My last week in London was very busy and it was incredible. And I still managed to write my last paper somewhere in all the madness. Monday was the much anticipated Christmas dinner at G6. G6 always had the best parties. Even during reading week, when no one was around, they were able to pull off a great robot party for Chandler's birthday. It was epic, as was this night.
We did secret Santa, and of course half of the gifts were alcohol. One other gift that did get a lot of use though, was an electrical Santa that walked around. It was pretty cool. Again, there were about 20 people in the kitchen. We also had another amazing spread. The highlight though, was Paul from Newcastle's turkey. He cooked the turkey draped in bacon, so all of the bacon juice dipped into the turkey and merged with the turkey. It was so moist and delicious, easily the best turkey I've ever had. Before we all ate though, we had to do the crackers, which I guess is a tradition in England. They're little party favors, you pull them apart, they make a sound and then inside there's a little toy and a paper crown, which everyone must wear. The party went long and it was fun. And the end of the night, the only people left were me, Scott, Paul and Elisabeth. None of us even lived there. But it didn't matter, no one cared. Well, except for someone else living in G block, who called security on us a number of times. Three times they came up to talk to us, even though two of those times were before the quiet time kicked in at 11pm, so they really couldn't do anything. But Francis came up around 3am for the last time and took our names down. Of course us Americans had no problem with this, we were leaving in a week, what did it matter?
Tuesday was a bit of an off day, no doubt because of the night before. I went to quiz night for a little bit, but I was exhausted and wanted to rest up for Sandwich, so I went home.
Wednesday, Scott, Chris and I had our last Goldsmiths brunch. Our tears mixed well with our breakfasts. I went to my last class EVER and then back to my flat to get ready. People started pregaming around 9/9:30 and then we all met at the usual place, D5 before we went. All the girls decided to get decked out in their best dresses for some reason, so they all looked amazing and us guys are just sitting there in our regular Sandwich clothes feeling like bums. But it didn't last long. Sandwich was epic, we got there about an hour earlier and spent 4 hours just on the dance floor, I was so incredibly dehydrated. Instead of waiting in line at the bar just to get some water, I would go down to the bathroom and drink water out of the faucet, I was dying. Epic Sandwich, to finish it off.
Thursday Debi, Scott, Sam, Chris and I went up to Camden to go to Andy's Taverna, a Greek place. Debi, Sam and I had been there before, it's good. I had the spanakopita to start and then the mixed grill for an entree, which is just a lot of grilled meat on the plate, so of course it was good. Then we went to the Hob because Nelle was leaving on Friday instead of Saturday with the rest of us. So there were drinks and the first round of crying by the girls. Then instead of working on my paper, I succumbed to the food and the drink and went to bed.
Friday morning I woke up really early, I planned to get the paper done, turn it in, shower, then go to Central and do some shopping and go to some museums. Since I only had gotten through 3/4 of the National Gallery, I wanted to go back there and finish it, and I also thought of going back to the Imperial War Museum and going through the ground floor, since I hadn't had time for that when I was first in London in 2004. So I wrote my 2500 word paper, turned it in and went to Hatchard's in Central to get some books. Then I went to the Imperial War Museum and finished it, going through the WWI and WWII exhibits and the Blitz Experience and the Trench Experience. I also went through a bit of Monty's museum, and the exhibit on conflicts since the end of WWII. I forgot how big that place is, I spent a good three hours there, so I didn't have time to go to the National Gallery.
That night we all gathered at the Hob for our usual Friday night BBQ dinner. Everyone showed up, of course. It was a merry, jolly time. We closed out the Hob and then reconvened at D5 with whiskey and beer. And of course we had our last bacon night. There were people sitting on the kitchen floor, drinking and hugging and crying on shoulders. It was a great night, the perfect end to a great semester abroad. Many many great friends were made. There were so many people I would've liked to interact with more, but there just wasn't the time. Going abroad for a semester is a great experience, but it's also really hard to leave behind.
When I landed in Boston, it was maybe about 10˚ out, with harsh winds and flurries. Quite a change from an island that doesn't really get below freezing all to often. All of a sudden, my sweatshirt, which had kept me warm for so long, was useless. For me, it is harder to transition back into life in the States. All the people and the comforts that I had gotten used to in London are now gone. There's no accents, I have to relearn which way to cross the street, the weather is horrible, there's no St. John, there's no Goldsmiths cafe, there's no Hobgoblin, and hardest thing of all, there are none of the people that I saw almost every day for three months. I will always cherish the memories I have of New Cross and everything that was involved with it.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Amsterdam
The Thursday I left for Amsterdam was unlike most. There was no Sandwich the night before. Instead, I had awoken at eight. I did two loads of laundry. I finished one paper and then wrote another. I turned three papers in to their respective departments and to the international office. I packed, completely. How did I pull this off? I don't know. I finished writing three papers in about 72 hours (including research), and that includes watching a full movie and several clips from other movies to write one of my papers. I am a golden god. I was ready for the weekend. Only one more paper to write when I got back, and that was simple. I was ready to relax and have some fun.
I was flying in on EasyJet with Cait, Scott and Jen. Eventually we would meet Chris, Shank, Derek, Fran, Avivah and Jordan there. Big group. Apparently, Shank and Derek were supposed to be on our flight, much to our surprise. And apparently we were supposed to go to the airport with them? None of us knew this, due to major miscommunication. But it seemed to work out, they were going to catch a later flight. Except when they got to Gatwick, they found out they had booked the earlier flight... oh, and by the way, they were also to late for the flight they booked anyway. So they slept in the airport and made a Friday flight.
Cait and I were extremely tired, since we were both up writing papers late/early. Instead of going into the city center, we went to Leidseplein, a square near our hostel (which was wonderful, by the way.) We went to go eat at an overpriced restaurant, I had a cheeseburger. Then we went to this place called the Bulldog, which was straight out of the 80s, it was pretty awesome. We sat there for awhile, drinking Heinekens (because they actually taste good there) and watching Cait fall asleep at the table. It was strange seeing people at the bar of any age just smoking a joint. There were these two older guys just sitting at the bar, talking to the bartender sharing a huge joint. It was a pretty good time.
Friday we had an unspoken agreement to sleep in. I don't know about Jen and Scott, but Cait and I really needed it. So we eventually get ready and set out, with our ultimate goal being the Red Light District. We first hit Dam Square, which has the Royal Palace and the National Monument. Also close by was this fry place that boasted they were Amsterdam's best fries. So we got some. I got the "Fry Sauce" which was some mayonnaise based sauce. They were excellent fries. I'm not a fry connoisseur, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were the best in Amsterdam. Then we wandered around the red light district for awhile, and well, I can't get into that, as this blog is family-oriented. Eventually we met up with the people that were coming in that day. We met at this awesome hostel that had a huge bar on the ground floor. Stayed there for awhile, then since the new people hadn't seen the red light district, we went back there for awhile. Eventually got some food from some place I don't remember and went home.
Saturday our group met up with the others and walked to the Anne Frank house. It was a decent walk from where we stayed, Vondelpark. I was able to appreciate how beautiful the city actually is. All you hear about Amsterdam is the red light district, coffee shops, Heineken... but the city is actually really really nice. The canals make it very interesting. Another thing, is that there are usually more bikes on the road than cars. The bikes have their own lanes, their own traffic signals, it's really cool. It's definitely a place I would like to go again, and perhaps rent a bike to take around town.
Just getting in line at the Anne Frank house is very sobering. And it's contagious. All annoying tourists cease to be annoying, there are no kids running around, no one really laughs. I haven't read the diary in probably 15 years, so I my memories of it are very few, but the others seemed to know the story well. They were more affected by being there. I just found it amazing, seeing it, how many people lived in that small area and how they were able to avoid detection for so long.
After the house, we walked down the street a little and found a pancake place where we ate brunch. Jordan and I got an amazing hot chocolate with rum and I got a bacon pancake. They're not the pancakes we have in the States, they're very thin and very big. And it was very good. Then our groups split up, they went to the Van Gogh Museum and we went to the Heineken factory. Again, Heineken factory was like all the others, except instead of giving you a full pint at the end, they gave you a half pint. Cheap Dutch.
After that, we went back to the hostel and ate dinner and had a few pitchers. We ordered a traditional Dutch treat, which was just fried meatballs. And since it was fried meat, it was very tasty. I also had lasagna, since there wasn't much of a selection. Eventually we made plans with the other group to meet back at Leidseplein. We tried to find a good place and originally settled on the Bulldog, the place we had been on Thursday night. This time, however we went upstairs and through the glass doors, which allows for more activity to take place. The group got thinner and thinner until eventually I left with Scott, leaving behind Jen, Cait, Derek and Shank . Scott and I immediately went looking for food and the first thing we saw was McDonalds, so that's what we got. I lasted all that time without getting American food and on my last weekend in Europe, I broke down. Thanks, Amsterdam. We were woken up at 5 in the morning by Jen and Cait returning from some club they went to after Bulldog. They were just as loud and annoying as the Welsh in Dublin. Great times.
For this last week, we have a Christmas dinner party, last quiz night, last Sandwich, our dinner at St. John fell through, so we're going for Greek, then the last night in London. Quite a lot to do, and I still have a paper to finish.
Picture link added on the right.
I was flying in on EasyJet with Cait, Scott and Jen. Eventually we would meet Chris, Shank, Derek, Fran, Avivah and Jordan there. Big group. Apparently, Shank and Derek were supposed to be on our flight, much to our surprise. And apparently we were supposed to go to the airport with them? None of us knew this, due to major miscommunication. But it seemed to work out, they were going to catch a later flight. Except when they got to Gatwick, they found out they had booked the earlier flight... oh, and by the way, they were also to late for the flight they booked anyway. So they slept in the airport and made a Friday flight.
Cait and I were extremely tired, since we were both up writing papers late/early. Instead of going into the city center, we went to Leidseplein, a square near our hostel (which was wonderful, by the way.) We went to go eat at an overpriced restaurant, I had a cheeseburger. Then we went to this place called the Bulldog, which was straight out of the 80s, it was pretty awesome. We sat there for awhile, drinking Heinekens (because they actually taste good there) and watching Cait fall asleep at the table. It was strange seeing people at the bar of any age just smoking a joint. There were these two older guys just sitting at the bar, talking to the bartender sharing a huge joint. It was a pretty good time.
Friday we had an unspoken agreement to sleep in. I don't know about Jen and Scott, but Cait and I really needed it. So we eventually get ready and set out, with our ultimate goal being the Red Light District. We first hit Dam Square, which has the Royal Palace and the National Monument. Also close by was this fry place that boasted they were Amsterdam's best fries. So we got some. I got the "Fry Sauce" which was some mayonnaise based sauce. They were excellent fries. I'm not a fry connoisseur, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were the best in Amsterdam. Then we wandered around the red light district for awhile, and well, I can't get into that, as this blog is family-oriented. Eventually we met up with the people that were coming in that day. We met at this awesome hostel that had a huge bar on the ground floor. Stayed there for awhile, then since the new people hadn't seen the red light district, we went back there for awhile. Eventually got some food from some place I don't remember and went home.
Saturday our group met up with the others and walked to the Anne Frank house. It was a decent walk from where we stayed, Vondelpark. I was able to appreciate how beautiful the city actually is. All you hear about Amsterdam is the red light district, coffee shops, Heineken... but the city is actually really really nice. The canals make it very interesting. Another thing, is that there are usually more bikes on the road than cars. The bikes have their own lanes, their own traffic signals, it's really cool. It's definitely a place I would like to go again, and perhaps rent a bike to take around town.
Just getting in line at the Anne Frank house is very sobering. And it's contagious. All annoying tourists cease to be annoying, there are no kids running around, no one really laughs. I haven't read the diary in probably 15 years, so I my memories of it are very few, but the others seemed to know the story well. They were more affected by being there. I just found it amazing, seeing it, how many people lived in that small area and how they were able to avoid detection for so long.
After the house, we walked down the street a little and found a pancake place where we ate brunch. Jordan and I got an amazing hot chocolate with rum and I got a bacon pancake. They're not the pancakes we have in the States, they're very thin and very big. And it was very good. Then our groups split up, they went to the Van Gogh Museum and we went to the Heineken factory. Again, Heineken factory was like all the others, except instead of giving you a full pint at the end, they gave you a half pint. Cheap Dutch.
After that, we went back to the hostel and ate dinner and had a few pitchers. We ordered a traditional Dutch treat, which was just fried meatballs. And since it was fried meat, it was very tasty. I also had lasagna, since there wasn't much of a selection. Eventually we made plans with the other group to meet back at Leidseplein. We tried to find a good place and originally settled on the Bulldog, the place we had been on Thursday night. This time, however we went upstairs and through the glass doors, which allows for more activity to take place. The group got thinner and thinner until eventually I left with Scott, leaving behind Jen, Cait, Derek and Shank . Scott and I immediately went looking for food and the first thing we saw was McDonalds, so that's what we got. I lasted all that time without getting American food and on my last weekend in Europe, I broke down. Thanks, Amsterdam. We were woken up at 5 in the morning by Jen and Cait returning from some club they went to after Bulldog. They were just as loud and annoying as the Welsh in Dublin. Great times.
For this last week, we have a Christmas dinner party, last quiz night, last Sandwich, our dinner at St. John fell through, so we're going for Greek, then the last night in London. Quite a lot to do, and I still have a paper to finish.
Picture link added on the right.
Monday, December 1, 2008
St. John
If watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations started my transformation into a foodie, St. John Restaurant by Smithfield Market has completed it.
Watching Bourdain, he seemed so happy and content with discovering new food or just eating traditional food done right. The more I watched him, the more offal seemed appealing to me. Whenever I went out to eat in the States (not often) I started to look for the oddest choice on the menu and order that. My Paris culinary adventures culminated in the ordering of a pig's trotter. I was well on my way. St. John pushed me over. I've been there twice now and we have plans to go back our last week here.
The first trip I started with what is supposed to be the signature dish of St. John and a dish that Bourdain said would be in his death row meal. Bone marrow and parsley salad. You get three bones, wet sea salt, parsley and two pieces of toast. You scrape the bone marrow out onto the toast, add the salt, spread the mixture on the toast and then top with parsley. It is amazing. Foodgasms with every bite. For my entree I had faggot, which is a meatball traditionally made of pig heart, liver and fatty belly meat (thank you Wiki.) It was also really good. I wanted to order the rabbit saddle, but they were out. My friend Chris had the chitterlings, which were so good that I regretted ordering the faggot. Debi had smoked eel and bacon which was also amazing.
I went for the second time tonight. To start off, I had ox heart. It was delicious. It just tasted like a piece of meat that was really well prepared. My friend Scott had black cuttlefish cooked in its own ink, which was also really good. My entree was rabbit and bacon in a mustard sauce, which proved to be the favorite of the table. The mustard sauce was otherworldly, I was sipping at it even when all the meat was gone. For desert we ordered madeleines and we each got our own dish. I got the eccles cake and Lancashire cheese. I'm not sure why, there was no way I could finish it. It was really good, but the madeleines were even better.
I have not been to a lot of restaurants, let alone highly regarded ones. However, St. John seems special. It does traditional food really well. It's kept simple and it's kept good. The restaurant itself is very simple, with the whitewashed walls and floor. You know when you walk in there you're not going to get any fancy food plated divinely or any frills. You're just going to get some damn good food that makes you want to come back for more. I say this is my favorite restaurant in the world. So does Bourdain. His opinion makes me feel a little bit better that I'm choosing a favorite restaurant so early on in my growth as a foodie.
Watching Bourdain, he seemed so happy and content with discovering new food or just eating traditional food done right. The more I watched him, the more offal seemed appealing to me. Whenever I went out to eat in the States (not often) I started to look for the oddest choice on the menu and order that. My Paris culinary adventures culminated in the ordering of a pig's trotter. I was well on my way. St. John pushed me over. I've been there twice now and we have plans to go back our last week here.
The first trip I started with what is supposed to be the signature dish of St. John and a dish that Bourdain said would be in his death row meal. Bone marrow and parsley salad. You get three bones, wet sea salt, parsley and two pieces of toast. You scrape the bone marrow out onto the toast, add the salt, spread the mixture on the toast and then top with parsley. It is amazing. Foodgasms with every bite. For my entree I had faggot, which is a meatball traditionally made of pig heart, liver and fatty belly meat (thank you Wiki.) It was also really good. I wanted to order the rabbit saddle, but they were out. My friend Chris had the chitterlings, which were so good that I regretted ordering the faggot. Debi had smoked eel and bacon which was also amazing.
I went for the second time tonight. To start off, I had ox heart. It was delicious. It just tasted like a piece of meat that was really well prepared. My friend Scott had black cuttlefish cooked in its own ink, which was also really good. My entree was rabbit and bacon in a mustard sauce, which proved to be the favorite of the table. The mustard sauce was otherworldly, I was sipping at it even when all the meat was gone. For desert we ordered madeleines and we each got our own dish. I got the eccles cake and Lancashire cheese. I'm not sure why, there was no way I could finish it. It was really good, but the madeleines were even better.
I have not been to a lot of restaurants, let alone highly regarded ones. However, St. John seems special. It does traditional food really well. It's kept simple and it's kept good. The restaurant itself is very simple, with the whitewashed walls and floor. You know when you walk in there you're not going to get any fancy food plated divinely or any frills. You're just going to get some damn good food that makes you want to come back for more. I say this is my favorite restaurant in the world. So does Bourdain. His opinion makes me feel a little bit better that I'm choosing a favorite restaurant so early on in my growth as a foodie.
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