Seeing London

London has been treating me extraordinarily well. I have been here for only a few days, but I have had so much fun. We decided to take this day to cover all of the “tourist attractions” of London. After a beautiful service at the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, Dakota, Meghan, James, Cory, Bivens and I followed Jeff as he took us on a tour of the city of London. We saw Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Speaker’s Square, Green Park, Buckingham Castle and many other sites. We ended our day with a delicious dinner at a Japanese restaurant.

Standing in Line to See the Show Tonight

We did it! Meghan, Dakota, Daniel, Stacey and I woke up early this morning and stood in line at the theater of Spring Awakening. Fortunately, we were able to purchase tickets to the hottest, sold out show in London..not to mention on closing day! After we retrieved our tickets, we went to the science museum and explored its exhibits for some time before we had to head back to the hotel to get ready for the show tonight. We saw the play, and although I am glad I got to see this show, I was not extremely impressed. The actors had a lot of talent, but the storyline was kind of weak. I did enjoy myself and I think that the show was worth the wait.

Tea for Three

Afternoon tea was enjoyed by Courtney, Meghan and me this afternoon. After exploring the wonderful world of Harrods, a multi-level store that sells everything imaginable, we went to the Georgian Restaurant, which sits on the top floor of this shopper’s paradise. Sipping on tea and nibbling on scones, we had the pleasure of experience an English afternoon tea (simultaneously as the Queen was having hers!). After our delightful tea, we went to Leister Square to try to score some half price tickets. We really wanted to see Spring Awakening, but it was completely sold out, and tomorrow is the last show. Oh well, maybe we can see a different show another night. I would really love to see Mamma Mia.

London Calling!

Today we made the relatively short journey from Bath to London. We pulled up to the hotel, unloaded our luggage and checked into our rooms. We had our travel passes, and we used them to take the bus to Oxford Street. We walked around and checked out some of the stores. One of the stores in particular, Primark, was chaotically crowded. The masses of people in that one store possessed the caliber of five Black Friday shopping days. The line to try clothes on was at least 50 people long! Deciding to beat the crowd early the next day, we left and searched for a place to eat dinner. Eventually we found a Tex Mex restaurant and ate there. We walked back to our hotel and relaxed for a little bit while deciding what our evening plans should entail. Finally we agreed to check out the hookah bar located two blocks from our hotel. We met two French boys and three Dutch boys. They were all very friendly and fun. After they left, we met two English boys and played a game of cards with them. The night was coming to an end-or so we thought- and we decided to leave the hookah bar and go back to our hotel. On the way back, we met a group of people who were staying across the street from us. They invited us out to a club called Punk, so we joined them. We took the bus to Piccadilly Circus, and then walked the rest of the way to the club. As we were approaching the entrance, we saw that the line was extremely long, but Cameron, one of our newfound friends, walked right up to the bouncer and gave him his name, which was on the list for the night. We waited zero minutes and only had to pay half of the cover charge! We danced our first night in London away and had a fabulous time! We left the club when we started to get tired and surprisingly ran into Juanita and Chelsea at the bus stop. While waiting for our bus to pull up, we met an actor and an actress from one of London’s current plays, entitled Blood Brothers. I also had an interesting conversation with a man about prejudices in Europe. Finally getting back to our hotel, we went upstairs and fell asleep. London has proven to be an exhausting, yet exciting, town.

Liverpool/Last Night at the Manor

Today was our last day at Harlaxton. Leaving is a bitter-sweet occasion because I am excited to continue travelling around the United Kingdom, but it also means that our trip is about halfway over, and I think it has gone by very quickly.

Anyway, Meghan, Justin and I spent our day in Liverpool. The train ride was pretty long (about 3 hours), but it was totally worth it. We left early and arrived around noon in the city. After grabbing a snack at Costa, we acquired a map and followed it to Albert Dock, the place where The Beatles’ Story is located. The Beatles’ Story is the only permanent Beatles museum in the world, and it contains a walk-through of Beatles’ facts, pictures, songs and possessions. I really enjoyed the tour, especially since I am a Beatles’ fan. After we finished our time at the museum, we walked through the city and its shops. Most major cities have a tour on the “Ducks,” which is a vehicle that runs on land and water. The Ducks in Liverpool are called “The Yellow Duck Marines.” I thought this name was cool because it plays off the song “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles. By the time we finished shopping and grabbed a quick dinner, it was time to head back to the train station. On the way back, we met a college-age British boy who was really sweet. He told us a lot about the school system, medical system and many other facets of life in England. I like hearing the citizens’ opinions and ideas because I think they add to the cultural experience in a much more personal manner, differing from an ordinary tour guide’s speech. Once we arrived back on Grantham, we called for a taxi and returned to the Manor. Hearing commotion from the Bistro, we ventured down the stairs and found everyone celebrating our last night. We joined in the festivities and had a wonderful last evening at Harlaxton Manor.

Trip Feedback and Advice

1) what you enjoyed most about the trip
I liked how we were free and encouraged to be independent and travel on our free weekends. I also like the various trips we took together (Stratford-Upon-Avon, play at the Globe and Hadrian's Wall). I'm glad they were planned out ahead of time because I don't think I would have found some of them on my own.

2) what you enjoyed the least
I know that in order to make the most of our time here, we have to wake up early for traveling and class, but I felt like I went to bed really late and woke up really early. I think maybe making class time and hour or so later (especially after a day travel trip) would help.

3) suggestions for next year
I would suggest staying a week less in the manor and going somewhere else, like Paris. Also, more days on the Brit Rail pass would have been nice.

4) advice for next year's students about what to do, not do, what to bring, etc.
-For clothing, pack layers so you have a variety of clothing to adjust to the varying weather.
-Definitely bring a coat (preferably waterproof).
-To keep in contact with people back home, I recommend using Skype. It is free and you get to see the person on the other end as well as talk to them like a phone conversation. If you don't bring your laptop/webcam/mic for skype, buy a calling card and make sure it can be used internationally on pay phones. Some calling cards can only be used in the states or only on cell phones.
-I would definitely keep a journal or a blog and take tons of pictures (even if you aren't in the visual story telling class).
-Also, definitely take advantage of free weekends: use that time to travel to other European places (such as France, Paris or even other places in the U.K. by train). Don't waste days hanging around the manor, unless you absolutely need to catch up on sleep or work. If you do decide to make independent travel trips, plan out ahead of time how you will get to the train station/airport, which train/flight you will take, and how to get to each of your destinations before you arrive. This way, you save time trying to figure everything out when you get there.
-Lastly, try new things! This trip is all about gaining new experiences, so be spontaneous (but also safe)! =]

5 Pics or Less 5: 'Orange' You Glad You Had Your Vitamin C?

Response Essay 3

Tourism can be considered a form of art. The camera, serving as the artist’s paintbrush, etches an object, landscape or person onto a piece of paper, and sculpts the memory of a tourist. Photographs allow a person to relive their experiences, share their journeys and savor the culture of a foreign land.

Photography can be more that an art form; it can help people become in tune with themselves. In his article, “Revealing the Unseen: Tourism, Art and Photography,” Steve Garlick relates self actualization to photography through memory. Steve Garlick states, “The construction of self-identity involves a relation to the past whereby events located in another time and space bring their force to bear on the present.” By viewing a photograph, we are able to recall not only the physical state of an object in a photograph, but we are also able to recall emotions and other memories linked to the contents of the photograph. Viewing a picture that was taken in the past enables a person to see how much they have grown, both in appearance and maturity, since that particular point in time. Garlick discusses relations to the past when he asserts, “The connections thus engendered affect both our sense of change and our sense of stability in our identities.” Our personal stability can be fortified through photographs because the act of taking pictures proves to the tourist later on that the object actually exists. The object of the picture is established as being real and validates the person’s relation to its focus. Also, pictures of other people help the individuals to shape their perception of themselves by seeing how they differ from others. Garlick agrees, “In photographing the ‘other,’ the emphasis is primarily on difference, that is, a difference from ‘me,’ who is thereby defined by the relation.” Photographs enable a person to link to the past, validate experiences and distinguish themselves from other people. These qualities of photographs enable a person to know themselves in a deeper manner, and are motives for tourists to take pictures.

Although the author made some positive assertions about tourism and photography, he also made quite a few negative ones. I particularly disagree when the author states, “..the task of capturing one’s holiday experiences on film is a misguided project that erects barrier to other possibilities that may inhere with touristic experience.” I feel that taking pictures actually opens up doors for tourists. Although sometimes the “locals” may be a little bit irritated by tourists, they oftentimes find them to be amusing and allow them certain privileges. When taking pictures of the locals, some of them will jump in your photograph with a crazy face or weird outfit. I feel that experiences like these only add to the spontaneity and adventures to a tourist’s travel experience. Also, taking pictures extends the trip as a lifelong memory because the person is able to refer back to his or her travels through the medium of a picture.

All in all, the author conveys photography within tourism in both positive and negative lights, but he does not particularly advocate it. I liked the point Garlick makes about self-actualization, but I was not fond of his discouragement from taking pictures as a tourist, especially when he says, “We might wonder…whether such a conception of touristic photography is at all a realistic possibility.” With this sentence, the author is challenging the ability of a picture to provoke thought, an idea I disagree with because I feel photos evoke thought and aid a person into pondering the past. After pointing out many faults of photography within tourism, the author does not label it as a “bad activity,” but he does not put it on a pedestal, based on his assertions dealing with the faults of this particular occurrence of photography.

I take pictures while I am on vacation because I like to look back and remember the fun experiences I had. I also like to take pictures because I can tell my friends and family all about my trip upon my return. Pictures serve as a visual aid, and most of the time, accurately portray a beautiful landscape, differences in culture or a great accomplishment. Words can only go so far before they are translated and personalized in another person’s mind, but pictures provide an accurate description of what was seen or experienced. While travelling, I tend to take more landscape pictures than I do at home and school. I believe I try to capture my surroundings because they are different from home, and I want to remember the “world as it really is”. Although I do like to take pictures of myself and travelling buddies at certain sights, I take more pictures of my family and friends while I am at home or school.

After I have taken pictures, I usually print them and put my favorites in frames or on my wall, especially at school. These pictures serve as a reminder of my travels and allow me to view my progression as a person. Sometimes, I even give framed pictures as gifts because it is like giving a memory and is personal. I post some pictures on facebook because my friends and family like to see what (and how) I am doing. I feel facebook is a good way to stay connected to the rest of the world and posting pictures allows me to not only compile them on an Internet source, but also share my fun.

Punting in Cambridge

Today turned out to be so much fun! After lunch, we all finished our photo stories and decided to use our BritRail passes to spend the day in Cambridge. We walked around the town for a little while until we came to the river. We had decided to go punting, which is basically a boat ride propelled by a punter who pushes the boat against the riverbed with a pole. Punting was so relaxing and very enjoyable. Our punter was hilarious, and he told us jokes in addition to some facts about the buildings we saw along the river. When we passed under a bridge, four young boys shouted to us, “Would you like some sweets?” We looked up and the boys started showering us with yummy candies. We also met other people on punts that passed by us. Punting was definitely a calming activity, especially since we have been travelling around nonstop. Once we arrived back at the docks, our punter recommended that we check out the Cambridge Beer Festival that was currently taking place. We took his suggestion and walk through the park toward the festival. The event was housed by a row of very large white tents. Each tent housed shelves with multiple rows of beer, cider and wine barrels. We purchased cup and sampled some of the refreshing cider. After we bought our half pints, we went outside, bought some Thai food for dinner and sat among the crowd that had gathered in a Woodstock-like fashion. A man sitting nearby had brought his guitar and was strumming some familiar notes. We just sat back and listened. When it was time to go home, we went back to the train station and travelled back to Grantham.

Today was truly pleasant in a rejuvenating way, because we were able to experience England, but also relax, unwind and have fun.

Response Essay 2

Changing the content of a photograph that is published in a magazine or newspaper is wrong because it depicts a false illusion, and it is essentially a lie. Dictionary.com defines lying as “to express what is false, or to convey a false impression.” Altering images does just that. The purpose of newspapers and most magazines is to inform the public with facts, not lies. From the article “NPPA Calls Newsweek's Martha Stewart
Cover ‘A Major Ethical Breach,’” is the following quotation, “We try to make the point that photojournalism is about truth. It's about reality.” Editing images to portray something that did not happen or altering an event to persuade the audience to a certain side is not being truthful and undermines the very purpose of the media.

The article “Pictures May Not Lie But Doctored Photos Change History,” explains how doctoring photographs have a more severe consequence than simply breaking ethical standards. Changing a picture, which is supposed to be a representation of reality, not only changes the truth, but also changes opinions, memories and emotional responses of the audience. These changes are not just speculations, but are backed up by research outcomes. This research evidence is described in the same article’s beginning statement, “Doctored photos of past public events can influence what people think they remember of the incident, as well as altering their attitudes and any subsequent responses, according to research published today in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.” With these new findings, the media has an even bigger responsibility to portray facts because it is not only reporting what will become history, but the media is ultimately shaping history. Franca Agnoli, the supervisor of this research supports this idea with her statement, “One major result was that viewing modified images affected not only the way people remember past public events, but also their attitudes and behavioral intentions.”

Based on the known consequences of editing images, I think that very minimum doctoring should be allowed. I feel that editing should only take place to enhance an image in terms of lighting, exposure and cropping out unnecessary material. I also think that any editing that changes the original purpose, content or emotion of an image should not be allowed. For example, the darkening of the O.J. Simpson mug shot, which was featured in the “NPPA Calls Newsweek's Martha Stewart
Cover ‘A Major Ethical Breach’” article, should not be allowed because it gives off a negative connotation about O.J Simpson, instead of accurately portraying his picture. On the other hand, I feel that the edited version of the picture that we viewed in class of the baseball team was acceptable because it only erased a very small portion of the picture (a pair of legs on the other side of the fence), and did not alter the overall feeling, purpose or expression of the photo.

When it comes to magazines featuring models and celebrities, I find altering their bodies and faces to be completely deceptive because this action does not accurately depict what they look like. Instead, these pictures are considered illustrations. I feel that these changes are deceiving because the “illustrations” are conceived by the public eye as a true photograph. The article from the NPPA discusses the composite of Martha Stewart fused onto a model’s body. The article states, “NPPA finds it a total breach of ethics and completely misleading to the public.” I agree with this statement because the majority of readers hold these photos to be true.

I feel a photo can be considered legitimate if it has very little or no editing done to it before it is published. The lighting or shading a picture might need to be edited to improve the quality of the picture, but I find using PhotoShop excessively to completely change the composition of a photo or its subject is completely deceiving and unethical.

Response Essay 1

Personally, I feel that disturbing images include content that is extremely upsetting or disquieting. I think disturbing pictures usually include extreme graphic content, such as the second photograph featured in the article by Ryan Pitt, entitled “APME Survey: Readers Balance Compassion With Privacy When Considering Disturbing Images.” This picture depicts the street execution of an Iraqi election worker. I find this picture to be particularly disturbing because it was probably one of the last frames ever taken of this unfortunate man, and it portrays his brutal death.

I do agree with Wally Rayl in Pitts’ article when he states, “Not being able to face reality is a major problem facing our society today.” I feel that sometimes people become engrossed in their own lives, and therefore they are unaware of the evils that occur around the world. Also, I think that people become comfortable in their own bubble worlds, making them unwilling to consider the fact that these evils could affect them, their children, parents or friends.

Unfortunately, we do not live in Candy Land, therefore we cannot sugar coat true events to make them appealing, pleasant or more tolerable. I think people need to be exposed to these images for a number of reasons, including a reality check. First of all, the pictures that depict true events need to be shown in order to inform the public. This idea agrees with an opinion collected in Ryan Pitts’ article that states, “They [journalists] believe it is their duty to inform.” Sometimes, journalists need to use graphic images in order to accurately inform the public. Another reason exposure to disturbing images is necessary is to not only spread awareness to the public, but to also implement pathos, or to appeal to the emotions of the audience. The viewers and readers need to be exposed to disturbing images in order to spark feelings of compassion. Quoted in Ryan Pitts’ article, Ed Roussell refers to the picture of the tsunami victims when he says, "I wouldn't put it on the front page ...but the photo should be used, especially to move individuals to reflect (and hug their own children tighter) and to help -- philanthropically, and otherwise." The publication of this picture, although it may be graphic, may help move people to action and send aid to try to piece back together the lives of the victims. One final reason I think these types of photos need to be used is to honor those who have fought for our country or for the common good. I think publishing pictures of deceased soldiers, in a general way, can be a form of respect because it shows that we are honoring their courage and services when we take time out of our day to read or hear about them. Supporting my opinion, Jim Slosiarek, a journalist featured in Pitts’ article, proclaims, "The photo speaks not just about a dying soldier but also to the comrades in arms that are trying to save his life. I think not publishing this photo does a great disservice to their efforts."

Although unsettling pictures need to be used for various ways, I do believe that there should be certain levels of censorship. Referring back to the first photo I talked about that involved the execution of an Iraqi election worker, I feel the photo exploits this man’s right to privacy, in addition to disrespecting his family. This picture shows the brutal death of this man in an intimate manner. I feel that pictures involving subjects on a personal level need to be censored because it crosses a line of respect for the individual’s life, as well as the person’s family. Also, I think censorship should be rated, much like movies are today. Pictures that contain extremely gruesome material and would be considered R-rated on the movie scale should not be allowed to be published. Kelly McBride, an ethics group leader, states in Pitts’ article, "Dead bodies are one thing, bloated, decaying bodies are another." This opinion makes one think about the purpose of the article. A picture of covered coffins containing soldiers get the same point across as a gruesome cadaver, but isn’t as graphic or disturbing, especially when considering young audiences. I think certain ratings should be established and a panel of people, as opposed to one editor, should decide on the rating, ultimately deciding if the image should be printed or not.

When considering journalism, particularly photojournalism, issues arise that challenge the threshold of truth people can handle. Certain elements of the materials used to inform the public need to be carefully thought about before they should be published. The media has a very important role in society because people attain information from its various sources, including newspapers and T.V. broadcastings. The media has the power to inform, honor, warn and scare. With this power also comes responsibility. This responsibility needs to exist to ensure that people and their families are not exploited through the media. A picture is known to be worth a thousand words, but we need to choose our words wisely.

A Weekend in Scotland

This weekend, our entire group took a trip to Scotland. Our six hour bus ride ended in Edinburgh, where we were free to explore the town for the night. The weather was terrible, and it was torrentially down pouring. We trotted around, soaking wet, trying to find a place for a late lunch/ early dinner. After finally finding a pub-like restaurant, we sat down and satisfied our hunger. After we had finished eating, we dared to venture back outside into the storm. Thankfully, the rain had subsided to a light drizzle and we were able to walk back to our hotel. After resting for a few hours, a few of us decided to go out to a club that was recommended by our waitress. The club was called Espionage, and it consisted of five different floors. We arrived there fairly early, but the crowds didn’t form until about 30 minutes after we got there. I had a really fun time at that club, but Meg Courtney and I decided to leave because we wanted to get plenty of rest so that we could catch a train to St. Andrews to visit my friend, Maria, who goes to school at the University.

As planned, we woke up early to visit the medieval Edinburgh Castle, and then caught a train to St. Andrews. Maria met us at the station, and then she gave us a mini tour of St. Andrews, starting with the famous golf course. After she showed us around, we went back to her dorm room and freshened up for dinner at a Thai restaurant, which was voted last year as best Thai place in the U.K. Needless to say, the food was delicious. After dinner we met up with a few of Maria’s friends and went pub golfing, but “girlie” style. Eventually we just ended at one of the local pubs just hanging out and talking. I was glad to see Maria because I haven’t seen her since the end of last summer. Once we began to get bored of the pub, we took a taxi and bought deep fried Mars bars, which were also delicious. Once we arrived back at Maria’s building, we set our alarms to catch the early train back to Edinburgh in order to catch the bus back to Harlaxton. I really enjoyed Scotland.

On the way back from Scotland, the bus stopped at Housesteads Hadrian’s Wall. I hiked all the way to the top and wandered around the stone ruins of the fort. The view was magnificent because the hilly landscape stretched out peacefully for miles. After visiting the fort, we boarded the bus and headed back for another week at Harlaxton.

5 Pics or Less 4: Happy Hour

5 Pics or Less 3: Standing Room Only

5 Pics or Less 2: Currency Exchange

5 Pics or Less 1: Secret Stairs

Au Revoir Paris!

Today was our second day in Paris. We woke up very early and started our tour of the city by visiting The Louvre. Since we arrived there early, we benefited by not having to wait in line. We also reaped the benefits of being students because we were able to enter the museum for free. Stopping for a light breakfast of chocolate croissants, we watched from the balcony of the café as the museum became more and more crowded. After wrapping up breakfast, we wandered through the large halls while admiring the paintings and sculptures. We followed the signs that led to the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci: The Mona Lisa. We found the painting, but we had to push through the thick crowd that already formed around the work of art. Once I saw it, I was surprised by its size. For such a famous painting, it was rather small. Seeing this painting in person was such an awesome experience because it has been one of the most influential pieces on society.

Once we were finished at the Louvre, we decided to explore the city some more. We ended up at the Arc de Triomphe. In order to get to this monument, which was housed on an island surrounded by a moat of heavy traffic, we had to walk underground. We snapped a few pictures and decided not to go on the tour because the line was incredibly long and we wanted to see as much as possible in one day. We crossed back onto Champs Elysee, a road with many extremely expensive stores, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Cartier. Needless to say, we window shopped in that part of town. ;) After we were through drooling at the glamorous clothing and accessories, we hopped back on the metro (Paris’ underground rail system) and got off to visit the Eiffel Tower. Rain started to pour down as we waited in line to climb up the Tower, but when we started climbing, we were covered by the monument itself, so we didn't get wet. The view from the top was absolutely breath-taking, and I was grateful that I was able to have this once in a lifetime experience. At the top, there was a self-serve restaurant and a few souvenir stores, so I ate French fries on the Eiffel Tower : ) and purchased a few postcards to send home to family and friends.

After we made our descent, we decided to go to dinner at the Hard Rock Café. We got ourselves lost, and it took us a long time to get to the restaurant. English speaking staff and semi-American food made the long walk worth it. We enjoyed a delicious dinner then came back to the hotel.

Tonight, since we are so exhausted and sick, we are planning on going to bed early so that we can wake up tomorrow morning and go to the Notre Dame Cathedral before we have head to the airport.

Au revoir Paris! We enjoyed our stay!

PARIS

Bonjour! Parlez vous engle?

Today we arrived in Paris! Courtney, Emily, Meghan and I spent all day travelling, taking virtually every form of transportation available to us, and now we are exhausted. We started our trip at Harlaxton Manor. The bus driver took us into town, where we exchanged our dollars and pounds for Euros, which is the currency used in France.

Since we arrived very early in town, we had some time for breakfast. Stopping in a cute little coffee shop, called Costa, we ordered caramel lattes and muffins. This breakfast was delicious, a perfect beginning to any day. Costa is my new favorite coffee shop (watch out Starbucks!).

After we finished eating, we began walking to the Grantham's train station. Once we made our way to the train station, we went to the man working at the terminal, and he gave us an itinerary to get to the Heathrow airport. After taking two trains and the underground, we were on a train to Heathrow airport. The man checking tickets recommended that we go to terminal 5 to see the new, futuristic look to that terminal. We had plenty of time to kill, and we were leaving from terminal 4, so we decided to take his advice and check it out. The terminal was brand new and had cool architecture. We ate a lunch at a pub in that terminal that consisted of fish &chips and minty mashed peas. The waitress took forever to bring us our check, but once she did, we hurried our way back to the train to get to terminal 4. We took the lift down to the train departures, but we were immediately turned away. The man working the train entrance said we would be better off taking the bus because it was much quicker. At this point, the clock was ticking and we began to get anxious. We finally found the bus stop and had to wait 15 minutes for it to come. Once the bus arrived, we hopped on and waited until the terminal 4 stop. We were relieved when we saw the terminal we thought we needed to be at for departure. We rushed up to the Air France section of departures, only to find that the flight was travelling to the States! Frantically, we approached one of the flight attendants. The woman said we needed to be at terminal 3! She also said that we were going to miss our flight! Sheer terror washed over all of our faces..the marathon began. We ran to the elevators and down to the bus stop, but the bus took off without us. Panicking, we begged one of the parking shuttles to drive us to our terminal. The directed us to the underground train, which was supposed to get us there as soon as possible. Running through the airport like a maniac, I felt like I was in the movie Home Alone, or at least a new episode of Punk’d. Luckily, we made the train. Panting and catching our breaths, we explained to the train conductor what had happened and why we were in such a rush. A woman overheard us talking and joined in on our conversation. Much to our surprise, she was a flight attendant for Air France! She reassured us that we would make our flight and offered to take us to our departure gate. The flight attendant, who was from Brazil, led us the entire way, and with her help, we made our flight!

Thankfully, we had a safe and short flight. Once we landed, we found our hotel and freshened up. Since it was late, we decided to go see the Eiffel Tower at night. We were rewarded for our hard day of travelling when we saw the wonderful architecture light up brilliantly. While we watched the light show of the Tower, we met other Floridians (it’s a small world after all). They were also studying abroad, but they were from USF. After the spectacular sighting, we made our way back to the hotel and stopped at a café for some food, however, it was late and the café was only serving wine and other drinks. So we began our weekend in France with a few glasses of wine and made some friends at the café. Still hungry after the wine tasting, we made our way to another restaurant, and luckily we were able to be served food. After we ate, we walked back to the hotel to get a good night rest for tomorrow (Saturday). Our first night in Paris was truly amazing!

A Winter's Tale

Today we travelled to Stratford-Upon-Avon, and made a pit stop at Coventry, where we saw the remains of a cathedral that was bombed during war, as well as a newer cathedral that was rebuilt after the war. Seeing the remains of the first cathedral saddened me because these places are supposed to be peaceful sanctuaries. To see them destroyed in evil was just tragic.

In Stratford -Upon-Avon, I walked along the streets and saw the Avon River, Shakespeare's birth house, Shakespeare's play: A Winter’s Tale, and paid a pound to see Shakespeare's burial place. Basically, the little town is famous for being the beginning of William Shakespeare, one of the greatest artists of literature the world has ever known (in case you didn't catch on). I thought visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon was really interesting because I remember learning all about it during my junior year of high school literature. Being able to actually visit a place that I have studied fascinated me, and I am glad I was able to partake in this experience. Before the play, a few of us had dinner at this quaint, yet fancy restaurant, called The Encore. I had pasta with salmon and prawns, a dish that turned out to be delicious. I also was able to try some of the other pasta dishes as well as some pizza, because everyone at the table ordered something different. After dinner, Meghan and I ordered coffee, and then the group walked over to the theater. All in all, I enjoyed the show, and I thought it was cleverly executed.

One Ghost, Two Ghost/Today's Events

We slept fairly well last night, equipped with our red sleeping masks from the airline and, of course, with the lights on. We woke up and had breakfast, then went to class. Since we were let out of class early today, we all decided it would be a great opportunity to catch some z's.

Once we woke up, Meghan said something really weird happened to her. She said that she heard sniffing around her ears (like a dog) and that the dog seemed to be lying on top of her. She wasn't able to move or talk. Then, she finally woke up. Apparently, we now have a ghost dog! ;]

Once we woke up, we got ready and hopped on the bus to go Coventry. We stopped at a cathedral that was bombed during the war, as well as the new one that was built next to it. It was magnificent and I took a lot of pictures.

After that we got back on the bus and headed to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see Shakespeare's play, "A Winter's Tale" at the Country Theatre. The play was very entertaining and really creative. We also walked through Shakespeare's early childhood house, saw his burial place, the Avon River, and had dinner at a lovely, elegant restaurant called The Encore. I tried pasta with salmon and prawns in a light vodka sauce, and I was able to have a glass of rose wine with my dinner.

Today was a fun day. Tomorrow, we travel to PARIS!!!

First day of class

Today we had our first class meeting. I am excited to start because this seems to be a very interesting class, and I think we will have some excellent finished products.

We told everyone about our ghost story, and two members of our group said that the cab driver talked about a little girl who haunts rooms 509, 511 and 513. We are in room 513! What a coincidence!

Our group also went into town today. Grantham is so cute and different in various ways. Grantham has an outdoor shopping center, and the workers are allowed to sit down, a benefit Americans are unable to acquire. Apparently "calling" means the same thing as "coming," because one of the signs at the exit of the strip of stores read "Thank you for calling, please call again." Also, there is a coffee shop, similar to Starbucks, called Costa. I absolutely love it, and I think it is so much better than Starbucks.

I took a lot of pictures, and we ate some delicious ice cream at a shop called Thorton’s. After we were finished shopping, we hopped onto the shuttle and headed back to the manor.

We had a scheduled tour of the mansion at 7 p.m. Our tour guide was cute, funny and British, but she didn’t offer much advice when we questioned her about ghosts. We found out a few things about the mansion, as well as customs of the people who used to live here. For example, tucked away on the sides of some of the fire places are metal doors that swing out and allow a person to light a fire. Also, we found out that some rooms were used strictly for dining, some were used by ladies to "exercise," basically just strolling back and forth across a long room, and one room was a family morning room for breakfast. Learning about the customs of the times was interesting because society today has been completely transformed.

The Bistro, a pub in the basement of the mansion, opened tonight. I had a lot of fun there. We played flip cup and poker, and I tried some new beers (because the legal drinking age is 18 here =] ). So far, my favorite is Strongbow, which is actually a cider, but it is similar to beer. Tomorrow we are visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon to see one of Shakespeare’s plays, A Winter’s Tale!


P.S.-I think we will still have the lights on tonight..

The Haunting

We all know Casper, but my encounter last night was a little less than friendly...
Due to jet lag, I fell asleep around 9 p.m. England time. I was awakened suddenly, and my room was pitch black, so I assumed I had slept a good portion through the night. I looked around to see if my roommates had gone out or not. I rolled over to see if Meg was asleep, and I saw two bodies in her bed! I automatically thought Courtney was in the bed with Meg, but I had no idea why. I sat up to get a closer look, and I saw this ghastly figure staring point blank at me in the face. This death stare disabled me from moving. The figure was gnarled in the sheets of Meg's bed. It had pale skin, light eyes, dark flowing hair, and it was wearing something with a white collar, similar to the collar of a school girl's uniform. The fingers this creature possessed were the creepiest part of its opaque anatomy. Long and wispy, they were stroking my friend Meghan as she slept. The thing stared at me with the stone cold eyes and was taunting me with a sound, a mix between a hiss and an evil laugh. I whispered Megan’s name, but received no response from her. I tried to reach for the lamp on my bedside table, but was unable to unlock the gaze with this supernatural being. Finally, I screamed, “MEGAHN!” At this point, I was clutching my pillow ready to attack, but did not know what to do. One final time, I yelled, “MEGHAN!” She woke up, flicked the light on and the ghost evaporated.

Courtney woke up, she was startled and confused. Dakota slept through the entire episode.

Anyone who knows me would be able to vouch for me when I say that I am not a big believer in the supernatural. Meghan believed me only because she saw my frightened face and my reaction to the situation. She knew I was not dreaming because I was wide awake.

We slept, barely, with the lights on last night.

First Day in England!

05/05/09


After 8 hours of flying and 3 hours of bus riding, we have finally arrived in England! We are staying at this superb mansion, called Harlaxton Manor, which was used in the filming of the movie The Haunting. The mansion is massive, and it contains a detailed interior décor, which was mostly carved by Italian artists. The mansion also houses numerous cherubs in virtually every main room as a result of the first owner's preferences.The majority of the mansion is made of stone or plaster. The manor is breath-taking, and the gardens surrounding it have the same effect. I am staying in a room with Courtney, Meghan and Dakota. Our room is relatively large, and has an amazing view of the mile drive (which is actually .7 of a mile long) and the surrounding landscape. The girls next door to us had trouble getting into their room because the doors were bolted shut from the inside! The maintenance man said it was probably the ghost that likes to play jokes on people on our floor (creepy!).
After we put our suitcases in our room, we went to exploring the mansion and the gardens. We found the secret staircase and two other secret passageways that were used by the servants who lived here long ago.
There is a small town called Gratham that is only a few minutes away. The college provides a shuttle that takes you right into the center (or should I say centre?) of town. Hopefully, Grantham will have some good shops and yummy cafes!