Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Back to the Garden State
Going home seemed like it was going to take forever. For one, we had to climb aboard a bus and travel for a good hour and a half before even getting to the airport. And also, I don't think many of us really wanted to go back yet. We were all having so much fun living, experiencing, and traveling through Dublin, London, and Wales over the last week that the thought of going home was just a weird thought. I almost felt as though I belonged in Europe after the last week.
When we got the airport, we all checked in (after some minor problems with the ticketing computer) and walked around the airport duty-free. Cait and I grabbed something to eat before getting on the plane since we really didn't get to each much for breakfast. But after all that we finally boarded even though i was reluctant to do so and soon enough we were off to NJ.
All I have to say is Virgin Atlantic kicks ass! I thought a 7 hour plane ride during the day was going to be annoying, but Virgin airlines took very good care of us. They made sure everyone was comfortable the whole flight. They also had built-in entertainment centers in he headrests of each seat. It offered a wide variety of movies, music, and games to keep you busy during the flight. In the system, you could also call people, text message them, and check your current flight information like speed, altitude, distance traveled, and estimated arrival time.
So, overall the flight was really accommodating. It helped make the trip go faster despite the fact that I wasn't ready to go home yet. When we arrived in JFK we had to wait for our bus to take us back to Kean where my parents picked Cait and I up. They were really happy to see me and we talked about the trip all night when we got home. Promptly afterwards I passed out from being so tired.
When we got the airport, we all checked in (after some minor problems with the ticketing computer) and walked around the airport duty-free. Cait and I grabbed something to eat before getting on the plane since we really didn't get to each much for breakfast. But after all that we finally boarded even though i was reluctant to do so and soon enough we were off to NJ.
All I have to say is Virgin Atlantic kicks ass! I thought a 7 hour plane ride during the day was going to be annoying, but Virgin airlines took very good care of us. They made sure everyone was comfortable the whole flight. They also had built-in entertainment centers in he headrests of each seat. It offered a wide variety of movies, music, and games to keep you busy during the flight. In the system, you could also call people, text message them, and check your current flight information like speed, altitude, distance traveled, and estimated arrival time.
So, overall the flight was really accommodating. It helped make the trip go faster despite the fact that I wasn't ready to go home yet. When we arrived in JFK we had to wait for our bus to take us back to Kean where my parents picked Cait and I up. They were really happy to see me and we talked about the trip all night when we got home. Promptly afterwards I passed out from being so tired.
London, the last day
After a long 7 days of travel and new experiences it was all coming to an end. Today was our last full day in London. I felt it too, all day in the back of my mind I realized that I was leaving tomorrow and that I really didn't want to go back home yet. I hadn't had my fill.
Anyways, the day started off with a group of friends, Cait, and I heading out after breakfast towards Kensington Gardens in search of Peter Pan. Our friend Gina set a goal for herself, and that was to get to see Peter Pan's statue in London at some point during our stay there. Considering the last two days we hadn't had much time, this was her last chance. I also had an obligation to fulfill because I had told her before we left for the trip that we would definitely go, I mean prior to her telling me, I didn't have any idea that such a statue existed. Being a kid that watched his fair share of Disney movies, I naturally wanted to see the statue too.
After a long walk around the park, some bad directions, and a freak hail storm, we finally came across the statue. At that point in time, the hail stopped and we all got to take some pictures with Peter Pan. After stopping at the statue, we headed towards and Underground. On the way, Niel interviewed a local and I helped him get the footage of himself asking the questions.
From there, we headed down to Oxford Circus where we walked around, went into a few shops, and made our way towards Piccadilly Circus. Cait and I eventually branched off from the group to go grab a quick bite to eat before having to get to the theatre for Spamalot. I am a huge fan of Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, and since Spamalot hit Broadway I've always wanted to see it. The play was hysterical and the seats we got weren't bad at all actually. We were in the balcony, but we had a decent view of the stage.
After the play, Cait and I did some shopping for ourselves and for some souvenirs to bring home to our families and friends. Then we went out to eat at a place that Dr. Londino suggested to us, Pizza Express. The food was really good, and the layout of the restaurant was really cool. After dinner, it was already getting pretty late so we headed back to the hotel to see who was around and to drop off some stuff if need be. We ended up just hanging back at the hotel for the rest of the night since we had to be up early to get to the airport and it was already almost 10pm. The rest of the night, a group of us just hung out in one of the rooms then went downstairs to grab a few pints and call our families via Skype. At around, 1am we called it a night. Tomorrow we return to good old New Jersey, which I don't really think is that great, but its definitely pretty old compared to a lot of the other states.
Anyways, the day started off with a group of friends, Cait, and I heading out after breakfast towards Kensington Gardens in search of Peter Pan. Our friend Gina set a goal for herself, and that was to get to see Peter Pan's statue in London at some point during our stay there. Considering the last two days we hadn't had much time, this was her last chance. I also had an obligation to fulfill because I had told her before we left for the trip that we would definitely go, I mean prior to her telling me, I didn't have any idea that such a statue existed. Being a kid that watched his fair share of Disney movies, I naturally wanted to see the statue too.
After a long walk around the park, some bad directions, and a freak hail storm, we finally came across the statue. At that point in time, the hail stopped and we all got to take some pictures with Peter Pan. After stopping at the statue, we headed towards and Underground. On the way, Niel interviewed a local and I helped him get the footage of himself asking the questions.
From there, we headed down to Oxford Circus where we walked around, went into a few shops, and made our way towards Piccadilly Circus. Cait and I eventually branched off from the group to go grab a quick bite to eat before having to get to the theatre for Spamalot. I am a huge fan of Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail, and since Spamalot hit Broadway I've always wanted to see it. The play was hysterical and the seats we got weren't bad at all actually. We were in the balcony, but we had a decent view of the stage.
After the play, Cait and I did some shopping for ourselves and for some souvenirs to bring home to our families and friends. Then we went out to eat at a place that Dr. Londino suggested to us, Pizza Express. The food was really good, and the layout of the restaurant was really cool. After dinner, it was already getting pretty late so we headed back to the hotel to see who was around and to drop off some stuff if need be. We ended up just hanging back at the hotel for the rest of the night since we had to be up early to get to the airport and it was already almost 10pm. The rest of the night, a group of us just hung out in one of the rooms then went downstairs to grab a few pints and call our families via Skype. At around, 1am we called it a night. Tomorrow we return to good old New Jersey, which I don't really think is that great, but its definitely pretty old compared to a lot of the other states.
Monday, March 31, 2008
London - The "Real" Day One
Today we had to be up early again to catch the light rail into the city for a walking tour David was giving us. The transit system is so much better over in London than it is in New York. It's cleaner, seems safer, a lot easier, and there were a bunch of good advertisements. We were a good way away from the center of London, but we were able to get there relatively easily by hoping the DLR (Dockland's Light Rail) to the Tower Hill Station, which allowed us to get on the Underground or subway.
The Underground spit us out right near the Thames River and pretty much right in the center of London. Once you are in a certain area, you can basically take the Underground to where ever you need to go. It's centralized around a specific area with some branches that reach out to other areas.
What I found really cool about London, was the walking bridges that took you over the river. We crossed one to get to the other side of the city where some of the landmarks David wanted to show us were. From the bridge, there was a fantastic view of London. David explained to us what most of the buildings were as we crossed the bridge.
The Underground spit us out right near the Thames River and pretty much right in the center of London. Once you are in a certain area, you can basically take the Underground to where ever you need to go. It's centralized around a specific area with some branches that reach out to other areas.
What I found really cool about London, was the walking bridges that took you over the river. We crossed one to get to the other side of the city where some of the landmarks David wanted to show us were. From the bridge, there was a fantastic view of London. David explained to us what most of the buildings were as we crossed the bridge.
After we crossed the bridge we walked along the river and saw the British Film Institute (BFI), Tate Museum, and Globe Theatre. We then got some free time to take a look at some of the landmarks in the area. A few of us ran into the Tate Museum and had a quick look around before heading to the Globe Theatre. Afterwards, Cait and I split from the group we were with to head back to the BFI. The BFI was awesome. It was really cool to see some of the smaller exhibits they had set up and what they had to offer. There were also media libraries and in house movie screens where they held screenings of select movies. Those movies change every so often depending on what they are covering during that time frame.
After the BFI, Cait and I decided to grab a small bite to eat, because we wouldn't have any other time to eat until dinner due to another bus tour we were going on through the city. There was a sushi place near the meeting point and since it was Good Friday and we both couldn't eat meat, we decided that was a good choice. It was pretty crazy though. Pieces of sushi were individually wrapped so you could mix and match any way you wanted. It was very good though and did the job of holding us over until dinner.
The bus tour we went on after our free time was really good. We got to visit all the major landmarks in London and get out for a few minutes to take pictures. The tour also helped us get to know the different parts of the city a little better and showed us some of the places that we wanted to visit on our free day.
After the BFI, Cait and I decided to grab a small bite to eat, because we wouldn't have any other time to eat until dinner due to another bus tour we were going on through the city. There was a sushi place near the meeting point and since it was Good Friday and we both couldn't eat meat, we decided that was a good choice. It was pretty crazy though. Pieces of sushi were individually wrapped so you could mix and match any way you wanted. It was very good though and did the job of holding us over until dinner.
The bus tour we went on after our free time was really good. We got to visit all the major landmarks in London and get out for a few minutes to take pictures. The tour also helped us get to know the different parts of the city a little better and showed us some of the places that we wanted to visit on our free day.
After the tour, the bus dropped us off in Piccadilly Circus where we met David and had some time to explore. In that time, Cait and I managed to get tickets to tomorrow's showing of Spamalot. We also had some really good weather up until it randomly started hailing for about 20 minutes. We all met up after seeing Piccadilly Circus a bit and headed off to the restaurant where we were getting dinner - The Tower Hill Diner. Now, when we're told "diner" most of us from the states have a similar picture in mind, but in no way was this place a diner. It seemed more like a fast food joint. But, appearances can be deceiving, I enjoined the Fish n' Chips there more than I did at one of the restaurants in Dublin.
After dinner, David arranged a Jack the Ripper Tour for whoever was interested. A good amount of us went. The tour was definitely another highlight of the trip. Despite the fact that it was cold and wet, we all had a great time. The tour guide was really good. He was very funny and animated. He kind of made you want to keep listening, but if you know anything about Jack the Ripper, its a pretty interesting subject. It's like a murder mystery as well as a history lesson. But during the tour we walked around the streets of London to the spots where some of the victims lived and to the spots where the victims ran into Jack. The darkness along with the quiet of the night helped set the atmosphere.
After the tour we headed back to the hotel and hung around in the bar area with some friends talking about what we wanted to do tomorrow until we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow is our last day in London, so we didn't want to waste a minute of it.
After dinner, David arranged a Jack the Ripper Tour for whoever was interested. A good amount of us went. The tour was definitely another highlight of the trip. Despite the fact that it was cold and wet, we all had a great time. The tour guide was really good. He was very funny and animated. He kind of made you want to keep listening, but if you know anything about Jack the Ripper, its a pretty interesting subject. It's like a murder mystery as well as a history lesson. But during the tour we walked around the streets of London to the spots where some of the victims lived and to the spots where the victims ran into Jack. The darkness along with the quiet of the night helped set the atmosphere.
After the tour we headed back to the hotel and hung around in the bar area with some friends talking about what we wanted to do tomorrow until we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow is our last day in London, so we didn't want to waste a minute of it.
Our First Day in London?
Our first day in London was not really a day in London, but an evening driving through the city to get to our hotel. Being that tomorrow is Good Friday, there was a lot of activity around the city. Many people were leaving, others were coming in, but regardless, there was a lot of traffic. By the time we got to our hotel it was already pretty late in the day, so going out that night started to look more and more like it wasn't going to happen.
After we got checked in, Gina, Akansha, Art, Niel. Effat, Cait, and I decided to grab dinner together at the hotel's restaurant, we were all starving. After being seated and waiting a bit for our meals, we were surprised to see how good the food looked. But, without hesitation, we dug in. The food was pretty good, which is sort of a rarity in hotels. While eating, we saw a few more of our Kean people come in for food, and a couple others joined us. We all decided that since it was already getting late, that it was probably a better idea for us to stay in tonight and rest up. The group of us grabbed some drinks and hung out together and enjoyed the down time our first night in London.
After we got checked in, Gina, Akansha, Art, Niel. Effat, Cait, and I decided to grab dinner together at the hotel's restaurant, we were all starving. After being seated and waiting a bit for our meals, we were surprised to see how good the food looked. But, without hesitation, we dug in. The food was pretty good, which is sort of a rarity in hotels. While eating, we saw a few more of our Kean people come in for food, and a couple others joined us. We all decided that since it was already getting late, that it was probably a better idea for us to stay in tonight and rest up. The group of us grabbed some drinks and hung out together and enjoyed the down time our first night in London.
London Calling...
Well after our long night in Wales, it was time to head off to London. Yet again, we had another long bus ride ahead of us. During the trip, we stopped off in Warwick and Stratford. Warwick is the home of Warwick Castle. When we pulled up to the structure I was in awe to see how big it was. I was really excited to see what it was all about. The highlight of Warwick Castle for me was the high point of the castle atop one of the towers. From the top you could see everything, there was actually 700 some odd steps to the top. The rest of the castle was really nice to look at, but in my opinion it was too "touristy." There were different exhibitions set up, a lot of it was restored. I think that these factors, along with others, made the castle seem fake compared to Beaumaris, where we were able to explore by ourselves. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I didn't enjoy it as much. Thats not to say I didn't like it, I just wasn't as fond of it as I was Beaumaris castle.
Stratford was the home of Shakespeare. We visited his home and the exhibits set up for him. Again, it was great to be involved in such a history rich atmosphere. All of the locations on the entire trip are filled with history, so I took every chance I got to revel in it. After walking through Shakespeare's house, we got some free time to walk around. Cait and I ran into Gina and Art and together we walked around. Stratford was such a nice town. It was great to walk up and down the streets in our free time and visit the small shops and see what the town was like. We got lunch at one of the restaurants in the city as a group then headed back to the bus.
Next stop, London.
Stratford was the home of Shakespeare. We visited his home and the exhibits set up for him. Again, it was great to be involved in such a history rich atmosphere. All of the locations on the entire trip are filled with history, so I took every chance I got to revel in it. After walking through Shakespeare's house, we got some free time to walk around. Cait and I ran into Gina and Art and together we walked around. Stratford was such a nice town. It was great to walk up and down the streets in our free time and visit the small shops and see what the town was like. We got lunch at one of the restaurants in the city as a group then headed back to the bus.
Next stop, London.
The land of sheep, and really really ridiculously long names for things...
As we traveled through Wales, I was truly amazed to see it's landscapes. In the beginning of our ride, there were nice green rolling hills where we could see loads of sheep roaming. A little bit into our ride, we made a stop at a small town where there was kind of a tourist center/souvenir shop/restaurant. Oh yea, the town was named LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH.
Phew, that took a lot out of me. Even typing that is a task. Anyways, heres what that means: "The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near the Fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave." Yeah...don't ask. All I can tell you is that its pretty ridiculous that the above translates into that, and the mere fact that it happens to be the name of a town is beyond me.
But anyway, we got some lunch, piled back into the bus and continued through Wales. As we got further in, you could see the mountains clearly in the background of the landscape. It was really nice. I think the further we drove into Wales the more and more beautiful it got. We stopped again not too much longer after LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH (muahahaha :-P) at Beaumaris Castle.
Beaumaris Castle was awesome. One, I love castles and that sorta thing, and two, i love history. So this was right up my alley. Being able to roam free in the remains of a castle made my day. I learned a good amount about the castle and the history of Wales while I was there as well, so I can say it was almost overwhelming. It felt great to climb up to the walkway around the walls of the castle keep and look out over the surrounding terrain.
After Beaumaris, we had another 3 hour bus ride to our hotel in Llangollen. When we finally arrived most of us were relieved. That was definitely enough travel for one day. The relief was suddenly disturbed though when we realized what it was going to take for us to get to our rooms. The hotel was historic, and small. There were no elevators, just lots of narrow stairways in all sorts of directions. Finding your room was like reaching the end of a maze. We lucked out and our room was only two flights up. But, I felt so bad for everyone who had to lug their suitcases up "X" amount of flights of horribly narrow stairways to get to their room. I think we all lucked out and got the "crooked room." What I mean is that all the rooms were crooked in some way. Ours was on an incline from the door to the far wall and then dipped to the side at then entrance to the bathroom. Nonetheless, I was just happy to see a bed that I could lay down in because I was running on only a couple hours of rest.
After dinner at the hotel, David had mentioned taking a walk up to the ruins of Dinas Bran castle, which is where the film "Camelot" was shot. Despite the cold, it being late night, and the fact that the ruins were literally on top of a mountain, a good bunch of us decided to venture to the Dinas Bran ruins. The trek was so much fun, and being up on top of the mountain where you could see the entire town of Llangollen was amazing. This was definitely the best part of our stay in Wales. Luckily we had the moonlight to help guide our way up and down the mountain. When we returned, it was time for a drink in the hotel pub, which was awesome by the way, and to head to bed.
Phew, that took a lot out of me. Even typing that is a task. Anyways, heres what that means: "The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near the Fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave." Yeah...don't ask. All I can tell you is that its pretty ridiculous that the above translates into that, and the mere fact that it happens to be the name of a town is beyond me.
But anyway, we got some lunch, piled back into the bus and continued through Wales. As we got further in, you could see the mountains clearly in the background of the landscape. It was really nice. I think the further we drove into Wales the more and more beautiful it got. We stopped again not too much longer after LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH (muahahaha :-P) at Beaumaris Castle.
Beaumaris Castle was awesome. One, I love castles and that sorta thing, and two, i love history. So this was right up my alley. Being able to roam free in the remains of a castle made my day. I learned a good amount about the castle and the history of Wales while I was there as well, so I can say it was almost overwhelming. It felt great to climb up to the walkway around the walls of the castle keep and look out over the surrounding terrain.
After Beaumaris, we had another 3 hour bus ride to our hotel in Llangollen. When we finally arrived most of us were relieved. That was definitely enough travel for one day. The relief was suddenly disturbed though when we realized what it was going to take for us to get to our rooms. The hotel was historic, and small. There were no elevators, just lots of narrow stairways in all sorts of directions. Finding your room was like reaching the end of a maze. We lucked out and our room was only two flights up. But, I felt so bad for everyone who had to lug their suitcases up "X" amount of flights of horribly narrow stairways to get to their room. I think we all lucked out and got the "crooked room." What I mean is that all the rooms were crooked in some way. Ours was on an incline from the door to the far wall and then dipped to the side at then entrance to the bathroom. Nonetheless, I was just happy to see a bed that I could lay down in because I was running on only a couple hours of rest.
After dinner at the hotel, David had mentioned taking a walk up to the ruins of Dinas Bran castle, which is where the film "Camelot" was shot. Despite the cold, it being late night, and the fact that the ruins were literally on top of a mountain, a good bunch of us decided to venture to the Dinas Bran ruins. The trek was so much fun, and being up on top of the mountain where you could see the entire town of Llangollen was amazing. This was definitely the best part of our stay in Wales. Luckily we had the moonlight to help guide our way up and down the mountain. When we returned, it was time for a drink in the hotel pub, which was awesome by the way, and to head to bed.
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