December

My term in Sussex ended December 9th. I took my finals, said goodbye to some amazing friends, and took the 12 hour National Express overnight bus from London to St Andrews, arriving Saturday morning. It's been amazing to be back in St Andrews with friends and doing Christmassy things.

Two days before I left Brighton, I went up to London for an afternoon. I particularly wanted to see Tower Bridge, and somehow missed it the last three times I was in the city. Even though it was INCREDIBLY windy and cold, I still had a fun time seeing the Tower of London and the bridge, and stumbling into the Christmas fair in Hyde Park. The nice part about being an only hour by train from London was that I didn't have to feel like I needed to stay for hours and hours. I got to spend a few hours and then head back to Sussex.

Last Sunday was the St Andrews Christmas Ball. This is the second year in a row that I've gone with Em, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people think I attend St Andrews Uni. The ball didn't feel as busy as last year, which was nice for dancing. Great bands, free ice cream, and dancing with friends- what could be better for an evening? Probably shoes that had fit better.

This past Saturday Em and I went to Edinburgh for the Christmas market and to wander around for a bit. When it got nippy, we headed inside to the Writer's museum and Armstrongs Vintage shop. This last week has been a collecting of meeting up for drinks and dinners with friends, and it's been so lovely, despite the cold weather.

My time in the UK is at it's end. I leave tomorrow to head back to Phoenix, and I have mixed feelings. I'm glad I'm coming back during Christmas time, because I'll have family and fun to distract me from being done with my adventure. Can't wait to see all of my Arizona family and friends! :)

 This dress has seen a lot of travels in the last 3 months!

 Prince Albert memorial

 Obligatory red telephone booth photo- which incidentally, smell HORRIBLE inside.

 I did my best for xmas decorations with limited supplies!

 Edinburgh Christmas fair

 Christmas Ball dresses

November

I haven't had too many adventures since I last wrote about Northumberland. Many of the castles/sites I would have visited closed on October 31st, and I've been busy with school, friends, essays, and most stressing, the GRE.

I went to Dusseldorf, Germany the weekend of the 12th to visit my friend Stephen. It was a pretty short, 48 hour visit- but when the flight is only an hour, why not? We got to see an amazing photo exhibit, walk along the Rheine, and visit the Konisplatsz, which is a pretty famous shopping district. It was really lovely to see Stephen for a bit and to practice some of my German, which was not as bad as I thought. I managed to communicate what I needed to several shop assistants, so I felt pretty proud of myself!

My friend Em came down from Scotland the next weekend to hang out with me in Brighton. It was awesome to show someone else around "my" city- which is kind of what Brighton feels like after 10 short weeks. It was such a fun weekend. We had nice weather to walk down the boardwalk and get ice creams, as well as finding an American candy shop in the Laines! Most excitingly, I won five pounds playing a Star Wars game at the arcade on the pier. It was hysterical, as neither Em or I knew what we were doing or how I was winning money. We also went on the Crazy Mouse, a ride at the very end of the pier. It was incredibly terrifying. You can hear the wooden boards of the pier creak ominously every time a ride is in operation, so to be on one was not the safest feeling in the world. The Crazy Mouse is a little roller coaster that goes over the ocean and screeches around each corner. Terrifying (but a little fun as well).

Monday the 21st we went up to London so that I could take the GRE (entrance exam for graduate school). I felt pretty stressed leading up to it, as I knew I wasn't that good on the quantitative portion. Em and I split up at the train station as she headed to explore London and I got on the tube to go 5 stops to Cannon Street, where my test was being held. My tube train ended up getting stuck underground for a good 30 minutes, as I tried to keep from unraveling into a pile of anxiety. The clock was ticking ever closer to 1pm, which was the time of my test. You can't use your mobile underground, as there's no service, so I couldn't even call the testing center to let them know I would be late. This was literally the last date to take it to get results in time for my application deadlines, and it's expensive as well. The conductor came on the loudspeaker at about 5 'til and said that he had no idea when we would be moving.

In not my proudest moment, I started crying. I have never felt so sick with anxiety in my life. A businessman across from me asked if I was okay, and if I had claustrophobia. A second later, the train started moving. I RAN out of the train and up to the surface to call the testing office. Luckily, they said I could still take the test, as I was only a few minutes away. Cue to me arriving at the testing facility 5 minutes late, sweaty, out of breath from running two blocks and up to the third floor, shaking, and with mascara running down my face. And then I started the test!

Four hours later, I think I did alright. I should get my results any day, but it felt good, and you get your unofficial verbal and quantitative results right away- and I did quite well on both. I was free to meet up with Em and head to Covent Gardens to see Matilda: The Musical, which was insanely awesome and fun. The man playing Miss Trunchbull had the audience in the palm of his/her hand. She would literally crook her pinky and we were laughing.

Last week, I spend a day in Chichester, which is about an hour by train from Brighton. I explored the gorgeous Chichester Cathedral and went to a Christmas fayre. It was nice to go somewhere close by as I didn't feel the need to spend a crazy long time in the town to justify my trip.
That's pretty much been my November! I only have 1 more week here in Sussex. I'm taking the night bus up to Scotland next Friday and will be in St Andrews for 10 days, before coming home to Phoenix on December 20th.

 Gorgeous church in Dusseldorf- the Occupy Dusseldorf (part of the Occupy Wall Street) protesters were camped outside.

 Christmas tree in Dusseldorf

 The Brighton "Eye"

My favorite shop in Brighton: Full of Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz trinkets.

Red wings fans in Dusseldorf!! I have no idea why it says "shoes".

Chichester Cathedral, top and bottom.

I'm a tad obsessed with all of the Thomas Paine signs and memorabilia around Lewes!

Three Castles and a Fierce Sea!

Aagh- I've been a bad blogger! I didn't realize it had been nearly two weeks since my last post, but I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of pictures I took when I visited Northumberland 2 weeks ago.

It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision, to go up North on the train to Northumberland. I realized that I really wanted to see Alnwick Castle, where my sister stayed as a study abroad around 5 (?) years ago. I took the train up- about 6 hours total- and got to stay the night in the castle! Deanna was awesome in contacting her friend Wade, who still lives and works in the castle, and he arranged for me to visit and stay overnight in the castle. Definitely an amazing experience. I had the weirdest sense of deja vu the entire time I explored the castle. I've heard Dee's stories and seen pictures of Alnwick so many times, that it felt like I'd been there myself! The day was utterly gorgeous- my only sunny day over the weekend- and I felt free to wander. It was Harry Potter weekend, so there were many little (and big!) kids wearing costumes and participating in "broomstick" class. Parts of the first few films were filmed at Alnwick.

The Percy family has lived/owned the castle for over 700 years, and still live in part of the castle today. They had a lovely exhibit on the Duke's eldest daughters wedding, which was this past February. It's a bit strange to be going through the state rooms, and see modern photographs of the Duke and his family mixed in with all of the history. There is a tiny bit of a feeling of intrusion, despite the loveliness and gorgeousness of the surroundings.

I didn't have to get back to Brighton until late Monday night, so Sunday I decided to go to Bamburgh castle, which is a bit up the coast. As I was on the bus, heading through quite literally the back country of Northumberland, I realized how much more the North resonates with me than Southern England. The North has this fierce and raw beauty that the south lacks at times, I think. Bamburgh Castle sits right on the beach and the North Sea. The castle has changed hands many times over the past few centuries, and is currently owned by the Armstrongs, although they rent out some of the rooms. I got a kick out of thinking someone renting a "flat" inside this behemoth. I met quite a few lovely people who were all excited to hear how far I'd come from Phoenix, and actually thanked me for visiting their town. Northern people are lovely :) The castle was honestly the only thing I did in Bamburgh, as the town consisted of a tea house and a convenience store. Not even a high street!

Monday morning, I headed on the bus to Craster, where Dunstanburgh Castle lies in ruins. The castle is about 1.5 miles down the beach. It was INCREDIBLY windy on the walk, which I half loved and half hated. The wind was whipping the sea into a frenzy and sending bubbles up to the shore. It definitely had a romanticly gothic feel to it! I also had encounters with both highland cows and sheep, as they freely grazed the grounds around the castle ruins with no fences in sight. They honestly could have cared less about any of the tourists. The castle has been in ruins for quite some time, but it would have once been one of the largest castles in the North, and would have been extremely foreboding to possible attackers from the sea. I went to the top of one of the remaining towers in the front gate, and could see for miles. A sharp gust of wind sent me scurrying down the stairs though, because I didn't fancy dying on the top of a castle tower!

It was an amazing weekend, and I feel so lucky to get to experience all of these adventures! It was truly a treat to see where Deanna had once gone to school and hang out in the town where she lived, as well as bask in the warmth of the Northern population (if not warm weather).

All of the above are from Alnwick- finally a sunny day when I'm touristing!

 I loved this empty frame, meant to evoke a landscape painting- except using the natural beauty of the countryside! - Alnwick

Bridge going up the castle.

Above 5: All from Bamburgh Castle

For anyone from Calumet who remembers the Copper Kettle!

Bottom: All from Dunstanburgh

Having a Wander

Just a few pictures from Brighton, the little village of Falmer (near the University) and Eastbourne (down the coast from Brighton).

 

The White Cliffs of Dover

There'll be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover....


Saturday I took the 2.5 hour train ride to Dover, right on the coast of England and the closest point to France. I've always wanted to see the white cliffs, and, perfectly for me, there is a castle as well! The town is a curious mix of historical buildings and touristy shops that contrasts with the huge, busy port full of cruise ships, ferries, and shipping docks. I ended up walking to the castle from the rail station, which was quite a hike uphill. 

The inner keep/tower of Dover Castle was built in 1181, but other elements of the castle were built for defense during the second World War. There are 3.8 miles of tunnels deep beneath the cliffs, and you can explore some of them during the tour. You go underground in one area of the grounds and pop up out of the ground on completely the other side of the keep. It was very cool, and you have amazing views of the city and port from the top of the cliff.

The keep was also unique in that you could explore all of the rooms and take photos (I suppose because no one lives there). There's also a chapel for military use on the grounds and you can walk along the entire outer wall of the battlements. 

Afterward, I walked down to the water and to the end of the Princes Pier, where you can get a pretty good panoramic view of the cliffs. I would have liked to explore the cliffs a bit more, but it was starting to get dark, so I headed back to the rail station and then home. Overall, it was a gorgeous day- sunny for once, and plenty of exploring!