Expensive 24 hours

So the last 24 hour or so have been expensive simply because I applied for a bunch of things all at once!

So I have signed up for:

1. U of London weekend course next March (taking classes the day I land, that should be fun...)
   
2. A week's accommodation in Devon/Cornwall (this part IS fun...)
   
3. Cambridge LLB revision week, also next March (after the week of touristing)
   
4. EXAMS!!! This year they are all happening in a 2 week span, the middle two weeks of May.

AHHH!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, a fire has suddenly been lit under me. And it's a hot one. So much for the 'holiday season'.... too much work to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, still not much!

What to report... well my nice and nephew are 3 days away from being 3 months old... the snow is falling outside my office window right now... I've been reconnecting with some old friends and making new ones... I've joined up with a yoga studio and am taking 5 or 6 classes a week (2 per time).

Oh.. you want to know about school?? Hrm..

Well I'm trudging along with it. It's more difficult this year, as I've already said. Hard to explain. Bascially I procrastinate, then freak out and dive in head first. I duno.

I've got Cambridge in March, and I always get all my studies done before then, so the schedule is set. I'm actually doing a pretty good job sticking to the schedule, but yet, sometimes I cheat and don't read some things which I should.. but isn't that always the case at uni??

Anyway, there's my update for now. I'll try be more regular, perhaps throwing in the odd tidbit from my studies. Right now I'm not a fan of any of my courses!

Not much to report

Not much to report over the past month, study wise.  Well, that's not true: I'm getting very good at wasting time and procrastinating, and not very good at understanding the in's and out's of Jurisprudence, EU, Company and Evidence law...

So far Company and Evidence are pretty straight forward. EU will probably become that way once I get my head around all the different Councils, Commissions, Parlaiments and such... too many bureaucrats! The big toughy for me is Jurisprudence and all those annoying philosophers. yuck.

ah well, I'll keep at it as always. Otherwise I'm cooking about once a week, more if I can fit it in, and just being 'me' as much as I can. Hope everyone else is too! :)

3rd year starters

It's been hard starting school this year. It's hard to switch from the summer fun and September ups and downs to a focused and scheduled life. There have been some huge changes and I'm slowly adjusting.

So I haven't had much success yet with getting into my routine, but I'm working on it. All of my classes seem to have 50% more work than last year. I think I'll have an average of about 1000 pages of reading a week.  I guess it's good I'll have extra time on my hands now? yikes! and sigh.

On a side note, I've started another blog to document my escapades in cooking - I've decided that there is no time like the present to start learning, and I've got some guinea pigs at home willing to suffer the consequences of me wearing the chef's hat! So the link is on the side...

London sends its regards...

09/09/09

Today is a mathematically awesome day.

9's are cool.

so is my birthday!

I decided to be extra corny and stay in bed until 9am (yes, as a student, I can accomplish this)...

And whilst I have lots I could be doing today (like tidying up a massive mess I made by emptying the attic of 28 years of 'treasures')... I think I shall do NOTHING!!

Hope today is treating everyone else well too!

random musings

Well it's now 2 sleeps until I fly home. 2 sleeps after 2 months... went so fast.

Change is in the air in London. Granted July was very cold and grim, but 2 weeks of August have been nice weather. Today, suddenly, the rain is back, and its quite chilly and cold.

The changes are elsewhere too - it's the last long weekend for the UK until Christmas and people are heading out of town. There's a sense of impatience, of 'last chance for summer'. Little changes have occured - all the double-decker bus advertisments have changed from displaying summer movies to fall ones. The stores have suddenly changed to fall clothing. I don't know. Maybe I'm looking for it, but I definitely feel that summer, here, is over, and it's time to move along...

My last week here has been strange. I met up with a close family friend on Monday after work for drinks - hadn't seen him in about 2 years so it was a nice time to chat. Tuesday was my real 'busy' day as I met up with Lars and Patricia for the last time in London (Team 2 for 1!)... and later I met up with my landlady and she took me on a tour of London by night. The super cool thing there was being allowed backstage at Covent Garden, a dancer's dream!

Wednesday was my first attempt at packing. GROAN! I've bought too much and have no space!! I think I'll be wearing 10 layers to get everything in... well, maybe not that bad, but I fully expect an 'overweight' charge on my bags.

My other plans for this week fell through, so I've been pretty low-key, just chilling and getting ready for being at home. My internet at my flat is down to my last £0.25, so I'm pretty silent.. this will be the last blog entry until I'm back home again.

Once I've settled at home I intend on chosing a few select photos to add to my blog, and the rest will go up on Flickr.

Until then, well, pip pip, jolley good show and all that...
AKA
Toodles!

and in other news...

I PASSED!!!! (my 2nd year law exams)

Horrah!! Farewell to the horrors of second year, welcome to the chaos of my final year of the UK LLB....

What a relief.

winding down

Since my last entry I’ve been based in a different part of London – Oxford Street. This is a must-see place for tourists, so as you can imagine, its busier than Metrotown on Boxing Week. And.. you can imagine how much this frustrates me! Arugh!! I’m getting good at the side-streets!

Last week my cousin Perdi was in town for a few days so I was playing tour-guide! It was quite fun getting back into the tourist mode in the City, while at the same time knowing my way around way better than ever before – no maps required and hours upon hours of walking! I felt a little bad with how much walking I made her do straight off the flight, but whatever, you’re only here while you’re here!! She got the grand tour of London, some yummy food and drinks at a pub – standard!

This past weekend I was down visiting family who live in Southampton, right on the south coast of England. It was a far slower pace weekend than most of my others have been but still a nice time. We spent Saturday in the ‘New Forest’ which is a chunk of land King John designated as ‘protected’ (ie for him) back in the 1200’s – which means some pretty big trees and untouched scenery. We were driving around looking at Art galleries an exhibitions – the one family member I was visiting is a fantastic artist so we were sussing out her competition! Sunday we visited a cool roman site called Fishbourne and then bumbled around the edges of Portsmouth were there is loads of water traffic to ogle at.

It’s now my last week in London and I’m amazed at how time has flown by. I feel I haven’t even scraped the surface over here, let alone started to use the location for Europe jumping – I had too many people to see and places and such to even consider the other side of the Channel!. Perhaps I’ll come back next summer and do more? We’ll see. I will admit, I’m starting to look forward to the comforts of home.

This final week is stacking up to be pretty busy – have quite a few dinner/drinks lined up as well as a trip to Betty Windsor’s abode (Buckingham Palace)… and somewhere in there I have to pack up 2 months worth of junk into my suitcases! Not gonna be fun!

whoops! long time, no blog!

sorry! I've been busy and forgot to update!

Work has been work, random amounts of interesting material mixed with mundane whatever stuff. Regardless of interest, it's all valuable experience.

The fun stuff, of course, has been touristing on the weekends.

So I spent a weekend in Kent. One one day I met up with a co-worker who lives out in Rochester and she drove me around there, as well as took me to Leeds Castle (WOW!!!) and dropped me in Canterbury to visit that myself. So yes, Leeds was beautifully situated, so cool! Canterbury has always been on my lists of places to visit. I think that had I not been to so many of the worlds amazing cathedrals this year I would have been more impressed but alas. I was definitely able to put myself into the 'wow cool' headspace, but it wasn't as awe-inspiring as others have been. It was cool to see where Beckett was taken-out, as well as the tombs of HenryIV and the Black Prince.

I have also been down to Dover Castle now - another dream of mine to see. It was so awesome to be back at the sea, I didn't realize how much I missed the salty air. I spent the entire day in the castle, exploring tunnels and keeps and climbing mounds, all very cool stuff!

This past week had more interesting stuff to report on as I went to two shows! I met up with my old friend Lars and we went to see Avenue Q, and then later in the week I went to see Pricilla, Queen of the Desert (look them both up online if you are interested).

Friday night some co-workers and I went out for some drinks - it was so strange to be at a bar and seeing people in suits dancing around.. such a different scene to home (I think, I don't really get out much)...

This past weekend I was closer to home. On Saturday I met up with Lars again and went to the Tower of London. I'd been before but he hadn't, so we totally explored all over. It was a nice day. That night I went to a party one of the lawyers at work was hosting... such a different kind of house party, and those who know my lack of small talking abilities would have been proud of me!!

Yesterday I journeyed out to Brighton, a big beach party town. I'm glad I've been but I doubt I'll go back. The coolest thing was the Brighton Pavillion - google it.

So now I continue on getting experience and trying to be a tourist. My little cousin Perdi shows up for a few nights tomorrow so that should be loads of fun. I'll try update again soon!!

Further Adventures

Last week had a lot more going on for me, work wise. This is a good thing – I’d much rather be busy and learning material than sitting trying to find interesting news stories on the BBC! That being said, some of my research has been quite grim – one lawyer has me researching the proper ways to secure permission to burry someone in a field… ahem.

I did managed to finally see Harry Potter last week and despite all the missing plot points, I quite enjoyed it. It was also quite fun to see it in London, especially the opening scene where the Millenium foot bridge is destroyed – I often walk onto/across that on my lunchtime break!

Last Thursday night I finally got a real ‘introduction’ to the business world in London – a number of the lawyers here took me out for a drink. Or two. Or 6. Ahem. It was a nice place we went and I had a pretty good time, picking peoples brains and just relaxing. I must say, there were a few hung-over people the next morning (I’m good at keeping my glass looking full, stopping the top-ups).

I went down to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Maidenhead (near Heathrow) for the weekend and it was very nice to see some familiar faces. Saturday took us to a rainy Oxford where it happened to be graduation day. I didn’t get to explore too much as most of the town was closed, but I did go into Christ Church, their big famous one… It’s where Alice in Wonderland was written and set, and also known for it’s hall and staircases as seen in Harry Potter..

Sunday took us on a traditional English road-trip, up to the Cotswolds. Now this is only a 2 hour drive from London, but the reactions I’ve got from co-workers (many who have never been) make it seem like it was a few days drive away. It’s a lovely scenic area of rolling hills, sheep and very old but really cute cottages. Anyone looking for some random English driving and quaint towns should hit up the Cotswolds.

This week doesn’t seem to hold much excitement for me, so therefore I must try make my own. I’m having dinner with my Land-lady tonight, drinks with one of Guy’s friends on Wednesday, and will try go to a show or something if cheap tickets exist. This coming weekend shall take me to Kent and Dover. Watch for updates later!

not half way yet...

Well last week had some really dull days, and then some really busy ones. By the end of the week I had 3 projects on the go! I was thrilled when work was over on Friday as I needed a break.

Of course, it being me, I didn't exactly have a 'break'. I caught a train into Essex/ Suffolk and was a tourist all weekend! I stayed with my mum's old school friends who graciously drove me around all day Saturday and Sunday. I visited Colchester (first city in the UK), Dedham (location of John Constables famous paintings), Billericay (English Peasents Revolt), Sutton Hoo (Anglo-Saxon burial mounds), Framlingham (castle of the Howards), Bury St. Edmunds (ruins of a HUGE abbey/shrine), Lavenham (awesome little town of crooked houses).... loads of driving on little English roads and probably up to 10 miles of walking, all combined.

The weather even held out for me, it was quite warm! Of course now I'm back in London with the usual temperamental stuff.

Not sure what the week ahead holds for me, but hopefully it's going to be good!

me again

Well I think I'm fairly well settled in now - some of the days are feeling like 'the daily grind', which is a good thing? I am still thrilled to be here - there is something amazing about walking past St. Paul's Cathedral every morning on my way to work: it's kind of surreal!

I've been puttering around at work on a number of different projects, all of which are fairly straight forward but take time. It's all fascinating stuff and has shown this trip to be really worth every penny I'm spending. Hopefully the interesting work will continue!

In my time off I've been doing a variety of things. I was quite busy last week seeing tourist stuff in the evenings, or meeting people for dinner. I hope this continues! This past weekend I went up to the historic town of St. Albans (roman, anglo-saxon and norman histories) which was a lovely day out, and then took a 4 hour cruise down the Thames to Hampton Court, where I explored and saw Henry VIII (the actor was the spitting image!).

The frustrating thing about my trip is the hours - I work until 5:30 every day, and with the crush of people, I often only get home between 6:30 and 7pm. All tourist sites are closed at 5, so my weeknights are devoted to either seeing people or, more frequently, going home, making a microwave dinner and reading my books or watching BBC.

I'm starting to make some connections here, though it's a slow process. I've discovered an old friend of mine is living in the city, so hope to meet up with him in the coming days/weeks. Otherwise I'll continue to use my weekends thoroughly! This coming weekend I plan to go up to the Colchester area, where the artist Constable did much of his work. It's apparently a lovely area.

Alright, off again!

Epic work!

Wow, this week has been full of 'epic work'. well, one day at least. When I got to work on Monday I was put on a team working on a crazy important submission to the US Securities and Exchange Commission - a HUGE deal and I was a key player in making it happen. Well, I was at least very helpful - I was the 'fresh eyes' on a number of documents and liaised with the publisher on all the edits and nit-picky stuff. It was a really interesting process and gave me a lot of insite... the 'epic' part was the fact that on Wednesday I worked from 9:30am until 4:00am... and was back at work the next morning at 9:30. It was intense.

Otherwise I'm still keeping happy and enjoying myself. The past weekend I explore Hampstead Heath, went out to see where my grandfather was born in Eltham, and went to the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum - all was well worth the visits.

This weekend I plan to see St. Albans (an historic town) and take a Thames river cruise out to Hampton Court.. I just hope the weather is nice to me. Right now there's thunder and Vancouver-style rain. sigh.

Hope everyone is well. Please feel free to email - it's nice to hear from home!

The First Week

I survived it! Horrah!

After a few days if induction meetings they threw me in the deep end, giving me a massive research project on topics I have yet to study at school. I bought a text book guide to try learn quickly, and did as best a job I could. The lawyers seemed happy enough with the results, but I don't know if the big cheese liked it - that will come Monday.

It's been strange being a London commuter, especially with work ending at 530. I'm starting to get used to getting home late and eating dinner even later... I don't like it, but that's what it is.

I haven't done anything too touristy yet as it all closes at 5pm. Today I plan to go to Hampstead Heath, a big park and village within the city, and then maybe just hit down town again. Tomorrow is open for now.

Well I hope all is well with everyone. I'm mostly alright, though I do get lonely at times. Hugs to everyone.

Getting Here & First Day

It was a tiny bit stressful getting here due to all potential flight mishaps, but in the end it worked out alright. My flight was delayed leaving Vancouver but made up time in the air. The plane gods were smiling on me in Newark as my connecting flight turned out to be in the gate right next to where I landed. And my bags made it to Heathrow with me! Best outcome!

One cool thing about my journey: I got to see hundreds of American 4th of July Fireworks display’s from the air. It was so cool seeing all the twinkling – not often you see fireworks from above!

My place here in London seems like it’ll be good – I have a fridge, microwave, hot-plate and some tools to use with them. There are 3 grocery stores within a minutes walk, as is the underground and a huge park. My Landlady seems like a lovely lady – an ex-professional ballet dancer no less!

My first day at work was a bit overwhelming but overall pretty good. Met loads of people and had a bunch of training, all of which will continue tomorrow. The office is located near St. Paul’s Cathedral, so I’ll probably pop into it for lunch one of these days. I’ll slowly explore the area over lunches and shall report back my findings. I did pick up a mobile phone and an internet dongle, so I’ll be more connected than at first thought.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted as things happen!

packing the bags

Well I'm packing up my bags and looking at a journey beginning on July 4th... The first hurdle is getting all the clothes I need for work and play into a suitcase that I can still lift and carry! The next hurdle is crossing my fingers and hoping that my 30 min connection is enough to switch planes at Newark... Then I have to hope my bags arrive... and that I can navigate the London Underground out to Clapham South!!

after that, no worries!

I'm starting to get excited. It's going to be a real adventure, away from everything, striking out on my own and finding out who I am, in London. I know I'll miss home, but hopefully I'll be too distracted by work and play to be homesick.

I don't know what my internet situation is going to be like, so I won't be posting as frequently as other trips. But I'll save up stories and post them all at once, so perhaps that's better?

Well, until I'm there, toodles!

done

well, they're over. and hopefully so is one of the hardest sets of weeks I've been through.


the strange thing is, rather than being happy, I feel so drained and exhausted: it's almost a sense of failure or let-down.


I'm sure I'll feel better after some sleep.

about turn

ok, 3 down. none were fantastic, some were awful.

Now the 4th.. and I have to suddenly change pace completely, turn my brain around and revert to an old life: my 4th exam is a history exam.

yup, I've got 5.5 days to learn 1000 years of legal history. ugh. my work so far has been frustrating as there aren't cases to learn (well, not as many as normal) - it's back to the names, dates and places... and it's been 6 years since I used my history muscles..

anyway, I take solace in the fact that this time next week I'll be done. And in a month I'll be off to England.

status = 50%

50% done.

one ok, one so so... now 2 to go.

I'm tired.

tomorrow, tomorrow...

yep. first one is tomorrow.

wait, why am I on here......??????? books!! notes!! help!!!!!!!!!

in the final days

Exams come as follows: Tort - May 20, Trust - 27, Land - June 2, and History of English Law- 9th.

I have been wondering why I've been less stressed this year, and this past weekend I discovered why: all the stress had been waiting on the sidelines and decided to slam into me at once. Call it a new stress tactic? Hrm. Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to get a grips on it all and get back to hard slogging asap. First exam is just over a week away and none of the material has peculated into my brain. Don't worry, it'll happen. right?

A small reprieve this weekend was our mother's day celebration. As I'm still trying to slowly upload Europe to flickr, I thought I'd put these up here for those who look at this site. They'll go up on Flickr in due time.

The tea setup

the grand Mother

The Mum's

moment of cute.

Three Generations of fun.

Me and my Gran

Much Loved.

The Mom.

where did he get his height?!

Olive and Violet

Master Scone Chef's.

Oh My! It's May!!!

20 days until my first exam.

still plodding

pretty standard routine going on now days - wake up, eat cheerios, shower, check email, study... sleep again.

It's pretty repetitive. I'm not too pleased about it. Plus it's been beautifully sunny recently and all the cherry blossoms are out teasing me. I would love to be carefree, running around taking photographs, going on spring flower exploration walks and generally enjoying life. Instead I'm stuck in my office reading about how to remove trustees from trusts or what the difference is between hitting a person, criminally, and hitting a person, civilly. Ugh.

So yes, in general I'm a tad bitter right now. I know I'm stressed and that's never fun. I've got a month (today) until my first exam and that is not enough time to learn all the material properly. But I guess no one ever does learn the material properly do they? Well, not in one year at least. And law, annoyingly, is never permanent. I was just reading the 'recent development's' bulletin my school provides, and whaddya know, one whole unit I've been trying to memorize is no longer relevant, instead there's a whole new policy!

yes. well. anyway. moving on.

If anyone out there is still following my blog, I wish you well and hope your life is full with cherry blossoms and spring breezes, wherever you may be. Think of me with my books, and send good throughts my way come May 20, 27, June 2 and 9th.

back to the books.

time travel

it's snowing at home. so that means it's january right? if so, cool, I've got loads of time!!

getting over jet-lag is horrible. The super early mornings are the worst - I hope that in a day or two I'll finally be over it.

I've set up a study schedule that is reasonable, provided I stick with it. I feel exhausted already!

I'm still working on uploading photos, a city at a time. I hope it won't take forever, but study does come first!

Toodles.

Last day - time has flown!

I can't believe today is the last day of lectures. This week has flown by and unfortunately doesn't feel like enough was accomplished or covered.

The lectures have been good, for the most part, and I've got a better idea of the material for some of my classes. Now I just have to go and memorize it all and hope that I can pass the exams this May and June!

Today I have 5 hours of classes, and then I'll go into town to say 'bye' before packing up my room and possibly meeting some friends at the pub for a farewell drink. Tomorrow I head back down to London (Maidenhead), and Sunday I spend the day flying home!

This has certainly been a fun 3 weeks, although my Europe trip feels a long time ago already, and Cambridge feels a bit like I've already been home for a week (due to school)... I'm sure when I do get home things will feel even more strange!

Ah well, off to breakfast and class. If I don't get a chance before, I'll update again when home!

toodles.

Student Life

I have to say I'd forgotten how much work it takes to sit in class and try absorb and take notes from a lecturer. I'm now used to going my own pace with school (a pretty hard pace, but not like lectures)... I'm exhausted!

Unlike last year, where I instantly dove into the depths of despair due to the feelings of inadequacy, this year it's been a slow climb up the mountain of terror. I've left base camp 1, but not yet at base camp 2. The summit is a while away.

To better describe it, I'm kind of numb. I love being here, learning from the Cambridge law faculty professors - its an incredible experience. I recognize all the topics we're discussing but don't know any of the details (which is what made me panic last year). I think this time I'm aware of how hard I'm going to have to work the next few months, so am better prepared?? or maybe I was knocked down so many pegs last time that I didn't get worked up this time? Who knows.

Due to Cambridge not offering a class on my History subject, I am only in lectures for 3 of my 4 classes this time. The professors for each are excellent, but for different reasons. Trusts and Land are going very well with the format and information - which is good because those are my weakest. Tort is another story: the professor is young and new and uncomfortable, and is spending far too much time waffling than educating us. But I am learning a bit here and there, and he's talking a lot about recent cases (ie in the past year), so if I can quote some of those on the exams I'm sure the examiners will be pleased.

I've made a few friends here (despite my best solitary efforts LOL (JK)). One is a South African girl, then 2 ladies from Jersey Island (Channel Island), an Auzzie who lives in London, and a New Yorker. The group is much smaller than last year - there are less than 30 in my classes this time, when there were at least 60 last year. I prefer the smaller group.

I haven't had much of a chance to re-explore the town, but may have some time tomorrow on my lunch break. I'll be holed up in the library for most of the day though.

Otherwise not much to report. My europe trip already feels miles away. Cambridge, as strange as it sounds, reminds me of home so much that it actually feels like I am at home. In many ways last year and this year have meshed together already - eating in the dining hall feels quite normal. I suppose that's a good thing.

In my free time (when not sleeping or being stuffed with too much food) I am trying to load Europe photos on Flickr. Its a slow process (due to culling down the thousands), but I hope to get a big chunk up this week.

Alright, bye for now!

Goodbye Holiday, Hello School.

Well I'm now in Cambridge, settled in at Selwyn College and starting my week of boot-camp tomorrow.

Since I last wrote:

Amsterdam - we saw as much as we could in the day we were there, but didn't find it nearly as interesting as other cities. Granted I'd been there before, but even fresh-eyed Owen didn't like it as much. The buildings and cannals are really cool, but the atmosphere is very different. Plus I hated driving in the city, the bikes and trams and people make it a nightmare.

Delft - I love that town. It was market day, which made it crazy busy, but its a quite pretty place with some cool buildings. A nice change from A-Dam.

Brugges - LOVED. Totally loved. Would reccomend for anyone to go there. Really cool buildings, really nice people, awesome chocolate, lace, cannals, etc. Can't say enough, super cool place to go.

We then drove back down to Paris for a night, narrowly missing the protest which were 3million strong (thanks to some text's from mom!). Low key night of repacking etc.

Windsor/Maidenhead - visited my Aunt and Uncle who live near Windsor in England. Explore the castle and wandered the town, then had a nice family visit. Good way to end the trip.

Owen went home today (I think he's landing in about 2 hours). He's been an excellent travelling companion and I miss his company already. Hopefully he re-adjusts to 'normal' life quickly!

I made my journey up to Cambridge - via car, tube, bus, and taxi. I'm settled in at Selwyn College and all my classes start up tomorrow. Hopefully I can focus on the positive while I'm here and not get too stressed. The view from my window is cool.

Bye for now!

France, Switzerland and Germany

Ya, so not much internet between Dijon and here! And not much time here to post much.

Dijon: cute little town, explored a number of churches and the local market, bought some Burgundy wine. All in all a nice spot to stop in.

Mullhouse: Unexpectedly lovely town. Town hall is very proud of its roots, has a really cool museum, and we ate some churro's!

Switzerland - we went into Basel and were once again really surprised - it was a lovely little town with some interesting architecture, some nice history, and a cool river. Great intro to Switz.

Zurich: we were there to a) see the city and b) meet up with my friend Reesa. "A" worked, but "B" didn't. We walked around the town and went into some churches and generally got a feeling for the place, but didn't have a lot of time.

Karlsruhe: To get here we had to drive alongside the Black Forest (a la Cake) for about 2.5 hours. Yup, big green trees. But it was really pretty, especially thinking back about it now! We got to Karlsruhe quite late, so didn't get to see much until the next morning: big palace, big german town layout.

Koblenz: On the way to Koblenz we stopped at Maulbronn, a UNESCO protected monestary, then Heidelburg, an awesome german castle, and finally Worms, a cute little german town along the Rhine. Koblenz itself is at the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine rivers - very cool location, not much space to build!! We explored the town and visited some old churches.

Rhine Valley: Drove sections of both the Mosel and Rhine Valley's, both of which have wicked castles on the land above and amazing little villages along the river. We loved this part and definitely want to come back.

Cologne (Koln): AWESOME Cathedral. Big dream of mine fulfiled. We spent all our time here exploring the Cathedral - we'll have to visit the other 20 churches some other time.

We are now in Amsterdam. We visited Utrecht on our way up - such a sweet little town. Amsterdam is its usual self, but a total nightmare for driving because of all the bike riders. Ugh.

Ok, that's it for now!! bye!!

London, Paris and such (March 6 - 12)

Bon Soir from Dijon, France!! We have been having a fantastic time, have accomplished so much and are pretty much exhausted - which is the way to be when you're travelling, in my opinion! =P

I don't have much time, so I'm going to list what we've accomplished so far!

London = A big walk including: Oxford St, Marble Arch, Hyde Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, the Mall, Admiralty Arch, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery (visited), Whitehall, Banqueting House, Westminister & Big Ben, Westminster Abby (tried to visit but as was Sunday, closed), Thames, Tate Modern (visited), Globe, Millenium Bridge (walked on), Tower Bridge (saw), St Pauls (visited), Fleet Street, Inns of Court, Temple Church (visited), Aldwych, Bloomsbury, British Museum (visited), British Library, St. Pancras.

Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel.

Paris = 3 days, visited: Sacre Coeur (climbed), Monmatre, Dali museum, Monmatre Cemetary, Isle de la Cite - Notre Dame (night and day visits, multiple times), Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame Tower, Notre Dame crypt, Catacombs of Paris, St. Sulpice, Musee D'Orsey, Louvre, Champs Elysees, Arch de Triomphe (climbed), Eiffel Tower (climbed), Latin Quarter, Sorbonne (saw police reponse to student protest), Pantheon (closed), Seine River cruise by night.

Versailles & Gardens.

Have now driven from Versailles to Dijon, and it looks like a fantastic city and we can't wait to explore it tomorrow!

Other tid-bits of the trip:
We are surviving on bigger breakfasts, no lunch and minimal dinners. This seems strange to most, but it works for us.
We are quite tired from all our walking (hopefully this is understandable), but we want to get as much as we can out of this experience, so we're not being lazy!
My knee has once again lost it's battle with Paris. This is my third time to Paris, and every time I visit the city my right knee is destroyed. No idea why, but it's not exactly fun.
Driving over here is crazy, but it certainly keeps you on your feet. Owen is my navigator, with the help of my GPS unit.

Well, not sure when the next internet will be, but know that we're having fun and taking a million photos!!!

Bags Packed, Ticket in Hand.. waiting..

The worst part about going on a trip is the 24 hours before leaving... at least for me. My bags are packed, I'm all organized, prepped and ready.. and now I have to kill time!

I've gone through every unit of my 4 subjects, so in that sense I'm prepared. I know that as soon as I get to Cambridge I'll start getting very worried.. I mean, who remembers what they read in October in great detail?! But that's why I'm going - go through some bootcamp to prepare myself for the hard exam-prep slog ahead.

Anyway... have 2 fun filled weeks ahead of me. I am very excited; this is going to be such an interesting journey! I'll post as frequently as I find internet, and will definitely post excerpts from my trip diary when I've got the net at Cambridge. Photos will go up whenever possible.

Now to go kill time....

U of Ork temporary relocations...

So the European Whirlwind Extravaganza begins in 2.5 weeks (March 6). Am starting to get both excited and nervous, because its going to be full of awesomeness, but also a pretty big endeavour! I know we'll have loads of fun... and yes, whenever the internet is available, I'll post updates as we go.

but I can now also announce that U of Ork is going to temporarily relocate to London for July and August 2009. I've got some work placements in the city (unpaid), so am off to start getting real work experience for my career. I've got space in Clapham South which is self-catered - CS is in South London, about 20 min from the offices I'll be working at. Should be a very fun experience, and provided I have access to internet (unconfirmed to date), I shouldn't get homesick... esp if I have my camera!

More details to follow as I get them... the most important being the work visa!

So:
step 1 = 2 weeks exploring europe
step 2 = 1 week at Cambridge scaring myself for exams
step 3 = study for and survive exams
step 4 = move to London for the summer!

Fun times ahead (50%).. hehehe

3 weeks to finish 5 weeks worth...

Owen and I leave for a European driving adventure on March 6th. I need to finish all my studies before then, as after Owen goes home, I head up to Cambridge for a week of boot-camp. Recent developments at home, socially, mean I'm a bit behind on school... so the head is getting tucked down so I can be ready for fun!

Our trip = London, Paris, Dijon, Mulhouse, Karlsruhe, Koblenz, Cologne, Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, London, Home (Owen), Cambridge (Lauren), Home. We are renting a car outside Paris, so the majority of the trip will be me driving around like a maniac!

Fun ahead, but must earn it!

Mini-Break

U of Ork has taken a 1 week mini-break to visit the island of Maui. Administrative reps demanded the sole U of Ork student to take a break to recharge for the coming months.




Photos of this onerous time off can be found on flickr. Examples are as follows.

U of Ork will return to action on Jan 26, 2009.

2 month countdown...

2 months to get more than 2 months work done. call me Thomas?

no more excuses, no more laziness, no more procrastination...

rwar!!!