Paris: Part 1

Even though we are finally home, we thought we would try and continue where we left off:

PARIS

After class on Wednesday we took the train to Paris. Before we left though we made a pit stop at platform 9 and 3/4. DISAPPOINTING. It wasn’t even between 9 and 10. IT WASN’T EVEN A BRICK WALL. We still got some pictures though. Hogwarts here we come.

The train was a little more Harry Potter-esque. We expected to see the trolley lady but she did not appear. I guess she was busy handing out chocolate frogs to the people who actually had money to spend. So instead we listened to music and slept while Brittany slaved away at crossword puzzles. Megan also lost a very lucrative bet to Edgar. Apparently there IS more land than water in between London and Paris. Who knew.

Once we arrived we immediately we realized that English was not gonna fly in Paris. The metro station was not as easy to navigate as London is and no one stopped to help. Then the attendant gave Megan the evil eye when she asked for a map in English. PARDON MOI. After we left the metro we found our hotel pretty easily. Megan and Glenn went to check in since we were only supposed to have two people in our hotel room. Technicalities. Megan attempted to check in using French and was rudely cut short by the porter even though she is totally fluent. He spoke English.

Our room was decent and most importantly there was no bedbugs. As far as we know. Glenn would not have been able to sleep for fear he would be KILLED by a massive invasion of bedbugs. So we were saved from that particular freak out.

We dropped our bags off then set off to meet the other group in Paris – Lauren, Emily, Evan, Matt and Greg. Never happened. We walked for a while (read: FOR-EV-ER) and then found out that they were leaving to get dinner near the Eiffel Tower. Not a big deal because we forgot about our immense hunger when we arrived at the Seine and saw the Notre Dame. We walked around the ancient church and were amazed that it could have been built in the 11^th century. We also found the plaza in front of the church where Esmeralda danced for money from unsuspecting passer-bys. Unfortunately she was not in sight. It’s probably a good thing because otherwise she would have taken money from Edgar.

We walked across the Seine to finally get dinner and turned a corner to find ourselves in Greek-town. There was wine being offered and plates being smashed everywhere. Thank goodness we found a French place to eat. We got French onion soup, mussels, chicken, and crepes. It was pretty good and the soup was excellent. Megan was repeatedly harassed by the waiter

We then ventured out to get a bottle of wine after dinner. We took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and were taken aback to find the Eiffel Tower RIGHT THERE. Glenn and Brittany separated to go find some wine (Glenn was desperate) while Megan and Edgar went to take a closer look at the Eiffel Tower’s light show which actually DOES happen every hour as Megan had been insisting all night. But then something went terribly wrong!

As Megan was busy taking pictures of the beautiful tower, Edgar was approached by a man with less than pure intentions. After insisting that Edgar hold out his hand (really, he had no option) the man proceeded to weave him a bracelet in the classic Rastafarian colors. As he did so, he told Megan and Edgar about his French (or Polish?) wife, how he loved to smoke marijuana, how this bracelet would make Edgar a ‘sex machine,’ and how he’s been giving these lucky bracelets to people for a long time. After finishing up his artwork, the man wanted paid. Apparently 2 Euros was not enough. Nor was 5. The man insisted that Edgar pay him in a big bill (the number 50 was thrown around) and he would give change. Unlikely. Edgar stopped haggling at 5, and this man the man angry. Very angry. He may have turned Green. He then threatened to take everything that Edgar had (Megan was still screaming “Five is enough” at this point) and Edgar knew that this man meant business. Offering a 10 Euro note, the man accepted, snatched the other five, then went on his way. Yep, Edgar was just mugged. At the Eiffel Tower. Glenn and Brittany were summoned, and we got the hell outta there. (As told by Edgar Petras)

After that terrifying incident we booked it back to the hotel. We planned on going out, but the porter gave us a very strange look when we asked what there was to do at 1 am. So we found a place to get two bottles of wine, walked around for a little, then again went back to the hotel after being approached by some very questionable Frenchmen. We concluded that we were in a terrible part of town and ended up playing a long, eventful game of Egyptian Ratscrew, finishing the wine, and going to bed.

It's about time: tea time, hipsters, and ROUND 2

January 30

Well since we managed to fall extremely far behind, we decided to summarize the days leading up to our trip to Paris & Barcelona:

1. The Mom Visit: Our lovely mothers decided to come visit us in London, so pretty much they were using us as an excuse to go on a vacation to a wonderful city. We took them to a lot of sites including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc. Some of our highlights included:

a. High Tea: We pretended to be fancy, classy people and went to Fortnum and Mason for high tea. Brittany obviously loved the idea since she may have a slight addiction to wonderful beverages. Overall, the elegant establishment did not fare well in our book considering they were understaffed and almost forgot to serve us our tea. At one point Brittany may have accidentally spit caviar onto the table.

b. Harrods: The most ridiculous store in the world. LITERALLY. SO MANY ROOMS. Shoes made out of chocolate, a $1000 pillow that really was not special at all, ART, FOOD, CLOTHES. Literally you name it, they have it (at an unnecessarily high price most likely)

c. Pub: We took our Moms to Friend at Hand twice. The first time we grabbed a couple of pints and soon Kathy and Tina were dancing on tables. SO maybe that did not actually happen, but we still shared some laughter and bonded with our mothers…and Edgar. The next time we went was strictly to introduce them to Fish& Chips since it’s an absolute staple meal.

d. Wicked: An AWESOME performance with a very talented cast. Glenn envied the singing abilities and suddenly was inspired to continue his music career (see Karaoke Round 2). Brittany and Dave luckily found cheap tickets the day of the show after being laughed at my some dumb ticket woman who thought it was ridiculous to even attempt searching for day of tickets.

2. Guest Speakers: I don’t even really want to get into it. Just know we have learned (at least attempted) to learn about British health care. Though some speakers interest us very much, others seem to go over our heads. And even at other times the speaker decides to sit in a chair and read off a paper for 2 hours.

3. LAST THURSDAY AT O’NEILS: For some reason the O’ Neils in Piccadilly has become OUR PLACE. We love it! The bands always impress us, and we know literally every song which helps. Wayne Brady man returned on stage for our final Thursday. Though I can’t recall any specifically important details from this night, I do know it was AWESOME. As always. We will sincerely miss O’Neils and the bouncer who shares his snacks with me.

4. HIPSTER NIGHT: So one night a bunch of people decided to stay in; however, a few of us discovered The Bowery aka the most hipster bar on earth. Not only was there a man wearing a red handkerchief around his neck, but the DJ (small Asian hipster girl) was spinning vinyl—mostly 50sish music mixed with some techno beats. Our favorites were some Elvis songs and Bird is the Word. At the same time all the crazy music and dancing was occurring, The Twilight Zone was playing on multiple TVs throughout the bar. Actually a little bit terrifying. Some flannel wearing hipster approached Brittany and tried to get her to do SPEED in the bathroom, and then did the exact same thing to Megan. Luckily DARE changed our lives and we refused. Honestly, I had no idea what he was saying in the first place. BUT THEY DID NOT SERVE PBR which was confusing. And they call themselves hipsters.

5. Churchill Bunker: Very cool museum. However, Brittany somehow lost the group and got stuck in the bunker. That’s pretty much it. Also we had to complete some BS group assignment regarding this museum trip, and I have no idea if it actually has a purpose.

6. Hampton Court—Sherlock Holmes 2: WE WERE SO WELL RESTED AND EXCITED TO GO TO HAMPTON COURT. Oh, and Sherlock Holmes 2 was being filmed so we stalked the sets for about 2 hours trying to find Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. OH and just so you know the movie setting may be Paris for the next movie BUT actually a lot of it is filmed in England. DECEPTION.

7. The Quad (brought to you by Edgar Petras): The quad can only be described in one way: Every freshman’s dream. Situated in an area that looks like a very typical intercity university, The Quad looks like a strikingly average university building from the outside. (Delawarean’s: imagine Perkins). Music can be heard, but nothing special. We walked inside, checked our coats with the nice guy at the counter, then made our way into the club. If you could called it that. It was more like a lounge, something that could be found in any dorm, only one thing was different. There was a bar. With two bartenders. And cheap drink specials. The only thing missing were the people, but don’t worry the few people that were there imbibed in cheap tequila and beer, and much fun was had. Edgar and Greg really enjoyed the music, but were upset that they never played Edgar’s request: Sleighbells. On the way home, Megan benefited from multiple piggy-back rides from all three men she was with (Greg, Glenn, and Edgar). She then made the tragic mistake of offering her piggy-backing services to Edgar. Hilarity ensued as the weight of Edgar (legend has it he can bench a whopping 250 pounds) crushed Megan, and she fell to the ground. Do not worry, no Megans were harmed in the making of this blog post.

8. Karaoke Round 2: WE HAD TO DO IT. We marched to Roadhouse with a purpose, a purpose to win and take home the glorious karaoke win (aka a 100 pound bar tab). Greg, captain of the HMS Blue Hens, opened as he always does so well. His Mr. Brightside cover (complete with INTENSE dance moves—microphone whirls and twirls and excessive jumping around) seemed like a WIN. Next, Edgar embodied the essence of Britney Spears in his Toxic cover—it was dangerous, but I was loving it. Dave then made his debut performance singing Somebody Told Me. Drunk Dave is probably the happiest person alive, and his happiness was contagious. He had the whole bar making peace signs. AND NEXT, Joey Stone approached the stage with even more confidence than before. This time he was inspired by his Axl Rose Halloween costume singing Sweet Child of Mine. He poured his heart and soul in this performance, determined to take home more than champagne, which meant he fell to his knees TWICE. NEXT, Megan braved the stage singing Teenage Dirtbag. Her beauty and excitement made her performance THE BEST. Though they switched her microphone out 3 times, she still managed to finish the song (maybe because she is the complete embodiment of a TEENAGE DIRTBAG). We both almost missed Lauren’s performance of Somebody Told Me, but once again she performed wonderfully. AND THEN IT WAS TIME. We were ready to win. It may not be Olympic time in London, but I would say we felt as though we were fighting for the gold. But then of course we experienced a case of déjà vu when Glenn once again was awarded second place. RIGGED. IT’S SO RIGGED. We may as well never show up again.

Lessons in Laundry and the Alien Invasion of Joey STONEhenge

Tuesday:

After class on Tuesday we went on a tour of Soho, which combined history and health care like every other tour we’ve been on since we first arrived. This is not surprising considering the classes we are taking but it was very unfortunate in this circumstance because we were COLD and TIRED and ready to ditch the tour at our first chance. Michalec runs a tough camp though and he kept an eye on the whole group even though he hated the tour too. Edgar was the only happy one because he found the perfect place to purchase a messenger bag JUST like Michalec’s. He is well on his way to becoming a cool, hipster professor. We also learned the true meaning of the name Soho, which is the hunting call for English gentlemen who used to, you guessed it, hunt.

After the Soho part of the tour, we found to our dismay that there was MORE. Every one of our instincts told us to make a run for it, but we didn’t listen to them. Brittany’s contact even fell out so she was half blind for the rest of the day. She ended up leaving it on the streets of London so that a part of her will always be here. ANYWAY after that incident we took a long bus to an old operating room above a church. Don’t worry; they put sawdust on the floor so that the massive amounts of blood wouldn’t drip down onto the worshipers below. How kind.

Our tour guide demonstrated how an 18^th century surgery would have gone and it sounds very painful. AGAIN we learned more about Samuel Pepys than we ever wanted to know. Megan actually felt nauseous after looking at the tools they would have used. What a wimp. Good thing she’s taking a HEALTH CARE class.

After the demonstration we rushed out and took the first bus we could back to our part of London where we felt safe. We left the hotel to finally do some laundry because we had been putting it off for two weeks. It was sort of an experience…there was no coin machine (DUMB), so we had to go buy things at a convenience store to get the change. Then Megan realized she forgot to put the soap in the washer before she turned it on. The only good part about that place was the nice old lady who gave Brittany her dryer with some extra money on it.

After all the excitement of the day we decided to stay in and play gin rummy, which actually isn’t all that fun with three people but we toughed it out. The end.

Wednesday:

We had to wake up around 6am to prepare for the trip to Stonehenge& Bath, so we were a bit miserable for a few hours. After 2 hours of uncomfortable and inconsistent napping, we arrived at STONEHENGE (or J. STONEhenge as we sometimes call it). Once again, there were demonic birds roaming the area, but we managed to cross through a tunnel towards the massive stones.

Of course Michalec and Ermann teamed up to give us a short tour of Stonehenge, and I’m pretty sure we came to some consensus that aliens must have created the structure. After one lap around and one group picture, it was back to the bus.

About an hour later we arrived in Bath, and we had some free time to roam and EAT which was perfect since we were both dying of starvation and sleep deprivation. Additionally, we may have suffered minor injuries from the bus ride. We ended up finding a nice cafe with really great staff who actually were not rude. Though the French Onion soup was far from perfect, Brittany did enjoy some mint tea while Megan most likely burned her tongue on coffee (this happens 9 out of 10 times).

We met the group at the town center where we split up for separate tours. We learned about King Edgar (this caused Edgar to get a little carried away, and he even requested for Michalec to bow down to him at one point). I might not be exaggerating. Though it was quite chilly, the tour made us both realize how much we want to live in Bath.

Where else is it socially acceptable for me to bathe whenever I want (without any water leaking into a clothing store and getting called a dirty person by my landlord)? Where else can I drink tea all day? Basically life in Bath seems ideal (or at least used to be). The people of Bath drank magical water each morning, and then bathed in public baths. This was followed by tea time, gossiping, a few hours of getting ready, and then off to the theater. WHAT A LIFE. Oh, and did I mention Nicholas Cage (star of many slightly not above average films) fell in love with Bath and moved there (however, he sold it away due to his lack of revenue from these films)?

After the walking tour we warmed up and took a tour of the Roman Baths—the site of natural hot springs once used for public bathing. The tour itself was interesting especially since much of the site is still intact. Though we were tempted to jump into the large pool of water, we realized it may not be quite sanitary and we may also get in some trouble.

When the tour finished, we were each allowed to try one glass of “spa water” in the Pump Room. Apparently spa water is a precious commodity which has healing powers. According to the website:

You can try the hot Spa water at the fountain in the Pump Room. It contains 43 minerals and has a rather unusual taste. Spa water has been used for curative purposes for two thousand years. Originally treatments involved bathing in the hot waters, then in the late 17th Century drinking spa water also came to be a recognised treatment for certain conditions.

Well, this curing water smelled like straight up rotten eggs (yum). 5 of us decided to get 3 glasses (since Megan and Glenn chose to only try a sip). Of course the 3 of us immediately chugged the sulfur filled water, convinced we would turn invincible by the end. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and instead we got on the bus for a 4 hour drive (lots of traffic) back to the hotel.

Hail Storms, Golden (not marble) Arches, and KARAOKE

Unfortunately the internet has been down for a few days at the hotel, so we are struggling to keep up with the blog. We figured we would post as much as we could right now, but we do have a lot to catch up on so hopefully we can get that up soon.

Friday:

We were almost late again to class, but we made it in time for Ermann’s lecture THANK GOD. We did have to leave Dave behind in our mad dash though. Sorry Dave. Every man for himself. Or woman. For herself.

After class we had to meet RICHARD BARNETT for an 18^th century medical student tour where we learned where a med student MIGHT have bought his books and MIGHT have performed surgery. It was half interesting and half repulsive. We learned how doctors would have removed a bladder stone. We won’t go into details, but it involves copious amounts of alcohol and presumably a lot of pain. Barnett also taught us about 18^th century prostitutes and what jail time would have been like. After considering what I would do if I were an 18^th century prisoner, I have decided that my best bet would be to confess my sins to a priest and then convince him to sneak me out through the tunnel to the church. From there I would escape to Ireland. We hear it’s nice there, not that we will ever find out.

One of the most interesting things we learned was that Richard Barnett is married which was extremely disappointing. Oh well, we may never see him again. Check bookstores soon for his History of Gin book.

Towards the end of the tour we finally experienced what a real London storm was like. It began to pour and then HAIL, which was very unfortunate to those who forgot umbrellas. DUMB.

After the tour was over we visited a nearby bar with Ermann and Michalec which was especially exciting because it gave us a chance to talk to both of them and convince them that we are, in fact, their favorite students. After settling in with some mulled wine, we discussed health care, music, and the common pop culture phenomenon known as “hipsters.” Michalec had some interesting insight and we concluded that he is not altogether against their music but is entirely against labeling himself as a hipster and actually shaved off his beard to prove to his friends that he is NOT one. The mystery of the sudden beard-loss has been solved. Ermann, on the other hand, had no idea what a hipster was. He just doesn’t like their “angry” music. We think he was referring to punk music of the 90’s but we can’t ever be sure.

Later that night, after some much-needed naps and grocery shopping, we tried and failed to go out. Apparently every club/bar in London has atrociously high cover charges after 10pm on Friday nights, and since we were still too tired to deal with it, we left. Without a doubt the best part of the night was our discovery that certain London buses have multiple cameras and a tv screen on the first AND second floor. Endless entertainment ensued.

Saturday:

In the morning we traveled to the Borough market to find some tea for Brittany’s friend and check out that part of town. It turned out to be much cooler than we thought. We bought mulled wine, hot apple cider, and some chicken sandwiches for lunch which tasted much more like sausage.

After successfully transforming the market into our very own Costco (samples galore), we headed back to the hotel to eat and prepare for the night. We then headed to Walkabout because we heard there was no cover. Of course, we went to the wrong Walkabout, but luckily some people figured out the confusion and we headed to the REAL Walkabout (much to Megan’s dismay).

The live band was pretty entertaining, playing such classics as All the Small Things & The Final Countdown. Megan disappeared for FOR-EV-ER because she was whipping her hair back and forth and eventually got into some kind of altercation. Also, we learned the Walkabout does not like when patrons dance on tables. Edgar was SO EXCITED when the Steelers won, but nobody cared because nobody knows what the NFL is.

We managed to find the bus stop, but then we saw it-- THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT IN ALL OF LONDON, with Arches so golden and bright. McDONALDS. Yum. We sacrificed the next available bus for delicious food.

Sunday

We woke up very early (so maybe 9ish) to go to OXFORD. Unfortunately Joey Stone did not wake up, so we had to leave him behind. Instead, we ventured with Edgar, Kelly, and Greg to find the confusing bus stop. With a student discount we paid 13 pounds round trip (not bad).

Though we have no reason to be biased, we found Oxford to be more enjoyable than Cambridge. We enjoyed snacks and afternoon tea at cute café, climbed the oldest tower in Oxford, and wandered through alleyways. We just might be rethinking grad school. Also, Oxford was very Harry Potter-esque, if that makes sense.

Of course, rain followed us to Oxford, so we were eventually drenched, but not before we enjoyed a meal at the Eagle and Child Pub where two average men named JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to hang out. IT WAS SO INSPIRING. Also, the mulled wine was pretty delicious, and Megan may have passed out from all the excitement (nerd moment).

Sadly, we head to head back to London to finish our project on France’s healthcare system.

Monday:

After throwing together some kind of PowerPoint, we managed to survive our group presentation. It may not have been our best work, but WE ARE IN LONDON. However, we did learn some interesting facts about France.

After class we experienced what may have been our favorite class trip of ALL time (sarcasm?). We traveled to Newham Hospital which is in a poorer area outside central London. Though we thought it would be a simple tube ride away, we were very wrong. Instead every single metro line decided to stop working, and we were left confused. Ermann then handed groups of 5 people 20 pounds to find a cab to the hospital. Of course, we turned this into our very own episode of Amazing Race (especially because we were on competing teams), but then some brilliant classmate realized we could all get on the same bus. GENIUS. I guess we have to save the competition for later.

At the hospital we were spoiled with JUICE BOXES and COOKIES. Yum. We jumped for joy, and then listened to some presentations about hospital management, nursing, etc. Health care is a HUGE issue in the UK right now with the NHS looking to make some changes (but we won’t get into that now). We then were taken on a tour of one hospital floor. I actually don’t think it was really a tour, but a 2 minute walk around a circle without any comprehensible explanation.

We then spent about 2 hours trying to get back to Russell Square. We quickly got ready to go to dinner with Joey Stone’s family at a yummy Italian place- Verdi. Dinner conversation mainly focused on convincing J Stone to sing at karaoke night. Of course, he replied with such famous phrases as, “I’m scared” and “I can’t sing without my head voice”, but he eventually agreed to team up with Edgar to sing Teenage Dream.

Unfortunately, Roadhouse did not have a wide selection of song choices, but J Stone decided to sing Losing my Religion while Edgar chose 500 miles. A few drinks later, they were PUMPED and prepared to impress the crowd. Keep in mind the first place prize was a 100 pound bar tab (no pressure). Also, the singers performed with a REAL, LIVE BAND. Greg started off the group with All the Small Things; he combined flawless jumping and microphone twirling which caused the crowd to go WILD (and set the bar pretty high). Matt then attempted to outdo Greg while maybe fabricating lyrics to Summer of 69, but it was still highly entertaining and quite beautiful. Lauren braved the stage as well, performing Wonderwall; unfortunately, Brittany’s loud screaming masked the beauty of Lauren’s voice.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED…

J. Stone walked on stage looking like a complete rock star. He KILLED it. Not only did he maintain his cool factor while hitting every note, but he also FELL TO HIS KNEES, literally, twice. Even after he left the stage, the crowd chanted his name for an encore. Edgar then bravely performed; he may have messed up a few words BUT WHO EVEN NOTICED? It was FANTASTIC; he’s just so dreamy (I think he even made eye contact with me when he sang the chorus, just saying).

AND THEN THE RESULTS for 1^st and 2^nd place only

JOEY STONE did not win. The end. BUT HE GOT 2^nd place which meant he received a nice bottle of champagne for the group. He then proceeded to check the bottle at the coat check because it was so precious to him. Diva?