elfie_chan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elfie_chan) wrote2006-07-30 02:32 pm
elfie_chan) wrote2006-07-30 02:32 pm
HAIL BRITANNIA! (A Random Report)
The events from our trip to England will be presented in no particular order, and with many parenthetical notes.
So...we got back on the 15th of July, I think. England was absolutely fabulous--but then, when is it not? I drank about a pint of cider most days, ate very well (though not always very healthy), drank a good deal of flavored water (the flavored water in England is yummy and Splenda-sweetened), walked absolutely everywhere (except when we drove between towns), and reached home to find that I had lost five pounds and Alex had lost ten. Woo-hoo! I think it helped that I was not tempted by chocolate--I detest Cadbury and its sickly-sweet ilk. However, there was also some Italian dark chocolate, and I ate a little bit of that. Mmm. I will miss cider dreadfully, as it never tastes so good as when it comes out of a tap in an English pub. Plus, we can't get the good stuff at home. This makes me sad, but it is probably just as well. Cider is rather high-calorie, and I don't walk as much at home as I do in England.
We had very little rain, but we had a good deal of humidity and nasty thunderstorms one night. We did not see the Queen, though Her Majesty was in residence at Windsor while we were there. I wanted to see the Queen. However, her Guard Band (they probably have a more official name, but I don't know what it is) frightened us deeply. We were in Windsor Castle, looking at the lovely furniture and paintings and so on, when we heard the band strike up for the Changing of the Guard. This was lovely, except that the first song they played was Michael Jackson's "Beat It." This gave us pause, but the next song was even worse--"YMCA." We fled. I mean, for heaven's sake, they're the Queen's personal guard! If they had to play scary American music, they could have at least played "Bohemian Rhapsody" or something. At least that's by Queen. (Heehee. *ducks lobbed objects*)
I love the Underground in London, and I also love that you can walk almost everywhere.
A few things that happened while we were in England: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest premiered in Leicester Square (we were not there), the Royal Ascot happened (we were not there), and Italy won the World Cup (we were not there, either, as that happened in Germany). On the day of the World Cup Final, it was difficult to do anything--everyone, and I mean everyone was glued to their TV screens. Why is America the only nation that doesn't take football/soccer seriously?
I spent almost an entire month without string, as I left both my knitting and my embroidery at home. I suffered, but I didn't realize how much I suffered until we went to Barley Hall in York (more on Barley Hall later) and I saw this kids' activity set up that involved using a wheel to make cord out of string. I spent about ten minutes with that and found that I felt much more relaxed afterward. Of course, I didn't want to leave it there. String obsessions are sad, but unavoidable (at least for me).
My favorite place in England this trip was Barley Hall in York. (See? I told you I'd talk about it.) Barley Hall is a 15th-century house that is tucked back among the snickets (a British word meaning, basically, an alleyway). It is being restored and furnished with period furnishings, using only period techniques. Visitors are allowed to touch, pick up, and photograph anything they like. It took Alex and me about three or four hours go through. We also lucked out in that the man who was at the counter in the gift shop was a shoemaker, and he made all of the shoes that were in the museum. He was making a pair while we were there, and he advised Alex on good leatherworking books to pick up and order.
We took a metric ton of pictures, mainly of things that we can use as primary sources for SCA research and projects. We also bought books on illumination and calligraphy, costuming, cooking, embroidery, and sundry other subjects. We wrote down many titles of books that we figured we could get back home, thus ensuring a slightly lighter haul.
I had a hard time hauling my suitcase around--it was just under 50 pounds when we left, and about 70 pounds when we were ready to head home. Not only that, but I had a backpack (heavy) and, eventually, another carry-on bag (heavier, I think) to haul around. I need to enter a weight-lifting program so that my arms and upper body will be stronger for next trip.
One small incident sticks in my mind enough that I want to relate it here. (I'll probably continue telling about England over the next few days as I remember things.) We stayed in London at the beginning and at the end of our trip. The rest of the time, we drove around in a rental car. (I say we drove; actually, Alex drove. I don't like the driving situation in England very much. It makes me nervous.) When we returned to London to stay before flying home, we dropped the rental car off at the airport. From there, we had to lug our luggage to the shuttle, from there to the Underground, and then ride the Underground for an hour to the hotel. I had a really hard time with my suitcases, to the point where, by the time we gained the Underground, I was tired, irritated, and feeling bloody useless. I just wanted to be let alone to feel miserable for a little while. No such luck. Another American family (mom, dad, two young children) were sitting near us. It was the kids' first trip to England, and the boy kept yelling, "Rachel! Look at that! Rachel! It's another train! Rachel!" Every time he yelled, "Rachel!" one of his parents would say "Adam! Hush!" or "Adam! Sit down!" I just wanted both Rachel and Adam to shut up and sit down and let me get back to feeling sorry for myself. Adam finally succumbed to jet lag, but Rachel was considerably more determined. She and I had exchanged the occasional glance, and I thought my glance firmly conveyed that I wanted to be left alone. However, like the cat that gravitates toward the one person who is allergic to felines, Rachel was undeterred. Her father was sitting next to me, and she climbed up into his lap. I was not facing her. Abruptly, I felt a tiny finger poke my shoulder. I turned, surprised, and found myself facing a pair of huge blue eyes and a tiny wave. I gave in. There was no way I could continue ignoring her.
"Hullo," I said, trying to manage a suitable smile. "How are you?"
Rachel smiled and started chattering. She told me about her dogs and her tortoise, how this was her first trip abroad, how she missed her friends, how she liked airplane food (her father made a face behind her back at this comment), and how she hoped that she would have fun in London. I asked a question occasionally, but I almost needn't have bothered. She was just so glad to have someone to talk to. When she and her family had to go (they got off about two stops ahead of us), she expressed the hope that she would see me "tomorrow." I told her that I didn't know how likely that would be, but she insisted that she would be in London for three whole days, and we were sure to bump into each other. She had to settle for a "maybe." Just before she had to get off the Underground, she turned around and gave me a huge hug. I was torn between "Awww...that's so sweet" and "I hope her parents don't think I'm a stalker/kidnapper." They didn't seem fazed, thank goodness. After waving goodbye to Rachel and her family, I felt unbelievably perked up. I doubt Rachel realizes how much better she made me feel just by being herself. I hope she and her family had a fantastic vacation.
We packed much of England in our suitcases to bring home, and the airport dared to charge us extra for the extra weight. (We bought many, many books.) I have a theory that logic fails in airports. People are allowed 70 pounds total for their check-in luggage, but each bag must weigh less than 50 pounds. Alex and I each had one check-in bag, and each one weighed about 70 pounds. We were informed by the girl at the check-in desk that, if we each bought another bag and repacked our stuff, then we would be allowed to put our check-in luggage on the plane without having to pay the overweight fee. However, if we had repacked our luggage in that way, our total bag weight would have been over the limit in any case. At this point, each of us was carrying a large bag to be checked in, a backpack, and a small carry-on bag. Even if we had wanted to buy another bag, we wouldn't have had enough hands to haul it. Not only that, but the overweight fee had doubled while we were in England--from $25 per bag to $50 per bag. What could we do? Rawr. Next time, I am packing fewer clothes.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and I can't wait to go back to England. We've already started planning our next trip, but I expect it will be a couple of years before we go.
Since we got home, I have been knitting like crazy. Two of my friends have had/are having babies this summer, and I'm knitting blankets. I finished a "clown puke" one for my friend/maid of honor Heidi just in time to send it with her mom so she could have it at the birth, and I'm about halfway done with a pretty lavender one for a friend who's giving birth mid-to-late August. I've also been knitting kittens. Having kittens, even unsewn and unstuffed, on hand is a good thing. I went to a birthday party for a three-year-old yesterday, and a kitten made a good emergency present. I'm thinking, however, that I need to work with the pattern a bit and maybe make some other kind of animal, too.
I have sewing to do. Fabric is purchased, but garb must be made. I found out that Baronial Scribes stand behind the thrones during Baronial Court, and that means I need some less casual garb. This is not a problem; it's just a great excuse for sewing. Being behind the thrones makes me a bit nervous, though. I've only done it once before, and that was at Egil's. However, I have been reassured that I behaved properly and didn't do anything horribly embarrassing. It was fun, though--it's neat to see the looks on people's faces when they get awards.
I have been good this trip--I'm in Washington at the moment. I painted charters this morning and knitted a bit this afternoon. I have also been working on Cassandra's Codex. I really do need to get that into a form that I can post. Tomorrow, I'm going for a walk around town.
I still have a lot to get done in the way of graduate school application. Must get on that as soon as we get home.
Time to go and be semi-social. The guys (Alex, Jason, and Jason's friend Aaron) went bike riding today, and they're semi-conscious. Hee.
I should also be updating more regularly from here on out.
So...we got back on the 15th of July, I think. England was absolutely fabulous--but then, when is it not? I drank about a pint of cider most days, ate very well (though not always very healthy), drank a good deal of flavored water (the flavored water in England is yummy and Splenda-sweetened), walked absolutely everywhere (except when we drove between towns), and reached home to find that I had lost five pounds and Alex had lost ten. Woo-hoo! I think it helped that I was not tempted by chocolate--I detest Cadbury and its sickly-sweet ilk. However, there was also some Italian dark chocolate, and I ate a little bit of that. Mmm. I will miss cider dreadfully, as it never tastes so good as when it comes out of a tap in an English pub. Plus, we can't get the good stuff at home. This makes me sad, but it is probably just as well. Cider is rather high-calorie, and I don't walk as much at home as I do in England.
We had very little rain, but we had a good deal of humidity and nasty thunderstorms one night. We did not see the Queen, though Her Majesty was in residence at Windsor while we were there. I wanted to see the Queen. However, her Guard Band (they probably have a more official name, but I don't know what it is) frightened us deeply. We were in Windsor Castle, looking at the lovely furniture and paintings and so on, when we heard the band strike up for the Changing of the Guard. This was lovely, except that the first song they played was Michael Jackson's "Beat It." This gave us pause, but the next song was even worse--"YMCA." We fled. I mean, for heaven's sake, they're the Queen's personal guard! If they had to play scary American music, they could have at least played "Bohemian Rhapsody" or something. At least that's by Queen. (Heehee. *ducks lobbed objects*)
I love the Underground in London, and I also love that you can walk almost everywhere.
A few things that happened while we were in England: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest premiered in Leicester Square (we were not there), the Royal Ascot happened (we were not there), and Italy won the World Cup (we were not there, either, as that happened in Germany). On the day of the World Cup Final, it was difficult to do anything--everyone, and I mean everyone was glued to their TV screens. Why is America the only nation that doesn't take football/soccer seriously?
I spent almost an entire month without string, as I left both my knitting and my embroidery at home. I suffered, but I didn't realize how much I suffered until we went to Barley Hall in York (more on Barley Hall later) and I saw this kids' activity set up that involved using a wheel to make cord out of string. I spent about ten minutes with that and found that I felt much more relaxed afterward. Of course, I didn't want to leave it there. String obsessions are sad, but unavoidable (at least for me).
My favorite place in England this trip was Barley Hall in York. (See? I told you I'd talk about it.) Barley Hall is a 15th-century house that is tucked back among the snickets (a British word meaning, basically, an alleyway). It is being restored and furnished with period furnishings, using only period techniques. Visitors are allowed to touch, pick up, and photograph anything they like. It took Alex and me about three or four hours go through. We also lucked out in that the man who was at the counter in the gift shop was a shoemaker, and he made all of the shoes that were in the museum. He was making a pair while we were there, and he advised Alex on good leatherworking books to pick up and order.
We took a metric ton of pictures, mainly of things that we can use as primary sources for SCA research and projects. We also bought books on illumination and calligraphy, costuming, cooking, embroidery, and sundry other subjects. We wrote down many titles of books that we figured we could get back home, thus ensuring a slightly lighter haul.
I had a hard time hauling my suitcase around--it was just under 50 pounds when we left, and about 70 pounds when we were ready to head home. Not only that, but I had a backpack (heavy) and, eventually, another carry-on bag (heavier, I think) to haul around. I need to enter a weight-lifting program so that my arms and upper body will be stronger for next trip.
One small incident sticks in my mind enough that I want to relate it here. (I'll probably continue telling about England over the next few days as I remember things.) We stayed in London at the beginning and at the end of our trip. The rest of the time, we drove around in a rental car. (I say we drove; actually, Alex drove. I don't like the driving situation in England very much. It makes me nervous.) When we returned to London to stay before flying home, we dropped the rental car off at the airport. From there, we had to lug our luggage to the shuttle, from there to the Underground, and then ride the Underground for an hour to the hotel. I had a really hard time with my suitcases, to the point where, by the time we gained the Underground, I was tired, irritated, and feeling bloody useless. I just wanted to be let alone to feel miserable for a little while. No such luck. Another American family (mom, dad, two young children) were sitting near us. It was the kids' first trip to England, and the boy kept yelling, "Rachel! Look at that! Rachel! It's another train! Rachel!" Every time he yelled, "Rachel!" one of his parents would say "Adam! Hush!" or "Adam! Sit down!" I just wanted both Rachel and Adam to shut up and sit down and let me get back to feeling sorry for myself. Adam finally succumbed to jet lag, but Rachel was considerably more determined. She and I had exchanged the occasional glance, and I thought my glance firmly conveyed that I wanted to be left alone. However, like the cat that gravitates toward the one person who is allergic to felines, Rachel was undeterred. Her father was sitting next to me, and she climbed up into his lap. I was not facing her. Abruptly, I felt a tiny finger poke my shoulder. I turned, surprised, and found myself facing a pair of huge blue eyes and a tiny wave. I gave in. There was no way I could continue ignoring her.
"Hullo," I said, trying to manage a suitable smile. "How are you?"
Rachel smiled and started chattering. She told me about her dogs and her tortoise, how this was her first trip abroad, how she missed her friends, how she liked airplane food (her father made a face behind her back at this comment), and how she hoped that she would have fun in London. I asked a question occasionally, but I almost needn't have bothered. She was just so glad to have someone to talk to. When she and her family had to go (they got off about two stops ahead of us), she expressed the hope that she would see me "tomorrow." I told her that I didn't know how likely that would be, but she insisted that she would be in London for three whole days, and we were sure to bump into each other. She had to settle for a "maybe." Just before she had to get off the Underground, she turned around and gave me a huge hug. I was torn between "Awww...that's so sweet" and "I hope her parents don't think I'm a stalker/kidnapper." They didn't seem fazed, thank goodness. After waving goodbye to Rachel and her family, I felt unbelievably perked up. I doubt Rachel realizes how much better she made me feel just by being herself. I hope she and her family had a fantastic vacation.
We packed much of England in our suitcases to bring home, and the airport dared to charge us extra for the extra weight. (We bought many, many books.) I have a theory that logic fails in airports. People are allowed 70 pounds total for their check-in luggage, but each bag must weigh less than 50 pounds. Alex and I each had one check-in bag, and each one weighed about 70 pounds. We were informed by the girl at the check-in desk that, if we each bought another bag and repacked our stuff, then we would be allowed to put our check-in luggage on the plane without having to pay the overweight fee. However, if we had repacked our luggage in that way, our total bag weight would have been over the limit in any case. At this point, each of us was carrying a large bag to be checked in, a backpack, and a small carry-on bag. Even if we had wanted to buy another bag, we wouldn't have had enough hands to haul it. Not only that, but the overweight fee had doubled while we were in England--from $25 per bag to $50 per bag. What could we do? Rawr. Next time, I am packing fewer clothes.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and I can't wait to go back to England. We've already started planning our next trip, but I expect it will be a couple of years before we go.
Since we got home, I have been knitting like crazy. Two of my friends have had/are having babies this summer, and I'm knitting blankets. I finished a "clown puke" one for my friend/maid of honor Heidi just in time to send it with her mom so she could have it at the birth, and I'm about halfway done with a pretty lavender one for a friend who's giving birth mid-to-late August. I've also been knitting kittens. Having kittens, even unsewn and unstuffed, on hand is a good thing. I went to a birthday party for a three-year-old yesterday, and a kitten made a good emergency present. I'm thinking, however, that I need to work with the pattern a bit and maybe make some other kind of animal, too.
I have sewing to do. Fabric is purchased, but garb must be made. I found out that Baronial Scribes stand behind the thrones during Baronial Court, and that means I need some less casual garb. This is not a problem; it's just a great excuse for sewing. Being behind the thrones makes me a bit nervous, though. I've only done it once before, and that was at Egil's. However, I have been reassured that I behaved properly and didn't do anything horribly embarrassing. It was fun, though--it's neat to see the looks on people's faces when they get awards.
I have been good this trip--I'm in Washington at the moment. I painted charters this morning and knitted a bit this afternoon. I have also been working on Cassandra's Codex. I really do need to get that into a form that I can post. Tomorrow, I'm going for a walk around town.
I still have a lot to get done in the way of graduate school application. Must get on that as soon as we get home.
Time to go and be semi-social. The guys (Alex, Jason, and Jason's friend Aaron) went bike riding today, and they're semi-conscious. Hee.
I should also be updating more regularly from here on out.
no subject
Thank-you for your wonderful account of your trip. You made me quite jealous with all of the interesting things you did and saw. I'd love to go to England one day but I just don't know how I could cope with being on a aeroplane for an entire day. I think I'd go a little insane, not to mention claustrophobic.
Airports are mean, though, aren't they? Yours invented silly rules for logic; mine stole my nail-scissors and then my tweezers from my manicure kit. Mind you, it cost me a lot less to replace those than you had to pay for your excess luggage. Thank goodness you decided to go a little light on those books. :)
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Being in the aeroplane isn't horrible, especially if you can get "economy plus" seats. They have five extra inches of leg room, and it makes all the difference. I slept a bit and listened to audiobooks on my iPod. It annoyed me, however, that I didn't risk bringing my knitting on the plane. I didn't want it confiscated, like your nail-scissors and tweezers. What did they think you would be able to do with your nail-scissors and tweezers?! "I will poke you! Do what I say!" "Nooo, not the nail-scissors!"
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Huzzah for Cassandra! I am looking forward to reading some of that. :)
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So am I! I think I have finally semi-finalized the beginning! It makes me so happy!
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We stayed in many different places. Our first hotel was dreadful, but that was with the tour. While we were on our own, we stayed at The Shakespeare in Stratford (which was amazing) and The Prince Rupert in Chester, I think. I can't remember where the Prince Rupert was off the top of my head. We stayed in some other places, but I can't remember them very well, either.
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Glad you had fun! Looking SOOOOOO forward to pictures!
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Did you take "real" pictures, or just digital ones? I wanna see!!! *whimpers* I miss London.
Mmmmmmmm Strongbow Cider off the tap....mmmmm *drools*.
Yes, you do need to update more, I miss reading your LJ (and hanging out with you, so LJ'll have to do). And yes, you need to get your papers for school done, that's coming up...soon right? Like, January?
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We took digital pictures, but on Alex's extremely high-quality camera. I took a few on the smaller camera, but the research photos are all on Alex's computer. We have to sort through them and delete the blurry ones and things like that.
We definitely need to get together soon; I just don't know when. And yes, I will hopefully start grad school in January, but the application is due in October.
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Yes, getting together soon'd be good. I still have your pressies waiting lol. Just holler and we'll see if my schedule can match yours
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We will definitely coordinate. I miss you!
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I miss you too *snugs*
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Do you mean...like...perhaps...foxes???
*giddysquee!*
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