[Fall Break Photos]

Hey! So, I'll catch up on all of the days of break after I get caught up again back at school this week, but I wanted to say that I am back safely from Norway, Germany, and Spain and am in the process of putting up pictures.

Click here for pictures from Norway, and I should be getting the rest of break up in the near future as well.

Day 52: Oslo

(this is for Saturday)

We ended up getting into Oslo around noon and while we were waiting for the other flight with people in our group to get in, we went to the opera house. The architecture was amazing, but more importantly, fun. We took some great pictures which I'll post when we get back to London. We walked around at night too and went up to the palace. So amazing. got to bed fairly early to prepare for the early start to Bergen...

Day 51: And we're off!

We are heading out tomorrow (early)... I'm incredibly excited.

Oh, and today I made it to the tail end of a conference at the London Centre where Tariq Ramadan was the keynote speaker during dinner. Very cool. I think I heard he was voted the #8 intellectual right now or something like that... He's currently in the theology faculty at Oxford University.

Anyway, I don't think I'll be able to update the blog during the week, but I'm bringing my iPhone so hopefully I can use wireless at hostels or internet cafes to check email. I'll have a bunch of pictures next weekend, though, so have a great week everyone!

Day 50: Fall break itinerary

(This is for Thursday)

So, we leave Saturday for fall break and get back the following Saturday night. I can't believe it's here!

Here's the plan:

Saturday-Tuesday: Oslo with a one-night overnight trip to Bergen Sunday/Monday. We'll be on one of the top-ranked train rides in the world heading to the fjords at Bergen... Click here to check out the trip. I'm definitely hoping to hike in Norway at some point. Actually if I could, I might only do that.

Tuesday-Thursday: Frankfurt, hopefully getting to see a friend I used to work with at home at Starbucks who now lives in Germany. I think we'll take it a bit easier here. Actually, a bunch of people might go to Luxembourg depending on the price, but I think I'll stay back to save money.

Thursday-Saturday: Barcelona! Hopefully we can relax at the beaches here and explore the city and the architecture. I'm looking forward to it.

More details to come in tomorrow's (today's) post...

Day 49: Done with class!

(This is for Wednesday)

Last class before break was Wednesday from 9.15-10.30! I can't believe it's break already.

Day 48: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

(This is for Tuesday)

Went with the Honours Seminar to Cadogan Hall to see a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Tuesday. It was quite nice, and they did some familiar pieces, including the one in Fantasia. Reminded me of the conversion van and driving through blizzards on the way to Big Sky...

Day 47: BBDO Dinner

(This is for Monday)

After work on Monday, the BBDO interns met up with our CFO (an ND alum) and an Assistant Director of the London Program for drinks at the bar at work and then dinner at a nice Italian place nearby. It was the first time in a while I'd had Italian, and I also had some of the best tiramisu I've ever tried (including Italy!). Yum.

Day 46: Paper.

(This is for Sunday)

Finished up the paper on Sunday. Nothing too exciting happened... but I'll use this empty post as a chance to put up a few photos from Regent's Park on Thursday.

From Regent's Park and Hampton Court (10/9 and 10/11)

From Regent's Park and Hampton Court (10/9 and 10/11)

Day 45: Hampton Court Palace

(This is for Saturday)

Sorry I'm so behind! I had a paper due Monday and I guess just got off track since then.

From Regent's Park and Hampton Court (10/9 and 10/11)

Saturday morning I headed out with one of our rectors and some students for a trip to Hampton Court Palace. It was a gorgeous day out, and we beat the main rush for the tour. The palace itself was beautiful, and thinking about the history there was actually more amazing. I walked on the spot where one of Henry VIII's wives was caught by guards after she tried to run away when they'd caught her cheating on Henry VIII.

My favorite part of the palace was the garden, though. It was such a nice day, and the gardens were beautiful. Check out the album here to see more pictures. We also got to go through the maze, which made me think of corn mazes back home... it's been too long since I've done one of those, I think.

After getting back to the flats I ate dinner and then attempted to work on my paper while keeping updated on the ND football game score online. About a quarter through, the Irish were winning and I realized I just wasn't going to be productive that night and headed out for Sports Cafe, an American-style sports bar that plays the games.

I had gone to an Alumni Dinner on Thursday (the London Program sets up contacts with alumni who would like to take out students to dinner) and had a great time and met up with my alumni at Sports Cafe. It's really nice for the program to set this up, and I was very thankful for the alumni who had volunteered to do it. I was with a couple who were each '06 graduates, so it was nice to be with younger alumni.

It's just too bad we didn't win!

Day 44: Gaby's Restaurant

(This is for Friday)

Sadly, Friday was the last day of the Alternative Theatre unit for the Images of Britain Through the Arts class. Our professor took us afterward to Gaby's Restaurant, which is right near many West End theatres and is known for its falafels, friendly service, and the actors that come there. Our table was in front of a signed pictures of Matt Damon with Gaby himself. It's so amazing that this little cafe was about a five minute walk from the classroom building... quite the location for classes.

Day 43: Football

(This is for Thursday)

I took a walk around Regent's Park Thursday after work and saw a little boy around 5 years old with, presumably, his dad playing football (soccer). I entertained the fleeting thought of running up to them and seeing if I could play with them, of course knowing this would be ridiculous. I just really wanted to kick the ball around, though. As soon as the thought left my head, the boy accidentally kicked the ball my way. I passed it back to the dad and we exchanged a smile and a nod before he thanked me. Funny thing is, I think I enjoyed that more than he did.

Day 42: The Old Queen's Head

From Bruce Molsky - 10/7

Here's Bruce Molsky at the Old Queen's Head from last night. Didn't get many shots because of the intimacy of the venue.


Oh, and yesterday my economics class went to Lloyd's (insurance)... very cool. Guys weren't allowed in unless they were wearing jackets, so I ended up going with my power suit since it's too tough to try to find the equivalent in women's dress. I wish I had brought my camera, though, since our guide brought us up on the glass elevator with a view of the city. Also, the architecture was quite interesting... will have to look into that more.


Anyway, today my alternative theatre class went back to the Arcola Theatre and saw a play about Israeli-Palestinian relations. I thought it was quite well done, and it was nice that it seemed to mainly want to bring to light the issues people are facing there instead of attempting to make a political statement. In other words, it didn't "take a side" but rather explored personal relations and how people are dealing with what has gone on.


Tomorrow after my internship I'm heading to an alumni dinner; the London Program has set up a bunch of dinners with alumni throughout the semester, and you can email to enter your name in the lottery. I'm heading with one other student to dinner in the Borough Market area with an '06 couple. Should be fun!


Thanks so much, everyone, for bearing with my (sometimes not too interesting) daily posts and comments and everything else! Miss you all at home!

Day 41: High lonesome sound

Wow, what a treat... saw Bruce Molsky live tonight at The Old Queen's Head, a pub in Islington (fairly close to the flats). Absolutely amazing.

I saw him open for Nickel Creek around last Christmas at the State Theatre in Minneapolis with my parents, and I became an instant fan. His talent is amazing, and his passion for bluegrass is evident.

There was an 'open mic' before the show, which was on the 1st floor (well, the 1st floor is the ground floor here in the UK... so this was the American 2nd floor) of a nice little pub. There was a list of who was going to perform, and each person/group did one song each, with only two exceptions I can think of. It varied from a woman who very recently picked up guitar to two guys on guitar and fiddle to solo singers to a guy with a ___box. Can't quite remember the name, but it's somewhat similar to an accordion, but looks like a little suitcase or backgammon box.

Though Bruce isn't one to smile through a whole set, he definitely got into the music and cracked a few smiles now and then. Don't let the face fool you though; he was definitely enjoying himself at this small venue. In fact, this is the first time this venue has had someone back for another show. They have an unwritten rule to not have the same performer more than once.

Bruce also had (along with his guitar, fiddle, and banjo) a hardingfele (pictured above) with him, which is like a violin but with nine strings. Four of the strings are strung and the rest kind of just ring along with them. I think Wikipedia puts this more eloquently (and probably accurately) than I do. Anyway, he had it with him since he'd just headed here (for his only London show!) from a tour with some other people; he usually wouldn't have this instrument with him for solo shows. It was absolutely gorgeous though. He described this Norwegian instrument quite well when he said that the first time he heard it, he thought he was hearing a violin in the snow.

I could keep rambling about this amazing show... the venue was so intimate and perfect (except that I had to stand the whole time), and Bruce was just incredible and was very much feeding off the energy of the audience, which must have had an average age of around 38.

I'll hopefully have some pictures up tomorrow, though I only got a few shots and am not really sure of how they turned out.

Day 40: Excel

Currently studying for a quiz in Christianity & Islam for tomorrow...

However, just wanted to say that as much as I hate Microsoft Excel, I also love figuring out how to make things work in it.

I inputted the feedback forms from the conference at work today and created a summary report for it with some stats. Nothing too difficult, especially compared to accounting things from this summer, but still enough for a small challenge. Dorky, I know, but hey, can't complain about actually liking this kind of thing (to an extent).

Day 39: Lazy Sundays

(This is for Sunday)

Sunday was pretty much a homework and housekeeping day. The weather is so unpredictable here; I thought Minneapolis was bad with its extremes, but at least the weather forecasts tend to be somewhat accurate.

Day 38: Borough Market

(This is for Saturday)

From Borough Market - 10/05

Went to Borough Market on the South Bank. It's just a gigantic farmer's market with all kinds of food imaginable in a very cool space. I'm quite sure we didn't make it through the entire thing, but we did find a great Mediterranean food stand to get lunch. Amazing.

Day 37: Friday again?

Wow, has it really been over five weeks since I first stepped foot in London? And is it really Friday again?

The weeks go by so quickly here, but the days do not, which is good in a way. I can't believe it's been well over a month already, though.

I might end up in Windsor tomorrow, but it's been a long week and I may end up just catching up on sleep. The conference was a great success again today, and I had a great time. This weekend should be pretty relaxing, involving a lot of sitting around outside and catching up on debates (and perhaps going to Windsor).

Day 36: Conference

First day of the BBDO Hub Conference today... was great! Great speakers, interesting presentations, and everything seemed to run quite smoothly. It's so exciting to be able to take even a small part in putting on this conference.

Also, it's a global conference, so it's so interesting meeting people from different places. For example, one person I talked to today is from Montreal but just moved out to Qatar for a new job.

Can't complain about the food, either... the dessert tonight was creme brulee with passion fruit and shortbread. Amazing.

I'm quite exhausted though... will have more news after tomorrow!

P.S. Just added a picture (from my phone, excuse the quality) from outside the office. I just love looking out at London.

Day 35: Antibiotics!

Got antibiotics today, so hopefully will fully recover soon...

Also got my schedule for the BBDO Hub Conference tomorrow and Friday. I'm very excited but will be exhausted afterward and am planning on a relaxing weekend here in London. Hopefully I'll get the camera out again around here, too.