The Lake District

Last weekend, I went on an International Society organized trip to the Lake District, which is England's largest national park. It's about a 2 hour drive away from Manchester and we took the coach there early Saturday morning. The first stop was the Aira Force Waterfalls, which is the most famous among the Lake District waterfalls. The walk to the falls was about half a mile through the woods. We saw a massive tree along the way as well that seemed to be at least 5 ft in diameter. After we got to the falls, we kept walking along a little footpath up the hill and through the fields of sheep. The views along this hill were beautiful and there was a pretty lake at the bottom of a mountain that could be seen at the top of this hill. Also there was a dead log near the entrance of the park filled with coins. Apparently, people hammer them in for good luck!



Our next stop on the trip was at Grasmere, a little village in the Lake District. The famous poet, William Wordsworth once lived here. We visited the church and cemetery where he and his family are buried. In his poem Daffodils, he writes:

'I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze...'

The cemetery is surrounded by lots of daffodils and the words of this poem are inscribed in a path around the cemetery. Also in Grasmere is where Sarah Nelson's Gingerbread shop is located. Of course, we had to try some of the homemade gingerbread and it was indeed very tasty. :)

The last village we visited in the Lake District was Ambleside. The history of communities living in Ambleside dates back to 4000 BC where the remains of an axe factory were found under Langdale Pikes. The Romans also settled in Ambleside in the 1st century AD and had a fort along Lake Windermere. After the Romans left, the Vikings inhabited Ambleside in the Middle Ages. A certain breed of Lake District sheep is said to be created by the Vikings as well as the actual name 'Ambleside' itself. Historians say that the name is derived from a Norse word for farm or pasture.




Beatrix Potter, the author of the Peter Rabbit books, lived in Ambleside and wrote many of her children's books here. It's easy to see why the scenery in the Lake District would be inspirational for writing and drawing. We walked along the lake and watched the sunset before heading home on the coach. All in all, it was a fun experience and a great place to relax and enjoy the countryside.










http://www.amblesideonline.co.uk/history.shtml

Fun in Manchester

Wow! I can't believe how fast those last 3 weeks have gone by! I've been busy going to lectures, studying, etc. as well as having loads of fun! The weather is starting to warm up. We didn't have a very long winter which is a nice change from Michigan. The flowers are starting to bloom and it's usually around 40-50 F during the days and it's actually been sunny for the past few days.




A few weeks ago I went to a geek-themed 'silent disco' at a club called Revolution in Manchester. I'd never been to one before but I've wanted to go to one at some point! In a silent disco, everyone wears headphones and can change the channels on the headphones to change the music depending on what they want to listen to. It's kind of funny because if you take your headphones off, there's no music playing, but everyone is still dancing and singing really loudly! My friends and I enjoyed going to it and will probably try to go to more in the future!

Last night, we went to an 'I Dare You' event that was raising money for charity. We got a list of dares of different risk levels and point values and tried to see how many points we could get. Some of the easy ones were like 'video of piggyback with a stranger' or 'a picture with a cabbie' whereas some of the hardest ones were about getting a new piercing/tattoo or to come back with a different hair color! It was really fun and even though our group didn't end up getting very many points, it was still a blast trying!

In April, we have a three week holiday for Easter and I'm planning to go to Sicily for a week, as well as Bath in England and maybe Berlin for a few days! I'm excited already!





This picture is legendary because the lady in the middle is called "The Crazy Bus Lady" because she always tries to get on the buses at night and hand out these illegible sheets of paper protesting the government. Everyone at Manchester knows her! One of the dares was actually 'picture with crazy bus lady.' haha

Ribena and Haggis...

It is now the 3rd week of the semester and I'm beginning to settle in again. I like my classes so far. One of my favorites is 'Architecture in Early Modern Europe 1450 - 1750.' We've learned about why the Renaissance is said to have begun in Florence and what made Florence special. We talked about Brunelleschi and Alberti - two very different architects from different backgrounds who both contributed to the revival of classical architecture in the 1400s . It's really interesting! I'm glad I got to go to Rome and Paris over the holidays as well because the professor has referred to some of the buildings in those cities (i.e. the Pantheon, Colosseum, Notre Dame). My other classes are Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer, Distillation and Absorption, Heat Transfer and Process Integration, and Laboratories 2. I like Heat Transfer and Process Integration because it's about how to make processes more efficient and choosing the right heat exchanger for a specified temperature change.



Two weekends ago, I went on the Ferris wheel in Manchester which was exciting. Haha. My friends and I would always walk by it and want to go, so I'm glad I finally got to ride on it! In the picture above, you can see the Ferris wheel and part of the Manchester Cathedral on the left. I also went to Lyme Park in the Peak District with a few friends. Apparently, Lyme Hall was the background for one of the old BBC Pride & Prejudice films!


We walked around the countryside a little bit and it was nice to get some fresh air and see the deer. I tried haggis this past weekend, which is a traditional Scottish dish with sheep's heart, lungs, and liver in it. It's mixed with oatmeal, onions, and spices. If you make yourself forget what it's made out of, it actually tastes pretty good. It was definitely a new experience! I also went to Maldon with some friends. It is a city along the coastline with estuaries. There are lots of old sailboats there, chirping birds, and little cafes and shops. I like how it's fairly easy to find a town on the coast in England-you're never too far away from the Sea!



All in all, things are going well. I've become a fan of 'Ribena' (a type of 'squash') or concentrated fruit drink. Basically, you buy a big bottle of this concentrated juice and then you only use a little tiny amount each time and fill most of your glass with water. Everyone loves it around here and drinks it frequently. My favorite flavor is blackcurrant but there's loads of different kinds!

Exams are OVER!

This past month has been super crazy, but I finally feel like things are starting to calm down. Over Christmas holidays, my family came to visit, we celebrated Christmas together and I showed them around England a little. It was so nice to see them! We saw a Pantomime on Boxing day which seems like a popular thing to do for families with young children or anyone really.

We took the Eurostar to Paris for 3 days and it was amazing! I really loved Paris and hope to return someday. We went out to eat on our first night there and the food was absolutely delicious, especially the creme brulee. Our second day, we went to the Eiffel Tower and had breakfast at a little cafe near it. We had scheduled a bike tour for that day and it started mid-morning. The bike tour was really cool because we got to see most of the famous sights in a short amount of time and our tour guide knew a lot of fun facts. We saw Napoleon's tomb which has a dome covered in real gold, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde (where the guillotine was-lots of people killed there!), the Arc de Triomphe, and the Notre Dame.

The Arc de Triomphe

My family and I in front of the Eiffel Tower

On our last day, we actually went inside the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and many other beautiful pieces of art. It was huge and we could have spent the entire day there, but we had to catch our train home in the afternoon. I highly recommend seeing Paris-it was a lovely city.


My sister and I in front of the Notre Dame in Paris, France




After we got back to England, my family and I went to London for a day and saw some of the the famous sights like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and Trafalgar Square. We got to do a 'River Cruise' on the Thames which was fun. We were going to stay for the fireworks on New Years Eve, but it was kind of cold and cloudy and we didn't want to stand outside waiting for hours. My parents left on the 2nd of January but my sister stayed for another week. We had a day in London and saw the Tower of London with those oh, so pretty crown jewels and we went shopping on Oxford St. a little bit as well.

Me with the 'Harrods bear' in London

The next day was our flight to Rome. Rome was also amazing and I hope to go back at some point. We went to the Vatican and saw St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and other art by Michelangelo and Raphael in the Pope's art museum. We had a guided tour by a nun and learned so much about each painting and their meanings. St. Peter's Basilica was huge and beautiful-very ornate. On the days that followed, we saw the Coliseum, Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum and Palatine, and different Plazas and Museums. The food in Italy was absolutely delicious! The pizza was outstanding, the wine was great, all pasta dishes were spectacular, and the coffee was yummy too! I think I got pizza almost everyday; it was soooo good! We had 4 nights in Rome and had to leave early the last day. My sister went back to the US two days after we got back and now I'm back in Manchester. I finished my last exam today and am ready to start the next semester next week! (Haven't uploaded Rome pictures yet...)

Paris!!

Winter Wonderland

From the Daily News Global

Before I came to England, I was told that it might snow a few times during the year, but probably not until January or February. So, it was definitely a bit of a shock to see all of the white stuff and the cold, cold weather typical of a Michigan winter. All of the snow has definitely been a surprise to the people here and has thrown off most of thetransportation. I went to London last weekend to see the Nutcracker ballet and had some problems with the trains. Parts of the underground were completely shut off and the over ground trains had delays and cancellations as well. London Heathrow Airport was completely closed on Saturday and only yesterday had 70% of the flights running. My parents are leaving tonight to come visit for Christmas holidays, so I'm praying that they still get here with not too many delays.

Near York, from BBC

Anyway, although we had some problems with transportation in London, it was overall a nice day trip. We got to walk through the famous Harrods, which apparently the Queen shops at! It had about 5 floors I think and was coated with designer handbags, evening gowns, couches, tableware-you name it. It kind of felt like you were a celebrity going out shopping. We walked through Trafalgar Square and listened to the carollers. It's really cool being so close to so many cities. It's really easy to just spend a day in London and go home for the night.
I'm excited about Christmas and seeing my parents. Who knows what Father Christmas will bring this year? Probably Father Christmas.
Greater Manchester, from BBC

In a few days time, my family and I will be going to Paris! We're planning on seeing the Eifel Tower, the Lourve, and enjoying the local cafes and restaurants. We are also doing a cycling tour around Paris to see the main attractions. Hopefully the Eurostar will be up and running by the 28th as long as there are no weather issues. We're going to see the fireworks in London and hear the Big Ben strike 12 on New Years Day! My parents are leaving on the 2nd of January and my sister is staying until the 9th. We've booked a city break to Rome and are very excited to see the sites. After that, I have to go back to the books and take my semester 1 exams in mid-January. Exciting times are ahead! I will write about how everything goes in the next blog. Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!

Sunset in Dodford, from BBC

Pretty fall tree

It's been almost 3 months now, and I feel like I have already seen so much but at the same time it has gone by really fast. I've been getting more involved with the residence hall government as the environmental co-representative. All of the halls compete for a big party at the end of the year by organizing events and campaigns. Last year, our hall lost by a tiny bit, so we're going to try really hard to win this year. We had environment trivia questions at our Halloween party and we're having a movie night next week with popcorn and soda. It's been fun getting involved in the residence association as well as the carbon control campaign. This year, all of the halls of residence in the University of Manchester have recycled about 10 tons of paper/cardboard since the start of the semester; triple what they did last year!

My classes are going well. It's nice not having so many midterms and homework to worry about, but at the same time, I kind of like having those things to keep me on track with work. I'm not excited about having exams when I get back after Christmas break. I really like how we get to take them before Christmas and can just relax during break at Michigan. But, I suppose this is part of the whole new education system and study abroad experience. We do get a whole month off for Christmas, which I'm not complaining about!University of Manchester

Today, I was walking down the street from north campus (a.k.a. engineering campus, so weird that it's the same at Michigan!) to get to the bus stop and I saw like 10 policemen with big black hats and yellow reflector jackets in the middle of Oxford road (the main road through Manchester Uni)! Following the policemen were a whole crowd of students marching as a protest against higher tuition fees and education cuts. They even had like policemen on horses at the back of the march! At first I was like wow, this is cool! Then, I realized that I would not be catching a bus any time soon as there were masses of people in the middle of Oxford road. So, I got to wait at the bus stop for about 45 min. along with a lot of other students trying to get home/get to class. In the BBC news it said, "In Manchester around 3,000 protesters gathered outside the town hall, disrupting city centre traffic." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11829102


Outside the Student Union on a normal weekday

My trip to Spain!

Park Guell

Most of the students at the University of Manchester had this week off for what they call 'Reading Week.' During this week, some of the students go home for the week, some students still have lectures, some spend the week catching up on missed work, and others go on holiday. My friend Helen, who is also a study abroad student, and I opted for the last option and decided to explore Barcelona. We left cold and cloudy Manchester on Sunday afternoon and had a two hour flight to the Barcelona airport where it was warmer, and there were palm trees outside! We got on the train to Sants Estacio in downtown Barcelona and from there we got on the metro to our hostel. We shared a room with two other people who were from Minnesota. The next day and Tuesday we toured the city of Barcelona on a hop on/hop off bus.
Sagrada Familia

My favorite sites were the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Casa Batllo-all of which are works of the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. Casa Batllo is a house that Gaudi designed for a family in Barcelona. We liked it because it was really colorful and had cool, curvy designs for windows, staircases, doors, etc. On the outside, there were beautiful mosaic tiles on the front facade, back garden and roof. When we visited Park Guell, I felt like I was in Candy Land! It had swirly roof tops and amazing tile work. Also, when we walked to the top of the park, we could see the entire city and the Mediterranean Sea. The Sagrada Familia was breathtaking as well. It was Gaudi's dream and he never finished it; in fact, it's still under construction right now. The inside of the church is meant to look like a forest and the tall ceilings, columns and windows add to that effect. Much of Gaudi's work was inspired by nature.

Along with seeing Gaudi's famous works, we got to tour most of the city of Barcelona. We took a 'teleferic' (which means cable car in Spanish)up to a cool castle right along the Sea. We saw the Barcelona football club stadium and the house where the Royal Spanish family used to live. It was fun to try traditional Spanish food as well, like paella, sangria, and tapas. The hostel took us to a fun bar and club in Barcelona and we walked along Las Ramblas a few times, where they have lots of shops and street performers. All in all, I really enjoyed Barcelona and hope to go back again one day. It was a great first European trip and I'm excited to do more travelling in the future!!!