Angel of the North with Kadda and Bee

I haven't updated my blog in awhile because I've been studying and working and while that's all well and good, it doesn't make for very good pictures.

A few weeks ago, before all the snow arrived in Newcastle, Kadda, Bee and I went to go check out the Angel of the North. It is a really big steel statue and tourist attraction.

The statue is exactly how you would imagine it. It was nice to see, but we got bored of it pretty quickly.

Luckily, I had my camera so our visit to the angel turned into a photo shoot!

Bee is a dentist and PhD candidate. But even more impressively, she's a climber - rocks, trees, you name it, she'll climb it. :P

Kadda and Bee are roommates. :)

My turn to climb the tree! I didn't make it very far. But I sure tried!

Time to test the camera colour swap function.

Kadda is going to be an excellent teacher. As you can see, she's authoritative and fun!

And here's me!

It was a lovely afternoon for a photo shoot. And now we can check off the Angel of the North from our 'must see' list.

Edinburgh, Scotland

For Halloween Scott and I went to Edinburgh for the weekend. This video is a summary of our trip. It is also my first attempt at video editing (my geeky side on display). I hope you like it!

Chatsworth House - as seen in Pride and Prejudice (2005)

This weekend I went to visit Scott. For my visit, he planned a trip to the English countryside to see Chatsworth House. You've probably seen Chatsworth House before. It was Mr. Darcy's Pemberley in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and it was also in the Duchess.

We toured the house and the gardens, both were stunning. This was the first room we saw, the dining room.

The house had quite an art collection - paintings, statues, modern, traditional...you name it, they had it. This was one of my favourites. The statue is white marble, even the veil.

A view of the grounds from the window. We were lucky and just missed the rain.

I took this picture because it reminded me of Harry Potter. I should note that most things in Britain remind me of Harry Potter.

A gorgeous library! Both mine and Scott's favourite room of the house.

After the interior, we went to see the gardens which had some modern art features.

Scott and I never go anywhere without a food plan. Today it was crackers and cheese and chocolate champagne truffles picked up from the gift shop. *heaven*

After snacks, we tried our luck in the maze, but failed. We're convinced there wasn't an attainable centre. This disappointment was lessened by the lovely water features.

The next day we went on the Sheffield-eye. According to Scott, it's less of an engineering feat than the London-eye not only because of its size, but because in London, the pods are on the outside of the frame.

On our way up! And the end of our lovely weekend!



Exploring Newcastle

I've been in Newcastle now for about two weeks (time flies!). I haven't done much studying yet, but I have done a lot of exploring and organizing. The University has put on lots of events to welcome students, both local and international. I went to a particularly fancy one, the Vice-Chancellor's reception, at the city hall. The mayor welcomed us, and of course the Vice-Chancellor was there (what's a Vice-Chancellor?). There were about 500 students and they fed all of us, which was great!

For the past two weekends I've made a day trip out to the sea side - once with friends and once with Scott. When you think of England, you don't normally think of sandy beaches, but voila! Tyneside is a popular surfing destination...wet suits required.

Here we are munching on fish and chips. Micheal (left) is originally from Sweden but has lived in Newcastle for the past five years. He was our tour guide. :)

We're cold, but happy it isn't raining. Santiago (left) is my flatmate, then there's me, Katharina and Beatta (right) are from Germany and share a flat.

When I visited Tyneside with Scott we browsed the weekend market. It's a great mixture of antiques, collectables, artisan foods and sweets. Needless to say, I was in my element.

I bought this fantastic little teapot for £10. It was made in the USSR which dissipated in 1991 so it's at least 20 years old. I just love it! It is the perfect size to make 2 cups of tea - bliss.

 Scott and I split a pizza for lunch. The fish and chips are just a little too greasy for my liking.

For the remainder of the weekend we explored Newcastle and bought rain gear. Here I am on my uni's campus before I bought my rubber boots and umbrella - no more wet feet for me!



Scott and I went down to the quay. I admired the view; he admired the structural engineering. xo

Here we are on the Millenium Bridge. In the background to the left is the Sage art centre and behind us in the background is the Tyne bridge. And yes, that's the Tyne river.

I went exploring with Kadda and B earlier. Here they are on the quay with the Millenium bridge in the background.

I'm very much enjoying my new city. Some of the locals have really thick 'geordie' accents and can be difficult to understand, but for the most part it isn't an issue. Everyone is really friendly and I'm starting to get used to saying to-mah-toe.

Newcastle University Accommodation

I am now settled into my dorm. It has a few quirky features so I decided to make a quick video to show you instead of trying to write a description. I will say though that I am very pleased with my accommodation and that Newcastle University will not be receiving a complaint letter. In fact, they've surpassed my expectations. They even provided cutlery, dishware, and cookery for the kitchen.

Sheffield, England - Scott's New City!

I haven't written in my blog for quite some time. This is mostly because I haven't been up to anything particularly interesting, until now. Scott and I are studying in England.He is attending the University of Sheffield for his Master's in Mechanical Engineering and I am attending Newcastle University for my Master's in Media and Public Relations.

It was a very long and budget flight, but we made it!

As a side note, if you are planning a transatlantic flight you should be aware that Thomas Cook does not provide good entertainment, food or comfort. They get you to where you need to go, but it is uncomfortable.

We flew into Manchester and took the bus to Sheffield. When we arrived we were exhausted and quickly went to our hotel, the Harley. 

 After a 14 hour sleep (5pm-7am) we were starving! Luckily, breakfast was included with our stay and it was a very large breakfast. Scott ordered the traditional English breakfast. It included lots of meat, grease and a dollop of beans. I had the vegetarian breakfast which consisted of over-cooked tomatoes and deep friend veggie dumplings. It was delicious! We were so full we didn't eat again until dinner.

After breakfast we walked around Sheffield and got acquainted with the city and Scott's campus. Here we are in downtown Sheffield.

Then we walked to the University of Sheffield to get Scott's dorm key. On our way there we passed a botanical garden and decided to check it out. It was very British. 

Then we got down to business. Scott's dorm is quite large for a dorm room and it has an ensuite bathroom and double bed. Here he is outside his building. His room is on the top floor (4th).

Overall the dorm is fine, but we had a few complaints: the mattress was really uncomfortable (luckily this was easily solved by buying a mattress topper), and the room was dirty. It clearly has not been repainted recently and the bathroom needs recaulking. We cleaned it as best we could. But if I find my dorm in a similar condition (which I suspect I might), Newcastle University accommodation can expect a strongly worded letter. At international student rates, I expect nothing less than sparkling.

After some tidying up and a quick makeover, Scott's dorm was looking much nicer. Here are the before and after shots:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

The change wasn't too dramatic. But given our time and budget, I'd say it looks much nicer and Scott will be nice and cozy. I'm looking forward to decorating my dorm tomorrow!

And a few more pictures. Here is the view from Scott's room.

Overall, for a large, industrial city, Sheffield is quite nice. There are lots of trees and parks. However, its industrial heritage is also evident and it still has a strong 'blue-collar' feel. Never the less it has lots of cute, brick buildings and I even managed to find a Starbucks!