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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Lessons From Ireland

Photo c/o google images
  1. Smithwicks Rocks. 
  2. So does Jedward.
  3. The Cranberries are worth falling in love with all over again.
  4. Chips in Ireland are WAY better than chips in England.
  5. Chocolate in Ireland is better than chocolate (almost) anywhere.
  6. Coffee in Ireland is absolutely better than coffee anywhere (it's alcoholic).
Had an awesome weekend in Kildare. Pictures to come soon!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Fullness

"[London] is the great beehive of Christendom…she swarms with people of all ages natures, sexes, callings…she seems to be a glutton, for she desires to always be full." -Donald Lupton, London and the Country Carbonadoed, 1632

Monday, July 25, 2011

Pondering


I've been doing a lot of this here.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Noah and the Whale


And I'll remember all these moments but they're just in my head
I'll be thinking about them as I'm lying in bed.
And I know that they might not ever come true
But in my mind I'm having a pretty good time with you.

Oh, in five years time, I might not know you.
In five years time, we might not speak, oh
In five years time, we might not get along.
In five years time, you might just prove me wrong.

Oh, there'll be love, love, love, wherever you go.
There'll be love, love, love.
Wherever you go, there'll be love.


Noah and the Whale rocked Camden tonight. Time for a new favorite band?

The Thames from the Tate

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Thanksgiving


What is one to think as one sits on grassy Parliament Hill overlooking London? Buildings of once brick and steel now steeped in gray sunlight resting under a sky of cotton-ball clouds, blue for the first time this week. The man with his dog writes, a woman in a red cap pretends to read, tourist families photograph, couples lounge on blankets sharing lunch. The sun licks us all -tasting us, tanning us- as the grass sweetly buzzes the melody of excited cicadas. Who are we, this group of strangers, sharing an objective view of this city for just a moment? Are we lonesome pilgrims, each humming to our respective tunes of thanksgiving? For we are all thankful- we must be. Even if we chose to ignore it, it returns. It prods us through the sunshine. It swarms around us with the bees. It tickles our ears through the ostinato of the cicadas. Reminding us, always, enchanting us, you are here. You are here.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

How Authentic



"I guess campers that love it they think ‘Oh, it’s like the settlers, the explorers, the pioneers!’ I don’t think so. I think they did what they had to do. They built a foundation for us to live on, not in tents. If Lewis and Clark saw a Hilton, they wouldn’t have camped." –Comedian John Pinette

Attending a play at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre is, without a doubt, a culturally enriching experience. The theatre has been a London landmark for over four centuries: located just south of the Thames, the modern replica was reconstructed in 1997 after the original burned down in 1613. As if staging plays by a great playwright weren’t enough, the theatre prides itself on true authenticity: the modern monument was erected only 200 yards from its original site and was built with materials and techniques similar to those employed in Shakespeare’s day. The materials are so historically accurate, in fact, that the Globe is considered a fire hazard even today.

These Guys

So I'm pretty much obsessed with these guys. Can't wait for the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Guided By Law

Before you dismiss the scrappy, dark man audibly sniffing like a hound dog on the corner as a random crazy Londoner, think again; he’s actually actor-turned-tour guide Simon Law giving a London Walks “Jack the Ripper” tour. Miles removed from a dry, historical walk, the “Jack the Ripper” tour gives visitors a compelling narrative of the Ripper’s killings interspersed with stints of improvisational theatre.

True

"The wonder of these sites, impels me into night-walks about her crowded streets, and I often shed tears in the motley Strand from fulness of joy at so much life." -Charles Lamb, English essayist

Monday, July 18, 2011

Excellence and Originality

In 1986, Bloomsbury Publishing was created “to publish books of excellence and originality,” and, twenty five years later, the company is still doing just that.

After a brief career in publishing, Nigel Newton started the publishing house with the vision to publish excellent writing and physically attractive books. With a mere staff of four people who read through drafts on beanbag chairs, Bloomsbury published only literary fiction, commercial fiction, general nonfiction, and reference. Newton swore never to publish children’s books.

“We were new and brave and plucky,” said Newton, who took out 1.75 million pounds venture capital and dreamed big.

Trafalgar Square

Friday, July 15, 2011

My Week

I love London. Maybe even as much as do the giggly girls in this picture.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Joy of London

Westminster Abbey may be composed of rigid stone, but the enthusiasm of the abbey’s employees makes the site warm and enjoyable. In conveying their passion for the site, the faces that illuminate the abbey make its long history come alive.

Gillian Sutch is just one of the many tour guides who shuffle through the Abbey each day, reciting facts and stories that are historical, cultural, and sometimes even comical. Wearing a bright red blazer and speaking in a soft-spoken voice, she complements the historical narrative of the Abbey with interesting factoids not evident to the average visitor.

She shares, for instance, that gems were stolen from Henry III’s tomb by tourists, and that the renowned playwright Ben Johnson is actually buried standing up. It is precisely these touches that make one’s visit not only engaging, but also memorable.

“It all just sort of ties up,” Sutch said wistfully of Poet’s Corner, a nook of the Abbey where British writers are buried. Sutch named the Corner as her favorite part of the site simply because “all the names [of the late poets] mean something.”

“Whether they’re buried here or elsewhere,” she added, “they’re remembered either way.”
After quitting a long career in public relations, Sutch became a certified tour guide in order to pursue history and London, her two passions.

“I love the history,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I hope to continue giving tours for as long as I can.”

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

We're Not in Kansas Anymore


I'm officially in London! I'm studying abroad for six weeks at Heythrop College (Fordham's sister school) where I'm taking a creative writing course and exploring every inch of the city. I'll be doing lots of writing, lots of reflecting, and lots of photographing along the way, so stay posted and be sure check out posts labeled 'London!'