I can’t believe it. I’ve officially been abroad for a month and the utterly surreal feeling hasn’t gone away. I still walk around campus marveling at everything I pass, and I smile each time the bus takes me into town. What’s even more bizarre is the fact that I still have 5!!! months here. Ridiculous.
As far as school goes, I took a mini field trip with my Milton seminar class to the York Minster Palace Library Archives today. I was a bit late because I forgot it does actually take a while to get into town on the bus, but nevertheless I got there in time to see and touch some really old books. We looked at a few books whose authors touched on major themes reflected in Paradise Lost as well as an extremely old copy of Paradise Lost itself. We had to be careful with the delicate pages and the fragile binding, and the entire time we were in a reading room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves packed with old books. So cool. I couldn’t take any pictures, but the university website has this one of the inside which gives you an idea.
It was cool. Walking to the library gave me a really neat view of the backside of the Minster and Dean’s Park that I was walking through. Here are some of the shots I snapped on my little walk through
Gahh so pretty. The grass was still a bit icy from the below zero temperatures the night before but the sun was shining bright and the sky was clear as you can see.
Here are some more pictures I’ve taken of the outside of the Minster since I’ve been here.
It’s pretty spectacular, and quite hard to fit into a frame by itself but I’ll keep trying. After our library visit today, I sat outside the Minster and had some lunch on a little bench.
See? (That lady behind me is confused why I’m taking a picture. I don’t care)
Now to wrap things up with bulleted highlight blurbs!
- I cannot seem to make nail polish stay on my nails longer than 2 days. It’s lame.
- It’s been really cold the last two days. Like bone chilling cold; with below freezing temperatures at night and barely above during the day AND slight winds which make it so much worse. But it just means more layers!
- I’m starting to become familiar with slang here. Some things just can’t be explained so I’ve just been picking up things here and there. It’s kind of fun
- My sinuses are all messed up again because the weather changed. Oh well
- Spray on deodorant is slightly exciting.
- Their chips here (french fries) always need salt for me.
- I found a patisserie while wandering through town today that had absolutely fantastic looking desserts. I plan to go back and have an afternoon of sampling while reading.
- It’s Wizard Week at the National Railway Museum here in York starting next weekend and I’m so excited! (More info here: http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/wizardweek2012.aspx)
- Boys talked to me at the club last night. Sweet. I’m not completely unappealing.
- I need to do laundry again but it’s quite expensive. Ahh well what can you do.
- I have re-discovered my ability to nap again recently and it has been wonderful.
- I’ve been having Disneyland withdrawals but then I remembered that I’m going to visit Disneyland Paris soon and felt better.
- There’s a gnarly bruise on my thigh from someone bumping me into a table while I was out and it hurts really bad and is turning all sorts of fun colors.
- My bulletin board will soon have a border on it. Pictures will be taken!
- Having friends here really is the most magical thing. I love having people to talk to; both my hallmates and my girlfriends. Fantastic I tell you.
- Now to turn in for an early night.
- Playlist for this post: William Fitzsimmons and Bon Iver
wanderingandnotlost 