London Eye

Not much to explain here. Sarah Keefe and Kendall came to visit, and we found an excuse to do something tourist-y. Here are pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2114703&id=1711138&l=7dd2f53928

Nickは日本に行くよていです！ (Nick is going to Japan!)

Well friends,

It's finally happening. I've waited most of my young adult life longing to visit the Land of the Rising Sun, and I am scheduled to depart London City Airport for Tokyo on April 2, 2009, returning April 10, 2009. Adam and I found a flight for around £450 and decided to seize the opportunity. It still does not seem real to me that I am actually going to Japan for Easter break, but it will soon enough. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara are on my list of things to do over the 6 full days we have to spend there.

I will no doubt get to visit more of Europe in due course, but I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by. I better go brush up on my language skills! Ganbarimasu!

:D

It's a series of rocks

Because it needs no introduction... Stonehenge and Salisbury pictures can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113320&id=1711138&l=7016e



Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been busy working.

Cheers,

Nick

Paris!

Hey everyone,

We went to Paris yesterday (for the day). We took the first train there at 5:26AM and the last train back at 8:50PM. We saw lots including Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, and a bunch of other French things. I have pictures to share if you click this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2111682&id=1711138&l=d6280

We took the Eurostar, which is a really, really fast train that goes through the Channel Tunnel ("Chunnel") from the UK to France. We made it there in only 2.5 hours. See video below for comparision of speed (186mph) with that of cars on the highway alongside going 70mph.




We also went to see Wicked tonight in the West End, which was a lot of fun for those who haven't seen it. That's it for now!

Football Hooligans

Today was an eventful day. I went to one lecture, then dashed back to King's Cross to pick up my family and guide them to Victoria to catch a train down to Carshalton to visit our relatives who happen to live just south of London (family of my Dad's 1st cousin, once removed--so my grandfather's cousin's family--long story short).

I stayed a few, but had to leave because I had tickets to the FA Cup game between Arsenal and Cardiff City. This wasn't a Premier League game per se, but it was still awesome. I was somehow able to find very nice club level seats for face value (£45) that included access to a sweet bar and free drinks at halftime. I think it had something to do with the fact that this was a replay game, since no one could score the first time around.

I guess having gone to a couple games now and starting to follow the team on their video podcast (vodcast?), I have become an aspiring "Gooner" [meaning Gunner, or Arsenal fan]. I bought my own scarf to twirl around at the game tonight. Also, funnily enough, I'm going to go see the Arsenal's fiercest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, play Middlesborough in a couple of weeks, but that is only because Tufts is subsidizing it. Think of it like a Yankees fan going Fenway to see the Red Sox play some team that isn't the Yankees. Into the house of the enemy. Here are some pictures care of my phone. Enjoy!

Called the Gunners for a Reason

Nearly Full Stadium

Free Drinks = Awesome

Tomorrow will be the London sightseeing day for the family--British Museum, Thameswalk, and then whatever else we decide to do.

Cheers.

My family is here!

Yes, they actually made it all the way from New York City to London.  I stayed up 24 hours so I could pick them up from the airport and have just woken up from the most glorious 4 hour nap ever.  We are now going out to eat and there are many more fun things planned for the rest of the week.  That's all I can be bothered to say in my current state of mind.

0_O

BIG SNOW

Sorry to barrage you with all the recent posts, but this is important in a big way.

I know, coming from the Northeastern US, you could hardly consider this a really big snowstorm, as it's the familiar sloppy mess we usually get just about every week in wintertime; however, for London, this type of thing hasn't happened for about 20 years. Usually it only snows less than an inch and then turns to rain and melts, but for the past 24 hours, it has been snowing pretty much nonstop, and if it had stayed below freezing there would have been buckets of it. At the high point, which was early this morning, there was about 4-5 inches of fluffy white powder. Now it has gone mostly to slush on the sidewalks and streets, but it's still fun to look at. It reminds me a bit of home.

King's Cross, looking quite mysterious

Tavistock Square, covered in white

Why hello there!

Piccadilly Circus

Until next time!