Some Beautiful and Not-So Beautiful Things...

On 29 May 2012, with my time abroad quickly drawing to a close, I decided to spend some time just wandering around central London—plus, I needed to find some sort of crown to wear to a Diamond Jubilee-themed tea party I had been invited to. Because I saw so much, but nothing really new (for the most part), what follows is basically just random snippets of interest.

Let’s start, as I did that day, with an early morning visit to Buckingham Palace. I had been alerted by EN to the fact that construction had begun on the decorations for the Diamond Jubilee concert. Even so, I was not quite prepared for the radical transformation that had taken place. 

Around the large Victoria Memorial, work had begun on a staging area, from whence performers such as Sir Tom Jones would eventually perform. Similarly, all around the circle, tiered stands had also been erected for those lucky few who had been able to secure tickets to the event. (I tried, but being a non-British citizen I was not able.)

Stage and Bleachers

From the palace, I made my way down the Mall and across St James’s Park—as I have done so often during my stay—and then over to Westminster Abbey by way of Horse Guards Road. I had hoped to find some sort of suitable crown in the gift shop there but, alas, no luck. 

Leaving Westminster, I walked by the Horse Guards Parade and on over to Trafalgar Square (with a brief stop-over at Heaven which, although not open, I wanted a photo of nonetheless). 

Continuing my walk, I swung by the National Portrait Gallery—I had wanted to check out their new exhibit on The Queen, which includes a holographic version of the picture seen below, but didn’t have time—and Leicester Square (where I got a picture taken with the blue M&M), before moving over to Piccadilly Circus and then Soho.

One of my favorite images of HM The Queen!

Do you suppose he's related to Aki T. Fish?

Aside from the usual interest in the Soho area, I specifically wanted to swing by Soho Square so I could finally take a photo of the bench dedicated to singer Kristy McColl. After being killed in a freak boating accident, McColl was memorialized in Soho Square owing to a song she wrote about the area. However, I’m familiar with her through the songs ‘Fairytale of New York’ and the awesomesauceyness that is ‘In These Shoes?’

From Soho Square I trekked onward to the ritzy Mayfair area, where I finally used the  Easter money Mom sent me to buy chocolate form Charbonnel et Walker, official chocolatiers to The Queen. It was delicious!!!

We Approve of Charbonnel et Walker Chocolate!

While there, it hit me: I would get my crown from the gift shop at Buckingham Palace! So, I circled back around—passing St James’s Palace en route—and visited the shop within The Queen’s Gallery. Sure enough, there was the perfect (toy) crown! Mission accomplished!

By now, it was getting lateish, and I had plans for that evening, so I headed home to drop off my stuff and shower, before turning around and heading back out. You see, my friend LD had agreed to cut my hair and add some red low-lights. The only problem: he lives all the way on the east end of London.

But, since I had to go out that way anyway, I decided to finally take a side-excursion to a place even further to the east that I hadn’t made it yet: Thamesmead, the filming location for ‘Beautiful Thing’! 

It took a bit of time, but I finally found the exact building and area where it was set. Unfortunately, I wasn’t comfortable staying too long—it was a highly sketchy and run-down area, and I was actually a bit afraid (something I hadn’t experienced at any other time or place whilst in London). This meant I wasn’t able to re-enact my favorite moment from the film, when Jaime and Ste slow-dance in the courtyard. Ah, well, at least I was there. 

The real thing...

The best still I could grab--with the amazing Linda Henry!

And I even took the 180 bus to get there, which was kind of a big deal only because of its connection to the film (i.e., Jaime and Ste take the 180 when they go to their first gay pub, the Gloucester).

After snagging those images, I set off for LD’s, where he proceeded to give my hair one final trim before the return home.

Hampton Court Palace

I’m back with another belated entry!

On 28 May 2012, EN and I made a trip to Hampton Court Palace. This trip was important for me, as people who know my fascination with the monarchy have always asked if I made it there during mine and Nic’s first trip in 2008. We did not—instead, we went to Hatfield House, where Elizabeth I learned she was to be queen following her sister’s death, on that trip. So, this time, it was imperative that I visit one of the primary residences of King Henry VIII.

Me, standing outside the Main Entrance into the Base Court

Map of Hampton Court Palace, courtesy of the palace itself.

Originally built in the early 16th Century for the infamous Cardinal Wolsey, after the latter lost favor it was turned over to the king. The front half of the palace is reflective of Tudor construction, and closely resembles the other remaining palace from Henry’s reign, St James’s. 

Today, visitors to this section of the palace are able to walk through the former king’s kitchens and apartments, as well as undertake a ‘tour’ of the young Henry’s life.  

Regarding the kitchens, it was interesting to see how meals were turned out for such a large court, including the line of massive roasting spits and fireplaces, and the seldom considered offices belonging to the bureaucrats in charge of monitoring the incoming and outgoing (read: consumed) stores.

One of a line of four or five roasting fires, each of which could accommodate 7 spits.

Even more interesting to me than the kitchens, however, were the king’s apartments. 

I took a lot of photos of the Great Hall in particular. Aside from being simply gorgeous, it was also the last medieval hall of its type built for the English monarchy. 

The Great Hall, near the King's Dais and Table

We were also able to enter the Great Watching Chamber (a large room, complete with medieval board games and a bathroom), which is positioned just outside the king’s private rooms, and where courteous would hang out in hopes of catching a moment of Henry’s time. 

From there, we moved into one of two long hallways. The first features the adjoining room where paiges slept and awaited orders, and the second leads to both the King’s Council Chamber and the special room overlooking the Royal Chapel reserved for the sovereign. 

This King awaits his advisers in the Council Chamber

The Royal Pew, overlooking the Royal Chapel. (It's crooked because we weren't allowed to take photos directly.)

Now, one of these hallways is supposedly haunted—in fact, it’s referred to as the Haunted Gallery—but I can’t recall exactly which. Maybe both? I’m pretty sure the audio-tour suggested that it was the former, but I’ve also heard that the supposed ghost is that of Henry’s ill-fated wife Catherine Howard, and that she lurks near the chapel. (You can read more about the Haunted Gallery here and watch a brief video about other haunted happenings at Hampton Court here.)

The second distinctive section of the palace—an add-on, if you will—was built in the Baroque style at the behest of Queen Mary II and her co-regnant, King William III, almost 100 years later. Within this section, guests can visit the private apartments of the aforementioned, as well as the Georgian apartments.

The W&M section--you can see the edge of the Tudor section near the top of the hedge on the left.

Queen Mary’s apartments had been transformed, owing to a exhibition titled ‘The Wild, The Beautiful, & The Damned’—basically, paintings of upper-class women and kingly mistresses who modeled for risqué portraits during the Stuart era—so there wasn’t much to see there, sadly. King William’s apartments, on the other hand, were gorgeous. 

After ascending the stunning—nay, magnifispeldant (because magnificent and splendid on their own don’t do it justice) King’s Staircase, visitors cross into the King’s Guardchamber, where his protectors…well, basically hung out and showcased their hardware. 

A King ascends the King's Staircase

The King's Guardchamber

From there, guests move through a series of receiving chambers, many with corresponding canopied thrones and one which—as we saw at Windsor—was the official bedroom used for bidding the king goodnight before he retired to a private one. 

How dare they put a rope up to keep me from the throne!

I've informed Nic that I want our bed to look like this.

Eventually, we crossed through the king’s real bedroom, his private office, and even got a peek at the more intimate…ahem, throne. (That’s right, I’m talkin’ about the Royal Loo.)

Not splinters for the sovereign when he sits!

Sadly, we weren’t really able to tour the Georgian apartments—those used by Kings George I and II—because we simply ran out of time. But EN and I did run through that section, so we could at least say we were there. 

It was actually a bit creepy, as it was entirely deserted—even the docents were missing—and we both experienced an eerie ‘we’re not alone’ vibe about the whole section. I actually kind of wish we had seen a spook, as it would have added to the memories, but alas we only had the feelings to go by.

The Cartoon Gallery

Having discussed the interior of Hampton Court Palace, I want to take just a second to address the other thing it’s primarily known for: the gardens and grounds. They were beautiful! That being said, two things of particular note to be found there are the Hampton Court [Hedge] Maze—which I successfully navigated my way out of before EN, who challenged me to a race—and the ‘Great Vine’, which holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest grape vine. (If you’re wondering, it was planted in 1769, still produces a crop of grapes annually, and had at least one branch that was 246’ long as of 2005.)

The Great Vine

So, that’s the gist of mine and EN's day at Hampton Court Palace. It’s a bit expensive to get into—less so if you have a student ID, buy your tickets online in advance, etc.—but certainly worth the trip if you ever find yourself in London with nothing to do (as unlikely as that is)!

Amsterdam (Part IV): Bad Weather and Aimless Wandering...

I’m sad to report that I’m back in the US. However, I’ve still got a lot of stuff to fill you in on, including my last full day in Amsterdam, so I’d better get started.

Having knocked out most of the things on my ‘to-see’ list the day before, I devoted 15 May to just walking around in hopes of stumbling upon some random fun things. It started off well enough, with a quick visit to Waterlooplein Market. Founded in the 1800s as a marketplace for Jewish merchants, following World War II it became (and has remained) a large, daily flea market.

After spending some time at Waterlooplein, I started heading east, in the general direction of the Natura Artis Magistra, the Netherlands’ oldest zoo, assuming such a setting would provide some nice photos. Sadly, it cost €18,95 to get in and so I ultimately decided to skip it…

Just as a cold downpour and thumbnail-sized hail started pelting me.

Yes, you read that correctly: rain and hail. And, it just so happened that there were no trams or buses nearby. Nor was there shelter. In all, I was quite uncomfortable by the time I made it back to more familiar streets. 

And of course, that’s when the rain and hail stopped.

At any rate, I eventually found myself—drenched—standing in front of the Het Scheepvaartmuseum (The National Maritime Museum), which is located in the 17th Century ‘s Lands Zeemagazijn building. I popped in for a quick second, long enough to admire the stunning interior courtyard, before heading back out.

Standing in front of the 's Lands Zeemagazijn building, home of the National Maritime Museum.

Standing there, I spotted a windmill—the only remaining one in the city proper—about a kilometer away, to the east. Since the rain had stopped for a moment, I decided to walk over to it and snag a photo or two. 

As I learned later, the windmill in question is known as the De Gooyer Windmill (a.k.a. ‘the Windmill Bar’). I couldn’t get in to visit it because the adjoining brewer—who now owns the windmill—was not open yet. Instead, I had a quick bite to eat at a nearby cafe, nestled in the shadow of its slow-turning blades.

Ominous skies and the De Gooyer Windmill in the background.

From the De Gooyer Windmill I made my way back into downtown Amsterdam, where I paid quick visits to Nemo (Amsterdam’s equivalent of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry), and then spent the rest of the day just wandering around the city aimlessly and trying to avoid the nasty weather.

And yes, as part of that wandering around, I did stumble upon one of the infamous streets with the prostitutes behind glass in the Red Light District—though, for obvious reasons, I did not avail myself of their services. (Though, the gents I saw leaving their work areas looked pleased enough.)

And, on that happy note, I’ll bring this entry to a close, and with it my brief excursion to Amsterdam. It’s a fun city, and one that can seemingly be explored in a relatively short timeframe if you only have a few days or so and are willing to push yourself. Not as much fun as Marrakech, mind you, but better than Paris…

Until next time…

Amsterdam (Part III): I Need a Built-In GPS

After a heavy first morning in Amsterdam, I decided it was time for a lark. With that in mind, I started walking toward Amsterdam’s infamous ‘Red Light District,’ by way of Nieuwe Spiegetstraat. Of course, I became hopelessly lost en route (not that I minded), and I think the 2km (+/-) walk turned into a much greater distance.

Eventually, I found myself standing in Dam Square, which serves as the city center for all intents and purposes. On the western end of the square stands the Royal Palace, flanked by the Nieuwe Kerk (‘New Church,’ a name given despite its erect in the 15th Century) and another infernal Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum (*shudder*). Across from the palace is the National Monument, which memorializes the victims of the Second World War.

In Dam Square, with the Royal Palace behind me.

The Royal Palace (left) and Nieuwe Kerk (right)

After spending a few minutes in Dam Square (and realizing that I couldn’t get in to tour the Royal Palace), I confess to wasting some time walking around Magna Plaza, which stands just behind the palace. Basically a shopping mall, I didn’t bother to go into most of the shops—but the building itself was so gorgeous that I couldn’t help ducking in for a bit.

Best mall facade ever!

From there, I continued up Damrak, where my eye was caught by one of those tourist traps offering canal cruises. I had decided ahead of time, at the advice of my Stateside friend AR, to take one of these cruises, but I hadn’t actually arranged one yet. Thinking now was as good a time as any, I ducked in and did just that. (Ironically, the boat I was eventually to take was called the Anne Frank.)

While awaiting departure near Amsterdam Centraal, I stopped off for lunch. With money limited (and since I wasn’t desperately hungry yet), I indulged in another yummy sleeve of Vlaamse Frites. My goodness, I love these things!

LUNCH!

Eventually, it was time to depart. Though our captain-guide was very nice, and the sights lovely, I confess to finding myself a bit bored. The pre-recorded narration was not as informative as I would have liked, and the sun passing through the glass-covering created a greenhouse effect that, when combined with the gentle rocking of the boat, practically lulled me to sleep. 

Nonetheless, I’m glad that I did it, as I did learn some new interesting facts (e.g., the purpose and intent behind the different gables, and how they’re still used today as a means of moving furniture)!

A little over an hour later, our boat docked near the Amsterdam public library. Now, I know this will sound strange to some, but I did go walk around the library for a bit. I had been advised that you could climb to the top for free, and that it offered an amazing view of the city, so I wanted to do that (and I did). 

Upon entering, however, I also discovered that it was one of the most stunning libraries I’ve ever been in! To be sure, nothing has yet topped the beauty of Dublin’s Trinity College’s library. But, whereas Trinity’s collection and styling is clearly traditional and rooted in history, Amsterdam’s is incredibly modern and sleek—it’s like Ikea came in and built all eight floors for them! In fact, it was so striking that I went back the next day, too.

The Ikea Library: 'Do you feel bad for these books? It is because you are crazy.'

By now, it was getting late and I figured I should start walking back toward the hostel. (Though I may have made one brief stopover in a coffeeshop on Warmoesstraat.) 

More than once, I got completely lost while trying to find my way back—much as in Paris, I found that I would be walking in one direction, thinking I was headed south (for instance), only to discover that I was headed northwest (or some other completely wrong way). It also didn’t help that none of the maps I had access to included the smaller streets, which just added to the confusion.

Eventually, I found myself back at the hostel. It was around 5 or 6 PM, my feet were killing me, and I knew I had another full day of walking the next. So, I gave in to temptation and took a short nap (with my poor dogs elevated)…except, that short nap turned into a two-hour nap, and the only reason I woke up then was because someone else came into the room.

Regardless, I felt slightly refreshed, and so I got up and headed back out. Still not completely starved (but knowing that I would be famished later if I didn’t stop), I bought another serving of Vlaamse Frites—and I wonder why I’m fat?—which I ate while walking around my immediate neighborhood some more. 

At one point, I stumbled upon Reguliersdwarsstraat, which was festooned with numerous rainbow flags. Realizing that this was probably one of Amsterdam’s gay enclaves, I decided to walk down the street. I was hoping for some gay-centric shopping (e.g., bookstores and the like), but this particular street was basically just a bunch of bars. 

I did stop by one—a tiny, dead place (it was a Monday night) called Taboo—for two drinks. The first, my typical Vodka and cranberry. The second, a Heineken, which Nic insisted I try while in Amsterdam because, supposedly, it tastes different. (In case you’re wondering, it still tasted like watered-down piss to me—if I have to drink beer, I’ll stick with Guinness, thank you very much!)

And with that (it was around 10 PM by now), I headed back to my hostel and caught some much-needed sleep in preparation for the next day…which I’ll discuss later. :)

Until next time…

Amsterdam (Part II): Heavy Thoughts...

My mother thinks I forgot how to take pictures while in Amsterdam, hence why I haven’t added any more to my Facebook account, but I told her: I won’t let myself upload them until I’ve blogged about them. So, here goes…

I woke up super-early on Monday, 14 May, knowing that there was a lot I wanted to see and not a lot of time to do it. But first, I needed coffee! Unfortunately, I was up early enough that there was nary a true coffee shop open. It took almost an hour before I was eventually able to grab a seat at Broodje Mokum and enjoy a cuppa, so while waiting for that lovely little café to open, I headed over to the first touristy the thing on my list:

The Homomonument is a large (albeit easy to overlook) memorial dedicated to all gay and lesbian persons who have faced persecution. It opened in 1987—the city had just celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the monument earlier in May, hence the flowers you'll see below—and was the first of its kind in the world. 

Resting on the bank of the Keizersgracht canal, in the shadow of Westerkerk Church (where Rembrandt is buried), the Homomonument consists of three large, pink granite triangles set into the ground. Together, the three small triangles form a much larger triangle. 

The positioning of the the monument's points are intentional: one points toward the National War Memorial; another toward the Anne Frank House, which I will discuss further below; and the third toward the headquarters of COC Nederland, the oldest continuously operating gay and lesbian organization in the world (founded in 1946). 

I spent a good bit of time at the Homomonument, reflecting on its significance and appreciating its very existence.

Westerkerk Church. The area with the flowers is one of the points of the triangle.

Coffee at Brodje Mokum. I can't read (or speak) Dutch, but I sure pretended like I could...

From the Homomonument and Broodje Mokum, I eventually made my way over to the second item on my list: the Anne Frank House and Museum, which is a museum built around the actual house where the Frank family hid from the Nazis for just over two years. Given the nature of what I was seeing, this is one area where I respected the request not to take photos or videos. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it is incredibly moving!

The Anne Frank House (left) and Museum (right)

As part of the self-guided tour, visitors are led through the ‘public’ side of the building, from which Otto Frank (Anne’s father) and his colleagues ran their business. Eventually, guests make their way through a small hole in a back closet—itself hidden by a large bookcase—and into the small Achterhuis (Dutch for ‘back house,’ and referred to by Frank as the ‘Secret Annex’), where Anne hid away with her parents, sister, and four others until they were betrayed. 

After moving through these small living quarters—which all together was only about the size of mine and Nic’s former apartment in the South Loop of Chicago but distributed over two floors, and still had magazine clippings Anne had glued to the wall to brighten up her own living area—guests make their way into the two-part museum.

The first part deals with the Frank family’s imprisonment in the concentration camps (only Otto survived), and the second part deals with discriminatory acts in a broader context. Throughout the section devoted to the Frank family, guests are able to view recorded interviews conducted with Otto and others who knew them. Perhaps the most poignant moment for me came as I was watching the very last video, which featured Anne’s father. 

It concludes with him talking about how Anne always kept-up a relatively cheerful façade while they were in hiding, and that he never had even the slightest inkling that half the thoughts she recorded in her diary were going through her mind. He finishes by saying in a melancholic tone that he never really knew his daughter, which just goes to show that a parent never really knows their child. How sad is that? As if what Otto Frank went through wasn’t horrific enough, he then had to go to his grave years later thinking that he didn’t even know his own daughter? 

After an emotionally heavy morning, I decided it was time for a change of pace. 

I headed over to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which is a national museum devoted to Dutch arts, craft, and history. There are many famous works here—especially from the painters Rembrandt and Vermeer (though, sadly, Girl with a Pearl Earring was not on display!)—but the main reason I wanted to go here was because of an experience Nic had when in Amsterdam. 

Museumplein, with the Rijksmuseum behind me.

You see, according to Nic, when he visited the Rijksmuseum during his study abroad experience, he was shocked to find figures in the paintings that closely resembled himself. As he puts it (more or less), he was hit over the head by his Dutch roots in that moment. Having heard this story on more than one occasion, I wanted to check out the situation for myself.

My goodness: he was not kidding, as evidenced by the photos I snapped below. The bone-structure, the nose—it’s like looking at various paintings of Nic dressed in period costumes! It was quite funny, to me, to learn that this was one of those rare instances where my beloved did not overly exaggerate.

Upon leaving, I headed around back to one of two large ‘I amsterdam’ sculptures (I saw the second one later in the day near the new Filmmuseum), which were originally designed to promote business interests within the city, but quickly became a tourist attraction. 

I had actually never heard of it before, but locals kept suggesting I go there, so I did. It was...cute, but I really don’t understand why it was being promoted so heavily by those who live in Amsterdam full-time when there are much more interesting sights that visitors should be directed toward. Oh well, it’s not my city so I can’t judge I guess…

Apparently, I am Amsterdam...

The remainder of my day was spent in the northeastern part of the city, so this seems like a good place to take a break. 

Until next time…

Another One Bites the Dust...

Yesterday was a sad, albeit eventful day: I said farewell to two of the lovely friends I’ve made here, AT and TvH.

The morning started early, as I was scheduled to join AT and EN in Soho for some coffee at 11 AM. Since I arrived a bit early though (big shock), I was able to wander around and snag a few photos of the gaybourhood. I’m trying to take a friend from back home’s advice and take photos of all the every day things that seem common now but which I’ll appreciate seeing again in later years. One thing I noticed while doing this is that the Diamond Jubilee decorations are really starting to crop up around London, which I think is awesome! It’s amazing being a part of history!

Diamond Jubilee decorations near Leicester Square

Diamond Jubilee and Pride decorations at Village

Eventually it was time to meet up with AT and EN for real, so I made my way back to the coffee shop. We spent almost two hours, just drinking, chatting about our time abroad, and laughing. It was great fun!

Me, AT, and EN at LJ's Coffee. (Whew, that's a lot of initials!)

Following coffee, we headed over to King’s Cross Station / St Pancras International (with a brief stop at Forbidden Planet to pick-up the second Game of Thrones book) so we could find Platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame. I have to say, I found the interiors of these two stations positively lovely! (Plus I’m a nerd, so I loved seeing the Harry Potter stuff!) 

Off to Hogwarts...

EN and I at St Pancras Inernational

With some time to kill still, the three of us walked next door to the British Library, which is both the UK’s national library and one of the world’s largest in terms of total number of items. Among other things, the library holds one of the only remaining copies of the Magna Carter (which I saw) and, in the middle of the building, is a four-story glass tower containing the King’s Library—65,000 printed volumes along with other pamphlets, manuscripts and maps collected by King George III between 1763 and 1820.

Alas, around 2 PM, it was time to say goodbye to AT. We walked to the Russell Square tube stop and said our farewells. It may well be that one of these days, when EN and I are back in Chicago, we will simply have to take a road-trip to Colorado to visit our friend. (What the hell, it’s only a 16 hour drive!)

EN headed out with AT, so I had about an hour to kill before meeting up for my last hang-out session with TvH, so I took that time to wander around the British Museum for a bit. I wasn’t too fussed about spending so little time there for two reasons: (1) I spent an entire afternoon there with Nic back in 2008 and, (2) I find the fact that so many of their treasures were imported (read: plundered) from other lands highly problematic. Nonetheless, I cannot deny that I enjoy being around such significant items as the Rosetta Stone—plus the Great Court within the museum is one of the most stunning museum spaces I’ve ever seen!

A flawed panoramic shot I tried to take of the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court.

What the Rosetta Stone really reveals is that I'm HOT (in the sweaty sense)!

 Around 3 PM I started heading back toward Soho Square, where I joined TvH for a bit of much-enjoyed sun-tanning, and to say goodbye.

———
 

Technically speaking, this was the second time this week I’ve said goodbye. He was originally supposed to leave the day before, and we had gone out on both Saturday and Tuesday nights to celebrate, but an airline strike of some sort delayed his actual departure. 

You can read about Saturday night here. As for Tuesday night, we went to Village for a drink or two, followed by a private karaoke place called Lucky Voice (it was awesome—the five of us in attendance had a private room for a whole hour), and then to Lupo where we met a group of lovely women from Chicago and New York (and where I had to push-off an overly aggressive Italian who was harassing one of our new female friends. That's right, I'm a bad ass—a big, queer bad ass!).

———
 

Anyway, getting back to yesterday, I feel like it’s been ages since I saw and felt the sun properly, so I loved getting out there and just relaxing under its warming glow. Plus, I had wanted to spend some proper time chillin’ in Soho Square for a while now, but just hadn’t had the opportunity.

I look tan here...but where did it go once I left?

TvH and I spent a good two hours bakin’ (the hair on my arms bleached successfully, but I don’t feel like I’m all that darker). At one point, I even dozed off for about twenty minutes—it was wonderful! Eventually, TvH’s boyfriend joined us and we headed off for a quick nosh before I had to leave for my third engagement of the day. We grabbed our food, headed into Golden Square, and enjoyed one another’s company in the open air for a bit longer.

Finally, I couldn’t delay any longer, and had to say goodbye to TvH as well. This goodbye was a bit hard for me, as TvH was one of the first new friends I made here—we started talking the first week of class, and started hanging out during the second. I have him to thank (along with his boyfriend and all of the other amazing friends I’ve met through them) for the resurgence of my late-night partying ways. I’m so very grateful for all that he and the others have done to make this hermitish soul feel welcomed!

From there I hopped on a bus and began the trek to Hackney, where I was supposed to meet one of my UEL instructors—DS—for a celebratory drink. Though it took ages to get there by bus (the National Rail system frightens me for the ridiculous reason that I’m afraid I’ll wind up trapped somewhere for over an hour while waiting for the next train), the place we met at was quite nice. 

It was called Pub on the Park, and it was just that: a pub overlooking a park.

Pub on the Park--we sat outside, around the back. [NB: This image is not mine!]

We spent about two hours outside, just hanging out and talking about everything from the state of the education system, to our mutual penchant for getting lost, to Chicago taxi drivers and the inaccessibility of London’s southside by public transport. 

Of course, conversation was slightly hindered by my annual bout of laryngitis and the fact that for some reason I turn into a gibbering idiot when I try to talk to DS. I have no idea why this is. She’s bloody brilliant, but I don’t have the same problem around my other incredible mentors from back home—just her and SM, one of my other instructors here. I think it might be because they’re bloody brilliant AND British. The combination may simply be too much amazingness for my mind to process.

So, all in all, it was both an incredibly fun and busy day, but also a very sad one. I’ve said goodbye to two good friends and I don’t know when I’ll realistically see them again, and by sharing a pint with DS I’ve quasi-officially transgressed from present- to former-London-based student.

This experience really is drawing to a close… :-(