6/16/07

Friday, the illustration flat and I got to Waterloo Station a bit before 12:30 PM. I got a couple of chocolate bars for the first time here. A Flake and something new which I can't remember, but I liked it. I tried the Mars Bar here too, and it's really a 3 Musketeers bar. No, Milky Way.
We all got train tickets to West Malling which was a hour ride outside of London. THe countryside whizzed by as the urban landscape gave way to beautiful fields of grass. The countryside has rolling hills that go beyond anything. Trees, lines of them and patches decorated the green hills. I got pictures of course. We also passed a deer farm on the way. It was pretty interesting for one second.
When we got to West Malling, we took taxis to the place. Taxi drivers here in the country whirled down small, windy roads which is impressive. It's almost like taking a NY driver and letting him have free reign on tiny country roads. One thing to point out is that the foot pedal configuration is the same as ours. So, it's make it a tiny bit easier to learn to drive here.
Baseline then. . . .there were situated on this huge manorhouse estate that used to belong to a noble family since the 1600's. The manor itself is lavih and filled with Victorian design and splendour. Very elaborate, many paintings fill the walls, and the rooms are very gorgeous. The dining room where we sat and had our lecture had a table of fruits, snacks, and little pastries with tea and coffee tins filled to the brim. All this before out talk with Baseline. The talk began and I felt a bit tired from the warmth of the room and the food. Nonetheless, I listened to Baseline's philosophy and approach to its magazine. The magazine was quite a different magazine that didn't follow a specific style of design. Rather, the layout and design of the pages varied from one article to the next. We discussed whether that was a good thing to do as a magazine, and how the inventiveness adds a special kick.
Afterwards, we walked around the fields, the HUGE open spaces by the manor and lake. The place is amazing to see. I took the train back early then and started off the free weekend.