Getting Cultured.

Well, there's not a whole whole lot to blog about. Lucky you! Really, I think I'm far more interested about your lives than you are about mine. But here's the goings on anyway.

• Laura and Devon and I saw our first show at the National the other day, entitled Blood and Gifts, which was all about US and Afghan relations from 1981 to 1991, and how we were giving them weapons in order to fight the Russians. It was very interesting to see this at a British theatre and from a sort of British perspective, even though the protagonist was American (played by a Brit). Overall I thought the play was very good, very poignant, and very well done.
  
  From an artist's prospective, it was interesting to see government funded theatre! The set and sound design were both fantastic, and were much more elaborate than what you would see at many professional theatres back home. As well, the majority of the acting was also very good. This theatre has a reputation for getting outstanding performers because they know they will only be there for a short time, as apposed to the big West End productions, where who knows how long they might get stuck doing one show.
  
• We also visited the Tate Modern museum, which is full of modern art! Although We did not get to see much of it, it had a lot of neat items on display, and i would very much like to go back and see the rest of it.
  
• Yesterday, I went on a solo mission to the Science Museum of London, which was also very neat (The majority of museums here are FREE). They had a great exhibit called "Who Am I" which was all about genetics, and how you develop, and what makes you YOU personality-wise, and how all humans are different and why that is. They also had a fantastic space exhibit that was full of information on space exploration, journeys to the moon, and our solar system.
  
• And finally, last night, Laura and I went to see Les Miserables on the West End. I've never seen this show and wasn't super pumped about it, but I ended up really liking it! Very epic. Good music. Good fun. Best part is, we're sitting in the theatre, and over the loudspeaker just before the show began, the announcement was made that Nick Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers) will be playing the part of Marius. And we had NO IDEA when we bought the tickets. He ended up being quite good, and rounded out a solid evening of good entertainment.

Had my first class today (London in the era of the Victorians) which went well, and have three more this week. Yay school and reading....

Cheers.

No more free meals...

We made it an entire week! And in that week it didn't rain once! Well... a little bit yesterday, and its kinda drizzling now, but technically yesterday was the one week mark so we still made it.

With everything that we've done it feels like its been so much longer than a week. We've gone so many places and done so many things that I could probably write a short novel only on what we've already done.

Here's what's happened since my last post:

• Laura and I have officially booked our train tickets and hostel for Paris with Annie and Andrew! Our train leaves at 5:45am on Friday the 8th (it was cheaper that early), and we come back around lunchtime on Sunday the 10th. It was kinda expensive, but I'm pretty sure it will  be totally worth it!
  
• The TCU group took a trip to Greenwich Village where the prime meridian is! While the prime meridian was very cool, the best part about this trip was the scenery, and unfortunately, this was the one day that I forgot to put my memory card back in my camera! So go look at Laura's facebook for pictures. I just have one picture that I took on my phone.
  
  Anyway, this place looked like it came straight out of a movie or a Jane Austin novel. The park leading up to the prime meridian was simply gorgeous, and there were people playing Frisbee in the grass, playing guitar, and just having a good time.
  
  We're planning on going back eventually because it was an easy trip (only about 20 min away from central London) and they have an outdoor market that was closed the day we went. Christmas gifts?
  
• The next day, we went on a walking tour of the Thames' South Bank, which included The National Theatre, the Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge, and the Globe Theatre, among other things. We didn't actually get to go inside any of them (yet), but we plan on seeing shows at The National and The Globe, as well as visiting the Tate Modern very soon.
  
• This excursion was followed by a trip to Harrod's, the biggest, nicest, MOST EXPENSIVE department store in the world. This place was ridiculous, to say the least. We spent a lot of time in the toy department, the food section, and the bookstore. We saw a lighting fixture for 96,000 pounds, and a TOY CAR (the kind that kids can actually drive) for 6,500 pounds. Words really cannot describe this store. Laura forgot her camera, so I let her borrow mine, so once again, check her facebook for pictures.
  
• Last night, Westminster had a party... on a boat! for all of the international students. It was a lot of fun with really good music, and getting to meet everyone was a blast. Afterwards, my roommate and I and some of our friends went to a place call O'Neil's in Chinatown (Why this place was in Chinatown, I do no know). They charged a 3 pound cover, but this is the first place that I have found that was actually open late! This place was somewhere between a pub and a club, but the band that was playing was AWESOME. Highlight of the night: When the band played Teenage Dirtbag. So good.

And thats it for now! School starts on Monday (well, I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) which should be fun! 

WHY DO THE PUBS CLOSE SO EARLY????

Real quick before we start:
All of the pubs here close at MIDNIGHT AT THE LATEST!!! What is this????

Anyways...
Oh man... so much has happened since my last update. So here's some highlights:

• Windsor Castle
  Breathtaking. Windsor Castle is one of the castles that the Queen stays at, and she happened to be there the day that we visited. We didn't get to see her or anything, but we got to walk around the castle grounds and go in a few rooms. This place was GIGANTIC. And the view from the outside was incredible all by itself. However, we got to go inside and see the Royal Apartments, Queen Mary's Doll House (It was an actual doll house that was about 10 ft. tall by 15 ft. wide), and the cathedral, which was by far my favorite part. We couldn't take pictures inside, but the cathedral's intricacies and stonework were astounding. There were also a ton of tombs inside, including Henry VIII, among many others.
  
  
  After seeing the castle, we had dinner at a traditional English pub that was just outside, and I had some amazing fish and chips! Great end to this part of the day.
  
• Later that night, we went to Covent Garden which is a square with a lot of restaurants and nightlife, a HUGE Apple store, performers and shopping. Here Laura and I found a lush store (lots of organic soaps, lotions, bath bombs, etc.), but then later the TCU group went out for pastries and coffee.
  
  Hightlight:
  Man selling flowers: "Are you guys American?"
  Us: "Yes"
  Man: "I can tell. Great dental care. Perfect teeth."
  He then proceeded to kiss our professor on the cheek and give her a free flower, which made us all giggle.
  
• We finally got moved into our dorms, which are TINY. My roommate is really cool, and it took a while to get everything working right (ie: internet, and THE SHOWER), but all in all it wont be too bad.
  
• 2 adventures to Primark, which is a department store where everything is SUPER CHEAP but relatively good quality. The first time, the entire TCU group went to buy essentials such as towels, bedding, etc. This was around 11:00am. Later on, around 4:00pm or so, Laura and I decided to go back on our own, which was a horrible idea. This place was like Christmas shopping on crack. Laura's analogy was "If we had stood still, we would have been as dead as Mufasa in a heard of wildabeasts." Everything that had been there that morning was GONE, and the shelves were empty. We decided to call it an adventure and take ourselves home empty handed.
  
• Speaker's Corner
  And now everything is stuck being underlined... awesome.
  Anyway, There is this corner of Hyde Park called Speaker's Corner, where anyone can get up on their soapbox and talk about anything they'd like. Popular subjects include religion, politics, etc. Well, Laura, Devon and I were all minding our own business, listening to someone talk about how sports suck when this short little man comes up to us.
  
  Man: "Can I ask you a question?"
  Us: "Sure"
  Man: "Are you all American"
  Us: "Yes..."
  Man: "Do you know about the Tea Party Movement?"
  
  We then go on to explain the Tea Party Movement to this man, after which he asks this question:
  
  Man: "Why are Democrats trying to kill America?"
  
  Let me tell you, this guy was a NUTCASE. He started talking about the 2nd ammendment, the pope, 9/11, how democrats are trying to kill eveyone, etc. The best part was, a group of people started forming around us listening to our conversation, and it was a pretty large group. Others around us were like, "Why are you evening listening to this man? He's obviously crazy!" The man then pointed to an Arab looking man in the crowd and said "You see this man? He's a Muslim. He wants to kill you!" And proceeded to read verses to us out of the Koran about how all Muslims want to kill everyone else. At this point, we decided that we were hungry and left this crazy man to rant about absolutely nothing. It was quite amusing though and made for some great free entertainment!
  
  Afterwards, I got an INCREDIBLE hug from a man holding a Free Hugs sign. There's one thing of my bucket list!
  
  
  
• Today we had orientation at Westminster University, which was very long and very boring. However, we got to see our first West End show tonight! It was The 39 Steps, which was a farce adaptation of a Hitchcock movie which was an adaptation of a novel. It was really funny, and a great first show. And free! Thank you again, TCU!

Laura and I are currently planning our trip to Paris with Annie and Andrew. :D

Day 1 of the Adventure! (and the night before)

I'm HERE! And its amazing. Currently drinking a pint at the bar of the Sherlock Holmes hotel on Baker St. Couldn't ask for more.

Story #1:

So, my journey to London went very smoothly.... until I actually got into London. At which point I landed, got through customs and was greeted by a very nice Pakistani couple bearing a sign that read "SLAYDER MATTHEW". Yep, with a D. However, the wife greeted me with a rose, which made up for the misspelling.

They drove (very quickly) to the Sherlock Holmes hotel whilst we chatted about things that we passed, and upon arrive to the hotel, The man working the desk informed me that the hotel had been overbook... and there wasn't a room for me.

wtf.

Thankfully, he was very nice, and offered me a Guiness (I've been in London around an hour and already having my first drink) while I waited for a taxi to take me to their sister hotel. I got there, and was told that THIS hotel cost 360 POUNDS PER NIGHT (Folks, thats $562 dollars)! My original hotel only cost 150 pounds, and I didn't have to pay a dime (or pence) extra. And let me tell you, this place was NICE. What makes it even better was the fact that since i had to go back to the Sherlock Holmes hotel the next morning, I was told that my cab fare would be reimbursed. The cab only cost 13 pounds, but the driver wrote a receipt for 18 so that I could pocket the extra. 

My super awesome hotel

I'm loving London already.

Today, we met up at noon, had a (free) burger lunch, purchased cell phones, rode the London Eye (for free), and had a (free) Italian dinner. All awesome. Check facebook for pictures.

And did I mention that TCU is picking up the tabs for the first few days? 

I could get used to this place. :)

Blogging? How old am I?

Currently sitting in my boxers, listening to pandora, and I just created a blog. A BLOG.

Am I 15 again? This is aggressive.

However, this is a special blog. It is to document my travels in Europe for the next 3 months. Stories and pictures of all my adventures for the next 3 months while I'm studying at Hogwarts.... ahem... I mean Westminster University.

Disclaimer: This could get ugly. And by ugly, i mean entertaining (I hope). I mean, I make a mess out of myself here at home. Can you imagine being in LONDON, and God only knows where else for 3 months?

Well, I guess the stories on here can't get too messy. I mean, my parents are going to be reading this after all.
Love yall.

At least Laura Saladino will be there too. And we'll be meeting up with Annie and Andrew, who ares studying in Dublin. Imagine the adventures that we normally have.... Now imagine them in a foreign country... where no one knows who we are...

Lord help us.

My plane leaves in 28 hours and 25 minutes. And I'm kindaaaaa freaking out.

....Well .... This is my blog. And because it is a blog, I feel compelled to end this entry with a song quote. How cliche.

"Here we go, life's waiting to begin"
-"The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves.