Cheshire Oaks and Chester

Sometime last week I decided enough was enough. I have been in England for over two weeks and had not gone out shopping. At. All. It was a major dry spell (and one that I am not too proud of), but I am happy to report that all that changed yesterday.

The International Society was offering a day trip to Cheshire Oaks Outlet Mall, and of course my inner shopaholic could not let this opportunity pass by unnoticed. So I quickly signed up and arose earlier than I had all week to catch my ride to the land of discounted Burberry and Osprey London. Sigh...

On the bus ride I sat next to a nice girl from Malaysia who was also very excited about the prospect of shopping for an entire day. The bus ride to the mall was about an hour, and it was in a city near the border of North Wales. Here is a picture I snapped of some beautiful English countryside on the way...

When we got to the outlet mall it was filled with many shops they have in the U.S. like Calvin Klein, Gap, and Sketchers. I decided to skip those and focus solely on the stores I couldn't find readily back home in Missouri like Burberry, Radley London, Osprey London, Mulberry, and LK Bennett.

I'm sure any girls reading this are catching my theme. Yes, all of those designers are very well known for the handbags. :) Like I could come to the UK without getting a new bag - ha! I also got some cute cardigans from Marks & Spencer, which is one of my new favorite stores.

After a few hours I once again boarded the bus to go to the next destination of the day, which was the beautiful walled city of Chester. It is also known for its wonderful shopping district (which I thoroughly enjoyed), but the city itself is very rich with history. Here is a picture I took looking onto the High Street...

Chester was founded by the Romans in AD 79, who built the city as a fortress to protect this territory from Welsh tribes and pirates. There were a bunch of people walking around in Roman costumes, but I did find it rather odd that they were all congregated outside pubs and smoking cigarettes. Never quite how I imagined the Roman Empire...

The city is best known for the ancient walls that surround it. Most were built by the Romans, but some were added by the Victorians who loved to take high walks around the town. I think they said if you walked the wall around the city it was around two miles. I did not try this, because I was too fascinated with their boutiques! But here is a small portion of the wall people are walking on...

The streets in Chester were very crowded with shoppers, but I had an excellent time and managed to snag a cute pair of boots and a blazer (amongst many other things). All in all I had a wonderful day shopping! Today I am taking it easy and preparing myself for class tomorrow. Irish Literature... here I come!

Flat Hannah's Corner

Well, I couldn't exactly leave her behind while I went out shopping all day. That would just be cruel! Flat Hannah and I explored the shopping district in Chester, which is actually quite neat! All there shops are connected, and if you walk up the stairs on the side of a building there are many other neat places to see on a different level. Even the buildings are connected on the inside. It's an indoor and outdoor mall at the same time. Nifty! Here is Flat Hannah inside the shopping district in Chester...

Flat Hannah and I were totally weighed down with bags and definitely looking forward to the bus ride home. This is Flat Hannah waving goodbye to the town of Chester...

Flat Hannah and I have a very busy week ahead of us, but are always looking forward to our next adventures. Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Settling In

Hello again!

As many of you know I moved into my dorm last Thursday, and ever since then it has been one new experience after another! As soon as I checked into Saint Gabriel's Hall, my home for the next three months, I was met by many smiling faces. During my tour of the building I couldn't help but think, "This reminds me of a cruise ship!" All the doors look the same and it's like a crazy maze trying to figure out where to go. After getting lost quite a few times I am finally getting my sea legs around here! :) Here's a picture of the hall...

I have to be honest, I have started feeling the pangs of homesickness. I miss my family, friends, and the familiarity of home. It's starting to feel like less of a vacation and more like a reality now, but I'm keeping myself busy and socializing as much as possible! I have made many friends here at Gabs though, and it seems like there is always something to do.

My first full day here I decided to just walk around campus and get familiar with the area. Not many students had moved in yet, so the streets were fairly quiet. This is a church I pass by on my way to university every day...

I can't get over how beautiful the buildings are here. It's sad to say, but I still have not embarked on a proper shopping trip yet. My days have been filled with orientation, hall meetings, paperwork, and social events. But this shopping drought can't last too much longer! I have some free days coming up at the end of the week and I have a feeling I will spend an entire day at the mall. That should cure my homesickness for good!

I joined the International Society, which is really a group for all students, whether they are local or not. It promotes getting to know people in different cultures and experiencing new things together. They offer several day trips throughout the semester, and I have signed up for three of them! On October 22nd I will head off for the South Lake District visiting Bowness-onWindermere, Ambleside, and Grasmere (William Wordsworth country!). The next day, October 23rd, I will set out to explore the beautiful city of York, which I am very excited about. There I will visit the York Minster, do a bit of shopping, and maybe see the Hogwarts Express (calm yourself, Christine!). To top it off (and give a shout out to Pride & Prejudice) on November 13th I will be touring the Peak District and visit Chatsworth House, which is the historic Estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. We will also be stopping at Bakewell that day, and I've heard they have some excellent baked delicacies to try there! Yum!

Of course I am also planning on going back to London, which will probably happen in October. Then Bath in November (the city that is, I bathe regularly fyi) :) Of course my biggest adventure yet will be starting school on Monday, which I am nervous and excited about at the same time. I will be sure to keep you posted on how that all goes, and all the other adventures along the way!

Flat Hannah's Corner

Flat Hannah and I have had some adventures over the past week. She was with me while I toured the campus, and we did manage to get turned around quite a few times together. However we did eventually find the building I would be studying at, the Samuel Alexander Building (named after a prominent British philosopher), and Flat Hannah was very excited to see where our learning would be taking place...

Flat Hannah and I also visited the Manchester Museum this week. We saw mummies, snakes, and all kinds of ancient artifacts. Here is Flat Hannah next to a Female Funerary Bust from the 2nd Century...

Apparently people made very elaborate sculptures and tokens to bury with the deceased in ancient times.  Let it be known that Flat Hannah is not at university to have fun and shop only. She is also here to learn!

Well... and shop, too. :)

Cheers!

From the South to the North

Greetings from Manchester, England!

As many of you know I have finally arrived for my semester abroad in England, but I have been fairly absent from the online community for the past few days. After leaving the U.S. I arrived in London for a four day Bridging Cultures Program with my fellow Eurolearn students. It was a time of adjustment and overwhelming change (not to mention irritating wi-fi problems!), but it was such an amazing experience that I will never forget!

After group meetings in the morning we set out to walk the streets of London on a Harry Potter walking tour. I'm not much of a Harry Potter fan, but a walking tour is probably the best way to truly see a city, especially London. I loved Leadenhall Market, but unfortunately it was closed on Sundays. It was terrible to pass by shops and know I couldn't go into them, but some how I survived. Here is a picture I took in one of the walkways...

After the tour we walked over London Bridge and headed to the Mayor's Thames Festival which is held every year. Festivals (or fairs) are very common ways to celebrate overseas and this one offered many kinds of music, dancing, food, and crafts from artists all over the UK. After being completely famished I got a Chicken Satay Kebab (no that is NOT a typo) from a cute dirty-blonde English guy who called me 'love'. But the best part of the night was when my friend Grace and I were walking back to the hotel. On our way to see St. Paul's Cathedral we passed by a building and the name sounded so familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. It was a rather large and beautiful building called Thames House. As soon as I got back to the hotel of course I did what any twenty-first century girl does.... I googled it. It's the headquarters for MI-5! I waltzed by the British version of the CIA without a second glance or even a picture! Go figure.

The next day I sampled some exquisite Lebanese food, and then headed off to survey my future home: Buckingham Palace. I have to say, the State Rooms are quite opulent and a bit over done, but I'm sure Harry won't mind changing a few things for me. :) It was as expensive and ornate as I imagined, and the gardens were like a fairytale land complete with Spanish moss and a little pond. Here is a look at the side entrance...

After dinner we went to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theater. I had heard it was very good, and it definitely did not disappoint. That wrapped up my time in London, because the next morning I was set to leave for the north! I was joined on my very first train ride by two fellow Manchester students, and lived the life of luxury by sitting in first class. :) The train ride brought my jet lag back in a major way, but I forced myself to stay awake and view the beautiful English countryside. It's funny, because in some ways it reminds me of Missouri. Just, you know, take out the cows, add sheep, and - voila! This is a picture I took when we were almost to Stoke-on-Trent...

At last... I finally arrived in Manchester yesterday! It seems as though I have been talking about this forever, and now it's finally here. It has been exceptionally windy here lately (winds equivalent to 75-80 mph) so for fear of my map flying off into the Irish Sea, I opted to stay inside and go to bed early to catch up on some much needed rest. Twelve hours later... I was awake! :)

I spent some time walking around Manchester today and doing a bit of shopping (though, unfortunately, not very exciting purchases). Manchester is an old industrial city that has been through quite a bit in the last century. New buildings are scattered around old red brick buildings that - some time ago - were the factories and mills that were the heart of the city. The hotel I am currently staying in is actually a converted warehouse itself...

This has turned more into a novel than a blog, so I will bid you goodnight (or afternoon - wherever you are!). Tomorrow I head off to University and meet my flat mates, which I am very excited about! I promise I will blog more frequently, and keep you all up-to-date.