Airport Acrobatics

Jeremy and I have a 0730 flight from Stansted, so the obvious thing is the dreaded airport hotel.  The Radisson Blu, in our case because it is walking distance from the terminal.

We got to the hotel, and from the check in area you can see the top of a blue backlit tower with dark objects in it.  A three story high tower in the middle of the atrium, enclosed in pexiglass.  "What is that?" asked Jeremy.  Since of course I didn't know, I gave a standard (i.e., ridiculous) fatherly answer: "Wine rack."

The joke was on me.  It is a wine rack.

Wine is retrieved acrobatically, and artistically, on wires, by the staff.  Magically floating up, swimming back down headfirst, walking on the glass like Spider-Man...

Almost made it worth the drink prices.

Happy in Helmsley

This is a young man who has just finished elevenses (cream tea, in his case).

Jeremy and the Prince of Wales

Is any other explanation needed?

Seafood and Smiles

Jeremy and I are travelling to Darlington, and between the 11:30 flight on a budget airline and the world's slowest border control line at Stansted, we were too late for any sort of proper lunch.  We pushed on (with a light snack) until we could find a restaurant open for an early dinner in one of the many towns into which we were deserted by motorway construction.

Loch Fyne might be a chain, but their seafood was superb and exactly what was needed by hungry travelers.

Anticipation

Scallops for Starters

These were my starter Scottish mussels

Jeremy got the main course size!

Street scene

Jeremy came back in with a rather bemused expression, saying that for some reason, there was a musician playing right outside our door...complete with a live dove strutting around.

Obviously, not to be missed. Truthfully, I'd been hearing strains for a while, but had assumed it was our neighbor's music.

Calling Michael, we dashed down for a quick look.

The dove wandered freely. When cars came along, bystanders encouraged it to hop onto the curb.

My first impressions

The first week of lessons went by like a flash; we are starting to get homework and really dive into things. So far, my lessons have all been really interesting (amazing what happens when the professors are interested in their subject).

We have had three algebra lectures, three calculus lectures, two computer science lectures and one  "mind machine" lecture. The algebra lectures are very good, but also very fast paced, which I find amusing because Dr. Grant talks more slowly and calmly than Dr. Hepworth, but still seems to go a lot faster. I really like listening to Dr. Hepworth; he is a really good teacher because he gets very excited during the lessons and makes you want to get involved. So far, I've known a lot of stuff that he's talked about, but I still get little odd tricks that I can already tell will make my life easier in the future.

Really, the hardest course to follow has been the one on the principles of computer programming and I'm pretty sure that is because it's easier to understand when you get more hands-on with it. I am sure that it doesn't help to have all of the lectures at the end of the day at the end of a week. Also the professor tends to be a bit of a rambler, who has a tendency to read the slides out loud, which makes him harder understand. In my math courses, the teachers write everything down by hand. You wouldn't think this makes much of a difference, but it really does. It slows the lectures down to a pace where you can take notes, and encourages a steady stream of logic from one mini topic to the next, instead of a jump from one slide on a mini topic to a slide on the next mini topic.

Unfortunately, my mind machine course also uses slides, but the lecturer is better at connecting one to the next. It is a fascinating course on the brain and what makes you you. It really is quite something. There are a lot of scientific terms to learn, but I think I'm going to stick with it because it really is interesting.

Today, I have my first practical for my computer programming course and I am a little bit nervous about that because I heard that homework was going to start coming up but I can't find anything with a due date on it  (or any that I can do any of the problems on) so I'm hoping that they will let us know a bit more in detail about what all we have to do. Apart from that, I have two other lectures, one in algebra, one in calculus.  And that is it for the day.

Ciao,

Florence

1000x White Night

Last Christmas, we were very impressed with the ice-skating rinks and Santa's house, and discovered it had been organized by a group called "LOOP," a new citizens' initiative to plan fun events. This time, they had an incredibly ambitious goal: open air dinner for 1000 in the piazza, all dressed in white. For 30 euros per person, you got:

Antipasto: Mozzarella mousse with prosciutto, melon, and figs
First courses: Carnaroli rice with porcini and strioli mushrooms
                       Ricotta and zucchini torte with tomato puree
Second course: Larded pork loin
Side dish: Roast potatoes with rosemary flowers
Dessert: millefeuille with pastry cream

Of course, wine would be served (three types) without limit.

Not knowing whether Michael would be in town (and, frankly, chickening out on the "all in white" instructions, since the most I could summon without shopping would be a white T), we didn't purchase tickets. That said, it has been a wonderful event to see come together, and clearly the participants are having a blast!

Arriving into the piazza, the sisters of the bar have their white decorations!

Tables! Chairs! All white!

Clearly, no plastic or paper...a classy event for sure!

They even screen part of their staging area...the Voltoni

The Voltoni from above

Getting ready!

The band was practicing behind the screen

 

And streamers to match the theme!

Arrivals...in white from head to toe!

 Michael and I were impressed by how many people were able to come up with fully white outfits...how many men in the US own white pants plus white shoes? White shirt, okay, but the whole shebang? Although we did note with amusement while we were sitting at dinner in a local restaurant (and not wearing white) that a group of people came walking up in their white disposable painters' outfits...

It is now 11:30 p.m. and the music has started for real. There are videos all over my Facebook feed of the participants dancing, complete with lit phones!

Love,

Alexandra