Sherlock's Baker Street, Pinkberry, and the Train Incident

Hello! You found the compass!


     I know this post comes at an unusual time compared to the others. This vacation-er, holiday has messed with my writing schedule. But fear not! I had myself a little adventure into London yesterday which I can report on. My parents are coming to visit today and I am sure when they leave I will have plenty of pictures from all of the touristy things we will do. For now: The London visit.

    I went into London not knowing quite what I wanted to do, with one exception: at some point, I was going to Pinkberry. With that being my only plan, I ended up walking along the South Bank and enjoying the views before heading over to Baker Street. I decided that I wanted to find the 221B used in the Sherlock series and had stared at maps long enough to know how to get there from the Baker Street tube station. So off I went.

He greets people outside of the station.

     The walk from the tube station to North Gower street is about 25 minutes. There were several times when I questioned if I was going the right way or if I had missed my landmark somehow. You can imagine the relief (and goosebumps) I felt when I finally saw this sign:

     I turned the corner hoping, but not expecting, to see a film crew. Indeed, they were not around. However, just walking down the same street they walked on was enough to make me giddy. The cafe, Speedy's, was open, and I decided to have a bite to eat before moving on to my next destination. I ended up getting a chicken special; it was very good and inexpensive! The walls have pictures of the cast and crew of Sherlock on the set as well as caricatures of the characters. It's a very cute place. I need no convincing to go back there.

Ever wondered what the blue plaque was? In London, the plaques mark locations of historic significance. 221B played host to an Italian Patriot from 1805-1872, apparently.

     Outside, I encountered some girls who were also clearly Sherlock fans by the way they smiled when they touched the door at the 221B. We took pictures and parted ways.

Attempting to contain how happy I am. And oh yes, of course I touched the door.

     I moved on from my Sherlock adventure, giddy over the fact that I was able to walk where my beloved characters had walked. London is, of course, an excellent place for people to do that. There are many opportunities to walk in the shoes of famous fictional characters. I love it!

     Oh, and by the way: As many of you Sherlock fans know, the third season is currently filming. This is the season we've been waiting for desperately. I suppose the fans can take comfort in knowing that somewhere, right now, as I type this, Sherlock and John have been reunited. We just have to wait until the end of the year to find out how...

No matter what, I'm going to cry. A lot. Might need a drink. Goodness knows that I can't watch Reichenbach Fall without going through a bunch of tissues and an episode of mild depression...*sniffle*

      But did you hear the exciting news?! Benedict Cumberbatch himself has confirmed that he and Martin Freeman have already signed on for a FOURTH season of Sherlock! HALLELUJAH! THE ADVENTURES WILL CONTINUE! Dance with me, readers!

I never thought that .gifs of dancing celebrities would come in handy. Thank you, internet.

      Moving on: My next stop was Pinkberry. In the states, the closest Pinkberry to me is an hour and a half away. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it: Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt place. Each store sells six flavors. The tart original flavor is always sold, but the other 5 flavors tend to change. There is usually something new to try every few months. Guests can also add a variety of toppings to their yogurts and get multiple flavors together! When I got there, the new flavor was strawberry. It is absolutely fantastic! (Pinkberry has yet to let me down.) I got myself a medium strawberry and original topped with strawberries, blueberries, and granola. Oh, how I'd missed that place. If you get the opportunity to go to one, absolutely do!

     After that, I made my way to the tube station. I got slightly turned around and ended up in a park with a statue of Dwight Eisenhower, but managed to find the station shortly after. I went back to Kingston, rested for awhile, and then went to Surbiton Station to make my way to Rayne's Park. I was meeting Amy at a pub where her flatmate works. On the train, the strangest thing happened to me. I was alone in my section of the car until one stop where a bunch of rowdy girls in various costumes (Minnie Mouse, Pocahontas, generic superhero, etc.) with rugby jerseys came on the bus. They sat all around me and were most interesting company. One of them had a plastic cup full of beer and was drinking away while another girl, who I assumed was the team captain, had a half-empty bottle of gin in her hand. The reason I thought she was captain was because at one point she began a sort-of speech. It went something like this:

Captain: "It is tradition of the *didn't understand this word* rugby team-"

Girls: "OOOOOH!"

Captain: "-To drink an appropriate amount of Juniper Juice to the tune of-"

All (to the tune of that Tequila! song): "Da-da, dadadada-da-da! Da-da, dadada-da-da!"

And they then proceed to pass around the bottle of gin and take swigs. They would continue talking and then this exchange happened:

Captain: "MANNERS!"

Girls Who Drank: "Thank you."

Captain: "I shouldn't have to remind you! We're doing it again!"

    She started her speech again, they sung, and they took swigs from the bottle. Again there was a pause, and the whole thing happened a third time because the drinkers once again had to be reminded to say "thank you".

     I heard the word "Freshers" being tossed around and the most drunk girls were being congratulated by the more sober ones. Ergo, I believed it was an induction. My suspicions were confirmed when I overheard one of the older girls explaining that part of the induction was to do something embarrassing in public. The Minnie Mouse girl was apparently a Fresher (she was pretty drunk) and had agreed to do her embarrassing thing. On the trains near the doors, there is an open space with a pole in the middle (you can see where this is going). Minnie Mouse proceeded to pole dance in the middle of the train while being cheered on by her teammates. I wanted so badly to ask for a team picture, but my nerves got the better of me. I wish I had. Next time I won't let such a valuable picture get away from me! (I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen? They say "no" and I never see them again. Big deal.) Well, at least I can share a story about the strangest train ride that I have ever been on. 

Isn't there a saying about people getting crazier during full moons?

     That about wraps it up. I'll have more to report as the holiday continues. Until next time...Cheers!

    

Eaten By The Red Dragon, Chipotle, Saint Patrick's Day

Hello! You found the compass!


     This will be a short post, as nothing too exciting has happened over the weekend. The first (and only) "event" of sorts was heading over to The Coronation Hall with Amy and Becca to get food and drinks and watch England fight Wales for the rugby championship. I got a burger and chips. The burger was odd; it didn't really taste like beef and didn't look like it either, so I may or may not have eaten horse. (Granted, it was cheap pub food and might have just been a not-so-great burger. I've had no problems with their other food.) The chips (fries) always come with a sweet, salsa-like side for dipping. That salsa, or whatever it is, is marvelous. If it can be purchased in a grocery store, I'm getting some. It goes well on everything, especially the chips and onion rings. Oh, and speaking of the chips/fries thing: The term "fries" is still used over here. "Chips" are thicker french fries (in the states they'd be called "steak fries"; think Red Robin's fries) and "fries" are the thin ones, like you'd get at McDonald's. So, when ordering fries at McDonald's, you would say "fries" instead of "chips". Learn something new everyday!

      The rugby championship was a flop for England. The Red Dragon beat Saint George 30-3. Needless to say, just about everyone in the pub was disappointed. There were three people who supported Wales and they would cheer every time Wales scored. When they did, everyone else in the pub would slowly turn and give them a "look". It was amusing.

     After the game was over, me, Becca, and Amy found ourselves craving Mexican food. Our cheap friend Taco Bell doesn't have a home in the area, so we went hunting for Chipotle. Becca looked up locations on her phone and found one in Wimbledon. That is how at 8:00 on a rainy evening, the three of us took a train to Wimbledon and ran around without hoods, hats, or umbrellas looking desperately for a Chipotle. By the time we found it we had haggard hair and wet shoes, but it was 100% worth the effort. The food tasted fantastic and the staff were easily the nicest group of food service staff I've ever met. They struck up conversation with us as we were leaving and asked about our accents. We all talked about the states (what with Chipotle being a U.S. chain) and how we were thrilled to find their store because it tasted like home. They all went "aawww" and looked flattered that they had made us so happy. Because of our exchange with the staff, the three of us each walked away with a "buy one get one free gift card" and a "one free anything" gift card. The staff told us to bring our friends and help them get popular. So here's my part: If you're in the area, go to the Chipotle at 40 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon. It is right near the train station, so there's no excuse for skipping it!

     Saint Patrick's Day was a rainy one. I spent mine indoors, for the most part. I ran out to the grocery store when the rain briefly let up, but it was coming down again by the time I got off the bus. Such is English weather. The rest of my day was spent doing homework, recipe hunting (a favorite past time), and reading The Sign of Four.

     As I said, this was a short post! My parting words of love are a Saint Patrick's Day song for you:

A Weekend in the Land of the Red Dragon

Hello! You found the compass!


     Sorry about not writing for a week! Last weekend was largely uneventful. I went out to a yummy Sunday Roast with some friends at the Bishop Out Of Residence pub.

The roast!

View from our booth.

      I was also pooped on by a bird. Thrilling. Other than that, there was not a whole lot to report. I did find out where the people of Rohan in Middle Earth do their shopping: right in Kingston.

Who knew?

     Now let's move on to the eventful weekend of March 9-10. This past weekend I went to Wales, the Land of the Red Dragon (so nicknamed because of the red dragon on the flag). I had booked the trip a few weeks ago through the Proscenium tour company. Saturday started early. I got to Kingston University where a coach bus picked up all of the Kingston students who had signed up. The first thing I noticed, as geeky as it sounds, was that the pattern on the coach bus carpet looked strangely like the XBox power symbol.

Huh.

     We stopped at two more universities to collect students before heading over to Wales! The journey was only about two and a half hours long, most of which I slept through. I did wake up once we began crossing a three-mile long bridge that brought us from England over to Wales. Normally I am not a fan of driving over bridges but this one was very wide and not too tall, which made me feel more secure. As we crossed the border, all of the signs were in both English and Welsh. The first sign we saw was the "Welcome to Wales" sign. In Welsh, it read "Croeso i Gymru". The Welsh language is fun to listen to and look at, but trying to pronounce it is quite a struggle! Luckily for us, English is commonly used in Wales as, according to our tour guide, only about 20% of the population claim to speak Welsh. Here is some Welsh for you to admire:

     One thing visitors will definitely notice about Wales is the number of sheep wandering around. Wales is home to three million people and ten million sheep. (Our guide explained that because of those numbers, the English have many dirty jokes involving the Welsh and sheep. Unfortunately, she didn't tell us any. Use your imagination.) Another interesting fact about Wales has to do with the English monarchy. Right now, Prince Charles (son of the Queen) is the Prince of Wales. The oldest son of the ruler is always given the title Prince of Wales. So, should Charles get the throne once the Queen passes away, Prince William will become Prince of Wales. This tradition started when Edward I tricked the Welsh. The Welsh were sick of being ruled by someone who was not one of their own, so Edward I promised them a prince born in Wales who didn't speak English. The Welsh accepted his rule readily with those terms. However, what Edward I did was bring his pregnant wife over to Wales where she gave birth to a son. So there was the prince: born in Wales, and doesn't speak English (yet). Needless to say, more than a few people were bitter from that...

     Our first stop was in the town of Caerleon, which was built over the remains of the Roman fortress that was built in A.D. 43. Caerleon is allegedly the place where King Arthur was crowned and his Knights of the Round Table were formed and buried. There is even a story about a Welshman who was walking through the woods around Caerleon when he dropped something into a hole. He went into the hole after it and noticed that it was much bigger than he thought and was more like a passageway. He crept forward a ways and saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He decided to follow the passage until he got to the light. He found a big room that had a table in the middle, and on the table was a horn. Lining the room were lifelike statues of King Arthur and his knights, all with their eyes closed. The man timidly blew on the horn but quickly stopped and dropped it, for as he blew on the horn the eyes of the statues began to open. Terrified, the man ran out of the passage and into the village to tell everyone what happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the hole again despite searching for the rest of his life. It is believed that someone will find it again and King Arthur will come to the aid of the Welsh when they truly need him.

     While in Caerleon, we got to see the remains of a Roman amphitheater, barracks, and toilets. The amphitheater is the only fully-excavated Roman amphitheater in Britain! It was built in A.D. 90 and would have been used by soldiers for weapons training, drills, and parades. Of course, it would also be used for more brutal spectacles like animals fighting humans (or other animals), as those were common Roman amusements. Much to my surprise (and happiness) we were allowed to walk around inside of the amphitheater! It is covered in grass now, but in the Roman days the inside would have been covered with sand.

The outer wall of the old Roman fortress.

The area where performers or animals would wait. The niche in the wall was possibly a shrine to Nemesis, the goddess of fate and divine vengeance. 

There was a random pit outside of the amphitheater that had no explanation. Amy and I named it Pit of Death.

      After leaving the amphitheater, we headed down a narrow bike path and passed a vicious rugby match on our way to the Roman barracks.

Ta-da!

     So there you have the Roman barracks. (I'll be referring to the first picture for the following explanation.) As you can see, the barracks is divided into various "dorms" that each have two rooms. The smaller rooms (further from the camera/on the right) were the entrance rooms. They would be used as kitchens and the soldiers could store equipment in them. The bigger rooms (closer to the camera/on the left) were the bedrooms. For one person, such a small living space would be okay. The soldiers, however, lived eight to a dorm. Yep, eight burly Roman soldiers had to share that tiny kitchen and bedroom. Get cozy, guys!

     Our next quick stop was to the Roman toilets. I am standing near them in the last picture I took of the barracks, so that gives you an idea of where they were. There isn't much left of the Roman toilets now. There is a channel that would have had water running through it to carry away waste. Back in the day, there would have been wooden seats with holes in them for people to sit on and do their business. Stalls didn't exist; the men would sit beside each other completely exposed and have a chat. Also, the Romans did not use toilet paper. Instead, they had sticks with sponges on the end that were kept in buckets of vinegar. Once a person was done using the toilet, they'd grab a sponge and clean their nether regions before putting it back in the vinegar bucket for the next person to use. Gross? Yeah. Better than using hands? Definitely. Why didn't they just use leaves like Boy Scouts? No idea.

Difficult to go without a seat...

      After our trip to the toilets, we continued to Caerphilly for lunch! Our tour guide informed us that Caerphilly was famous for its cheese, which made me immediately wonder if they had good Caerphilly Cheese Steaks. I mentally hit myself for making such a lame pun. The tour guide advised us to try some traditional Welsh food like Welsh Rarebit while in Caerphilly. Welsh Rarebit is basically cheese on bread and the proper cheese to make it with is Caerphilly cheese. To make it, Caerphilly cheese is melted with beer and mustard and then spread over a slice of bread before going into the oven. The result is gooey deliciousness that I am craving now just thinking about it. 

     Mmm. As I walked around eating Welsh Rarebit with Amy, we discovered an American food store! Uncle Sam was even waiting in the window for us to go and visit!

He's taller than I'd pictured.

     The store had all sorts of American drinks, candies, and groceries. I didn't even know some of them existed! (Since when does Reese's sell peanut butter by the jar? And when did Skittles Riddles come out?) We explored in the store for awhile and found Aunt Jemima's pancake mix. It wasn't Bisquick, which we were hoping to find, but it could still make some good 'ole American pancakes. (Again, I have nothing against British pancakes. The two foods are so different that they shouldn't even go by the same name. When craving one, the other is no substitute.) After buying our pancake mix and finishing lunch, we met the rest of the group at Caerphilly Castle. The castle certainly stands out; it is a large ruin surrounded by a moat right beside the modern town! It covers over 30 acres and is the largest castle in Wales. It used the most advanced defensive technology of its day, such as walls-within-walls, multiple drawbridges and double doors, and murder holes.

     

     The castle didn't come without its share of gruesome stories. One involved a man named Hugh Despenser, who was executed in a fairly brutal fashion. I couldn't hear the tour guide's explanation for how Hugh Despenser was connected with Caerphilly Castle, but I could hear the description of his execution. First he was dragged behind horses through town to where he would be executed. Then he was stripped naked and had Bible verses carved into his skin. He was hanged from the gallows for a little while but was cut down before he died. After that, in full view of the public, his genitals were cut off and his entrails slowly pulled out. Finally he was beheaded.

    Caerphilly Castle is also rumored to be haunted by a woman known as The Green Lady. Her real name was Alice. She was the wife of Red Gilbert, and she did not get along too well with her husband; she disliked his loud, warring nature. One day, a handsome prince visited the castle. Alice fell for the handsome young man, and the two became lovers. The young man made the mistake of confiding this in a monk, who then told Red Gilbert about it. Gilbert sent away his wife and had the lover killed (though the monk was killed by the prince first, so things didn't work out so well for him either). Once the prince was dead, Gilbert gleefully told his wife the news. She supposedly dropped dead on the spot and now haunts Caerphilly Castle.

     Much to my surprise, visitors to Caerphilly Castle are allowed to go just about anywhere on the ruins. There are whole rooms still intact. I even walked up several sets of narrow stairs that brought me to the top of the castle wall and offered gorgeous views of Caerphilly. Running through the ruins and exploring every secret passage was like being on a playground. I loved every minute of it and would go back in a heartbeat. It would be an awesome place to play manhunt or hide-and-seek, and apparently they have a big Easter Egg Hunt there! Sounds fun! Now, here come lots of pictures...

Note the not-at-all-precarious tower on the right...

Secret door?!

Nice view of Caerphilly and the hills from the main drawbridge.

Trebuchets.

Strolling along an outer wall beside the moat.

Got some posing in.

Don't fall!

     I have to say, the trip to Caerphilly Castle is probably the most fun thing I've done so far. I absolutely loved running around there. I'll miss that place! 

     Our last stop of the day before heading to our hotel in Swansea was Saint Fagan's National History Museum in Cardiff. What's cool about this museum is that it's really a town! It's an open-air museum that moved and rebuilt over 40 original historic buildings. It is a beautiful reproduction of how the people of Wales lived, worked, played, and worshiped. Saint Fagans is also a working farm! The only animals I saw were sheep (of course) grazing in a large field with cute lambs running around. In the open-air part of the museum, there is a general store that sells candies, breads, jams, and other goodies. Amy and I bought a pack of Welsh Cakes to try. Welsh Cakes are another famous Welsh food. They are essentially little pancakes with sultanas in them. They're quite tasty! 

Behold: The Welsh Cake!

      Also at Saint Fagans is an old time photo studio where guests can dress in period clothing and get pictures taken. Another fun fact for Doctor Who fans: the Time Lord has visited Saint Fagans! The episodes "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood" were filmed at the museum. (The only reason I know that is because it was in the pamphlet; I haven't seen much of Doctor Who, so I can't answer any questions about the filming!)

Those two little lambs were running around together. They were so cute!

 

      Saint Fagans is definitely a place worth visiting if you're ever in Cardiff! 

     After a busy day, we arrived in Swansea at our hotel. We could go wherever we wanted for the rest of the night. Despite being tempted to go out and explore the city, I was completely exhausted. Turns out that Amy was very tired as well, so we opted to eat dinner at the restaurant in the hotel and go to sleep. It was strange being in a restaurant where we actually got seated and didn't get up to order food! I'd become so accustomed to pubs that I'd forgotten what a restaurant was like!

     In the morning I stuffed myself with a delicious English breakfast before getting on the bus. Our first adventure of the day took us to the Big Pit National Coal Museum. Wales' major export used to be coal, but many of the mines have since closed down. This particular mine, Big Pit, has been closed for 30 years. Visitors can don a miner's helmet with the light on it and buckle a heavy belt with a battery pack and breathing apparatus before descending 300 feet underground to get a tour of the mine guided by a miner who worked there. 

Ready to rock.

     For those of you who don't mind being 300 feet underground for 50 minutes, go on this tour! Our guide was named David ("like Saint David, but I'm not a saint") and he was a very funny, engaging man. He took us through the mines and told us all about his experiences there as well as the history of the mine. Due to the chance of a spark igniting lingering methane, anything with a battery (with the exception of the lights on our heads) is not allowed in the mine. So, no pictures. Just stories! David told us about how men, women, and children would all work in the mine. Most people started working at the age of six. At one point, David had us all turn off our lights. Being 300 feet underground, nothing could be seen without light. No matter how long my eyes adjusted, there was nothing to be seen. David explained that if a child's parents couldn't afford to buy them a candle for work, they had to work in the dark like that. Their job could be simply opening a door for other workers and closing it behind them, but they had to remain in total darkness for hours a day. The mine also employed Welsh ponies to haul carts of coal back and forth. They would usually get the ponies when they were adults, around age 4. Once the ponies were lowered into the mines, they were kept in stables down there because it was easier to do that than take them out the lift every day. Unfortunately, that meant by age 10 most of the ponies were blind from living in darkness. Many didn't even make it to age ten; they worked hard for 12 hours a day and many would die from exhaustion or black lung, which the workers also risked getting. If there were any explosions, that would kill the horses as well. The biggest risk from the explosions wasn't the flames, but the carbon monoxide that was left over. The humans had breathing devices, but the horses didn't. To help combat methane, the stalls were regularly cleaned and their manure was removed every day. Removing horse manure was David's first job at the mines.

     Once a law was passed that said ponies should be given holidays when the workers were, they were brought to the surface for things like Easter weekend. Due to being in darkness for so long, the ponies were blindfolded until they were out in the fields. Once there, the blindfolds came off and the ponies would bolt, often being uncontrollable for up to four hours. I imagine it was due to sheer joy of being able to run around and act like a horse again. Of course, catching them again at the end of the holiday was incredibly difficult. Horses are not dumb animals; the ponies knew exactly where they were going and didn't want to go back.

     While we were on our way out of the mine, David asked if any of us believed in ghosts. He admitted he had never seen one, but that there were certain places in the mine he wouldn't go alone and other places that he felt uncomfortable in. After all, over 200 people had died in the mine. If ghosts exist, I'd have to believe at least one or two spirits would be in that mine. David isn't scared by the idea at all. Like he said: "It's not the spirits to be scared of, it's the living. Spirits won't harm you." A man working the lift was doing a crossword puzzle and asked us to help him with a clue. Unfortunately, not even a group of college kids could thing of the answer. For those interested: Six letters, model solar system. Go for it.

     On our way back up to the surface, we turned off our lights to let our eyes steadily adjust. We saw more of the shaft than we did on the way down because we had grown accustomed to the darkness. The lift slowly pulled us closer to the surface, making a few loud rattling noises. "Want to know the other reason I had you turn the lights off?" David asked our group of seventeen. "Because if this cable snaps, you won't be seein' the fear on my bloody face. You'll smell it though." With that, we had a laugh and arrived at the surface again. After browsing the gift shop, it was time to get back on the bus and head to our next destination for lunch: Monmouth.

     I knew that the name Monmouth sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it. I discovered my answer shortly after arriving: Monmouth is the birthplace of Henry V. There is a statue dedicated to him, as well as a square named after his most famous battle: Agincourt. Visitors can also walk around in what little remains of the castle he was born in.

     Everywhere I've been in England there are carts and shops that sell pasties. The most famous of these are the Cornwall pasties. I decided to buy a traditional Cornwall pasty for my lunch in Monmouth. It was delicious! (I feel like I use the word "delicious" often in describing British food, but it's never an exaggeration. Take that, stereotype.) It was a soft, flaky pastry filled with steak and potatoes. The wind was bitter and made the day frigid, so it was the perfect lunch to warm my belly. Yum!

     Our final stop on our journey through Wales was Tintern Abbey. Located in the town of Tintern, the abbey is a complete ruin now. Originally it was a strict Cistercian foundation. The Cistercians followed the Rules of Saint Benedict. In a nutshell, the monks wore only very plain clothes, practiced chastity, stayed in silence unless they were in the parlor, ate one very small vegetarian meal per day, and owned nothing, among many other rules. The abbey itself was designed to be plain as well; there were large windows, but they were not stained glass. There were also no ornaments of any kind in the church. The end of the abbey came during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under the reign of Henry VIII. The king took all of the church's wealth for himself and stripped the actual church of anything valuable. Tintern Abbey had a lead roof that was taken down and sold, which is why the ruins are roofless. The abbey has since had many visitors and inspired artists and poets, including Allen Ginsberg. According to our tour guide, "Ginsberg visited the abbey, dropped acid, and wrote a poem called Wales Visitation. So if you'd like to know what Tintern Abbey is like on acid, read that." So there you have it! (Photographs of the abbey are courtesy of Amy. My camera had run out of power.)

     And so ended the weekend in Wales. I will not forget how hospitable and beautiful the Land of the Red Dragon was. I even bought a quality Welsh flag during my travels, and it will be proudly framed and hung in my future bar in the future man cave of my future house. (Got this all planned.) Really though, I would very much like to go back there.Thank you for a wonderful weekend, Wales! Readers: thanks for reading.

    Cheers!