Hey kids!
So I just got back from a trip to Liverpool this weekend to partake in the "Magical Mystery Tour" showcasing the most significant landmarks to the Beatles. Some of the haunts that I visited over the course of the weekend included The Cavern Club, the birthplaces of Ringo, Paul, John and George (as well as Stuart Sutcliffe, one of the original band members.) As cliched as this sounds, I saw a musician doing Beatles covers at The Cavern Club, but he was really quite good. And in true Christopher Maggio style, I went shopping. I made a few nice purchases at this trendy British department store to enhance my growing Euro wardrobe. All in all, it was quite a nice trip!
I realize this is a short update, but I'll be around soon to provide more details! :)
PS - Venice next weekend for Carnivale! And in less than a month, off to Rome and Athens for Spring Break!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Snowing In London!
I'm sure that caption got your attention! (It actually is snowing here today for the first time in FOREVER - or at least since I've been here).
Where had I left off? Well, after depicting my classes at the Ithaca College London Centre, there comes the first trip of the semester: England's scenic West Country. Early Friday morning (we left the ICLC at 7:30, which meant I had to wake up at 5:30 to shower, eat, pack and give myself enough time to deal with the Tube and getting to school), we boarded the coaches and embarked on our voyage. The first stop on our trip was the ruins at Avebury. Most people are unfamiliar with this UNESCO World Heritage site, but it's actually the same type of neolithic rock formation as Stonehenge and actually encompasses a greater area of land! Upon arrival at Avebury, we began hiking around the "henge" or the circular stone construction within an earthwork (bank or a ditch) - basically the circle of rocks. While a vast majority of the rocks had been destroyed or removed by Britons that had moved into the area who had feared the unknown pagan site, some rocks still remain, and we posed for pictures with these rocks.
After spending a few hours on a walking tour of Avebury, we once again boarded the busses for the town of Glastonbury and Glastonbury Abbey. The town of Glastonbury itself has a low-key, artistic "hippie" similar to Ithaca, and is often associated with a crazy music festival that was cancelled in 2001 due to a threat to public safety - at least 10,000 ticketless fans gained illegal entry to the concert by smashing down the fences - and mythological associations of Jesus Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail, St. Patrick, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. However, we were here to visit the famous Glastonbury Abbey, which was founded in the 5th century after the collapse of the Romans in this region, and became the symbol of Christian British resistance to the pagan Anglo-Saxon invaders. The Abbey - or what was left of it - was absolutely breathtaking, and a tour guide dressed in period costume took us around the ruins and practically proposed to one of the musical theatre majors on the trip!
The whirlwind day continued with a short drive to the nearby town of Wells and Wells Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. While the cathedral building dates back to the late twelfth century, a church has stood on this site since Anglo-Saxon times. The main structure of Wells Cathedral was finished in 1306 and alterations began immediately. The Cathedral was completely sublime in its design, and while we were technically not allowed to take pictures inside, I snuck a few without flash!
The last stop for the day was the city of Bath. Upon arrival in Bath, I noticed that the architecture and stone of the buildings looked different from many of the old buildings (the ones not destroyed by WWII) in London. Much of the city was built during the 18th century and planned after the grandeur of Rome, with a circus or grand circular area of housing and wide boulevards lining the hills of the city. Bath is also the site of the only hot water springs in all of England, so there were a great deal of Roman Baths built on the grounds of the city when the Romans settled this area in ancient times. After settling into the YMCA where we were staying, we took a stroll through the old center of the city and stumbled across a pub, where we feasted and drank. The following morning, we awoke and toured the Roman Baths Museum, which was quite cool, and then after the tour, devoured delicious pastries at the oldest bakery in England, Sally Lunn's - famous for the Sally Lunn Bun. C'est delicieux!
After leaving Bath, we stopped at Stonehenge on the way back to London. Built in ancient times by the early unknown settlers of the isle of Great Britain, no one really knows what the purpose of Stonehenge was! However, I do know that it was fun to wander around the site taking pictures and imagining that a rave was taking place between the stones (hence Brittany and I making interesting poses in half of our pictures!). There was also a flock of sheep wandering around on the desolate plains home to Stonehenge, and many of their bums were spray-painted blue or pink. It was a quite a sight!
Where had I left off? Well, after depicting my classes at the Ithaca College London Centre, there comes the first trip of the semester: England's scenic West Country. Early Friday morning (we left the ICLC at 7:30, which meant I had to wake up at 5:30 to shower, eat, pack and give myself enough time to deal with the Tube and getting to school), we boarded the coaches and embarked on our voyage. The first stop on our trip was the ruins at Avebury. Most people are unfamiliar with this UNESCO World Heritage site, but it's actually the same type of neolithic rock formation as Stonehenge and actually encompasses a greater area of land! Upon arrival at Avebury, we began hiking around the "henge" or the circular stone construction within an earthwork (bank or a ditch) - basically the circle of rocks. While a vast majority of the rocks had been destroyed or removed by Britons that had moved into the area who had feared the unknown pagan site, some rocks still remain, and we posed for pictures with these rocks.
After spending a few hours on a walking tour of Avebury, we once again boarded the busses for the town of Glastonbury and Glastonbury Abbey. The town of Glastonbury itself has a low-key, artistic "hippie" similar to Ithaca, and is often associated with a crazy music festival that was cancelled in 2001 due to a threat to public safety - at least 10,000 ticketless fans gained illegal entry to the concert by smashing down the fences - and mythological associations of Jesus Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail, St. Patrick, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. However, we were here to visit the famous Glastonbury Abbey, which was founded in the 5th century after the collapse of the Romans in this region, and became the symbol of Christian British resistance to the pagan Anglo-Saxon invaders. The Abbey - or what was left of it - was absolutely breathtaking, and a tour guide dressed in period costume took us around the ruins and practically proposed to one of the musical theatre majors on the trip!
The whirlwind day continued with a short drive to the nearby town of Wells and Wells Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. While the cathedral building dates back to the late twelfth century, a church has stood on this site since Anglo-Saxon times. The main structure of Wells Cathedral was finished in 1306 and alterations began immediately. The Cathedral was completely sublime in its design, and while we were technically not allowed to take pictures inside, I snuck a few without flash!
The last stop for the day was the city of Bath. Upon arrival in Bath, I noticed that the architecture and stone of the buildings looked different from many of the old buildings (the ones not destroyed by WWII) in London. Much of the city was built during the 18th century and planned after the grandeur of Rome, with a circus or grand circular area of housing and wide boulevards lining the hills of the city. Bath is also the site of the only hot water springs in all of England, so there were a great deal of Roman Baths built on the grounds of the city when the Romans settled this area in ancient times. After settling into the YMCA where we were staying, we took a stroll through the old center of the city and stumbled across a pub, where we feasted and drank. The following morning, we awoke and toured the Roman Baths Museum, which was quite cool, and then after the tour, devoured delicious pastries at the oldest bakery in England, Sally Lunn's - famous for the Sally Lunn Bun. C'est delicieux!
After leaving Bath, we stopped at Stonehenge on the way back to London. Built in ancient times by the early unknown settlers of the isle of Great Britain, no one really knows what the purpose of Stonehenge was! However, I do know that it was fun to wander around the site taking pictures and imagining that a rave was taking place between the stones (hence Brittany and I making interesting poses in half of our pictures!). There was also a flock of sheep wandering around on the desolate plains home to Stonehenge, and many of their bums were spray-painted blue or pink. It was a quite a sight!
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