BBC Licensing Fees

So I was reading an article that talked about the BBC licensing fees - what British people pay yearly for access to the BBC. There was a little detail in there that caught my eye, and I don't know what to make of it:

"The cost of the licence fee is set by the government. It is free for people over 75 and half-price for those registered blind."

Why half?

...Oh.

Belfast

-- pictures from Belfast --

I can now say I've hit all the countries within the UK, because last weekend I went to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We made our way over via a 1 hour flight -- the flight itself was easy, but getting to the airport and dealing with security and such is a pain. The city is interesting because it's partly similar to others I've visited -- the scenery is reminiscent of Scotland, and the combination of old architecture and new industrial is somewhat like Cardiff. However, there's a different atmosphere in parts of Belfast, because of the Northern Ireland conflicts... we passed a block of buildings that had been burned down due to fighting as recently as 2000

Our first full day in town, we went on a 'black cab tour.' There are a number of cab drivers in town who will take you on a tour of the city, and so we did this with two girls we met at the hostel. Walter, an elderly Irish man, told us stories about "the troubles" -- the local term used by people who didn't participate in the fighting. We saw both sides of town, the gates that separate them, and the murals painted on both sides

Belfast also has lots of areas with history similar to that of the rest of the UK - there's a cathedral, a city hall, and all the standard town areas that we've found elsewhere. Our hostel was right near the Queen's University, which had lots of large gothic-looking buildings. The second day we visited a variety market and wandered around town, and that evening we went to the Christmas market and admired all the lights

I split off on my own for the final full day, and went to Cave Hill park / Belfast Castle. It was about a 20 minute bus ride out of town, partway up a series of hills. The castle was rather fairytale-like, with silly cat statues in the garden and bits of pink trim. There were 3 trails through the park, and I set out on the middle one, which was supposed to take about an hour. However, it wasn't that well marked, and I soon realized that I was back where I started. Being unsatisfied with that, I started up the longest (and most difficult) trail, mostly so that I could go higher up the hill and get a better view of the city. I continued along for an hour or so, and got to where I could see all of Belfast spread out below me in the valley around the bay. There are pictures in the gallery. At this point, however, it was going to be rough going back the way I had came -- it had rained a bit, and my Chucks weren't exactly made for trekking down a steep hillside. I was debating my options when another hiker came along - a man with his two dogs. I asked if he knew a different route back down, without traveling the full length of the trail (which would have taken me several more hours). He pointed out the way, so by cutting across a field I ended up making my way back down with relative ease. Whew. It was quite enjoyable - I suppose even worth the hassle of flying.

I think I just lost two friends, but...

...gained one ticket to see Eddie Izzard in London on December 3rd.

(and I know exactly what he was saying when this screencap was taken -- "have I left the gas on?")

When I get a bit more motivated, I'll write about the past weekend in Belfast

You are not going to believe...

...who I am going to see in London on December 3rd.

And I'm not going to tell you until I get back from Belfast, hah!

Cardiff

-- pictures from Cardiff (normal) --
-- pictures from Cardiff (exceedingly geeky) --

Another weekend, another adventure -- this time in Wales. One of the first things we (me and Beth) did was to go to the Cardiff castle, which basically has everything you would want from a castle plus an extremely dramatic intro video. The rooms were lavishly decorated, the keep was ancient and awesome, and it was generally much better than the Nottingham castle. We explored the neighboring park, the city hall area with its winter ice rink, the waterfront, and pretty much all the major attractions.

Saturday I had to make a slight detour on my own... a bit of a science fiction pilgrimage. Cardiff is the home of Doctor Who, which is the British classic scifi. Step one was the Doctor Who Exhibit: home to costumes and monsters from the new seasons of the show. Step two was to buy myself a tiny TARDIS (time machine in the shape of a blue British police box). Step three was lingering around the Millennium Centre and some of the nearby buildings, which have all been filming locations. Step four was to take silly photos with my new toy (I only took one so far, but more will come).

That night, the Christmas tree by the waterfront was being lit for the first time, so there was a bit of a festival to go along with that. We hung out in the area, got some take-away fish and chips, and rather leisurely concluded our time in Wales.

Other highlights of the weekend include helping a new acquaintance from Iowa braid red dreadlocks into her hair for the Wales versus Canada rugby game, watching Meet Joe Black and Zoolander, and enjoying the delicious granola that came with our hostel breakfast.

London, part three

-- picture from London --

I got somewhat distracted and forgot to record my third adventure in London. I'm going to make it rather brief... I arrived on a Friday afternoon, and found my hostel -- converted from nurse's accommodations for a nearby hospital. I spent the evening wandering around central London, including spending a good couple hours in the Tate Modern art gallery. Saturday morning was spent in the excellent Camden market, which is an artsy eclectic maze. The afternoon was with my art history class in the 17th century French art section of the National Gallery, and the evening was spent seeing 6 Characters In Search of an Author, which turned into one of the most surreal experiences of my life. The market was amazing, the gallery was crowded but impressive (oh, look -- a Van Gogh... a Da Vinci...), and the play was just fantastic. Sunday morning I headed back to Nottingham

Two nations separated by a common language

I recently received some mail from my bank. I had very carefully given them my UK address over the phone, and was pleased to see that it had been sent to Knotting Ham University