Earplugs

Doesn't get much better than a front row seat on the top of a double decker and a ride through glowing London on the way home from an AMAZING show. 

(The earplugs were given to us by the box office staff, who informed me that the show, Frankenstein: The Metal Opera, could get "quite loud.")

Cardiff/Caserdydd: Part Two

Second day in Cardiff on Sunday. We took a river boat down the River Taff from center city down to the bay. Stopped and took some pictures at Millenium Centre (the location of Torchwood headquarters), got some Italian food and then walked along the coastal trail running around the bay. It was sooo windy by the water! Also my first time seeing the ocean while I've been here :)

On the boat!

The Millenium Centre.

#artsy

Ready for action at the entrance to Torchwood headquarters.

Can you spot the loader hidden in this picture?

Beautiful boardwalk over the protected marshlands. 

View of the Atlantic to the south of the barrage. 

Looking back at the Millenium Centre across the bay.

Cardiff/Caerdydd: Part One

Off to Cardiff this weekend with Ariel and Rena!
I went a day early on Friday, wandered through Bute Park and the National Museum of Wales. Saw some beautiful artwork (including some of Monet's Waterlillies!) and napped on a tree.

Beautiful Bute Park

On Saturday the three of us headed over to Cardiff Castle smack dab in the middle of center city for a tour and to walk the grounds. Then we wandered around the markets and shops in center city (ate lots of Welsh cakes and pasties), before getting some yummy Indian food for dinner!

Ariel looking over the main house.

Got a private tour of the Marchess' private staircase!

Inside the dining hall (notice the guy on the left in the dungeon!)

Modelling in front of the central castle.

In the stocks :(

Random oversized board games!

Looking out over central Cardiff from the embankment.

Bonus: the animals along the outer wall have EYES!!

Also, a note on the title: Caerdydd is the Welsh word for Cardiff. Welsh, or Cymraeg, is a beautiful, beautiful language with beautiful sounding words, although some of them may look quite strange because it is strictly phonetic and consonant heavy. Although everyone in Wales speaks English while only 20% speak fluent Cymraeg, Cymraeg and English are technically both the offical languages of Wales. Hence, all signage has both Cymraeg and English translations.

Beach day!

Discovered the access to the Thames beach along the south bank today! It's so weird being on a beach in the middle of a city...

Beach access!

#selfieswiththethames

Political beach art (this guy is running for office under the Beach Party).
Check him out at http://www.dirtybeach.tv

Oxford (but not the circus...)

Went to Oxford today, first time on the trains outside of London!

The main attraction was Oxford University, where some of the locations for Harry Potter were filmed!

Other fun things not pictured: 

1. Gigantic, five floored Waterstone's bookshop and three books/plays bought (oops)

2. First English breakfast in the covered market!

3. Tea under a beautiful old church by Bodleian Library.

4. Impromptu hamburger from a van before hopping on the train home. 

Oh hello Oxford University.

Rena and I on the steps in a courtyard.

In front of the entrance to where parts of the Great Hall were filmed!

Random Hogwarts hallway.

So. Much. Gothic. Architecture. It's everywhere and it's GORGEOUS.

Ended the day with an Oxford sunset in the park. 

Some photos of beautiful, beautiful Greenwich

Standing on the meridian line in the rain.

Greenwich park

#selfieswithlondon from atop One Tree Hill (my new favorite place).

One Tree Hill:

HERE FAIR ELIZA, VIRGIN QUEEN

FROM BUSINESS FREE, ENJOY'D THE SCENE

HEREOFT IN PENSIVE MOOD SHE STOOD

AND KINDLY PLAN'D FOR BRITAIN'S GOOD:

SO RECORD TELLS AND THIS BESIDE,

SUNG DITTIES TO THE SILVERTIDE

FULL WORTH SUCH HONOURS ART THOU STILL,

BELOV'D OF THOUSANDS, ONE TREE HILL

T.N. ONE TREE HILL, THE LONDON CHRONICLE MAY 25-27TH, 1784

The great sidewalk flood of 2k14 (no but really someone said it's just the tides).

Looking back on Greenwich from the north bank.

Perfect rainbow in the park to end the day. 

Rain!

It finally rained today in London!!

#art

Came out of the theatre tonight to find this man, artfully playing his traffic cone for money. Stay classy bro. 

The best laid plans of mice and men....

Another big trip into the city today! Our plan was to head over the the London Eye, walk around for a few hours, tour Buckingham Palace (open on a rare occasion when the royal fam isn't home from their summer place yet!), and then walk the London Bridge at night. Good plan. 

However, there were major closures on the tube today for engineering work, and so Rena and I spent the first two hours of our journey going back and forth between three or four tube stations trying to find a way to get down to Westminster. After much confusion and much riding in circles, we finally made it down. We walked along the southern bank of the Thames for a bit, had lunch at the National Theatre's cafe, perused the book market under the Waterloo Bridge, and then headed over to the Palace! By the time we were done it was dinnertime, and then it was late, so we never did make it to the London Bridge. Another day!

The Eye from the pier.

Add caption

The Golden Jubilee suspension bridges.

Rowers on the Thames! (Note the rather large boats...)

Ben from the South Bank.

On the bridge!

Posing with my homies. 

The amazing view from the bridge.

Visit to the Palace!

Back side of the palace, facing the gardens.

Tea and (gorgeous) pastries after the tour of the palace!

Ben from Westminster.

Stumbled on this Japanese festival in Leicester Square!

Friday

Day off today (I have no classes on Thursday or Friday). Went on a walk east down Mile End to explore. There wasn't much to see, but I did get to chill in Mile End Park and read a book for class.

The fountain in Mile End Park. 

After lunch, Rena and I headed back over to Brick Lane to keep exploring. The whole road north of Mile End is a smorgasbord of cool thrift and vintage places (including an underground vintage flea market!!) as well as cute cafes and restaurants. Discovered a small square off the main road with a little gathering of food trucks, so we stopped for some amazing shredded BBQ beef for Rena. I however, was set on a reunion with Beigel Bake.

Rena and The Caboose!

UPDATE: After testing out the second Beigel Bake I determined that the southern most one is infinitely more heavenly and amazing, and am therefore dubbing it the 'real' Beigel Bake. The northern place, however, does have good plain bagels, and are really cheap to buy in bulk.

Once again, we need to come back to Brick Lane so many more times before we fully explore all its secrets.