I realise I said I would update this when I got back, and I never did. I will someday though. One day I will go into massive detail about what I have been up to.
I'd sum it up better, but I'm suprisingly tired and my brain cannot think in more than short sentences or descriptive catchphrases. Saying that though, I think I can sum up the Americans, by saying that for politeness and sheer cheeryness, Americans are great.
Leaving Jesse was very hard, but that isn't to say I had a great holiday. Everytime I think about it, a big grin develops all over my face. However, I got back to the UK having no sleep on the plane, and then remained jetlagged until at least the wednesday, before going back to University on the Friday. It was a bit of a rush I guess, but I shall head home after my exams to make up for it.
In some ways I am lucky this term-only 4 exams to deal with, and then at least 3 weeks of pure relaxation before the summer, but even then I'm stressed out by them. I think, once again, it is because of the unknown nature of them-I hate the feeling of jumping through hoops to maintain a grade. The idea that 2 essays and an exam prove your entire year is an un-nerving thought. Either way, it could be worse.
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Friday, 13 April 2007
Washington DC.
Hello!
The ankle is better. Well, now it is starting to twinge, but I am no longer using painkillers or a strap over the ankle to stop it from moving. I think it is only starting to hurt as I went walking in some woods yesterday, and then sat there watching baseball for a couple of hours. Either way, I sincerely doubt it is broken anymore, but it does now mean that I have sprained each ankle now.
I thought today I would update what I have been doing since I last typed here, and it has occured to me that this might be the last time I fill out this blog in the USA. I fly back Sunday evening, and land Monday morning. Because I will be spending a lot of time with Jesse and his family before I go, I doubt I will write anymore while I am here. Instead I plan to sum up my experiences once I get home, and keep on using this blog regularly. However, because Jesse and I do not plan to go out anywhere until this afternoon I thought I might as well fill in my thoughts about Washington. This is going to be a bit shorter than the New York post, simply as I only spent about three days in Washington, compared to almost a week in New Jersey.
Getting there
The journey there was not as knackering than the epic trip from North Carolina to New Jersey, and it only took us a couple of hours. However, the roads of New Jersey seem only to be designed to confuse and intimidate. Thankfully, getting into Washington DC was simple enough as all the roads are labelled.
The B&B
I could not recommend the place we stayed well enough. It was a 3 floored B&B townhouse, with extensive views over grassland and on a quiet street. It felt like we were staying in a Hotel, and was extensively restored throughout. They also kept the rooms immacualte, which was quite something since we left our room in a bit of state a few times (our luggage kept on exploding out of our bags). They also did Waffles for breakfast. Truly this place was a find, and if anyone is interested in going here I will pass on the details to you.
Getting to the City Centre
Another good thing about our B&B was the proximity of it to the City Centre. We could see the State Capitol building from where we got the bus each day. However, the sad thing was the poor area we would travel through on the way to the City Centre. I felt it was such a shame to have such a poor community right in eyeshot of the Government buildings, as you would think that such urban deprivation so close to there would be given loads of government funding. This unfortunately wasn't the case. This area was much like what our Guidebook described, as Washington DC does have a serious problem with urban deprivation and gun crime. It would be very easy of me to take some kind of moral high ground and exclaim that such poor areas would not exist like that in Britain, but they do. Call me optimistic, but it would be great if areas such as this were given the investment they desperately need in cases like this, as then it would not not influence a Tourists perception of the city.
Tourism
I realise that what I just typed gives the impression that I didn't enjoy Washington DC, and another complaint follows...
May just be me here, but I got the impression that Washington DC only tolerates Tourists as they bring in money. Don't get me wrong, there were lots about all doing the kinds of things that us Tourists do, but I got the feeling around landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument that they didn't really want you there. We couldn't get into any of those areas, as they relied on a ticketing system or planning up to six months in advance for a security pass. You were not allowed to sit on the Capitol steps or anything like that, as they had barriers everywhere and lots of Guards about.
There were also the numerous security checks you got every time you entered a building, and so half of Washington DC security guys saw what I was buying and the sweets I was carrying in my handbag. It got quite annoying after a day of hearing the question: "Can you show me your bag, Ma'am?". I understand why they would need to do this, but it didn't feel friendly to me.
Right, so my rants are over. Here is the good things about Washington DC, and what I recommend seeing.
The Sights
Washington DC is not known for its food like New York, but I can recommend a few places. 'My Brother's place' is a good place to eat, though you have to be over 21. Union Station has the most amazing amount of food, and my stomach recommends that.
For now, that is all I can recommend for Washington DC. I admit, I liked New york a little better, but if you want a quiet ed-du-ma-cated break then it is well worth it. I particularly recommend it if you are a Pub-Quiz fact fan/Historian like me.
The ankle is better. Well, now it is starting to twinge, but I am no longer using painkillers or a strap over the ankle to stop it from moving. I think it is only starting to hurt as I went walking in some woods yesterday, and then sat there watching baseball for a couple of hours. Either way, I sincerely doubt it is broken anymore, but it does now mean that I have sprained each ankle now.
I thought today I would update what I have been doing since I last typed here, and it has occured to me that this might be the last time I fill out this blog in the USA. I fly back Sunday evening, and land Monday morning. Because I will be spending a lot of time with Jesse and his family before I go, I doubt I will write anymore while I am here. Instead I plan to sum up my experiences once I get home, and keep on using this blog regularly. However, because Jesse and I do not plan to go out anywhere until this afternoon I thought I might as well fill in my thoughts about Washington. This is going to be a bit shorter than the New York post, simply as I only spent about three days in Washington, compared to almost a week in New Jersey.
Getting there
The journey there was not as knackering than the epic trip from North Carolina to New Jersey, and it only took us a couple of hours. However, the roads of New Jersey seem only to be designed to confuse and intimidate. Thankfully, getting into Washington DC was simple enough as all the roads are labelled.
The B&B
I could not recommend the place we stayed well enough. It was a 3 floored B&B townhouse, with extensive views over grassland and on a quiet street. It felt like we were staying in a Hotel, and was extensively restored throughout. They also kept the rooms immacualte, which was quite something since we left our room in a bit of state a few times (our luggage kept on exploding out of our bags). They also did Waffles for breakfast. Truly this place was a find, and if anyone is interested in going here I will pass on the details to you.
Getting to the City Centre
Another good thing about our B&B was the proximity of it to the City Centre. We could see the State Capitol building from where we got the bus each day. However, the sad thing was the poor area we would travel through on the way to the City Centre. I felt it was such a shame to have such a poor community right in eyeshot of the Government buildings, as you would think that such urban deprivation so close to there would be given loads of government funding. This unfortunately wasn't the case. This area was much like what our Guidebook described, as Washington DC does have a serious problem with urban deprivation and gun crime. It would be very easy of me to take some kind of moral high ground and exclaim that such poor areas would not exist like that in Britain, but they do. Call me optimistic, but it would be great if areas such as this were given the investment they desperately need in cases like this, as then it would not not influence a Tourists perception of the city.
Tourism
I realise that what I just typed gives the impression that I didn't enjoy Washington DC, and another complaint follows...
May just be me here, but I got the impression that Washington DC only tolerates Tourists as they bring in money. Don't get me wrong, there were lots about all doing the kinds of things that us Tourists do, but I got the feeling around landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument that they didn't really want you there. We couldn't get into any of those areas, as they relied on a ticketing system or planning up to six months in advance for a security pass. You were not allowed to sit on the Capitol steps or anything like that, as they had barriers everywhere and lots of Guards about.
There were also the numerous security checks you got every time you entered a building, and so half of Washington DC security guys saw what I was buying and the sweets I was carrying in my handbag. It got quite annoying after a day of hearing the question: "Can you show me your bag, Ma'am?". I understand why they would need to do this, but it didn't feel friendly to me.
Right, so my rants are over. Here is the good things about Washington DC, and what I recommend seeing.
The Sights
- Washington is essentially a planned city. Nothing in it is left to chance, and so all buildings are ordered and easy to find. Most of the Tourist sights are stretched out along the Mall-a three mile long stretch of grass. This does mean that everything can be a bit of walk. I'm guessing from the stuff I read in the White House Tourist Office that the distances between buildings is ideological (a literal representation of keeping all the houses of government seperate son they don't influence each other) and also because up to the early 20th Century people rode horses everywhere in Washington DC. Therefore, while everything is a bit of a walk, it is only a short gallop away. Saying that, there are lots of Tourist buses to take you about.
- The Statues are worth seeing. I loved the Lincoln, Jefferson and FDR Memorial. The Lincoln memorial is particularly memorable, as it is set out right at the end of the mall. It is also very imposing, and you can see why most of the big protests that have occured in America over the past 70 years or so stop here. It also has a darn fine bookshop that I have bought a biography of Lincoln in, plus a very informative exhibition. I liked the exhibition as it contained many of Lincoln's quotes and gave the historic context of them. The Jefferson Memorial is built in a similar style to Lincoln's (all classical sculpture looking), but the FDR memorial is totally different, and exists as a walk through memorial of FDR's life and most famous quotes (I previously had no idea that he was responsible for the 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' statement).
- This time of year is siginificant in Washington DC, as it is the Cherry Blossom Festival. This celebrates the blossoming of around 94 (?) trees that were given to Washington DC by the Japanese Government in 1912. They are well worth sitting under and walking through, as they look beautiful.
- The Smithsonian is the kind of Museum I wish existed everywhere. You could easily spend a week looking at everything and not visit the city entirely. Split up into 5 or 6 buildings (though admittedly only 4 buildings were open for us), it houses some of the most influential exhibits on the planet. During our visit, we only visited the Air and Space Museum, and it is well worth the queues and the sheer number of people to look about in. I really recommend the 'Space race' exhibit there, though bring your own packed lunch. Getting fast food took an eternity.
Washington DC is not known for its food like New York, but I can recommend a few places. 'My Brother's place' is a good place to eat, though you have to be over 21. Union Station has the most amazing amount of food, and my stomach recommends that.
For now, that is all I can recommend for Washington DC. I admit, I liked New york a little better, but if you want a quiet ed-du-ma-cated break then it is well worth it. I particularly recommend it if you are a Pub-Quiz fact fan/Historian like me.
Monday, 9 April 2007
The Bobbin the Brit guide to the where, what and 'Eh'? of New York City.
Hello!
Once again I live up to my reputation of being the one who develops stupid injuries. From the girl who brought you 'the cut on the thumb from a craft knife when making a Viking Village out of Bolser Wood when she was 7' and 'the sprained ankle from falling over a slide during Fresher's Week' is now 'the incident from falling up the stairs'.
Currently I am having to rest my right foot after I sprained it going up the stairs of the National Art Gallery of Washington DC. Two days ago it was really quite painful, and even yesterday I couldn't put very weight on it without hobbling like a peg legged pirate. I was even told yesterday I should get it checked out at a Doctors as it could be a hair-line fracture. Thankfully now I can walk on it again and the bruising seems to be from a sprain. If it starts getting bad again tomorrow, then I'll see a doctor but otherwise I'm not as worried now about it. At least it happened before we drove back from Washington DC, and not when we arrived in New York.
So, because I am going to watch a few movies with Jesse in a bit, I am going to give my review of New York.
... and type this while eating lunch.
My account of Washington DC shall follow probably tomorrow or in a few days.
I was planning to write this in as an account of what we did and when, but then I couldn't remember the order. Therefore, what I am writing is just my opinion and recommendations based on what we experienced. If you don't agree with anything I am saying, then feel free to rant and let me know why-though please be constructive in your criticism.
So, here goes.
Getting there
It took us over 12 hours to get to New Jersey. We drove longer than the length of the UK, with only a few stops for food and restrooms. We also went through North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey before we arrived. This is not a journey to try if you do not like the person you are travelling with (which wasn't my experience with Jesse but we were knackered by the time we arrived), and while Virginia (in particular) is absolutely stunning, you will feel by the end that you have gotten to know every bit of the States personally.
I swear New Jersey Interstates are solely designed to infuriate you when you get lost.
To get to New York itself, we stayed outside the city and travelled in for the first few days by train, which involved changing at Newark Penn Station to get to New York Penn Station. It's really cheap compared to the UK- about ten pounds return and the journey took us over a hour each way.
Subways
We only used it a few times. I recommend getting a Metrocard, which is essentially a London Underground Oyster card. It takes a while to get used to the numbers that they use to name the lines, but it feels less claustrophobic than the London Underground. Get yourself a map if you want to get anywhere.
The Hostel
To be honest, I would have loved our hostel and would have recommended it to anyone if it was much closer to Manhattan and was in a better area. We were close to a Subway station (113th Street), but we were in an area referred to (by a Taxi driver we used) as 'Spanish Harlem'. It took ages to walk anywhere. While this area was around ten minutes west of Colombia University, the area wasn't all that nice. There were gangs of people hanging about near our Hostel and we weren't always sure what they were doing. Saying that though, they never approached us.
Now the Good Part: The Hostel was well worth its price. It was cheap, warm, comfortable, friendly and provided the best breakfast I have ever had at a Hostel. Considering I have stayed at a Hostel that once beleived that people solely survived on topast and watered down coffee, that is high praise.
Food
If you are willing to walk around for hours-especially at the end of the day-then you will find some great places to eat. Here is what I recommend:
This is just a quick summary of my favourite places.
Once again I live up to my reputation of being the one who develops stupid injuries. From the girl who brought you 'the cut on the thumb from a craft knife when making a Viking Village out of Bolser Wood when she was 7' and 'the sprained ankle from falling over a slide during Fresher's Week' is now 'the incident from falling up the stairs'.
Currently I am having to rest my right foot after I sprained it going up the stairs of the National Art Gallery of Washington DC. Two days ago it was really quite painful, and even yesterday I couldn't put very weight on it without hobbling like a peg legged pirate. I was even told yesterday I should get it checked out at a Doctors as it could be a hair-line fracture. Thankfully now I can walk on it again and the bruising seems to be from a sprain. If it starts getting bad again tomorrow, then I'll see a doctor but otherwise I'm not as worried now about it. At least it happened before we drove back from Washington DC, and not when we arrived in New York.
So, because I am going to watch a few movies with Jesse in a bit, I am going to give my review of New York.
... and type this while eating lunch.
My account of Washington DC shall follow probably tomorrow or in a few days.
I was planning to write this in as an account of what we did and when, but then I couldn't remember the order. Therefore, what I am writing is just my opinion and recommendations based on what we experienced. If you don't agree with anything I am saying, then feel free to rant and let me know why-though please be constructive in your criticism.
So, here goes.
Getting there
It took us over 12 hours to get to New Jersey. We drove longer than the length of the UK, with only a few stops for food and restrooms. We also went through North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey before we arrived. This is not a journey to try if you do not like the person you are travelling with (which wasn't my experience with Jesse but we were knackered by the time we arrived), and while Virginia (in particular) is absolutely stunning, you will feel by the end that you have gotten to know every bit of the States personally.
I swear New Jersey Interstates are solely designed to infuriate you when you get lost.
To get to New York itself, we stayed outside the city and travelled in for the first few days by train, which involved changing at Newark Penn Station to get to New York Penn Station. It's really cheap compared to the UK- about ten pounds return and the journey took us over a hour each way.
Subways
We only used it a few times. I recommend getting a Metrocard, which is essentially a London Underground Oyster card. It takes a while to get used to the numbers that they use to name the lines, but it feels less claustrophobic than the London Underground. Get yourself a map if you want to get anywhere.
The Hostel
To be honest, I would have loved our hostel and would have recommended it to anyone if it was much closer to Manhattan and was in a better area. We were close to a Subway station (113th Street), but we were in an area referred to (by a Taxi driver we used) as 'Spanish Harlem'. It took ages to walk anywhere. While this area was around ten minutes west of Colombia University, the area wasn't all that nice. There were gangs of people hanging about near our Hostel and we weren't always sure what they were doing. Saying that though, they never approached us.
Now the Good Part: The Hostel was well worth its price. It was cheap, warm, comfortable, friendly and provided the best breakfast I have ever had at a Hostel. Considering I have stayed at a Hostel that once beleived that people solely survived on topast and watered down coffee, that is high praise.
Food
If you are willing to walk around for hours-especially at the end of the day-then you will find some great places to eat. Here is what I recommend:
- You must eat Pizza. Not because it is essential, but because it tastes so good! I never like Pizza usually, but no-one can resist big slices of gooey Pizzas with lots of cheese. Most pieces I ate were bigger than my head. If you want Pizza, then I recommend the restaurant chain 'Sbarro' or the authentic 'Ray's Pizza' we ate near the Natural History Museum.
- Delis are good for supplies of drinks. One we ate provided hot and cold food, but it wasn't that good as the food, by the time we got there, was stale from sitting out all day.
- You really don't get enough Mexican food in the UK. We ate at a really cheap chain place called 'Chipotle' one evening that tasted superb. I am addicted to Tacos and Guacomole.
- If you can finish a large McDonalds meal, then you have a stronger stomach than me. I managed, but only just.
- Fruit Juices are cheap, and you get far more smoothie for your buck.
This is just a quick summary of my favourite places.
- If you want to see the Skyline, then go to the Rockerfeller Centre off 5th Avenue. We were originally going to go up the Empire State, but the queue was stupidly long and we were told it was a bit crap. If you go to the Rockfellers 'Top of the Rock', it is a reasonable price (we got a discount through our Hostel) and you get to walk about up there, taking lots of pictures of different angles. It is 67 floors up. We went up during the evening, and seeing the sunlight bounce off each building was beautful. I would wrap up warm though.
- New York itself is great fun to walk around. Most of what we found to see and eat was done through looking upwards and aiming towards buildings. New York is shockingly loud and busy the first moments you arrive, but once you have found your barings it is a lot of fun. That is how we found Trump Towers, The Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station.
- Central Park is great if you just want to relax and see a landscape that is not dominated by buildings. The green areas tend to be fenced off at this time of year, but there are lots of benches and vendors. Central Park Zoo is interesting, albeit a bit small. It's worth seeing the Sealions being fed at 4pm, and the Penguins are too cute.
- I didn't actually shop that much, except at Times Square. There are lots of tourist shops, but clothes are a lot cheaper than the UK (especially for sport tops and at Gap). Times Square is more of an experience than a place, and you can easily pass a few hours there without realising it. It is so busy and loud, it reminded me vaguely of the cityscape in Bladerunner-but without the scaqry robots or Harrison Ford. I also recommend FAO Schwarz and the Apple Store. The Village and Soho are just very artsy and expensive, but worth seeing for the Buildings.
- I loved the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum and the Metropolitian Art Museum was interesting as well. As I found to my curiousity, alarms go off if you touch a sculture, so be more careful than I did (no worries, I didn't knock it over).
- There are celebrities thast you can spot. However, I dunno if seeing Tarentinos feet and 'the tall guy off Everybody Loves Raymond' counts as a celeb spot.
Thursday, 5 April 2007
Counting down!
Hello everybody-I'm taking a break from packing-I'm off to Washington DC tomorrow!
I would like to aplogise for not updating this as much as I would like, but I have been really busy with being a archetypal tourist. Therefore, I plan to do a few massive blog entries on where I recommend to go in New York, and Washington DC and anywhere else I recommend.
I have been updating people via my email as I do not have a lot of time on the computer at the moment-if you aren't one of these people, its because I cannot access all of my email addresses. Just to let you guys know that I will write more-honest! I have piles of stuff to say, as usual.
Only a minute left, so see you guys soon!
Byebye!
I would like to aplogise for not updating this as much as I would like, but I have been really busy with being a archetypal tourist. Therefore, I plan to do a few massive blog entries on where I recommend to go in New York, and Washington DC and anywhere else I recommend.
I have been updating people via my email as I do not have a lot of time on the computer at the moment-if you aren't one of these people, its because I cannot access all of my email addresses. Just to let you guys know that I will write more-honest! I have piles of stuff to say, as usual.
Only a minute left, so see you guys soon!
Byebye!
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Smoothies, Mexicans and pancakes
Hello!
So, I am finally over the jetlag now, which is a relief. It felt yesterday like my mind had finally caught up with my body, which is a relief as far as I am concerned.
So, I thought I would sum up what exactly I have been up to over the past few days-it has been pretty busy here.
* The heat here is amazing. Considering I left with my winter coat and my scarf, it is almost June weather in Charlotte. It is the late 70s/Early 80s (F I mean, if it was C I can imagine everything would be catching on fire) here and so I have been wondering about in t-shirts and skirts. Wearing jeans makes my skin feel like it is being rubbed in cardboard. Thankfully, everything here has absolutely freezing air conditioner.
* I went to UNCC on Tuesday. It was boiling, but I was impressed by the size of the campus and the buildings. In many ways, the buildings remind me of Lancaster, but saying that the buildings in Charlotte are designed for the hot weather. In UNCC, the buildings look good when they are flat roofed, unlike Lancaster (I would love to meet the genius who created the flat roofs on our campus). There was also a lot more to eat, like sushi and... Burger King! Jesse got me a 49er American Football supporters t-shirt. :)
* Okay, so this is going to make me sound like I am a hick, but apart from a few shopping centres, I have never really been to anyhting as massive as an American mall. The fact that we walked about it for a hour and only saw about half of it tells you of the scale of the place we visited. We got pestered by sales clerks, and Jesse got into a sulk when I went nuts about a Hello Kitty shop. However, I found an American sweet which they sold 'back in the day': Jolly Ranchers. I now have a few, and I have to say that I am pleased that they have not gotten rid of the plasticy taste. I also found mini-oreos too.
* Another new experience for me on Tuesday was a Mexican Restaurant. My lack of ability with spicy food is legendary, but it was all lovely and very cheap.
* On Wednesday, I went into Uptown Charlotte with Jesse. In many ways it is like Melbourne as iut all modern, but there is little kooky areas of history, like the settler's graveyard. I liked the walkways that hang above the city streets, which sort of lead to their own mall complex. I alkso drank the biggest smoothie in the known world and was able to stand up afterwards!
* However, my biggest highlight of yesterday was visiting a Basketball game. It was the Charlotte Bobcats (notable for their extortionate basketball tops in the giftshop) verses the Atlanta Hawks. Bobcats wqon, and this was the first time they had won more 26 games in a season.
Charlotte supposely are quite low in the league, but it was a good game. I loved the atmosphere and the food there-it was weird as I don't think you could recreate that atmosphere in the UK. It was just good-natured, and there was no violence. I am not saying that British sports are violent or we are somehow more angrier, but the way I see it is that I would find it difficult to imagine anything like a British football riot happening at that game. It was very American (there was the National Anthem), but there was lots of entertainment put on during the time outs-such as races and throwing t-shirts into the crowd. I also ate burgers while listening to Kenny Loggins 'Dangerzone' in a Basketball Stadium. I do not know how that could be more American!
Right, I better go as I need some lunch. Tomorrow I head out to New York, which I cannot wait for! I'm so excited, as you always see it on tv but going to it I know will be something else.
PS: Pancakes are lovely!
Hope everyone is well,
BYE!
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Getting there
Hello!
For context, I am writing this in Jesse's room on his computer while he moves about and puts stuff away. It is 10.42 in the morning, but the more I look at the clock, the more I expect it to read that it is 6pm in the afternoon. I've only really been up for 3 hours now, but after eating and drinking a bucket of coffee, I'm starting to feel tired again. I'm hoping to go out this afternoon and see Jesse's old Uni, and I'm, praying that I don't nearly fall asleep in the car again like yesterday.
Jetlag sucks, basically.
Thankfully, after literally collasping at 11pm here, I slept straight through the night until 7am. Oddly enough, I prefer Jetlag to normal sleep deprivation, as Jetlag is excusable. I just wish I felt a little more sociable.
So, yesterday then. Yesterday was weird, as I'm still not entirely sure for how long I stayed awake for. All I know is that I saw over a day of daylight. Mum and Dad saw me off at the airport, and I have to admit that I was a little scared before I left as it felt rather like going to Australia again; the sensation of knowing that you are heading somewhere but are not entirely sure what to expect. Departures was boring, but thankfully once I got to my gate they were giving out free newspapers, which ate up a fair amount of time. The mood of the passengers I was with can be accurately summed up by the teenage lad who actively refused to sit next to me (I quote: "God Mum, I don't wanna sit with her!" when I could have said the exact same thing about him and his hair style, which looked like he had come out worse with a fight with a razor). The air hostesses were a bit surly too, but then I heard that the airline I travelled with is having a lot of problems with rates of low pay and subsequent low morale. If I was them, I would probably be the same too.
The plane then took off at least half an hour late, but once we got in the sky it was pretty much plain-sailing. I'm guessing we flew nearly over our house, as I saw the Isle of Wight and all of my family's regular haunts from the air. As much I do not like takeoff, I do love seeing the country from above. Even Southampton can look pretty from the air.
I ended up watching a lot of the tv that was available, and saw part of a movie that was released about a month ago called 'The Illusionist". In all fairness I was knackered, but the movie was crap. From what I could tell, it's about a policeman and the crown heir to the Austrian Hungarian Empire (this was pre WWI) and a magician who like the same woman. It was badly acted and I couldn't tell why one character died, but then the plane landed sop I didn't mind so much. The CGI was good though.
I hated Immigration. I was told that the town which I classed as my base (you have to write down where you are staying for the immigration people) was in the wrong state-South Carolina I was told,m not the North like I said. Mainly because I looked like I may cry, I guess, I explained that the address I wrote was what I sent his mail to, and the fact I could rememeber the phone number may have swung in my favour. The thing is though, I am actually right and Immigration has it wrong-the family showed me their library cards and such which declare their address on it and the state I gave was correct. I just hope that this doesn't cause problems in the future getting in, but I'm sure it won't. I also had to declare my gifts to customs, which sucked. Meeting Jesse, however, was well worth it.
I ate at a place called the Cracker Barrel yesterday. They do great fries (the waitress laughed at me when I called them chips)
and they had a deer's head on the wall!
So, now I'm here. The House is lovely and Jesse's parents are great. I watched their version of 'Strictly Come Dancing' last night, which is suprisingly classy compared to the British one (though this may be because I don't know who anyone is). The dresses were far nicer, and everyone admitted that they only watched it to see if McCartney's ex-wife's leg fell off. Today, I'm seeing his opld Uni, and maybe meeting a few of his friends.
Toodle pip!
For context, I am writing this in Jesse's room on his computer while he moves about and puts stuff away. It is 10.42 in the morning, but the more I look at the clock, the more I expect it to read that it is 6pm in the afternoon. I've only really been up for 3 hours now, but after eating and drinking a bucket of coffee, I'm starting to feel tired again. I'm hoping to go out this afternoon and see Jesse's old Uni, and I'm, praying that I don't nearly fall asleep in the car again like yesterday.
Jetlag sucks, basically.
Thankfully, after literally collasping at 11pm here, I slept straight through the night until 7am. Oddly enough, I prefer Jetlag to normal sleep deprivation, as Jetlag is excusable. I just wish I felt a little more sociable.
So, yesterday then. Yesterday was weird, as I'm still not entirely sure for how long I stayed awake for. All I know is that I saw over a day of daylight. Mum and Dad saw me off at the airport, and I have to admit that I was a little scared before I left as it felt rather like going to Australia again; the sensation of knowing that you are heading somewhere but are not entirely sure what to expect. Departures was boring, but thankfully once I got to my gate they were giving out free newspapers, which ate up a fair amount of time. The mood of the passengers I was with can be accurately summed up by the teenage lad who actively refused to sit next to me (I quote: "God Mum, I don't wanna sit with her!" when I could have said the exact same thing about him and his hair style, which looked like he had come out worse with a fight with a razor). The air hostesses were a bit surly too, but then I heard that the airline I travelled with is having a lot of problems with rates of low pay and subsequent low morale. If I was them, I would probably be the same too.
The plane then took off at least half an hour late, but once we got in the sky it was pretty much plain-sailing. I'm guessing we flew nearly over our house, as I saw the Isle of Wight and all of my family's regular haunts from the air. As much I do not like takeoff, I do love seeing the country from above. Even Southampton can look pretty from the air.
I ended up watching a lot of the tv that was available, and saw part of a movie that was released about a month ago called 'The Illusionist". In all fairness I was knackered, but the movie was crap. From what I could tell, it's about a policeman and the crown heir to the Austrian Hungarian Empire (this was pre WWI) and a magician who like the same woman. It was badly acted and I couldn't tell why one character died, but then the plane landed sop I didn't mind so much. The CGI was good though.
I hated Immigration. I was told that the town which I classed as my base (you have to write down where you are staying for the immigration people) was in the wrong state-South Carolina I was told,m not the North like I said. Mainly because I looked like I may cry, I guess, I explained that the address I wrote was what I sent his mail to, and the fact I could rememeber the phone number may have swung in my favour. The thing is though, I am actually right and Immigration has it wrong-the family showed me their library cards and such which declare their address on it and the state I gave was correct. I just hope that this doesn't cause problems in the future getting in, but I'm sure it won't. I also had to declare my gifts to customs, which sucked. Meeting Jesse, however, was well worth it.
I ate at a place called the Cracker Barrel yesterday. They do great fries (the waitress laughed at me when I called them chips)
and they had a deer's head on the wall!
So, now I'm here. The House is lovely and Jesse's parents are great. I watched their version of 'Strictly Come Dancing' last night, which is suprisingly classy compared to the British one (though this may be because I don't know who anyone is). The dresses were far nicer, and everyone admitted that they only watched it to see if McCartney's ex-wife's leg fell off. Today, I'm seeing his opld Uni, and maybe meeting a few of his friends.
Toodle pip!
Saturday, 24 March 2007
Hello!
Hello!
I imagine you are either here because you saw a link I placed somewhere or you typed in random syllables to see what would happen. If you are here for the later reason, I can see why you're here. I like the alliteration of my name, meself.
So, I am Bobbin. In a couple of days time I am going to see my Boyfriend, and so I have set up a blog. This is so I can record my experiences in a manner that I can remember them easier. After I come back home, I do not know if I will keep this blog, and I imagine I will, but it may just be used in the same manner I have made my other blogs; ie: When I can't sleep at 3am in the morning.
Expect me to start updating this once I have started my holiday for real.
I imagine you are either here because you saw a link I placed somewhere or you typed in random syllables to see what would happen. If you are here for the later reason, I can see why you're here. I like the alliteration of my name, meself.
So, I am Bobbin. In a couple of days time I am going to see my Boyfriend, and so I have set up a blog. This is so I can record my experiences in a manner that I can remember them easier. After I come back home, I do not know if I will keep this blog, and I imagine I will, but it may just be used in the same manner I have made my other blogs; ie: When I can't sleep at 3am in the morning.
Expect me to start updating this once I have started my holiday for real.
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