Buttercup's Travels

Mace/Pepper Spray

2008-08-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

So I've recently moved to Brooklyn. While that sounds sound grand to quiet a few of you, let me tell you I haven't moved to Williamsburg, Park Slope, Fort Green or Brooklyn Heights. In fact I've moved to Prospect Heights.

So because of this my roommate and I decided to try out the "mace" (otherwise known as pepper spray because mace isn't actually legal. I hear it melts the eyeballs).

Anyway, we are a walking back from the local bar. As we crossed the "S" tracks, where we weren't supposed to go, my roommate (we will call her Parsnip) decided to try out her father given weapon.

After the initial spray something bad happened. It seems that there was some sort of wind in the air (or none at all as she might have simply walked into it), but Parsnip ended up with an eyeful of mace.

Guess what happened next. Pain. Redness. Need for water. And one call to the cop father. He was very helpful.

Don't worry guys, Parsnip is alright. I think we will have to find her a new weapon.

Camera

2007-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

So during my travels in Iceland, I somehow broke my camera. Of course me, being me, and the amount of work it actually required to get it fixed, (finding the receipt, mailing it in, etc) I didn't do it until the end of December just a few weeks before the one year warranty ran out. Luckily I did get it in on time and then to my surprise it actually got fixed! So props to Nikon and their ability to fix my camera. Sadly you can't take pictures of your camera unless you use another one and it seems like they don't even make mine anymore. Trust me though, its a cutie!

AIM 6.0

2007-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

My older sister dislikes AIM. She finds it ugly and I guess it is. I use it because that's what all my friends use and so I'm forced to use it. (That's a little thing called network externalities).

I'm fairly happy with it until this morning when it told me I should download AIM 6.0 because it was better and had less bugs. So I did. Much to my shock, as most AIM downloads modify the design just a teeny bit, the new AIM looked completely different. It was grayish, had weird away messages things and even weirder IM boxes. So I took it away and stuck with my old version. I'll keep the bugs thank you very much!

Plus I've discovered this great new site meebo.com that lets you sign onto AIM from any computer. It's way cuter I must admit then both AIM Express and normal AIM and it has this amazing feature that lets you sign onto 5 different messaging networks at once, such as MSN and Yahoo! It just made my day when I found out about it.

Back With A Vengeance

2007-01-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

So I know that I haven't blogged since August and I really don't have an excuse other than I didn't have anything exciting to write about. So I've decided to take the word "travels" (as in Buttercup's) and use it in a more figurative way. Travels in its new sense, will not be limited to actually traveling through physical space, but traveling through the endless amount of info, things and life experiences around me. So my blog could now be called "Buttercup Explores Life and Random Things Around Her" but will remain "Buttercup's Travels."

Don't worry though, come March 8, 2007, I'm off to Hong Kong!

Home

2006-08-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am once again back home enjoying the comforts of it. Living in upstate New York, in a very small town, that is what you have; comforts. Perhaps not wild excitement, but true down to earth comforts. So what are some of my comforts of home?

Driving! I love driving sooo, especially on the curvy roads around here, shifting gears and listening to music.

Bulk/Cheap Shopping. Things are upstate I feel are a lot cheaper than in New York. Facewash here can cost you $4. New York it is $6.99. Plus you can fit all those fun, cheaper things you buy into the back of your car.

Food. Sounds lame, but there is nothing like your mother cooking for you. (Though in some cases your sister cooking for you comes pretty close).

My Friends. My high school friends are one of my favorite reasons to come back. To see them, to drive with them, to shop with them, to eat with them, and just basically enjoy the comforts of home with them.

Well now that I'm back I'm loving it. But in one week I shall head out on another travel. This time it will be road trip summer 2K6. And me and two of my friends shall drive to Florida. Oh my.

Flying Home

2006-07-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

As I flew towards home yesterday, I had 5 hours of absolutely nothing to do. So between bouts of reading “Independent People” by Halldór Laxness, talking to the people next to me and staring at the ceiling, I read through Icelandair’s magazine Atlantica. From this I learned quite a few bits of interesting information that I think everyone would be interested in. So it here is:

The Most Expensive Cities in the World are
1. Olso
2. Tokyo
3. Reykjavík

See More Here

There are just over 300,000 people in Iceland and 75% live in Reykjavík.

Of these 300,000, 88% belong to The National Church of Iceland, which is Evangelical Luthern. There is one Roman Catholic Catherdal in Reykjavík.

There is a pilot in Atlanta who will take you up in his private plane so you can join the mile high club and not have to worry about those pesky flight attendents yelling at you to get out of the bathroom.

Edda (my cousin's name) means very old.

There is a travel guide for the country Phaic Tan, which doesn't exist.
Sorry Melly, It's already been done.
See More Here

And that "There is nothing more Icelandic than the shape of Iceland." Or so says the Sage Boutique catalog trying to sell me "The Icelandic Icecube Mould."

Enjoy!

My OC Moment

2006-07-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

During my trip out into the country this weekend I had a moment that could only be described as OC like. A band played in a little hut on the beach. While I've never seen this actually happen in The OC, it most definitely had that feeling. Sadly no Seth Cohen to be seen though....tear.

Icelandic Landscape

2006-07-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Just as the capital city offers a special something, the countryside offers something totally different to the visitor. The Icelandic landscape is the most alien landscape I’ve ever seen. Driving through countryside this weekend, I saw barely any trees, yet that was the least of it. Lava fields stretched for miles, covered in a thin layer of a moss that must have fought like hell to claim its spot on the hard rock. Mountains rose out of the ground all over, and hot springs just hung out on the side of the road. Caves litter the landscape, and if you come to the beach beware of one of the most amazing ocean scenes ever. I wish I could better explain the awesomeness that the Icelandic landscape fills you with. But I can’t. It’s too amazing, too beautiful, and too alien to even attempt past this. You must see it to believe it.

Reykjavík as the Top Summer Party Spot

2006-07-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

As I was singing into my Hotmail account the other day, I noticed a link in the corner of the page where they have a selection of the articles offered on MSN that day. This one was entitled “Top 10 Summer Spots.” As I clinked on the link, I just knew that Reykjavík had to be one of them, I just knew it. And it was

“Of course, our list had to include Scandinavia's coolest summer capital, where midnight golf, mineral spas and hopping nightlife are just some of the season's
remarkable bounty.”

For those of you who haven’t wandered downtown Reykjavík in the wee hours of a weekend morning, it most certainly is a sight to be seen. Just as the light is just as bright at 3 AM as it was at 3 PM, there are just as many people out in the 3 AM timeslot as the 3 PM, if not more. The streets are crowed with Icelanders and visitors alike, wandering from bar, to café, to club, most of them with a certain about of alcohol in their bloodstreams, and everyone having a good time. In Reykjavík you can visit many places in one night. Most of the Reykjavik nightlife is enclosed in the downtown area, with your next stop being no more than a 5 minute walk away. As the clubs and bars overflow with people, the street almost become a new party place, with people drinking, walking to their next stop and all with music pouring out of several different places along the streets.

Reykjavík at night is most certainly a place to experience, and as one of the top summer party places, I certainly recommend it.

Light, at 11:30 at Night!

2006-07-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ode to The Darkness

2006-07-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

If I could write a poem about my love for darkness, I think it would go something like this:

Oh darkness, how I miss thee...
Thy night and thy dark
Thy stars and thy peace
Oh I miss thee...
Thy ability to give me an internal clock and help me get over jet lag
Oh I miss thee...
Thy ability to let me fall asleep at night and not be waken up at 4 in the morning
Oh darkness, how I miss thee...

While it is no Robert Frost, I think it gets my point across, transforms a thought of mine into expression.

Seriously, lots and lots of light doesn't help you sleep and gives you no sense of time what so ever. Right now its 11:30 and its not getting any darker then this.

Oh darkness, how I miss thee.....

Ĕg heiti Nina Soley

2006-07-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today was my second day of Icelandic language class. What do I have to show for it? I have the ability to say hello and my name, the beginning of Icelandic sounds, the knowledge that Icelandic grammar will be as hard as German, if not worse, and a few vocabulary words.

Luckily my class is very small with there only being 10 of us in the class, and my teacher is very nice and smiley, even though she wants us to sing some songs, that make me feel like I’m two. The other people in the class seem very nice, three of them moving over to Iceland for their Icelandic boyfriends…hmmm…Icelandic men huh?

Now I have to work on my pronunciations so that my Icelandic sounds actually make sense. In order to that I have to get over my fear to actually speak Icelandic out loud. I’ve been around Icelandic my whole life, heard it spoken at the dinner table for as long as I can remember, so I know when I’m not saying it correctly. That is the problem; I know that I’ll make a mistake even more I say anything.

I’ve always been obsessed with the Icelandic accent. How Icelanders have the ability to spit out these truly foreign words in such an amazing way, making it sound like music. Well maybe if I can get over my fear, perfect my pronunciations and speak Icelandic, then I can fulfill my lifelong dream of being an Icelandair Stewardess (okay maybe not my life long dream).

Reykjavík At Two In The Morning

2006-07-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

2006-07-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening my sister and I tired to learn a little bit more about Iceland, more along the partying scene. So my sister’s friend took us to a birthday party a few miles out of the city. The party was in a barn, a horse barn to be exact. It was actually pretty nice, with lots of people in a big open space. So as I sat drinking my half liter of Carlsberg, I thought about what I did last weekend, and realized it was pretty much the same. Last weekend I was at a party in a barn, just back home, thousands of miles over the ocean. Maybe Iceland isn’t that different from home….

Afterwards we went out dancing at this club called Oliver’s. So here comes my question, in the summer, in Iceland, the sun never sets. At two in the morning it is pretty much just as light as it was at two in the afternoon. So how do you know when to go home after a night out? If the sun never goes down, it means it never comes up, meaning your whole “OMG its dawn I better go home” thought never kicks in. Hmmm oh well…I guess you just keep going.

Well class starts tomorrow, so I can start learning how to pronounce things. Wish me luck!

Esjan

2006-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Iceland, I Have Arrived

2006-06-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am now officially in Iceland. After a subway, plane, bus and taxi ride I have arrived. I’ve spent the last two days getting settled and fighting off a lovely case of jet lag. The hard thing is that there is 24 hour light here and it makes it ten times to harder to force oneself to go to sleep.

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful sunlight and a warm wind, but today it is rainy. Classes start on Monday, so I have the weekend to have a bit of fun and shake off this internal clock thing.

Summer Solstice

2006-06-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Twice a year a miracle occurs and today is one of those days. An egg will balance on its end. My friend Amy Jo gave me the tip and I managed to do it. She says it has something to do with the axis of rotation. My sister says its witchcraft. Either way its impressive. Try to do it today, because you won't get another chance for another six months.

Photos courtesy of Ulla Kjarval
Amazing Tip courtesy of Amy Jo Gowan

2006-06-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

2006-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Back Home and Off Again

2006-06-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today I've officially been home for a month. I've re-adjusted, seen my friends and family, and enjoyed everything I love about home. I've eaten my fair share of Mexican and Chinese food, enjoyed the long aisles of Wal Marts and other super stores, shopped at malls and relished in the fact that I am again buying things in dollars, no poor terrible exchange rate for me. Yet just as I've re-adjusted, I'm off again. In exactly one week I shall leave home for Iceland, where I shall attempt to learn Icelandic. My sister and I will spend 4 weeks learning basic conversational skills as well as connecting to Iceland in our own ways.

The great thing about London was the fact that it was totally new to me. I stepped off the plane by myself (well I guess with lots of other NYU kids) without any of my family and into a place that I could map out for myself. The nice thing about Iceland will be the fact that I'm already connected to it. I've been there several times, have lots of family there and I am Icelandic. This time I'll be mapping out something that is already a part of me. It will be a new adventure as I try to understand the country that my family comes from and try to connect to it in my own way.

So in the next week, as I repeat the steps I took 5 months ago to prepare myself to leave home, I'll think about what this new journey will do for me and what I'll learn. Buttercup will keep traveling, so tune in.

Things that I learned/learned to love in London

2006-06-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

Excellent Words for Everyday Conversation
Lovely – an excellent way of describing something that was pleasant and nice, “it was lovely”
Brilliant – a great new slang, meaning “amazing,” “great,” even “cool” “Brilliant!”
Cheers – meaning simply thanks, as in after somebody hands you something “cheers”

Pubs
Pubs are amazing for their pints of lager, bitter or stout, and their laid back atmosphere that allows you to simply chill with your mates and have a lovely time. Pub food is also a plus, with fish and chips, bangers and mash, and pies (of the meat kind)!

Double Decker Buses and the #15 Bus in Particular
Buses are an excellent way to see London and to really get a feel of the city. While the tube is a lot faster, the bus is a bargain at only 80 pence with your oyster card, and gives you an amazing view and an actual sense of where you are going.

The #15 Bus was my favorite, as it went from right outside my door all the way to Tower Bridge and The Tower of London, weaving its way through Oxford and Piccadilly Circuses, Trafalgar Square and down The Strand. Gosh I miss it.

As the days pass and I readjust to being home, I begin to miss all the little things about London, the things that made everyday life a little more exciting. But I’m home now and those four months were amazing. So Cheers to London. Drink up!

My Last Days in London

2006-05-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

After my stressfully whirlwind of finals and papers, I had three whole days to enjoy London, before I left for good. I spent those days with a very good friend from home, Chelsea, and we had a blast, seeing my favorite things in London, as well as new.

We first walked around the area of Chelsea. Unlike the one in New York, this one was a quiet area, with a nice river bank and sweet high street. Later we walked through Camden Market, which wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. We saw the main sights, such as Tower Bridge, St. Paul's, etc. and rode the 15 Bus, which allowed us to take my favorite route through London.

We also did quite an impressive pub crawl with my fellow students that lived in the Landward. We were supposed to hit all 16 pubs that stretched all the walk from our apartment building to school. Everyday we had passed them on our way to school, or on our way back in search of our bed to pass out in. So we aimed to hit all of them. I must admit this was quite an impressive goal, as a half pint in all of them wouldn't have been possible for many of us, let alone a full pint. But we made it, and it was like a moving party. Every time the setting got boring you moved on to the next pub, yet you were still surrounded by your friends. It was most definitely an experience and quite fun actually.

My last day was spent in Notting Hill and Portebello Market. We had amazing Bangers and Mash at the Sausage and Mash Cafe, and wandered down the streets peering into the different stalls. Oh Notting Hill, how I miss thee.

So what did I think of London? How could I possibly put 4 amazing months into words? I love London. I miss London. That's all I can really say.

St. Pauls

2006-05-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

After a stressful MOA presentation, I treated my self to a more relaxing afternoon at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

I like cathedrals. They are large, beautiful and give off a sense of peace, yet I paid 8 pounds to get into St. Paul’s (and that was the student price). Now my question is, "Is it okay that a church charge for entry?"

My 8 pounds got me into the church, the crypt and the galleries that stretched 530 feet in the air. I saw the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper can be carried 32 meters to the other side, and an amazing view of London. But 8 pounds to enter a place of worship?

Obviously they need to keep up the church, keep it clean, restore it, make sure the 530 steps to the top are safe, but is charging people the right way to do it? I mean churches are places of refuge, right? Maybe they could have just charged for the climb or at least not charged anywhere near to 8 pounds. Or maybe it should have been free. That's a thought. Oh well, I joined the masses and paid my 8 pounds and enjoyed the climb and especially the view.

Oh and that’s me in front of St. Paul’s.

Is it Worth it?

2006-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of sight-seeing in London (plus a little bit of Dublin), I’ve seen my fair share of touristy sights. So I’ve come up with the question of “Is it worth it?” Is it worth to brave the crowds, stand in the queues and pay a large sum of money (made even worse by the terrible dollar/pound exchange rate)? So here are my reviews.

Tower of London
A hefty 15 pound sum and you can wander around the Tower of London for an afternoon. It’s filled with history, legends and people. If you like history I say go for it, and you perhaps you should do it once in your life. Yet be aware of one thing. I thought it was pretty badly marked, there is no set path for you to follow and very little info posted at each sight. Avoid this problem by spending lots more money on a guide book (seriously can’t anything be included these days?), getting an audio guide, or joining up with one of the free, but filled people tours, as soon as you walk in.

London Eye
For the normal price of 13 pounds, you can get a ticket to ride this giant Ferris wheel opened for the Millennium celebrations. Not only do you get a 30 minute “flight” you also get to queue for 30 minutes as well! Oh joy! Save money and time by getting your tickets on line. The views are amazing I will admit and its a lot of fun being up that high, but I also here you can get the same effect from St. Paul’s, Tower Bridge or Primrose Hill.

London Aquarium
Not worth the money. No matter how much you like fish and sharks, I felt like all you paid for was the chance to pet a stingray and is 11 pounds really worth it?

Tower Bridge Exhibition
More amazing views of London and info on how the Tower Bridge was built and how it works. One of the cheaper things to do (5.50 pounds), you could substitute this for the London Eye.

Churchill War Rooms and Museum
Like Churchill? Like the thought of bunkers and secret plans? Then come here and bring your 11 pounds and spend the day in the past.

Changing of The Guards
Lots of people, a little bit of marching and music? Being squished against a gate? Never again I say, though it was free, but hey time is money. Only worth if it you get to see the Queen drive out of the Palace, which is highly unlikely, unless you are one of those lucky few.

Greenwich, The Royal Observatory and Canary Wharf

2006-04-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a gorgeous day here in London. Spring has arrived with blue skys, bright sun and a steady breeze. In order to make the most of it, my roommate and I headed out to Greenwich, an area across the river in Southeast London. After a confusing tube/DLR ride we walked under The Thames through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. It was odd to think that you were actually walking under the river and the question of will this cave-in on us was definitely bigger. Arriving in Greenwich we were immediately confronted with the Cutty Sark, the last of the tea clippers. Walking through the streets of Greenwich, I felt like I was in small, quaint village many miles away from London, rather than being simply across the river. Greenwich has the most amazing park, with tree lined paths and plenty of open spaces, to lie or play. A giant hill stands in the middle, with The Royal Observatory perched on top, like something out of one of those old Disney movies, which is in a good way.

The Royal Observatory is worth a visit if you are interested in the Prime Meridian and wish to stand on either side of it or learn about how it came to be. But one of the best reasons to climb the hill, and trust me its quite a climb, is for the view. The view of London (see above) is amazing and on a clear day like we had, it was spectacular. I really can't describe the feeling you get, being high above London and seeing for miles.

After we had taken in all the views we could, we headed back down into Greenwich to get lunch at Goddard's Pie House. We got a meat pie, mash and gravy for only 2 pounds! 2 pounds! For those of you who don't live in London, 2 pounds for a hot meal, that isn't take away, is pretty much unheard of. I'm not one of those people who prides myself on finding the cheapest deals, meals or anything, but I still think 2 pounds is pretty impressive.

Greenwich is a small place, but does hold a lot. You can wander along the river, eat a cheap lunch, visit the park, Royal Observatory and The Old Naval College, The National Maritime Museum and even something called the Fan Museum, which from what I read is just a collection of fans....if you're interested. Yet we had enough of Greenwich and headed back on the DLR (Docklands Railway) to Canary Wharf.

Canary Wharf is this new collection of skyscrapers,(I think they are skyscrapers being outside of New York for so long anything tall looks like one), outside the center of London. It's supposed to be the new business area, holding Bank of America, Citigroup, HSBC etc. It looks more like a sci-fi city. Everything is gleamingly new and futuristic and definitely has the hum of business. If your in search of the London businessman in his pinstriped suit try here, for not only will you find plenty I think you will appreciate the buildings.

So Greenwich is worth a visit for its small village feel, park and two pound lunch. Check out The Royal observatory for the views and Canary Wharf if you want to feel like your in the future.