So its been awhile since I posted what I have been up to and since then I have done quite a bit of traveling. After Prague I flew to Milan and took a train down to the city of Turin. One of my old teammates who is italian grew up in Italy and I got to visit her last summer as well. This time however, about a week before I left the states, Jess found out she was offered a job in Tennesse and so she moved back to the states before I made it to Turin. But I still went and stayed for 2 nights with her parents, who were absolutely wonderful but who do not speak any english and as I definitely dont speak italian, it was hilarious. Being in their home was exactly what I needed after a month of traveling, I was able to rest and relax to get ready for the last leg of my trip. And trying to communicate with them was absolutely just funny. I laughed a lot.
Sooo I spontaneously decided to buy a flight to Berlin after my 2 days in Turin to meet my friend Maureen who was going to be there for 5 days. Does it make since to leave Prague fly to Italy then turn around and fly to Berlin to then fly back to Italy afterwards? yes totaly sense. And thats why I did it. That and the fact that I had heard from people that Berlin was an absolutely amazing city, and I since I spent 2 weeks in Italy last summer I decided to get to a place I had never been before. So from Turin I took a train to Milan and then fly to Berlin and met Maureen at our hostel. Our hostel was funny. No other word to describe it, except dirty and funny. But we had fun and only stayed there for 2 nights. Our first full day in Berlin we went to the Jewish Museum in the morning, which was the craziest most interactive museum I have ever been to. It was really interesting and just full of information. We couldnt fit it all in before we were going to meet a walking tour of the city so after the tour we went back to finish up the other half of the museum. The walking tour was really great, I am super glad we did it. We learned a lot of information about the city and the history, it was just really interesting and we saw a lot of the major sites along the way.
Here is the thing about Berlin that I realized, It is such a different city than anywhere else in Europe that I have been. Really cool and really great in such a different way, typically I love the places that are really beautiful but Berlin isnt really that way. Its an absolutely huge city, and because of ALL of the history that has taken place there, and the wars fought there, so much of the cities buildings are new, which is much different than a lot of Europe. Also being in Berlin made a lot of the history so much more real.
A quick synopsis of my time in Berlin: The east side gallery, which is the longest stretch left of the berlin wall, is just completely covered in street art and it is soo cool. Berlin has a really interesting alternative community that was really fun to experience and see in different areas of the city. The holocaust memorial and museum, possibly my favorite thing we did in the 5 days we were there. It was so heavy, so my difficult and heartbreaking information to take in but it was so good at the same time. Something I really loved about the museum was that it focused solely on the people whose lives were taken. Granted there were 6 million lives taken and they couldnt focus or even know who all of them were, but through gathering information on ones they did know, they really showcased their lives in a beautiful way. It was one of those things that was really hard to read about but also I am sooo glad that I got to see it. I think the hardest part is realizing that with losing all of those lives, the world lost so much culture, ideas,experiences, stories, just so much. Its really shocking to know that something like that could happen.
My other favorite thing that we did was go to this massive flea market on Sunday, my last day in the city. It was the biggest and best flea market I have ever been to in my life. Absolutely incredible, and exhausting. We spent over 3 hours there and didnt even see everything. It was crazy. Also I am pretty sure that the entire time all we ate was turkish food, and it was just so great.
The next morning I took the tram to the Airport and flew to Zurich and then on to Milan. I just couldnt get enough of the Milan airport so I needed to get back one more time. Then I took a train to Florence, where I am staying with two of my really good friends growing up Aunts. She lives a little ways outside of Florence on a horse riding school that she owns and ahhhh this is just the best end to my travels that could possibly happen. Marcia and Carmello are just so wonderful to me, Carmello has cooked wonderful Italian dinners each night and I am staying in this adorable rooftop apartment of their home. Yesterday I took the bus into Florence and spent the whole day walking around, I went to the Duomo, all through the markets and center of town, over the river and to the Piazza de Michealangelo which was my favorite spot in the city last summer. I love Florence, I think that if I were to choose a city to live in Italy, this would be it! This morning I am going to go on a walk over the hill from the riding school to a small village that Marcia says has a nice church and is a cute and quaint little place. Then I think Im planning to take the bus into town and go to the Pitti Palace and spend the afternoon at the Boboli Gardens. Such a wonderful way to end this adventure.
Tomorrow I head to Pisa to fly back to London, where I will have 2 days before heading up to Lancaster to get settled in and start school. I cant believe I have been traveling for 5 weeks and I am still here in Europe for 3 months. Thats crazy. Hopefully lots more traveling to happen soon too :)
ohh and I also might be splurging on a leather suitcase today. and by might be, i mean i am. Because when in Florence, buy leather.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Lots & Lots
Sooo its been 10 days since I have updated on my whereabouts and activities. ooopsies.
Well after the pembrokeshire coast in Wales I caught a bus, to another bus, to another bus, to a train, to another bus, to the underground, to another bus and then I found myself in the flat of my good friends Glen & Camille. It was a travel day for sure. But once I was back in London I had a delightful night and dinner (thank you glen) with my friends.
The next morning sometime in the 4 am region, Camille and I hit the pavement to make our flight out to Austria. Lets just say we could have been a little bit more prepared for getting to the airport. After the first 2 train stations we tried being closed, we had to take a taxi to another station in order to make the only train going to Gatwick airport that would get us on our 6:50 flight on time. Problem was, neither of us had enough cash for a taxi so the taxi man had to make a pit stop at an atm. Anyways we made it to the airport, got through security only to realize that our gate was "20 minutes" from the terminal center and we were supposed to be there to board in like 5 minutes. So we were totally those girls running through the airport to catch our flight. And we made it! Once on the flight we realized that Camille had somewhere in the chaos of the morning, lost her credit card and it was nowhere to be found. We ended up canceling it once we got to Prague and I became her sugar mama for the week.
So after an eventful start we made it to Innsbruck Austria. Oh my gooooodness. seriously the most quaint, adorable, charming, beautiful little city ever. Surrounded by mountains on all 4 sides, we were SO happy that we went! We couchsurfed with a really sweet girl named Claudia who had an awesome flat really close to the city center, and who really helped us out with how best to see and get around Innsbruck. We stayed with Caludia for two nights and all during the days Camille and I just explored the city, window shopped, ate good food, and went up two different mountains ranges that had the most incredible views ever. We hiked about in our skirts and dresses, and steve madden boots while legit hikers had hiking poles, and hard core hiking boots. it was awesome, we totally fit in.
The most eventful night of our trip happened in the Innsbruck train station waiting for our 1 am train to Vienna. Camille and I were trying to be savvy and take an over night train so that we wouldnt have to pay for a night of a hostel, while that sounds really great. It ended up not really being the case. We got on the train, with tickets in hand and the conductor told us that all he had for us was "standing room". We were thinking "what do you mean standing room? its a night train. that means sleeping room sir". But oh no, we didnt get seats, or bunks, we got a service cupboard that had a desk, a cold hard floor and us. Soooo we slept on our clothes, under a desk, on the floor of a train. for 6 hours. Needless to say, not our best moment ever.
It ended up being okay once we were in Vienna, and although we lost about half a day because of exhaustion we still had a really great first day in the city. We met a really fun friend named Maureen who spent the next two days with us, she is from California, is our age and is traveling for a few months on her own. She came along with us and we went to the Vienna opera house and saw the opera! It was a really cool experience, even though I have no idea what opera it was, and it was in german, but we had english screens with sub-titles so that helped. We walked through the city afterwards for a little bit and had dinner at a great greek restaurant that had the most adorable little greek man who owned it. he was precious.
The next day the three of us explored and saw some amazing churches and palaces. We went up in the tower of this incredible church in the middle of the Old town and I think it is my favorite church I have ever visited. I loved the roof and the stained glass, so pretty! We also went to the Shonbrunn palace, which was awesome! Its a huge palace and gardens, that has the oldest zoo in the world, and incredible views of the city from the roman ruins on the hill above it. We went at dusk, which was great to see the city as it was lighting up. We really enjoyed Vienna and getting to meet Maureen!
The next morning, after a long coffee with Camille, I caught a train to Prague. I met up with Jordan, a friend from school who is studying for the semester in Rome. We had two good days in Prague and saw a lot of stuff. The first day we went to the castle and walked all throughout old and new town Prague. A mutual friend of Jordan's is a native of Prague and was nice enough to show us around a bit and tell us a lot of the history which was really great! She also took us to the astronomical clock at night, where there was a light show of sorts against the structure of the clock that showed the history of Prague and it was really really neat, I am glad we got to see it! The next day my friend Maureen from Vienna came to Prague!! It was really fun to meet up with her again! We met a guy from Chicago in our hostel who tagged along, so the four of us explored the city and went up in the astronomical clock tower. It was by far my favorite thing in Prague, I loved the view from the top right in the middle of the city. We walked through old town center and then went to an authentic Czech restaurant and brewery for dinner that had been recommended to us! It was a really cool experience, but Czech food isnt my favorite. Afterwards we took a tram up to the top of the hill to see the castle lit up at night, it had a really great view of the city as well!
I cant believe that I only have 10 days left of the travel time of my trip! Its gone by so fast, so so fast. But has been super great! I am so glad I am seeing so many new places I have never been before and that I am having friends to meet along the way! Today I leave for Turin, Italy to stay with my friend Jess's parents for two nights and regroup after all my traveling :) It will be a nice break and so great to stay in a home, I am looking forward to it!
great news: My parents and JP booked their tickets to come for 10 days in November!! The listened to my previous post and they are gettin themselves to Scotland. as everyone should. I am super excited, im sure it will be here before I even know it!
Just a little austrian love for you people. imagine yourself here.
Well after the pembrokeshire coast in Wales I caught a bus, to another bus, to another bus, to a train, to another bus, to the underground, to another bus and then I found myself in the flat of my good friends Glen & Camille. It was a travel day for sure. But once I was back in London I had a delightful night and dinner (thank you glen) with my friends.
The next morning sometime in the 4 am region, Camille and I hit the pavement to make our flight out to Austria. Lets just say we could have been a little bit more prepared for getting to the airport. After the first 2 train stations we tried being closed, we had to take a taxi to another station in order to make the only train going to Gatwick airport that would get us on our 6:50 flight on time. Problem was, neither of us had enough cash for a taxi so the taxi man had to make a pit stop at an atm. Anyways we made it to the airport, got through security only to realize that our gate was "20 minutes" from the terminal center and we were supposed to be there to board in like 5 minutes. So we were totally those girls running through the airport to catch our flight. And we made it! Once on the flight we realized that Camille had somewhere in the chaos of the morning, lost her credit card and it was nowhere to be found. We ended up canceling it once we got to Prague and I became her sugar mama for the week.
So after an eventful start we made it to Innsbruck Austria. Oh my gooooodness. seriously the most quaint, adorable, charming, beautiful little city ever. Surrounded by mountains on all 4 sides, we were SO happy that we went! We couchsurfed with a really sweet girl named Claudia who had an awesome flat really close to the city center, and who really helped us out with how best to see and get around Innsbruck. We stayed with Caludia for two nights and all during the days Camille and I just explored the city, window shopped, ate good food, and went up two different mountains ranges that had the most incredible views ever. We hiked about in our skirts and dresses, and steve madden boots while legit hikers had hiking poles, and hard core hiking boots. it was awesome, we totally fit in.
The most eventful night of our trip happened in the Innsbruck train station waiting for our 1 am train to Vienna. Camille and I were trying to be savvy and take an over night train so that we wouldnt have to pay for a night of a hostel, while that sounds really great. It ended up not really being the case. We got on the train, with tickets in hand and the conductor told us that all he had for us was "standing room". We were thinking "what do you mean standing room? its a night train. that means sleeping room sir". But oh no, we didnt get seats, or bunks, we got a service cupboard that had a desk, a cold hard floor and us. Soooo we slept on our clothes, under a desk, on the floor of a train. for 6 hours. Needless to say, not our best moment ever.
It ended up being okay once we were in Vienna, and although we lost about half a day because of exhaustion we still had a really great first day in the city. We met a really fun friend named Maureen who spent the next two days with us, she is from California, is our age and is traveling for a few months on her own. She came along with us and we went to the Vienna opera house and saw the opera! It was a really cool experience, even though I have no idea what opera it was, and it was in german, but we had english screens with sub-titles so that helped. We walked through the city afterwards for a little bit and had dinner at a great greek restaurant that had the most adorable little greek man who owned it. he was precious.
The next day the three of us explored and saw some amazing churches and palaces. We went up in the tower of this incredible church in the middle of the Old town and I think it is my favorite church I have ever visited. I loved the roof and the stained glass, so pretty! We also went to the Shonbrunn palace, which was awesome! Its a huge palace and gardens, that has the oldest zoo in the world, and incredible views of the city from the roman ruins on the hill above it. We went at dusk, which was great to see the city as it was lighting up. We really enjoyed Vienna and getting to meet Maureen!
The next morning, after a long coffee with Camille, I caught a train to Prague. I met up with Jordan, a friend from school who is studying for the semester in Rome. We had two good days in Prague and saw a lot of stuff. The first day we went to the castle and walked all throughout old and new town Prague. A mutual friend of Jordan's is a native of Prague and was nice enough to show us around a bit and tell us a lot of the history which was really great! She also took us to the astronomical clock at night, where there was a light show of sorts against the structure of the clock that showed the history of Prague and it was really really neat, I am glad we got to see it! The next day my friend Maureen from Vienna came to Prague!! It was really fun to meet up with her again! We met a guy from Chicago in our hostel who tagged along, so the four of us explored the city and went up in the astronomical clock tower. It was by far my favorite thing in Prague, I loved the view from the top right in the middle of the city. We walked through old town center and then went to an authentic Czech restaurant and brewery for dinner that had been recommended to us! It was a really cool experience, but Czech food isnt my favorite. Afterwards we took a tram up to the top of the hill to see the castle lit up at night, it had a really great view of the city as well!
I cant believe that I only have 10 days left of the travel time of my trip! Its gone by so fast, so so fast. But has been super great! I am so glad I am seeing so many new places I have never been before and that I am having friends to meet along the way! Today I leave for Turin, Italy to stay with my friend Jess's parents for two nights and regroup after all my traveling :) It will be a nice break and so great to stay in a home, I am looking forward to it!
great news: My parents and JP booked their tickets to come for 10 days in November!! The listened to my previous post and they are gettin themselves to Scotland. as everyone should. I am super excited, im sure it will be here before I even know it!
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Welsh Life
So I am really glad that I have a little bit of Welsh blood in me, because I really do think the Welsh are the friendliest bunch I have ever encountered! Im in like legit Wales, im talking Welsh is being spoken all around me, the roads are super narrow and there are hills and turns all over, and there are sheep and cows every direction that I look.
Since my last post was a bit of a dud (I was distracted while writing it by my two australian friends in the hostel) I promise this one to be more exciting! The place I am at is awesome! Im at Trefin in Pembrokeshire of the Pembrokeshire National Coastline pathway. Let me tell you what, people come here to hike and to hike alone and they are serious about it. and i love it!
Getting here from there. I left Cardiff yesterday mid-morning on a train for Haverfordwest, Wales. In Haverfordwest I had to catch a bus to St. Davids, Wales and while at the bus station I met the loveliest woman and her husband (both in their mid 80's is my guess) They were so so sweet, and loved chatting with me about my traveling around and the places I was going to visit next. Once in St. Davids after the bus ride I had about an hour and a half before the next bus to the small tiny village where my B&B is so I stopped in an ice cream parlor across from the bus stop and asked if I could drop my backpack there so I could explore for an hour or so. I went to the St. Davids Cathedral which was really cool and had a beautiful walk way throughout. I explored some of the shops, and talked with an artist in a gallery for a bit. I caught the bus to Trefin, which when people asked me where I was headed couldn't understand how I had ever chosen Trefin as a place to visit. Honestly I just found this b&b/hostel online one day and looked at the website and decided to go there haha. Although for the majority of the traveling I have done, I have been completely unprepared meaning I have no idea what is at the location, its all worked out pretty well and this is no exception. The couple running the hostel is really great, the village is adorable with one pub being the only place you can get food, and an entrance to the coast pathway is only a 5 minute walk off the road! I am super glad I randomly decided to visit here!
The coastline is absolutely breathtaking! Its unreal. Its really refreshing to be here, its such a different pace of life, and really neat to be out of a city and in such a beautiful place! Like i said, I love the people here, I feel completely safe being by myself, everyone is so helpful and genuinely kind. Plus hearing welsh being spoken is crazy, I feel honestly like I am in a bit of a different time, definitely the pace of life is different and the importance of other things seems less important to the people around here. They love good conversations, friends, their hobbies from what I have seen art, ceramics, jewelery, woodworking. Its just been a really neat experience.
Plus how could I not love hiking in this place. its so beautiful!
Next stop: Back to London, then on to Innsbruck, Austria
Since my last post was a bit of a dud (I was distracted while writing it by my two australian friends in the hostel) I promise this one to be more exciting! The place I am at is awesome! Im at Trefin in Pembrokeshire of the Pembrokeshire National Coastline pathway. Let me tell you what, people come here to hike and to hike alone and they are serious about it. and i love it!
Getting here from there. I left Cardiff yesterday mid-morning on a train for Haverfordwest, Wales. In Haverfordwest I had to catch a bus to St. Davids, Wales and while at the bus station I met the loveliest woman and her husband (both in their mid 80's is my guess) They were so so sweet, and loved chatting with me about my traveling around and the places I was going to visit next. Once in St. Davids after the bus ride I had about an hour and a half before the next bus to the small tiny village where my B&B is so I stopped in an ice cream parlor across from the bus stop and asked if I could drop my backpack there so I could explore for an hour or so. I went to the St. Davids Cathedral which was really cool and had a beautiful walk way throughout. I explored some of the shops, and talked with an artist in a gallery for a bit. I caught the bus to Trefin, which when people asked me where I was headed couldn't understand how I had ever chosen Trefin as a place to visit. Honestly I just found this b&b/hostel online one day and looked at the website and decided to go there haha. Although for the majority of the traveling I have done, I have been completely unprepared meaning I have no idea what is at the location, its all worked out pretty well and this is no exception. The couple running the hostel is really great, the village is adorable with one pub being the only place you can get food, and an entrance to the coast pathway is only a 5 minute walk off the road! I am super glad I randomly decided to visit here!
The coastline is absolutely breathtaking! Its unreal. Its really refreshing to be here, its such a different pace of life, and really neat to be out of a city and in such a beautiful place! Like i said, I love the people here, I feel completely safe being by myself, everyone is so helpful and genuinely kind. Plus hearing welsh being spoken is crazy, I feel honestly like I am in a bit of a different time, definitely the pace of life is different and the importance of other things seems less important to the people around here. They love good conversations, friends, their hobbies from what I have seen art, ceramics, jewelery, woodworking. Its just been a really neat experience.
Plus how could I not love hiking in this place. its so beautiful!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Rainy Wales!
As previously states, everyone needs to go to Scotland. Once you are in Edinburgh, the best decision you could possibly make is to hike up Arthur's seat to the top for the most breathtaking view imaginable. Thats how Ang and I spent our last day in Edinburgh. The hike takes abour 30 to 45 minutes so its not hard to do and its completely worth it! We hiked up and spent a few hours sitting and viewing the city, you pass lakes as you go up and then have an incredible view of the hills, city and coastline. Its so awesome! We caught our flight back to London and had one more night in town before Ang flew back to California, and I headed out on my own to Wales.
I got into Cardiff around 3:30 and found my hostel, which is the cutest and nicest hostel I think I have ever stayed in. I have met a couple of really nice people, lots of Australians actually! The people in Wales are really awesome! I spent the afternoon walking all over the city and stopping in tons of really unique specialty shops! The next morning I went to the National Museum of Cardiff, and spent a few hours in the Impressionist art gallery. I think I actually found art that I enjoy, lots of Monet and Renior. The rest of the afternoon I shopped around and talked with the shop owners which was so great! I walked to the Bay and sat in a coffee shop as it rained and journaled. It was a really great day! The hostel I am at had free pasta for dinner so I ate with some of the people staying here, and then one of the girls and I hung out for the evening. Today I leave for the coastline to the west, I am not really sure where I am headed so it could be a bit interesting!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Holy SCOTLAND!!!
But first, our last day in London! Ang and I woke up and got our things together and took the tube over to Wimbledon to see the new Camille McMurry! It was so great to spend the day in London with two of my best friends! We saw the flat that Glen and Camille just moved into, had fish & chips at a local place close to their home and then took the tube to meet Glen at his office building after work. He took us to Borough Market, which is an outdoor market with little specialty shops of foods, drinks, olive oils, spices, etc. It was really neat. We went to a pub and just chatted for awhile before Ang and I headed to try and find out hostel. We stayed the night near the Victoria station because we had to be at the train at 4:50 to head to the airport to make our flight to Scotland. We had a great couple days in London but were excited for our next stop!
Ahhh Scotland. Its just so wonderful. From where I have been before I would sum it up like this: the beautiful architecture and old buildings similar to France, with the incredible green moutainous hills and lush green trees and fields of Switzerland. So basically I could go on and on about how much Im in love with it! And throw in the accents of the people and im done for.
So we arrived in Edinburgh early in the morning Saturday and we found our hostel. We are staying right off the Royal Mile at a place thats inside a 400 year old building, its hilarious as most hostel experiences are but its been great for us! We started walking the city and went to the Scottish Art Museum where we saw works by Raphael, Monet, Da Vinci, and Boticelli. I wish I knew more/ cared more about art. but I really know nothing. Next we went to the Museum of Scottish History which was so neat!! We toured around and saw stuff for a couple hours before going to the roof where there is an AMAZING view of the city! Mountains, water, a castle, little shops. what more could you need? Then we decided to get tea at a tea house and people watch. Afterwards we went down Haymarket street which is probably my favorite street in Edinburgh, its lined with specialty shops for whiskey, cheese, vintages, stationery, even yarn and crocheting. We made our way to the Edinburgh Castle which was really cool, we spent time enjoying the view from high in the castle and went through the royal chambers, etc. That night we chatted with some nice girls from our hostel who are traveling on holiday from London! Also I love the old scottish men who work in the museums, they are absolutely adorable and so helpful!
Yesterday was the best day of our time so far! We woke up early to walk and explore the city. There is something so wonderful about experiencing the city in the early morning, as people are just starting to make their ways out for coffee, or to work, or to go running. I love to see the city as it is before the tourists begin to crowd the streets. The feel and energy is so much more quaint and peaceful! Its my favorite time to walk around without a destination in mind and really explore whats around. Afterward we got ready and sat in a coffee shop, drinking coffee and journaling, just enjoying a nice cool brisk morning. Around 10 we went to the train station to take a train to St. Andrews. This is probably our best decision of the trip! St. Andrews. wow its so great! We went to an adorable littel restaurant/shop and got a sandwich and drinks to take to the beach for lunch. We sat in a park on a hill with the St. Andrews Old Course to our left and the beach from chariots of fire right in front of us (disclaimer I have never seen the chariots of fire, this is just what im told about the beach :)) Since it was a sunday, the course was open to the public so we got to walk as much of it as we wanted! We sat and watched some golfers before going to the British Golf Museum and then sitting back in the park. A choral orchestra was playing in the park and we just sat and listened as they played "Havent met you yet" by Michael Buble. It was awesome! We walked along the coast to see the Castle and Cathedral. At the Cathedral we walked along a pier made of stone out into the water. Lets just say it was incredible, I could have sat there forever. It was basically the most perfect afternoon. We took the train back last night in time to get spots in the city for the end of the Edinburgh Festival fireworks show. Certain things you cant plan are what make trips and this was definitely one of those things. The entire city shuts down and everything closes, with the streets blocked off for people to stand and sit in as an Orchestra plays in Princes Street Park as fireworks were shot off of the Edinburgh Castle in time with each orchestral piece. Absolutely the best fireworks show I have ever seen, and coming off of a legitimate castle. really? yess we did that for sure. I love how big the festival is in the city, we saw somewhere that it was expected for over a million people to see the fireworks and the train station was overflowing with people coming in to experience it. It was just so so great!!
We have one more day in Edinburgh, we are going to hike up Arthurs seat to the top of the old volcano and take a picnic, then head back to London for one more night and morning before Ang leaves back to the states and the reality of my traveling alone begins as I head to Wales!
oh and just imagine listening to bagpipes on the streets. seriously visit Scotland. mom & dad just go ahead and book those tickets.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Beginning
Soo its been a few days of exploring the lovely city of London. On my flight over I sat with two fun younger individuals from around the London and we had a fun time chatting and laughing. Things that always seem to happen to me; casually chatting turns into intimate life details sharing. On this particular flight I learned that the girl sitting next to me who was visiting Atlanta with her sister had gotten into a relationship with a married man, and gotten his name tattooed on her body, and had come up with an explanation for why she got it to tell her boyfriend in London. Like I said it got real personal on that flight. Really though, im not kidding things like this always seem to happen to me.
Anyways, made it here no problem, took an express bus from Gatwick airport to Heathrow to meet Angie once her plane made it in. I was transporting my backpack for 5 weeks of travel, plus a massive suitcase for 3 months of studying abroad in cold weather, plus a carry on bag. Wish someone could of snapped a photo of that.
We have been staying with one of the girls from Bartlesville who was in Angie's small group through klife. Amanda is here with an international missions organization for 6 months and the first day we went sight seeing with her and her friend Natalie. They have been really great and helpful to us! Let me just say, my ethnic food loving heart was made for all the London has to offer. We have had Turkish, Thai, Portuguese, and obviously proper British pub food all in the past 3 days. Its been so great!!
Yesterday on our first full day in the city, Angie and I explored on our own. We went to Central London and hit up all the major sites, spent a couple hours having lunch in Green Park and catching up on the life the past month. We went to the national gallery to see the Van Gogh paintings which i loved so much. We spent the day exploring and taking in the city which is huge but so diverse and vibrant! We spent a lot of time near tower bridge at the wharf area, which was really nice. The streets had fun markets, and stone streets with great places to sit and people watch. There was this awesome outdoor photography exhibit by this man who spent 7 years going all over the world capturing different cultural experiences that people go through in growing up that are significant to their ethnic, religious, racial, and cultural heritage. The photos were made into a book and then the exhibit had certain ones on huge canvases throughout this area that we walked through! So glad we found it!
Today was my favorite day thus far, we got up and ready early and made our way to the underground and took the tube to Notting Hill. I tell you what, I have found my place in London. Its sooo quaint and adorable and has a completely different feeling than central London. We went to Portobello Market, which was sooooo good. I am a sucker for markets. Ang recognized a famous bakery that has a cookbook she had seen in the states called The Hummingbird Bakery so we stopped in and got a piece of cake to eat on a stoop outside the market. We really loved walking all over through the market and stopping in really cool antique and specialty shops. Notting Hill is close to Kensington Palace and gardens so we decided to have another picnic lunch and we went to this awesome shop that is owned by a farm in Kent and who bring all of their produce, juices, cheese, etc in from where its freshly made on the farm. We got a huge bottle of their signature apple juice which I proceeded to carry around in my bag the entire rest of the day because I wanted to keep the bottle, but it probably just looked to people like I was an alcoholic carrying around a wine bottle. classy. After a leisurely afternoon in the park we went to an area of the city called Camden Town. Its another market area that was super interesting. And by interesting I mean it was really just touristy and cheesy central. lots of real strange stuff. We had a man approach in a very serious manner and inform us of the overwhelming deaths caused by diarrhea in the world. I just looked at him really confused and Angie just decided to say thank you and walk away. Ahh it was funny.
Our night was so great! We went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater in central London. We had about the worst seats in the house but it was totally worth it!! Such a great experience. We sat next to this super interesting man who has lived in 13 countries and currently lives in Zurich Switzerland and has a home in Miami. He is currently waiting for his first book to be published and just finished an engineering deal with Mercedes Benz and the Canadian government. Ang decided to jokingly ask the man if he needed us as employees. Needless to say no information was exchanged.
Its been such a blast, so glad we are getting to have this fun time together!
One more day in London. Next stop: Edinburgh, Scotland.
Anyways, made it here no problem, took an express bus from Gatwick airport to Heathrow to meet Angie once her plane made it in. I was transporting my backpack for 5 weeks of travel, plus a massive suitcase for 3 months of studying abroad in cold weather, plus a carry on bag. Wish someone could of snapped a photo of that.
We have been staying with one of the girls from Bartlesville who was in Angie's small group through klife. Amanda is here with an international missions organization for 6 months and the first day we went sight seeing with her and her friend Natalie. They have been really great and helpful to us! Let me just say, my ethnic food loving heart was made for all the London has to offer. We have had Turkish, Thai, Portuguese, and obviously proper British pub food all in the past 3 days. Its been so great!!
Yesterday on our first full day in the city, Angie and I explored on our own. We went to Central London and hit up all the major sites, spent a couple hours having lunch in Green Park and catching up on the life the past month. We went to the national gallery to see the Van Gogh paintings which i loved so much. We spent the day exploring and taking in the city which is huge but so diverse and vibrant! We spent a lot of time near tower bridge at the wharf area, which was really nice. The streets had fun markets, and stone streets with great places to sit and people watch. There was this awesome outdoor photography exhibit by this man who spent 7 years going all over the world capturing different cultural experiences that people go through in growing up that are significant to their ethnic, religious, racial, and cultural heritage. The photos were made into a book and then the exhibit had certain ones on huge canvases throughout this area that we walked through! So glad we found it!
Today was my favorite day thus far, we got up and ready early and made our way to the underground and took the tube to Notting Hill. I tell you what, I have found my place in London. Its sooo quaint and adorable and has a completely different feeling than central London. We went to Portobello Market, which was sooooo good. I am a sucker for markets. Ang recognized a famous bakery that has a cookbook she had seen in the states called The Hummingbird Bakery so we stopped in and got a piece of cake to eat on a stoop outside the market. We really loved walking all over through the market and stopping in really cool antique and specialty shops. Notting Hill is close to Kensington Palace and gardens so we decided to have another picnic lunch and we went to this awesome shop that is owned by a farm in Kent and who bring all of their produce, juices, cheese, etc in from where its freshly made on the farm. We got a huge bottle of their signature apple juice which I proceeded to carry around in my bag the entire rest of the day because I wanted to keep the bottle, but it probably just looked to people like I was an alcoholic carrying around a wine bottle. classy. After a leisurely afternoon in the park we went to an area of the city called Camden Town. Its another market area that was super interesting. And by interesting I mean it was really just touristy and cheesy central. lots of real strange stuff. We had a man approach in a very serious manner and inform us of the overwhelming deaths caused by diarrhea in the world. I just looked at him really confused and Angie just decided to say thank you and walk away. Ahh it was funny.
Our night was so great! We went to see Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater in central London. We had about the worst seats in the house but it was totally worth it!! Such a great experience. We sat next to this super interesting man who has lived in 13 countries and currently lives in Zurich Switzerland and has a home in Miami. He is currently waiting for his first book to be published and just finished an engineering deal with Mercedes Benz and the Canadian government. Ang decided to jokingly ask the man if he needed us as employees. Needless to say no information was exchanged.
Its been such a blast, so glad we are getting to have this fun time together!
Monday, August 29, 2011
So begins the adventures!!
Well... The time has come! Currently I am sitting on the ground at the Atlanta airport charging my phone (because this sucker cannot hold a charge for a full day much less a day of phone calls/texts/emails of goodbyes)
but the adventure is about to begin! When I think about it I have wanted/been planning to this for such a long time! I mean, studying abroad was something I asked college coaches about on recruiting trips my senior year of high school. And now it's here. The crazy thing is I haven't even really thought about the whole "studying abroad" part because I can't get past the whole "backpacking through Europe for 5 weeks on my own" part. Granted, I have backpacked through Europe before and granted I am not going to be alone alone that often but it's still crazy! But I am so excited. Like unreal, can't even believe this, I am so blessed, who gets to do this? Kind of excited! :)
I want to keep everyone who cares to read this ad updated on where I am/what I'm doing and seeing as I possiby can! Especially when I am traveling the European countryside on my own (assuming I can find wifi?) you will be my people and travel companions :)
all sarcasm & cheesyness aside, I love all my family & friends a whole lot and am thankful for all of you! Pray for me as I go through this incredible experience: obviously for safety, peace and comfort but also just that I can truly take advantage of this incredible once in a lifetime experience and get out of it as much as I possibly can! I so look forward to all the growing experiences and exciting adventures I am about to partake on!
Now I should probably pay attention and not miss my flight :)
love to all. Will update as soon as I can! Next stop:london
but the adventure is about to begin! When I think about it I have wanted/been planning to this for such a long time! I mean, studying abroad was something I asked college coaches about on recruiting trips my senior year of high school. And now it's here. The crazy thing is I haven't even really thought about the whole "studying abroad" part because I can't get past the whole "backpacking through Europe for 5 weeks on my own" part. Granted, I have backpacked through Europe before and granted I am not going to be alone alone that often but it's still crazy! But I am so excited. Like unreal, can't even believe this, I am so blessed, who gets to do this? Kind of excited! :)
I want to keep everyone who cares to read this ad updated on where I am/what I'm doing and seeing as I possiby can! Especially when I am traveling the European countryside on my own (assuming I can find wifi?) you will be my people and travel companions :)
all sarcasm & cheesyness aside, I love all my family & friends a whole lot and am thankful for all of you! Pray for me as I go through this incredible experience: obviously for safety, peace and comfort but also just that I can truly take advantage of this incredible once in a lifetime experience and get out of it as much as I possibly can! I so look forward to all the growing experiences and exciting adventures I am about to partake on!
Now I should probably pay attention and not miss my flight :)
love to all. Will update as soon as I can! Next stop:london
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