Ah, vacation. At long last..
Well, I know if I don't update about the past few weeks soon, I won't get around to it at all, so here goes..
After handing in my thesis, I spent the weekend recuperating (read: sleeping like there was no tomorrow). Then on Monday, Helene, Suchita, Stephan and I went to Thorpe Park! It's an amusement park in the UK, and it was fan-tas-tic. I don't think I've been to a theme park since Disneyland at age 15, so this was a blast. The first ride we went on was the Tidal Wave, which Stephan described as "a ride that gets you as wet as jumping in a swimming pool". Heck yes! And he was right; we were completely soaked. But still smiling!
Stephan, Helene and Suchita after the Tidal Wave
Me. Holy crap, I was wet.
We went on all the rollercoasters next, and I am proud to say that I rode them all and did not puke once. It was a bit iffy when we went on Colossus right after lunch, but I held it all down. ;) I'm sure my friends were relieved. Anyways, it was a pretty tiring day but COMPLETELY worth it. What a great way to celebrate the completion of our thesis!
The four of us in a row on Nemesis
Group picture at lunch
The next day (Tuesday the 6th), my brother came! Yay! First off, I had to take him to my favorite restaurant - the NOODLE BAR! Yum yum! Next, my brother was lucky enough to arrive just in time for the last day of the St. Giles Fair, in which St. Giles street is basically taken over by a massive carnival complete with bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, loads of carnival games, street vendors, etc. etc. It was so cool - and we won 6 stuffed animals! Well, okay - I think my brother won most of them, but that's beside the point.
Me with my new friends
Then for the next few days, I became a Tour Guide and showed my brother around Oxford. We visited Magdalen college, Christ Church college, went punting (FINALLY!), ate at the Head of the River pub and the Eagle and Child pub (AGAIN, FINALLY!), did wushu in the park, went to the gym (yes I know we are nerds), ate breakfast in hall, went to a few museums, ate dimsum, and generally faffed around and had lots of fun.
Pub lunch at the Eagle and Child - SO GOOD! *drool*
Punting with my brother and Sarah! And no one fell in! :)
We also took a day trip to Cambridge, and visited our Aunt and Uncle as well (they live about 30 minutes from the University). All I have to say is that Cambridge is BEAUTIFUL. I think it's prettier than Oxford, and I am really biased because I love Oxford. I did only see two of the colleges, but they were nicer than the best of the Oxford colleges. Made me think twice about my decision to only apply to Oxford. ;) Ah well, I informed my brother that he had to apply to Cambridge so that I could go and visit him there. It's only fair, right?
My brother and I in Trinity College
On Tuesday (the 13th), we headed to London for two days. The hotel room was MINISCULE..but since we didn't have to spend that long in it, I guess it was okay. Did the whole tour of London in one day - Chinatown, Leicester Square, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, rode on the Underground, Tower Bridge (and we were lucky enough to see them raise and lower the bridge!), Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Millenium Bridge, London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Picadilly Circus, Tracadero, and other things that I have now forgotten. According to the pedometer that my brother got me for my birthday, we walked over 30,000 steps which was equivalent to something like 14 miles. No wonder my feet felt like they were on FIRE.
Buckingham Palace
Loads of yummy stuff in the window of a shop in Chinatown
Then on Thursday (the 15th), we took the Eurostar to Paris! Hooray..I'd always wanted to go ever since I started taking French in high school. Unfortunately, the last time I was in a French class was over five years ago, so as a result my French was very very rusty. The people were kind of rude - the first Parisian I dealt with was our hotel manager, who, in response to my "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" said snootily "Non, mademoiselle, je ne parle pas anglais. Je parle francais." So I turned to my brother to ask him how to say "check-in" in French (mind you, this was after a long walk from the train station carrying all of our luggage, so I was tired and cranky by this time anyway). While we were discussing, the guy then interrupts and says that actually, he CAN speak English. The bastard! I can't believe he was playing with me like that. To get revenge, my brother took a handful of the candy from the jar on the counter every time he passed by for the remainder of our trip. Ha!
Anyways, Paris itself was really nice. On the first day, we went to Lourve, L'arc de Triomphe, and shopped on the Champs Elysees (of COURSE!). The Lourve was massive, and there was no way we could have seen everything in the few hours that we were there. We did get to see the Mona Lisa, which was pretty cool. There was a guard there yelling "No photo! No photo!" everytime he saw someone trying to sneak one. This Japanese tourist got caught and was hauled over to a big sign that said "NO PHOTOGRAPHY" and the guard gestured wildly at it. The poor tourist looked so scared, but then he didn't get punished or anything. If I wasn't such a pansy I might have tried sneaking a pic myself.
I.M. Pei’s Pyramid at the Lourve
Somehow my brother got in before me, and got this pic while I was waiting in line
Look, I could be a display as well! Hehehe...
L'arc de Triomphe was great - such a beautiful view of the city! Although it made me more aware of how out of shape I am; climing up to the top left me a bit winded. And the Champs Elysees was..really crowded. But we went back the next day and both bought clothes so that we could wear them and say "Oh, this? Yeah, I got it in Paris on the Champs Elysees." Haha, we're such posers!
Me!
Bakery items on the Champs Elysees
More yummy goodness - this wouldn’t be a proper Celia post if there weren’t gratuitous food pics, right?
My brother displaying the culinary delights of Paris (hot dog with cheese. YES)
L’arc de Triomphe at night
We had dinner at a cafe that had this great view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the most inexpensive dish was 18 euros. Ouch! Our dinner ended up costing nearly 45 euros, so we made sure to take pictures of the (really tiny) entrees.
SO..TINY
AGAIN..WTF WHY IS THE REST OF MY PLATE EMPTY?!
View from the cafe
The next day, we went to Notre Dame, which was really impressive. Absolutely gorgeous. The line to climb up to the towers was incredibly long, though, and since they only let 20 people up every 10 minutes, we calculated the wait to be nearly 2 hours long. We decided that it wasn't worth it, and instead wandered around the Ile de la Cite for a while and crossed over to the Ile de St. Louis where we got some Really Nice ice cream. It was expensive though for the size of the scoop - probably about 1/4 the size of scoops you get in the States! No wonder Americans are fat. :P
Funny sign as you get off the Metro on Ile de la Cite. Apparently you can’t hold your child’s hand here. :P
Notre Dame
I look happy because I got two ice creams! JUST KIDDING. One belonged to my brother, I promise!
See, told you!
We went to the Musee D'Orsay next, where I got some fantastic photos of a clock. I know, I know, not what you're supposed to be taking pictures of in a museum, but the clock was so cool.
Musee D’Orsay - very pretty!
Even prettier - my lovely clock photo! :)
We then headed back towards the Champs Elysees and finally got to the Eiffel Tower. The wait was much longer than expected, so it was fully dark by the time we got up the tower. The top was closed because it was overcrowded, so my brother and I went to the second level. It was still a really good view though, although it was freezing by this time because it was late and really windy being up so high. Anyways, we got home after some panic and confusion about which metro lines to take (we had to take one train on the RER, then switch to a Metro line, then switch to ANOTHER Metro line before we finally made it back). By this time, all the shops and restaurants were closed, since it was nearly midnight. Unfortunately, we were starving. The only thing left open was this little diner that was basically the equivalent of an Oxford kebab van. Hooray. We ordered mini pizzas and fish burgers. Watching the owner put together my burger (with his bare hands and slopping it around on the counter) nearly put me off from eating it, but only nearly. I was really hungry, okay? :P
Ah, there it is.
The next day (our last day in Paris) we went to Versailles. I know Versailles is supposed to be fantastic and everything, but I think by this time we were kind of burnt out on sightseeing. We only made it to one of the three wings before we decided that we were hungry. Then we wandered through loads of souvenir shops, and by the time we made it back to the chateau it was CLOSED. Damn it. Oh well, we did get to go into the gardens for free because no one was checking anymore, so that was really nice. They were beautiful to see.
Me stuffing my face before we got on the Metro that morning
Versailles!
Hall of Mirrors
Gardens
More gardens
We got back and took a river tour on the Seine. It was really nice and had the added benefit of NO WALKING REQUIRED WHATSOEVER. My feet were thanking me profusely, let me tell you.
River tour
Anyways, that was about it..we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant (hehe) but honestly, I think it was the best food I had in Paris overall. It was EXCELLENT. Yum. Then we had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn the next day to check out and catch our Eurostar train back home. Got to London about midday, had lunch at McDonald's (swanky, I know) and then arrived back in Oxford late afternoon. After some dinner and packing, we went to bed, only to have to wake up at the obscene hour of 5am (only because I couldn't bring myself to set my alarm for anything before that). Accompanied my brother to the airport, then dragged myself back home and unpacked everything in my new room (had to move out by the 15th, so now am in a new room for the next month). And for the past week, I have been doing a whole load of nothing. I shouldn't be complaining though, especially since I don’t have to prep for a viva. YAY!
Well I really should be off to bed now. So thank you and good night!
After handing in my thesis, I spent the weekend recuperating (read: sleeping like there was no tomorrow). Then on Monday, Helene, Suchita, Stephan and I went to Thorpe Park! It's an amusement park in the UK, and it was fan-tas-tic. I don't think I've been to a theme park since Disneyland at age 15, so this was a blast. The first ride we went on was the Tidal Wave, which Stephan described as "a ride that gets you as wet as jumping in a swimming pool". Heck yes! And he was right; we were completely soaked. But still smiling!
Stephan, Helene and Suchita after the Tidal Wave
Me. Holy crap, I was wet.
We went on all the rollercoasters next, and I am proud to say that I rode them all and did not puke once. It was a bit iffy when we went on Colossus right after lunch, but I held it all down. ;) I'm sure my friends were relieved. Anyways, it was a pretty tiring day but COMPLETELY worth it. What a great way to celebrate the completion of our thesis!
The four of us in a row on Nemesis
Group picture at lunch
The next day (Tuesday the 6th), my brother came! Yay! First off, I had to take him to my favorite restaurant - the NOODLE BAR! Yum yum! Next, my brother was lucky enough to arrive just in time for the last day of the St. Giles Fair, in which St. Giles street is basically taken over by a massive carnival complete with bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, loads of carnival games, street vendors, etc. etc. It was so cool - and we won 6 stuffed animals! Well, okay - I think my brother won most of them, but that's beside the point.
Me with my new friends
Then for the next few days, I became a Tour Guide and showed my brother around Oxford. We visited Magdalen college, Christ Church college, went punting (FINALLY!), ate at the Head of the River pub and the Eagle and Child pub (AGAIN, FINALLY!), did wushu in the park, went to the gym (yes I know we are nerds), ate breakfast in hall, went to a few museums, ate dimsum, and generally faffed around and had lots of fun.
Pub lunch at the Eagle and Child - SO GOOD! *drool*
Punting with my brother and Sarah! And no one fell in! :)
We also took a day trip to Cambridge, and visited our Aunt and Uncle as well (they live about 30 minutes from the University). All I have to say is that Cambridge is BEAUTIFUL. I think it's prettier than Oxford, and I am really biased because I love Oxford. I did only see two of the colleges, but they were nicer than the best of the Oxford colleges. Made me think twice about my decision to only apply to Oxford. ;) Ah well, I informed my brother that he had to apply to Cambridge so that I could go and visit him there. It's only fair, right?
My brother and I in Trinity College
On Tuesday (the 13th), we headed to London for two days. The hotel room was MINISCULE..but since we didn't have to spend that long in it, I guess it was okay. Did the whole tour of London in one day - Chinatown, Leicester Square, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, rode on the Underground, Tower Bridge (and we were lucky enough to see them raise and lower the bridge!), Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Millenium Bridge, London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Picadilly Circus, Tracadero, and other things that I have now forgotten. According to the pedometer that my brother got me for my birthday, we walked over 30,000 steps which was equivalent to something like 14 miles. No wonder my feet felt like they were on FIRE.
Buckingham Palace
Loads of yummy stuff in the window of a shop in Chinatown
Then on Thursday (the 15th), we took the Eurostar to Paris! Hooray..I'd always wanted to go ever since I started taking French in high school. Unfortunately, the last time I was in a French class was over five years ago, so as a result my French was very very rusty. The people were kind of rude - the first Parisian I dealt with was our hotel manager, who, in response to my "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" said snootily "Non, mademoiselle, je ne parle pas anglais. Je parle francais." So I turned to my brother to ask him how to say "check-in" in French (mind you, this was after a long walk from the train station carrying all of our luggage, so I was tired and cranky by this time anyway). While we were discussing, the guy then interrupts and says that actually, he CAN speak English. The bastard! I can't believe he was playing with me like that. To get revenge, my brother took a handful of the candy from the jar on the counter every time he passed by for the remainder of our trip. Ha!
Anyways, Paris itself was really nice. On the first day, we went to Lourve, L'arc de Triomphe, and shopped on the Champs Elysees (of COURSE!). The Lourve was massive, and there was no way we could have seen everything in the few hours that we were there. We did get to see the Mona Lisa, which was pretty cool. There was a guard there yelling "No photo! No photo!" everytime he saw someone trying to sneak one. This Japanese tourist got caught and was hauled over to a big sign that said "NO PHOTOGRAPHY" and the guard gestured wildly at it. The poor tourist looked so scared, but then he didn't get punished or anything. If I wasn't such a pansy I might have tried sneaking a pic myself.
I.M. Pei’s Pyramid at the Lourve
Somehow my brother got in before me, and got this pic while I was waiting in line
Look, I could be a display as well! Hehehe...
L'arc de Triomphe was great - such a beautiful view of the city! Although it made me more aware of how out of shape I am; climing up to the top left me a bit winded. And the Champs Elysees was..really crowded. But we went back the next day and both bought clothes so that we could wear them and say "Oh, this? Yeah, I got it in Paris on the Champs Elysees." Haha, we're such posers!
Me!
Bakery items on the Champs Elysees
More yummy goodness - this wouldn’t be a proper Celia post if there weren’t gratuitous food pics, right?
My brother displaying the culinary delights of Paris (hot dog with cheese. YES)
L’arc de Triomphe at night
We had dinner at a cafe that had this great view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the most inexpensive dish was 18 euros. Ouch! Our dinner ended up costing nearly 45 euros, so we made sure to take pictures of the (really tiny) entrees.
SO..TINY
AGAIN..WTF WHY IS THE REST OF MY PLATE EMPTY?!
View from the cafe
The next day, we went to Notre Dame, which was really impressive. Absolutely gorgeous. The line to climb up to the towers was incredibly long, though, and since they only let 20 people up every 10 minutes, we calculated the wait to be nearly 2 hours long. We decided that it wasn't worth it, and instead wandered around the Ile de la Cite for a while and crossed over to the Ile de St. Louis where we got some Really Nice ice cream. It was expensive though for the size of the scoop - probably about 1/4 the size of scoops you get in the States! No wonder Americans are fat. :P
Funny sign as you get off the Metro on Ile de la Cite. Apparently you can’t hold your child’s hand here. :P
Notre Dame
I look happy because I got two ice creams! JUST KIDDING. One belonged to my brother, I promise!
See, told you!
We went to the Musee D'Orsay next, where I got some fantastic photos of a clock. I know, I know, not what you're supposed to be taking pictures of in a museum, but the clock was so cool.
Musee D’Orsay - very pretty!
Even prettier - my lovely clock photo! :)
We then headed back towards the Champs Elysees and finally got to the Eiffel Tower. The wait was much longer than expected, so it was fully dark by the time we got up the tower. The top was closed because it was overcrowded, so my brother and I went to the second level. It was still a really good view though, although it was freezing by this time because it was late and really windy being up so high. Anyways, we got home after some panic and confusion about which metro lines to take (we had to take one train on the RER, then switch to a Metro line, then switch to ANOTHER Metro line before we finally made it back). By this time, all the shops and restaurants were closed, since it was nearly midnight. Unfortunately, we were starving. The only thing left open was this little diner that was basically the equivalent of an Oxford kebab van. Hooray. We ordered mini pizzas and fish burgers. Watching the owner put together my burger (with his bare hands and slopping it around on the counter) nearly put me off from eating it, but only nearly. I was really hungry, okay? :P
Ah, there it is.
The next day (our last day in Paris) we went to Versailles. I know Versailles is supposed to be fantastic and everything, but I think by this time we were kind of burnt out on sightseeing. We only made it to one of the three wings before we decided that we were hungry. Then we wandered through loads of souvenir shops, and by the time we made it back to the chateau it was CLOSED. Damn it. Oh well, we did get to go into the gardens for free because no one was checking anymore, so that was really nice. They were beautiful to see.
Me stuffing my face before we got on the Metro that morning
Versailles!
Hall of Mirrors
Gardens
More gardens
We got back and took a river tour on the Seine. It was really nice and had the added benefit of NO WALKING REQUIRED WHATSOEVER. My feet were thanking me profusely, let me tell you.
River tour
Anyways, that was about it..we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant (hehe) but honestly, I think it was the best food I had in Paris overall. It was EXCELLENT. Yum. Then we had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn the next day to check out and catch our Eurostar train back home. Got to London about midday, had lunch at McDonald's (swanky, I know) and then arrived back in Oxford late afternoon. After some dinner and packing, we went to bed, only to have to wake up at the obscene hour of 5am (only because I couldn't bring myself to set my alarm for anything before that). Accompanied my brother to the airport, then dragged myself back home and unpacked everything in my new room (had to move out by the 15th, so now am in a new room for the next month). And for the past week, I have been doing a whole load of nothing. I shouldn't be complaining though, especially since I don’t have to prep for a viva. YAY!
Well I really should be off to bed now. So thank you and good night!