Wicked snow in the UK

In early February I took off a Friday from laboratory work and headed with Katherine to London for some sight seeing and a visit with her Uncle and cousins (who are British and live in London). We also were able to see the Marshalls in London and catch up.

Buckingham Palace

Parliament and Big Ben!

 

Westminster Abbey.

London Eye and blue skies in London.

On Friday night we went to a musical, Wicked, in London. I was a little cautious about going to a musical, having only been to one in my life, but I was glad we went. Katherine and I got student tickets the same day for a great price. After the show we went to a pub with Katerine's cousin and boyfriend, who drove us around London. I still get scared driving with people in the UK, I always feel like we are driving on the wrong side of the road (because we are, shhhh don't tell the English).

Wicked and the dragon (top of photo).

On Saturday we took a trip to Manchester, but didn't get over to Liverpool as planned because there we a lot of snow! When it snows in the UK it is like snow in Oregon, no one is prepared for it and everything shuts down. Our trains were delayed and people stayed indoors, but in Manchester, farther North than London, the snow was not too bad.

Manchester and slush

Little did I know Cambridge had gotten it much worse... I found out Sunday night when I walked home from the train station...

My walk home at midnight in Cambridge.

But... Snow in Cambridge and the UK may shut things down (half of the flights out of London were cancelled), but it sure is beautiful in the morning.

Path to King's College

King's College and the chapel, February snow 2012.

King's College in snow.

After spending 3 or 4 days having snow ball fights and enjoying walking to lab in the snow, everything melted and we went back to the usual cold and wet winter in the UK. Oh well, the snow was nice when it lasted... is it summer yet? At least it no longer gets dark at 3:30pm.

A trip to Number 10

One of the biggest events during the two years as a Marshall Scholar is the trip to 10 Downing St., which is equivalent to the White House. However, unlike the White House, tours to the public are never offered and it is almost impossible to be allowed into 10 Downing. Fortunately for the Marshalls, the Relationship of our program to the British government means that during our two years we get one trip to 10 Downing, and my turn was this year (randomly decided). This meant that myself and around 30 other Marshalls from 2009-2011 were invited for the journey.

On January 12th the Cambridge Marshalls got together early in the morning at the train station for a trip to London, then the tube to Westminster. When we got out of the tube it was the first time I had seen Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye since the orientation, over three months ago.

As we waited outside the barrier to Downing St. we all joked about meeting David Cameron (we didn't meet him, and weren't planning to). 10 Downing itself was an elegant office space devoted to the hard working offices of the prime minister. There were no state rooms like the white house, but the decorations were amazing throughout Number 10. There were pieces of history placed throughout the office. As we walked the aides showing us around would say, on your left is a globe Margaret Thatcher was gifted, to the right is a desk where Churchill wrote many famous speeches, here is a gift from JFK, here is a gift from Clinton, etc. Photos were not allowed in 10 Downing, so I do not have any pictures from the inside, but you can imagine.

The entrance to Number 10.

When we went into the cabinet room, we got to see and sit in the chairs around the table where historical and current leaders of Britain have sat. We saw the gifts of past US and world leaders displayed around the room. We sat at the table Obama gave a speech during his most recent visit. The history was overwhelming.

Since tours are not given in any regular way at Number 10 we were shown around by aides who indulged us with stories about past presidents and world leaders. Most notably their strong affection for the United States and in particular Obama. They discussed how Obama helped cook food for them all or would play basketball with whoever wanted to play on his visits. The respect and strong relationship with the US was similar to what I heard in DC from US leaders about their respect and affection for the UK. It really emphasized the unique relationship between the two countries.

The Marshall group outside of 10 Downing after our visit.

Before our tour we were put in a conference room for tea and talked to foreign advisers on the U.K.'s foreign policy plans and positions going into 2012. They discussed everything from the position on the middle east and Iran, to China, to Scottish independence. It was very insightful, but cut short as our speakers had to go advise David Cameron in the next room.

Our trip to Number Ten ended after a couple hours and we had to rush out because the Irish Prime Minister was coming to meet with David Cameron. Afterwards we all left and went out to lunch and then to the British Museum. Having never been to the British Museum, I had no idea how overwhelming and huge it would be. Two hours in the museum and we only saw 10% of the displays.

The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum!

Completely free, I have little excuse for not taking a trip to the museum every time I go into London. Afterwards the Cambridge Marshalls hopped on a train and rode back to Cambridge, ready to get into the swing of things for the second term at university. 

A trip to Porto, Portugal

Katherine and I wanted to visit somewhere outside of Spain and the UK, so we booked tickets to Portugal. For those back in the States unaware of budget European airlines, they have made travel around Europe so much more affordable. A roundtrip ticket to Portugal was 28 euros, about $34! Portugal is definitely a country less commonly visited, but it is one of the few countries where you can stand on the Atlantic coast in Europe.

Our trip was to Porto, Portugal. Probably most famous for being the home of Port wine, a type of sweet fortified wine that is very popular around Europe and especially in the UK. Port seems to be a requirement at any big meal in Cambridge (I just had it at our formal last night).

Looking out into Porto on a foggy afternoon.

The first day in Porto we arrived early, checked into our hotel, and wandered around. We quickly came a cross a huge bridge and realized Porto had very unique topography, hard to describe even in photos. This bridge was several hundred feet off of the ground across the main river flowing through the middle of Porto. From the bridge we could see the entire city, the Port tasting area, and the ocean.

After the bridge walk we had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, where I was confused for being Portuguese (it wouldn't be the only time). Apparently my hair had gotten a little long, and I decided that was a sign I should cut it as soon as I get home.

 

The center of Porto.

After we walked around for the day in Porto, we had dinner in a local restaurant, where no one spoke English. As my Portuguese skills were non existing, We made use of very effective hand motions to have a successful meal without a problem. Who needs words to communicate anyway?

Building from the 12th century on our first night in Porto.

Our second day started with a trip to the beach! We took the metro about a half hour out to the northern ocean, with plans to walk back to downtown Porto throughout the day. What a beautiful beach, very similar to how the Atlantic looks from North Carolina, not nearly as windy and intense as the Oregon coast.

Big wave on the beach!

Katherine on the beach!

Katherine and I on the boardwalk outside of Porto on the Atlantic coast.

Several pictures with Katherine and I later, we took a brief walk around the sand and in the water before heading to a cafe to get a beer. Wow what an amazing site it was. As underwhelming as Porto as city was the beach was fantastic and definitely worth the entire trip.

 

Me at the cafe on the coast.

Katherine enjoying the Ocean.

Seven miles later.... Wait what? Takin the metro thirty minutes out of a city might be farther than you think? Needless to say we loved the beach, but the walk back was a little longer than expected. We did make it back in time for a couple Port tastings and a tour. We couldn't visit Porto without it!

Our walk back to the center of Porto... you can see the bridge in the far end several miles away.

Walking bridge in Porto

Very old Port wine from 1904! Very expensive.

The Port tasting tour was at Sandeman

We left early the next morning back to Madrid, where I stayed for a few more days before heading back to the UK. In that time Katherine and I relaxed and hung out with her Georgian roommate Natia. Natia took us to a great jazz club in Madrid one night, which has some very funny holiday themed jazz from an American/Spanish group.

After a great holiday break I finally had to pack and head back to the UK, but to be honest I was missing England by the time it was time to go back... Not to mention speaking English and being able to communicate! But... being back in the UK didn't mean things would slow down too much. I'll be posting soon about my trip to perhaps the most iconic street address in Europe, 10 Downing St.