Believe it or not, two swift weeks have past since my amazing trip to Disneyland. Returning to the real world has had its benefits, but it has been quite routine. The holiday ended; Trinity Term has begun. Fret not, however. It is about to become quite crazy quite soon here.
Routine would certainly not be an appropriate word to describe the weather. After six months of relatively clear weather, English drabness has kicked in with a vengeance. While my friends in the Mid-Atlantic are enjoying sunny skies and beautiful weather, I have yet to put away my winter coat. The daily highs are typically around 10 degrees (50 F), meaning that the slightest breeze sends one clamoring for a jumper. Worst of all, the precipitation has been even more schizophrenic than during the fall. Without hyperbole, there was one day this week with five distinct periods of rain, each broken by a period of sunshine. Crystal clear skies morph into torrential downpours within minutes, requiring one to pack many layers of wind and waterproof clothing even if the skies appear idyllic.
Adding insult to injury, I have a basil plant in my room. It looked like it needed additional sunshine and rain, so I set it outside on my window sill. That night, the wind toppled my basil to its near-doom, causing it to fall one story onto the treacherous concrete below. I salvaged its battered pieces and am now trying to restore its health. From now on, it will be an indoor-plant.
Mercifully, not all is Earl Grey and gloomy in England: the past two weeks have seen significant advancement on both research and dance fronts. In the former area, I have been able to produce some really interesting results, showing the lateral force patterns a human causes when he walks. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Bristol with my supervisors to meet some other researchers in the field. It will be exciting to share our various techniques, discuss the state of knowledge, and agree on some topics for collaboration (or at least not to tread on each others' feet)! If all goes well, my first major milestone will be in July, when I will have my 'transfer of status' from 'Probationary Research Student' to DPhil candidate. "But Dan, I thought you already were a DPhil student?!" Sorry kids... not quite. I'm currently trapped in educational purgatory. With Virgil at my side, I am working toward judgement on admission to research Paradiso. Thankfully, with the proper application of works and faith, my journey should continue past July with no real hitch.
In the dance world, Jenna (on whose blog I was recently featured as food critic) and I have revamped all four of our routines, just in time for Varsity match try-outs. Our quickstep will be exciting as we literally run across the floor and then turn into a side-skipping bit, all while maintaining a jubilant expression (of exhaustion ;-) ). The waltz features a pair of fantastic sways (slow dips) and a music-box style spin-in-place move. Our new jive is quite fast, but hosts some fun 'chicken' walks and kicks, while our cha cha has been likened to the Phantom of the Opera. For the latter, I am having to channel my inner fierce/sultry gentleman (for lack of a better word?).. which, given my typical lighthearted personality, is a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, Jenna says I'm acting the part well, except when I break down in laughter. Good thing we still have a week to pull it together before trials! By the way, for anyone who is interested in seeing our varsity routines, I am bound and determined to get some video footage for all the dances to send to send home. Let me know if you are keen.
Side note: a shout out to Partner for her excellent baking skills! We routinely swap baked goods (recall that I do tend to cook/bake for Acland, the dance team, my lab, etc.) and I typically get the better end of the deal. As you can read in her 20 Apr blog (see link above), I was the recipient of some chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars. This week - while I could only churn out a boxed carrot cake and some uninspiring double chocolate chip cookies - she reciprocated by baking Earl Grey banana bread and red velvet brownie cheesecake bars from scratch. I fear the day when she figures out I'm getting the better end of the deal! ;-)
Indeed, food certainly has a way of bringing people together around here. A week ago Thursday, I spent an evening with a pair of lab partners and their respective dates (no, not the fruit... the people). Christelle, the French girl who hosted crepe night in February, played host once again while Chris (from New Zealand) and I brought all the ingredients for paella. Remember these names: you will likely hear much about them over the coming few years, as they started their DPhil's simultaneously with me. Anyway, we had a very merry evening making paella, having a delicious apple pie, and playing a card game called "Time's Up," which is sort of like Taboo, but with the names of famous figures. I must say, in the States, it would much easier than here, but when you're trying to make a French guy guess "Charles Barkley" or "Miley Cyrus," you can certainly be up the creek without a paddle! We certainly had an amazing time, and I cannot wait for the next opportunity to get together!
Speaking of time, it is time to grab my gown and go to Sunday formal. I shall return shortly.
***Pause for Station Identification***
Alright, I have returned! Sorry for the delay... not only did I go to Hall, but I also went to social dancing (sad that only three other beginners were there, but still a good time) and had tea with the Acland gang. I like spontaneous fun, so I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
Even though the literal storm has been two weeks in the making, the figurative, activity-based storm is just brewing. I have practiced dancing for seven consecutive days for the first time in my life (I'm sure Jenna will get a huge laugh over that), and the streak will continue at least through this week. Next Saturday is the infamous Keble Ball - a ten hour, 1600 guest (with 700 person waiting list), all night festival hosted on Keble grounds. There will be tons of food and entertainment, so it promises to be an incredible night.. more on that next time!
CULTURE CORNER
Words of the Day
jumper - n. An article of clothing worn in cold weather to keep one's upper body warm. Usually made of cotton, polyester, or wool (spec. 'woolly jumper'), often with a striped or argyle pattern. syn: sweater
paella - n. (pron: pie-ella) A Spanish dish made of fried rice, chorizo, chicken, shellfish, and diced vegetables. Very easy and tasty, I might add.
chorizo - n. (pron: cho-ritz-zo) A Spanish sausage known for it's chewy texture and spicy flavour. Great in paella.
veg - abbr. vegetables. For whatever reason, Brits say veg while Americans say veggies. ex. "For dinner tonight, we're having duck with mixed veg. It should be much better than the veg Hall served up last week!"
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
It's a Small World After All
Welcome to another episode of Dan Can Cook. I'd like to start off with a personal favorite: my recipe for Fun a la Friday:
Ingredients:
-1 close friend (or add to taste)
-1 direct train
-1 Disney hotel
-2 Disney parks (In this case, I used "Studios" and "Disneyland" but you can substitute Epcot or Animal Kingdom as necessary)
-1 special occasion (only fresh occasions will suffice; use only if in season, otherwise omit)
-1 camera (optional)
-2 vinylmation figurines for garnish
Prep time: 1 day
Cook time: 1 day
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Instructions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, loosely combine your friend and the direct train. Let rest for 2.5 hours. Jenna and I got a pretty early start from Oxford on Thursday morning, catching a train at 7:30 am. As is always the case when traveling in this country, you always need to take a preliminary form of transportation to get to your desired mode of transport. Bus to airplane... bus to Tube to train... train to walking... In this case it was train to Tube to Eurostar. Anyway, we caught the Eurostar at 10:30 from London St. Pancras, bound directly for Disneyland Paris (literally!).
2. Add just a pinch of the hotel to begin the melding of flavors. Arriving in Disneyland, we caught a five minute Disney bus to the Hotel Santa Fe to attempt to check in. The poor staff member behind the desk was in training and barely knew enough English. After we sufficiently confused him (and vice versa), he informed us that our rooms were not yet ready but we could leave our bags there and head to the parks.
3. On a floured surface, knead one of the parks sufficiently to knock out all the air. If necessary, use some drops, inversions, and corkscrews. (Reference: Julia Child, "Mastering the Art of French Speaking"). Garnish lightly and set aside. With the afternoon in front of us, we headed over to Disney Studios, the smaller of the two parks. Now, this theme park actually redefines the word small (perhaps I should have titled the blog 'It's a Small Park After All?') because in only 25 minutes, one can walk the park's perimeter. Thus, upon entering 'Studios,' we headed straight to its most central and most prominent landmark: Hollywood Tower of Terror. (Note: At the end of the recipe, I will compare the French rides with their Florida equivalents). Needless to say, it kicked off our park hopping with a bang!
From there, we queued at another great ride, the food cart, so I could grab some lunch. Due to several complicated requests by patrons and an absence of the ever-important hot drinks, nearly 25 minutes elapsed before we reached the window. While this gave me plenty of time to plan my order in French (une Brezel et une muffin), I failed to ascertain the correct pronunciation of Brezel (German =/= French). Results: massive embarrassment, a hearty laugh and the assistance of my French-speaking dance partner (Jenna, in French: "I'm sorry, he speaks German"), and a dearth of muffin. Oh yeah, the other hilarious moment? Realizing that 'salted' pretzels are not actually salted, but coated in sesame seeds. Oh well.
Anyway, this lead to a fantastic couple hours of fun. We rode Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster, the Studio Backlot Tour, Slinky Dog's Zigzag ride, and the RC Racer coaster. Unfortunately the queue for Crush's Coaster was too long for us, so we picked up a pair of vinylmations (see picture below) and walked around, taking pictures.
4. Using a hand mixer, whip the second park and the special occasion together on slow speed until barely mixed, or until the colors start to run. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill. As 19:00 came and went, 'Studios' closed, so we walked across the plaza to Disneyland. Yes, that's right. No monorail, nor bus, nor train needed - just a 5 minute walk, door to door. Passing through security, we were soon greeted with a giant "20" hanging over the entrance. As it turns out, Thursday was the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris, and there we were, serendipitously having dinner and aiming to watch the fireworks show in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle.
I know this will come as a big shock, but Main Street USA looked pretty much the same as it does in Florida. Similar turn-of-the-century architecture with the Mississippi/Louisiana (French) influence. We grabbed dinner in a cafeteria style place on Main Street and headed to 'City Hall' to try to procure birthday buttons. Sadly, our hopes were dashed because Disney Paris is not allowed to distribute buttons; the French government deems them a safety hazard (consequently... no comment on the guards with assault rifles outside the park). Instead, the gentleman gave us a pair of posters signed by all the characters - one in French and one in English!
With that, we popped into a store to buy some coloring supplies and then we staked out a spot in front of the castle to wait for the fireworks an hour later. I have to admit, I quite enjoyed coloring Pirate Mickey in the freezing cold in front of the castle. Jenna colored Snow White. Just goes to show what possibilities an Oxford education can lead to!
The show, entitled "Disney Dreams," was excellent and unique. It combined fireworks, video projection, lasers, and water spouts. The musical plot followed Shadow (from Peter Pan) as he first let all the magic out of the "second star on the right" and then had to go recollect it from various Disney stories. Going into the day, I had been curious to find out how Disney would appeal to a multilingual audience. In this case, half of the music was in French and the rest was in English; a very apt means of sharing linguistic differences. You haven't lived until you've seen Lumiere sing "Be Our Guest" in French.
5. Let rest overnight... but not eight hours. Preheat oven to 630. After the show, Jenna and I headed back across the plaza, past the train station, to Disney Village. We popped into Starbucks for a quick snack and drink while the crowds dispersed, then caught our bus back to Santa Fe (haha). Exhausted but excited for another day, we quickly turned in, setting our alarms for 6:30.
Naturally, the night was too short. We groggily awoke and headed to breakfast, where we were met by a massively redundant stockpile of pain au chocolat, croissants, and... dinner rolls? There were literally cornucopias of jam and butter, vats of fruit cocktail, some cold deli-style ham, and miscellaneous hot drinks. Apparently we were on the early end of breakfast, because an army of anxious kids and less-anxious parents had assembled by the time we headed out to catch the bus to the parks.
6. Remove second park from refrigerator. Break into five distinct chunks and roll each out alternately. Do not allow to come to room temperature. We arrived at the park by 8:00 to take advantage of the "Extra Magic Hours," when the park is open solely for Disney hotel guests. It was a glorious, albeit chilly morning, and we enjoyed having free reign over the near-empty park. This involved walking onto the Tea Cups (Fantasyland), Space Mountain (Discoveryland) twice, and Buzz L'Eclair's Laser Blast in rapid succession; by 9:30, our addled brains needed a break. After sitting in the sun, munching a couple apples for a while, we got back to more brain addling... on Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril!! Even though I asserted that "Temple du Perillllll" does not have the same ring as "Temple of Doooooom," the roller coaster was still really fun.
As one may be able to guess, we did not exactly visit the five theme lands in a logical order. In fact, we were all over the place. After Indiana Jones (Adventureland), we went to Phantom Manor (Frontierland), then Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland), and the Storybook Ride (Fantasyland). At last, it was time for lunch... in Main Street USA.
7. Place in preheated oven for one hour. Upon removal, toss lightly and cover with the first park. Garnish generously. Allow to cool completely before serving. After a nice lunch at Walt's on Main Street, we agreed to return to 'Studios' in hopes of catching a couple of the attractions we had missed on the previous afternoon. Unfortunately, Crush's Coaster was closed due to technical difficulties, but we did go to the Animation Studio - which had a brilliant montage about the power of movies - as well as two shows exclusive to Disneyland Paris, Animagique and Cinemagique. Animagique is sort of a stage adaptation of the Magic Kingdom's "Philharmagic." Mickey and Donald Duck work in an animation studio and the former leaves for the day with instructions to Donald to not touch the key to the film vault. Predictably, curiosity gets the best of Donald, who enters the vault only to find himself among myriad Disney films, such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins (again, half in French, half in English). At last, Donald finds his way out of the vault the following morning, where Mickey awaits... unamused but unsurprised. I really enjoyed this show because it was presented in black light with fluorescent costumes and puppets. The visual appeal of the stage and timeless quality of the music made for an excellent show.
Cinemagique was also quite good, although significantly different. This show follows Martin Short as he becomes trapped in a history of film. He finds himself in the heart of real movie scenes dating back to slapstick silent comedy, while simultaneously attempting to escape the film world and return to the real world. All the while, he is followed by Julie Delpy (a French-American director/screenwriter... see Wikipedia), whom he meets and falls in love with in the first scene. At last, he escapes from the film world, only to realize that Julie could not follow; thankfully, a magician realizes his plight and summons a door for him to reenter the film world and live happily ever after.
With that, our time at Disney had essentially concluded. We wandered around a bit, taking even more pictures with our vinylmations. Finally, we walked across the plaza to the train station, and boarded the Eurostar, direct for London. Needless to say, we were exceedingly happy campers. Merci beaucoup to my amazing friend, Jenna, for a truly epic, spontaneous, and wonderful trip to Disneyland!
...And there you have it. Fun a la Friday. Serves 2.
CULTURE CORNER
Ride comparison!
Ingredients:
-1 close friend (or add to taste)
-1 direct train
-1 Disney hotel
-2 Disney parks (In this case, I used "Studios" and "Disneyland" but you can substitute Epcot or Animal Kingdom as necessary)
-1 special occasion (only fresh occasions will suffice; use only if in season, otherwise omit)
-1 camera (optional)
-2 vinylmation figurines for garnish
Prep time: 1 day
Cook time: 1 day
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Instructions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, loosely combine your friend and the direct train. Let rest for 2.5 hours. Jenna and I got a pretty early start from Oxford on Thursday morning, catching a train at 7:30 am. As is always the case when traveling in this country, you always need to take a preliminary form of transportation to get to your desired mode of transport. Bus to airplane... bus to Tube to train... train to walking... In this case it was train to Tube to Eurostar. Anyway, we caught the Eurostar at 10:30 from London St. Pancras, bound directly for Disneyland Paris (literally!).
2. Add just a pinch of the hotel to begin the melding of flavors. Arriving in Disneyland, we caught a five minute Disney bus to the Hotel Santa Fe to attempt to check in. The poor staff member behind the desk was in training and barely knew enough English. After we sufficiently confused him (and vice versa), he informed us that our rooms were not yet ready but we could leave our bags there and head to the parks.
3. On a floured surface, knead one of the parks sufficiently to knock out all the air. If necessary, use some drops, inversions, and corkscrews. (Reference: Julia Child, "Mastering the Art of French Speaking"). Garnish lightly and set aside. With the afternoon in front of us, we headed over to Disney Studios, the smaller of the two parks. Now, this theme park actually redefines the word small (perhaps I should have titled the blog 'It's a Small Park After All?') because in only 25 minutes, one can walk the park's perimeter. Thus, upon entering 'Studios,' we headed straight to its most central and most prominent landmark: Hollywood Tower of Terror. (Note: At the end of the recipe, I will compare the French rides with their Florida equivalents). Needless to say, it kicked off our park hopping with a bang!
From there, we queued at another great ride, the food cart, so I could grab some lunch. Due to several complicated requests by patrons and an absence of the ever-important hot drinks, nearly 25 minutes elapsed before we reached the window. While this gave me plenty of time to plan my order in French (une Brezel et une muffin), I failed to ascertain the correct pronunciation of Brezel (German =/= French). Results: massive embarrassment, a hearty laugh and the assistance of my French-speaking dance partner (Jenna, in French: "I'm sorry, he speaks German"), and a dearth of muffin. Oh yeah, the other hilarious moment? Realizing that 'salted' pretzels are not actually salted, but coated in sesame seeds. Oh well.
Anyway, this lead to a fantastic couple hours of fun. We rode Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster, the Studio Backlot Tour, Slinky Dog's Zigzag ride, and the RC Racer coaster. Unfortunately the queue for Crush's Coaster was too long for us, so we picked up a pair of vinylmations (see picture below) and walked around, taking pictures.
4. Using a hand mixer, whip the second park and the special occasion together on slow speed until barely mixed, or until the colors start to run. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill. As 19:00 came and went, 'Studios' closed, so we walked across the plaza to Disneyland. Yes, that's right. No monorail, nor bus, nor train needed - just a 5 minute walk, door to door. Passing through security, we were soon greeted with a giant "20" hanging over the entrance. As it turns out, Thursday was the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris, and there we were, serendipitously having dinner and aiming to watch the fireworks show in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle.
I know this will come as a big shock, but Main Street USA looked pretty much the same as it does in Florida. Similar turn-of-the-century architecture with the Mississippi/Louisiana (French) influence. We grabbed dinner in a cafeteria style place on Main Street and headed to 'City Hall' to try to procure birthday buttons. Sadly, our hopes were dashed because Disney Paris is not allowed to distribute buttons; the French government deems them a safety hazard (consequently... no comment on the guards with assault rifles outside the park). Instead, the gentleman gave us a pair of posters signed by all the characters - one in French and one in English!
With that, we popped into a store to buy some coloring supplies and then we staked out a spot in front of the castle to wait for the fireworks an hour later. I have to admit, I quite enjoyed coloring Pirate Mickey in the freezing cold in front of the castle. Jenna colored Snow White. Just goes to show what possibilities an Oxford education can lead to!
The show, entitled "Disney Dreams," was excellent and unique. It combined fireworks, video projection, lasers, and water spouts. The musical plot followed Shadow (from Peter Pan) as he first let all the magic out of the "second star on the right" and then had to go recollect it from various Disney stories. Going into the day, I had been curious to find out how Disney would appeal to a multilingual audience. In this case, half of the music was in French and the rest was in English; a very apt means of sharing linguistic differences. You haven't lived until you've seen Lumiere sing "Be Our Guest" in French.
5. Let rest overnight... but not eight hours. Preheat oven to 630. After the show, Jenna and I headed back across the plaza, past the train station, to Disney Village. We popped into Starbucks for a quick snack and drink while the crowds dispersed, then caught our bus back to Santa Fe (haha). Exhausted but excited for another day, we quickly turned in, setting our alarms for 6:30.
Naturally, the night was too short. We groggily awoke and headed to breakfast, where we were met by a massively redundant stockpile of pain au chocolat, croissants, and... dinner rolls? There were literally cornucopias of jam and butter, vats of fruit cocktail, some cold deli-style ham, and miscellaneous hot drinks. Apparently we were on the early end of breakfast, because an army of anxious kids and less-anxious parents had assembled by the time we headed out to catch the bus to the parks.
6. Remove second park from refrigerator. Break into five distinct chunks and roll each out alternately. Do not allow to come to room temperature. We arrived at the park by 8:00 to take advantage of the "Extra Magic Hours," when the park is open solely for Disney hotel guests. It was a glorious, albeit chilly morning, and we enjoyed having free reign over the near-empty park. This involved walking onto the Tea Cups (Fantasyland), Space Mountain (Discoveryland) twice, and Buzz L'Eclair's Laser Blast in rapid succession; by 9:30, our addled brains needed a break. After sitting in the sun, munching a couple apples for a while, we got back to more brain addling... on Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril!! Even though I asserted that "Temple du Perillllll" does not have the same ring as "Temple of Doooooom," the roller coaster was still really fun.
As one may be able to guess, we did not exactly visit the five theme lands in a logical order. In fact, we were all over the place. After Indiana Jones (Adventureland), we went to Phantom Manor (Frontierland), then Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland), and the Storybook Ride (Fantasyland). At last, it was time for lunch... in Main Street USA.
7. Place in preheated oven for one hour. Upon removal, toss lightly and cover with the first park. Garnish generously. Allow to cool completely before serving. After a nice lunch at Walt's on Main Street, we agreed to return to 'Studios' in hopes of catching a couple of the attractions we had missed on the previous afternoon. Unfortunately, Crush's Coaster was closed due to technical difficulties, but we did go to the Animation Studio - which had a brilliant montage about the power of movies - as well as two shows exclusive to Disneyland Paris, Animagique and Cinemagique. Animagique is sort of a stage adaptation of the Magic Kingdom's "Philharmagic." Mickey and Donald Duck work in an animation studio and the former leaves for the day with instructions to Donald to not touch the key to the film vault. Predictably, curiosity gets the best of Donald, who enters the vault only to find himself among myriad Disney films, such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins (again, half in French, half in English). At last, Donald finds his way out of the vault the following morning, where Mickey awaits... unamused but unsurprised. I really enjoyed this show because it was presented in black light with fluorescent costumes and puppets. The visual appeal of the stage and timeless quality of the music made for an excellent show.
Cinemagique was also quite good, although significantly different. This show follows Martin Short as he becomes trapped in a history of film. He finds himself in the heart of real movie scenes dating back to slapstick silent comedy, while simultaneously attempting to escape the film world and return to the real world. All the while, he is followed by Julie Delpy (a French-American director/screenwriter... see Wikipedia), whom he meets and falls in love with in the first scene. At last, he escapes from the film world, only to realize that Julie could not follow; thankfully, a magician realizes his plight and summons a door for him to reenter the film world and live happily ever after.
With that, our time at Disney had essentially concluded. We wandered around a bit, taking even more pictures with our vinylmations. Finally, we walked across the plaza to the train station, and boarded the Eurostar, direct for London. Needless to say, we were exceedingly happy campers. Merci beaucoup to my amazing friend, Jenna, for a truly epic, spontaneous, and wonderful trip to Disneyland!
...And there you have it. Fun a la Friday. Serves 2.
 |
| Jenna (left) and I on Main Street USA |
CULTURE CORNER
Ride comparison!
Hollywood Tower of Terror - Essentially the same, except the introduction video was spoken in French, with English subtitles... making it significantly less spooky
Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster - Excellent fun! The track was very similar if not identical to Florida, but the plot line (Aerosmith are running late for a show; drive them across town as quick as possible) was omitted entirely. The introduction video just shows Aerosmith looking at a model roller coaster in the studio. Lame dude! Instead of fluorescent street signs along the track, the track is simply accompanied by various psychedelic blinking lights.
Backlot tour - About the same as Florida; the tram drives to two mock movie sets instead of one; the first is the same, but the second shows effects from the movie Reign of Fire
RC Racer - This ride does not exist in Florida. Similar to a swinging viking ship ride, RC racer simply runs forward and backward on an erect half circle track. An unexpectedly fun ride, but a tad short for my liking.
Space Mountain: Mission 2 - In my opinion, much better than it's older Floridian counterpart. The ride begins by "shooting" the car out of a "cannon" on the outside of the mountain. The car then drops down into the mountain, and winds in and around fluorescent asteroids in the dark. Unlike in Florida, Mission 2 includes both an inversion and a pair of corkscrews.
Tea Cups - Always a classic! Unfortunately, as the first ride of the day, the wheel was really tight and we could hardly get any spinning action going. Note for future Disney trips: don't ride tea cups at park opening.
Indiana Jones & The Temple of Peril - Another ride absent from Florida. This roller coaster somewhat resembles Hershey Park's Crazy Mouse coaster. The overall frame is boxy, leading to several sharp 90 degree turns. It also includes an unexpected loop.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Good, but less exciting than in Florida. Somehow I can't get into pirates speaking in French, and rum should never be spelled r-h-u-m. Also, Jack Sparrow was nowhere to be seen.
Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion) - Essentially the same... again, the French introduction - while interesting - made it slightly less haunted.
Big Thunder Mountain RR - Unfortunately, it was closed due to technical problems, but the Paris Thunder Mountain travels all around an island. It looked to be similar, but significantly different from its Florida equivalent... so I'll have to go back and check it out sometime :-)
Words of the Day
-deux: the number of people we were taking onto each ride... not to be confused with un or trois
-brezel: a shaped bread that you attempt to order from a food cart. The 'z' is apparently very soft, like the bread's interior.... so it should almost sound like 'Brazil.'
-crepe: I assume you already know that a crepe is... but I had one in 'Studios' because I know you would never find one at Disney in the US, aside from Epcot's World Showcase
-Parlez-vous anglais?: "Do you speak English?" Very useful in France. Of course, learning this made me think back to Pirates of the Caribbean I: "Par-sley? ... Par-snip? ... Parlay! That's the one!"
Monday, April 9, 2012
Pulling in the Rains
I have been in this country for six months and finally on this, of all weeks, it decides to rain.
Going back a bit, you may recall that we had simply gorgeous weather in Oxford. Bright blue, sunny skies. Warmth in the air. Flowers. Flip flops. T-shirts.
Gone.
I do not know whether I jinxed it with my sunglasses, or whether another person's advice ("We always have one great week before a terrible, rainy summer.") merely foretold the current situation. Perhaps Jenna's parents took the nice weather back to California with them (if this is the case, maybe my dance partner will oblige by asking for a care package of sunshine) but alas, now it has been overcast, chilly, and dripping for a week. And as I said, what a week it was!
Such a week it was, that I am actually going to skip a good amount of the detail. It involves a reconnection, a pair of reconciliations, avoiding the loneliness of college out of term, and - most importantly - being available for a friend. A peculiar mixture of emotions for such a short time span, especially heading into Easter. Thankfully everything has been sorted out, just in time for Trinity term to start!
And so I, therefore, will focus on this past weekend. On Saturday, I cajoled Jenna into accompanying me to Windsor Castle, the world's longest continuously active castle. Little known fact: Jenna is a history buff, and her interest is particularly piqued by any discussion relating to the Tudors or, really, to the English monarchy in general. In spite of being my personal tour guide - since she has already been twice - she also recommended that I listen to the free audio guide. Now for one of my favorite games: pros vs. cons:
Pros. The audio guide has quite a bit of information and an appearance by the Prince of Wales himself. It gives directions on how to navigate the castle. Also, Jenna could look for hidden jeweled Easter eggs while I finished listening to the audio in each room.
Cons. The audio guide is significantly less personable and interactive than a personal history buff. Furthermore, in an unabashed commentary on the nature of technology, I was forced to "learn" what the audio guide wanted me to learn... which may or may not have been what I really wanted to learn.
Final result: Jenna 1 - Audio commentary 0. I've decided that I'll be taking English history 101 from my dance partner this term, if she's willing. ;-)
I digress. The castle was actually quite stunning: clean exterior stonework walls on the outside, with the Windsor flag flying high over a tower. On the inside of the state apartments, room after room was filled with portraits, carvings, crests, and symbols. The famous painting of Henry VIII in his gold tunic hangs silently next to that of three of his wives. Frequently, we also saw hints of the Order of the Garter, the heraldic order established by King Edward I in the 1300s. Personally, my favorite room was St. George's Hall, a grand dining hall used for hosting the Queen's honored guests. Perhaps it was 75 yards long, with a reconstructed medieval-style wooden truss roof system. The roof was simply decorated with the crests of all the members of the Order throughout history. Even the blanked-out white crests of banished members were hung like scarlet letters for all to see and consider.
While the castle's state apartments were great, St. George's Chapel was even more brilliant. Why? Because of the massive heating duct at the chapel's west end. Oh wait... no... wrong notes.. right... St. George's chapel was brilliant for both its history and appearance. A massive pipe organ fills the center of the church, with golden pipes surrounded by an elaborately carved, rich brown oaken(?) case. Behind the organ, approaching the high alter, one was surrounded by impressively carved seats of the same hue. On the back of each seat was installed upwards of a dozen metal plaques to identify the succession of knights of the Order to whom that seat had belonged. High above the head of each seat was engraved a generic bust where each current knight had his coat of arms and a piece of head gear displayed. Further up the wall over each seat, each knight's standard was proudly hung. It was truly a grand site. Jenna pointed out that as people walked along the corridor, examining the beauty around them, no one noticed Henry VIII's humble black granite tomb beneath their feet. But we noticed, and admired, and really soaked up the atmosphere.
Such was Saturday's adventure! On Easter Sunday, I decided to catch a train into London that I might attend Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. I visited the cathedral with my parents in September, but I really must have been jet lagged at that time because the magnificent splendor of the building seemed many times more apparent during this visit. Aside from the service itself, what caught my attention were the incredible golden mosaics above the choir and the high alter. The images really sparkled in the light, and I was drawn to their masterful artistry. If you ever get the chance to attend a service at St. Paul's Cathedral, do it. If you sit under the dome as I did, you will not be let down. Happy Easter, one and all!
On that note, I am going to bring this blog to a close for today, but since Trinity Term is coming up, here's the dopplar radar:
-I'm going to Disneyland Paris!
-30 April - important research meeting at U Bristol
-5 May - Keble Ball
-12 May - Dancesport Varsity match (Oxford vs. Cambridge)
-26 May - EPIC joint birthday BBQ celebration
-Tony's wedding at home
-potentially running for 2012-2013 MCR president
-weather getting nicer??? (still waiting on that care package)
... clearly, it's going to be another busy term in Oxford. Bring it on!
Going back a bit, you may recall that we had simply gorgeous weather in Oxford. Bright blue, sunny skies. Warmth in the air. Flowers. Flip flops. T-shirts.
Gone.
I do not know whether I jinxed it with my sunglasses, or whether another person's advice ("We always have one great week before a terrible, rainy summer.") merely foretold the current situation. Perhaps Jenna's parents took the nice weather back to California with them (if this is the case, maybe my dance partner will oblige by asking for a care package of sunshine) but alas, now it has been overcast, chilly, and dripping for a week. And as I said, what a week it was!
Such a week it was, that I am actually going to skip a good amount of the detail. It involves a reconnection, a pair of reconciliations, avoiding the loneliness of college out of term, and - most importantly - being available for a friend. A peculiar mixture of emotions for such a short time span, especially heading into Easter. Thankfully everything has been sorted out, just in time for Trinity term to start!
And so I, therefore, will focus on this past weekend. On Saturday, I cajoled Jenna into accompanying me to Windsor Castle, the world's longest continuously active castle. Little known fact: Jenna is a history buff, and her interest is particularly piqued by any discussion relating to the Tudors or, really, to the English monarchy in general. In spite of being my personal tour guide - since she has already been twice - she also recommended that I listen to the free audio guide. Now for one of my favorite games: pros vs. cons:
Pros. The audio guide has quite a bit of information and an appearance by the Prince of Wales himself. It gives directions on how to navigate the castle. Also, Jenna could look for hidden jeweled Easter eggs while I finished listening to the audio in each room.
Cons. The audio guide is significantly less personable and interactive than a personal history buff. Furthermore, in an unabashed commentary on the nature of technology, I was forced to "learn" what the audio guide wanted me to learn... which may or may not have been what I really wanted to learn.
Final result: Jenna 1 - Audio commentary 0. I've decided that I'll be taking English history 101 from my dance partner this term, if she's willing. ;-)
I digress. The castle was actually quite stunning: clean exterior stonework walls on the outside, with the Windsor flag flying high over a tower. On the inside of the state apartments, room after room was filled with portraits, carvings, crests, and symbols. The famous painting of Henry VIII in his gold tunic hangs silently next to that of three of his wives. Frequently, we also saw hints of the Order of the Garter, the heraldic order established by King Edward I in the 1300s. Personally, my favorite room was St. George's Hall, a grand dining hall used for hosting the Queen's honored guests. Perhaps it was 75 yards long, with a reconstructed medieval-style wooden truss roof system. The roof was simply decorated with the crests of all the members of the Order throughout history. Even the blanked-out white crests of banished members were hung like scarlet letters for all to see and consider.
While the castle's state apartments were great, St. George's Chapel was even more brilliant. Why? Because of the massive heating duct at the chapel's west end. Oh wait... no... wrong notes.. right... St. George's chapel was brilliant for both its history and appearance. A massive pipe organ fills the center of the church, with golden pipes surrounded by an elaborately carved, rich brown oaken(?) case. Behind the organ, approaching the high alter, one was surrounded by impressively carved seats of the same hue. On the back of each seat was installed upwards of a dozen metal plaques to identify the succession of knights of the Order to whom that seat had belonged. High above the head of each seat was engraved a generic bust where each current knight had his coat of arms and a piece of head gear displayed. Further up the wall over each seat, each knight's standard was proudly hung. It was truly a grand site. Jenna pointed out that as people walked along the corridor, examining the beauty around them, no one noticed Henry VIII's humble black granite tomb beneath their feet. But we noticed, and admired, and really soaked up the atmosphere.
Such was Saturday's adventure! On Easter Sunday, I decided to catch a train into London that I might attend Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. I visited the cathedral with my parents in September, but I really must have been jet lagged at that time because the magnificent splendor of the building seemed many times more apparent during this visit. Aside from the service itself, what caught my attention were the incredible golden mosaics above the choir and the high alter. The images really sparkled in the light, and I was drawn to their masterful artistry. If you ever get the chance to attend a service at St. Paul's Cathedral, do it. If you sit under the dome as I did, you will not be let down. Happy Easter, one and all!
On that note, I am going to bring this blog to a close for today, but since Trinity Term is coming up, here's the dopplar radar:
-I'm going to Disneyland Paris!
-30 April - important research meeting at U Bristol
-5 May - Keble Ball
-12 May - Dancesport Varsity match (Oxford vs. Cambridge)
-26 May - EPIC joint birthday BBQ celebration
-Tony's wedding at home
-potentially running for 2012-2013 MCR president
-weather getting nicer??? (still waiting on that care package)
... clearly, it's going to be another busy term in Oxford. Bring it on!
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