Our First Independent Weeked

The Monday-Thursday class schedule of the program is designed to allow for independent travel over the long weekend and many took advantage of this opportunity right away.  Some went back to London to catch a few Wimbledon matches, others went to Edinburgh, Scotland among other places.  Hopefully those who went will send me something to share about their experiences this weekend.  

        I personally spent the weekend with the Cambridge ultimate frisbee team at the UK Mixed Tour 2 event in Burton-upon-Trent.  Our team, the Strange Blue, were seeded 8th in the tournament, which meant saturday would consist of peer-pool play against other top eight teams.  We started off with a hard fought 10-13 loss to the Thundering Herd, then lost to Emu on universe point after taking a 3-0 lead to start the game, and finally were defeated by top seed Chevron by a significant margin in the third game of the day.  Many of the teams, including ours, camped at the tournament site. Sunday we began bracket play for 5th place.  We lost our first game to Leeds, but then rallied in our second game to beat the Bristol Plastic Factory, only to lose in the 9th place rematch against Emu.  It was fun, and definitely different to experience the UK mixed club ultimate scene.

        Tonight was the final match of the Euro Cup between Spain and Germany.  The Carleton contingency was divided between the Homerton pub and the Earl of Derby, but all were treated to a great match as  Liverpool man Fernando Torres scored the lone goal and the Spaniards hung on to win the title.

Excursion I: East Anglia

Yesterday was the first of several excursions into the english countryside to explore the history and culture of this great country.  We were joined by our tour guide Janet, who was full of energy and knowledge, even if we were not.   We started out the day just on the outskirts of Cambridge at the American Military Cemetery.  This memorial to the men and women who gave their lives in the second world war contains the graves of over 3000 Americans, and a great wall with the names of over 5000 more whose bodies have never been recovered.  

        Our next stop was the town of Ely to the northeast, where we were given a tour of the Ely Cathedral. This magnificent structure was constructed in the 11th century as a shrine to Etheldreda, or St. Audrey.  Over the ensuing centuries, parts of the cathedral/monastery were destroyed and reconstructed, resulting in a peculiar blend of architectural styles and features, most notably the "octagon lantern" of the central tower.  We were allowed to climb up to the top of the lantern to view the cathedral from the perspective of the many archangels that adorn the walls.  

        After lunch in Ely, we then proceeded to the town of Bury-St. Edmunds in the neighboring county of Suffolk to the east.  There Janet took us through the ruins of a great abbey at the town's center.  It was in the church of this abbey where in 1214 the barons of England met to force King John (the one in Robinhood) to accept the Charter of Liberties, which influenced the creation of the Magna Carta.  In addition to this event of great historical significance, the town is also known for having the smallest pub in all of Britain, called the Nutshell, which is about as big as a modest walk-in closet.  A few members of the group, upon Janet's instance of course, indulged in a pint before we had to get back on the bus.

        The final stop of our tour was to the town of Lavenham, a quaint medieval relic in the heart of Suffolk.  The town was a booming wool town in the 13th-15th centuries, and a majority of the town's timber-framed architecture has remained intact to this day.  After a quick walk about the town, we were treated to a proper English afternoon tea at the Swan Hotel.  Spreading butter, jam, then cream on a scone is an art that very few of us mastered on the first attempt. 

Today we continued our coursework on industrial revolution, and finished the morning with our first lecture on Contemporary British Economy from Solomos Solomou.  This being our final class of the week, we then had the much anticipated Euro Cup match between the favourite Spanish side and Pavel's Russia.  Unfortunately the Russians were once again greatly outplayed, exiting the cup with a 0-3 loss.

Settling into Cambridge

So its been a good few days since we arrived in Cambridge, yet due to some issues in dealing with this "internet" thing, only now am I able to share this with you.  

We awoke bright and early about noon this Sunday, packed up our things and loaded a charter bus which had conveniently parked itself just in front of our hostel.  We took the scenic route out of London, passing one more time past all of the brilliant sites we had seen in the previous few days, and made our way north to Cambridgeshire.  It took just under two hours to arrive at what would be our temporary home for this week, Homerton College.  

After moving in and spending a few hours strolling about Cambridge, a majority of the group found its way to the Earl of Derby pub to watch the last of the euro cup quarter finals.  The match between two very skilled sides, Spain and Italy, left much to be desired, and really only got exciting as the match concluded with Spain winning on penalties.  

Monday, we had the morning free before meeting for a tour of the University.  Two absolutely delightful elderly women each took half of our group about the city center, showing us the King's, St. John's, and Trinity Colleges.  They shared with us .and quizzed us on, a great deal of history involving the University.  We walked through the very pub where Crick and Watson first conceptualized the structure of DNA, passed by the Cavendish Laboratory where 29 of Cambridge's 81 Nobel Prize winners conducted their research, looked upon an apple tree, grown from the roots of that very same tree from which a rosy orb fell into Newton's lap, and we even got to see Prince Philip taking part in the university's graduation ceremonies.  

When the tour's were over we continued our explorations of the town, amidst a flurry of activities as many of the university students made their way home for the summer, and the tourists made their way in.  The evening culminated with the first of what is sure to be many games of pickup football in the back lawn.  We played until it was too dark to see the ball and the time we had remaining to read before Pavel's first lectures  had dwindled.  

Today was our first official day of classes.  We spent a good four hours in lecture hall C in the art school building where Pavel presented lectures for our Industrial Revolution, and Multinational Financial Management courses.  We discussed the Malthusian Trap, and the relative stagnation and perhaps even decline in income per capita over the first several millennia prior to the industrial revolution, and were given a brief introduction to globalization, multinational firms, and exchange rate mechanisms.  

When class ended we then had the rest of the day to ourselves.  Most used the afternoon to read, rest and further explore the city.  I am told that another spirited game of pickup football took place early this evening, with the star player Pavel Kapinos gracing the field with his presence.   I instead attended a practice of the Strange Blue, Cambridge's ultimate frisbee team, on Jesus Green, and returned just in time for the tail end of a game of cards, which I'm sure Pavel also managed to win.  

After a grueling first, well, day of lectures, we will be joined by our awesome tour guides tomorrow for the first of our excursions into the English countryside to attempt to experience firsthand what life leading up to the industrial age might have been like. 

Exploring London, Day III

Our third and final day in London was another busy one.  We once again met Pavel in the morning and traveled east to the north bank of the Thames.  Our first stop was St. Paul's cathedral, a magnificent creation of the Anglican church during the baroque period.  As is true of any great cathedral, St. Paul's is architecturally exquisite, filled with gilded columns, vaulted ceilings, sculptures, mosiacs, and paintings of the holy saints.  The cathedral also provides visitors with endless views from the golden gallery high atop it's dome, as well as the chance to look upon the tombs of the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson, hero of the battle of Trafalgar.  

After leaving the cathedral, we then proceeded to the London Museum, which displayed a comprehensive history of the city of London, from prehistoric times, through the Roman era, the middle ages and the modern day.  With such an extensive and culturally rich history, London or Londinium, as it was formerly known, is one of the greatest and oldest cities in the western world.

The remainder of the day was given for free time.  Some of us took this opportunity to rest and catch up on some sleep, while others used to time to attend a play, which hopefully we can describe in greater detail at a later date.

As per usual, the early evening consisted of watching football as a large group at the hostel.  Pavel's (and thus most of our) side Russia was taking on the favourite to win the Cup, Holland, in the third quarter final match.  Both sides traded missed opportunities in the first half, with Russia looking to be the stronger side.  In the second half the Russians jumped out to a one-nil lead that seemed as if it would hold until the late equaliser from Holland's Ruud van Nistelrooy would force extra time.  Pavel was filled with sheer ecstasy as Russia scored two pretty goals in the second extra period, stamping their ticket to the semifinals where they will meet the winner of tomorrow night's match between Spain and Italy.

After the game, and attempts to collect winnings from a few bets on said game, a large majority  of us went out to enjoy our last night in London.  We arrived in Leicester Square, where our attempts to gain entrance to the world famous Zoo Bar were quickly thwarted.   However we were then subsequently invited into a venue called Ruby Blue, which turned out to be quite fun.  There were a broad range of peoples enjoying the... we'll say... more up-to-date musical offerings of the club.  After a good few hours at the club, we made our way back to the hostel to rest and pack up for our trip up to Cambridge tomorrow.

Exploring London, Day II

Our second full day in London was another busy one. We met Pavel at 9:30 and took the tube to the Waterloo area on the south bank of the Thames. There we took a ride on the London Eye. Even those with a fear of heights found the views over the city to be breathtaking. We then broke for lunch in the Tottenham Court area before proceeding to the British Museum. We spent several hours wandering among the endless collections of artifacts of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and many other civilizations. It was a truly humbling experience to look upon a giant bust of Rameses III, or a painted Greek vase depicting Herakles' defeat of the Nemean Lion, to imagine that these treasures were created by human hands thousands of years ago. After absorbing as much history as we could handle, we returned to the hostel for some much needed rest. After a short rest a small group took a trip to the Tate Modern gallery. The countless modern pieces stood in stark contrast with the classical works of art seen earlier in the day, and provided a unique link between the past and present documentation of the human experience.
    Tonight's Euro Cup matchup has been a thriller between Croatia and Turkey, with the favourite side Croatia sneaking in a goal with less than two minutes left in the second period of extra time, only to have Turkey notch the equalizer seconds later.  In convincing fashion, Turkey completes the upset with a 3-1 edge in penalties.  

One small group that chose to explore the London nightlife set off to Piccadilly Circus in search of a good time.  We were delighted to find that a fairly large Turkish contingency had gathered in the square.  They were singing, chanting and waving flags in celebration of their country's victory.  Seeing that kind of pride and passion was truly inspiring.  After the bobbies had cleared the mob, our group walked south to Covent Garden where we went to a club called the Roadhouse.  It was a happening place with lots of people and a great atmosphere.  The most interesting part of the club scene was the music, american pop/hip-hop that was just a few years past its prime, which was played by a DJ as well as a cover band called Everyday People.  Upon leaving the club, we discovered that finding transport after the tube closes is more difficult that imagined, as it took about twenty minutes to hail a cab. Never the less day two was a great success and we look forward to day three.

Exploring London, Day I

Today was our first full day in London.  For most of us, it started with venturing into the Chelsea neighborhoods for an authentic English breakfast.  The bacon and egg croissants from the local fish and chips vendor were particularly good.  After breakfast we met Pavel and took the tube to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory, where we had the unique opportunity to stand in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres at the same time.  Then, only after synchronizing our watches to Greenwich Mean Time by watching the ball drop (see photo right), we proceeded to the National Maritime Museum .  The remainder of the afternoon was allotted as free time, during which most of us took care of some logistical chores (buying a pay-as-you-go mobile was much more complicated than one would expect), and wandering about the Borough of Westminster, visiting sights such as the Parliament Building, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.  After taking the requisite photos of the beautiful architecture and the stoic guards, we returned for the hostel for another mellow evening of watching football on the tele.  For any football fans out there Portugal was out-classed by ze Germans in a very exciting match.   Day one was full of great experiences, days two and three  are expected to bring more of the same. 

Cheers.

Arriving in London

Today was the day that the majority of our group arrived in London.  Whether flying into Heathrow or Gatwick, or taking a train in, we all managed to find our way to our lovely little hostel at 7 Brechin Place in the Chelsea-Kensington District.  After a brief meeting with Pavel and our host Fabio, we set out for a lovely dinner at the Cactus Blue Restaurant and Lounge, which provided an eclectic blend of Mexican, Cajun, and Asian flavors.   We finished dinner just in time to watch the Euro Cup match between Sweden and Russia as a group in the hostel lounge.  Much to the delight of Pavel, and to the dismay of this particular Scandinavian, Russia pulled off an impressive 2-0 win over the Swedes.  With jet-lag setting in and a busy couple of days ahead, most call it an early night.

A (Brief) History

Founded in 1983, the Economics Seminar in Cambridge has been located at Cambridge University for 20 years. The University has been home to many of great economic theorists including Alfred Marshall, John Maynard Keynes, and F.A. Hayek. Being in Britain allows students to study the contemporary British economy as well as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. The program has become an integral part of the economics curriculum at Carleton, and the faculty believes the seminar’s historical focus and exposure to British culture help students see themselves, their country, and the world with new perspective.

The Beginning

As the final week of Carleton's spring term commences, it's students are battling through their last books, problem sets, essays and exams, while looking forward to the summer holiday that lies ahead.  For twenty four of us, this coming summer will be spent at Cambridge University studying economics and experiencing the culture of England, the UK and the European continent.  Beginning with our arrival approximately two weeks from now, this blog will chronicle our studies, travels, experiences and new perspectives, with the hope of giving friends, family and prospective participants a taste of what the seminar is all about.  

Cheers.