September 12th, 2011 - The Bombay Brassiere

The day was made better by our visit to London's most famous Indian Restaurant.  Stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio,  Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, and Hugh Laurie have eaten at the establishment. 

The decor is very fine - with gilded paintings and private tables. The food is served in three courses - and is delicious. What I liked most was the variety of food that came in one course. All the spices were excellently done and the food is filling. 

The best part was the dessert and the tea afterward. It was good deal for lunch! I recommend the place to anyone living near, in, or visisting London - it is however a five star place - so be prepared to spend money and get you pounds worth.

Cheers,

~ H.C.

September 10th, 2011 - Camden and Little Venice

Hello there!

Today was exciting - because like Lyra Silvertounge - I was able to travel on the canals of London. The canals are  opparated by locks - which function to determine water level for the narrow boats.  All narrow boat owners must pay a 200 pound fee per year for tying their narrow boats along the canal.

Before the canal trip we walked through Little Venice where I saw Robert Browning's house and memorial. The area was rather beautiful  - but as with many parts of London - Little Venice was constructed in a once poor and derelict part of town. In London's past the poorest people lived in the Little Venice area- which has been developed into middle to upper class housing.  

All narrow boats  are painted by their owners to be unique.  We floated at 4 mph past a narrow boat church! The journey was really beautiful - seeing all the manshions on the canal side as well as the  cages of the London Zoo Enclosures. 

We disembarked at Camden - a huge tourist hub. The amount of shops were overwhelming and I found myself submitting quite easily. However, I only spent the cash on me and no more. I got an amazing coat from Camden - fur and polyester lines with a corset back. :-D Super cute!

Anyways it was a fun day - especially venturing into the techno store - outside of which were giant silver statues. 

The day was really enjoyable and it ended well with a visit and photo outside of The World's End pub - with most of  my family (H^2 was absent TT.TT). 

The pub is  a chain but the one in Camden is worth visiting because it is huge! The inside is beautiful and I recommend you make a point to sit down and eat or get a drink there! By the time we found the gem of a pub we were exhausted and bogged down with shopping bags. 

Cheers,

~ H.C.

September 9th, 2011 - The British Museum

Today was amazing! 

Sarah (our tour guide) met us at the door to the British Museum and gave us an hour tour of the building. The architecture of the museum is amazing and it has - either 7 or 9 miles of corridors (and exhibits) to explore. Sarah took our group to the more well known exhibits. 

We saw the Rosetta Stone (which they keep behind glass and which is hard to read). This stone was responsible for much of the knowledge people know about Egypt and Ptolemy (if I remember correctly).

My FAVORITE!!! part of the tour was seeing the frescoes, statuary, and friezes that were taken from the Acropolis in Greece (a place I visited in 2008 while my sister L.D. was studying abroad during college) and it was interesting seeing the missing pieces of temple I got to see up close. Most of the artifacts that are in the British Museum were brought there by a Duke- who after his travels and harrowing divorce from his wife- ended up broke. If it weren't for him all the artifacts in the museum would have been broken down into powder for use in other building goals. 

The other highlights of the tour were the Petebog Man - who was found completely in tact and is believed to have lived before (or during) the Roman times. Archiologists believe he was murdered, evidenced by the contusion on the back of his skull, and disposed of in the peat bog. He was so well preserved because the peat kept oxygen and other corrosive properties from reaching his body. 

There was also a preserved chess set from the early days. The pieces of which would have been painted green and red (not white and black). Each of the pieces were extremely detailed in their carvings. Around that exhibit was jewelry and other implements used at the time - including ornate crucifixes and other ornamental church objects. 

All the exhibits in the museum have to do with England (Britain) and it's associations with foreign cultures. There are Roman artifacts, Egyptian Artifacts, and even ancient English artifacts. There is actually a law in England stating that any treasure that is uncovered by citizens must be turned into the government for use in the museum - a law that helps England and Britain - London especially- grab hold of it's ancient roots. 

Cheers

~ H.C,

September 2nd, 2011 - Knowing Chelsea

(Sorry, I've been so busy that I keep forgetting to blog - so I am now trying my hardest to catch up to current times)

Anyways, today was the walking tour of my new home! My flat is adorable - and cramped though it may be I do appreciate having a bathroom I only have to share with one person, my room mate S.D. instead of over 12 other people. It keeps the place clean (as does the cleaning service) and there isn't a wait for the shower, ever. 

I also share a kitchen with three others - which is nice because - for the most part - I don't have to worry about anyone using my stuff - nor do I have to keep a mini-fridge in my room to store stuff like eggs and milk. Anyways, today was the walking tour.

The area is posh! I'm not trying to brag I'm just being honest. King's Road has mostly expensive shops - with the occasional affordable pub or small restaurant. For most meals I eat what I buy at the store. Or, I go to Glouchester road which has more of the affordable places - as well as one of the three tube stations I could use. 

Did I mention  that there are a lot of cute places to get snacks? Mostly French Pastrie and sandwich shops - which was surprising to me. But good food and beer/wine all around. 

The walking tour also took me to class - which is at Heythrop College, which is apart of the University of London. Every morning we have to be buzzed into the door and show our IDs so they know who we are. That gets a bid old. But, there is a cute inner courtyard before getting to the fenced in pitches and basketball court - as the college also has a neighboring school that is specifically directed toward teaching dyslexic students. 

That's about it for today. I can say I do really appreciate having a morning walk to class. It's refreshing and gets me awake a lot quicker for my day. 

Cheers,

~  H-C.