Tag Archives: Markets

The French don’t like American’s? Hm, what a surprise.

Hey everyone! Following up from the last message, here’s the picture of a delicious meal at Hummus Bros. I love this place so much!

Hummus Bros!

I swear the time has switched into ultra fast gear over the past two weeks. Every Wednesday, the only class I have is a Historic London class and instead of meeting at the campus, we meet at different sites around London and walk around for our lecture. Last Wednesday, we went to Borough High Street/Borough Market. If you ever come to London and you want to go to a really cool market- go there! Even though it wasn’t fully opened (it wasn’t a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) it was still really cool to see the set up and the variety of fresh food they offer.

Last weekend, I left Friday night for Paris! Again, we took the National Express (via Eurolines) coach there and back. This was my first time taking the coach across the ocean, so it was interesting! The first thing we encountered was when we had to stop at border patrol. The police came on the coach and took our passports and then we had to get out and to take all of our stuff inside a building for the customs officers to check our stuff. Once we were back on the coach, we had to drive to wait in line for the train to come. Apparently, we were taking a train through the tunnel (I didn’t know if we were taking a ferry or what). It was kind of weird because the coach drives into a train car that’s attached to the front of the train. After we’re positioned in the car, a metal wall closes the coach in so that it has its own car and then locks it in place. 

Train-car for the coach

It gets so stuffy inside the coach because it has to be shut off while the train is in motion. I almost freaked out at first because I could feel the train moving but I couldn’t see anything (I tend to get motion sickness); I didn’t like that part but I sucked it up and tried to fall asleep. The rest of the ride wasn’t bad at all. We got to the airport (where the coach was set to drop us off) and we found out we had to pay 9 Euros to get to the hostel. I didn’t like that part but oh well! After we dropped our bags off at the hostel, we walked to a nearby church. I just stood at the top of the steps looking over Paris and I couldn’t help but think “how did my life get like this?!” It really is insane; I can’t believe where I’m at and all that I’m doing here!

Our first day was a pretty dreary and rainy day in Paris. Most of the people I traveled to Paris with are very interested in museums, and well, I’d much rather walk around and see the city. Since I was with someone else who would rather walk around outside then in the Louvre, we did just that! We walked to the Louvre with everyone, and then split off to walk to The Eiffel Tower. We took side streets and what not so it took us probably 2 hours to get there but I loved just walking around and seeing little shops. There were so many bakeries!! 
Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed the first time I saw The Eiffel Tower. I think it’s because it was a really rainy grey day, but I kind of thought it was ugly. Right as we got there, it started pouring so we hid under a porch of a ticket booth. We tried to find a metro but walked around for 2 hours in the rain because no one would tell us how to get there (in English). I have always heard that the French could be not so friendly to Americans, but I didn’t know it was that bad! Literally, no one would talk to us in English even after we attempted to speak in French. 

I clearly don't speak French at all.

The second day we were there, it was cloudy but it luckily didn’t rain. It was Sunday, so the places that were open didn’t open until around 11am so I got to sleep in. That was nice because I didn’t want to be too run down for the day. We all went souvenir shopping and walked around the more expensive stretch of shops leading to the Arc de Triomphe. 

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The Eiffel Tower

When we were done wandering around, we went back to the Eiffel Tower. It was a little nicer when we went back that time, but I still am not a huge fan. My favorite part of the day was when I got a French Baguette — it was SO SO good! Our ride home was great (for me) because I literally slept the entire time; with the exception of border control. Tomorrow, I leave bright and early for Brussels, Belgium!

 

I’ve learned that when you travel, you can’t go into something with expectations. I expected so much of Paris – the glamour, high end fashion designers everywhere, and an overall clean city (Paris smells like “homeless pee”) – and I got none of them. It was definitely great to see Paris, but it’s just not the place for me! Hopefully Brussels will be a better trip.


Location: Paris, France

Having a jolly good time!

There is absolutely no way that I’ve been here for a month already. Would it be alright is I just never came back home?

One club I think everyone should experience when they come to London is Fabric. It is one crazy place! When we decided to go, it was a student’s night called the Refresher’s Rave (it was meant to be a “refresher” from exams). I didn’t know how literal the “rave” part was going to be, but there were definitely a lot of people there on drugs! Fabric itself was really cool; there were 6ish different dance rooms and one main room where the DJ was. Each room had different music and different lights flashing. We spent most of our time in the main room because it was the best place to dance. I only stayed for about 2 hours because I couldn’t handle the amount of other people’s sweat and drinks that were all over me and I was truly afraid that I was going to be vomited on. Aside from the gross parts, it was really fun!

A few weeks ago, I got in touch with the PSU Alums living and working in London and they invited me to a social gathering this past weekend. I decided it’d be a great opportunity to meet people that work here from Penn State, so I dragged one of my PSU friends along with me. The people that were there weren’t all from the US and full time Penn State students, a lot of them were either international students or study abroad students. It was really cool to meet all of them and talk to them about Penn State and the places they live and work. Meeting other people that live near me in London and knowing they’re from Penn State made me realize just how small the world is today. It’s pretty crazy to think about!

One thing I love about the surrounding areas I live near is that there are so many markets! This past Sunday, I went with a few friends to the markets off of Liverpool Street. It was about a 45 minute bus ride from the dorms in Chelsea and then a 5 minute walk. The first market we went to was covered by a huge roof but wasn’t enclosed. It had a ton of clothing and jewelry vendors and some food vendors. We walked around all of it and then went to check out another one. I can’t remember the names to either market, but we’re going back so I’ll get the names then. The second market we went to was amazing (and enclosed)! When you first walk in, the very first thing that’s there is the food vendors. There were literally 4 rows of any type of cuisine you want. There was even an Ethiopian stand that was veg/vegan! 

Vegan Vendor!

One line of vendors

I didn’t eat there but I am definitely going to when I go back to the market. It was really cold that day so walking into the heat and aroma of all the different cuisine was perfect. We walked around that one and looked at all of the clothes and jewelry; this second market was definitely more affordable. One thing about London – they don’t believe in public restrooms. And if I’m lucky enough to find one, I have to pay to use them. It is rather aggravating! But anyway, it got incredibly freezing outside so we headed back to the warm dorm rooms.

This week has been really eventful so far. Monday, I went with a few friends to Stratford-Upon-Avon. They’re all very interested in Shakespeare, which is why this trip came about. I’ll never turn down a chance to explore, so I of course went with them! It is a very cute town; I really enjoyed walking around the market street and circling around the residential part. We found this old looking tavern and decided that it’d be a good place to eat. It was phenomenal; and definitely had an old English feel about it. 

Street of shops

House in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Tuesday, I had a ballet to go to for my Performing Arts in London class. When I heard that it was going to be the American Ballet Theatre I was a bit upset. It ended up being a great show! Wednesday, I had a (free) tour of the Tower of London for my Historic London class. I loved it! Even though it was extremely cold, the tour was really cool. Our professor is a registered guide of London so she walked us around the outside of the Tower of London and then told us “Well, our time is up but you got in for free so stay as long as you’d like”! So with that in mind, we decided to stay and wander around. Luckily, some of the towers were heated. I got to see the crown jewels; wow was that unreal. After I was able to scrape my jaw off the ground, I realized where all of the tax money here goes HAHA. I also got to see the torcher chamber, the prison where people engraved their names and sayings before they were executed, and the displays of different aspects of the Royal Army inside the White Tower (main tower).

White Tower

This weekend I’m heading to Edinburgh with some friends! I’m so excited to travel to Scotland!! I will definitely be blogging all about it.

 

Looking back over the last month, its mind boggling to think about how many different things I’ve been exposed to. It’s so true that no one could ever go back home the same person after doing a semester abroad. The biggest lesson I’ve been learning (and still working on) is trying to live every day for that day. Before I came here, and for the first few weeks I was here, I constantly planned for the next thing/day/event/etc. When I realized how quickly time passes here, I thought about it. I don’t want to spend this whole trip planning and looking to the next thing because I’m going to go back home in April and think “Oh my gosh, where did those 4 months go”. I don’t want to get home and realize I didn’t take the time to stop and smell the roses, wander around London, and maybe even get lost some times (or a lot!). I am really pleased that I’m learning how to relax and “life for today”; even if it’s at a slow pace. 


Location: London

A Big Outdoor Market in Romania

On a trip to Transylvania, one of the first places we stopped was a huge outdoor market (that lasts for four days) where throngs of people from numerous villages gather each year to buy clothes, farming equipment, animals, antiques, feed, anything really. It was fascinating to see this European style market and all the many kinds of wares to choose from. I shall refrain from using the term Eastern European because of the negative connotations and prejudices it bears. I do not see a filthier, or more uncouth way of life but rather something simply different. It is how people live and sometimes choose to live, and that is something to be respected. Anyway, the market itself was full of sights. World War 1 german helmets, sword letter openers, fox and bear pelts, finely woven linen, fur hats, leather jackets, horses, pigs, so many things to see and take in! There is a certain freshness and uniqueness to the market. The food is freshly picked and has little pesticides/ steroids/ growth enhancers, some clothes are handmade, and the people themselves walking about are genuine characters; they are who they are it seems, you get what you see. Its as if you know them before you talk to them. Ah well, it was a great experience but my journey to Transylvania took me elsewhere as well…

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Location: kalotaszeg

Mexico City, Mexico

Our whole group (13 students, 2 profs, 1 assistant) took our tourbus to Mexico City this weekend.  The city is about a 2 hour drive from Puebla, and we left around 8:30am on Wednesday morning.  And we had a RIGOROUS schedule from there on out…

 

Wed:


Arrive in Mexico City.  We visited the pyramids at the city of Teotihuac�n, one of which is the third tallest pyramid in the world.  It was hot and sunny, but I CLIMBED THE WHOLE PYRAMID.  Photographic evidence to follow.  🙂


After that, we went to the church of “The Virgin of Guadalupe,” which our tourguide claimed was the second most important Catholic site after the Vatican.  According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to a farmer (sometime in the 1800s?) and demanded that he build a cathedral to honor her.  When the farmer went to the local bishop, the bishop didn’t believe that the farmer had actually seen the Virgin, and building cathedrals is expensive, so he asked for proof.  Frustrated, the farmer went back into the hills where he had seen the Virgin.  She reappeared to him, and he explained to her that the Bishop wanted proof that she was real.  Despite the fact that it was wintertime, she told the farmer to go over the hill and pick some roses for the bishop.  The humble farmer did as she asked, and to his amazement, a breed of rosebush very difficult to grow in the dry Mexican soil had sprung out of that hillside.  So, he picked some roses, put them in his cloak, and returned to the bishop a second time.  The Bishop was unimpressed with the petals that fell from the farmers cloak, and refused to build the church a second time.  But then, the farmer opened his cloak up wider, and on the inside of the coat was revealed a perfect portrait of the Virgin herself, in brilliant colors.  This last convinced the Bishop, as the colors that appeared on the coat were of no natural substance that could be found.  In fact, our guide claimed that to this day the substances on the cloak have not been properly identified and will never lose their color. 

The cloak itself is still able to be seen in the new cathedral (the 3rd one since the original chapel), but (in my opinion) even more impressive than the cloak itself are the numbers of people who flock to see it.  Though I am not Catholic, it was a pretty remarkable and faith inspiring experience.

That’s the last thing we did on Wednesday.  After it, we drove around the city for a bit before going to our hotel and settling in for the evening.  OH!  I almost forgot.  And we got to have dinner on the roof of a hotel overlooking the main square of the city.  It was a delicious meal, and the view was pretty amazing too.  J  Then, we went to bed.

Thursday:

Thursday we did a pretty fantastic walking tour of a lot of the downtown of M�xico City starting around 9am.  We got to see the main square (called a zocalo, I think I mentioned that somewhere before) again in the morning.  It was full of a kind of market – little tents where people set out their wares – as well as a political demonstration of some kind.  After trotting through the square, we got to visit the Palacio Nacional, which is kind of a combination of the Mexican Congress, Government Offices, and Presidential Offices.  It’s pretty much everything except a Presidential Residence (that’s someplace else.)  After the Palacio Nacional, we went to a set of ruins that’s located right in the center of the city called the Templo Mayor.  Because Mexico City was built right on top of the ancient (and HUGE) Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, pretty much anytime someone digs around, ruins or artifacts are discovered.  Apparently in the 1970s they were digging for electricity and hit upon the foundations of one of the largest ceremonial buildings from the city.

So we walked through those and through that museum for an hour or two and got in our ancient history lesson for the day before crossing the street to see the Cathedral that is also located in the center of town.  Unfortunately, we only got to see bits of it because of a celebration and service that were happening when we arrived.  Sooooo – then it was off to lunch!  J

After lunch, we hiked around to see a bunch of different Diego Rivera murals throughout the city (they’re everywhere).  We visited a huge theatre called the Bellas Artes, one museum dedicated just to Diego, and another museum with just one of his works.  It was a busy afternoon.  I don’t know how much you know about Rivera murals (admittedly, I’d only vaguely heard of him before this trip), but the man had OPINIONS.  And he put them into his art.  He also tells huge stories of social and economic and historical change in many of his murals.  I think they’re kind of incredible, and that he must’ve been a pretty fascinating person.

After all of that we headed back to the hotel.  I was filled with good intentions of starting my homework (due Monday, as I write this it’s Sunday evening and I’ve not yet begun…hurm.)  Instead, I went out with a few people to walk around our part of Mexico City, visit a bookstore (in which I bought a few things), and found a lovely bar/restaurant where we had dinner with the locals.  It was a GREAT evening in M�xico.  J 

The next day, Friday, was even busier:

We headed out at 9am again on our trusty little tourbus to travel across town to see the Castle and grounds of Chapultapec.  (For you folks interested in history, Chapultapec was the last Aztec emperor to be defeated by the Spaniards when Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire was finally defeated.  In contrast to Montezuma (called Moctezuma here), Chapultapec is considered a national hero and symbol of resistance to the Spanish Conquest.  Moctezuma is thought of as a weakling who was traitorous in submitting to the Spanish and for appeasing Hern�n Cort�s.  History lesson done.)

The castle is also the place where previous dictators and even (briefly) the king and queen sent over from France lived.  It’s a gorgeous location on top of a huge hill overlooking the city.  The interiors are amazing, the gardens are green and perfect, and the view is spectacular.  Frankly, if I were in the market for a castle, Chapultapec’s pretty much fits anything I might need.  J

After that, we spent the entire rest of the day at the National Anthropology Museum.  This is a HUGE HUGE HUGE museum dedicated to pretty much the entire history, geography, ethnography etc etc etc of M�xico.  It’s kind of like their capital city’s version of the Smithsonian, only it’s mainly focused on (you guessed it) Anthropology.  I loved it.  Our guide spent close to three hours explaining the main exhibits and the parts of history that we’ve already studied in class to us, and then we had a little bit of time to go out and wander on our own.  Out of 24 main halls, we maybe covered 10.  And then buzzed through 10 more.  But it was a wonderful glimpse into the history and people of this country.  I’d love to go back someday and wander about properly.

Saturday:

Whew!  Despite starting to be a little tired out from all of our excursions, we were downstairs and ready to switch hotels at 9:30am on Saturday morning.  We were moving across the city (a 2-hour drive from end to end, though we were more in the middle).  After leaving our luggage at our new hotel, we spent the day going through the museums of Frida Kahlo and Dolores Olmedo.  The Kahlo museum is basically the house, called Casa Azul, where she and her husband/lover/ex-husband/lover Diego Rivera lived.  The other place, the Olmedo Museum, was pretty much the home of one of the very wealthy friends of Kahlo and Rivera and housed all kinds of art, carvings, a small art museum and a weird assortment of animals from peacocks to a kind of hairless dog that is in danger of extinction.  It was an eclectic sort of day.  After that, we got to go on a boat ride in a canal similar to those that might have been used by the Aztecs.  It was a great relaxing end to the day, and I even have video (which will probably be posted to Facebook rather than my blog.) 

Saturday night was group dinner again, after which I almost fell asleep in my soup from all the exciting stuff we’ve been doing!

Today, Sunday:

Ok.  Todaaaaay!  We left our hotel at around 10am to go to a market in one of the neighborhoods nearby.  A “market” here is like a fancier, bigger, higher quality fleamarket.  There are food, clothes, crafts of every size, color, shape and description, supplies…pretty much anything you can think of is available at a market here.  Our group spent about 3 hours checking out this one.

Around 3pm, then, we headed back to our home city of Puebla, and we got here around 5:15.

All in all, I have to say that Mexico City was an amazing “fieldtrip” and is a gorgeous city filled with more activities than one can possible do in 5 short days.  It was absolutely part of this experience that I’ll never forget.


Location: Calzada de Tlalpan, 2043 | Colonia Parque de San Andrés, Mexico City 04040, Mexico