!

Thanks for a wonderful time, Venenzia!

Venice to Venice

To be more specific it was Venice, FL in December/January to Venice, Italy April.

Friday was a travel day. We took a train from Rome's train station to Venice via Florence and Bologna. Every mile of Italian countryside was breathtaking for the 3.5 hr trip. I highly recommend if you have the time, to make this journey via train versus by air or by car (as the car gets grueling after 7 hrs). Every moment I wanted to take another photo of the mountains with tiny Italian towns tucked away, surrounded by olive groves and vinyards. We passed through the Alps and came out on some planes dominated by cypress. I had a book with me, but didn't feel like I could take it out once since I didn't want to miss a single sight!

We finally pulled into Venice in the late afternoon. You arrive across the sea, and pull in with land on one side and azure water on the other. As I exited the station, I wondered if Iàd stepped back in time, to another world. There really aren't words that can justify the majesty and the sheer beauty of Venice, The City on the Sea! I will do my best though. You enter onto the Grand Canal with its famous gondolas and rosy pink buildings and Venetian windows. We took a water taxi to our hotel and passed by the Rialto Bridge. Our hotel is lovely, situated just off of the Grand Canal. Our room overlooks an inner courtyard garden with a fountain bubbling away.

After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to San Marco's Square. There, the piazza buzzed with tourists, but was underlayed by a soft melody from various bands playing various tunes at each of the restaurants that overlook the square. The church, itself, is ornately decoarated with gold and bright mosaics. The domes of the church are truly impressive. The rose tower, that's so iconic towers above all the other buildings. All the rosy pinks are tied-together by the pink glass street lamps that decorate the square and the rest of Venice. The scenes were made all the more lovely and dramatic, as it was sunset on a perfectly beautiful day.

From the square, we made our way to Harry's Bar and enjoyed a cocktail before dinner. We then took the water taxi close to the restaurant. We wandered over several bridges and inner piazzas, struck by its tiny moments of historical grace. The architectural details seem so delicate and yet the decay adds to its charm. Dinner was delicious, at a restaurant Samira had enjoyed on a previous visit to Venice. My favorite part of the meal was a cheese and honey platter, and of course dessert...chocolate mousse and cookies, with a great house red wine!

After dinner, we decided to stroll back to the hotel. We enjoyed admiring the various store window-displays and the serene scenes of boats moored in the light of a full moon.

Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

Thursday, I toured the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.

We decided to take a tour with a guide and skip the long line to get in, and get an inside scoop on what everything was.

For those who don't know, the Vatican is considered the smallest country in the world. It also has a great collection of artwork. The majority of the country/city is garden too.

I saw the famous pinecone. According to the guide, it was originally in downtown Rome and was a fountain, but was moved.

The Sistine Chapel was by far the most spectacular of all the sculptures and artwork on display at the Vatican museum. Michaelangelo truly outdid himself there. The ceiling was spectacular. The funny thing was that they said to not take any pictures but everyone was. I even took a few snapshots. The detailing was amazing. He split up the ceiling's large expanse quite sensibly.

After that, we took a look at the other artwork in the museum, but after the Sistine Chapel all else seemed to pale. Although, we did see a lovely rendition of Jesus's resurection. I thought that was very fitting for Easter Week.

We left the museum and made out way to Saint Paul's Basilica. We saw Burnini's sculpture of Mary and Jesus. The raw emotion in the sculptures' faces was breathtaking and the gentle lines of their bodies and fabrics were incrediblely delicate. I also remembered viewing the impressive alter five years ago when I was first in Rome. There are massive twisted pillars that support a balcony. The whole experience was made complete as a service given in Latin was being conducted while we viewed the church. With all the security and the camera crew taping, a part of me wonders if it might have been the Pope! I like to think it was, although I have an inkling that the line would have been much longer.

Dad and I met up with Samira at the Spanish Steps. Along the way back there, we discovered an awesome shop selling Harry Potter and other movie paraphenalia. There was a more extensive collection there than at Harry Potter World! There were Gold Kunuts and Galleons, and a larger selection of wands, and Luna's raddish earrings, among other things. It was so cool!

Anyways, Samira Dad and I went back to Samira's friend's appartment where we were going to spend the night. We had authentic Roman pizza at Remo's Restaurant with some friends of Samira's. Apparently, it's the only one with good enough pizza to warrant patronage of Roman locals. The food was delicious! It got my stamp of approval.

ROMA - Un Dia Paradiso

I arrived yesterday (Monday)!

I got here in the afternoon and was picked up by Samira and my dad. We went immediately to take a tour of the catacombs. They were fascinating! 1 million people are estimated to have lived in ancient Rome, before christianity. Christians during persecution burned their dead mostly, but after that they buried them in the catacombs. There were endless tunnels. It was mind boggling. 7 km under the city consisting of 7 different catacombs.

We drove along the Apian Way too! Then I got dropped off and visited with some family friends in Rome.


Today,

I visited Tivoli.

I went first to Hadrian's Villa. I got to see the Maritime Theater. The ruins were spectacular. I was impressed by the brick patterns. Dad and I had fun posing as various statues on old pillar ruins. There were buildings built on top of buildings. You could see many of the original mosaics on the floors.

Then I went to Villa d'Este after a lovely lunch next to some ruins. It was a magical spot for lunch.

The highlight was definitely Villa d'Este. The avenue of 1000 fountains ... yes ONE THOUSAND fountains) was simply breathtaking! The amazing part was those were the minor fountains! The stairs were lined with water runnels, making their way down the side of the hill. Everywhere you looked, there was a hidden fountain and many of them were spectacular displays of water. It was truly breath-taking with the flowers just coming into bloom, particularly the wisteria. Best of all, the weather was absolutely PERFECT!!!!

The day was concluded at the Lago Tigo... a crater lake above Rome. We watched the sun set and had a delicious dinner overlooking the lake and close to the pope's summer residence. I had a truffle pasta. The scenery, though, could not be matched.

Overall, it was a day in paradise for a perfect day in Italy!

London

I had a great time visiting and touring bits of London.





Saturday I spent having a pub lunch and touring some potential houses


Sunday we rode a river boat up the Tames and saw some famous sites: London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament buildings, Globe Theater

Spring Break Plans/Prep

It's been a while since I've had something to report, honestly. I've been spending most of my time attending lectures and chilling with friends and my computer. A good life!

This week the activity has really picked up and that's why I decided to post.

Friday night I went with a group of international students to the movies. For those who don't know, in Europe they assign seats at the movie theaters. This summer I experienced that in Sweden when I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was still a little surprising for me.

We went to see The Hunger Games. I was really impressed by the film adaptation of the books. It was one of the best jobs at adapting a work of literature that I've seen. It was difficult because the book is written as a personal narrative, and not 3rd person omniscient. They managed to keep the mood of a first person narration through the filmography. They also cleverly worked in some of the details and background information.

Saturday night I went out with Bri and her boyfriend who was visiting for the weekend. We had a great time at a bar called Varsity. If you are young and travel to Sheffield I recommend it. I had a drink called a Fish Bowl and it was delicious! It was super sweet!

This week I'm so proud of myself about how productive I've been academically. I'll just list my accomplishments. I wrote and completed an Ecology Report in 24 hrs...3 days before it was due. I wrote 14 pages (single space) in that time! I've also almost completed the rough draft of a Land Contamination report that's due after Spring Break. Finally, I finished all of my travel arrangements for Spring Break, which was about time since I leave on Friday!

What's my itinerary? Well, I'll tell ya!

I'm spending the weekend in London.

Monday, I fly to Rome, where I'll spend a week. I'm meeting up with my dad and Samira, and staying with some family friends.

I'm spending Easter weekend in Venice!

Then it's off to Granada, Spain for three days.

I'm taking a bus and train to get to Pontevedra, Spain. It's a small town just north of Portugal in northern Spain.

I'll be returning on April 16th to London. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my blog updated as I go! But in the mean-time that's what you have to look forward to hearing about!

Summation: WIN!!!

Stonehenge and Salisbury

During the week, I was mostly just working on my project for class, trying to book everything for Spring Break and reading The Hunger Games. I am really appreciating my parents trip planning ability for all those vacations! It's really difficult! Also, I highly recommend reading The Hunger Games. I've really been enjoying reading this gripping series!

But the really exciting bit was the weekend once again!

Friday:

In class I had a mid-review, where I presented my concept for our project area. I got some useful feedback and directions for how to further investigate the site.

That night, I celebrated one of my classmate's birthdays at the pub and had cake back home. At the pub I saw Mushy Peas for the first time. Apparently, they are only an unusual food in the USA. I'd never heard of them before. It was a weird consistency but tasty besides that! There were plenty of laughs and good conversations that night!

Sunday: Stonehenge and Salsibury

Seeing these great sites in southern England, meant waking up at 5 am, but it was well worth it in the end!

We reached Stonhenge by 10 am by coach. What really struck me is that you are driving along a highway, and then all of a sudden Stonhenge is directly in front of you, and the road splits to swerve around it on either side. However, you approach it dead-on, which is an unusal sensation, especially for such a historic and famous site. You expect it to be totally isolated. It dominates the hillside, on one of the highpoints of the surrounding area, with copses of trees surrounding it. You can just imagine what an impression it might have struck on the ancient people. The approach of the road immediately impresses upon people that the road was built AROUND the site, and that the stones were here first. Everyone knows that, but so rarely do cars seems to take into account specific sites. We can just pass them to the side. By swerving out of the way, we are forced to acknowledge its presence.

We were given an hour to wander around the world famous site.

One thing people never seem to mention about Stonehenge is that it is surrounded by a ditch. In addition, all around it are huge earthen mounds that remind me of burial ditches. People are only focused on the stones, but there is so much more to the landscape.

I overheard some fun comments:One mother explained to her 7 year son the importance of the monument. That people from all over the world come to see it. The little kid obviously didn't quite understand what the big deal was ... "it's just a big pile of rocks!" Very true. I have the feeling he was probably from the area too.
The other insight I got was from a local explaining to her guest about the construction of the Neolithic monument. The stones at the center are taller than the ones on the outside, and placed very close together. Therefore, they had to carefully align the massive stones exactly to the summer and winter equinox, AND had to place the inner ones first, and build outward! There was no room for a mistake. It took a lot of pre-planning.

SALSIBURY

We then took a jaunt over to had lunch at a Pasty Shop. We enjoyed watching birds along the way. I noticed the Magnolias are coming into bloom! The cherry trees are in full bloom, now!

A group of us wandered around Salsibury Cathedral and the grounds. The inner-courtyard was very impressive. The spire dominates the skyline of the town. The details of the statues is impressive!

Apparently the Salsibury Town Walk is considered one of the most picturesque walks in England. It wanders through a pastoral park landscape, leaving the town behind. It's favorited by dog-walkers and families taking a sunny Sunday stroll. A little stream wanders by at either side.

In the late afternoon, we all rested in a cute park, with a fun looking playground and a small island in the middle of the stream. We soaked up the sun and wrote post-cards as children's laughter mingled with the songs of various birds.

The bus delivered us back in Sheffield at 10 pm, exhausted but safe and satisfied from a fun day.

WARWICK CASTLE WANDERINGS

Time for me to get you all caught up with my life, again!

Friday:

• In class I found out that I basically should scrap my design proposal and start again. Luckily I have time to do that. Monday I presented a whole new concept, which I like much better.
• That night was a blast. I went over to one of my friend's houses in landscaping and a group of us made dinner. Sushi and chili was on the menu. It was absolutely delicious! We had lots of fun and played a trivia game. I was helpful on the US questions, but not much else I'm afraid.
• Did you know that there are 53 territories that still consider themselves loyal to the British empire?

Saturday:

• Was spent mostly in relaxation. I finished reading one of my books which was a lot of fun. This was also the day I brain-stormed a new design.

Sunday: WARWICK CASTLE WANDERINGS

Medieval Magesty would be the best way to describe it. I had to get up early on a cold rainy typical British sunday morning, but boy was it worth it! After 2 hrs on the bus, we finally got there. It is one of the best preserved Medieval Castles in Britain, and I'd totally believe that statement.

The walls still stand tall with barely a rock out of place. The arrow holes are worn down, but that hardly seems like a problem given there are no invading armies likely to attack any time soon. The inside is lavishly decorated. The Great Hall is bedecked in medieval armor. The rest of the decor is Victorian, which dates to one of the famous inhabitants. Today there are many re-enactors, who bring the place to life.

I quite happily spent four hours there, and saw just about the whole thing. Also, part of the popular BBC series, Merlin, was filmed at Warwick.

Monday:

It was not surprisingly mostly a working day. I attended class and completed an assignment for my Urban Regeneration Class.

I attempted to dye my hair last night. The good news: I didn't dye my hair green, (Mom). The bad news: I think I may have in-advertently managed to find the exact match for my natural color. Dying failure on my part! Apparently, I have light auburn hair according to the box. Maybe in sunlight it will look a little different.

French Fashions

It occurs to me that I forgot to mention the current Parisian trends, for those interested parties! Here are my observations:

1. Have a scarf? No? Quick! Go out and buy one! No Parisian would be caught dead without a scarf to complete their ensembles! I bet each Parisian owns over a dozen scarfs.
2. Spring's color this year is apparently pink. The stores were packed with the baby pinks. So get your feminine on girls! However, you can never go wrong with black on black on black. Most people were wearing all black on a daily basis with a few colorful accessories to set it off. They definitely didn't seem to worry about it being associated with mourning.
3. If you are going to get some color, the French fashion dictates perfect matching colors. I mean EXACT same shades of colors! Good luck, trying to get the same shade of red! It was quite impressive, when I saw it done.
4. Ever wanted to wear colorful pants? Well, now you have an excuse. Even men can get in on this fashion trend! In fact, I mostly saw the men taking advantage...walking around in bright orange or yellow pants. And I promise you they were straight. You can ditch the favored blue, blue jeans and try to be more adventurous this season.
5. Perhaps the most UNUSUAL trend was the big flappy hat. Some of us thought that that design would be forever delegated to the older generation. But NO! It is back in style! It's a la mode! I saw several young adults sporting these hats.

THE QUESTION IS...

Which fashions do you think will catch on in the U.S.?

Does France still have the fashion influence it used to have?

Reflections On What I've Learned

After such a rewarding and fun filled weekend, I was ready to plunge back into work. I got right down to it, I'm pleased to say.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I attended lecture in the afternoon. It was a discussion with my Urban Regeneration professor. He was discussing how to create an effective and engaging environment by implementing variety of spaces that reveal new scenes as get closer, peaking your interest. This can be achieved using archways and tunnels to frame views. A similar architectural language can tie spaces together over a wide area in a city.

Last night, I once more returned to the improv group and enjoyed many laughs! I also finished applying to a Chicago summer internship.

Today I had a full day of lecture on Land Contamination Restoration, and more specifically how to introduce effective plantings. What should you look for in a species for a site like this and what are some techniques to use to establish them in difficult acidic and toxic soil conditions. In other words how can you ameliorate the soil. I'd tell you all about it, but it took the professional 7 hours to explain, so I'm guessing I can spare you. :D

So what are some random facts and observations I learned today?

• The Brits are pros at backing-up! They do it with such ease!
• A tip is a British word for garbage dump. I think it might be a little less official than a municipal one. It's just where they dump all their rubble.
• Unfortunately, there was a tragedy in the 1970s in wales, when a dump site became a mud slide and buried an entire school, killing all its occupants. It jump started the restoration movement in England. It was a real tragedy.
• There is a native British butterfly species called, The Big Blue Butterfly! (Yet it looks pretty small!) It went extinct in the UK in the 70s, but was recently re-introduced from the Netherlands.
• The pros and cons of using various herbivores (cows vs. sheep vs. goats vs. rabbits vs. horses) for managing and achieving a target grassland. Apparently there is enough information to cover 20 slides. Also, I learned that sheep seem to be the least desirable as they can't graze in too wet of fields, and only nibble at grass and so aren't as effective as some of the other animals. I also learned when the best times of the year were to let them graze to protect other animals in the ecosystem.

My Birthday Weekend in Paris!

The Saga Continues! ...

It was all so amazing, I'm afraid I'm going to have to limit myself by only touching on the highlights.

Saturday

~ Le Jardin de Luxembourg -- Karen and I enjoyed a tasty picnic lunch there. It's amazing how delectable a simple baguette, cheese, and smoked salmon sandwich can be. The French really know how to do that right! I enjoyed exploring the gardens after lunch. I'd only seen the garden in summer before...so different! Karen and I met up with Maddie, there.

~ Wandered around Paris, admiring the street scenes. Came across the Seine and Notre Dame.

~ We shared a sandwich dinner in the room. I also got to enjoy a Nutella and banana crepe from a stand on the way back to the room!

Sunday

~ Le Jardin de Vaux Le Vicomte - Karen and I spent the entire afternoon touring the gardens and grounds. It was so peaceful there, and I got to point out various features I had learned about in one of my classes. I'd learned so much about it, it was wonderful seeing it in person. It was the absolute high-point of the trip! (closely rivaled by the food ;D )

~ Went out on Sunday night to "Kiche" bar. I had a green mint drink called "Le Shrek"! It was so fun there!

Monday

~ Maddie, Karen and I ate delicious birthday lunch at a small, out-of-the-way bistro called, Au Fil de Saisons. I had roasted duck, cooked and seasoned to perfection! It melted in my mouth. There was a side of Potatoes au Gratin...only obviously not from a mix! For dessert I enjoyed crepes suzettes. We all felt very civilized splitting a nice bottle of wine with our meal. It was all very relaxing, and a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

~ After lunch we went window shopping, and I bought my first "real" bottle of perfume. Very fitting I thought!

21st Birthday Bash!!!!

Many of you are probably really curious to hear about my 21st birthday celebrations.

My birthday saga all began Thursday morning...the morning of my birthday...

I woke up early and attended a full day's worth of fascinating lectures on land contamination pollution sources and which techniques are best used in various scenarios. It was very useful. People would be quite proud that I was so engaged in classes on my birthday to put up with about eight hours of class!

After that, I stumbled back to my room and had a yummy meal consisting of vegetable winter soup and mashed potatoes, with my friend, Bri, at The Edge. Then it was off to the pub! I joined up with a few of my landscaping classmates at this really nice pub. We stayed there until midnight, when it closed. I was surprised how early some of the pubs close.

I called it an early night, after getting walked back home.

FRIDAY was my travel day!!! SHEFFIELD in the morning.... PARIS THAT NIGHT!

The thing I learned Friday was that it's important to exchange international phone numbers and give flight information to friends BEFORE leaving on a trip. That's a very important step! hahaha!

Friday was definitely a growing experience, and I'll just leave it at that. It just turned out to be a VERY late night, so it was a good thing I'd gone to bed early the night before.

Oxford Odyssey

Saturday was spent exploring the grand old city of famous Oxford.

It did mean I had to wake up early...7 am to catch the bus that'd take me there, but it was definitely worth it! I loved the charming atmosphere of Oxford. There were cute medieval winding street pattern. The buildings were mostly made of cream sandstone, like Bath. It had a variety of different building styles, but mostly they seemed to be Tudor. There were also charming courtyard gardens tucked away in the various colleges. The perfect touch for a landscape architecture student!

When we first arrived, I took a tour of the original Oxford castle. The first written record of it was in the 12th century, but it was probably built earlier. It was in use as a prison up until 1997!

Next, I explored Christ Church College:

There was a lovely courtyard, surrounded by a mercury statue.

The most exciting part was seeing the stairwell that was used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, when they enter the castle to be sorted.

The staircase led to a magnificent dining room with portraits of famous people hanging on the wall. It was unclear if the portraits were of faculty members, founders, and/or students.

After that I explored Trinity College.

I admired the stain glass windows in the chapel while a beautiful mezzo-soprano was singing.

The dining room there was cozy. It was tiny though. Apparently only about 25 students dine there regularly. Trinity is definitely one of the smaller of Oxford's colleges.

There were extensive gardens tucked around back of the main buildings. I'd say the gardens seemed more extensive than the actual academic buildings, but maybe that's because that's what I was focusing on.

The rest of the day I was exploring the streets of Oxford, wandering through the winding streets.

Some favorite moments were admiring the Sheldonian Theatre. It opens onto a wide plaza area.

Also seeing the Hertford Bridge was a wonderful spectacle.

Near to the bridge I had a good laugh seeing a sign that said “Bicycles left here will be removed” with a bike parked directly next to it! Way to go folks!

Week 2 Update

Valentine's Day evening (Tuesday) was spent with my new friend, Bri. We watched a chick-flick, drank Whiskey, and chatted the night away! Gotta love a Girl's Night!

Wednesday's highlight was improv night. Bri and I made our way down to the Student Union again to have a fun evening with The Shrimp. I can't say I'm good, but there were lots of laughs, which is the important thing!

During the day, I went into class and had a two hour lecture on town planning and urban built environments. There was a lot of theory covered about how to draw people into a site and consider the people who use the area, instead of saying that the buildings make the city.

Thursday:

My Land Contamination class spent the morning listening to a lecture given by Adrian Grant, a Senior Geo-Enviornmental Engineer, on pollution sources and methods of dealing with it. He talked mostly on sources of pollution and how to analyze its source. He also talked about the different kinds of (chemical mostly) contaminants and how their chemical structure effects how you should deal with it. Most solutions seemed less like design and more like just moving the problem somewhere else, which I was a little disappointed about.

For the rest of the afternoon, the class visited Swinton, Croda site. It's an abandoned old industrial factory. There have been many chemical spills over the years and lots of toxins were used in its production. We stuck to the paths. Dog walkers use it now. A lot of plants are starting to re-vegitate the site. My assignment is to either do a design proposal or to write up a report on its various contaminants and how they might be addressed. I'm not sure which I'll choose.

Friday:

I went in briefly and spoke to one of the tutors about my design thoughts on the studio project so far. I got some good feedback and will continue work over the weekend.

It's raining again here. But it's a pleasant light mist, which makes it rather enjoyable.

More bulbs are popping into bloom!

Also, the Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape Holly) is starting to bloom, along with the Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry Viburnum).

I'm most excited to see the first cherry tree (Prunus sargentii perhaps?) starting to bloom!

Valentine's Day Greetings

Happy Valentine's Day to All. The worst or the best day, by all accounts.

The past two days have been notably uneventful. Sunday, I finished up some homework/design work. Yesterday's highlight came in the evening. I got a treat for dinner...Indian curry at the bar upstairs at The Edge. A movie, Super Eight, followed. Steiberg created yet another strange film, but it was a nice relaxing evening with friends!

In celebration of today, I'll list the flowers that are currently blooming here!

1. Hammamelis, or Witch Hazel. There are plenty of yellow ones about.
2. erica, or Heather.
3. Crocus
4. Cammelias
5. Some Lentin Roses are blooming too.
6. Daffodils are sprouting up green noses.

I'll be keeping note of what's blooming when.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday Spent Sight Seeing

I got up late today, so I got a late start on my day, but made up for it in sight seeing.

I ended up catching the bus for the first time, to go to the train station and buy some tickets. (Mission accomplished, by the way!)

The train station was looking beautiful and I really admired the site furnishings.

To catch the bus going back to campus, I needed to walk through the City Center.

I saw the following famous Sheffield Sites:

1. Crucible and Lyceum Theaters.
2. The theaters were arranged around Tudor Square.
3. Across the street, I explored The Winter Garden
4. I passed by Town Hall and saw the Peace Gardens.
5. A street carnival was taking place on Fargate, near Town Hall.
6. Sheffield's Cathedral.

Overall, it was a lovely outing!

Summing Up My First Week Of Classes

Trivia I learned about Sheffield:

1. Sheffield had inhabitants dating back to the upper-Paleolithic era. You can find old cave paintings near here!
2. After the Norman Conquest, Sheffield Castle was built to protect the surrounding area. Mary, Queen of Scots was imprissoned at Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor from 1570-1584.
3. In 1864, there was The Great Sheffield Flood, which was caused by a damn collapsing upstream. It caused all of the bridges to be wiped out, along with 400 buildings and 270 people died.
4. Sheffield is derived from two Old English words. Sheff is a derivative of the word "Shief" or "parting " or "clearing". "Feld", on the other hand, means "trees" or "woods." So, originally Sheffield was a clearing in the woods near the rivers Don and Sheaf.
5. There's an estimated 2.5 million trees in the City of Sheffield, giving it the highest ratio of trees to people of any European city!

I'm just going to summarize the highlights of the past few days.

WEDNESDAY:

I worked on a group project to be presented today (Friday) during the afternoon. Good news! I found out today, Friday, that Wednesdays are mostly going to be free work periods. It's sort of a free day! :D

The evening was the fun bit! I joined my friend Bri at an improv comedy group gathering! There was lots of laughter and games for two hours! It was a fantastic way of breaking up the week.

THURSDAY:

My day really started at 2 pm, at class. A Civil Engineer came to talk to the Land Contamination and Re-vitalizaiton class on mining techniques and ways of mitigating it. He went into great depths about the various methods, and focused on how to minimize land settling and sinking. Those are all important, but there wasn't as much covered in the way of how to mitigate pollution on site caused by the mining process. Next week in class we are going on a field trip to our site that we'll be addressing in our final projects.

After that, my classmates and I rallied what was left of our attention span and sat in on a guest lecture given by one of the professors in the department about his design process creating a piece for the Chelsea Flower Show and other projects around the UK based off his initial design from last year. It was quite fascinating to listen to!

FRIDAY:

In class today we presented our research of our project site that we'll be eventually proposing designs for. It was useful doing it as group presentations, so we all didn't have to research everything individually. I took away some good initial concepts about things I need to research more and where I might like to take this.

This evening, I'm going to join several of my classmates I've met in my design studio at their house and chill! I'm really looking forward to that!

I bought a ticket through the university to do a day trip to Oxford next weekend!

Initial Impressions and Observations of Sheffield, England:

I think you will all agree that I have had a very busy culture-adjusting week!

• Since there isn't much homework assigned, you see people going out frequently in the middle of the week. At home, you only go out Thursday, Friday, Saturday. (Thursday is only for the hardy few.)
• There also don't seem to be evening classes. Interesting!
• Again, lectures are different in that the professors are called tutors and the paper sizes are different.
• You'd think that after all the visits I've made to England, I'd be used to the accents, but there are some where I have NO IDEA what they are saying!
• mester = small merchant shop
• pally = adjective. overly-friendly? That's what the guy next to me said it meant.
• I'm missing my veggies, I'm afraid.
• I'm also missing the street trees.
• It's very true about the rain in England! Almost everyday it's been overcast or raining. It's not a problem. I have a lot of rain-gear with me. No wonder everything looks so green and alive here!
• There are so many Magpies!

No Classes!

So what did I do on my first day with no scheduled classes EVER???

NOTHING!!! or at least nothing too exciting, and it was BRILLIANT!!!

I woke up late. Went shopping for some essentials like a bowl and spoon for cereal and a mug. Stuff like that.

I met a girl, Kaja, from Fredericksburg, VA who attends VTech for lunch. We had a great time chatting. I also got my registration paperwork straightened out. It's good not to get visas revoked in a foreign country, don't you agree?

After that, I went back to my room and researched Sheffield's history. I'll finish it up tomorrow.

I finished the day with meeting up with a group from the dorm for dinner at a bar in the student community center. It's going to be a nightly thing, I think! They seem like a really friendly bunch! I was particularly interested to discover that one girl from Sweden is actually friends with one of my friends at Cornell!

It just goes to show what a small world it is.

And on that note, I'll leave you for today.

First Day of classes

Boy was it a doozy today!

There were so many new things and plenty of ways for me to get absolutely befuddled! Whoever says that England english and American english is the same or that we have the same culture definitely has never been to both countries, or they'd know better.

Here are some things that struck me particularly and left me scratching my head.

1.) I knew that they used metric over here, but somehow it never occurred to me that they'd scale their drawings differently too. I got the instructions to use 1=500 scale, and I was like "Whoa. That's a lot of feet!"

2.) A professor is known as a "tutor" here. No, you don't get math or bio help from them after hours unless its office hours. "Professor" is a specific title given to those who have achieved a certain level of education, like a doct

or! I was very confused when they said "our tutors would meet with us on Wednesdays." --- I was thoroughly confused by this one 'till I got an explanation!

3.) They have different names for paper sizes. A 8.5" X 11" is actually an A4. There's an A5 which is smaller and it goes down to an A0. I still can't quite imagine how big some of these pages actually are. I'll have to see!

4.) Also, apparently there is no law requirin

g people remove the snow from the sidewalks in front of their properties. As a result, no one shovels and you get VERY icy sidewalks! Lets just say I had some unexpected iceskating lessons this morning. :)

I had a lovely British conclusion to my day at 4:30 pm (after starting class at 9 am) at a classmate's flat for a nice cup of tea!

I then had dinner with my new friend, Bri and we were going to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off at the community center called The Edge, but it was unfortunately cancelled.

Looking forward to no classes tomorrow!

New Digs

Today I got my new room for the semester!

It's quite spacious compared to U.S. dorm rooms, from what I've seen! I have my own sink, under-bed storage and a nice big desk! I'm almost all moved in. I have some minor things to put away still.

I met several girls living in my suite. Apparently we're all international students. here. I have so far particularly hit it off with a Canadian girl, Bri, who lives across the hall. She's a lit and rhetoric major.

New Britishisms I've observed:

1.) There's a Heinz mint condmint, which I have no idea what they put it on! It tastes kind of salty with a hint of mint. It's also very oily. Peculiar!

2.) Their "Exit" signs are pictograms for the illiterate. There's a picture of a man running, a down arrow, and a door? I suppose it's a call out to the old days when everyone was illiterate here!

Registration Day

Landscape Architecture and Architecture Departments are housed in the Arts Tower. The Arts Tower is the tallest campus building in Europe, apparently!

Today's main event was registration!!!

It was an all-day ordeal.

I ended up being advised to take 70 credits or 7 classes. I am only allowed to take 60 credits though, so I randomly selected one class to drop. Basically, I'm still juggling my schedule around, but it looks like I won't have final exams! Once again, it pays off being a Landscape Architect! Oooohhh yeah, baby!

I also got my new university ID card! Lookin' good! I'm excited that they entitle you to a bus discount...50 p instead of 1.50. That's like $2 off.

The biggest highlights were the little cultural differences. :)

Here is a list of my favorites!

1.) I saw a proper British taxis where you store your luggage in with you!

2.) There was a drink vending machine with these empty bags and you select the drink and it fills it up for you before dropping the drink down! Essentially you're drinking from a pouch!

3.) I think I saw a Neville Longbottom look-alike on the street! Matthew Lewis is from Leeds, which is kinda close to Sheffield...I didn't ask, and now the mystery is forever preserved.

This is kinda what he looked like on the street! Only with slightly longer hair. I definitely did a double take!

4.) Best thing was in the "Arts Tower" ... They have this sick elevator thing! It goes up and down constantly and you just hop on and off on the go! You really have to be on your toes with this! It was definitely an adventure and got your heart beating!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...I'm moving into my dorm room and shopping for some essentials.

Feb. 2nd: Arriving in Sheffield

Above: Sheffield train station

Hello All!

I'm going to see how long I can keep up this blog. Here's a brief summary of the highlights of my day.

1.) I took a 2 hr train from London to Sheffield without any problems! Yay! It was one of the few times I've been on a train, and there was actually a trolly car rolled down the aisle...like in Harry Potter!

2.) I accidentally forgot to write down the address for my B&B, so the cabbie dropped me off at the dormitories instead since I had that

address. The security people at the front desk were super friendly and printed off directions to the B&B and drove me here!

My room's very small, but nice and cozy warm! It's very European. Breakfast tomorrow at 8:30 am because that's when they stop serving it! They seriously need to serve breakfast later.

3.) I had a chicken and mushroom pie at The York Tavern on one of the main roads. I found it after exploring a little bit! The food was very tasty!

4.) I met 3 other international students staying at my B&B. I tagged along with them. The international students were all supposed to eat dinner together at the Student Union. I decided to tag along, even though I'd already eaten. I'm really glad since I was able to catch up on the campus tour they'd taken.

There's a pub in the basement of the Student Union! We all went for a pint after dinner and I had some really interesting conversations with two blokes from South Korea, one bloke from Czechoslovakia, and a girl from Utrecht in the Netherlands!

Overall, a great first experience here!