It might seem tourist-y or hoaky or cheesy, but another thing that Becky and I had to do while in London was visit Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. I wanted to go when I was in London the first time, but time (and, uh, money) kept my friend and I from playing there. I was determined not to let that happen this time, so Becks and I planned and budgeted for it.
We embarked on our journey to the stars (hehe! I made a pun!) on a cloudy Monday, late in the morning. We rationalized that if it were to be busy, most people would go early on in the day, right? Wrong. Well, maybe. Perhaps people had gone early in the day, but there was also many people there around noon. The line to get tickets was a fourty-five minute wait. Normally ADD Me would have gone crazy waiting, but there were some interactive displays that held my interest. I got to compare hand sizes of David Beckham and Michael Jackson and gaze at many glass eyeballs in a display case. (That was creepy.) I also observed the crowd: people from all across the globe seemed to assemble just for the chance for a Kodak moment with Brangelina.
Once we secured our tickets we were transported to another world through interactive displays that showed off the wax figures. The first room was the Red Carpet room, where the most popular celebrity figurines waited for you to snap pictures with them. I rubbed elbows with Julia Roberts, talked smack with the men of Pulp Fiction and crazied it up with Tom Cruise. It was eery how lifelike the figures were. Some of them were spot-on and eerily lifelike. Others were awful. The figure of Jennifer Aniston made her look like a horse-faced man, while J.Lo's behind was roughly the size semi truck.
The Movie Room was a lot of fun, too. Little boys went crazy over the Spiderman figure and everyone was enchanted by the Shrek figure. Becky and I posed by Steven Spielburg and Becky kept giggling because she was slightly creeped out by how real he looked. They also had props you could wear. Like I'd pass up an opportunity to don a pink cowboy hat and feather boa!
Another fun room was the history room, where people can take a meeting with a queen, kiss up to Prince William, debate physics with Einstein and wax poetic with Shakespeare. I did all of those things--I adore photo opportunities!
Something really interesting to me was the World Leaders display. They had figures of everyone from Nixon and Lincoln to Ghandi and the Pope, but they also had a figure of Hitler. I later learned that the figure I had seen was the fourth one of his likeness. People feel compelled to hurt the figurine when they see it. I don't blame them!
Besides the interactive-ness of the figures, there was a fun display where you could type in your name, choose a flag and a theme song and be proclaimed the next world leader. Under a brightly colored flag, with the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" playing, I was proclaimed Queen of the World. I loved that I was able to subject hundreds of people to the Spice Girls for a couple of minutes. I got a couple of dirty looks for it, but it also got some giggles from people and some adorable little girls to dance!
I had a lot of fun at Madame Tussauds. It seemed a little cheesy at first, but once I started posing with celebrities, I got really into it. I figured it would be the only time in my life I'd get to pose with Harry Potter or Will Smith. I'm motivated by Kodak opportunities and this provided plenty of them. It was also a great way to learn about some world leaders and the art of wax sculpting. I unintentionally stepped into a great learning opportunity when all I planned on doing was posing with Johnny Depp. It showed me that learning can occur anywhere and that it should--perhaps we just need to learn how to capitalize on it.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tower-ing
While other classmates opted to ride a stinky bus around to see the city, Becky and I had other ideas. We formulated a very specific list of goals we wanted to accomplish while in London. Because we are so Student-Affairs-goal-oriented. And dorks.
We decided to cross a big thing off our list right away, since we figured it'd take nearly an afternoon: Tower of London. I was excited to see the tower because I wanted a photo opp with a Beefeater. Seriously. That was the reason I wanted to see the Tower of London. That, and I wanted to see the Crown Jewels. What girl can resist a bunch of diamonds and platinum objects? Not I!
Touring the Tower was really enjoyable. The currators are to be commended because they made the displays very engaging and interactive. Most rooms had displays with stories or myths behind the royalty that lived there. There were also some polls where you could vote with your opinion and see what others thoughts. The best display told the story of the mystery of the two princes who lived in the Tower. They mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again when they were very young and many suspect their uncle murdered them so he could take the crown. Learning about the legend sent shivers down my spine; I felt I was standing in a place where history had occurred. It was a thrilling sensation that still prickles my skin as I think about it now.
Seeing the jewels was quite the experience. They make it clear when you enter the building that there are to be no pictures taken. I witnessed a couple being escorted from the premises because the guy had snapped a picture at the entrance of the display, not even of the jewels themselves. The rooms leading up the actual crown jewels house other treasures, like golden punch bowls the size of bird baths and baby rattles encased in more jewels than a Tiffanys sells. The amount of wealth displayed was mind-blowing to me. The fact that so many pricey objects even exist seems nearly unbelievable. It almost seems like a waste--it seems very showy and a little pointless. (That's saying something coming from a girl who can't have enough pieces of jewelry.)
The jewels were stunning, though. The display was interesting. The crowns, of course, were under lock, key and thick glass. By the cases were moving walkways, so you couldn't just loiter and gaze at the pretty things. That was sad because there were a couple of gorgeous crowns I could have stared at for hours. Some of the jewels on the crowns were as big as my fist. I didn't know such things existed. And now? Now I kind of want to be royalty because I want to wear a crown that has pretty purple gems on it.
I took a lot from the Tower of London. I learned a lot about the royal family and the history behind it. The stories I heard will stay with me for a long time and remind me that I should make some of my own. And now I have an urge to hunt down a prince so I can become royalty....
We decided to cross a big thing off our list right away, since we figured it'd take nearly an afternoon: Tower of London. I was excited to see the tower because I wanted a photo opp with a Beefeater. Seriously. That was the reason I wanted to see the Tower of London. That, and I wanted to see the Crown Jewels. What girl can resist a bunch of diamonds and platinum objects? Not I!
Touring the Tower was really enjoyable. The currators are to be commended because they made the displays very engaging and interactive. Most rooms had displays with stories or myths behind the royalty that lived there. There were also some polls where you could vote with your opinion and see what others thoughts. The best display told the story of the mystery of the two princes who lived in the Tower. They mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again when they were very young and many suspect their uncle murdered them so he could take the crown. Learning about the legend sent shivers down my spine; I felt I was standing in a place where history had occurred. It was a thrilling sensation that still prickles my skin as I think about it now.
Seeing the jewels was quite the experience. They make it clear when you enter the building that there are to be no pictures taken. I witnessed a couple being escorted from the premises because the guy had snapped a picture at the entrance of the display, not even of the jewels themselves. The rooms leading up the actual crown jewels house other treasures, like golden punch bowls the size of bird baths and baby rattles encased in more jewels than a Tiffanys sells. The amount of wealth displayed was mind-blowing to me. The fact that so many pricey objects even exist seems nearly unbelievable. It almost seems like a waste--it seems very showy and a little pointless. (That's saying something coming from a girl who can't have enough pieces of jewelry.)
The jewels were stunning, though. The display was interesting. The crowns, of course, were under lock, key and thick glass. By the cases were moving walkways, so you couldn't just loiter and gaze at the pretty things. That was sad because there were a couple of gorgeous crowns I could have stared at for hours. Some of the jewels on the crowns were as big as my fist. I didn't know such things existed. And now? Now I kind of want to be royalty because I want to wear a crown that has pretty purple gems on it.
I took a lot from the Tower of London. I learned a lot about the royal family and the history behind it. The stories I heard will stay with me for a long time and remind me that I should make some of my own. And now I have an urge to hunt down a prince so I can become royalty....
Sunday, May 18, 2008
London! Home of my Heart!
Wheeeeeee!!!!
We're finally in London! Which means it's the last leg of the trip! And we have lots of free time! And we're in the city that I adore! Wheeeee!!!
Now! Off to reunite with my long-lost love!*
*And by long-lost love, I do mean the city and not some British dude. Although that would be nice too. These accents! They get to me!
We're finally in London! Which means it's the last leg of the trip! And we have lots of free time! And we're in the city that I adore! Wheeeee!!!
Now! Off to reunite with my long-lost love!*
*And by long-lost love, I do mean the city and not some British dude. Although that would be nice too. These accents! They get to me!
Cambridge, Day 2
Our second/last day in Cambridge was a free day for us. I was excited to see more of the charming city that we toured on Friday, so Becky and I set out early to explore parts we had yet to see.
Our first stop was the Wren Library. I wanted to see it for one reason: Winnie the Pooh. AA Milne was a student of Cambridge, so when Winnie the Pooh became popular, he donated his hand-written script of the first novel to the Wren Library on Cambridge's campus. Upon arrival at the library, we learned that not only was it the home of this classic treasure, but it also housed transcripts and letters of Sir Isaac Newton and an eighth-century illustrated Bible. The collection was vast and each treasure was hidden under a thick velvet covering inside of a locked glass case. The atmosphere was hushed and slightly reverent, as if each visitor knew we were in the presence of things that were nearly mythical.
Towards the outside of the Wren Library are columned halls where Newton discovered the speed of sound by clapping and then measuring how long it took to hear the echo through the marbled hall. This delighted me to no end, so once I was done viewing the books, I stomped and clapped and pretended to be all scientifical. In all reality I probably looked and acted like a crazed toddler, but I'm sure I'm not the first to try it.
After satisfying my need to make noise, we headed to the open air market in the center of the city. There, booths sold everything from shimmering scarves to techinicolor flowers to potent cheeses and fresh meats. There was a myriad of people from all areas of the globe and all walks of life mingling and eyeing the goods for sale. Aromas filled the air as sausages were grilled and pad thai was concocted for hungry market-goers. Becky and I wandered for a couple of hours, fingering the gorgeous scarves (I ended up with, um, 3 new ones--I have no willpower), people-watching and sampling the local food.
It began to drizzle in the early afternoon, so my suggestion to go wander a bookstore sounded good by Becky. We found one and I set about finding a copy of Winnie the Pooh. I figured that I had just seen the original copy, so I shouldn't leave without a copy of my own. I found a beautifully bound copy, so I was happy. The rest of our afternoon was spent out of the rain in a cozy coffeeshop (ok, so it was Starbucks, but that was all we could find), reading and journaling. It all felt very collegiate and homey. I love afternoons spent with a good book, so the fact that it was coupled with the fact that I was in England made me all the more blissful.
Our first stop was the Wren Library. I wanted to see it for one reason: Winnie the Pooh. AA Milne was a student of Cambridge, so when Winnie the Pooh became popular, he donated his hand-written script of the first novel to the Wren Library on Cambridge's campus. Upon arrival at the library, we learned that not only was it the home of this classic treasure, but it also housed transcripts and letters of Sir Isaac Newton and an eighth-century illustrated Bible. The collection was vast and each treasure was hidden under a thick velvet covering inside of a locked glass case. The atmosphere was hushed and slightly reverent, as if each visitor knew we were in the presence of things that were nearly mythical.
Towards the outside of the Wren Library are columned halls where Newton discovered the speed of sound by clapping and then measuring how long it took to hear the echo through the marbled hall. This delighted me to no end, so once I was done viewing the books, I stomped and clapped and pretended to be all scientifical. In all reality I probably looked and acted like a crazed toddler, but I'm sure I'm not the first to try it.
After satisfying my need to make noise, we headed to the open air market in the center of the city. There, booths sold everything from shimmering scarves to techinicolor flowers to potent cheeses and fresh meats. There was a myriad of people from all areas of the globe and all walks of life mingling and eyeing the goods for sale. Aromas filled the air as sausages were grilled and pad thai was concocted for hungry market-goers. Becky and I wandered for a couple of hours, fingering the gorgeous scarves (I ended up with, um, 3 new ones--I have no willpower), people-watching and sampling the local food.
It began to drizzle in the early afternoon, so my suggestion to go wander a bookstore sounded good by Becky. We found one and I set about finding a copy of Winnie the Pooh. I figured that I had just seen the original copy, so I shouldn't leave without a copy of my own. I found a beautifully bound copy, so I was happy. The rest of our afternoon was spent out of the rain in a cozy coffeeshop (ok, so it was Starbucks, but that was all we could find), reading and journaling. It all felt very collegiate and homey. I love afternoons spent with a good book, so the fact that it was coupled with the fact that I was in England made me all the more blissful.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Cambridge, Day 1
I don't know what it is, but for some reason we cannot seem to arrive anywhere on time. Perhaps it's because things seem like they're going in slow-motion in the United Kingdom. Or maybe it's because of a lack of good planning. Whatever it is, again, we arrived late, this time to Cambridge. While annoying (because, trust me, I am very annoyed because aren't we supposed to act as professionals here? How professional can one be when being herded off a bus and told they have to not eat for another few hours? Shouldn't we be preparing to be early and not late? Doesn't this make us look bad?!? But I digress...), it serves as a good reminder for how to act--and prepare--for when I am in the field. A couple of lessons lie within these constant late arrivals:
1.) Always allow enough time to travel. If a website or person says it'll take an hour, allow at least an hour and a half. Maybe that's the neurotic being that I am, but I'd rather be early than apologize for making people wait.
2.) Never trust MapQuest. Never. I've always gotten lost while using it and now? Now it's given our driver faulty time estimates, which goes back to my first lesson of allowing puh-lenty of travel time. Seriously.
3.) Enjoy the ride. While severely annoyed by this, I realized there was nothing I personally could do to make us get there on time. All I could do was breathe deeply, put on some good tunes on my iPod and watch the gorgeous British scenery. I theorized that if I looked at this as a gift, it would be come a gift. And it did.
After checking into our lovely, um, temporary home (see last entry for full details), we all headed into the heart of the city for our visit with a couple of faculty members from Cambridge University. The walk to the campus was lovely, albeit drizzling. Cambridge is exactly what I would picture a university city to be: charming, full of brick and stone buildings and lots of friendly people. The lawns and parks were lush--a shade of green I rarely see. A shade that tells that the city indeed gets plenty of rain and this makes for a gorgeous and picturesque scene.
Nearing campus, I noticed that the roads were narrow and didn't allow for cars to park. Then I realized that there weren't too many cars around. Instead bikes lined alleyways and were locked around anything stationary. I later found out that undergraduates cannot have cars, so bicycling was the preferred form of transportation for most of the student body, even during the chilly winter months. I was charmed and delighted by the rows of multi-colored bikes, which turned up everywhere I went.
The visit with the professors from Cambridge was very interesting and enlightening for a couple of reasons. They were both warm, welcoming and quite entertaining. It was interesting to hear about how this prestigious institution does things. The school is broken into 31 distinct colleges, where students live and learn. Each college has its own faculty and staff who work closely with the students. Our hosts made it very clear that they were tied to the students and that they cared about their progress and success. They all personally know their students and work closely to ensure that they are successful. What I took from the presentation is this: you have to be among the best to get into this school for a reason. Once you're in, though, it's almost impossible to fail because of the amount of support behind you, helping you. The faculty and staff will do anything to help their students. One thing that sticks out to me was that one of our hosts said that no student should have to leave Cambridge for monetary reasons; they'll find ways to help students out no matter what the problem. It was really inspiring to see how devoted they are to them.
After our talk with the faculty, we were taken on a tour around the campus. The school isn't strictly a campus like in America, where there is the campus and then the city surrounds it. Instead, the campus and city coexist and intertwine. One minute you can be walking through one of the schools and the next you'll be strolling down a street filled with shops and cafes. I learned that the schools actually own much of the city's land and rent it out in order to make money to pay for upkeep on buildings and to pay salaries and such. Everything we saw was intentionally a part of the school even if we didn't realize it.
Our guide told us many legends, fables and tales about the school and its history. At one point we were in one of the churches on campus (each school has its own church, so there were 31 different churches) and we found out that Oliver Cromwell's head was buried somewhere in the premises. We left the building soon after that tale was told thankfully.
One of my favorite stories was told outside of King's College. On the top of the entrance there is a statue of King Henry VIII, who funded the school. In one hand is supposed to be a sceptor. One night, nearly a hundred years ago, a student scrambled up the wall where the statue stands and replaced the king's sceptor with a chair leg. It stayed that way for a while and when officials found out the prank, they found it so amusing that they let it stay because they recognize the value of good legends. The school is full of legends and stories like that, which make the school both more real and more magical to me. Cambridge has been in existance since the 1200s, so the stories we heard on the tour have been handed down through many generations of students. To think what that must do for their pride and sense of identity--it's amazing. It makes me value the things that schools do to invoke pride and investment in students. And it's something I believe professionals should always strive to do in order to help students succeed. Between the legends, stories and commitment of the faculty and staff of Cambridge, it's no surprise that it's lasted this long and that it has the prestigious image that it does.
While I may not be fortunate enough to work for this school, I will definitely carry a bit of Cambridge pride with me through life because I can now say that I studied there...if only for a day or two!
1.) Always allow enough time to travel. If a website or person says it'll take an hour, allow at least an hour and a half. Maybe that's the neurotic being that I am, but I'd rather be early than apologize for making people wait.
2.) Never trust MapQuest. Never. I've always gotten lost while using it and now? Now it's given our driver faulty time estimates, which goes back to my first lesson of allowing puh-lenty of travel time. Seriously.
3.) Enjoy the ride. While severely annoyed by this, I realized there was nothing I personally could do to make us get there on time. All I could do was breathe deeply, put on some good tunes on my iPod and watch the gorgeous British scenery. I theorized that if I looked at this as a gift, it would be come a gift. And it did.
After checking into our lovely, um, temporary home (see last entry for full details), we all headed into the heart of the city for our visit with a couple of faculty members from Cambridge University. The walk to the campus was lovely, albeit drizzling. Cambridge is exactly what I would picture a university city to be: charming, full of brick and stone buildings and lots of friendly people. The lawns and parks were lush--a shade of green I rarely see. A shade that tells that the city indeed gets plenty of rain and this makes for a gorgeous and picturesque scene.
Nearing campus, I noticed that the roads were narrow and didn't allow for cars to park. Then I realized that there weren't too many cars around. Instead bikes lined alleyways and were locked around anything stationary. I later found out that undergraduates cannot have cars, so bicycling was the preferred form of transportation for most of the student body, even during the chilly winter months. I was charmed and delighted by the rows of multi-colored bikes, which turned up everywhere I went.
The visit with the professors from Cambridge was very interesting and enlightening for a couple of reasons. They were both warm, welcoming and quite entertaining. It was interesting to hear about how this prestigious institution does things. The school is broken into 31 distinct colleges, where students live and learn. Each college has its own faculty and staff who work closely with the students. Our hosts made it very clear that they were tied to the students and that they cared about their progress and success. They all personally know their students and work closely to ensure that they are successful. What I took from the presentation is this: you have to be among the best to get into this school for a reason. Once you're in, though, it's almost impossible to fail because of the amount of support behind you, helping you. The faculty and staff will do anything to help their students. One thing that sticks out to me was that one of our hosts said that no student should have to leave Cambridge for monetary reasons; they'll find ways to help students out no matter what the problem. It was really inspiring to see how devoted they are to them.
After our talk with the faculty, we were taken on a tour around the campus. The school isn't strictly a campus like in America, where there is the campus and then the city surrounds it. Instead, the campus and city coexist and intertwine. One minute you can be walking through one of the schools and the next you'll be strolling down a street filled with shops and cafes. I learned that the schools actually own much of the city's land and rent it out in order to make money to pay for upkeep on buildings and to pay salaries and such. Everything we saw was intentionally a part of the school even if we didn't realize it.
Our guide told us many legends, fables and tales about the school and its history. At one point we were in one of the churches on campus (each school has its own church, so there were 31 different churches) and we found out that Oliver Cromwell's head was buried somewhere in the premises. We left the building soon after that tale was told thankfully.
One of my favorite stories was told outside of King's College. On the top of the entrance there is a statue of King Henry VIII, who funded the school. In one hand is supposed to be a sceptor. One night, nearly a hundred years ago, a student scrambled up the wall where the statue stands and replaced the king's sceptor with a chair leg. It stayed that way for a while and when officials found out the prank, they found it so amusing that they let it stay because they recognize the value of good legends. The school is full of legends and stories like that, which make the school both more real and more magical to me. Cambridge has been in existance since the 1200s, so the stories we heard on the tour have been handed down through many generations of students. To think what that must do for their pride and sense of identity--it's amazing. It makes me value the things that schools do to invoke pride and investment in students. And it's something I believe professionals should always strive to do in order to help students succeed. Between the legends, stories and commitment of the faculty and staff of Cambridge, it's no surprise that it's lasted this long and that it has the prestigious image that it does.
While I may not be fortunate enough to work for this school, I will definitely carry a bit of Cambridge pride with me through life because I can now say that I studied there...if only for a day or two!
Hostel Hell
Whomever decided to move us from the sweet, amazing, lovely, heavenly hotel to this hostel deserves to be shot. Or incarcerated. Or shot and then incarcerated. Because to go from the hotel to the hell hole I currently am residing is nothing short of a crime.
I am not even kidding. First of all, the place we're in looks NOTHING like the picture on their site. At all. The site made it look like it was a pleasant Bed and Breakfast-type house in the middle of Cambridge. The reality was that it looked like a brick project from 1960s downtown Detroit.
And the beds. Oh my GOD the bed. It would have been healthier for me to sleep on pavement or cobblestones than the two-inch mat they call a mattress. When I woke up this morning I felt like a 95-year-old with debilitating arthritis, I was aching so badly. I hurt.
On the bright side at least now I can say I've experienced a hostel. And I can say that I hate it. But at least I now know. And at least now I know that I will pay the extra money for a hotel. Because my inner 95-year-old can't handle this type of place.
I am not even kidding. First of all, the place we're in looks NOTHING like the picture on their site. At all. The site made it look like it was a pleasant Bed and Breakfast-type house in the middle of Cambridge. The reality was that it looked like a brick project from 1960s downtown Detroit.
And the beds. Oh my GOD the bed. It would have been healthier for me to sleep on pavement or cobblestones than the two-inch mat they call a mattress. When I woke up this morning I felt like a 95-year-old with debilitating arthritis, I was aching so badly. I hurt.
On the bright side at least now I can say I've experienced a hostel. And I can say that I hate it. But at least I now know. And at least now I know that I will pay the extra money for a hotel. Because my inner 95-year-old can't handle this type of place.
Sleeping Sweet in Leeds
After visiting York for the day, we rolled into Leeds, roughly 45 minutes away. Apparently there was some sort of big sporting event around York, so all the hotels were booked up, so we were fortunate enough to see yet another big city of England.
I, for one, was thrilled when I saw Leeds on the itinerary for one reason. The Spice Girls. Or, rather, Scary Spice. Scary was my faaaaavorite Spice Girl of. All. Time. And she happened to grow up in Leeds. (Thank you, SpiceWorld, for that vital tidbit of information.) So when we got there, I was all "hellooooo Leeds! Thank you for giving the world Scary Spice! EEEE!" (Seriously. I have the photos to prove it.)
Besides the excitement of being in the Home of Scary Spice, the other fabulous thing about Leeds was that we got to stay in a hotel. A REAL hotel, complete with internet connections and air conditioning and soft, sweet, mushy beds. And cable. Oh, how I missed cable. Granted, there was nothing good to watch on television, but just having it near felt comforting. I didn't think I would enjoy a hotel after residing in a castle and a palace, but I was so very VERY wrong. I sunk into my bed and did not want to get up for anything. I zoned out and stared at the t.v. for a couple of hours. I relished the air conditioning. I hugged my unbelievably mushy pillow. I used my electronics without fear of it blowing the entire electrical system of the building.
The little things that I had gone without for nearly a week. They felt gooooood. It was a delicious treat. I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night.
I, for one, was thrilled when I saw Leeds on the itinerary for one reason. The Spice Girls. Or, rather, Scary Spice. Scary was my faaaaavorite Spice Girl of. All. Time. And she happened to grow up in Leeds. (Thank you, SpiceWorld, for that vital tidbit of information.) So when we got there, I was all "hellooooo Leeds! Thank you for giving the world Scary Spice! EEEE!" (Seriously. I have the photos to prove it.)
Besides the excitement of being in the Home of Scary Spice, the other fabulous thing about Leeds was that we got to stay in a hotel. A REAL hotel, complete with internet connections and air conditioning and soft, sweet, mushy beds. And cable. Oh, how I missed cable. Granted, there was nothing good to watch on television, but just having it near felt comforting. I didn't think I would enjoy a hotel after residing in a castle and a palace, but I was so very VERY wrong. I sunk into my bed and did not want to get up for anything. I zoned out and stared at the t.v. for a couple of hours. I relished the air conditioning. I hugged my unbelievably mushy pillow. I used my electronics without fear of it blowing the entire electrical system of the building.
The little things that I had gone without for nearly a week. They felt gooooood. It was a delicious treat. I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night.
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