lillyhasaspoon

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 18- Lecture, Museum, and Meander!

We started today with breakfast and a longer lecture. This lecture was extremely interesting, covering deception in media and how we view information given by sources. This was a very interactive lecture, her purpose of it was almost experimental. She wanted to see how we reacted to the information and those with opposing opinions. It was really enjoyable.

After that we had some time to eat at the cafe in the arts centre. I had a Mediterranean pasta with some potatoes and hummus.

After lunch, we rode the bus to the Museum that was downtown. Aberystwyth is a quaint town, the beach and downtown both easily walkable from the University. The Museum was so interesting, it contained dioramas of different snippets of time, such as an old chemistry shelf or a milk wagon. There were 3 floors just packed with information. We had a lovely woman give us a bit of a rundown and teach us some words in welsch. Bore da!

After the museum, our N.A.D.G.P group from the free day, plus Jordan ate at a cute cafe and checked out some vintage shops nearby. We also checked out a tarot themed restaurant that was beautiful, and one of the staff was from Arizona! She was a sweetheart.

We spent the rest of our night at an arcade on the seashore, even venturing onto the dock where the cold wind from the sea kept whipping us around. We also played more pool, of course.

The night ended early for me, exhaustion catching up quick. Plus, we have the train in the morning. I don’t want to leave!!

@danielcronrath @comafloods @livingingloworld @grcetylr

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 17- History of Aberystwyth, a Tour; “Nothing Will Affect Me”

After a restful night sleep in our own rooms, we began the day with a lovely morning tour of Aberystwyth University. It was chilly and the grass was covered in dew. We toured their veterinarian area, what all the surrounding buildings were, and their art gallery. They had an exhibition called the Teulu Family exhibit that showcased nostalgic, domestic settings. Afterwards we got a little history lesson about the old college of Aberystwyth, castle hill, and how these areas have changed.

Afterwards, a few of us ate at a spot called The Cabin (I had a vanilla latte and a frittata. Ooooohh..) before transferring to the National Library of Aberystwyth.

The library was beautiful, it was an older building so there were areas decorated with real wood and velvet. We were given a tour of the archives by one of the staff. The rooms were very particularly managed: the rooms were kept freezing, with pipes of CO2 set around them to prevent losing these articles in a fire. The way these rooms were maintained was so interesting to me. After this tour we viewed the reading area and looked around the gift shop a bit.

After the library, our big group split ways, Zahir, Grace and I made our way back to our rooms to chill a bit. Along the way a seagull locked onto Zahir, landing a poop right on its target. Haha. After a little nap, we met up with the rest of our class at White Horse Pub, where we ate food (I had a blue cheese burger with waffle fries. I am such a foodie this was phenomenal) and played loads of pool and hung out.

The day ran long, my little group and I exploring some more of the downtown area before finally arriving back at our rooms long after the sun set.

This was a seriously busy day, but I love the people I’ve been hanging out with soo much. What a fun group!

@danielcronrath @comafloods @grcetylr @livingingloworld

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 16- Arrival to Aberystwyth!

We began the day with a rush out of the hotel, only a fraction of our luggage in tow for our time in wales. The morning was quite hectic, but we got the chance to spend some time at the British Museum.

Admittedly, I only saw a few exhibits. One of which was the exhibit for Africa. The vast array of sculptures, clothing, and weaponry were so cool. There were two big sculptures (I didn’t get a picture) that had golden wings and golden shoes and towered over those that walked by. I was enamored. I then spent some time in the gift shop and picked up a few goodies before we made our way back to the hotel to retrieve our belongings.

Then we were off to the train! After grabbing some food for the ride, we had to RUN to catch the train. We were all gasping for breath when we finally set off, great start!

The beautiful scenery flew by and then we stopped in Aberystwyth, this little seaside town which would be our home for the next three days.

We set our luggage in our rooms at the Aberystwyth University bunk-rooms and then had a delicious welsch buffet in one of the rooms. I had a leek and potato au gratin, some roasted vegetables, and a delectable vegan brownie. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The rest of the day was up to us! It was pretty low-key since our train landed around 5:30 pm, so we just hung out a bit. I had a lot of energy late that night so I went on a long walk with Brandon and just explored the downtown Aberystwyth area. It felt a little like a ghost town, the only sounds coming from seagulls and the distant crashing waves.

It was a nice first day in Wales! It’s only going to get busier from here…

@danielcronrath @grcetylr @livingingloworld @comafloods

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 15- Westminster Abbey & Parliament; The King’s Birthday!

Happy Birthday King Charles III! 🎉 What a more perfect way to celebrate than visiting the famous Westminster Abbey and Parliament.

After a quick breakfast, we made our way to Westminster for a walking tour of the area. We walked our way through the Westminster Abbey High School. I was surprised to see students in uniforms on a Saturday, especially when the area was so busy with tourists. Our tour guide was an older gentlemen and he led us through the school and past brick homes until we stood in front of Westminster Abbey, the church of the royals.

We actually walked in on a wedding, funny enough. The place was teeming with tourists but there was a giant family celebrating a wedding, which I learned are most likely MP’s or lords (or their family.) Thought that was so neat.The entire area surrounding the church, aside from the bits under construction, was made up of these beautifully designed “neo-gothic” buildings with statues and flags everywhere. The inside was even more breathtaking. The area was full of memorial sites lined with dark velvets and gold, and lit by the various stained glass windows. I was enamored by those stained glass windows, the intricacy of their designs genuinely mind-blowing. It was a church, a gravesite, and a memoriam in one.

After exploring the church, we had lunch. The little group I was with ate at a cafe that serves panini’s and soups, it was delicious.

Then was Parliament. One thing I enjoy about the architecture of the area was the storytelling of the statues littered around. There is a lot of attention to detail put into their poses, where they are, and even who they face. For example the statue of Charles I (who was the first and only monarch to be executed. Or beheaded, rather.) faced by Oliver Cromwell, who was heavily against him and ultimately killed him. The two enemies were forced to face each other for eternity, Cromwell posed with a sword and a bible, and Charles as nothing but a head.

Inside parliament we were given audio guides to carry with us as we explored the lobby area, House of Commons, and the House of Lords. In the lobby area, there was this incredible mosaic that expanded from roses and golden patterns to figures like Saint George. That tour was self-guided, but the audio commentary painted a wonderful story of the history of Parliament and its use.

After parliament, my little “Nerds and Dorks gone pro” group went and explored the surrounding area. We went to St. James Park, enjoying the garden and chatting with the local wildlife (squirrels and swans). We stopped at a local cafe and shared a lemon raspberry cake and a salmon sandwich among us all before heading back to the hotel.

The rest of the day went: Hotel, lay on bed, hear about our comrades ailments and aid to them (feeling sick so we were sent on a saltines and ginger-ale retrieval mission), and then dinner in the hotel cafe with N.A.D.G.P (coffee and pizza. Yup.).

All and all, a super productive and educational day!

@danielcronrath @grcetylr @ivory000 @livingingloworld @comafloods

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 14- Free day; “The Geeks and Dorks Gone Pro”

Our free day! After spending the previous day learning the ins and outs of London’s public transportation, currency rates, and local areas, we were free to hit the road.

Okay, I wouldn’t say we knew the ins and outs of transportation just yet. After a few bus reroutes, we ended up at our first stop: Frith Street Tattoo. My little group of four (Zahir, Grace, Brandon and I) with the exception of Brandon, left this place with wonderful insight from our artists and new masterpieces to add to our ink collection. My artist, Marina, was actually from the states. It was neat to hear about how she wound up here (one of the other artists actually had connections to Jacksonville! Small world!) and how different the life here can be.

About 90 minutes later, we emerged above ground into the depths of Soho. We meandered a bit, seeing a lot of ties to Amy Winehouse in the shops around. We looked at the parks, architecture, and shops. Once we got our fill, we were off to Brick Lane.

For some reason I kept deciding to navigate and we ended up at White Chapel. This area was rich with bustling markets and crowds, and was actually the setting of the famous Jack the Ripper. That didn’t freak me out, not one bit. We walked from there to Brick Lane (about 25 minutes.. Whoops.)

Brick Lane was gorgeous. Every corner was covered in graffiti, and was honestly not as busy as I was expecting. There were many cute shops, and we ended up eating in a very nice Italian restaurant. Brandon and I got scolded for cutting our pasta.

With full stomachs we took the tube back to the hotel and saw more of our classmates and ended up exploring the Camden area, unfazed by the misty nighttime.

To conclude, I had a blast with my group. We discussed anything and everything, laughing the whole time. We took every chance to talk to the locals around us and learn as much as we can. I definitely would love to revisit the Brick Lane area someday. A wonderful success!

@danielcronrath

@grcetylr @comafloods @livingingloworld

[lillyhasaspoon]

♥ June 13- Exploring London: Glad I wore Good Shoes!

This was a busy day. The day began after we landed, luggage in tow. We went on the Tube for the first time, and I was a little too enamored to record but it was so cool. After dropping our things off at the hotel, we got to walking.

I was fascinated by the architecture. There was so much detail in every building, regardless if it was some historical monument or just a burger joint. Everything was compact and there was an infinite selection of things to do. We walked for miles, winding through alleys and weaving through busy streets. I don’t think we stopped moving unless we were eating or getting some history lessons (Our tour guide is awesome!).

After our lunch break, we went on a river cruise along the Thames. At this point we had been out exploring the city for at least 8 hours, so my phone battery was more than dead. We were on the water for a while, soothed by the sights, waves, and glorious comedic commentary. We passed the London bridge, Ben Franklin’s house, and more. Then at the end, we walked dinner. Fish n’ chips, of course!

I love the city life here, so energetic and claustrophobic in the best way possible. The tube and the transportation was a rush! We even rode in a double decker bus! I can’t wait for our next adventure.

@danielcronrath