London Calling (Again!)

I’m going back to London this summer; hopefully to study Shakespeare! I got accepted into three-week program with the University of Westminster through the CEA (Cultural Exchange Abroad). I’m ridiculously excited!

I have been knitting a bit, but my Newsboy Cap has not been sewn up yet. I knit a headband for one of my best friends who is in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I sent it off. It was for her birthday, which was Sunday, but she probably won’t get it for three weeks, :(

I’m doing NaNoWriMo, which is going well, but may get harder over the next two weeks in which I have a test, two papers, initiation, lit mag and heaven knows what else to do! I’ve also been spending too much time on the Big Issues Debate Board on Ravelry!

Our knitting club has yet to talk to Why Knot Knit yet, because my poor friend who has been going to take me keeps having rather awful stuff happen to her, so hopefully we’ll go later this week.

Anyway, homework to do. Remember when mid-terms were supposed to be confined to the MIDDLE of the TERM? They lie….

France

So, there’s probably less to say about France, just because the majority of the trip was spent speaking french with other 18-25 year olds, so naturally much of the time was spent philosophizing and drinking European beer (sooo much better than in the US, but still kind of icky).

But, let’s see. Mom and I went to the Lovre:

(note Mom’s hand blocking my shot!)

And then I was sent off on my own on a great adventure to Avignon! Where there is a Palais du Pape, and my sock yarn was used to put cornrows in the hair of an awesome Romanian guy.

(Billet du train)

I also learned that I can rhapsodize in French about an atrocious version of King Lear to which I paid about thirty minutes of full attention. Yay, theatre skills.

And, memorably for me, during an excursion to the Photo Exhibition in Arles I actually agreed to use a wheelchair, and didn’t end up staying with the adults the whole time. As in, my friends didn’t care, just as my mother had said for years.

This one’s with the 3d glasses required for one of the exhibits. (two polish girls, our group leader who’s French me and a turk :))

And this one, with Nesli, my best friend there.

Martyna, a polish girl who is one of the sweetest people ever.

I was sad to leave, even though our living conditions were less than ideal. We lived in an elementary school, which equals outdoor portable showers, and toilets which are also outdoors, though not portapotties thank God.

And then, back to Paris with Mom, a glass of champagne in celebration at the Hilton (she’s getting better about the alcohol thing, and of course it was legal there) and back to the states.

I loved Europe, particularly London and Avignon. Paris wasn’t for me. It made me sad to see the beautiful old buildings with flashy modern shops below, and the people reminded me of NYC. Not rude, just too busy to be bothered.

Tomorrow back to your regularly scheduled knitting blog, and I do have some things to share :D

Pack The Stash…. I’m Moving to London

Well, eventually at any rate. I’m absolutely in love with London.

Hi, by the way, I’m back :) It’s been a while, no? I got home last night, but needed to rest up a bit before I got the chance to let you all know the story of my adventures!

So let’s see, we got into London at 9AM on the 11th. We had a very nice cabbie to our hotel in Canary Wharf. I wasn’t such a fan of the hotel, as I’m not a huge lover of modern furnishings and design, but the people there were very nice. There was one concierge, a large black man with a deep laugh, who I could see being a manipulating business man of some type, but instead he was a concierge whose sister knits and knows how to use google. (he found the same yarn store list I did, incidentally)

We went straight from the hotel to the Tower of London, which was absolutely amazing of course. Mom was fascinated by the Crown Jewels, but I was more interested in the fact that people had been walking where we were for nearly a thousand years. People had died there, raised families there. It’s just fascinating to me.

So then we were on a tour bus that took us ’round the city.

It was pretty crowded and touristy (hence the picture of my mom being touristy), but it was fun. Jet lag, unfortunately, set in though and I fell asleep on the bus, so we went back to the room early.

The next day was more touristy stuff. We went to the London Eye, and my camera batteries gave out after I got these two pictures.

The Eye:

And Yoda: (there’s a Star Wars exhibit nearby):

I love the Eye, even though it’s purely a tourist attraction. The view melds what I love of London: You can see the historical buildings and the new ones side-by-side. Generations of people, ghosts of ancestors, all within view.

We then went to Westminster, so I could pay hommage at the graves of the greats. Chaucer, Austen and all the other authors honoured there. It’s inspiring and also eerie to do that. Not to mention that it’s vaguely morbid to be walking on the graves of people as you watch children sucking on cokes in the cloisters. But, I suppose, it’s our generations way of learning. Still, I wish we were more respectful….

We shopped then, in the stores underground Canary Wharf. I bought shoes and a book (that will be reviewed soon, it was great).

The next day was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Day! I met up with my pen-pal Katy in front of Costa Coffee. We then began our gallivant. We hopped onto the tube and went to King’s Cross:

Then we went to a little area of Victorian-looking shops, which was inspiration for Diagon Alley in the films.

It was adorable, and we sat in a cafe for a while and just chatted before going, quite randomly, to the Museum of Natural History. (Dinosaurs are SO BIG you guyz!!!) before meeting my mom to see the film (which I loved).
Katy and I before the film!

The next day was THE GLOBE. Shakespeare’s Globe. It’s like seeing’s God’s House to me. It’s soooo gorgeous, and while we had our tour the musicians were practising, actors were rehearsing, the sky was blue and you could really see people crammed in there hundreds of years ago.

I had fun in the gift shop too *nods*

And then we went to Liberty. Gah. Gah. Gah. Stationary, notebooks and yarn all in one place. Heaven on Earth. I got some stationary, and some Rowan pattern books as well as sock yarn. The nice cashier called me “pet”. The shop is so wonderful. When I live in London I shall frequent it often.

And then the next day it was bye to London.

But I’m in Love. The tube actually gets you places, as opposed to Atlanta public transport, and the people are nice. The old and new mix amazingly well and…. gah. Love. Love. Love.

Next up France

FINALS ARE OVER!!!!!

Yes!!! I have the whole summer ahead of me to knit, to read, to do the LJ Secret Pal, and:

TO GO TO EUROPE! It’s official!!!!! I got my passport today. I am headed to London, Paris and Avignon in July!

I’m so excited. Nervous, but excited all the same!

No FOs right now, but finallly a list of the Kureyon colorways I’ve used:

124
159
134
185
95
170
90
102
188
148
147

Yay! Tomorrow I’m having sushi with an old friend from High School. Right now I’m listening to the Beach Boys and being happy :D

I should have a finished LR block tomorrow :D