France; Weekend of August 2nd

I spent this last weekend with my two friends in France.  We went to Paris for the day on thursday. It was unreal to be close enough to take photos of the Eiffel Tower.  We woke up around 2 am to walk to a bus that took an hour to drive to the airport.  From there we took a 6 am flight to Paris.  Got our passports stamped then took a taxi to Champs-Élysées which was kinda crazy to see in person.  Then we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower because it was easiest to spot, we just followed the top until we were next to it.  Talk about surreal.  Of course we had to get crepes there! After that we were so tired that we ended up falling asleep in front of the word famous monument. Yes thats right I took a nap in front of the Eiffel Tower.  We woke up then took a bus to Notre Dame.  From there we had lunch, I got a delicious lunch; a beget sandwich with a glass of red wine.  I was stuffed.  Got back on the boat to get to our final Paris destination, the Louvre. After taking some pictures we found a nice taxi driver to take us to Orly- airport.  We arrived two hours early, thinking everything was perfect laughing and carrying-on.. meanwhile our flight to Marseille was taking off right before our eyes.  You see when you travel, remember to check the ticket NOT JUST THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL. The times were completely off. Soo by the time we found the terminal our flight was gone. And some lady told us it was the last flight to Marseille for the night. Did I mention we didn’t have cell phones, or that the airport didn’t have free wifi, or that none of us spoke fluent french?!?!? (Insert stomach dropping / panic attack here).  I spoke to one women at a desk that told me we could buy a ticket for an early flight in the a.m.  but the airport closed so we had to find somewhere to stay. (Insert panic mode again). We decided that was our best option. Luckily I pointed out the time error to the second woman we spoke to who booked our tickets.  Airfrance took care of the tickets with no charge!  We got a hotel room for the night that had a shuttle to the airport in the morning.  The airport opened at 5 am, we arrived at the airport at 5am.

My aunt met me at the terminal in Marseille and we proceeded to her house.  The house was amazing, everything was open and there was a pool.  The small yard had a table that we ate every meal at and a hammock.  We swam in the Mediterranean.  I ate amazing food, cheese, drank endless wine, and saw the old city of Marseille. The weekend was one of the most amazing weekends I have ever had.  I loved being with my family and getting to see the way they lived.  They were so welcoming and completely spoiled us with local fish, wine, liquor, cheese, fresh bread, and fruits.  I tried foods I have never tried before like octopus, grilled sardines, radishes with salt, roquefort cheese, and whole figs.  I could not have asked for a better weekend.  I was able to see so much of Marseille with family that I hardly ever get to see.  My cousin and I had a blast comparing American and French culture, and drinking.  I am so happy that I have experienced Marseille.  Now that I have spent time there with my family I know I will not be able to go the rest of my life without visiting again.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London was by far my favorite historical site I visited during my stay in London.  The Tower which is essentially a castle near the north bank of the River Thames was founded in 1066.  The area has played an important role in English history, it has been a palace, royal residence, an armory, treasury, a menagerie, home of the Royal Mint, and home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.  The Tower now serves as a historic tourist attraction.  I spent hours wandering within the walls, taking my time to see artifacts and read about all of the various ways the Tower has served London.
One of the more popular activities at the Tower of London is to take part in a Yeoman Warder tour.  More commonly known as ‘Beefeaters’, are required to have served in the armed forces for at least 22 years with an honorable record.  The nickname is said to have derived from their position in the Royal Bodyguard, which permitted them to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king’s table.  It is worth taking the time to go on this tour, the Beefeaters are both informative and entertaining.  It was raining the day of my visit so my tour was cut very short due to the weather, but I still learned some interesting facts about the Tower.  The Tower of London was used as a prison as early as 1100, most prominently during the 16th and 17 centuries.  I felt a certain connection to the Tower of London after the Beefeater leading my tour pointed out one of the more famous prisoners of the Tower, William Penn.

Of course I couldn’t leave the Tower of London without seeing the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.  It is safe to say that I will never see that many precious stones in one place ever again.  The jewels were first kept in the Martin Tower before moving to their current home in The Jewel House.  There are rooms filled with crowns, orbs and scepters for coronation ceremonies as well as other monarch celebrations, like the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  All of the jewels I was able to see were made after 1660, the earlier royal jewels were destroyed following the abolition of the monarchy in 1649.  The beauty of these Royal objects is impossible to describe in words.  Everything in the Jewel house was made from gold, silver, and sprinkled with precious stones.  My friends and I took turns deciding what we would eat with the intricately designed silver and gold spoons.  It was fun to imagine owning one of these priceless pieces.  In reality I would be way to nervous too even try something on in fear of breaking or loosing it, for now the Queen can keep the jewels safe in the Tower of London.  I’m happy with that, just as long as she lets me come back and visit whenever I’m back in London!

THE Wembley Stadium

There are about a dozen different venues in London hosting the many Olympic Events during the London 2012 Summer Olympics.  I was only able to walk around the Olympic Park at a distance and from the Olympic Store in the new Westfield shopping mall. But I was able to experience my first football game at one of the most famous of these venues, London’s Wembley Stadium.  It opened in 2007 on the same site of the old 1923 stadium, which was officially called  Empire Stadium.  The new Wembley stadium is the largest of six venues hosting the Olympic Football tournament and can hold up to 90,000 spectators.  When I attended the Great Britain Vs. Brazil women’s Olympic football game there were only 70,584 fans in attendance.  We all lucked out with the unpredictable London weather, the evening felt like a cool autumn night back in the States.  If it had started to rain, Wembley would have had it covered (literally) with it’s sliding roof.
Our tour guide that walked us around the area of the Olympic Park informed us of the London 2012 games aim to be the first sustainable Olympics.  There were many “green” aspects of the Olympic Park, but he had not mentioned any other venues.  I was surprised to read that Wembley Stadium is powered by 100% green energy.  Since 2007 they have reduced electricity use and related carbon emissions by 28%.  For such a large facility I find that incredible, I think all sports facilities should have their own environmental strategy.  They even change their waste into energy.  Wembley is a ‘public transport venue’ with three major stations and five train/ underground lines.  I was able to take advantage of Wembley’s tube station with the tube passes provided with our Olympic tickets which were meant to encourage spectators to arrive by public transportation.
When I stepped out of the tube station I was amazed by the site of Wembley stadium surrounded by tons of fans.  I had arrived at my first ever Olympic game.  Not many people can say that they have attended such an event, even fewer can say that they were six rows away from the field at THE Wembley Stadium.  I can now say I have done both.  What made the experience even better was the victory of Team GB, who I was supporting for the night.  Brazil fans were disheartened but afterwards cheers could still be heard for both football teams.  These games are meant to bring the world together and I believe what London 2012 has done to create a sustainable Olympic summer is the perfect way to celebrate our planet earth.  I went to my first football game without contributing to my carbon footprint which makes me proud.  My Wembley experience was yet another remarkable London adventure.

Experiencing the Opening Ceremony

 I have been awaiting the Olympic Opening Ceremony since the day I received my acceptance e-mail for the London summer study away program.  As the event slowly approached I began to hear little bits of information about what the spectacle could hold.  Even though the tickets to watch in the Olympic Park were completely out of my price range, I was thrilled with the idea of watching on one of the many big screens that would be set up around the city.  It was only when I arrived in London that I found out Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire was the Artistic director for the London 2012 Opening Ceremony.  My excitement only grew after hearing the director of one of my favorite films was to direct this event to open the games.

Danny Boyle titled the Opening Ceremony show ‘Isles of Wonder’ and the world tuned in to see the artistic expression of Boyle and his teams, and the culture of the Host City and all of United Kingdom.  The ceremony began with the sound of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, from Whitechapel Foundry, and then began the transformation of the olympic park into the British countryside for the scene titled ‘Green and Pleasant’.  The London weather somehow cooperated for the evening making the experience of watching the Opening Ceremony behind Liverpool Tube station even more enjoyable.  I watched with a group of friends among dozens of other people sitting out, eating and drinking.  We were all wide-eyed at the spectacle unfolding on the screen of the Olympic Park changing into the British countryside then again into the industrial times of London.
One of the highlights of the night was film debut of Queen Elizabeth II alongside Daniel Craig, the most resent James Bond.  According to National Post, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the 86-year-old Queen agreed to participate in Boyle’s film portion a year ago.  During March and April filming went underway in the Palace.  If you were wondering about the supporting roles, yes those were her majesty’s corgi dos: Monty, Holly and Willow. Laughs and cheers were heard in the outdoor square when we saw Queen Elizabeth herself turn to Daniel Craig and say “Good Evening Mr. Bond.”  It was a great way to include the monarch while still having a bit of humor.
The comedic elements did not stop there as Rowan Atkinson’s performance as Mr. Bean had everyone bent over from laughter. I thought it was great that Boyle incorporated this well-known british comic character into the ceremony.  Apparently I was not the only one who enjoyed the bit, Andrew Fitzgerald, Twitter’s manager of editorial programming, said: “The biggest spike in Twitter conversation during the Opening Ceremony? When Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a. Mr Bean, appeared in a hilariously memorable homage to the Olympians of Chariots of Fire.”
Boyle included all aspects of British life including children’s literary characters like Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, and Peter Pan.  He paid homage to the National Health Service with nurses pushing hospital beds, which were used as trampolines by the children.  The beds were then pushed together to spell out the acronym “GOSH”, for the Great Ormand Street Hospital, a world-class children’s health center.  This was one of the moments that Boyle lost some of us, especially my group of American companions.  We all looked at one another for the explanation of this acronym.  Many people were unhappy with some of these incorporation of details only Brits would pick up.  It was difficult to understand every moment displayed in the ceremony, but what a great way to spark interest in a world-wide audience.  It only takes a couple of minutes on google to look up the symbolic reasons behind these specific scenes.  From what I gathered listening to different news stations before the ceremony took place Boyle was not aiming to redo the Beijing Opening Ceremony.  This was a beautiful spectacle but Danny Boyle wanted to create something that felt more homey, something that reflected the British Culture.  I believe he achieved that, including the unpredictable weather and all.
I thought the final lighting of the Olympic Flame was a beautiful sight.  I was curious as to what was being carried in front of each nation as the athletes walked out into the park.  They were petals, each one representing the 205 competing nation or territory.  After the group of seven, chosen by the British Olympic champions each lit a single flame the 205 petals were ignited.  The long stems rose toward each other to form one united cauldron, signifying unity.  It may have been the fact that as each nation walked out cheers could be heard out in the square.  Or the fact that I was sitting with my friends from Philadelphia, in the Host City watching the Opening Ceremony. Or maybe it was the culmination of cheering for USA then singing ‘Hey Jude’ with a hundred strangers.  Whatever it was I felt like I was part of the Ceremony, I was part of history and I was part of the unity of the world coming together for the Summer Olympic Games.

Olympic Medals

While most people following the Olympic 2012 games are keeping track of the countries in the lead of the medal count, I find myself becoming more curious about the actual medals.  This is what every athlete is aiming to win, they will be a part of 302 total victory ceremonies and all eyes all over the world will fall on them during these games.  So what really makes up these prized pieces of gold, silver and bronze?

All olympic medals have certain characteristics that are always the same, like their round shape which is a metaphor for the world.  Summer Games medals always have the image of Nike, Greek Goddess of Victory stepping out of the depiction of the Perthenon to arrive in the Host City.  The design on the reverse side was chosen by an independent panel which was created to look at designs submitted by over 100 artists.  The LOCOG Athlete’s Committee were also involved with this process.  What they chose was a design by David Watkins who is in the field of decorative art, which has a very modern feel to it.
I was lucky enough to see these medals in person on display at the British Museum along with a collection of medals from previous Olympic games.  The design by Watkins seemed simple, with the 2012 logo on top of a design made up of criss-crossed lines.  It wasn’t until I did a bit more research back at my flat on the london 2012 website that I realized that simple design had a lot of symbolism behind it.  For example even being up close to the medals I did not notice that the background was curved, mimicking the shape of an amphitheater.  The line design is a grid that is meant to suggest both a pulling together along with a sense of outreach, it has a certain energy that represents the athletes’ efforts.  I hardly noticed the ribbon like figure running through the center, it is the River Thames meant to be both a symbol for London and an  implied fluttering baroque ribbon as an additional sense of celebration.  Lastly the square surrounding the London 2012 emblem was placed their to put focus on the center and reinforces the sense of ‘place’ like in a map inset.

     As part of this Olympic Medal exhibit The British Museum had the elements of the production of the medals out for all to see.  I was able to see the medals in which they use to create the pieces earned by the top athletes.  They even had the molds used to stamp the designs on the medals.  The precious ore that I saw next to these molds, which are used to make the medals were supplied by London 2012 sponsor Rio Tinto and was mined at kennecott Utah Copper Mine near Salt Lake City in the U.S. as well as from Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia.  Spoil Alert; the gold medals are not solid gold, they are made up of 92.5% silver and 1.34% gold, the remainder is made up of copper.  The other medals are also made from mixed elements, like zinc from Australia for the bronze medals.  Regardless of the actual make-up of these medals they are the most sought after athletic awards in the world.

When I was in front of the case holding the medals I was in awe that I was standing in front of something sought after by the most talented athletes in the world. These pieces would be seen by billions of people, but only in photographs and on television screens.  At the same time, looking back on my initial thoughts of the medals I feel foolish for thinking the design was so “simple”.  Every detail was well thought out with connections to the games as well as personal touches particular to the host city of London.  With my gained knowledge I feel even more privileged to have been able to see these works of art on display.

Market for Food Lovers

London’s Markets are a huge part of their retail culture.  Similar to our flea markets in the U.S. these markets carry everything from fresh vegetables to antique magnifying glasses and everything in between.  I have had the pleasure of visiting four notable London markets including Camden, and Portobello.  Each market I have walked through has had their own personality and highlights.
Borough Market is the ideal place to spend a day for any food lover.  The area has always been a place of trade due to the prime location near the London bridge.  Traders were eventually relocated in the 13th century to what is now Borough High street and a market has been there ever since.  The market has only changed slightly even after all these years.  It has grown in number, now reaching over 100 individual stalls, as well as diversifying the produce from Britain and around the world.  To ensure that all of the food being sold is of high standards the market has a food quality panel of impartial experts who ensure that the taste, provenance and quality of foods sold are all regularly measured and maintained. No wonder the food is so incredible!

My two visits to Borough Market were very different from one another.  The first time I was there it was on a Tuesday afternoon.  There were some stalls selling food but it was fairly quiet that day.  I went to Pieminister for my first ever meat pie, which turned out to be a fantastic decision.  The pie was not like anything I have ever had before, it had beef, gravy and olives in it.  With mash (mash potatoes) and gravy on the side it was the perfect english meal, at least in my opinion.

My next visit was on a Saturday, the market had a completely different atmosphere.  The rows of stalls were bustling with customers buying or eating or tasting.  All of the owners were sharing samples of their tastiest cheeses, meats, and sweets.  I tried wild boar, an orange flavored olive and  a piece of brownie that melted in my mouth.  The market has such a great variety of food, you can honestly find anything you would possibly want to eat or drink.  I was most surprised by the Ostrich and Exotic Meats stall, which is owned by Gamston Wood Farm’s.  They are a farm in Nottinghamshire where they have a supply of ostrich and other exotic meats like buffalo and zebra.  And if you are wondering, yes, you can purchase an ostrich egg.  They even sell feather dusters with ostrich feathers.   I didn’t pay a pence that day, because I didn’t have to!  With all of the free samples I was too full to even buy a meal.  The few hours I walked around the market were not enough, I plan on returning again before I leave for home.

Let the Olympic Lane Begin

There was a bit of confusion on the London roads with the opening of the first Olympic lane, intended only for athletes and officials.  Photos were scattered over the news papers of cars and buses of the general public accidentally in the lane on the day of it’s opening on July 16th.  I read mixed reviews from interviewees, some could have cared less and others blamed the opening for confusion on the highways. One motorist said they passed the sign all the time but only just noticed it the day it went into use.

It could be that I am more excited about the Olympics than most Londoners, or that I have been the passenger in only a taxi and a number of buses, but I spotted the olympic lane right away.    In fact the Olympic lane and signage was one of the first things I noticed while driving in London.  The first days in South Kensington I read signs warning Londoners of the coming change.  Bus stops had ads encouraging commuters to take advantage of their website getaheadofthegames.com.  It did not take much for me to pick up on the obvious efforts the city had put in to make sure travel during the olympics and Paralympics went smoothly.  I also felt their campaign to keep the public informed and “ahead of the games” was executed very well.  The website offers all information needed to get around during the Olympic and Paralympics.  It has interactive maps, information for spectators, videos explaining the different changes, and even an advice for businesses section.

Even with the encouragement of public transportation and specific Olympic lanes there are bound to be delays and traffic on main roads.  Those who have to get to work everyday have every right to be frustrated with the extra hassle of the changes implemented for the Olympics.  I think with all things considered, London has done an exceptional job in planning and informing both visitors and Londoners about the Olympic travel changes.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

July 26th, 2012

Today I went to the HP studio tour! I saw all of the Original sets and props used on all of the Harry Potter movies. It was incredible to see all of the details that created the wonderful wizarding world that we all love! There are so many people involved in the production of a film,many usually go unnoticed.  What I loved about the tour was that every department got their recognition for their contribution of the series. The Producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, actors, hair & makeup, wardrobe, props, set designers, construction, animal actors, props, animal trainers, post production, they are ALL important to the creation of the 8 Harry Potter movies.  Their works were all displayed throughout two studios and an open lot.  I was lucky enough to stand in the great hall, sit in the backseat of the Weasley’s car, see the golden snitch, walk down diagon alley, sip on butterbeer and stare into the eyes of Buckbeak.  I loved the tour so much, today was another priceless day in London!

Olympian Arrival

My excitement peaked as the plane descended from the clouds toward Heathrow runway.  If the grey sky and rows of orange topped flats weren’t enough to give it away, surely the scene of cars driving on the opposite side of the road did. We had finally arrived in London!  I thought landing in this foreign city was exciting, but my excitement is incomparable to the thrills that filled the Airport as the olympic athletes arrived to their host city.  They are now at their final destination, making their way closer to the games!  Monday July 16th, Heathrow Airport also known as the “Gateway to the Games”, saw the most passengers it has seen in its history.  The athletes weren’t the only ones training for the summer games, the host city spent seven years planning for the challenge of the athletes’ travels.
The olympic delivery authority had to devise a transport plan that would ensure safe and reliable transportation for the 500,000 daily spectators from the UK as well as overseas, as well as the 50, 000 athletes, officials and media crews.  In efforts to make these public transport games, all ticket holders also receive travel cards for the underground to be used on the day of their ticketed event.  The spectators are also encouraged to walk or cycle to their events, this is part of the efforts toward the first sustainable olympic games which London aims to successfully complete.  As for the athletes, media, and officials the Olympic Route Network (ORN) was created, it is a network of roads that connect all competition venues as well as other important locations like Heathrow Airport.  These roads are designated for only accredited games vehicles and emergency vehicles.  They are all clearly signed, the electric signs will help show the general traffic when the lanes will be in use or when they will be open to public traffic.
After we made it through customs and found our bags we quickly grabbed a taxi and headed to our temporary london home!  Most athletes had the same intentions when they arrived, heading straight for the Olympic Village.  Around 17, 000 athletes and officials will live in these apartments and townhouses for the duration of their stay.  The plans for the village modeled London’s tradition of building homes around communal squares and courtyards.  Other features include shops, restaurants, medical, media and leisure facilities like ‘Village Plaza where athletes can meet with friends and family.  The olympic village may not be as swanky as our temporary home of South Kensington, but it seems to have all the accommodations  needed for an Olympic Athlete.
Unfortunately not everyone had smooth journeys, with the help of social media the world quickly saw no travels come without a hitch, not even for Olympians.  U.S. Olympic hurdler Kerron Clement tweeted, “We’ve been lost on the road for 4hrs. Not a good first impression London.”  The tweet did not go unnoticed as it was featured in many News Articles.  Out of thousands he may have just been the one with bad travelers luck.  For the most part I saw photos of athletes with luggage in hand and beaming smiles very similar to those on the faces of my Temple Classmates on our day of arrival.

Phone Booth Remix

Phone Booth Remix

Week 1- Art
There are a number of iconic images that immediately come to mind when you hear “London”, like Big Ben, Parliament, double decker buses, perhaps the royal family and those distinguished red phone booths.  In todays age of cell phones and portable computers the booths are becoming more of a tourist thrill than a use of communication.  Unfortunately the booths are starting to disappear from the city, it is hard to picture London without those red boxes.  In fact the phone boxes, as they used to be called have been around since 1925.  Giles Gilbert Scott’s design was chosen by the newly established Royal Fine Art Commission, for a national phone kiosk.  Later Gilbert Scott redesigned his original design in honor of King George V’s Silver Jubilee.

This year those classic red booths received fresh looks, just in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012.  Well known designers and artists used their imaginations to change the Gilbert Scott phone box into creative works of art, which are spotted around the city until July 16th.  The project is called BT ArtBox, eventually the pieces of art will be auctioned off to raise money for ChildLine’s 25th anniversary.

During my visit to the London Tower I was thrown off by the sight of what looked like a giant white chocolate bar sliced into several pieces.  As I moved closer to the chocolate bar it began transformed into a chopped up telephone booth.  My eyes were not deceiving me, it was in fact a white severed booth, titled Slip by artist and designer Gerry Judah.  One of my classmates mentioned that she had heard about this art project, it reminded us of similar projects back home like the painted panda bears in Washington D.C..  When we came across our second BT ArtBox we were no longer confused but very excited to find more around the city.  The second box, “Fantastic Golden Wiggle Pagoda” was found next to Westfield Mall, only blocks away from the Olympic Park.  Zondra Rhodes, a fashion designer who put London on the map of international fashion in the 1970s designed this beautiful white booth with a gold wiggle pattern.

Today along the riverside as I walked past City Hall I found two more of these creations, the first, “London Calling” by Peter Anderson which pays homage to the English punk rock band The Clash.  The box next to this designed by Aboud + Aboud, titled “Shocking Converstion” looked like the color was leaking out of the bottom.  Further on my walk I discovered yet another booth, “Welcome to London”, it was covered in typography displaying all 230 languages spoken, representing the multiculturalism in London created by London and Partners.  This last booth brought my count to a total of five redesigned phone booths!  There are 77 more BT ArtBoxes throughout the City I will be sure to keep my eyes peeled for these artistic creations which have redefined the classic red booth.