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Day 34: Onions

Written by Strategist on the 10th of August 2010 at 01:54

We went for an easy time hangin' around London today. I had to visit the Victorinox Flagship Store in New Bond Street - just to watch. Other than that we spent some time in Hyde Park and just walking the Streets of London. In the evening we went to Covent Garden for a bite. Not a particularly cheap one. Neither exceptionally good. Too much onions...or was it duck!?

Also, I found a statue of Dwight Eisenhowe,r while walking the streets at random east of Hyde Park. However, just as I was about to grab my camera and take a picture, I noticed the big, gray, fenced-in building right behind it. With the eagle on top and the level of security there was no doubt. Taking pictures near the U.S embassy usually gets you into a lot of unwanted trouble, so I restrained myself from doing so.

Day 34: Onions

1. Inception that we watched yesterday is not, as I had hoped, a film that has you pondering the meaning of life, the universe, and everything for days. However, I practically stumbled upon this illustration of the major plot-hole in the movie today. One out of several.
2. I saw the grave of the anonymous soldier in Paris. In London they have a memorial to all the anonymous animals that has died in war.
3. "This sign is temporary." "The next sentence is true. The previous sentence was false."
"Just take it down when you're finnished will you!"
Random.

HQ
Day 33rd: Inception

Day 33rd: Inception

Written by Strategist on the 9th of August 2010 at 02:15

It's Sunday...Oh well. Not any more. *looking at clock*

Anyways. On Sundays, shops and stuff is generally closed, making this a day for leisure, whether you wish it or not. We certainly called for the leisure part, staying most of the day in close proximity to our beds and our hostel room.

In the evening, however, we decided to leave our rooms headed for Leicester Square. Well there, we found Odeon West End Cinema (not hard) and ordered tickets for the screening of Inception at 20:30.

After eating across the square at a Mexican place called..eh...something, we returned to the cinema. Watching the movie was thus about all we had time to do today, as it was late into the night (depending on definition) when we exited the Cinema.

The movie Inception was alright. Not that awesome that people has claimed all the way since the premiere, but certainly worth watching. It wasn't by far as deep as people has claimed. Rather quite meh'. But still it had an interesting plot.
I approve.

HQ

Day 32nd: Tour de IB

Written by Strategist on the 8th of August 2010 at 05:20

One of our wishes, that we didn't expect to get into realization on this particular trip, was to go to Wales. However, today we went to Cardiff, Wales.

Being a decision taken late last night, we didn't really have any detailed plan for our stay in Cardiff. However, Cardiff is the location of the IB Curriculum and Assessment Center, where they do lots of stuff that have to do with the International Baccalaureate (I8) Diploma Programme that all three of us have spent most of the last two years to complete. Having already visited our IB Coordinator in her home in France earlier on on our trip, we found it intriguing also to have seen the site from where such a significant part of our education has been managed. Too bad we didn't go to Geneva, to see the IBO Headquarters, earlier on, or this would have made our "Tour de IB" complete.

We couldn't exactly expect there to be any reception committee to welcome us, on a Saturday afternoon. Other than that we didn't know exactly what sight would await us, other than probably not a spectacular one, nor a tourist magnet. Anyways, we went there; as always; for the lulz.

Our arrival to Cardiff Center Railway Station, after two hours train-sitting, dragged out till almost four o'clock. Leaving little possibility that anyone would be there, even if they did have office hours on Saturdays.

Getting from the railway-station to Cardiff Gate Business Park, where had a vague idea that the IB would be locate, proved to come with more hardships however. The bus that were supposed to take us to the location didn't go all the way to Cardiff Gate in the Weekends, thus the very friendly and helpful welsh bus driver dropped us off somewhere within proximity, with some rather vague directions for where to take the road from there.

For me this somewhat experimental walking of cul-de-sacs was extra strenuous as the blister that has grown on my little toe for a month now, reached proportions yesterday close to the size of the host toe and consequentially burst, leaving a large raw area, covering most of my toe, that caused some serious irritation, leaving me less apt to walk.

Our walk took us through the bush, and onto paths that absolutely didn't look like they led to a Business Park. In the end however, we found and crossed the main road and entered the area where we hoped the IB would be located somewhere.

We found the building, photographed it, and left to find the return bus, going all the way back to the bus stop.

Once back in Cardiff we wanted to see some of the city's other wonders. After eating at Weatherspoon, we walked to Cardiff Castle, an old fortification with a history going back all the way to the Romans and before. However, entrance was impossible as admittance to the castle ended five hours earlier. Not a big surprise, but we had to settle for images taken from the outside.

Once back on the station, we were told that the last train to London had just left, causing some worry until we were told that we could still catch a connecting train that would allow us to change in Bristol.

Day 32nd: Tour de IB

1. BRAAIIIINS!
2. Obviously somebody didn't want us to enter their premises. Don't think they had any apples either.
3. Amazingly this path actually led us to the Business Park.
Oh. And also there were bunnies. Runnin' over the field. Didn't manage to capture a photo good enough to show you guys however. My apologies. Bunnies are always win.
4. The IB finally there. End station of Tour de International Baccalaureate.
5. Breaking and entering? Nah. Sightseeing.
6. No smoking.
7. We took a little rest in their garden behind the building.
8. Beware; "This scheme is controlled by the IB." Conspiracies...
9. Smoker's cage?
10. -The IBO is watching you.
11. Viewpoint.
12. Anyone want horses? Horses provided.
13. Cardiff Castle in background.
14. These welsh people actually laughed at our hats. Considering several of them were carrying giant inflated balloon cocks around, our hats shouldn't be that funny. Not to mention all the fire-fighter's costumes and playboybunnies we saw around central Cardiff. Apparently this wasn't even a special occasion for funny dressing, but an ordinary Saturday afternoon.
15. ...
16. Does that mean it's allowed on all other trains? At least we met some really festive people on our train journey back to Paddington.

Day 31st: Stonehenge

Written by Strategist on the 7th of August 2010 at 03:11

Heard the Pope was in town, and just had to get out...

Well. It turns out his visit to the UK isn't until mid September. And anyway we wouldn't have minded getting a glimpse. Miracle healing, or not. Rather, the reason for us leaving London this day was the upcoming expiring of our Interrail-tickets, and a wish to see Stonehenge, one of Britain's primary worthwhile wonders.

We can't be charged with having a sightseeing-friendly Circadian rhythm, and thus we didn't actually get to Salisbury until about two, half three o'clock. After eating a cheap lunch, that would have cost a fortune in central London, we boarded the last tour-bus of the day and went to Stonehenge at £15 per person, entrance included.

We spent roughly an hour at the historical site, taking approximately 600 pictures... (Which is crazy now that I think about it). Then we jumped the last bus back to Salisbury railway station, boarded our train back to Waterloo Station (London, not Belgium), and ate a meal at Leicester Square before returning to our Hostel, Equity Point.

I love London City!<3<3<3

Day 31st: Stonehenge

1. We're, like, almost sure we were founded in the 19th century. Cirka. Give or take a hundred years.
2. Draw me a circle and call it a roundabout.
3. First impression when entering the premises of Stonehenge is that it looks like a randomly assembled heap of stones. Not the best angle so to say.
4. Now however the sheer magic of Stonehenge is projected at full force. I personally hope aliens erected them... For the lulz.
5-6. We've now practically traveled through the whole of Europe making lulz about the local attempts at English. Didn't expect to be making fun of the English's own English skills though. Our hostel has breakfast in the "dinning room", and toilets labeled "male and female toilets". Maybe "disabled toilets" actually have a function.
7. All other countries we have been in have had cylindrical hay-balls.

Day 30th of interraili'n

Written by Strategist on the 5th of August 2010 at 23:21

I've now been interraili'n for 30 days through Europe. I've been travelling through Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, France, and I'm now in England. For all you Scandinavians frequenting this part of Gamereactor, check out my log for the journey thus far here: http://www.gamereactor.no/blog/strategist/
Now that I've finally arrived in London for the last part of my interrail-holiday, I will be writing in English and posting here on the international forum as well. Hope y'all enjoy

We left Paris early in the morning, at 9:13am, our earliest departure thus far on this journey, using our "free tickets" for the Eurostar train at 89 Euro each. Arrival time was 10:34am (GMT+1). Though there was nothing special about the crossing under the canal, it is a really smooth and convenient way of traveling, though expensive. The construction of this tunnel was like making real the dreams of Napoleon.

Now we are sitting in our room discussing options for where in London to get a bite.

Day 30th of interraili'n

If traveling by Eurostar, just remember that the train has emergency entrances. Just in case you ever want to access the train while it's burning or something like that.