Celebrations!!!

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been so quiet lately. Lots to do before the end of the semester! In light of this coming month's festivities, I'd thought I'd share a bit about the holiday-soaked cheer that has started to consume my thoughts and decorate my walk to and from class. Hope you enjoy it!

Unlike America, the British do not have many holidays. While we have the pleasure of getting at least one day of school off for every other dead guy, they only get the big Bank Holidays to celebrate. This includes Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter, and three random Bank Holidays in Early May, Spring, and Summer (just because they figured they had too many cold month holidays and wanted a few warm ones). As you can imagine, this lack of random celebrations makes every month go by a little slower with every passing American holiday bringing a small pang of home-sickness. Even the Brits secretly envy our plenteous holidays (true story), wishing they too had more reasons to do nothing. They've even started adopting some of our less important holidays (on their own time though). However, what the Brits lack in quantity, they make up for in quality.

London Fact # Fourteen: The Brits take their Bank Holidays SERIOULSY!!! They begin preparing for celebrations early and make sure they make the most of their time off. Whereas us Americans have an unspoken rule that Christmas decorations shouldn't be put up till after Thanksgiving, the Brits got theirs out at the start of November.

I'm not just talking about individual families either. Every DISTRICT has their own special flare of décor and holiday cheer. There are several Christmas trees in every town center (pic below- King's Cross's Tree), lights on the majority of buildings, Christmas markets throughout several areas of London, and a whole “National” Park converted and dedicated to Christmas (Winter Wonderland). Gift shops have snowflakes hanging in their windows, cafes make a huge deal of marketing their seasonal drinks, and some of the more famous “malls” (Harrods) create huge, elaborate, showoff-ey Christmas displays. Pubs even add on to their (highly overpriced) menus specialties such as a Hot Toddy (which I think is a hot Pimms drink(?)), alcoholic Hot Chocolates, and Mulled Ciders to name a few. Everything is so full of Christmas that it almost makes up for the fact that I still only need one (fairly heavy) jacket to block out the October-like chill. Apparently it doesn't actually “snow” until January/February, and even then I doubt I'll see a proper snow. (Other pic. friend at a shop display)

The Brits are so into their Winter-time cheer that they even created a holiday dedicated to recovering from Christmas Day festivities and called it Boxing Day. Now, I'm sure there is a real reason this holiday was created and named “Boxing Day,” but no one I've spoken to knows. It has nothing to do with boxing (which shattered my American assumptions), and no one does anything on that day except sleep off any residual hang-overs. Not very glamorous, but hey. Unfortunately I will not be able to speak (first-hand) about Christmas Day, since I'll be away, but from what I've gathered most of the public celebrations happen before then and Christmas day is reserved for family traditions and large turkey/duck dinners. (Poor quality pic Oxford Circus)

As for the other Bank Holidays, I haven't experienced them yet since they are so few and far between! But one of the unofficial holidays I can attest to, following in the over-the-top fashion of Bank Holidays, is Halloween and (closely following that) Guy Fawkes Day. Apparently, Halloween is new thing in Europe, and I was actually surprised that it was celebrated so widely at all. It is also something that has been enthusiastically taken up by the young adult population (and slowly seeping into the children's realm). There is not a lot of American Trick-or-Treating going on here as this is almost exclusively a pub holiday. Some shops put up fun decorations and cafes advertise their Autumn (not Fall- never say Fall) drinks with a Halloween-y flare, but most districts don't get into it. This is probably because the banks don't get into it, since I imagine the literal banks being the centers of town and the dictators of holiday cheer.

However, I do not live in “most districts”. I live in Camden. Famous for the Camden Lock, the all-too-sketchy Camden Market, and the innumerable pubs and clubs (pic on right- kinda). Yes, I live in the party district. This means that Halloween is celebrated HARD here. EVERYONE dresses up the week(end) of Halloween and EVERY pub has some sort of holiday deal or theme. Now, I assume this is similar to the rest of London (as almost every pub I passed during late October had some sort of spooky motif), but since most people from surrounding areas come here to party, I am biased. Still, I've never seen Camden so full of freaky looking people as I did on Halloween (and that's saying something). I am still certain that Halloween was just a socially acceptable excuse for most of them to dress how they would ideally dress, without being judged for a week. Needless to say, it was a unique experience.

As for Guy Fawkes Day, I'm not sure why it isn't a Bank Holiday. It is celebrated throughout Brittan on the 5th of November as the day Guy Fawkes was arrested for trying to blow up Parliament (see V for Vendetta). It is the closest thing to the 4th of July here as fireworks (which are legal here) explode non-stop for a few weeks around the date. Several areas in London host large fourth-of-July-type festivals with attractions, food, and massive bon-fires followed by firework shows. My friends and I, being cheap Uni-kids, didn't go to a festival, but instead went to the MOST beautiful hilltop in all of London, Primrose Hill, to watch all of the fireworks at once. London is an extremely flat city with one very large hill conveniently located near where I live. From there you can see the ENTIRE city! No kidding, the London Eye is clearly visible and lit up at night (Shoddy pic of the top of the hill below). We watched fireworks from all over the city go off all night. It was wonderful! Until you tried to sleep, or talk on skype, or do anything productive for the next week. There were some fireworks going off so close I could have sworn they were trying to reenact the London Blitz and we were under fire. Otherwise, it was a really fun time!

Unfortunately for me, Britain has not picked up on other holidays that I miss in America. Most notably, at the moment, Thanksgiving. I know, crazy they don't celebrate their own people escaping religious persecution. This has left me feeling slightly overworked (under-holidayed) and (for the first time) a little home sick. However, I am planning a dinner with friends that should fill, at least part, of the turkey-shaped hole in my heart. On the whole, though, I miss the American traditions associated with this self-gorging holiday and the family time it brings. However, I am making a point to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though I'll be watching it in class part of the time (time zones are bitter-sweet). Nonetheless I'm bringing Turkey Day to England! Who knows, maybe it'll be the next unofficial big thing?

Happy Thanksgiving (and subsequent holidays) Everyone!

Where the Heart Is

Growing up, it was a big deal amongst me and my friends to be able to classify ourselves on various measures. One in particular that I could never decide on, though, was whether I was a city girl or a country girl. This was probably because I had moved states and changed schools enough to be mistaken for a military brat. To this day when people ask me where I'm from I can't give them a straight answer. I'm not even comfortable with saying that I am from one place or that I “belong” to a certain area (there's that gypsy mentality again), but most people are the opposite and feel better if I definitively classify myself. While studying abroad it has been easier to say that my home is where my (current) university is, but not many here (besides Slip Knot fans) have ever heard of “Iowa”. So, I have been classifying myself as the one identity that has been constant throughout my entire life: American.

While this answer does get some smirks or visible facial reactions, most want to know more about where I live. The majority of people associate America with L.A. or New York City and seem almost surprised when I begin telling them about the Great Plains (Pic above is actually England). Like I've already mentioned, Iowa is as good as a foreign planet to most (Americans included), and after my description of our farms and fields I have to spend another good amount of time explaining how where I live, specifically, is more of a city... but not a big city. This whole process ends up confusing both of us and the conversation is soon dead. After so many of these conversations, no matter how I put it, I began to realize that I was backpedaling away from being classified. I didn't want to be seen as a rural cowgirl or an elite city princess, and if the poor fool talked to me long enough, I would even begin to backpedal away from identifying with Iowa. I have always known that my travels have prevented me from latching on to a physical place as my permanent home. But even then I believed that my figurative home, the home of my memories and where my heart was, was in Iowa.

Now, being here, I am unsure if I can ever settle on one place as my home, let alone decide between the country side or the city. The thing is, home is where the heart is, and my heart is absolutely everywhere! It is in me and, specifically, in my experiences. It is with my family and friends. It is in everything I do and everywhere I go because I am the kind of person who puts passion into everything she does and encounters. This is why, when my friends begged me to decide if I was a city girl or a country girl all those years ago, I couldn't answer them; because I am both. This is why I adore traveling and seek out new experiences and why I will never be a rich person. :) This is why I actively make new friends and, undoubtedly, end up being a bit too trusting at times.(Here come the pictures!!!)

And all of this self-enlightened mush was to introduce the topic of my post and explain to you why I loved these past 5 days that I've spent in Suffolk! I give all of my love and thanks to my relatives who kept me and FED me!!! Speaking of food:

London England Fact Number Twelve: England DOES have good food (despite the stereotypes)! I tried Toad in the Hole (Sausage baked in a Yorkshire Pudding (bread dough thing)), a homemade Victoria Sponge Cake, Fish and Chips (fries) and much more all gluten free and all made in the traditional England style! Food makes me very happy (since good gluten free food is nearly impossible to find) and I can never thank them enough for the WONDERFUL food and hospitality they showed! I am already planning my trip back!

Besides the glorious food, Suffolk is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Tucked away along the coast of England, it is home to some stunning old buildings and castle-like churches, one of the largest docks in England, classic farmland with rolling green hills, and a beautifully quaint little village called Kirton. My hosts so selflessly put up with me for the time that I was there and took me to see everything there was to see all the while sharing cool facts with me about the area and those who live(d) there. One of my favorite fun facts is that there is a man who lives on an old WWII sea fort that is literally two pillars and a platform. He took it over after the war and claimed it as his own principality called Sealand (I cannot make this stuff up!). He even has his own postage stamps, and you can see the outline of the place from the shore my hosts showed me (seriously look this dude up: http://www.sealandgov.org/).(Pic from website)

 




On top of that, the area is beautiful and historic. Driving around I couldn't help but think of the old WWII movies I had seen of the French and English country sides (I know, my American is showing) and how I was walking among some intense history! War forts over looked the docks and bunkers were still obvious in some areas. I even attended the local church service which had parts of the church dating back to the 13^th century! I was in awe by it all! Modern families who live in this area though are not unlike any other family. Large (compared to London) houses with beautiful decorations, which reminds me...

England Fact Number Thirteen: All of the houses have names. Well, not all of them. But most of them that I saw were named. They were given names when they were built and a little placard was placed on the front to identify it. My favorite was named Narnia. :D (pic shown)

I adored my time in the country side! I could breathe without the pollution of London and got some quality time with family. Greens were greener and, though it rained most of the time, being outside was more enjoyable. I slept better than I have in a while and loved walking along the footpaths that ran through the open fields. I enjoyed playing with the dog (a black lab rottweiler mix (pic)) and my relative's two grand kids! I even had time (in between my busy schedule of relaxing) to go on one of the most beautiful runs I've ever been on around Kirton (Picture of one of the paths I found. I really did cherish my time in the country. Words cannot do it justice, it's an experience everyone must reward themselves with!

That being said, I'm back into London life, missing sleepy Suffolk, but enjoying my fast-paced city living as well. Next chance I get to travel will probably be Christmas! Cannot wait!!! Going to Germany with a friend and it's going to be epic!!! I'm afraid this gypsy spirit will never rest! :D 

P.S. Much cooler versions of several of these pictures are on my Instagram acct. if you're interested.  

The Most Amazing Weekend (so far...)

My friends who know me the best tend to describe me as a type of gypsy. I'm always moving, never content with one place. I seek adventure and experience. I rarely ever make promises because I'll probably change my mind in a minute, and I never back down from a bargain. I've never shoplifted, but I do have a nice collection of airplane pillows and blankets and hotel soaps. That being said, I also tend to be rather impulsive. This explains why, on a day that I had much more important responsibilities I should have attended to, I decided to go on a field trip. (Be prepared. I'm trying my best to keep it short, but this is a full weekend so it's a long one)

It was a Friday morning. I woke up determined to make it through my morning class, hit the library, and catch up on reading before the weekend began so I'd have less to do later. Well, I went to class. At this point I was feeling the long week catch up to me and had to force myself into the library. It helped that home was two tubes away (I was still in the hostel then) and it was easier to walk next door to read than fuss with the underground. After a solid hour-ish of struggling through work I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired, getting hungry, and starting to imagine that the genomes my book was describing were little characters in their own soap opera (that's when you know you need a break). I was done, but I didn't want to go back to the hostel.

 

Suddenly, I decided to be... daring, brilliant, spontaneous, courageous, crazy... take your pick. I remembered that I had looked up a gluten free food place in south London, but couldn't reach it before because I needed an oyster (tube card). Lucky for me, living so far from campus made it impossible to get around without one and I had purchased a week's pass of unlimited tube rides in Zone 1. Perfect. The only problem was, the place was in Brixton Village Market, in Brixton, in Zone 2. Dun, dun, DUN!!! Being under the impression that I would be grievously punished for trying to enter Zone 2 (they check your pass as you exit) I devised the brilliant plan to take the tube to Vauxhall (end of Zone 1) then bus it to Brixton. It would be cheaper to pay for the bus than buy another ticket. I was going to be a public transport expert by the end of this adventure!

 

Finally, after successfully navigating the overly complicated bus system I was in Brixton! I walked through so many little markets and kiosks and creepy back alleys, but none of them were Brixton Village. I saw fish stores, clothing stores, stores that were only large enough to fit the sales rep and his questionable stock of cell phones, but no Village. I was just about to give up when I saw (I am not kidding you) a small door-like opening in a wall tucked behind some vegetable stands with insignificant lettering above it reading “Brixton Village Market.” Blame all of the library time or the fact that I was starving, but I looked at that hole in the wall and thought, “seems legit” and walked on through. To my surprise, through the hole stood a quaint, fairly large and beautifully laid out covered market that seemed so much safer than from where I just was. In no time (and a lot of searching because they shove their stores so close together it's easy to miss one) I found my store! It was large enough for a bare-essentials kitchen, a small display case and a few tables and chairs around it on the street. Long story short... BEST GLUTEN FREE FOOD OF MY LIFE!!! I ate a quiche and salad with ROSE LEMONADE!!!! To die for! I even bought a Victorian Sponge Cake for later! (see pics and go here for the food pic: http://instagram.com/p/fnylsxE7rf/) It was well worth the sketchyness!!!!

 

 

I made a note of the wonderful area and found my way back to the tube, poised to go home. However, part way home on the underground, the tube came to a station that the tube woman announced as “Green Park. Change here for the blah-blah lines, blah-blah, and Buckingham Palace.” Re-energized and still feeling unusually spontaneous, I jumped off of the train in search for the sight of a life-time! Two years ago, when I visited London, we drove past Buckingham Palace, but didn't get a good look. This time, foot-loose and fancy-free, I was going to get my fill. As I walked through Green Park fantasizing about meeting Prince Harry and becoming royalty, I saw my first squirrel of London!!! I'm not superstitious, but I knew then that my journey was blessed. In no time the gold of the gates that stand between the palace and the park glinted, lighting my way. A few steps latter, there it was! So beautiful and ornate! I climbed the stone wall to get a better view and take pictures. What a beautiful sight on such a wonderful day! Having worked up a bit more of an appetite I thought how poetic it would be to eat my Victorian Sponge Cake while basking in the view of Buckingham Palace. So I sat there, nom-ing on my cake, feeling free as a bird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Once my pastry was finished I hopped down and explored the grounds, getting as close to the gate as I would dare (or as close as the guards would let me). I walked around taking pictures for what seemed like forever. Just as I was content with my travels and about to head home, I turned and saw BOTH Big Ben and the London Eye in the distance. New mission! I walked around the borough of Westminster for hours looking at all of the different sites and taking copious amounts of pictures. I visited Big Ben, I waved to the London Eye while standing above the River Thames, and I even stood next to Westminster Abbey herself. I was loving my day being a tourist. Taking in the sites and staring stupidly gaping at the statues was just what my Friday needed. Soon, evening fell and I decided it was really time to head back to the hostel.

 

 

The next morning, filled with the joys of the day before and still wildly impulsive (not sure what put me in such a good mood that weekend) I decided to run through Hyde Park. I knew if I went far enough I would hit the palace again! In all reality, I knew I wouldn't get that far, but it was a good motivator! I started off and immediately realized how beautiful that park is! Seriously, Hyde Park is a MUST SEE in London (not one you'd normally think of, but worth it). I ran through beautiful trees (a rarity in the city) and dogged ducks and geese as I proceeded to get lost in the maze of the park. I would turn a corner and see a pond, then turn again and a brilliant golden statue of I-don't-know-who would pop up out of nowhere. Then turn again and hit a monument for Princess Diana. Suddenly, as I was running it began raining. But here's the thing about London...

 

London Fact Number Eleven: It doesn't actually rain in London. Not REALLY rain anyway. It's like someone turned on the mister. Only once has it rained since I've been here and that's because a tropical storm blew through. Otherwise you're just walking through a substance akin to really thick fog... moving in a general downward motion.

 

Needless to say, the weather didn't dampen my spirit.

 

Finally! (This is the last adventure I swear!) A friend of mine from the hostel, Italian girl (name removed on purpose), and I went to visit a friend of ours from the hostel, Greek girl, who had recently got a job at Costa (aka. Heaven/coffee house)!!! However, she conveniently works right next to Harrods! I had only heard of Harrods in passing and vaguely knew that it was a big deal, but I was NOT prepared for the GLORY that was to await me when we walked inside! First of all, it's about 5 stories high with 6 floors of shops that I'm sure only the queen herself can afford to shop from!!! Kitchen ware, to art, to pet stores (with real pets not just the merchandise!!!), displays entirely dedicated to the new royal baby George, to gift shops, to TOY STORES (see Lego Santa Pic), to fancy dinners, to a HUGE chocolate store!!! EVERYTHING!!! And that was only in the 4 floors we could stand to see!!! Harrods is another MUST see in London!!! I've never been so overwhelmed in my life!!! I felt like royalty and joked with Italian girl that if my future fiance really loves me he'll bring me back to Harrods and (instead of letting me pick out my engagement ring) let me pick out whatever I want from the chocolate shop! Yeah, it's that good.

 

I left from the story feeling slightly dizzy and thus concluded my weekend of adventure! And what a way to end it!!! I hope I haven't bored you too much. More pictures, so that helps! I'm working on more fun things to write on as my adventures keep expanding at an alarming rate! Thanks for reading this far! :D

 

 P.S. MANY more pics to come on FB!!! (And yeah, I took them all. Pretty good huh? :D)