Richmond and Durham

1/30/10

Today Jenny and I woke up freezing- the heat was a little out of wack at Kiplin- and went for a run around the estate. It is absolutely gorgeous here. We ran around the lake right out back and then ran through the old pastures a little bit. It was great to run- I need to get into the habit of doing that more!! We drove into Richmond for the day and wandered around the town. It is an old medieval town with lots of topography and narrow cobblestone streets- basically the quintessential British town everyone imagines. We looked for a site for our first studio design project- basically any type of building we want so long as it is urban infill. We found a place to go swimming for pretty cheap so I think a few of us are going to get passes so we can exercise. We drove back and made dinner and just played games and talked at Kiplin for the rest of the night. The heat has finally been fixed so the temperature was more manageable.

1/31/10

Currently in Durham- the cathedral here is amazing- huge norman columns and beautiful detailing- you can feel the history here. Even more topo than Richmond- but just the same amount of medieval characteristics. Have to go meet DuPuy in the market square now....

End of London Week

So I have to do a few days at a time because I don't have regular internet access yet- but its all the same anyway ...

1/26/10

We met at Westminster Abbey and, because it was expensive to go in, went to St. Margaret’s Church because it was free. We took a boat ride to Greenwich. It was very nice- and even better- it was inside! We went to the Queen’s House and Naval Museum, which was done by Christopher Wren. It was a great building- good architecture. Next we took a hike over to a dance studio designed by Herzog and Demeuron- very modern, very awesome. The architect’s were trying out a new material for the facing of the building- and failed- but they gave it a go! Took a lunch break in town at a not so great Spanish Restaurant and walked up a giant hill to an observatory/museum. We stood on both sides of the Meridian Line there! Walked to Blackheath to see a housing development- very successful. Beautiful old brick, and great light and air. On our way back we walked UNDER the Thames and over to dinner near the metro because there was a possible bomb threat in the metro (?). The pizza was good though- and cheap! Back near the hostel we did our own mini pub crawl, but I ducked out early because I was tired.

1/27/10

Today we met at St. Paul's Cathedral, and walked up a LOT of steps to get to the top for some fabulous/grey London views. My legs were killing me- I need to start running more. Afterwards we walked around the area and rode a bus to see some more of the city in the warm. I have to admit I am not very good at dealing with the cold- I was semi-miserable all day. The only thing saving me was the fact that I was in LONDON!!. We stopped at Liverpool station for some lunch- we got cheap and yummy british meat pies. We walked some more then went to the national Portrait Gallery. Totally loved it! There was a Twiggy exhibit, and a display of a photography contest. DuPuy sprung and bought us tea and scones in the restaurant in the museum- it had great city views. We parted and I went with some people to walk through arcades- I'm doing a project on them- then we went off to Harrods. It was cool but kind of pretentious- I have to admit I loved the shoes :) A girl can dream. I b ought a marzipan shaped like a clementine- not a huge fan. AFter Jenny Sara and I went to our fav restaurant we found called 'The Other Side' and had an amazing meal. Bed early- another tiring day.

1/28/10

We met at a Liebskind building- very beautiful and sculptural but didn't fit into the urban fabric very well. We walked over to the Arsenal Arena where the local team plays Soccer (football). It was brand new and very awesome- they love their football over here. DuPuy said we might go to a game next time we come back to London. We metro-ed to the John Soane museum- absolutely LOVED it. His house was full of knick-knacks and he designed the house to have tons of nooks and crannies to fit as much sculpture and paintings as possible. AFter we went to the Tate Britain- another great museum. They had a Turner exhibit there that was to die for! I fell in love- he was an amazing artist. For lunch we ate at Wagamama's in Picadilly- yum! I had fried eggplant with rice and curry. After I went off to find more arcades and we all met up at Westminster Abbey at 5 for Evensong- beautiful. That night we went to a local young bar for some drinks and pool. Good last day in London.

1/29/10

We left London today!! :( we dragged our bags to the station where we piled into the car and drove 5 hours to Kiplin Hall. I slept a lot but I was still able to catch some amazing scenery- its sunny up here!! Kiplin is amazing- the kitchen re-model is fantastic. Very cute. We went to the grocery store to stock up on food- I love how cheap it in in the country! Set up my room and read til I fell asleep.

First Few Days

1/21-22/10

Plane ride was pretty smooth- no lost bags or missed flights. Virgin Atlantic is amazing. We were extremely jet-lagged and tried to wonder around London with DuPuy for a while when we were waiting for out hostel to be available. He took us to an architecture museum, which had an awesome map to London- I realized I don’t know where ANYTHING is in the city. I just wish I was more awake to appreciate it. When it was (2pm) we went back and crashed for a few hours then tried round two. I think I had more espresso that day than I have since the semester was in full swing- but it was good so it was totally ok J I’m surprised at how much French and Italian I’m hearing- apparently London is the most visited city by other countries- very cool. Or professor took us around Trafalger Square and Covent Garden- He bought us a round at an awesome pub that was underground with exposed brick- I had Strongbow as per Whitney and Shaun’s suggestion- it was delicious. He let us loose for dinner and we found a Kebab place, which was, of course, very good- and cheap. We went to bed as late as we could manage- around 9:30.

1/23/10

Saturday morning was rough waking up, but nothing a few cups of coffee couldn’t handle. The hostel we are staying at has a pretty cheap breakfast and it was all you can drink coffee. DuPuy took us around to the Bank of London, some residential squares, and to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was FREEZING and I have to admit I was qite miserable chasing DuPuy all day. After walking around (we went through a lively market that I want to go back to sometime this week) we stopped in the Globe Theatre, which was much more elaborately decorated than I expected- very pretty. We ended at the Tate Modern Museum right by the Millennium Bridge (which was in Harry Potter 6!!) and walked around for a while. It was a lot of modern art, which I really enjoyed- I wish Jaclyn was here because I think she really would have liked the pop art. Afterwards we walked over the bridge and back up towards St. Paul’s and found an amazing burger place- I got a pesto burger with mozzarella- yum. That night we decided we were going to go out since we didn’t have to meet DuPuy until 1:00 Sunday morning. We stopped by a grocery store to get a few drinks to pre-game with then went back to get ready. We ended up going to this club called Thirst- quite fun I must admit. Bt the best part was when we were leaving a guy was trying to solicit us to go to his club, but apparently is in love with Americans and ended up talking to us for like 20 minutes- His uncle taught history in South Dakota- go figure. He gave us some interesting facts about London and the UK in general- very cool guy. I think we are probably going to go back to his club later this week. His name was Malcolm.

1/24/10

It was rough to wake up this morning- but I finally managed to roll out at around 10 to go for a run. I didn’t have much so I just went for a quick 20 minute run- thank goodness too because I was suffering, I am way out of shape. After I was showered and ready me Sara, Zach and Justin went on an adventure to somehow find lunch and the Tower of London- where we were supposed to meet DuPuy. It ended up being really fun and we saw a lot of cool stuff on the way there. I forgot my London Pass in the hostel so Sara and I had to connive to get me into the Tower of London, but it worked. I made sure to get a picture of me and a guard just like I did when I went with my Grandparents so I could show them the before and after. After that we went to the upper walkway of the Tower Bridge and then walked around the Design Museum- amazing exhibition on an architect named Chesterfield. Afterward we walked around the ‘boardwalk’ and took a bus home. Dinner was fun Sara, Jenny and I walked around near our hostel and found a cheap, delicious place nearby. Now- I’m just catching up on e-mail and trying to recount the past few days so I can get this blog going. Some of the guys (and Emma) went to the pub next door to watch the football game at 8:30 our time, but I spent way too much money at the club so I decided to opt out….Spending is a problem in London- its so expensive!

1/25/10

Today was another cold one We took a train to Hampton Court and it was a little rainy, but it was cool to go back to a spot I went with my grandparents a few years ago. At the end of the visit we had a race through a maze on the estate grounds- very fun. Then we went to a town called Richmond about 40 minutes away. It was a very cute quintessential british town, and we ate lunch there. Wagamama is this really good noodle place that is it pretty much all thai food, my meal was really great. After we rode back and wandered around the Covent Garden and Leiscter Square area- very nice. We regrouped at the hostel then took the metro to the kind-of ghetto for this Indian restaurant- totally worth it. The best meal so far. Now its just re-cooping time and mentally preparing myself for tomorrow. DuPuy called it 'hell day' so it should be a good one...