Easter Break: Oxford - March 29, 2013

Since i would only be spending a day in Oxford, i knew i was going to have to fit a lot of things in, but it still managed to be a pretty relaxing day. The very first thing we did was go to Oxford castle and take the tour. It was really awesome cause the employees took on the roles of people who were either held in or worked at the prison and made it all the more enjoyable. We climbed up a teeny spiral staircase to the top of a tower and got some pretty cool views. We then got to see the cellar and the teeny prison cells. I would not have wanted to be a prisoner in there, let me tell you. The prison was actually in use until about 1996, can you even believe it? They had a large area with the history of the prison set up, so I got to learn a lot about it. Outside the castle, they have this massive mound where a fort used to be, so i climbed to the top. It was a lot higher than i thought it was from the bottom but it was really cool. Afterwards, we walked down the Main Street in an effort to find the Carfax Tower, the last remaining section of a 13th century church. We just about missed it and a guy handing out maps pointed it out to us... It was literally right beside us, we had just passed it. We didn't go up to the top, but it was still really cool to see such an old building in the middle of a shopping area! From there, we went to see the Radcliffe Camera, a beautiful building that i am sure everyone would recognize if they saw it. Next to it was the Bodeleian Library, which they used for the Harry Potter movies! I didn't go in because it was expensive, but they had a little exhibit that was free. That was really interesting, it had a ton of middle eastern books with beautiful script and illumination. Right across from the Library was the Bridge of Sighs, a covered bridge that resembles the one in Venice that shares the same name. Funnily enough, the architect had not intention of copying that bridge, it just came out that way. From there, we stumbled upon the Sheldonion Theatre, another piece of beautiful architecture. I would love going to school in Oxford, the buildings are to die for. Imagine going to school in such a place. After that, I decided to go in the Museum of the History of Science, cause it was free and I happen to like the history of science. My travel buddy and I split up from there and I spent a good hour at least looking through all the cool scientific contraptions from days past. 

After a quick lunch in Starbucks, I walked to New College, where they filmed that part in the Goblet of Fire when Malfoy is turned into a ferret. The court yard was absolutely beautiful and it was so cool to experience it. The College also has access to a large garden that is surrounded by the old city wall, so i walked the length of it. I left New College and as I was walking through the back roads to get back to the main road, I had a near death experience. Only in Oxford would 2 stone roof tiles fall to the ground and smash in the spot you were only seconds ago. Definitely a heart pounding moment. After that, I was going to go to Magdalen College, but it was way to much money even though i've heard it is beautiful. So instead, i went and peaked into the Botanical Gardens as i didn't feel like paying, before walking down the Dead Man's Walk bordering the Christ Church Meadow behind many of the colleges. I walked through some of the old and less busy streets and just wandered until i found the Christ Church Cathedral. The building itself is absolutely beautiful from the outside and i managed to peak inside one of the court yards. Christ Church is probably the most expensive of all the colleges for tourists, so i didn't go into it. After all, i'm pretty sure they only used a staircase for the first HP film. From there, I went to the Modern Art Museum, because it was free and to waste some time. I don't really understand moderm art, but whatever. Afterwards, I went and walked around the shopping centre, but of course everything in England closes really early so the only thing still open was Primark. Since it was after 6 and most things were closed, i just went back to my hostel and used the wifi for a while before catching my train back to Nottingham! 

x brianna

p.s. i have pictures but blogger won't let me add them since i'm on my ipad and this is a google website and all this complicated stupid stuff. those of you who are subscribed can see my oxford pics on facebook, i'll try adding them when i've got my computer running again. 

Easter Break: Bath - March 26-28, 2013

We arrived in the evening on the 26th, but we really didn't get to do anything other than check in to the hostel. The next day, our only full day, we wanted to go to Stonehenge, so i found a tour company that took buses directly from Bath to Stonehenge for a 3 hour total trip. To waste time until departure, we went into the Bath Abbey to take a look around. The trip to Stonehenge was awesome, the countryside during the drive was beautiful and we got to see a chalk image of a horse on the side of a hill. Stonehenge was just amazing, the mystery behind it so interesting. Who were these people who moved giant stones long distances to create such a structure? It is definitely something that people need to see. That afternoon, we went to the Roman Baths, another amazing part of Bath. We got to learn the history of it and of the Romans in that area and imagine what used to be with the help of models and audio guides. After that, I wanted to see the Jane Austen Centre, so we parted ways for the evening. I really enjoyed learning about Austen's life in Bath as she is one of my favourite authors. When that was done, i continued walking up the hill until I came upon a wonderful sight. The Circus and the Royal Crescent. They were both built in Georgian times by a father and son duo - the father's idea and the son's work. The father had begun the movement to create a beautiful Bath using Sandstone. Bath is probably the prettiest city i have ever seen, as much of the city centre and older areas are very uniform and stunningly simple. The sun was setting, so i returned to the hostel for the night.

The next day, we started out back up the hill as i showed by travel buddy the Royal Crescent. We also wandered through the park in front of it, stepping into a Georgian model garden for a bit. As I wanted to go to the Fashion museum, we once again parted ways. I spent a good amount of time going back through the centuries of fashions and then peeking into the assembly halls that Jane Austen would have danced in when she lived in Bath. I went back down the hill after that to get lunch and then i went back up to find the Building of Bath Museum, which spoke of the Georgian remodeling of the city and the architecture. It was really cool to see how they created the details in the plaster and the iron work, etc. After that, i went down to the Pultney Bridge, a bidge with shops along it, like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. On that bridge I tried my very first european macaroon. It was pretty good, but i don't fully understand the hype about them. As i continued, I found Great Pultney Street, another Georgian architecture beauty and also a very fashionable place to live in Austen's time. They have filmed many period pieces on that street and Austen herself lived on it for 3 years. At the end of that street, there was a free museum, so of course, i went into it and looked at the paintings and antiques. On the way back into city centre, i found the modern art museum, which had an amazing photography exhibition on display. I still had some time to kill before the train, so i went down to the shopping area to look for boots. Mine had been falling apart so luckily i managed to find a cute pair of black booties. That was the end of my Bath adventure. I really loved it there, with its many hills and stunning architecture. I definitely want to go back one day.

Easter Break: Cardiff - March 23-26, 2013

For some odd reason, the english universities get a whole month off for easter break. It is probably so that the regular students can write their thesis' and do final projects, but i find it a little ridiculous. But, since i had a month, i decided to take advantage of it and see as much as i could. The first place I went to was Cardiff in Wales!

When i was leaving Nottingham that morning, it was snowing. Wet, freezing snow. I was happy that as my train went further SW, the snow gradually disappeared until there was nothing at all. The first evening in Cardiff, I just walked around to get my bearings. The castle was literally down the street from my hostel, as were many of the main buildings. I also walked through the shopping area and browsed, as you do. I found a smaller museum in the city centre that was free and told the story of Cardiff, so i spent a decent amount of time there. The story of Cardiff is very interesting. As things close rather early in the UK, I went back to the hostel to make use of the wifi before going to bed. On the second day, I did the thing I was most excited for. I took a river boat down to Cardiff Bay and did the Doctor Who Experience. It was amazing and I recommend it to all Doctor Who fans. Afterwards, I returned to the city centre on the boat and got some lunch. I then went to the Natural History Museum and spent a good 3 hours in there. Lots of interesting things and also, free :). 

The next day i slept in, as i was meeting someone and hadn't been getting much sleep due to horrendous snorers. I went to the mall for a bit to waste time. When the person arrived (some one from my later contiki trip), we went to Cardiff Castle, which took several hours. It was so beautiful and rich looking and full of history. Within its grounds there was a Norman keep as well as a bunch of really cool birds. We found a Wok fastfood place afterwards and I was so happy cause it was just like Edo and good asian food is so hard to come by here. The next day, we took a long walk to a cathedral that had been bombed during WWII and also had a very expensive painting done by a pre-raphaelite artist. There were also some ruins near the cathedral that were used as a memorial site. After we walked back, we went down to the Bay by boat again and looked through the museums and buildings there. I stumbled upon a RIP Ianto wall on the docks, which made my Torchwood Fangirl heart incredibly happy. After that, we picked up our bags and caught the train to our next destination.

St. Patrick's Day Weekend in Dublin

For the St. Patrick's Day weekend, I crossed something off my bucket list. I went to Dublin. I found a company that would allow me to go in a group of university people, rather than alone, which was great. I managed to convince a friend to come with me as well, so I would have a buddy. To get there, we took a coach, driving a few hours through Wales to get to Holyhead, where we would take the ferry. It was raining a lot, but once we got away from the coast, the sun came out and the skies were bright blue. On the ferry, my friend Rhiannon and I started talking with two german exchange students who were also on the trip. One, the guy - Timur - actually lives below me in Raleigh Park. We clicked pretty fast and decided to make sure that the three of us girls would be in the same hotel room. We got to Dublin and had some time to settle and get ready for dinner. The hotel rooms were so nice, way better than i expected! We then went to have a group dinner, where i had salmon and stole someone's delicious potatos as they were not eating them. We met two more germans, a brother and sister, and that basically formed the group I spent the weekend with. After dinner, we went to a pub and had a few drinks before returning to the hotel, as the next day would be a very long one! 

Since it was St. Patrick's day and we were going to the parade, we all decided to wear our green group shirts for the day. Breakfast was a traditional Irish feast, but I only had some elements, as I am allergic to eggs. I tried the black and white puddings, but i really just couldn't eat it. The taste was not right, maybe i tasted the blood more than other people. The weather started out horrible, sleeting and grey, but turned into rain as the day went on. It pretty much stayed that way all day, unfortunately. Before the parade, we did a walking tour of central Dublin and learned some of the history. Then it was time for the parade. We found a decent spot, though our average and below average heights worked against us. The parade itself was not as awesome as it is rumoured to be, mostly because it was cold and raining and there were pretty large gaps between sections of the parade. None the less, the experience was worth it. Instead of immediately going to a pub like many tourists likely did, we got some lunch and then hit up all the major tourist spots, like several cathedrals and nice buildings. After a supper of McDonalds, we went to a pub where they spoke Gaelige and heard some music. A nice woman talked to us and taught us some of the language. After that, we went to another pub where we heard a live rock band. The guitarists were phenomenal, it was so amazing to watch and hear them play. After that, we went to another bar and ended up spending a few hours there, dancing, before heading back to the hotel to crash for the night. 

Our last day, monday, was reserved for major tourist things. We went to the Guiness storehouse and took a tour of that. We got to try the beer, which i personally really didn't like. As a beer, it was probably great, but as a strong disliker of beer in general, i really could't drink more than a little bit we got as a taste test. I used my free drink voucher for a coke! After that, our group headed down to the river and we walked alongside it, taking pictures as we headed towards the centre of Dublin. We stopped by the hard rock cafe in Temple Bar before going to Trinity College to try and see the Book of Kells. Unfortunately, it was closing when we got there, so we went to see Oliver Wilde's House instead. By then, it was raining pretty strongly, so we split up, the germans going to find a restaurant and Rhiannon and I going to see the Library and government buildings. We went to a tourist shop and I bought an "I love Ireland" t-shirt and then we joined the rest of the group. We had burgers for dinner and they were really good, but the service started out horrible. Our waiter didn't seem to like us and got my order wrong. I complained and they fixed my burger and gave me a free drink! After wasting some time there, we went to the bus stop, where we would get on our coach and make the 9 hour journey back to Nottingham overnight. All in all, a very enjoyable weekend and I loved seeing Dublin. The city is beautiful, but if i ever return, it will be in the summer! 

Nottingham Castle

I finally went to the Castle today! Since I finished my papers, I figured I would take a day to relax and go to city centre. Here's some history:

Nottingham Castle was originally a wood structure built by William the Conquerer when the Normans invaded. It was later replaced by a strone structure under King Henry II. It was used as a residence by King Edward III. The Castle was used for military defense during the War of the Roses. It was frequented by King Henry VIII, who apparently really liked the legend of Robin Hood. He had it reinforced and had the garisson increased. The Castle was used during the English Civil War, first by Charles I, but when he left, the Parlimentarians used it and held back the Royalists. The Castle was for the most part demolished in 1649 so that no one could use it as a military stronghold ever again, but the general outline was still distinguishable. The Ducal Mansion that stands there now was built in the 1670's by Henry Cavendish. There are still tunnels underneath it from the Castle, but i didn't have time to do the tunnel tour since i went pretty close to closing time. 

The Castle was burned down during a riot against the Duke in 1831 and it was not until the 1870's that it was restored. After it was restored, the mansion was turned into a museum by the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII). It's got a lot of cool stuff in there, but i couldn't take pictures. There is one room that has the uniforms and weapons, etc of the nottingham regiment for the past few centuries. There is a room with oil paintings from the early 20th century (some of which seriously just looked like lines of paint?!). They also had the Story of Nottingham - history of the town and castle and the legend of robin hood, etc. It was really cool to take in.

Even though it was crazy cold (it has been snowing on and off for the past few days), it was really nice just to go and appreciate the history behind it and the art within. 

The Gatehouse

Ducal Mansion

In front of the Mansion

Part of the Castle Wall

x

Brianna

Update

Wow, it has been almost a month since I last posted! Well, I haven't been any where exciting or done anything too cool, but i thought i would update you on what has been happening.

1) School: I have basically been working on papers. I have 3 due on the same day this week, March 15th,  so i have been crazy busy trying to write those over the last few weeks. I've finally finished them and just need to edit and cite one of them before i can hand them in! I've basically given up on keeping up in seminars, so i hope that since my papers are done i will be able to do more of the readings! I've got another presentation to to do this week, on Friday, ugh, but it is not for marks either so I don't care if it is super bad. I've only got 2 weeks of classes left before I get a month off for Easter break! You can bet i will have a lot to write for that! 

2) Laptop: I've had my computer since i started university almost 3 years ago and it started giving me trouble after about a year. Usually i have been able to rescue it, but not this time. About 2 weeks ago, it started taking ages to start. Like i would have to press the button 7 times before i actually got some signs of life. It kept going like that until one Thursday, it just stopped. I couldn't turn it on and when i pressed the button, it just beeped at me. The beeping was a code, which i eventually figured out to mean processor failure, meaning it was dead. Of course, i just happened to have 2 more papers to write. I ended up spending that weekend in the library writing one of my papers and trying to figure out what to do. I decided that i was going to get a small cheap laptop that would get me through the semester and then invest in a really really good one (aka Mac book , when i get home. So now i have a Google Chromebook, which is an entirely internet based laptop and basically all Google products. Which is fine, i can get used to that. But it is slow. And that i killing me. I can't tell if it is my Ethernet that is slow or the computer because i have yet to take it to campus. I got the zip case that i ordered so i will probably take it in this week to experiment. 

3) Travelling Plans: As I have said, Easter break is right around the corner and I've got it packed with plans. But first, there is St. Patrick's Day! I'm going to Dublin with a bunch of Uni kids, a few of which I know. I am so excited not only to see Dublin, but to experience the holiday in the country that does it best! Definitely  get to cross that off my bucket list! You can expect a post for that when I get back! A week after Dublin, I kick off Easter break with three nights in Cardiff, where I hope to see the Cardiff Castle and Doctor Who Exhibition, among other things. Then I head to Bath for 2 nights, where I hope to see the Roman Baths, Stonehenge, and in general, the place i have read about and seen in Jane Austen novels! After that, I am going to Oxford for 1 night and I want to see the university as well as the cathedral and all the amazing architecture! Then I got back to Nottingham for the weekend to get ready for my next trip! You'll probably get posts about these 3 places during that time as all I will be doing is laundry. And then... I go on a 2 week contiki trip that will take me to Paris, the Beaujolais Region, the French Riviera, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, through the Austrian Mountains to Munich, through the Rhine Valley and then to Amsterdam! I am so stoked to go on this trip. I went to Italy almost 5 years ago and can't wait to see it again and spend my 21st birthday there! I am taking advantage of the free transfer to London after the trip so I don't have to pay for the Eurostar and hope to go to Edinburgh for the weekend before school starts. Still need to plan that out though.

Anyway, that is pretty much everything important. Now to get back to citing my paper! 

x

Brianna

Wollaton Park

Today the weather was absolutely fantastic. The sun was shining, the wind was not strong at all and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. I would even say that it was warm out as well. I decided not to waste the weather, since we never know when the next time we'll get weather like this is. There is a park just a 25 minute walk from my flat that I have been told is great, so i took a walk and spent about two hours walking around and taking picture. Wollaton Park is known for the lovely Wollaton Hall, which was built during the Tudor Dynasty and has become a museum to showcase the collection that has been built up over the centuries. The Hall is filled with stuffed animals and birds, minerals, skeletons and much more. Everything is supposed to be real, done by amazing taxidermists over time who have made the skins last this long. It also has some of the remaining furniture and antiques that have been cared for by its caretakers. It has an incredible garden that i believe is home to a fountain in the summers. The entire park is also a deer park, though i did not see any deer in the places that i walked. I did however see plenty of dogs, for it is also an off leash park. There is a beautiful lake near the house as well. I should probably also mentioned that the house was used in the most recent Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, as Wayne Manor. I'm sure all you Dark Knight fans can tell that for yourselves. Here are some pictures I took:

 

 

 

x

Brianna